The Philadelphia Distance Run

This morning I ran the Philadelphia Distance Run. When I arrived at my start corral, I saw Abby, Kevin and Brent. We chatted and then realized it was actually getting warm. Abby and I decided to ditch our long sleeve shirts, so I ran them back to my gear check bag. I came back to the corrals and the four of us were chatting. I was wearing my knee brace because me knee starts to hurt after about 6-7 miles. So far, this brace has helped me on every long training run. I was hoping it would work today. In my shoes, I had Superfeet insoles, that I had begun to wear a few weeks prior, to help with my Neuroma pain.

I told the gang that I am not used to running with people, and that I tend to put my music on and just get into my own world. I'm not chatty. But we said we'd all start together, but we could feel free to go off at our own pace. I told Brent that I was targeting a 1:50 because I had done a 13.1-mile training run in 1:51. However, I only needed to get a 1:53 for a race PR.

Miles 1-3
It was very crowded during the first mile, so I knew I would lose some time there. I think we all

stayed together for about a mile, but I definitely picked up the pace after I saw that the first mile was 8:55, and I think that's when I lost Abby and Kevin. Brent, on the other hand, was still near me. These miles were extremely bright, and I remembered it from last year, so I wore sunglasses.

Even with sunglasses, the sun was directly in my face and made it hard to see. I also felt like it was zapping my energy early on, even though the temperatures were in the mid 50's at that point.

Someone yelled out to me. . . "Zebra? I thought you were a tiger!" Later, someone else said, "That's the best looking zebra I've ever seen!"

Mile 1: 8:55
Mile 2: 8:25
Mile 3: 8:35

Miles 4-6
These miles were the hottest of the whole race. I was so glad I wasn't wearing my long-sleeved shirt. It was around 60 degrees, but it honestly felt like 75 and sunny. I typically walk while I drink my water, but I was trying to make up time from the first mile, so I walked for maybe 3 steps with the water and jogged while I drank the rest of it. I need to master this skill because I kept getting water all over myself whenever I drank it. Brent was still nearby for these miles, and I was surprised he stayed with me for this long without going ahead.

I had to stop to tighten my shoelace at mile 5, and he waited for me. I felt guilty, but he told me that he wasn't going for a PR. Instead, he was going to make sure I got one! He had a Garmin on and was tracking the pace. We were trying for an 8:30 pace. He had been slightly behind me for the first 5 miles, but then I started trailing him a bit once we got to mile 6.

Mile 4: 8:38
Mile 5: 8:38
Mile 6: 8:26

Miles 7-10 
These were tough miles, but they seemed to pass pretty quickly. At mile 7, we finally got into the shaded area of the course. Once we hit mile 8, I really wanted to slow down, but Brent wouldn't let that happen! I told him I didn't think I could keep going at this pace, but he really pushed me. The biggest hill during this course is during mile 9. Brent put his hand on my back and gave me a slight push up the hill. WOW! It made such a world of difference. It felt amazing. I hate hills and just having him there to give me that little boost helped so much! I ate my sports beans (or most of them) and they made me feel nauseous. They always do, but I really hate the taste of sports drinks, gels, etc.

Mile 7: 8:40
Mile 8: (not recorded. Maybe I need a new watch.)
Mile 9: 8:37

Miles 10-13.1 
I was happy to pass the 10-mile marker at around 1:26. I knew we were in the home stretch, but I was feeling really tired. My legs felt great, my knee and my foot were behaving, and yet the pace was starting to feel really challenging. Brent told me that I would regret it if I slowed down. Someone overhead this and encouraged me not to slow down. She said it was just a few more minutes of pain for a really great time that would last forever!

We were back in the sun at mile 12, so I just listened to my music and zoned a little while staring into the sun. Mile 12 was actually the fastest mile, coming in at 8:16. Unfortunately, I couldn't maintain that 8:12 during the last mile, and slowed a bit. I knew I had given this race my all when I passed the 13-mile marker and simply couldn't sprint. I almost always sprint to the finish, but yesterday, I was physically not able to run any faster. That last 0.1 was actually the slowest part of my race.

Mile 10: 8:32
Mile 11: 8:40
Mile 12: 8:16
Mile 13: 8:33
0.1: 0:54

My official time was 1:52:43, for a PR of about 1:30. I also shaved 8 minutes off of my time from last year's race.

I was pleased. I felt like I was about to pass out when I crossed the finish line. Brent sprinted the last 0.1 but waited for me to cross. We got our medals, got our bags, and started looking for the food. They typically give you food as soon as you finish, but we ended up looking for the food for over half an hour. We finally found the food and then met up with our Big Cat friends.

What a great reunion!

 Priceless line of the day, when we are looking at our Liberty Bell-shaped metals, Michael says: "Mine has a crack in it. Do you know why?" Sorry Mike, I just have to get in a laugh about that one. I had such a great time at this race. Thanks to all of you who supported me during this, whether you were there or you tracked me live.

Stats: 
I placed 281 out of 1224 women in my age group.
I placed 1131 out of 5651 total women.
I placed 4055 out of 11629 total runners (beating over 60% of the men!)

My playlist wasn't that important this time, because I was mainly focusing on Brent's guidance for the second half of the race. However, the playlist was dominated by Fall Out Boy's latest CD, with only minimal Jason Mraz. The Foo Fighters' new song, "The Pretenders," is one of my favorites at the moment.

NYC 8.5

Sometimes the best race is the one you don't.

My friend, "Freaky McRunner" recently posted a blog about not going for a run, even though she wanted to, because her body was telling her not to. My body (as well as some friends and a few doctors) cautioned me against racing the NYC half marathon on Sunday, so I listened.

I arrived in NYC on Saturday afternoon without my timing chip. I own my personal race scoring chip, and I used it to register for the race. Therefore, I had made the decision when I left my home that I would not be timed during this race. The plan was to run part of the race for the fun of it, and then take the Subway or a cab to the finish line and meet up with my friends.

Jenna and I met up at Penn station in NYC. From there, we went to her father's apartment where we would be staying that night. Jenna and I were supposed to also be meeting up with our friends Randi and Kimberly. But Kimberly was injured and Randi (from Texas) had her travel plans fall through. So, it was just Jenna and me.

After a quick lunch, Jenna and I headed to the race expo where we picked up our bib numbers and t-shirts. It wasn't much of an expo because the race was sponsored by Nike, who didn't want any competing companies there. The race t-shirt, however, is now my favorite one of all time, which is saying a lot. They had both male and female versions, the material is dry wicking, and the design is great. Jenna and I met up with my friend George (whose MySpace name is "Runner- aka La Lynx") at NikeTown and chatted for while.

Afterwards, Jenna and I found an amazing Italian place to have dinner at, did a little shopping and then went back to her father's place to go to sleep. The next morning, Jenna and I woke up super early, because we had to be at baggage check no later than 6:00am. We took a cab to the start line, and then got into our assigned corrals. I was assigned to the 5th corral based upon my projected finish time, but I decided to run back in the 7th corral with George.

I realized that I forgot my iPod. And then I realized this was a blessing in disguise. Not having my iPod would allow me to chat with George, really take in the race scenery, and pay more attention to my body. Plus, the music's main purpose is a motivator, and I didn't want any motivation to run this race fast. At the start line, George told me that the best part of the race was mile 8. Running down 7th avenue and into Times Square. She said that in Times Square, there was a Subway that would take me directly to the

finish line. So, my plan was to run 8.5 miles at an easy pace and then stop.

The race started and George and I were off. Jenna was in corral number 4, so she was far ahead of us. George knows NYC like the palm of her hand and provided such wonderful commentary as we ran through central park. I told her that she didn't need to waste energy talking, but she was so proud of her city! And I was really lucky to have my own personal tour guide through the park. My foot felt pretty good, although there was some minor discomfort. My knee was also bugging me, from that bike ride in Italy a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful experience to be running in a race, but not racing it. I was doing this for pure enjoyment.

