Half Marathon Recap! (And a 5k recap)

Its taken me a bit to get this recap up but here it is:
Last week of HM training:
December 4th-10th
Monday-rest
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday-4 miles including a 3 mile tempo
Thursday-rest
Friday- 4.5 shake out miles
Saturday- 13.16 miles plus an extra 4-5 miles trying to find my pup who jumped the fence
Sunday-2 miles chasing after pup who jumped fence
The week leading up to the race was pretty low key. On Wednesday Fleet feet hosted a holiday pub run, chase the gingerbread man and catch the fox. it was a good time with friends, hot cocoa, cookies and raffles. I also got in a great 3 mile tempo and was thankful I had Mark and Andrew(my kids middle school PE teacher) to run with. it was dark, and I have no sense of direction what so ever. We ended up passing the gingerbread man and won fleet feet gift cards.

The day before the race I just got some easy shake out miles and tried not to think about the early wake up call. That night I went to bed early, sleeping in my daughters room with the door shut so I wouldn't be bothered by the dogs and my husbands snoring. I still didn't sleep worth a darn.

RACE RECAP:
My alarm goes off at 4am, and I stay under the covers as long as possible,texting Theresa about the weather and how I don't feel like getting out of bed,lol! I eventually get dressed and moving and meet T at CVS so we could carpool to the shuttle buses. I forgot my coffee but remebred my honey stinger waffle.I drove and managed to not get us lost so the day started off on a good note! Once we park we hike through wet grass and muddy muck to climb on a shuttle bus. It was windy and cold but the bus was warm,cozy and made me not want to go back outside. Once we get to the  Island, we made a porto potty stop with NO lines and fresh, clean, not used yet porto johns. Things were still going good! We have to drop off our bags and we wait around a bit trying to find our friends. we go to the market grill and had zero lines for the indoor restrooms, while the main building was packed to the brim with LONG waiting lines for the restroom. I was wondering why no one thought of the market grill? A few minutes before the start, Theresa and I make our way to the starting line. we try to get to the front as both of us were in Coral A. TRY is the operative word, we are trying our best to swim through the sea of thousands of people.

Before we get anywhere close to the front, the gun goes off and confetti cannons are spraying the runners with a rainbow of confetti and glitter. I guess I didn't have time to get nervous.I am surprisingly calm as I told myself I was treating this as a tempo run. My plan was to start off slower and then pick up my pace as the race progressed.

Mile 1-3 (7:09,7:12,7:12)
I see Bronwen about a half mile in. I paced with her the first mile of the last half and did the same for this race. She slows her pace a bit after the first mile as she was aiming for a 7:20 pace. I go on ahead and run behind an older guy named George for the next 4 miles. I knew his name was George because his friend Brad(I later found out his name was brad,but not until the end of the race) was carrying on a normal conversation with him. I see a skinny Santa Claus(minus the long white beard) ahead of me and I keep his effortless stride in my sights the next 5 miles. I see 2 girls in red tanks ahead of me and wonder if they are running the full or the half. At mile 2 and 3 I see even splits and the red tank gals are keeping an even pace ahead of me as well. Maybe I could pace off of them? I see mile 3 around 21:30, which is what I wanted to see based on my goal of 1:34 (or anything faster than 1:34:58) I just had to keep things steady. I also regretted not shedding the extra layer top I was wearing. I was already really hot.

Miles 4-6 (7:15,7:03,7:12)
These miles were spent drafting behind tall skinny santa and a few other tall guys, passing George, catching up to the red shirt girls,and trying to convince myself this was "fun" I think the marathoners split from the halfers at some point but cant remember which mile. One red shirt turns for the full.
I see the 6 mile mark around 43 minutes, which is what I needed. still on track for a PR, but I suck at mental math while running.

