Category Archives: Racing

March 2, 2013 · 2:34 PM

Race Recap: Phoenix Marathon

Nobody likes a Negative Nelly, so I’m going to try to keep this race report as positive as I can.

I’ve been very vocal about my quest to qualify for Boston. This is truly the first time that I trained specifically to do just that and took it very seriously. I thought for sure this would be my race – after all, I had nailed most of my workouts and PR’d in the half marathon and 10K recently. My training proved to me that I was capable of a sub-3:40 race.

And then two weeks ago I came down with peroneal tendonitis (in my foot) and I questioned everything. I treated it aggressively, though (acupuncture, chiro adjustments, shock wave therapy, ultrasound, and stretch therapy on top of anti-inflammatories, ice, massage, and rest) and by the Thursday before the race I was confident again.

Saturday morning I took some Aleve and had my foot taped perfectly – I was ready. Although very nervous. In fact I felt very nauseous on the entire bus ride from the finish line to the starting line. But I figured that would go away as soon as the race started.

When I arrived at the starting line area, I met up with some friends and relaxed for about an hour. They had heaters set up in the staging area as well as a few fire pits (we were in the middle of the desert), which was definitely a nice bonus. It was only in the upper-40s, but the heat felt good. Then after the National Anthem, they set off some fireworks, and we were ready to start.

Dana, Ami, Me, and Julie (left to right) in the staging area.

The first few miles felt fine. My plan was to stick with the 3:30 pace team as long as possible, but the pacer was going way too fast. A 3:30 finish is about 8:00 miles and the pacer was doing 7:45s. So after about 2 or 3 miles I knew I had to slow down and follow my own pace. Miles 4 through 6 were all uphill, so that was a little rough, but the rest of the race was a very gradual downhill, so I knew I could go slow during those uphill miles and make up for time later.

By the time I got to mile 10, the 3:35 pace group had caught up to me. No big deal, I thought – I’ll stick with them as long as possible and if I have to slow down, all I have to do is stay in front of the 3:40 group. I lost the 3:35 group around mile 16, right around the time when I started to feel faint, lightheaded, and dizzy. I also had some intermittent chest pain and tightening. It scared me a little because I have a very slight heart murmur and I am always paying close attention to my heart (ultrasounds and cardiac tests prove it’s nothing to be concerned about). But the pain wasn’t bad enough to stop, so I kept going. Not long after that, my quads decided that they were done. I knew another 10 miles was going to take everything in me.

Right around mile 20, the 3:40 pace group caught up to me. I stuck with them for about a mile, but at that point, I just couldn’t keep up. At the time I told myself that I had gotten this far without much foot pain and if I could just finish, I would be happy. And then my foot started to hurt pretty bad. I was okay if I took short walk breaks every few minutes, but then after another ½ mile or so, it would hurt again. So I just took it slow and took as many walk breaks as I needed until the end of the race. In the end, I finished in 3:54. Neither a BQ nor a PR. But at least I finished.

And then once I crossed the finish line, it finally hit me that I did not achieve any of my goals and I was crushed. I unsuccessfully fought back the tears. I not only was disappointed in myself, but I felt like I had let everyone down: my coaches, my teammates, my friends that were out there cheering me on, and my readers. I know that might seem silly and nobody really cares other than myself, but when you put such definitive goals out there for the world to read and then you don’t meet them, it feels like you are disappointing the world.

On the one hand, I feel like maybe full marathons just aren’t my distance and I want to retire from them forever and focus on half marathons and shorter races. Maybe a BQ is never in my future. And then on the other hand, I feel the need to redeem myself and jump right back into training so that I can try again. I have so many emotions going on right now, but I need to try to not think about it for a week or two and then determine how I really feel – when I’m not 2 hours fresh off of a race and ripe with emotions.

In the end, I am extremely disappointed in myself, but I am happy for the fact that 1) I finished (I don’t think I’ve ever seriously contemplated dropping out of a race until today), and 2) that my foot held up okay. Of course, we’ll see what it feels like tomorrow…

I also have to say a quick thank you to my amazing husband. He has been my rock and my biggest support over the past 4 months – I never could have done it if it weren’t for his help and support. He’s put up with a lot from me and I owe him a huge thank you. I’m sure he is just as glad that this marathon is over as I am.