At one point, we passed my grandparents' old apartment. They are deceased, but for over 50 years, they lived in an apartment on Central Park West. We ran very close to it. My father grew up in that apartment and Central park was a huge part of his childhood. At around mile 5, I stopped to go to a porta-potty and George continued on. I re-adjusted my shoes, (thanks for the lacing advice, Josh!) and then continued to run at about a 9:30 pace, which was a minute slower than I would have raced at. (Based on my training, I would have tried to run at an 8:30 pace). It was a great feeling to cross the timing mats and just not worry about what my watch said!

At mile 7, I finally got out of the park. Don't get me wrong-- it's wonderful to run in Central Park. But it's rather hilly and it getting boring after awhile. At mile seven, the park opened up onto a huge street with a ton of fanfare. There were bands, balloons, cheering crowds, video cameras. I felt like such a celebrity. It was an amazing experience. Just running down that street toward Times Square was worth it. If I made my foot worse in the process, it was worth it to have that incredible experience.

I was running with my phone in my skirt pocket, so I started taking photos as I was running. As a result, they were blurry, but I think I captured the essence. Like George said, I saw a huge Subway sign at mile 8.5, just as I was finishing the Times Square portion of the run. I hated to do it, but I ran over to the side of the road, pulled the metal fence out a bit and walked off the course. I could have physically kept going, but the plan was to not complete the 13.1 miles and risk making my foot worse. Plus, my knee was really bugging me (and I am getting it checked out on Thursday). My knee actually hurt more than my stress-fractured foot, and it had been my that had prevented me from doing the long runs I had wanted to in previous weeks.

I kept reminding myself that I was doing the best thing for my body, and I had my sights set on the Chicago Marathon. Chicago is much more important to me than my other races, and I really think I am capable of running that race in under 4 hours. It would be a huge milestone for me.

So, I got on the Subway and rode down to Battery Park. It was a long Subway ride, and I kept thinking

how much I would rather be running that distance. When I run, it never "feels" like that long of a distance. I am always amazed that a marathon distance is like my commute to work and halfway back. It seems insanely long, but while I am running it-- it feels much shorter. I got off the Subway and saw people running toward the finish line. My heart sunk a little bit, because I know how amazing that feeling is! I saw people wearing the finisher's medal, and I knew that I wouldn't be getting one of those. 

I was hoping for a NY Bagel for post race food, but all I got was a disappointing bag of hard pretzels and a pear. I found Jenna, who ran the race in a super-quick 1:51. I didn't meet back up with George, but I later received a text from her with her time. Jenna and I walked nearly two miles to get to the Subway that would bring us back to her father's apartment. The walking actually hurt more than the running. Not quite sure why! NYC is definitely a walker's city, and I think the amount of walking I did over the weekend did more harm to my foot than the 8.5 miles I ran.

All in all, I had a fantastic experience and I knew I made a smart decision by not running hard, and not running the entire 13.1 miles. I didn't see the point of going all the way to the finish line if I wasn't going to put my best running foot forward. I really hope that this decision pays off for me and my stress fracture heals in time for me to adequately train for the Chicago marathon. As is, I have already missed two weeks of training, and several long runs. But many runners have said "better to be under-trained than over trained". In the meantime, I think I will hone my swimming skills.

I stayed in the city until Monday afternoon. I met up with my friend Austin and we explored the city as much as we could with my foot and knee bothering me. We saw the Simpson's movie, which we both really enjoyed. We went to a diner that I had gone to with my family the last time we were in NYC visiting my grandmother. I got my favorite multi-grain Belgian waffle topped with fruit and yogurt. Yum! And I finally got my NY bagel, which I had been craving since the end of the race. Special thanks to George (la lynx), Jenna, and Austin (all of whom read this blog) for a fantastic weekend! We missed you Jenny, Kimberly and Randi!

Cure Autism Now 5K

This morning I ran the Cure Autism Now 5K in Potomac, MD. I also ran the Elizabeth Goldman Treadmill 5K in Fairfax, VA. One race was hilly, painful, slow, and run without music. The other was pancake flat, fast, and featured some of today's best alternative rock hits.

I made a decision over the weekend to run the Cure Autism 5K without my headphones. There were several reasons behind this. The primary reason was that I really wanted a mental challenge, and to prove to myself I didn't need my music to run a strong race. Who knows, I might even do better!

I've been running toward the front of the pack and placing lately, and none of the runners around me are listening to iPods, so I figured I would ditch mine just this once. I told myself that I would not regret this decision during the race or afterwards, no matter what the result was. I've raced without headphones before (with slow times) and I wanted to experiment.

I felt really good about this race. Yesterday, my hip flexors had been hurting, but they felt fine this morning and I felt very prepared. I did a 15-mile training run on Saturday, and have taken it easy every day since in preparation for today.

My father and his wife came! This was the first race that they have ever expressed interest in attending, and they actually showed up about 10 minutes before the race start. I was very happy to see them and have my own cheering section that would be waiting for me near the finish. During the race, I kept telling myself to "make them proud" and do really well, since they had woken up early on a holiday to see me race.

The race began, and even though I started close to the front, I had to do a lot of weaving and passing slower runners. I'm sorry-- but if you have a 6-year-old with you, do NOT line up at the front! I told myself it was okay because I didn't want to go out too fast.

After 7 minutes, I started looking around for a mile marker. There was none. At 7:30, there was a tripod that looked like it could have held something like a timing clock. I didn't see any mile markers or anything after that. It was therefore hard to pace myself and determine if I was going too fast or too slow.

Since I didn't have my iPod, I was more aware of the physical noises I make while running, as well as other peoples' breathing and grunting. I think I am a very vocal runner. I actually uttered the word "shit" a few times when it really hurt and I was pushing myself to the limit. I didn't notice the lack of music so much as I noticed the new sounds around me. From a safety perspective, I don't see how this type of running is any safer. Although I could hear runners coming up from behind me, it's not like they were trying to ram themselves into me.

I felt "comfortable" until about the last mile when things started to hurt. The course was extremely hilly. Lots of uphills and not many downhills. Before the race started, people had been talking about how

difficult this course was. The last 0.1 was an extremely steep downhill. So steep that it really took a toll on my quads and hips. I like to sprint to the finish, and this was one painful sprint. It sucked having to run up constant uphills for one extremely steep downhill right at the end, when I would have had the adrenaline to sprint anyway. I waved and smiled at my dad and his wife as I was coming down this steep hill.

I was really pissed at my time: 24:06. I ran a hilly 5K in 23:30 just a month ago. This one was definitely more hilly, and the slow start certainly didn't help, but it didn't make sense that I would add so much time on. In fact, the 5-miler I ran in March was run at a faster pace than this race. And my 4-miler from a few weeks ago was also run at a faster pace.

After the race, I chatted with my dad and step-mother, and my father was getting impatient, so they left before the awards ceremony. I didn't win an award, but that was to be expected. The race had 850 runners, and a lot of them were super fast. I did meet a really awesome woman who was just getting into running. She complimented my zebra skirt and then we spent about 20 minutes chatting while waiting for the awards ceremony.

I have no idea how I placed with regards to my age group or gender, because results weren't organized

Just met Cris (in the background)

that way. I left the race and headed to the gym for a cool down run. I stretched out for about 10 minutes and then hopped on the treadmill. Ah-- a flat surface! Ah--- my iPod!

