Airport 5k Recap

One of the things I mentioned in my Summer Goals was to run a few 5K's and try and get some speed back in my legs. First there was the MedVed ALS 5K, and the following weekend (this past) was the Airport 5K.

I did this race in 2010 as well, so I sort of knew what to expect. The race takes place at the Greater Rochester International Airport (hence the name, durrr). You actually get to run on one of the side runways...pretty cool, I know. The course itself is fast and flat but it does have 2 hairpin turns, which are not my favorite. But the out &backs on the course give you lots of people to look at and cheer, one of the best parts in my opinion.

This year the race featured a special guest, perfect timing considering she JUST broke the all time scoring soccer record a few days prior.....Abby Wambach. Abby is our "hometown hero" or "local legend" if you will, originally from Rochester but has been vital to the Olympic and US Soccer team. Abby didn't run the race, but she did lead the start and hung around with everyone before/after the race as well as handing out awards.

After breaking the all time scoring record....(NPR) I mean this woman beat Mia Hamm's record, and well....I spent most of the 90's and early 00's wanting to be Mia Hamm...so this is BIG.

As for the race itself, I really wasn't sure how it was going to go. For the 5k the previous weekend I had pretty fresh legs and that was definitely not the case this time. I had over 75 miles in for running/swimming/cycling for the week before this race even began. I did about a mile warm-up and stretched as best I could. It was already super hot, and the runway doesn't offer any sort of shade (obviously). There was some stellar competition there though, so I knew that would make me go faster during the race.

The moment the race started, you could really feel the runway headwind we had. Drafting was huge in the first stretch. I saw even top runners doing it, find someone and let them break it for you. I set myself behind a taller guy (perk of being short) and it definitely helped but I wasn't so close that I was imposing on him. I did have a girl come up next to me and draft so close that she kept stepping on my feet. She was literally right on top of me, we kept bumping. I'd move trying to shake her and she'd follow, at this point I seriously considered "accidentally" letting my elbow fall backwards but decided against it. Finally I got so annoyed with her leeching off of me so I picked up the pace for a few seconds and ran to the other side of the runway, thankfully she didn't follow. 

First mile was 6:16, I saw that and was actually happy that I went out more conservatively than the week prior; although I didn't know if I was going to hold it. This was actually the only time I looked at my watch during the race.

Miles 2 & 3 were kind of a blur, the sun was blazing and the wind wasn't letting up. I just told myself to keep going and wait a little bit to push to the finish. With about 1/4 mile to go I started picking it up, and before I knew it there was a girl right next to me(NOT the same girl who was drafting earlier). Let me tell you, I DO NOT LIKE GETTING OUT-KICKED. I'm pretty sure I said "Oh, HELL-NO" but I am not sure if I said it out loud or in my head (I have a feeling I said it out loud because after the finish I went to high five her and say nice finish and she walked away, whoops.)

I'm really proud of this picture, my short legs served me well. 

FYI those shorts are amazing. +Saucony Run Lux II shorts, super lightweight & perfect for hot weather, probably my new favorite shorts.

When I got close enough to see the clock it was just hitting 19:00, I still had a little ways to go but was shocked to see I crossed in 19:17. I figured I would be under 20 but didn't expect faster than 19:30 considering my first mile. That girl and I duked it out the last little bit, but I was lucky enough to be able to beat her by a nose. 

I ended up in 8th place, and 3rd in my AG. When I say there was some AWESOME competition there, I meant it. The top 4 girls ranged from 17:02-17:40, the Rochester running scene is just damn fast and I love it. 

The post race was great, they had arranged for a bunch of different food trucks to come and also had other companies donate things as well. Tim Hortons was even giving out free Iced Cappuccinos, this made me uber happy: caffeine and something to cool me off! And of course there were lots of carbs, YUM!

Overall I was really pleased with this race, its a fun course and my time was definitely not what I expected coming off a 19:24 the week before. I also got to spend some time chatting with my friend Joe at the race, as well as doing a cool down run with John's brothers girlfriend (mouthful, I know) Katie. I'm bad about cooling down unless I have someone to do it with me, although I hardly call it a cool down when we were in the blazing sun still. 


Have you ever gotten the chance to run on a runway?

How do you feel about drafting? Is there a different between drafting, and TOO close?

Are you good about cooling-down after a race?

What is your favorite post-race snack?

MedVed ALS 5k Recap

On Sunday (Father's Day), I competed in the MedVed to Cure ALS 5k at Frontier Field in Rochester. This was my third time doing this race, and a course PR for me by over 30 seconds. 

The race itself is just amazing. It's always on Father's day and it benefits such a great cause. ALS aka Lou Gehrig's disease is is very debilitating motor neuron disease. All of the proceeds from the race go to a lab in Boston, MA that is undergoing research for a cure for ALS. There is always a ton of families there, and the race even honors that by doing extra categories "father/daughter, "father/son" etc.

The course itself is hard to run an actual 5k as there are quite a few turns considering it is only a 3.1 mile race. According to my records, all 3 times I have run this my distance has been 3.14 or more, I'm bad at tangent running apparently. [In a short race, an extra .04 or more can mean 10+ seconds on your time....that's a lot of time to add in a 5k]

Despite the turns there are some really cool things about the course. First of all, it's pancake flat which is great for speed. The best part of the race though is the finish. It is an "Olympic style" finish, you run into Frontier Field Baseball stadium, run around the field and finish on home plate. It's fabulous for runners to pick up speed running in the stadium but also great for spectators to watch the finish.

I did this race in 2010, in 21:40 and in 2011 in 20:00. I was unable to do it last year because of my broken foot, so I was really happy to be back this year. 

So onto this year....