Miles 7-9(7:03,7:15,7:06)
After mile 6, the other red shirt girl picks up her pace and passes me, as does skinny santa. I see glimpses of brad ahead and a few men catch up to me. we stay in a pack during these miles and there are many turns in the course. I am trying really hard to do mental math. I knew If I could get to the 10 mile mark at 1:10 I could possibly see 1:30-1:32 if I ran a strong last 5k. if I saw a 1:12 I knew I could go sub 1:35, possibly closer to 1:33. When mile 9 rolls around I feel a huge mental block. Red shirt girl, brad and skinny santa were picking up the pace and i was trying to hang on. All I wanted to do was get to mile 10. If I could make it there under 1:12, it was just a 5k left and I knew I could do a 5k in 22 minutes on tired legs. somewhere during these miles, a deer jumps on to the course and freezes. Brad warns me and we cautiously yet quickly move around the deer. Red shirt girl throws the hammer down and separates herself from our little pack.

 Miles 10-12 (7:06,7:12,7:12)
The course had the race clocks placed every few miles and I saw the clock at mile 10 say 1:12xx. I knew the big clock didn't match my chip time, and didn't match my fitbit( as the course would be running long). I knew if I picked my pace up I could see 1:34 and possibly 1:33xx. I wanted the 1:33xx! during these miles I catch up to brad and skinny santa, and pass a female. My legs are heavy and I really want to slow down. I jump aboard the pain train at 11.67 miles in. we are going over slick muddy bridges, muddy paths and making more turns which is slowing any momentum I try to generate. Brad pulls ahead and is having a good time, talking to volunteers and spectators. I catch up to skinny santa, but he pulls ahead of me and Im trying to use their energy to get me through. another guy passes me and I make it a point to stay with him. at mile 12, I start to close the gap between brad and skinny santa. Just 1 more mile left. I didn't even bother to look at my fitbit. I just wanted to be done. In hindsight, I wish I would have looked.

Mile 13, and last 0.16 (7:18, 6:15)
 I am thankful to have Brad and Santa by or near my side. We see the 13 mile marker, Brad pulls ahead, I follow and santa is right on my heels. I see the clock go from 1:33:59 to 1:34 and I say a few choice words ( its not shalanes new catch phrase btw!)

I push ahead and cross the line at 1:34:15. I give Brad a huge hug and thank him for helping me PR. It was  PR for him as well!
I try to find skinny santa but couldn't. I wait at the line for my friends and then go with Becky to grab some food. my stomach wasn't ready to eat yet though. I find Amy, change clothes and scope out the results.
To my pleasant surprise,I had placed 3rd in my AG.

I wait around for awards and finally see skinny santa, he had won his age group (60+). I couldnt resist the urge to go up to him and thank him for helping me PR. I found out his name is Geary. and we hug eachother before I find Theresa and congratulate  her on her BQ-ish. her official time was 3:40:01, which is 1 second from a BQ. Actually her time was really 3:40:00:25 and the clock rounded up so she literally missed a BQ by 0:0.25! however, she ran 26.37. if it was a legitmate 26.2 her time would have been 3:38....so its a BQ in my book! AND if I ran 13.1 instead of 13.16 I would have had a 1:33:48.... oh well.

We round up our crew and find the shuttle bus to get us back to the car. It hurt going up the stairs to the bus,lol!!!! Both Theresa and I landed PRs and were able to make it back home safe and sound. I was planning on relaxing the rest of the day but......life with kids and pups call for always being on your toes.  The dog decided to jump the fence and I took aver an hour to find her, catch her and get her back home. when she is loose, she wont come when she is called and thinks its a game of chase when you approach her. 5 miles later, a nice family came to my rescue. Since Fanci loves other dogs and will stop to say hello to any fellow dogs, the family brought their dog out. She ran right over to say hi and we were able to get her leash on! This has happened more times than I would like to count. SO we ended up getting an invisible fence.......

Sunday we went to the Summerville Christmas parade because my husband was in it.
The best part of the parade was seeing Santa....and my husband of course.