My recovery jog suddenly got a burst of energy and I jacked up the pace to 7:20, ran at that pace for a little, and then settled in at a pace of 7:45. I told myself I would just do a quick mile and then cool down, but I felt amazing! The music was really energizing and I had tons of adrenaline. I ended up running an entire 5K, and beating my race time! My treadmill 5K was 23:50, and I wasn't even running at 100% effort

Considering I had just raced a 5K, I thought this was pretty impressive, and my self-confidence was boosted to it's pre-race level. And hey-- I came in 1st place! My award: A Starbucks Frappuccino.

I'm really sore now-- shin splint in the right leg, sore calves, hip flexors are killing me, but I am glad I did another 5K to redeem myself. I've been training hard lately and I've been sore a lot. The rest during my Italy trip is much needed. No more racing in July. The next race is the NYC Half marathon on August 5.

Familiar Ground

I ran the Ashburn 4-mile Twilight Festival last night at 6:30. The race started and finished in the parking lot of the building I worked in during 2003 and the first half of 2004. Next to my former office building is a Gold's Gym, for which my company haid subsized my membership to. Of course, I retained my Lifetime Fitness membership for the weekends. But during the week, I would workout at this Gold's gym during my lunch break or after work. I stated waking up earlier and earlier, so I began going in the mornings before work toward the end of my career at that company.

Before the Race

As I drove up to the race start, all the memories started flooding back. The company was bought by Sun MicroSystems shortly after I left, and most of the employees were told to work from home, and only come to the office occasionally. My sister still works there, and apparently nothing is the same anymore. I resisted the urge to look through the building window.

I had debated over which shoes to wear all week long. I have my standard Adrenalines, or my new Axioms, which I wore for the 5K. The Axioms are lightweight and designed for speed, but they provide very little support. They hurt my feet after two miles, and resulted in temporary shin splints after the 5K. I decided to go ahead and wear them, because I had done 4 miles worth of interval work earlier in the week, and I was fine afterwards. I knew I would probably regret it the next day, but it might be worth it to run faster.

There were quite a few people for such a local race-- there were over 750 finishers. I therefore had no hopes of placing, and was just aiming for a goal of under 31:00-- I wanted to average a pace of 7:45/mile or less. But when I got to the race, I wasn't expecting great things:

• The race was at 6:30pm, and that's usually when I wind down my day. I am definitely a morning person.
• It was still hot and sunny (about 75 degrees)
• My left leg had been hurting all day for no apparent reason
• I was still iffy about using my Axiom shoes. 

Given all that, I began to wonder why I even bothered. After all, I sacrificed my 14-mile training run this morning to do this. The only other person I knew at the race was my UPS delivery man from work. He delivers me all my shoes and running stuff, so he knew I was a runner. He had told me that he was running this race, and I said I was also registered. It was great to see him out there with his wife. He was aiming for a time of 32:00-- an 8:00/pace. It was his first race, so I was excited for him.

The Race!

This race was a two-loop course: 2 miles each. It was good because you knew what you were getting into for the second half. And there was a timing mat at the halfway point. The race started and I told myself to go slow. I wanted to start slow and finish fast. So, I ran at what seemed to be a fairly easy pace, but was shocked to discover that my first mile was 7:22. Shit! that was too fast. I told myself to slow down, and I did a little bit.

I took notice of my surroundings and I was running in a very familiar area, although it was much more developed since when I worked there 3 1/2 years ago. There was a whole new shopping center, and I ran on roads that didn't even used to exist.

My second mile was 7:54, and I passed the halfway point mat at 15:16. I passed my car and wanted desperately to change my shoes. The Axioms were killing my feet, and I could tell that shin splints were starting to form. I was mad at myself for wearing these shoes, and risking injury for a 4-mile race. I told myself I could just stop the race and walk, but my body kept on.

It was hot and the heat was slowing me down, even though I was well hydrated. My last two miles were about the same pace of 8:05, and I had a very strong finish.

Official time: 31:18

Pace: 7:49/mile 

I wasn't really pleased with this. I thought it was okay-- just mediocre. I missed my goal by 18 seconds, and my 5-mile race from March had been run at an average pace of 7:44. But then again, the March race was 30 degrees cooler, and in the morning.

Your bib ticket got you a pulled BBQ sandwich and a beer, but I passed on both and just opted for the bun. I wish there had been bagels. I went into the Gold's gym, where I flashed my old membership card at them and changed my shoes in the locker room.

After the Race

Inside the locker room, I remembered trying to shower and change as quickly as possible during my lunch break. I looked over at the scale. I remembered obsessively weighing myself on that scale, and I remember when it read 99 lbs. I didn't dare step on it now.

3 1/2 years ago, I was living for that number, and not much else. Had I run this 4-mile race back then, I probably would have averaged an 8:30 pace, which is decent, but definitely not as strong as I am today.

After changing into my more comfortable shoes, I decided to do a recovery jog on the treadmill for a mile. I wanted to keep the blood flowing through my legs, and I also wanted my mileage for that day to be at least 5, since I had taken the day before off.

After the treadmill run, I went back to my car and almost drove away. I felt some post-race depression/disappointment. The race was over, I missed my goal, and I knew my legs would be hurting for the next few days. BUT-- I wanted to see how the UPS guy fared.

I went back over to the Festival area and saw a free massage tent. I've never taken advantage of the free massages at races, but I did last night. The massage therapist was incredible. He knew exactly where I hurt, and really did a great job of getting the perfect spot. I've had quite a few massages in my life, and this 5-minute one was by far the best, so I am going to start using him now.

While standing in line for the massage, I received a comment that I typically get at races (and secretly love): "Do you run for school?" I reply with a smile, "I am 28!" I love that I can still pass for a 20-year-old, though.

After my massage, I started walking around, looking for the UPS guy. I didn't see him, but they were giving awards, so I decided to watch. When they started giving out awards for my age group, the 1st place winner had a time that was only one minute faster than me. So, my ears perked up for 2nd pace, and they called my name! I was shocked. As I said, this race had over 750 people, and I wasn't all that pleased with my performance. I went up to the announcer and I received a really nice Mizuno Duffle bag.

Anyway, the bag is really nice, and I'll probably use it for the NYC half marathon and VA Beach half marathon. I then saw the UPS guy and he was happy to see me with my award. He had averaged an 8:20 pace and was pleased with that.

I made my way back to my car and drove the familiar route home. When I got there, I took all the ice from my ice maker and put it in the bathtub along with cold water from the faucet. This ice bath lasted all of 4 minutes because it was so uncomfortable. I hope it helped! I looked at the results, which were already posted online.

I finished 2 out of 66 in my age group, which is twice the size of my age group when I ran the 8K a few weekends ago (also placing 2nd). Looking at the age group above mine, there were six runners who came in under 30:00. I am NOT looking forward to turning 30 and having to compete with that! On the plus side, maybe it shows that people get faster after they hit 30.

I fell asleep wishing I had done better in that race, but then, all of a sudden, I started laughing out loud. I brought home an award, and I was still not pleased? Damn! Talk about being a harsh critic. With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.

Running Reflections

Lately I have been thinking about my strategy for the next few months and training for the Chicago Marathon. I've always been hesitant to follow a formal plan (aside from getting those long runs in) because I like to train based upon how my body feels that day. I have enough motivation to run 6 days a week without a pre-formulated program in front of me.

But I want to get faster. So, I found this program in the July issue of Runner's World called the "Veteran" program. I made slight modifications based on my races and vacation, and then put the program into my own personal calendar. I'm going to stick to it so long as my body feels okay with what the program recommends on any given day.

My goal for Chicago will be 3:55. If my training runs indicate that I can do it faster as October 7 approaches, then I will aim for a 3:50. However, I will be very content with anything under 4 hours! My strategy for the past two months has been to recover from the NJ marathon and do shorter, faster races. I want to build a faster "base" so that when I add on miles to my long runs, those will be faster.