I did a solo warm-up run, trying to shake things out not sure how I was feeling. I didn't want to set a time goal seeing as I haven't been speed training, so my goal was to use this as a workout. The weather was actually perfect, the sky was cloudy and a storm was brewing but the cooler air felt nice, as did the occasional mist that happened. 

Start of the race, I am a few rows back so don't bother trying to play where's waldo :)

During the race itself, I just kind of "set it and forget it" with the pace. I picked a few people I knew I could pace off and just kind of went with it. I felt like I was on cruise control and I was okay with that. Physically I didn't feel like I was really pushing it, but I knew that a PR wasn't my goal (nor did I think I was going to come close). 

I went out in a 6:05 mile and kind of backed off a little when I saw that, but still paced off the people around me. There was a girl near me who I tend to finish a lot of races around so I set the goal to not let her beat me. We stayed close through mile 2 (6:18) and then mile 3 I was able to pick it up a little more (6:13) and pulled ahead, definitely cruised through the finish with the last .15 being sub 5:30 pace. 

I was extremely surprised to see 19:24 when I crossed the finish line, that is technically my 2nd fastest 5k time. I ended up in 7th place for women and won my AG (which got my a fabulous gift certificate for MedVed Running Store).

Race outfit for the day was...of course +Saucony
Ignite Short, Ignite LT top

One of my favorite parts of the race though was getting to catch up with my runner friends Thomas and Mary. They are an amazing couple, that have always been amazingly supportive of me [Thomas and his son Zak ran the last 9 miles of the Rochester Marathon with me in 2011 when I was really struggling]. We hung out after the race on Sunday, eating snacks and just catching up on each others lives. Thomas and Zak both ran the 5k and won the "Father/son team time" and both also placed in their individual age groups. This family is one of the many amazing things running has brought into my life. I always refer to them as my "running parents" [we're not actually related], so seeing them on Father's day was special to me.

This was my finish of this race from 2011,
to this day remains as one of my favorite race photos. 

Is there a local race you like to do every year?

Do you have a "running family"?

Do you have a race photo that really means a lot to you?

 

Flashback Friday: Marathons 1-5

I've wanted to do this post for a while, but figured I would wait until Marathon #5 was over. Kristy over at PGHrunner also did something like this, but hers is celebrating 5 YEARS of marathons (16 in total!), she is extremely accomplished and it's definitely worth a read! Jamie also did a post a while back of race superlatives, which was cool to see how she broke things down as well. We all have different stories to tell, different journey's as athletes, but we all have things in common too, we love this running thing. :)

I knew going into Cleveland 26.2 it was going to be special as #5, who am I kidding, they have all been special. But the morning of the race, my mom sent me some messages, and called me about 45 minutes before the start. The one thing she kept telling me is "I can't believe it's number 5, I am so proud of you and I hope you are proud of yourself". I feel like over time we forget to take the time to stop and see how far we have come. So here's a brief insight into my journey as a marathoner.

Sun Trust National Marathon (Washington, DC) 3/26/2011

Age: 23

Time: 3:46:25 (8:38/pace)

Fastest mile: 7:45 (mile 8) Slowest Mile: 9:15 (mile 24)

Favorite moment: Getting a grilled cheese at the finish (priorities people.)

Worst moment: Falling over at mile 24 while trying to tie my shoe.

Thoughts: It was my first, and a big learning experience. Found out a few days following the race that I had severe ITBS and spent 8 weeks in PT (this explain the pain I felt during the race)

This was me pretty much the whole time, going with the flow.

Best grilled cheese at Finish...ever.

1st Marathon done!
( At that point I didn't know if I wanted to do more)

Rochester Marathon (Rochester, NY) 9/18/2011

Age: 24

Time: 3:41:40 (8:28/pace) [1:40 away from BQ time]

Fastest mile: 7:43 (mile 1..ha!) Slowest mile: 11:28 (mile 26)

Favorite moment: Seeing my friends at mile 17 waiting to jump in and run last 9 miles with me, I am forever grateful for them.

Worst moment: I feel like most of this race was a worst moment. Between crying at the start line, having to walk/run the last few miles from quad pain and mental breakdown....hard to say which gets the worst title.

Thoughts: I wasn't prepared for this race, it was miserable and looking back this really affected me mentally. First mile fastest and last mile slowest is clear proof that I ran this all wrong and I made a lot of mistakes. I was so mad about the race (even though it was a PR), that I went home that night and registered for another marathon 8 weeks away for redemption (see number 3)

My parents came to cheer, so I had to greet them properly.
This is now my signature marathon pose

This is when I was really struggling toward the end, one of the few times I wasn't walking in last few miles.
 That is my friend Thomas and his son Zak who ran the last 9 with me.

Harrisburg Marathon (Harrisburg, PA) 11/13/2011

Age: 24

Time: 3:37:01 (8:17/pace) [BQ by old standards, not the new though]

Fastest mile: 7:58 (mile 13) Slowest Mile: 8:48 (mile 26)

Favorite moment: Sitting on the curb after finishing and feeling like I got my redemption. Although I missed BQ (because of new standards that took effect a few weeks before this), it was another PR and a much stronger run race than Rochester. 

Worst moment: Throwing up at mile 26 mile marker (no joke), the GU had finally done me in. 

Thoughts: I was going through a lot at this time, and the race was about much more than another marathon. It was about getting away for a few days, and doing something for myself and figuring out what I wanted to do to make MYSELF happy. Another PR, but more than that it was redemption and a sweet victory.

Slow and steady lead me to a nice shiny PR and consistent pace race.

Redemption never tasted so sweet.