Final thoughts on the half marathon:
I am both pleased and disappointed with my race performance. I'm happy because, well its a PR! And, I was able to negative split the race. And my paces weren't all over the place. I was able to keep a positive attitude most of the race. Aside from miles 9-11, I was really enjoying the run. I was able to I also didn't have any GI issues after the race. I feel like I ran smart.
I'm disappointed because I feel I ran too conservative and of course slower than what I was hoping for. I know in order for me to get faster at the longer distances, I need to build my base more. the speed is there, but I need to work on speed over longer distances. In general, the course was beautiful, flat but curvy.
Post race food is way more than bagels and bananas. While I wasn't hungry at all after the race, post race food including, 2 different types of pasta dishes, hot soup,hot cocoa, lemonade, water, hot coffee, muffins, cake, assortments of sweets, Gatorade, bananas, oranges and more.
Race shirt was a long sleeve dri fit tech shirt with hood and thumb holes(men and womens cut).
Post race party included lots of beer.
I'm glad I raced this course, but I'm not sure I will do it again. Just because it makes for a long day. (The Sweet Tea half is literally right down the road from my house, Its not as fancy as Kiawah and doesn't have the frills, but Sweet Tea is convenient, and I have a home field advantage)
I am still debating if I will go back to MB and claim redemption. I really want to work on getting faster at the 5k and 10k. Speaking of 5k's......

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW.....
This past weekend I ran my last race of 2018. I knew going in it wasn't going to be a PR like last year. before the recap, I brief glance at last week:
Dec 11-17th
Monday-5 mile shakeout run
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 4.5 miles including 6x400
Thursday-rest
Friday-5.15 shakeout miles
Saturday- 7 miles including a 5k plus 2 miles chasing after pup who jumped the fence
Sunday- 5 easy miles

My legs felt like lead all week. Wednesday track night was a small turnout but we got the work done!

I did 6x400s at a decent clip considering I just a half marathon. Fridays shake out miles felt harder than they should and I knew going in this last race that it was going hurt.

 RACE RECAP
I had signed my oldest daughter up for this race,and she was not happy about it. She didn't like having to get up at 7:30 on a weekend. But she knows it will help her for soccer so she got dressed and ready to run.
we were out the door by 8:15. I really wanted to stay home though.

We get to the race, I find Larry the Legend and we get in 2 mile warm up. My legs felt like bricks.
We make our way to the start and I see a few fast ladies I had to keep my eye on. I see Amy, and she gives me the thumbs up sign (which is code for "you got this"). I hug my daughter and tell her not to start out too fast and that as soon as I am finished, I will come back and finish the race with her.
I find  a spot at the very front, close to Tony. Gun goes off.
Mile 1:
I try to pace off of Tony. A half mile in I pass him and focus on the 6 gals in front of me. I was in the 7th female spot. I tried not to get discouraged about my placement. I knew at least 3 of these gals were probably going to fade at mile 2. I see mile 1 in 6:27
It felt like I was going a lot faster than that.

Mile 2
As soon as I see the slow first mile, I knew I needed to go faster.I pick up my pace and start the rabbit hunt. I pass 3 ladies and blue shirt guy surges with me. I'm in 4th place for the ladies now. I focus on the 3 gals ahead of me and reel them in. Blue shirt guy is trying to pull ahead but I stay with him. I know he runs in the low 19s/high 18s so I wanted him close by me! I see mile 2 in 6:21.

Mile 3
I try to do mental math. I needed a 6 minute mile to see 19:30, which was my goal but honestly the way my legs were feeling all I wanted was to see sub 20!!!
I pass 2 gals and blue shirt guy surges and takes off like his britches are on fire.
I keep the 1rst place gal in my sights and just try to hang on for as long as I can. The last mile was mentally tough. I kept hearing cheers from spectators and other runners that were number 1 and 2 ladies. That kept me pushing the final stretch.
I see mile 3 in 6:29 and could barely give a kick at all (6:20)
I cross the line in what I think is 19:48 but it was really 19:55.
Andrew (my kids PE coach) was right on my tail and he landed a PR! I had told him that if he wanted to go sub 20, then keep close to me...and he did! If I wasn't able to have a good race, at least I was able to help someone else have a great one!!!
Several hugs and congrats at the finish line and then I go back and find my daughter to run with her. She didn't have any running goals in mind, other than to make it to the finish line. To my surprise, I found her sooner than I expected and I told her, that we only had a half mile left and I thought she could PR. at the 3 mile marker, that girl took off sprinting and she ran a 15 second PR!!! She was very happy and she made a bee line for the hot cocoa,lol!!!!