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Filed under Marathon Training, Race Recap, Racing, Running Injuries

February 7, 2013 · 4:20 PM

Race Recap: Runner’s Den 10K

Last Sunday was the Runner’s Den 10K in Phoenix. The Runner’s Den is the oldest running store in town and this was the 35th anniversary of the race. Back in the day, people would fly in from all over the country – including big names like Bill Rodgers – to run it. Over the years, with the rise of so many other races in the Valley, the Runner’s Den 10K has become smaller in size, but the quality is just as great as always. In full disclosure, the owner of the store is a friend, so I suppose I might be a bit biased, but I like to believe that I would do this race regardless, because every year I have a great time.

Runner’s Den is also a huge supporter of Girls on the Run and proceeds from this race went to this awesome organization (again: biased, perhaps, but I like to think not!). So for me, the race served two purposes: run a great race and promote/support Girls on the Run.

The race course started at Paradise Valley Mall and went through the surrounding streets. There was a very slight uphill during the first half of the course, but luckily that also meant a gradual downhill during the second half. I was really hoping to finish around 45 minutes – I knew that would be pushing my limits, but I certainly wanted to try. Unfortunately my body had different goals in mind. I don’t know if it was because my eating was off due to the later start time (9:15), or if it was because of my heavy marathon training had me tired, but my body wasn’t happy with me that day. I spent most of the race wanting to throw up. I thought about quitting – or at least walking – multiple times, but I knew I would regret it later. So, I kept going, thinking only of the finish line. In the end, my time was 46:02 – a new PR (by 20 seconds), so I can’t complain too much.

I believe it was between miles 4 and 5 where I made the declaration (to myself, since I certainly didn’t have the breath to talk to anyone else) that maybe I just don’t like 5K or 10K races because they are simply too uncomfortable. One could make the same argument for half marathons and marathons, but I beg to differ. Sure, all races are uncomfortable – but it’s a matter of how much and how long. I’d rather run a few seconds slower per mile for a longer distance than run full out for 3 to 6 miles. Although, it’s possible that after my marathon in 3 weeks I’ll be singing a different tune.

I took my iphone with me on race day with the full intention of taking photos. Of course, once I saw all my friends and started chatting, I completely forgot. Luckily, when I ran into a Oiselle teammate, Kerry, she snapped a photo. So this is the only photographic evidence I have from the race.

Kerry (left), and me (right)

Race Recap: Arizona Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon

Yesterday I felt like I had been run over by a MAC truck in my sleep. I was sore, mentally cloudy, and dead tired. Today is much better – I feel like maybe I was only hit by a pickup truck. It reminds me, though, of how humbling it is to run a race at max effort. I had the best race – possibly ever – and felt so strong, powerful, and invincible during and after the race. Then, when you think you’re on top of your game, you wake up the next day and realize that you put your body through hell and it’s not happy. Luckily for me, this week is a pretty easy training week.

Sunday I ran the Arizona Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon. The weather could not have been more perfect – low 50s at the start and 60s at the end, eventually warming up to the mid-70s later in the day. It didn’t start until 7:50 a.m., which was really nice because I didn’t have to wake up any earlier than normal. Parking was a non-issue and all ran very smoothly, so I actually had time to kill once I arrived. I was supposed to meet up with someone at the start line to warm-up, but we missed each other, so I got in a short warm-up on my own. I then ducked into a restaurant to use the restroom (my only complaint about the Competitor races is that there are never enough port-o-potties! The lines are always outrageous.) and got to the starting line exactly 1 minute before the race started. It was all perfect timing!

I started off the race with a 7:43 mile, followed by a 7:39, and 7:38. This pace felt really comfortable and like one that I could sustain for a long time. I knew that there were a few small hills coming up, so I was hoping I could spare a few extra seconds for those and then make up the time in the end. It turns out that the hills were a little tougher than I thought. From about miles 4 to 10, it was all a very gradual uphill, with mile 8 being a little steeper than the rest. For those miles, my splits were 7:33, 7:44, 7:43, 7:35, 7:48, 7:52, and 7:49. My coaches, Derek and Allison, were at the top of that mile 8 hill, which was so refreshing and gave me a little boost of energy to keep going. Then there was finally a break and the course started to go downhill a bit. I knew that I had a lot of time to make-up in those 3 miles, so I dug deep and gave it everything I had. Those splits were 7:25, 7:35, 7:17, and a 6:51 pace for the last 0.1 mile.