Marshall University Marathon (Huntington, WV) 11/11/2012

Age: 25

Time: 3:21:27 (7:41/pace) [BQ & 16 minute PR)

Fastest Mile: 7:07 (mile 25!!) Slowest Mile: 8:11 (mile 4)

Favorite moment: oh there are a few...Watching a cop react to me putting glide on my inner thighs at mile 5, seeing my fiance every few miles (he was on his bike), the signs and chalk he put on the course as little reminders. I think by far my favorite moment though was mile 20-21...I was on a path that ran parallel to the road and John was able to ride the entire mile next to me. We didn't talk, but knowing he was there was amazing. It was really symbolic of our relationship. We had just gotten engaged a week prior, and him being next to me at mile 20 when things get rough was just perfect. Being by each others side no matter what. Oh and crossing the finish with a football in hand (they give you one shortly before) and chucking it on the ground knowing what a strong race I just had. Okay, basically I loved everything about this race.

Worst moment: Almost getting hit by a car because cop wasn't doing his job (he was literally standing their talking and drinking coffee and not stopping traffic). I swore very loud at him (I didn't care) and told him to do his "effing" job among some other expletives I threw at the driver.

Thoughts: I trained so hard and SMART for this race. Months prior when I had my broken foot I was told this wouldn't be possible anytime soon. I did everything to prove them wrong. I trained so well, and it paid off. I'd also like to think that this was just proof that I made the best decision by choosing to accept John's proposal a week prior, he brings out the best in me in so many ways.

I was stopping my watch, and also squinting to read it not sure if I was reading it right.

Stunned, happy, emotional, and just overwhelmed.

Cleveland Marathon (Cleveland, OH) 5/19/2013

Age: 25

Time 3:25:50 (7:51/pace) [another BQ]

Fastest mile: 7:16 (mile 13) Slowest Mile: 8:46 (mile 25)

Favorite Moment: Every time I got to stand in front of someone and let them spray me with a hose to cool off. 

Worst Moment: The last few miles weren't great, no shade direct hot sun, and I walked a few times...I HATE walking in races, it takes a LOT for me to do that.

Thoughts: In all honesty, I wasn't trained to run the time that I did...it's proof that I have just gotten stronger though. What that tells me is, that with another strong/smart training cycle like I had last fall I could easily get my time under 3:20 where I want it to be. I am proud of my time, and feel like despite the heat and not feeling 100% physically, I did what I went there to do. 

My signature marathon pose again (I saw the photographer and made sure he got this that way I could show it to Mom and Dad since that's the look they got in Rochester)

Definitely can see in my form I was struggling, that heat took a big toll on me.

3 Highest placing races (female): 

5th female out of 225 in Marshall Marathon (Top 2%)

23rd female out of 845 Cleveland Marathon (Top 2%)

24th female out of 216 Harrisburg Marathon (Top 11%)

3 Highest placing races (AG): 

1st AG Marshall Marathon

4th AG Cleveland Marathon

4th AG Harrisburg Marathon

Favorite Course: Marshall Marathon (loved the double loop)

Least Favorite Course: Rochester ( I hate the canal path)

Hottest: Cleveland

Coldest: Sun Trust National DC

Best Expo: Sun Trust National DC, it was huge!

Best swag: For DC we got 'training' shirts AND 'finisher' shirts. Marshall was awesome in that if you registered early enough, you got a BROOKS jacket AND a tech shirt!

Which would I want to do again: The DC one (it's since changed names into RNR race) as it was my first I think it would be cool to go back and redo the course and see how far I have come. Rochester, for a long time I said I wouldn't do the full here again (even though I live on Rochester) because I had such a bad experience, now I want to do it again for redemption!

Highest Entry Fee Paid: DC ($120 I think?)

Lowest Entry Fee Paid: Marshall ($60 I think?)

Most expensive trip: DC

Least Expensive trip: Rochester (home, duh)

5 things I learned in 5 marathons

1. Anything can happen on race day.

2. Your support system is just as important as how well you train.

3. Training for the course you will be running is important

4. Marathons hurt, but you'll get through it.

5. They're addicting. You usually say at one point or another, "why do I do this" or "I never want to do this again" but the fact is, you will go back for more. Runners are sadistic, we like the pain we like the challenge and no matter what we always go back for more.

If there is something I have learned over the years, it's that beating yourself up doesn't do anything. I am my own worst critic, I take things personally and I invest a lot into the things that I do. I have gotten better over the years about learning to not accept disappointment or failure, but not to let it eat away at me either. I'm a much happier person the more I embrace that. I try not to let 'bad' races get to me, it's not fair to me or the people around me to deal with.

One of my all time favorite quotes:

Handsome and Smart, Will smith...marry me?

Looking back at these races, I feel successful in what I have done, but I also feel the desire to do better. Do I think I am a strong runner, yes...Do I think I have accomplished  a lot, yes...but I know that I can do more, and I know that I am not the best or anything close. I could spend my time comparing myself to all the people out there who demolish my times, or I can take pride in the fact that I have improved over the years and I am working on being the best I can be and not the best for anyone else. When things get hard, I think about all good things I have done and that helps push me through. I used to get down when things were hard, and beat myself up for my failures and mistakes. There's no point in that, thinking backward and negatively isn't going to help move you forward. At the end of the day we all go the same distance in a race and all cross the same finish line, regardless of the journey or time it takes to get there. I am proud to be a runner, and to know so many amazing people in this community.



What is something that you have accomplished that you are proud of and use as motivation?

Do you tend to beat yourself up when things don't go as planned?

Cleveland Marathon Recap

Marathon #5 has come and gone, where is time going these days?

After a fun weekend in Cleveland (Weekend in Pictures--here),

it was finally time...Marathon morning.