I ended up placing 2nd OA female

However, when awards were announced, I was called up as 3rd place, and the winner, Mary was called as 2nd place. we knew there weren't any other females ahead of us, even though initial results said a Sandra turner had won with a time of 18:5X.
no one claimed the OA prize bag which was a good thing.
 The results ended up getting fixed, but we still need to get the correct prize bags. We are pretty sure that some guy ran with his girlfriends bib and it messed the results up. Ugh.
Anyways, aside from that the race went MUCH better than I expected. I am confident that if I had fresh legs, I would have been in the 19:15-19:30 range.
I cant wait until next year because my goal is to win it with a much faster time! I've got some HUGE SCARY running goals for 2018.
stay tuned!!!
If you are still reading this novel, bless your heart, you must really love me!
So how did your last race of the year go? Any big scary goals for 2018? please share!!!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Come join the fun!

oh in non related running news, my dads dogs wife had babies! I'm an auntie!

AND! BART YASSO like my comment on IG. I may or may not have squeeled like a fan girl, LOL!

HM training and 5k recaps

Its been busy busy here in the Cunningham house!
Training 11/20-11/26
Monday-sick kid
Tuesday-sick kid 4 miles easy
Wednesday- travel day sick kid
Thurdsay- 7miles including a 5k
Friday-6 miles easy
Saturday-45 minutes elliptical
Sunday- sick husband 10 miles including 8 mile tempo at goal HMP

Due to a sick child, we chose not to travel to TN for thanksgiving. It was a good call because Wednesday night, Elijahs fever spiked and he randomly broke out in hives on his face. Thankfully they were gone the next day.

I was able to look up races in SC and signed up for a local turkey trot 5k. Little did I know this was the largest 5k in the state that would bring out the fastest runners in the state. I'm glad I didn't know that beforehand otherwise I would have probably skipped it. I'm glad I didn't and if I ever get a chance to run it again, I will!

Race recap:
 I ran the 40th annual Turkey day run and wobble gobble in Charleston.  I woke up to rain,rain and more rain. I love running in the rain but it was hard for me to get out of my warm and cozy bed! BUT I get an early start so I can find a parking spot. Amy tells me which parking garage I should park at am I am so thankful for her advice. I parked in the aquarium parking garage, which is close enough to the start but far enough away from all the traffic (made it easy to leave the race early). I get my race packet and see my friend Todd. He lets me keep my packet in his bag the Fleet Feet tent offered to store FF bags under their tables. I don't know how I found him, but I ran into Larry the Legend during my warm up. We get in 2 miles. We part ways before the start, and I didn't see him again after the race, due to the sheer size of the crowd (over 8,000 runners). I was told this was a flat and fast course so I had really high hopes I would see sub 20, maybe even closer to 19:20-30.
I try to make my way close to the starting line but am a few rows back. All the faster than fast runners are in the very front.
Gun goes off and I spy Tony. I make it a point to pace off him for at least the first mile. From the very beginning of the race, I knew it would be a struggle. I see mile 1 at 6:16

Tony is just a few strides ahead of me. My lungs are screaming, my legs feel heavy but I focus on Tony's shoes. Mile 2 is more of the same. I'm already on the struggle bus but I tell myself I've gotta keep Tony in my sight! right before the 2 mile marker I FINALLY catch up to Tony, we run stride for stride briefly but once we hit the 2 mile marker (6:22) Tony takes off. My wheels then proceeded to fall off and it was all I could to keep sight of Tonys red shirt. Hordes of runners are passing me and I just tried to hang on to what I could, half hoping their drafts would carry me to the line. I had SO many negative thoughts in my head. I'm not sure if  I was more upset that I didn't stay with Tony, or that I ran slower than what I thought I was capable of. I see 6:36 for mile 3 and could only muster a 6:06 pace for the last0.12.