I've done two 10Ks, an 8K, and a 5K. I have a 4-miler coming up next Saturday and a 5K on July 4th. After that, my short races end and I will run two half marathons: The NYC half marathon on August 5 and the VA Beach half marathon on September 2. I'm still learning as I go along. I believe I have a lot more to learn.

One of my biggest challenges in training is to not go too fast! On Friday, I was supposed to take it easy and do 5 slowish miles. This was because I had been planning a long run for Saturday and wanted to conserve energy. But, I got carried away and 5 slow miles turned into 6 fast ones, so my legs were sore on Saturday. I opted out of the Saturday long run, took the day off from exercise entirely, and went for my 13-miler this morning.

I went shortly after sunrise at 6:00am. The temperature started at about 68 and rose to about 75. My route is hilly for the first half and flat for the second half, including two steep up/down hills. My goal was to run the 13 miles in under two hours, and to ideally keep the pace under 9:00/mile. I ended up really surprising myself by running much faster than expected, even though the pace felt very comfortable.

I had my iPod shuffle, and it played nearly all my favorite songs! And that shuffle has over 200 songs on it, so it was quite a coincidence. My first mile was 8:59, and I gradually sped up to a 7:51 for the last mile. I ran this training run faster than my half marathon PR, coming in at 1:51:53, with an average pace of 8:36/mile. I was truly surprised (especially with heat and hills), and the only explanation I can think of is that these shorter races have been very good for my speed. And the day off yesterday was definitely the right decision, although I felt so lazy. I have no idea what to expect for the NYC half marathon in terms of weather, and it could be a scorcher on August 5. But at least I know what I am capable of and what to shoot for in NYC.

Double Header!

My first 10K and second race ever was the Lawyer's Have Heart 10K in 2005, which a friend of mine convinced me to run. I typically ran 5-6 miles on a treadmill, so I figured I could handle a 6.2 mile race. I finished in 53:08, which I wasn't particularly happy about because my treadmill times were often faster. But there is an obvious difference between running outdoors and running on a treadmill: hills and heat. 

This 10K only has two significant hills, and is pretty much flat otherwise. I would rate the course as "medium" in the difficulty scale. However, this race is notoriously hot. The runners I spoke with after the 2005 and 2006 race said that the heat made them run much slower than usual. I was really frustrated when I did not beat my 2005 time when I ran the race in 2006. It was partially due to a crowded first mile, the heat, and still recovering from my first marathon.

I went into this race thinking I could easily beat my PR from two weeks ago of 49:55. But once the race started, I thought twice. The race starts under a bridge, and then is sunny for most of the way. Parts are shaded, but most of the course is without shade.

As soon as I got out from under the bridge, I knew a PR was unrealistic. It was sweltering hot and I hadn't even started running. I think it was around 76-78 degrees, but it felt like it was in the 90s while running. The humidity didn't help, either. So, from the very beginning I decided I would enjoy the race and treat it like a good training run.

My first two miles were 8:00 and 7:40, but they felt comfortable. The second half of the race was

another story. The heat really started to take its toll on me and I slowed down dramatically. I was putting much MORE effort in during the last three miles, and yet going a lot slower. I hit the 5K marker at 25:15, pace of 8:07. I really wanted to stop and walk. I only actually walked twice-- at the water stations, but instead of walking, I did the "survival shuffle" just to get myself through those last two miles.

I was thinking I would just be happy to beat my 2005 time. Hell, I would be happy to come in in less than an hour! It was brutally hot. I won't say that this is the hottest race I've run, because I did a half marathon last July and passed out afterwards from heat stroke. This is probably number 2.

I finished in 50:59

I placed 79 of 601 in my division

I placed 168 of 1276 women

Average pace was 8:13

This was 1:04 slower than my 10K from three weeks ago, but over two minutes faster than my 2005 time. This pace is slower than my 10-mile pace. BUT-- I am actually really proud of myself, and I'm not beating myself up at all for this. It was so hot, and yet I kept going.

Ironically, 50:59 was my 10K time during the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. And afterwards, I sped up and run 4 more miles. I could not even imagine running 4 more miles on top of that 10K, especially at a faster pace. Just goes to show you how much the weather plays a role.

Enough analysis of that. There was an 8K (4.96 miles) this morning that I knew about, and I had been considering it, but I never registered because I am typically way too sore to run the day after a race, let alone run another race. But I woke up this morning, and my legs felt fine. There was some lingering soreness in my hamstrings, but nothing major.

Since I didn't run the 10K as fast as I could, my legs still had some "juice" in them to go running today, so I went to the race and registered on site. My friend Brianna was also running this race, but was doing it with her husband (who runs slower than she does). So we met at the race start, and then met up again afterwards.

I've never run an 8K before, but I have done a 5-miler, which is pretty much the same. Actually, scratch that. My 5-miler was 5.2 miles.

Anyway, I didn't have high expectations from the race this morning because I had just run the 10K yesterday. My goal was to just keep running at a strong, steady pace, and finish in a decent time. My pace during the Ashburn 5-miler was 7:44, and I didn't expect to beat that today. The weather for today's race was almost perfect. I really wish that today's weather had been at yesterday's race, because then I know I would have set a 10K PR. I would rather have one really strong race then two just so-so races. But because of the weather, that's how it played out.

This course was very similar to my other 5-miler. Constant rolling hills. No part of this course was flat. It was far more difficult than the 10K course from yesterday. Up and down and up and down. There was a nice down hill at the end, and I thought I was finished, but of course the race did end with a nice final uphill. I know my legs will be killing me tomorrow from the hills.

I basically just enjoyed the nice racing weather, tried to keep my pace steady, and did not walk once, not even for water!

Mile 1: 7:40

Mile 2: 8:02

Mile 3: 7:54

Mile 4: 8:04

Mile 5: 7:53

Finish time was 39:36, pace of 7:58. It's about what I expected.

Considering I did a 10K yesterday AND this race was so hilly, I think it's pretty good!

I placed 2 of 25 in my division (ages 25-29)

I placed 14 of 116 women

The woman who placed first in my division was about two minutes faster than me. Of course I am curious if I could have beat that time had I not done the 10K yesterday. But I'll guess I'll never know! Tomorrow will definitely be a rest day!

10K Playlist
Red Hot Chilli Peppers- The Zephyr Song

Tori Amos- Almost Rosey

30 Seconds to Mars- From Yesterday

Live- Meltdown (almost had one of these!!!)

Anberlin- There is no Mathematics to Love and Loss

Tori Amos- Secret Spell

Jason Mraz- Common Pleasure

Incubus- Anna Molly

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus- Face Down

Anberlin- Reclusion

Tori Amos- Bouncing off Clouds

Anberlin- Readyfuels

The Love Theme from Flashdance

8K Playlist

Sheryl Crow- Steve McQueen

Five For Fighting- Devil in the Wishing Well

Tori Amos- Almost Rosey

30 Seconds to Mars- From Yesterday

Jason Mraz- On Love, In Sadness

Anberlin- There is no Mathematics to Love and Loss

Tori Amos- Secret Spell

Fall Out Boy- This Ain't A Scene It's an Arms Race

Anberlin- Reclusion
Tori Amos- Bouncing off Clouds

Anberlin- Readyfuels

Special Thanks to Michael Hayden for providing the iPod Shuffle!

Winning my first 5K

I wanted to run a 5K because I had not run once since the Turkey Trot last November. 5Ks are torture because you are going extremely fast and pushing yourself really hard, but the pain is over quickly. It's basically 20+ minutes of torture, for a victory and a "high" that lasts for much longer.