Half Marathon Elevation Chart

In the end, I finished in 1:40:18 – 19 seconds shy of my sub-1:40 goal. It is still a 2+ minute PR for me, though, and I am still so proud of this race. I feel like I finally have my pacing down and I know when to push it and when to back off. My fueling went smoothly, and when the race was over, my tank was completely empty. After it was all over, my coach told me that the course was deceptively hard and not a PR-generating course. That made me feel even better.

If there’s any proof of the mental component of the sport, I found it. There were many instances when I felt tired and could have easily slowed down or walked. But what ultimately kept me going was knowing that I had put my goal time out there for the world to read about. I told everyone I knew what I was trying to accomplish, knowing that it would keep me on track during the race. I would have felt like a failure and an embarrassment if I had to report back that I didn’t meet or come close to my goal. When I got tired, I thought of you all, my readers, and that allowed me to keep going and push myself. So I owe all of you a thank you for letting me put it all out there and holding me accountable to my dreams.

P.S. I HATE the fact that I am so bad about taking pictures on race day! My apologies for the lack of photos. To give you a mental picture, I was wearing my Oiselle singlet, Oiselle Rogas, Oiselle arm warmers, CEP compression socks, and Altra Intuition 1.5 shoes. Because I know you all care about what I was wearing. :)

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Filed under Altra Zero Drop Shoes, Compression socks, Oiselle, Race Recap, Racing

January 17, 2013 · 10:26 AM

Putting It All Out There

I haven’t talked about my training much lately because I never really know how much people care, or what details they want to hear. Truth be told, however, that this training cycle for the Phoenix Marathon is probably the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself, and also the best I’ve ever felt. I’ve mentioned before that my coaches like to push me – not too hard, but definitely harder than I have ever pushed myself in the past. I guess a part of me was always afraid. Of what, I’m not sure. Failure? Injury? Probably both. But my coaches see my ability and believe in me, so I’m going with it. And it’s working.

The workouts that they have me doing definitely test my physical and mental strength and endurance. But when I nail those workouts (which is more often than not), it makes me feel like I can conquer anything – even a sub-3:40 marathon. During this training cycle, I have gained not only speed and strength, but most importantly confidence.

I’m running the Rock N’ Roll half marathon this weekend and I’m both excited and nervous. I’m excited because I get to test my new speed and pacing skills in an actual race and see just how far I’ve come. But I’m also really nervous because the outcome of the race will likely determine my mindset for my marathon in March. If I do well and accomplish my goal of a sub-1:40 half, I will have all the confidence I need for the marathon. If I have a bad race and don’t do as well as I want to, I’m afraid that my confidence will suffer and I won’t feel so positive.

I’m coming off of a pretty big training week – definitely no taper here. I did a tough 18-mile workout last weekend, followed by another tough 10-miler on Tuesday, 4 easy yesterday, then 6 with a little speed thrown in this morning. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t exhausted, but I have the next two days to relax and rest up for the race. The race is, after all, basically a training run, so if I can accomplish my sub-1:40 goal after coming off of the hard week, all the better for my confidence. And if I don’t accomplish my goal, I guess at least I have an excuse not to feel so bad.

On another note…I’m also super excited because I get to meet more Oiselle teammates that will be in town for the race! It will be so nice to meet the faces behind the tweets! #bestteammatesever

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Filed under Marathon Training, Oiselle, Racing

December 17, 2012 · 11:15 AM

Looking Back on 2012 and Ahead to 2013

As 2012 comes to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect on all that’s happened this year, the lessons learned, and to set new goals for 2013. I’ve been very blessed this year in so many ways, but I’ve also learned a lot along the way – lessons that will hopefully help me achieve my goals for the New Year.

2012 Achievements

This year was pivotal for me because I began to take my training seriously and became more competitive than I ever have in the past (mostly with myself, mind you). It started in February when I won my very first Age Group award. I won 3rd in my AG for a 10K and realized that maybe I’m better (i.e. faster) than I ever gave myself credit for. If I could achieve that without “serious” training, what would I be able to achieve if I started to incorporate targeted workouts and real speed work into my routine? A fluke, maybe, but then in April I was the 3rd woman finisher and 2nd in my AG for a 5K, which further motivated me to push my training harder. In the end, 2012 would yield me a new PR in every distance I ran: 5K, 10K, 15K, Half Marathon, and Marathon.