I cross the line and see 19:57 on my watch. And I was pissed off (I later found out my official time was 19:53).
I get in 1.5 mile cool down, grab my finishers medal and make my way through the sea of runners and spectators to the results tent. Maybe I ended up placing in my AG? I had no idea how many women were in front of me. when I checked the results, I was a little let down as the preliminary standings had me as 10th in my AG





10th in AG
297/8355 overall
103/4591 female overall
I see a few people from the CRC and they were a bit puzzled by the results. They thought something was messed up with the timing (I later found out there WAS a glitch). The rain was coming down harder, the winds were picking up and I was getting cold. I went ahead and left the race before awards. I had to start cooking Thanksgiving food! (and I was cold, hungry and still pissed off at my race performance)
After a hot soak in an Epsom Salt bath, I looked up the official results online and this is what it said:

 137/8355 overall
1rst in AG 1/433
17th overall female (17/4591)
There were issues with timing, so I didn't think I placed in my AG when I really did. Oh well.
I made a wonderful thanksgiving dinner and this was our very first ever thanksgiving in SC!

we ended up decorating our house for Christmas the following day, once our decorations were up, I was able to set up my running tree!!

 Sunday I got a late start to my double digit run. It was 70 degrees and sunny but I had an amazing 8 miles at and a little under goal HMP. That run left me with full confidence I can see at least a 1:33 for the upcoming half marathon in Kiawah.
Sunday Morning, my husband started to run a fever......

11/27-12/3
Monday-active rest
Tuesday6 miles TM
Wednesday-5 miles including 5x400 (sick)
Thursday- rest (sick)
Friday-4 miles
Saturday-7 miles including a 5k (sick)
Sunday-12 miles 7 miles

  The week started off by taking my daughters to Velocity Air sports indoor trampoline park. My fitbit logged 51 minutes of sport activity. Jumping on trampolines is a workout!!!!

Wednesday I wanted to do a short speed workout because I had a goal race planned for the 2nd. The Reindeer Run is one of the fastest and flattest courses in the area and I was hoping I would be faster than last year. This would be a test to see if my fitness was where it should be.
 My husband had been sick with fever, congestion, cough and sore throat. I really tried to avoid his germs!
While I was REALLY excited to finally be back at the track (hadn't been there in a couple months due to middle school football taking over), glad to have some company (Kendal and Franko showed up later)

 I had a surprisingly horrible workout. I only had 6x400s planned but only got in 5x400. It was a warm and humid night and the air was thick and Smokey. I think someone was burning leaf piles? either way, my workout was horrible and I missed my goal paces by a long shot. I left the track feeling defeated, really tired and my lungs and sinus felt off.
By the time I tucked the kids in bed, my throat was scratchy, my head was hurting and I developed a cough. I started taking Zicam and vitamin C and coughed all night.Ughhhhhhhhh!
Thursday I wasn't feeling HORRIBLE but I wasn't feeling good either, my voice was fading. I coughed all night Thursday night. Friday I wanted to see if I was able to run without coughing. I took some Dayquil and 30 minutes later I did an easy 4 mile run around the neighborhood adding in some 30sec-1 minute pickups the last mile (6 min pace). I felt ok running. That afternoon I picked up my race packet for both the Kiawah half marathon and the Reindeer Run. I had no idea how the race would go. I would toe the line on race day. If I felt up to it I would race but if not, I'd just be running with 4,000 of my closest friends.....
Race morning arrives and I roll out of bed semi ready to race. I was hopeful I would feel awesome and it would be a good race. I didn't feel awesome but I didn't feel bad either. I take cold medicines just to be on the safe side (this choice will later backfire)
Just like last year, I find an easy place to park and get to use Marions as a bag drop off and avoid the portopotties. I get in a 2 mile solo warm up, talk to Kendal, who was dressed up like the Grinch(dyed green beard and all) and Rob the weather man. Kendal was aiming to win the costume contest again like he has the previous 4 years.
I find the super speedy ladies and line up right behind them. This is another race that brings out the fastest runners in the state. I would be lucky to place in my AG. I feel my stomach tie in knots. I tell myself I would reassess after mile 1 and see how I felt.

Gun goes off and just like last race, I see Tony! I was really happy he had showed up. I pace after  him the first mile. I'm not really paying attention to anyone else around me. I see mile 1 in 6:15
I don't feel horrible, but I don't feel good. A half mile later I still have Tony within striking distance. My mouth is parched, my stomach is churning, I see the 2 mile marker sign then check my fitbit. It was only 1.52 miles in. I started gagging right after I see the 2 mile marker. UGH. I was secretly hoping the course would be short. I was losing steam and I was feeling a bit drunk from the cold meds.