This is my third 5K and none of them have been enjoyable. In fact, each one of them felt like pure torture and I have always wanted to stop after two miles, and I always question why I subject myself to this. But then my mindset does a 180 when I reach the finish line. Thus, the 5K is a unique challenge in enduring the torture and just pushing and pushing as hard and as fast as possible.

My Personal Record for this distance was 23:32, and based on my training, I was hoping to run this race in less than 23:00. But the course was more challenging than expected.I would consider this course to be the "Boston Marathon" of 5Ks. The first mile is a steep downhill, and the last two miles are a gradual uphill.

I had read an article in Runner's World where they did a study of 5K times, and the study found that a good strategy is to actually go out faster than your anticipated pace. The runners who did this actually held this pace throughout the race, even though they didn't expect to. So I went out fast, and the first mile was a steep downhill, resulting in a 6:48 mile. I could hardly believe it. The second mile was mainly uphill, resulting in a 7:58. I wasn't happy about this, but I figured it was okay because I had banked myself some time with the first mile.

By the third mile, I felt like I was about to die. I was sweating profusely, the humidity was really hitting me hard, and my lungs were killing me. I really wanted to slow down and I was so close to just chalking

the race up to a loss and walking. I knew I wasn't going to get under 23 minutes, and I probably wouldn't beat my time from November. But then I realized that I had not seen any women ahead of me the whole race. I started the race at the front of the pack, and gunned it with a bunch of men, but I was fairly certain that I was in the lead in terms of women. When I realized I could actually win the race, I was motivated to keep going.

As I approached mile marker 3, I realized I could get a new PR if I sprinted. I did my fastest sprint ever, and came in at 23:30-- beating my PR by 2 seconds!

I felt like death for about two minutes afterwards, as I was gasping for air. But eventually I caught my breath and was fine. About 20 minutes later, the results were posted on the wall in order of finish. I scanned down the list of names, and I didn't see any female names ahead of me. And there was a "1" next to my name. I could hardly believe it!

As I waited for the awards ceremony, they handed out some door prizes. I won one of those! I won these amazingly good Oatmeal Raisin cookies from the Great Harvest Bread Company. I sat down at a table with another girl who was by herself and seemed to be around my age. She was super nice and we started chatting.

Finally, they began the awards ceremony. I was surprised that I was actually not the first female finisher.

There was a 15-year-old by the name of Tomoka, who I had mistaken for a male in the results, who was actually the first female finisher. Time of 21:28. I was the 2nd female finisher, and 1st place for my division.

I finished 1st in my division

I finished 2 of 126 females

I finished 33 of 252 total runners (male and female)

My award is cool. It's this glass statue/plaque that says 1st place, Herndon 5K Festival. It was totally worth the pain and agony of mile 3!

My next race is a 10K on Saturday. I have minor shin splits at the moment because I wore lightweight racing shoes (non-supportive), but I hope they go away soon.

Capitol Hill 10K

After living in the Washington DC metro area for over 28 years, I finally know why it's called "Capitol Hill" or simply "The Hill" for short. Why? There's a huge hill. And running up that hill sucks. It might be a great spot for such an important building as the U.S. Capitol, but it's certainly not the ideal place for the last mile of a 10K. Unless you're a masochist.

I ran the Capitol Hill Classic 10K this morning. I have often said that the 10K is my least favorite distance, and I find it the most challenging. I can sprint a 5K pretty quickly, and I am good at sustaining a fast pace throughout a 10-miler. But damn that 10K! Also, during the 10Ks I have run in, I have always peed in my pants. (Sorry if that is TMI). Always. I don't do it in any other races, just the 10K. 

Today was no different. I peed during the race. I did go to the porta-potty beforehand, but I was leaking for most of mile 4. I don't know why this happens. It's completely involuntary, and it's like I'm just leaking with no control over it. It's so odd that I have never had this issue in other race distances, only the 10Ks.

My fastest 10K race was in June 2005 with a 53:09. But my "personal record" for the 10K distance was set during the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in early April, when I crossed the 10K mat at 50:59. My goal for this race was under 50:00, but I expected I would probably get under 49:00, based on my other races. Hell, if I can do a 8:08 pace during a 10-miler, I should be able to be well under an 8:00 pace for a 10K. 

My friend Brianna picked me up at my house and she drove us to the race. There were about 2,000 people running. I wore my zebra skirt and a black tank. No pictures, but there were professional photographers there taking photos. I will post them when they are available. . . if they aren't hideous.

Let's just hope the pee doesn't show.

I noticed that I was one of the few people wearing headphones. Usually, about half the people have headphones. In this race, it was only about 15%. I was starting to wonder if I would be disqualified because of it, but I didn't worry too much.

Miles 1 - 2
I felt strong the first mile. I ran into "Freaky McRunner" (Katharine) who was wearing this awesome yellow tank. (Katharine, if you are reading, that was a great color on you.) We chatted briefly and then we continued on.

The second mile was a slight up-hill for most of the way. But I didn't slow down for it, which means I over-exerted myself. Since it was just a slight up hill, it was enough to take a toll on me, but not enough to cause me to slow down.

Miles 3 - 4

As a result, mile 3 was much slower as I recovered from the hill over-exertion. I actually stopped at the water station during mile 3 and walked for about 20 seconds. I ran into my friend Brianna at this point and we stayed together for the rest of the race. Only I didn't know it because I ran slightly ahead of her, and when I looked back, she was gone. It turns out she was behind me, but there were a few people in between us, so I didn't see her.

Miles 5 - 6.2

All was good until the second half of mile 6. There was this huge hill that was like 0.5 mile. It was major. I had to walk a few times during it. KILLER. I was pissed off about it and everyone was going at a snail's pace up that hill. And then the last 0.2 was flat to the finish. I was so tired. I wanted to walkduring that 0.2, but I didn't. My pace actually slowed during the 0.2. That's how much the hill killed me.

I didn't really enjoy this race. I kept peeing in my pants a little (uncontrollably) and my lungs/chest hurt. My back hurt. My legs were actually 100% fine. But my back. Ouch. Maybe from the hill at mile 2? The course was not scenic and there wasn't much crowd support. It was very similar to the half marathon I ran at the end of March.

Mile 1: 7:44 (feeling strong)

Mile 2: 7:46 (I took that hill way too fast)

Mile 3: 8:19 (recovering from the hill, and walking during the water station)

Mile 4: 7:55 (back and lungs hurting, peeing)

Mile 5: 7:37 (I think they mis-measured this mile being too short)

Mile 6: 8:52 (Huge hill, and I think they mis-measured this mile being too long)

0.2: 1:38 (which is an 8:10 pace, but includes a sprint at the end, showing how much I slowed)

Average pace: 8:02 

Finish time: 49:55

33 of 270 women in my age group

108 of 876 women total

I am satisfied with that. But if it hadn't been for the hill, I would have gotten under 49, and my average pace would have been much faster than 8:02. I have another 10K on June 9, so let's hope I can shave a minute off my time. Maybe it's good I got the time I did, because now I have a good goal for the next race.

Brianna finished just a few seconds after me. Since I didn't realize she was behind me, I was pleasantly surprised to hear her name announced as she crossed the finish. Now I can say I have truly experienced "The Hill" and all it's glory.

Next race: The Herndon Festival 5K on June 3.

The New Jersey Marathon

I ran the New Jersey marathon on Sunday. This was my 4th marathon ever, and my 4th marathon within a one-year time period. Previous marathons were Delaware, Marine Corps, and Miami, with times of 4:46, 4:24, and 4:13, respectively. My goal for New Jersey was to finish at 4:08 or faster. My friend Randi (from Texas) ran the half marathon, and I picked her up from the airport on Friday night. We drove to Philadelphia on Saturday morning to pick up our friend Jenny. Jenny was supposed to run the marathon, but she has two stress fractures and is now on crutches. However, she wanted to come and spend the weekend with us and watch the race. I was really happy she came because Jenny and I have run all of our marathons together, and some other races as well.