I've said before, I am really bad about getting up in the morning and usually require multiple alarms.  I believe I had 10 set for yesterday morning, and also had John set a few on his phone. But of course, my nerves got me up around 3 and I laid there freaking out staring at the ceiling until my first set alarm went off. Shower, food, and trying to relax in compression gear while I chugged my cold coffee.  Stared at the city lights, fine tuned my playlist, and got myself ready slowly but surely.

Boston Tribute Ribbon #BostonStrong

The outfit (All Saucony)

Kinvara 4 Sneakers

Ignite Singlet (Not shown here) 

Spark Bra

Ignite Tight Shorts (4")

Kinvara Running Socks

Speed-Run Visor (Thanks @SauconyRacing!)

Gear (Not shown)

Road ID

Garmin 405

Black/Hot Pink Spibelt

Sunglasses

Ipod

Around 5:15 we made our way to Cleveland Browns Stadium where the start/finish was.

A million few bathroom stops, bag check, gearing up and it was finally time to get to the start.

My man and I before the race :)

At 6:15 I made my way to the start and found a place to stand for 45 minutes. Actually there was no standing, there was pacing back and forth, random stretching, and bobbing my head to tunes trying to zone out. Ate a handful of Bits, drank some water and continued pacing.

A race photographer asked if he could take my picture, I said sure knowing this was probably the only race photo I would be smiling in. 

As the start got closer I watched the crowds of people filter in...all 22,000 people...there were no starting corrals, just flags for paces (because people are so good at following those...). A man lined up next to me, who was about 400 pounds and sounded like he was a pack-a-day guy for 30 years. Now I am happy this man chose to take up something like running to get into a healthy lifestyle, but he damn well knows he wouldn't be running anything close to the paces he was standing at. The paces are there for a reason, to allow everyone to get into a groove quicker and run a smoother race. 

Finally it was time to go, and I stood facing a wall. It was the worst bottleneck start (combined with no seeded corrals), I literally walked across the start line because I couldn't go anywhere (I'm sure my rage was apparent). I didn't take a running step until at least 50 feet after the start line, and it was a ways after that before I was able to get into a groove.

Cleveland Source

The First 13

It was about 65 at the start, but cloudy with a breeze so it was pretty comfortable. I knew even before the race I was going to ditch my tank top early on, luckily I saw John around mile 2 and was able to pass it off. I wasn't sure of my plan for the race so I decided to just kind of go with the flow pace wise. I found a comfortable pace and kind of stuck in that range. The miles rolled on, and I even took time to look around and enjoy some great views of the city going over the bridges. I high-fived every kid I could on the side, this made me really happy. The roads were packed, because we had the half marathoners with us at the time. Around mile 12, a girl in the half started chatting with me, telling me it was her first half. I encouraged her and told her she was doing awesome, she worried she was fading though. I told her I would push her for a bit (until the course splits), she gave me a big smile and we pushed forward...hence the faster mile for 13. At this point my watch was consistently off on the mile markers. So I was either running really bad about tangents or course was off...I'm assuming shitty tangents on my part.

7:50,7:35,7:52,7:48,7:46,7:39,7:42,7:42,7:45,7:42,7:40,7:40,7:16
notable thoughts during this time: your welcome dude (as the man next to me stared awkwardly as I stripped my tank top off while running), pshh I wasn't even getting paid for the semi-adult entertainment I was providing. Cheap bastard.

14,15,16

Somewhere around mile 10, I realized I had to pee, it wasn't too bad so I figured it would just go away. Around 14 it got worse but at this point I was still thinking "If I can pick up a little bit and hold it, I can PR", so I decided to press on. Finally around 15.5 I knew I couldn't hold it. I saw a port-o-potty coming up at a water stop in the distance, so I started loosening up my spi-belt, moved my Ipod clip, and got myself as ready as possible while still running. I saw someone come out of it right as I was coming up so I knew it was empty. I lost about a minute so I could pee (this affected mile 15 &16 times), came out and re-situated my gear while running. I tried to settle back into my pace, but was discouraged when I saw that the 3:25 pace group had caught up to me. Mentally this was hard, I pushed forward trying not to let them get ahead of me. 7:29,7:41,8:17
notable thoughts during this time: I legitimately considered peeing my pants so I wouldn't have to stop. Thank goodness for common sense kicking in. 

17,18,19,20

Mentally and physically these miles were hard. I was still trying to hold off the 3:25 pace group, and I hit the point I knew I wasn't going to PR. It felt like Tonya Harding took out my knees and I had to ignore the pain as best I could. The heat cranked up during this time, and I spent a few seconds at each water stop drinking, dumping water on me, and dancing in the hoses that kids were spraying at runners. I am really not sure who enjoyed it more, the kids who got to spray people or the runners who basked in the cold water. Some of these miles were down hill and through a wooded area so there was shade which was a huge help. I started doing math in my head, knowing I couldn't PR but also knowing it would be my second fastest hands down.

7:33,7:37,7:26,7:21
notable thoughts during this time: WTF I am 25 my knees aren't supposed to hurt like this, marathons suck, I wonder if they'd mind if I just sit on the ground and let them keep the hose spraying at me for the next 15 minutes. oh and I wonder if the owner of that road-killed cat knows it's missing?

Cleveland Source

21-23

Physically I was feeling okay, but mentally I was struggling. I hadn't seen John since mile 5 (Which was expected...he was following his brother around on the bike as his brother was trying to BQ, so I wasn't planning on seeing him a ton), but I knew that since it had been so long that something was up. I didn't need to see him at this point, but I wanted to...just give me a little boost to get through last few miles. Around 21.5 there he was, my knight in red&black on his bike. I yelled his name and he stopped and waved and as I passed he said "They aren't far ahead of you". I knew what this meant, as much as I didn't want it to be the case. Around 22 I caught up to John's brother David and his GF Katie (she ran the last 10 miles with him). I contemplated staying with them, I have my BQ & I knew I wasn't going to PR. But then I knew that he wouldn't want me to do that, so I said "hi" and carried on. The sun was brutal at this point, no clouds, no shade, no wind...just a hot road (my feet were on fire through my shoes) and the sun blazing down. I stood for a good 30 seconds under a hose at a water stop around 23, I didn't care...I needed it.