I see mile 2 at 6:27. And I'm trying to do mental math.Tony is still in my sights and I'm running with a group of girls. One of them is Allison, from the onshore group but I didn't know it until after the race. (I unknowingly pushed her to a 5k PR btw!)
I've got 5  thoughts running through my head. 1) catch tony 2) don't puke 3) don't let the girls pass me 4)how fast do I have to run this last mile in order to be faster than last year?? 5) where's the finish??
  Just like last race, I feel my wheels falling off. I was on the struggle bus in the worst way. I'm still gaggy,I get passed by the girls I was running with. Tony was getting further ahead of me. And then I see an Angel right before the 3rd mile. I see Mrs Rock Star Kerry and she is cheering her lungs out for me. She is screaming at me to catch the ladies and get Tony. I put my sights on Tonys shoes and I muster a sprint to the line (5:50 pace).
 I cross the line at 19:47 a full 9 seconds SLOWER than last year. I feel defeated. I'm literally gagging while I'm trying to catch my breath..... and then Allison comes over and thanks me for pushing her to a PR. That totally changed my mood and made my heart smile!!!!! If I couldn't have a good race, the next best thing is helping someone else have a great race.
We get in a 2 mile cool down around the battery and enjoy nice conversation. we grab donuts and coffee, check our results and wait around for awards, which take FOREVER. Allison did help me find a match to my sticker so I ended up winning smart wool socks and
sheended up placing first in her AG and was 6th female overall. She missed the top 5 by 10 seconds.
I placed first in my AG and 9th over all female (I was in 5th place for most the race!)
Last year there was a huge dispute and outrage over the awards. Last year, only the top 5 finishers received cash awards. They didn't do top 5 male and female finishers or even masters and grand masters. They have always done cash awards for top 5 male and female, and for top male and female masters and grandmasters AND given out AG awards. Last year, just top 5 overall. But everyone got a finishers medal, which was something they've never done.Thankfully the race organizers changed that and it was back to how it was, and still had finishers medals for everyone.
Kendal ended up winning the costume contest again and our awards for 1rst in AG were medals.
I liked the plaque I won the first year I ran this race better, but I still love the medals, they make great running tree ornaments!

And yes, I snagged some donuts for the kiddos on the way back to my car.....

Sunday I woke up and had planned 12 miles but I stopped at 7. I  wasn't feeling 100%
I got a deep tissue sports massage that afternoon. OMG it hurt. But she added stretching to the massage so that made it bearable.

It is now Wednesday and I am finally feeling better. I have Kiawah half marathon in less than 3 days. I'm nervous about it, but will view this race like I did the last half- not setting expectations other than to be faster than 134:58. This just hasn't been the greatest year in regards to running and racing so my hopes of 1:33 or under (that I know my training at the first part of the year reflected) is probably not going to happen. As long as I can keep chipping away time from the clock, even if its slower than what I want, I'll be happy. Forward movement is always progress!!!
ANYWAYS, if your still reading this novel, bless your little heart!!!!
Hope all had a happy thanksgiving!!!
Did you turkey trot this year??

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Come join the fun!

WK 13 HMT and a 5k

Last week I gave myself  2 days of rest before getting back to the grind in preparation for half marathon #3 (less than 3 weeks away--eeeeek!)
Heres a glance at last weeks training
11/13-11/19
Monday- rest
Tuesday- 5 miles walk in clinic with oldest daughter
Wednesday- rest, walk in clinic again with oldest daughter
Thursday- 6 miles including 6x800 at faster than goal 5k pace
Friday-rest
Saturday- 5 miles
Sunday-7 miles including a 5k-came home to a sick 5 year old

My legs didn't feel as beat up after the Half marathon as I expected. While I wanted to get in speed work, a tempo run and a long run in this week I managed to get in the speed work and used the 5k as a tempo. My legs felt surprisingly good during the 800s and I while it is not the norm to have a Sunday afternoon race, I was looking forward to it because it would be a test of sorts to see how my legs felt racing a 5k a week after racing a half. I have a goal 5k the week after this next half, so I wanted to see how my legs would hold up. Last year I ran a 5k a week after a half and my legs were shot. Spoiler alert, my legs were super heavy and not as fast as I had wanted...