Randi, Jenny and I stayed at a bed and breakfast on the Jersey shore-- just seven miles from the race. The Jersey shore is beautiful, and the area where we stayed was midway up the state-- north of Atlantic City, but not in Northern NJ.

Listening to Katherine Switzer speak

Our friend Kimberly, who lives on the Jersey shore, came to meet us at our Bed & Breakfast. She was running the half marathon as well. We went to the Expo and heard Katherine Switzer speak. She was the first woman to ever run the Boston marathon. Her speech was amazing and she was such a motivation to the four of us.

We then went to get our bib numbers and timing chips, and then out to dinner for a nice carb load. We went to an Italian restaurant and it was delicious.

The next morning, we prepared for the race. I had a bagel and half a Zone bar, as usual and we were off. Jenny was on crutches, but she found a spot right near the start/finish line to take photos. She took a photo of me crossing the start line, just before I threw my jacket to her. (I decided I did not need it while I was in the corral).

The New Jersey marathon is a two-loop course. Each loop is 13.1 miles. The half marathon runners do the loop one time, and the full marathoners run it twice. The weather was cloudy and 55-60 degrees.


Miles 1-5
I started out at a pace of about 9:45. My goal was to cross the halfway point at around 2:05, and then do a negative split. Randi's goal was 2:06 for the half marathon, so she used me as a pacer in the beginning of the race. At around mile 4 however, I looked back and noticed she was gone. She later told me that I had sped up and it was hard to stay with me because it was so crowded and she kept having to weave in and out of people.
I decided to pick up my pace at around mile 4. That's when I passed the 4:15 pace group. I knew I would have to pass them during the first half, but I wasn't sure exactly when I would pass them.  During miles 1-5, I was taking 40-second walk breaks through each of the water stations, and running at a pace of about 9:30.

Miles 6-13

Halfway Point

These miles went by extremely quickly. They are sort of a blur and I don't remember much. I remember that at mile 9 there was a river, and as soon as the river came into view, my iPod started to play "This River is Wild" by the Killers. I smiled. After the river, the song "Policeman's Xmas Party" came on, just as I was running by some policemen!  I recognized a man who must have been in his 70's running without a shirt and in red shorts. He had run Delaware. I took my headphones off and told him I recognized him from Delaware. He said he was running it again this year-- just three weeks later! Wow.  I hit the 10-mile marker at 1:34.

Miles 13-20
I crossed the halfway point at 2:03:38. I was feeling really good at around mile 8, so I had decided that I could probably get to the halfway point a little sooner, and maybe beat my goal. I reset my watch, so that I could time the second loop the same way I did the first. After crossing the halfway point, I noticed that the outside of my left ankle was really bugging me. It was my timing chip! This raced use the ankle chip, and I had velcroed it on too tight. Also, my ankles had probably swelled during the first half. I bent down to make my chip looser, but then it was too loose. So, after a few tries with it, I just moved the actual chip portion to the back of my ankle and it was fine. After the race, I had a huge bruise and a lot of pain where the chip had initially been. So my advice to anyone who runs a marathon with a Linmark ankle chip is to not velcro it too tightly.

At mile 15, I needed to have my second pack of Sports Beans. I do not like eating sports beans during races because they make me feel nauseous. However, they are better than gu or gels or gatorade, so I force feed myself them. Ew--- it was like torture having to eat them. They were the orange kind, so I told myself I was eating Ben & Jerry's peach cobbler ice cream. I told myself that this was the best thing I had ever tasted. And it worked! I ate the whole pack of beans over the course of a mile.
I was still feeling really good miles 14-20, so I picked up the pace to about 9:05, and shortened my walks to 25 seconds. Miles 14-20 were my fastest.  I hit the 20 mile marker at 3:07.

Miles 21-26.2

At mile 21, that river came up again, and my iPod played "Pain Lies on the Riverside". Purely by coincidence! It totally motivated me. I started to feel a lot of quad pain at around mile 21 and I really, really wanted the race to be over. Those last five miles were extremely hard, but I only slowed my pace slightly. I used every positive self-talk trick I new to keep myself from walking. Miles 23 and 24 seemed to last forever!

There was a relay going on and there were people running at mile 21 who just started the relay. They looked strong and fast, and I was in pain! But I tried to let those runners motivate me. I was passing a lot of people during the last five miles. Many people were walking. Many people were hitting a wall.  But the crowd support was amazing for such a small race, and my bib number had my name on it, so people were cheering: "Go Elizabeth!"


I really was tempted to walk during the last mile. It took everything I had to keep going. But I did!  The last mile of the loop was on the boardwalk with the ocean, so I just focused on looking at the ocean and tried to ignore the pain I was in. And I even sprinted to the finish line.

First half: 2:03:37 
Second half: 2:02:08

Time: 4:05:44, which is a Personal Record of 8 minutes, and 3 minutes faster than my goal time.

39 of 134 in my age group.
179 of 593 women.
682 of 1612 total finishers

After crossing, I was given a medal and a finisher's hat. I was so focused, that all I could think about was adjusting that hat so that it fit properly on my head. I would not drink my bottle of water or meet my friends until I had that hat secured on my head. It was wierd. I guess I was just so used to being extremely focused on one thing that I became really obsessed with getting my hat on!


Randi met her goal of a 2:06. Kimberly met her goal of finishing, because this was her first half marathon. Three goals met!!!  Our other friend Jenna drove to the race from Philadelphia and had made us all signs. It was so great to see her. She is on the far right.

The post-race food was cornbread and chili. Yuck. They ran out of bagels from the half marathoners, so I didn't eat anything until we went out for a celebratory lunch. I wasn't hungry at that point anyway.


The pizza was amazing. And then we went on the boardwalk for candy and ice cream! Yum!
I was very pleased with my performance and the race was awesome. Having my friends there and a huge cheering section for me (4 of my good friends) was really motivating. The entire weekend was so much fun. The race itself was well organized, except for I did not like the post-race food.

My next marathon is the Chicago marathon in October. I think it's good that I am taking 5 months off from marathons so I can train really well and break the 4-hour mark in Chicago. I have a few 10Ks scheduled for this summer, and I entered the lottery for the NYC half marathon.  I didn't really learn anything new this race, only that what I have been doing for my past few marathons continues to work. I continue to run negative splits, be conservative with my pacing and goals.  I continue to be motivated by my music and positive mentality.  I continue to NOT follow a strict training program, but to listen to my body and train based on what I feel I need each day.

The Perfect Race

I've always said that the 10-miler is my favorite race distance, even though I have only ever run one of them in my life. I feel like a half marathon is just a little too long to go my fastest and a 10K is too short to get the benefit of my endurance.  I ran the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler last April in 1:26, pace of 8:44.

Before the Race

I woke up on Sunday morning, pleasantly surprised that there was no rain for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. The forecast had called for rain all throughout the race, but it hadn't started yet. I dressed in my new zebra skirt, which I have never raced in, ate some pretzels and half a zone bar, and was ready to go.

My good friend Jenny (who I run most of my races with) had taken the train in from Philadelphia the night before and my good friend Lauren (who I ran the half marathon with last weekend) came over in the morning and we all took the metro it. It was nice not to have to worry about driving, or being stuck in a horrendous three-hour-long traffic jam like at the half marathon last weekend.


We arrived downtown where shuttle buses would take us to the start line. I was not happy to learn that they were school buses, because I have a hang-up with those from a bad childhood experience. Riding that school bus brought back some bad memories, so I tried not to think about it.