7:25, 7:38, 8:04
notable thoughts during this time: damn my man has a nice rear on that bike, am I an asshole for passing my soon to be brother in law?, I wonder if there will be ice cream at the finish?

24-26

I did something I hate having to do, but I knew was smart. I walked. Not a lot, but I walked a few times, and stopped at hoses/water stops a few times. My mind was getting "foggy", and I knew I needed to try and cool down, I couldn't replace the fluids/salt as fast as I was losing them. Around mile 25 the 3:25 pace group finally caught me and I didn't care. I watched them get further away and thought, it's another marathon, I'm still going to finish with a solid time, but I want to finish on my feet, not on a stretcher. I'm not saying I would have passed out had I not walked, but I knew those walk breaks/water stops were the smart thing to do, I had nothing to gain by not doing it.

8:06,8:46,8:41
notable thoughts during this time: I'm really bad at doing math while running, why is that girl running with a sucker in her mouth, did her mother teach her nothing! Sucker will not beat me.

Final Push

Instead of finishing 0.2 miles, I finished 0.5 miles after mile 26. Like I said, I just assume it was my shitty tangent running. At about 25.5 I said to myself "no more breaks" and just started running. Picked off a few girls, cranked up the tunes and pushed forward. The last 2 turns were nice, there was a lot of people, and very loud drums with a beat that forced you to finish strong. 

The last 0.5 was at 7:10 pace.
notable thoughts during this time: finish strong, don't get passed, ohhhh I see chocolate milk must run faster!

The clock said 3:26:10 as I crossed. 

I did it, marathon #5 and my second fastest.

My watch said 26.5 miles in 3:25:38 which would be 7:46 average.

According to my Garmin data, my "moving time" was 3:23 so that's almost 3 minutes of peeing, and standing under hoses...oh well. 

Chip time gave me 7:51 average, solid.
Happy with my placing...especially for such a big race.

Thoughts

Am I happy with my time?

You bet, its my second fastest marathon and considering this wasn't my be-all-end-all goal race this year, I can't complain. Another BQ under my belt, Boston 2014 you will be mine.

Am I disappointed I didn't go sub-3:20?

Yep, there were a few points I thought I could do it yesterday, but I'm not going to beat myself up. I didn't train to run sub 3:20 this time. Hell, I personally don't even think I trained to run what I did. Not every race is going to be a PR, and that's okay it gives me something to work for. I ran smart and strong and I can't diminish that success with "what if's". This makes me excited for Wineglass Marathon in the fall, I have good goals to work for. 

I was overwhelmed with support leading up to the race and even more so after. Between texts, twitter, and Facebook it was huge to see so many kind words. I love this community of runners, I love my family & friends and I love my fiance who is always there to support me. 

Big congrats to Jamie and her husband Mike. Jamie ran this as her 2nd marathon and beat her goal by over 10 minutes, and this was her hubby's 1st time finishing a full and on a brutally hot day! The 2 of them also used the marathon to raise money for Project R12, you can still donate to their efforts here.

Thoughts on the race itself:

Very well run, and they were well prepared for the heat

(good amount of water stops, hoses frequently, lots of cold stuff at finish)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start doing seeded corrals. Way too many people not to.

Crappy road conditions, lots of post holes and many sections of running through roads under construction (exposed pipes in the road...come on people)

Great volunteers/spectators, amazing signs and cheering crowds. A little scarce in second half (as expected) but the ones that were there, were great.

A special thanks to all the kids/adults that were in charge of spraying hoses.

 I can't tell you how much that helped. 

Loved having pre/post race at the stadium, no shortage of space or bathrooms. 

(Only thing I would say about this is don't put bag check on top floor on far side of stadium...getting up there after finishing was rough (even with escalators))

Love the medal

 Oh, and for your viewing pleasure....

No officer, I didn't drink a very large blue slushie on the way back to the hotel from the race.
What are you talking about, what blue tongue?

Thanks for all of the well wishes and support :)

I'm excited to be volunteering for 2 races this week, 

I know how much volunteers and spectators made a difference yesterday and I am happy to be giving some love back!

Pink Ribbon Run 5k

Ohhh Tuesday of Taper Week... I am surviving...

As I said yesterday it was a great weekend, 

here's the 5k recap I promised y'all.

This was the Pink Ribbon Run 5k, put on by the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester (BCCR). The race had been put on for over 10 years now. I ran this race in 2010 &2011 and it became one of my favorites. It's an all women's race (there is a walk that men/women can both do) where over 3000 people came for both events (a little over 1000 did the run). Out of all the races I missed last year due to my broken foot, this was the hardest to not be there for.

Needless to say I was happy to be able to be there this year, supporting a great cause and spending the morning with thousands of women dressed in pink. This year was a new location though, where it used to be out by Lake Ontario Beach park, the race had outgrown it and needed to be moved to Genesee Valley Park. I was happy to hear the race is growing every year, but wasn't so happy about the move to different park. The new course meant TONS of hairpin turns, so I wasn't planning on breaking any records. Good news is, you don't go into a 5k the weekend before a marathon planning to throw down some all-out speed.

Let's play a game of red light/green light. This was how the race went.
Speed up slow down stop for sharp turn...repeat.

Warmed up for the race with Hollie & Heather, chatting and fighting with the cold and wind. Finally it was time to start. My legs felt decent (much better than the day before when I bailed halfway through my run), but my lungs were not liking the speed thing mixed with the cold wind thing.