5k recap:
I ran the Travis Manion 9/11 heroes run. Since my husband was out of town for the weekend with our daughter for soccer tournaments, I had the teenager watch the younger kids while I raced. I get there in plenty of time for packet pick up, I see Amy who was volunteering, and see Bronwen, Mark and Larry who were running. I grab Larry for a 2 mile warm up and then get in the starting coral during the opening ceremony. This was a very emotional ceremony in which 9/11 heroes were addressed. Stories were read, tears were shed, the bagpipes blared, in that moment we all felt proud to be Americans and standing united. Before the gun went off we were all reminded that we were not running to see a time on the clock, we were running for our every day heroes, first responders, police officers, firefighters, military, family, friends and all those effected by 9/11. The emotion was thick and everyone single runner on that course ran for somebody......

Gun goes off,  I start up front with the boys and quickly get passed by a group of kids and a female. I didn't chase them because I knew their energy would fade before the first mile.

My legs felt pretty heavy from the start. about 3/4 of a mile in I started gaining some ground on the lead female. I pass her at mile 1 (6:28) and then focus on the guys in front of me

Mile 2 was more of the same.Just trying to pass the boys. My friend Mark about got his throat punched in when he ran behind me and yanked on my pony tail. I didn't know who or what it was-words of advice:NEVER mess with a gals pony tail during a race!

Once I saw who it was I was relieved, mainly because 1) I knew it wasn't some scary clown trying to pull me down the sewer drain,and 2)I know he is faster than me and I hoped he would run ahead of me so I could chase him down. BUT he was running with his dog and she was slowing him down (btw, the dog finished in 20:50, so shes pretty fast!!!!)

I make the turn around and see mile 2 at 6:32.

The third mile I started catching up to the boys. The wind started to pick up even more. I hate running in wind. I just tell myself to keep moving my feet when I felt like slowing down. I call on my Opa for  little help to keep my legs moving to the finish line. This last mile felt long but I tell myself I am running for those who could not.  I see mile 3 in 6:32. I had a small hope I would go sub 20 at this race. I look up and see the American flag lined finishers chute. I pick up my pace and feel completely overwhelmed with emotion as I cross the line. I knew my grandfathers were smiling down at me and I couldn't help but smile back when I finished the race

I hang out at the line and cheered the other runners in. I find Larry and Bronwen and get in a 2 mile cool down before awards.

Official time and place:

20:18

6/993

1rst OA female

As soon as I get my award I may a beeline for home. My teenager told me the youngest had been complaining of a headache and tummy ache. Great.

When I get home, I check my youngest for a fever and yup, he had one. I give him some juice, get him situated on the couch to rest and then he proceeds to vomit ALL over the place....

Those that have been following this blog for while, know I have emetophobia.

While I'm able to care for my sick babies when they are ill, it doesn't mean my anxiety doesn't go away. Since My husband was out of town, I was the one on puke patrol and had to literally face my fear and be able to switch to "mommy mode" and function at capacity.

It was a long night to say the least. But on a more positive note My oldest daughters soccer team ended up in the championship circle! They played games all weekend and they made it to the last championship battle. They lost 4-2 but still ended up 2nd in the overall all district!!!!

I'm glad she was able to play despite being diagnosed with a double ear infection 3 days before the games. Antibiotics did their job and she was pain free....

In general, a good week minus the sickies in the house.

I'm gad I was able to run for such a good cause and I'm glad I didn't focus on the clock. I simply ran for those who could not, I ran so that we will never forget 9/11, I ran to support our first responders, police officers, firefighters, military and all those impacted by 9/11......

Hope all in blogger land had a great week and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Come join the fun!

Half Marathon Recap

I've got mixed emotions about how this race went down.