2012 will also be remembered as the year I became a part of the Oiselle Team. As an ambassador for the most amazing women’s running apparel company out there, I not only get to spread the love for the products and get great discounts, but more importantly, I have been connected to the most amazing network of women runners. Some are amazingly fast and winning races all over the country, but most are average runners like me who simply love the sport and want to spread the love of running to others. Though I have only met a few of them in person, I feel like I know them all through Twitter and blogs. They are the most supportive, loving, and friendly group of women and I am so honored that I was chosen to be a part of it. Oiselle has done an amazing job growing their Team and it is very representative of them as a brand and a company. I know I talk a lot about Oiselle, but it’s because they have become my “running family” – and they really do make amazing products!

Things I Learned Along the Way

As the years tick by and I slowly get older, I am learning the importance of treating your body with the utmost respect. I only had one minor injury in 2012, which sidelined me for a few weeks, but was ultimately able to keep running. And the reason I was able to remain healthy and injury free was because I started incorporating some very important preventative and maintenance practices into my routine:
• I turned up the volume on the core and strength work. This not only helped with injury prevention, but made me a much stronger runner in 2012, too.
• Cross-training. I try to swim at least once a week and do hot yoga once a week, which I believe also saved me from injury.
• Regular fascial stretch therapy sessions. I always feel so good after these sessions! My stretch therapist has become really good at working my trouble spots and getting the kinks out, helping me stay loose and recover faster.
• Regular massages. A few months ago I decided that regular massage sessions were a good investment in injury prevention and would be cheaper in the long-run than if I were to get injured and pay for treatment. So I became a Massage Envy member and have been fortunate to find a few really great therapists. I try to go every 3-4 weeks, or more often if I’m training really hard or feeling sore.

I also learned that when you do get injured, it is important to have a doctor, or team of doctors, who you can rely on to get you healed fast. I was fortunate enough to find a great doctor who works with a lot of elite athletes and knows that it’s not always practical to tell a runner to just stop running. When I injured my hip, he was able to treat me through ART and some other methods while I maintained a very low running base. He never told me to stop running altogether, which made me really appreciate him. Sure, it would heal faster if I did, but us runners can be stubborn folk! So if you can, find a doctor who works with a lot of runners and who you can trust at the first sign of injury. And don’t wait to see him or her until you are hurting to the point of not being able to run. Go during the first stages of pain.

The last major thing I learned in 2012 was the importance of having a great coach. I had never had a coach before, but after my disastrous performance at the Tucson Marathon in 2011, I decided that if I was ever going to qualify for Boston, I needed help. So I found a coach based out of Los Angeles and worked with him through June when I ran the San Diego Rock N’ Roll Marathon. He was a good enough coach, and helped me achieve a new PR in a few distances, but I don’t know that he was the perfect fit for me. Once again, the Oiselle Team proved invaluable when I was introduced to Derek and Allison Delancey. Allison is on the Oiselle Team and her and her husband, Derek, are amazingly fast runners. I decided to hire them as my coaches back in October to help me work up to a BQ marathon in March. So far I have loved every second of this relationship and think that they are great coaches for me. They see the potential that I have and push me towards that – something that I have a hard time doing when I coach myself. I feel like they believe in me and my goal of a 3:40 marathon in March and that makes me believe in myself. I’ve already seen big improvements since I’ve started working with them, and am finally getting the confidence I need to tackle my big BQ goal.

Goals for 2013

By far, my biggest goal for 2013 is to qualify for Boston. I’ve attempted this feat twice before, both with less than stellar results. But as I just mentioned, I’m finally – for the first time in my running career –becoming confident in myself and my ability to make it happen. I feel stronger and faster than I ever have before, and barring any injuries or sidelines in the next 2 months, I actually believe that I could make it happen.

I would also love to continue the PR trend and run a sub-1:40 half marathon, plus set new PRs in the 5K and 10K.

On a personal level, I am excited to continue to get to know and connect with all of the other Oiselle Team members. I am running the Ragnar Relay in WA with 11 other Oiselle teammates in July and I am beyond excited to meet them in person and continue to grow my running family.

Category Archives: Racing

Race Recap: Phoenix Marathon

Race Recap: Runner’s Den 10K

Race Recap: Arizona Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon

Putting It All Out There

Looking Back on 2012 and Ahead to 2013

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