When we got off the bus, we walked about half a mile to the start line. I've lived in the Washington DC area my whole life, but I have never seen the cherry blossoms. As we were walking through the park area, I kept asking my friends "Are those the cherry blossoms?" Even my out-of-town friend knew which pink bulbs were cherry blossoms and which ones were not.

The race was very well organized. We were corralled by our bib numbers, and bib numbers were based on previous race times that we had to submit during registration. I think I had submitted my 5K time of 23:32, so I was at the very front of the second wave, bib 2039. I felt like I was surrounded by really fast runners and I didn't deserve to be so close to the front. But I also didn't want to be stuck at the back like in the half marathon from the previous weekend, having to pass a bunch of people in the beginning.


I was freezing at the start line, and I was upset that I had forgotten my running gloves. My fingers were numb and white, and I had to put them in my mouth (98 degrees!) to get feeling back into them. The temperature was announced at 51 degrees. It felt more like 45. It was overcast and there was no sun.

At the start line, I meet a woman who was 49 years old and had just run her first marathon in October-- The Marine Corps Marathon. She qualified for the Boston Marathon during her first marathon, and then shaved 16 minutes off of that time at the Shamrock Marathon two weekends ago. The weekend after the Shamrock Marathon, she ran the National Half Marathon, and now she was doing the 10-miler. . . followed by Boston in mid-April! I was amazed. 49 years old, she had just started running, and she was extremely fast. Her time for this race was 1:15:50.

She was also wearing a running skirt, by the same company who made mine. Hers was all black and she said she always raced in it because it made her feel confident and powerful.  I felt the same way in my zebra skirt and matching top.


Miles 1-3
I recently read a blog from my friend Christopher, who, like me, is usually very strategic about pacing himself. But in his most recent race, he really pushed the pace beyond what he thought was capable of, but he felt good and did it anyway. He told himself "don't think-- just run!"  While I believe that a race in mainly mental, I probably analyze my pace far too much during a race and I don't listen to my body as much as I could. So, I decided that I would try for an average pace of 8:20-8:25, starting at around 8:40 and decreasing to 8:00 by the end. My goal was to finish in 1:23.

My first mile was much faster than I expected. 8:10. After all, I was running with all the fast runners at the start of the second wave. But it felt good, so I just went with it. I planned to walk through the water stations later in the race anyway, so I figured maybe it was good that I started faster than planned.  As I got to the water stations, no one was really walking through them. Once again, this was because I was with the fast runners. I probably walked for about 3-4 seconds with my water, but that was all I felt I could do with everyone running so fast around me.  Mile 3 was my slowest mile (8:30 pace) because of a slight uphill and a water station.

The course was so beautiful. It was the POLAR opposite from the run-down neighborhoods in southeast DC from last weekend. We ran over bridges, near the water, and everything was in bloom. We passed monuments and I was so proud to call this place my home.

Mile 1: 8:10
Mile 2: 8:19
Mile 3: 8:30

Miles 4-6 
After a slow mile 3, I sped up for miles 4 and 5. I wanted to run negative splits, so I knew I needed to pick up the pace a bit, even though I was on track for meeting my goal.

My Personal Record for a 10K (6.2 miles) is a pace of 8:36. I set in it 2005 in the heat. When I came to the 10K marker of this race, I looked at my watch and I noticed that I was setting a 10K PR during a 10-mile race! There was even a timing matt, and I actually sprinted to the timing mat because I thought that the results would include it as a split. I think I hit the mat at excatly 51:00.

At this point, I could see the Elite women and super-fast men on the other side of the course. I was just amazed to look at their legs and see how fast they were going.  I was surprised by the lack of crowd support. There were 15,000 runners, so I expected the crowd support to be almost like that of the Marine Corps Marathon, but it was very minimal. There were no real crowds until the last half mile.

Mile 4: 8:02
Mile 5: 8:07
Mile 6: 8:06


Miles 7-10
These were the hardest miles. We were running the reverse route of the Marine Corps Marathon miles 6-8 on Rock Creek Parkway. During the MCM, we started on one side of the road, and turned around to be on the other side of the road. This was weird because it was reversed. There was a nice downhill at the end of mile 7 that I was thankful for.

I was getting tired and I was worried that I couldn't keep my pace up. I hit somewhat of a wall at mile 8 and I just had to tell myself that I needed to keep going. Slowing down would only prolong the race. I got into this weird zone where I just blocked everything out except for my music and just focused on keeping the pace steady.

At mile marker 9, I started to feel this indigestion pain in my chest and a slight cramp in my side. But I knew I had only one mile to go, so I tried really hard to ignore the pain and just push through. As I approached the finish line, there were tons of people cheering, and I sprinted the last tenth of a mile.

Mile 7: 8:16
Mile 8: 7:57
Mile 9: 8:04
Mile 10: 7:48

My splits were somewhat negative, but not as negative as they usually are. I was happy to pull of a 7:48 at the last mile, despite the pain in my stomach.

Results
I was truly, truly amazed at my time: 1:21:23 and a pace of 8:08. I set a new personal record by over 5 minutes- and this pace is much faster than my 10K pace, ironically!!!  I think it was the zebra skirt. I felt so awesome in that thing.

I placed 190 out of 1621 in my age group.
I placed 650 out of 5520 female runners.

Both of these put me in the 89th percentile, where I usually fall around the 85th percentile. This was one of my best races ever, if not the best. Especially considering I had run a hilly half marathon (+0.24) the weekend before.


What I Learned
I know that having a strategy is important. But if you don't push yourself outside of your comfort zone, then you won't know what you are truly capable of. If I had really tried for a 1:23 exactly, then that's what I would have gotten. But I surprised myself with a 1:21:23, and I couldn't be more pleased.

After the Race
I easily found Lauren and Jenny after the race. I was even more cold after the race than before it, and my lips were turning blue. The only bad thing about this race was the post-race food. I have never run a race where they didn't have bagels at the end. And fresh ones. All they had here at the end in terms of food were bananas (which I hate) and packaged muffins. The muffins were gross, but I had one anyway.  Even that Half Marathon last weekend had like 5 different kinds of fresh bagels.  Whatever. . . I guess I can't be too picky!  It's free! (Well, sort of).

We walked back to school-bus shuttles and stopped for some photos in front of the beautiful trees.

What a wonderful day. I was so happy that it didn't rain and that I got to spend time with my two good friends.

The day I ran faster than I drove

I ran the Wirefly National Half Marathon in Washington DC this morning. In its second year, this marathon is rapidly gaining in popularity. It drew people from 48 states!

Unfortunately, those people didn't get a very scenic or historical view of Washington. The only notable landmark that the course passes through is the Capitol, at the beginning of the race. Otherwise, the course goes through run-down neighborhoods of the city. No nice view of the Potomac river like in the Marine Corps marathon. No view of the monuments or the White House. Just dirty, run-down neighborhoods.

I ran this race with my good friend Lauren, who I referenced in a previous blog. Lauren and I headed out to the race just before 6:00 a.m. in my car. It took us approximately 25 minutes to drive to the parking area near the start line. It was dark and raining, with a temperature of about 48F. I had debated over what to wear, but finally settled on shorts and a heavy long-sleeved top with a quarter zipper. 

Before the race started, we had some time to stretch and use the porta-potties. The rain tapered off a bit and I suddenly became very warm in my heavy top. I was worried that I would get too hot, and at certain points during the race, I wished I had chosen something lighter weight.

The race was relatively uneventful. There was very little crowd support, and I was surprised becausethere were about 5,000 runners (both full and half). It was nothing like the Marine Corps Marathon where tens of thousands of people swarm the streets and crowd the sidewalks to catch a glimpse of the runners. The lack of crowd support and dreary weather took a slight toll on my mood, so I didn't have the excited spirit as I typically do when I race.