Heather, myself and Hollie at the start...
2 seconds later Hollie and I stripped some layers down...
isn't a race without stripping at the start line. Okay, Moving on.

I settled into a quick but not "guns-blazing" pace. Then I had a freak out moment for a good solid 2 minutes..."I have to do this for 26.2 miles next weekend..."

And then I realized "hahaha oh yeah, I don't have to run this fast next weekend. whew"

We will file that under "taper freak out moment".

Mile 2 was my slowest, as it pretty much always is for 5k's and cruised in last mile with a negative split. Finished strong, didn't have anyone in sight for last little while which made it harder to push. Finished in 19:48, sub-20 so no complaints. Hollie finished 5th and I was 6th..she was 40 seconds ahead of me so it wasn't like I had a chance at that one. I found her quick at finish and we turned to go watch for Heather thinking we had more time, and BAM there she was...throwing down a 20 second PR for herself! 

We hung out by the finish for a little while, and was approached by a young girl asking us if we were in high school like she was. I'm 25...and that's flattering and all but..NO.

Me, Heather & Hollie

After waiting for awards, the 3 of us hit Starbucks and had fun running/girl chat.
Fabulous ladies these runners are I tell ya.

Official Stats
Time 19:48 (6:23 avg. pace)
Overall Place 6th/1040
AG Place 2nd

Overall I was happy with my time, I didn't race all out since I'm "tapering" so I know it could have been faster on a better course and had I been actually pushing the pace to race. More than anything it made me excited to get into some speed work this summer. After the marathon this coming weekend, my focus will be on Musselman 70.3 triathlon in July. But I definitely plan on running some shorter races this summer so it's time to get back to the track! I'd really like to see my time for the 5k go sub-19. My PR right now is a little over 19 and I feel like if I get my workouts in and train properly sub-19 will be mine soon enough. I remember 2 years ago desperately chasing sub 20, and it gave me awesome motivation to keep working so I know that if I keep sub-19 in sight I'll work hard to get it!

T-minus 4.5 days until Cleveland Marathon.
Let Taper madness continue.

Flower City Half Marathon

Day 2 of the Flower City Challenge....

Flower City Half Marathon

This race is sentimental for me, 

in 2010 it was the first time the race was put on,

and it was also my first half-marathon ever.

My first Half-marathon ever...
Flower City 2010
WOW I look young!
(sister on left, me on right)
[My time 1:44]

Flower City 2011
Running with KT tape for ITBS
[My time 1:43]

Okay, okay, enough of memory lane.

On to this year's Flower City Half-Marathon.

I really had no idea how fast I was going to be able to run this, 

since I raced pretty hard the day prior at the Flower City Duathlon.

I decided to run to the race to get some extra miles in,

it was a little over a 2 mile warm-up.

Fleet Feet/Yellowjacket Racing 

announced a few days prior that there would be a Boston tribute prior to the race.

Nothing better than warming up at the start line,

listening to thousands of runners singing "Sweet Caroline"

(I wish I could find a video of this, someone HAD to have taken one).

The first few miles were smooth. 

My legs felt good.

My heart was racing.

Crowds were awesome.

Ran next to my friend Thomas for a little while,

whom I hadn't seen in forever which made me smile!

I felt inspired to be running on streets I love & call home, 

and running a race that was once a big first for me.

Me rounding a corner early on, with my friend Thomas right behind me in the red.
Don't ask me why my mouth is open, I have NO idea.
[The outfit: Tank top (Saucony Ignite), shorts (Saucony Ignite), Sneakers (Saucony Kinvara 4-release 5/1, so happy I was able to get them early!)]

It started to go downhill quick,
& unfortunately I am not referring to the elevation profile.
My legs quickly reminded me that they were tired from the day prior.
Pace slowed, and I generally just felt blah.
I kept going and just trucked along best I could.
I knew I wasn't going to get a PR,
but I also knew it wouldn't be my slowest half either.

Shortly after mile 10 we got on the Genesee Riverway trail...

(ran it twice yesterday for the du)

I saw some people I knew cheering, 

I tried to put on a happy face despite how drained I felt.

Then my fiance...oh what a man he is...

pulled his bike over...

got on side of path in front of me,

and let me give him a slap on the tush.

Sounds silly, but it made me giggle and helped me put a smile on.

(Thanks babe for knowing when I needed a boost)

 [Singing to myself on the course,
while trying to thumbs up and smile for the camera]

I pushed forward, turned onto the Ford Street Bridge

trying to hold pace as best I could.

John was up there cheering, and so was my friend Joe.

Seeing familiar faces was much needed.

Final turn onto Exchange street, I knew it was the home stretch.

John was riding next to me at this point,
just cheering me on and pushing me forward...
I gave it what I had left and pushed through to the finish.
1:34:21 (7:12 average pace)
Not a Half-marathon PR.
BUT it is a PR on this course, by 9 minutes.
So we will file this under..success.

Closed my eyes, catch my breath...I was DONE :)
20/1347 Females
8/263 AG(25-29)

I quickly grabbed some water, and found my man.
Gave him a huge hug and thanked him for being support.
He then went back on the course to cheer and support the many others we knew running.
He is an amazing person and is a great support at races,
I can't wait until his knee's are healed and he can race again,
so I can support him and do what he does for me.

I mosied inside Blue Cross Arena looking for food and ice.
Within minutes my back was spazzing and so was my calf (same one as yesterday).
Fleet Feet had set up a "Recovery Zone" which was AMAZING.
Food, water, fuel, foam rollers, masseuses, chiropractors...
After getting my back and calf worked on,
I came back out and cheered for runners as they came in,
& caught up with some friends I ran into.