My strategy was to begin at a 9:00 pace and then gradually decrease to an 8:20. My goal was to break my record of 2:00:25 set in 2005, when I ran my first half marathon. But I really wanted to come in under 1:55, because my training indicated that I was capable of doing so.

My first mile was 9:18, and I followed this strategy (somewhat) until mile marker 11, at which point the hills began to take a toll on me. I typically don't track splits on my watch-- I just let the timer go and remember my splits in my head, and I do the math. This was the first race where I actually used the split feature. The first ten miles were paced as followed, according to my watch:

Mile 1: 9:18

Mile 2: 8:41

Mile 3: 8:51

Mile 4: 9:03

Mile 5: 8:46

Mile 6: 8:50

Mile 7: 8:32

Mile 8: 8:44

Mile 9: 9:07

Mile 10: 8:12

I was not expecting the last 5 miles to be so hilly: It was hill after hill after hill. And it really seemed that there were more uphills than down hills. Once I hit mile marker 11, I started to slow down. I usually increase my speed dramatically at the end of a race, but I simply could not do it today. I don't think I went out too fast-- if the course were less hilly I probably could have sped up.

Mile 11: 8:41

Mile 12: 9:22

Mile 13: 9:20

I ran to the finish line at a steady pace-- I didn't get my "finish line adrenaline". I think more crowd support would have helped. I didn't see any spectators during the last mile. My time for this race was 1:56:27, an average pace of 8:52. I think I ran a good race and I am satisfied with my time. Although part of me wishes that I didn't slow down as much at the end, and I could have come in under 1:55.

I have a week and a day to recover for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. As far as rankings go, the resultson the Web site ranked the finishers according to gun time (as opposed to chip time), so it's not an accurate reflection of how I did. The competitive side of me hates that!

Lauren and I walked back to my car. As we left the parking lot, we were put onto this road the sent us off in the wrong direction. After getting a sense for where we were, we realized that the road closings from the race were causing major traffic backups. We left the parking lot at 9:20, and did not get out of the city until after 12:00. For about an hour of this time, we were just stuck on one road-- going so slow that I kept putting my car in park and stretching my legs. Just the fact that I could be taking photos while in the driver's seat says something about our immobility.

Once in awhile, we would actually get to move the car forward!!! Essentially, it took us nearly three hours to drive about 7-8 miles. We could have run faster! We could have driven to Philadelphia in that amount of time. And it's not like we could really get mad at the street closings because we actually ran in that race. Lauren and I had some good quality time to catch up, so the car ride wasn't too bad.

iPod Playlist highlights (in order):

30 Seconds To Mars, "From Yesterday"

Sheryl Crow, "Steve McQueen"

Dishwalla, "Counting Blue Bars"

Chris Daughtry, "It's Not Over"

David Gray, "Nos De Cariad"

Jason Mraz, "Can't Go For That"

The Fray, "How to Save a Life"

Eddie Money, "Take Me Home Tonight"

Nickleback, "Rockstar"

Incubus, "Dig"

Plus 44, "When Your Heart Stops Beating"

AFI, "Love Like Winter"

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, "Save The Population"

Anberlin, "Godspeed"

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Face Down"

Five For Fighting, "Policeman's Xmas Party"

The Killers, "Bones"

Jason Mraz, "The Remedy"

Anberlin, "There is No Mathematics To Love And Loss"

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, "Especially In Michigan"

Rise Against, "Ready To Fall"

Better Than Ezra, "Hollow"

Anberlin, "Readyfuels"

Incubus, "Anna Molly"

Fall Out Boy, "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race"

Update: I just learned that the course may have been 0.5 miles too long. This could explain why I slowed down so much at the end. What is up with me and these races that are too long???? This was a USATF certified course, so it shouldn't have been long. If this is the case, then my time for the half marathon dips down to about 1:51. I'll keep you guys updated on what I find out.

Added a few days later:

Today, I received this e-mail message from the Wirefly National Half Marathon race director: 

We wanted to make you aware that due to a cone placement error this course was inadvertently .24 miles longer than the 13.1 official distance which race officials had mapped and USATF had certified. While your Official Time remains the same for the event, we are providing an amended section to the posted results.

A cone placement error? Geeze! I suspected that the course might have been too long, but since I didn't see the 12 mile marker, I had no way of measuring my exact splits for the last two miles. Plus, there were hills so I figured I must have just slowed down because of the hills.

As it turns out, I didn't slow down at all. It was nice that they adjusted the results to reflect this extra 0.24 on their Web site. My actual time was 1:54:18, with a pace of 8:43. This means I met my "OMG I am so happy" goal! If you recall my "This race was a success" goal was just to get under 2:00. But my goal that I really wanted was under 1:55, and I did it!

Interestingly PR pace for a half marathon is now faster than my PR pace for a 10-miler! but only by one second (8:44 vs. 8:43).

18 Miles on a Treadmill

I set a record today for my longest treadmill run ever. Prior to today, my longest had been 16 miles, when training for the Marine Corps Marathon.

The original plan was to run outdoors. I was going to park my car, run 9 miles to a location where I would meet up with my friend, and then we were going to run 9 miles back to my car. She is running a half marathon next weekend, so it would have served as her last long training run. Unfortunately, the wind combined with temperatures in the 40's made the idea of running such a distance extremely undesirable. Had it not been for the wind, I wouldn't have minded running in 45-degree weather.

I took a pack of Jelly Belly sports bean with me (I always feel so weird eating on the treadmill) and a bottle of water and started my run. I always wonder if other people notice how long I am on the treadmill and if they think I am just obsessed with running, or actually training for something. I had to reset the treadmill three times, because the maximum is 60 minutes. I decided to reset the treadmill every six miles-- here are my splits:  

First six: 58:35 (9:46 average pace) including a walk break at the end of each mile.
Middle six: 57:35 (9:36 average pace) including a shorter walk break at the end of each mile.
Last six: 55:20 (9:13 average pace) just one short walk break at the end of mile 13.

I ran the last two miles at a much faster pace, and I felt like I could have gone even further. I got sort of bored and not wanting to run anymore at around mile 12, but once I hit 15, I got a second wind. My overall time for this run was 2:51:30, yielding an average pace of 9:31. Spread across a marathon, I would get a time of 4:09:48, which is what I am hoping for in New Jersey at the end of April.

My feet have shrunk. I have run all my marathons in Brooks Adrenaline size 6. My size 6's feel way too big now, and I am more comfortable in the 5.5's. I ran this run in my size 6's and I stopped several times to tie them tighter for more support. I am now debating which shoe size to wear during the marathon. Do I wear the size 6 like usual? Or the size 5.5? This could make a huge difference in how my feet and legs feel.

I wore a new sports bra. For me, the biggest running "gear" challenge is finding a supportive, dry-wicking sports bra that doesn't chafe (even with body glide). The sports bras designed for bustier women don't support me whatsoever and the extra wires that those bras have are painful. I've decided that the best approach is buy an Extra Small sports bra (despite my cup size) and just cram these things in there so they can't move. I tried it today with a new sports bra and it worked!

My schedule for the next few weeks is as follows:

March 24: 9 miles (if anyone thinks I could do more and not have my 10-miler suffer, chime in!)

April 1: Cherry Blossom 10-mile race

April 6: 20-mile training run

April 14: Running the last 10 miles of a 50-mile race with Michael Hayden

April 21: 8 miles

April 29: New Jersey Marathon

All you runners who are reading this, please feel free to offer advice on this plan. I haven't done much trail running, so I need to be very careful doing the last ten miles of that Ultra with Michael. If I feel like the hills and the terrain are too much, I will stop and just do a longish run on Sunday.