Finally I found John again, and we started to make our way home.
(He was on the bike, and I used the 2 mile jog home as cool down)
As we made our way through the city,
we were just out of sight from the finish when we saw it...
2 fire trucks and a HUGE police communications truck.
There were lots of people in suits, and uniforms.
As we went by we could see people on phones and computers in the big truck,
we had no doubts about the reason for all of this.
It's sad that we have to have more security like this at races.
It was nice to see that they kept it close enough,
yet far enough where most wouldn't see it though.
I'm sure that kept people more calm and less likely to panic.
Being the distance that it was, 
also made it less "intrusive" to the race atmosphere.

We made our way home slowly,
I was tired and hot but I knew jogging home would be a good cool-down
 that my body needed (I wouldn't have cooled down otherwise, that much I am sure of).

It was an insane weekend of racing, and I loved it.
FF/YJR really know how to put on a race.
I finished my first duathlon and my 12th half-marathon.

Crazy hectic weekend: 100% worth it

I can't describe to you how well I slept Sunday night.
I'm pretty sure a tractor trailer could have ran through the house,
and I wouldn't have flinched.



Have you ever done back to back big races?

What was your first Half-Marathon?

Have you run the same race multiple times before(any distance)?

Seneca 7 Relay Recap

I feel like nothing I write will do this race any justice, 

but I'll give it a shot.

[This is going to be wordy...]

Pre-Race shot of our 7 runners and amazing chauffeur :)
Team #118 "Sloppy Sevenths" (all-male category since we only had 2 girls)

Quick overview of the race itself:

*3rd year the race has been put on

*The race is 77.7 miles long (around Seneca lake)

*7 runners, with each running 3 times (varying distances)

*Staggered start times: 7, 7:30,8, 9, 9:30

*Categories: Male, Female, Mixed, Bike

Our team was named "Sloppy Sevenths", I knew all but 2 prior to the race, but by the end of the weekend I felt like I had known them all for years. I guess that's what happens when you spend an entire weekend in close quarters with people :)

Weather: It was a gorgeous sunny day, but windy! When you weren't running, sweats were necessary and staying out of the wind was ideal. But when you were running, it was very warm even with the wind by the water. This made for lots of outfit changes for the team, and lots of last minute stripping layers before relay exchanges.

Our team:

Chauffeur: My wonderful Fiance John

Legs 1, 8, 15: Al 

(wicked fast dude from Albany-went to college with the boys)

Legs 2, 9, 16: Katie 

(She's a cheetah, WON the Wineglass Marathon last year, runs for +Saucony )

Legs 3,10,17: Nate 

(Incredible ultra runner, Running Coach)

Legs 4,11,18: Dave 

(My soon to be Bro in Law, another crazy fast man!!!)

Legs 5, 12, 19: Mark

 (Went to college with the boys, super fast even a year after knee surgery)

Legs 6, 13, 20: Joe 

(Used to work with John, is on a 100+ day streak of running right now!!)

Legs 7, 14, 21: Laura 

(Yours truly)

Our team started at 9:30 (last wave out) which was kind of nice because we didn't have to get up super early. The first few exchanges were so easy, we had plenty of time to get to the stops, and little traffic and people to fight to get there. John brought a red carpet, and every time our runner finished, they got the red carpet back into the van before we headed to the next stop. There weren't many other teams around at the time but those that were, really got a kick out of us.

"If the van's a rockin', were probably getting our socks on"

 I was antsy all morning, it got to the point where I just wanted to run really bad, but I was the last to go in the rotation. So I did my cheering, and helped others while I not so patiently awaited my turn to go. All of our runners threw down some incredible paces for their first legs, which made me even more nervous....everyone was ahead of schedule. Finally, shortly before noon I got my first go around.

My first leg (leg 7) [4.1 miles]- This was a gradual uphill section, gain of about 200 feet. I debated for a while on what to wear and settled on long sleeve Saucony shirt with shorts and my Kinvara's. About 30 seconds after getting the bracelet, I knew I should have worn a tank top, the sweating began. This was my longest leg of the 3, so I knew I had to set a good pace. 6:44, 6:48, 6:52 were my first 3 miles, I was disappointed to see my pace going down. Finally mile 4 I ran a 6:30 which made me feel a lot better. I ran 4.1 miles in 27:15, about 2 minutes earlier than expected (good thing Al was ready early at the exchange for me).

At this point we were on the second rotation of the 7 of us, and this is where things really started getting crazy. We were running fast, so didn't have massive amounts of time to get to next stop. We started catching up to a lot of the teams that started in earlier waves which made exchange points harder (no more red carpet, it was jump in the van and go....no stretch, no cool-down until we got to next stop). There was less parking, more people around and less time to do things.

During round 2 of the rotation, my teammates were still throwing down some incredible times (even with some heavy elevation changes), but I didn't have time to be nervous. We got the van stuck in mud at this point, but with the help of some runners from other teams we didn't have an issue getting it out (just made for another funny story to tell, EVERYONE saw it happen).

My nerves were still on edge and I was standing on other side of road waiting for Joe to come in and pass off the bracelet to me. At this point I got to see Jamie come in and pass off to her teammate, I yelled as loud as I could hoping she could hear me over the crowd (and she did!). This was her second year doing the race and you could see how much she loves it by the smile on her face!

My second leg (leg 14) [3.1 miles] {roughly 3:15 pm}I took off and I didn't realize we had to turn shortly after and I yelled where do we go (there was no sign), thankfully the man I just passed was nice enough to yell "LEFT". This leg was much more enjoyable than my first, because there were so many more people around. I knew I was going to have a decent amount of roadkills (# of people you pass) but I wasn't sure how many(I wasn't counting..OUT LOUD). We had caught up so fast to so many teams though that I found myself well over 10. One guy asked me as I passed "what number am I??"and I hesitantly said 17 and he responded with "go get 20!". Oddly enough, this was the least stressed 5k ever for me (even though I knew I had another leg after this), and I was ECSTATIC to pass off to Al in 19 minutes and 48 seconds. I was so freakin' happy to run sub-20 5k on not-so-fresh legs, I had to text Hollie and tell her...immediately (we have been talking about speed lately).

The next few exchanges were getting closer and closer together, and we were worried about having enough time to get there. We even got lost at one point (in Sampson State Park) but somehow managed to get where we needed to go. I am still amazed how we pulled it all off, we really had to work together and be flexible with (warm-up/cool-down, how far we were parked from exchange point etc) to make it all happen. Long gone were the days of red carpets, but we were still the loudest cheering, most fun van out there, running our hearts out.

Last hand-off of the day: Joe to Me

Getting ready for my last leg was hardest, it had been a long day and it was starting to wear on me. My hamstring had a knot in it, and my stomach was NOT happy with me (and bathrooms were hard to come by without a 20 minute wait...which I didn't have time for). John could tell I was getting really nervous about it and was trying to help and keep me calm, telling me it didn't matter what I ran. At the last relay exchange point while waiting, I FINALLY got a bathroom stop which was much needed, and just bounced around waiting to get my last chance to run for the team.


My final leg (leg 21) [3.7 miles] started around 5:38, I saw Joe over the horizon, grabbed the bracelet and told myself "just get there". The first half of this leg was blah, I was running on a highway with no one around. Finally got to Seneca Lake State Park and actually could look at the water which was nice. I also had a little boy try and run with me at that point, he kept up for about 25 yards then said  "I'm tired" and I asked for a high-5 and he was so excited, gave me one, and then he just stopped (it was adorable). I knew I was averaging 6:30's (I never looked at my watch so much as I did during this leg), and just wanted to hold that until the finish. There's a team "reunification" point about 100 yards from finish, so the 6 other runners and John jumped in with me and we all crossed together.

Al, Dave, Katie, John, Me, Mark, Nate, Joe

8 hours and 32 minutes to go 77.7 miles. That's averaging a hair over 6:30's for our team...I was amazed and so proud. We took 6th team out of 208, and had a blast doing so. We were also the 4th team in our division (all-male...because you had to have 3 women to be considered mixed, Katie and I held our own as "men" though!)

[My total was 10.9 miles at an average of 6:32 pace]

 Some thoughts on our team/experience:

I told you yesterday our official fuel was cheese-balls....fact: we ate them ALL.

*Not only did our team keep track of "roadkills"(people we passed), we kept track of ACTUAL roadkill (we had 2 very serious hunters/nature lovers on the team). There are actual pictures of these, to protect the dearly departed animals, I won't post them.

*Instead of yelling "looking good" while cheering for our teammates we were yelling "looking sloppy" to go with our name. Other teams must have thought we were the least encouraging people EVER.

*What do you do when you forget the cowbell in the car when you are waiting to cheer your runner on? YELL COWBELL OVER AND OVER. Yes, we did this....multiple times.

*I can't reiterate enough how well our team worked together. We were consistent, flexible, helpful, and still managed to have a fun (and fast) time. I can't imagine doing a relay without a solid team like this, logistics were difficult at times even being as efficient as we were. 

*Doing a relay made me realize how much I loved them in college track. I love running because you can do it for yourself and don't have to rely on others. But there is a lot to be said about teamwork and support, I didn't once feel like I was relying on my team. We all played our parts and we all kicked ass, got along and didn't get arrested. 

*Proof that runners are amazing people. Granted a few of the team members went to college together, we all came from different backgrounds. Some run for teams, some are elites, some are ultra runners, some are running for health but we are all runners. It was never a competition or anything, it was a true team effort and I loved it. We were there to run, kick ass, and have fun and I can safely put a check mark next to all of those.

*Looking back at it now, I am so happy about our time and placing but I also realize it didn't matter. We knew going into it we had a strong team, but never did we take it so seriously that we weren't having fun. We cheered ourselves on, other teams on, it was a day to celebrate running:)

Seneca Lake post-race ice bath and beer, totally worth it.

Some thoughts on the race itself:

*Great concept, great local race!

*Scenery was incredible...the lake, vineyards, all of it!

*They REALLY need to figure out a better plan for the staggered start (or let less teams in), the congestion in the middle of the race was unsafe and very frustrating.

*The "all-bike teams" (some teams rode bikes around instead of a car, while the other person ran) needs some work. Bikers were not following rules of road (saw some without helmets, riding in middle of road, texting while riding, not paying attention) and there were quite a few very close calls. I understand this is an eco-friendly alternative to another car on the road, but it created some dangerous situations.

*Exchange points should not be in parking lots where people were parking vans (most exchanges were on the road but some were in parking lots where everyone was coming in and out, and it was really dangerous)

* The race swag was great! We all got shirts, hats, 77.7 stickers, temp tattoos, and cool medals.

*Something I would do again, YES....but I would really like to see what they plan on doing to reduce congestion and make safer transitions in the middle exchange points.

~Overall I had a fantastic time and am proud to be a part of this running community. This was my first road relay, and I can say for sure I will do another. I couldn't have asked for a better team than I had and am truly lucky to have those people in my life. I also gained a boost of confidence in myself that I really needed. My training has been so spotty this time around, but seeing what I was able to do Sunday, gave me a little more spark heading into my next few races.~

Have you ever done a relay?

What are your thoughts on bike teams at running races?

(Being a 'cyclist'[newbie one] I appreciate bikes & cyclists, but part of me questions their place in a logistical race like this....for SAFETY reasons)