Let me back track to the week leading up to the race.
Taper week:
Nov. 6-Nov.12
Monday-lost my voice- rest
Tuesday- 5 miles easy rest
Wednesday- 6-8x400s started taking Zicam,rest, voice came back briefly but lost it again that night
Thursday- rest, lost voice
Friday- 5 miles easy shake out 1 mile power walk, voice returned
Saturday- 13.1 miles
Sunday-rest

I didn't get much sleep this entire week due to being up most the nights coughing my head off (according to my fitbit I averaged a little under 3 hours of sleep per night). I had woken up every day with a sinus headache and a sore throat. Surprisingly I never ran a fever so I was confident I didn't have the flu, like I did the week leading up to my last Half Marathon (which happened to be an epic FAIL).

What I did learn from my Myrtle Beach experience is that I still needed to fuel and hydrate properly if I expected to stand a chance to attempt to race. And I wasn't going to load myself down with cold and flu medicine like I did last go around.
I made a point to keep on top of my nutrition and hydration. The only thing I did out of the ordinary in regards to nutrition was having Halloween candy the week leading up to race day, and eating a PBJ sandwich at 10pm the night before. I needed a snack on my belly before I took Zicam and it was the first thing that came to mind.
I avoided Dayquil and Nyquil and stuck to homeopathic remedies like Zicam and took ibuprofen when I felt like I needed it. (I am pretty sure I ran the Myrtle Beach Half marathon hungover on Nyquil).

I spent the first 2 days of taper week worrying that I wouldn't be able to race, and getting pissed off that I would spend yet another training cycle working for something that wasn't going to happen. But by Wednesday I just didn't worry about it anymore. I had made up my mind that if I felt like dog mess on race day then I wouldn't race. It wouldn't be worth it to run and I wasn't going to take the chance of having a repeat experience of MBH.If it was questionable about how I was feeling, I would show up, toe the line and reassess how I felt at mile 3. If I knew I couldn't race it, I would dial it back and use it as a long run with friends and then try again for a PR in 4 weeks at the Kiawah Half marathon. I was putting zero expectations on myself.

The night before the race I was still not feeling 100% but was feeling much better than at the beginning of the week. As I was getting all my race stuff ready I noticed that i was using the wrong charger for my old school ipod shuffle.

I searched frantically for my power cord but I could not find it. (I got desperate and texted Theresa and asked if she had one). In the meantime i was downloading songs onto my phone and worse case scenario i would run with my phone. I run with it during my long runs but never raced with it.

RACE DAY
I woke up at 5:30am with a massive headache. I stumbled around find my robe and go downstairs to eat breakfast, a honey waffle Stinger with peanut butter on it. I was surprisingly hungry, which I am almost never hungry on race day. I grabbed a diet Dr. Pepper and took some Excedrin migraine relief. By the time I had gotten dressed and ready, my headache was gone and I had gotten a text from Theresa saying that she had the power cord I needed for my old school iPod shuffle. Awesome! Things were looking good! The weather was a perfect 38, and the only thing that would have made it better if there were no wind. It was a cool windy day but I felt OK. I wasn't nervous at all because i had told myself I was just going to do a tempo run.
I had decided to scratch my A and B goals (1:30, 1:33) and just try for C)sub 1:35 and D) top 3 overall if a small enough race and if I felt well enough.

I meet Theresa at fleet feet at 6:20ish, (Jason just happened to have a plug in for the cord) and start charging my iPod shuffle. Theresa leaves for a warm up before the race. she was using it as long tempo run in preparation for her upcoming marathon. So I hang around until 6:55ish before I make my way to the start. I had decided to write down the splits I needed for the 3 mile, 6 mile and 10 mile marker on my arm in case I felt like I needed it ( I was just a bit pissed off I wasn't gunning for my A goal, but oh well).

 I had gotten in line for the restroom but I wouldn't have time so I stepped out of the line to the start. I meet Cathryn, a young college student who lives in my neighborhood and then make my way to the front of the pack. The winds were picking up and I was FREEZING. I see my friend Brownwen and find out she wanted to keep about a 7:20 pace. I made a mental note of that and decided to pace off of her the first few miles and see how I felt.

Gun goes off and I am calm. I turn on my iPod and Metallica's song "wasting my hate" was blaring. I have no idea what this run had in store for me but I was going to roll with whatever I was given.

Miles 1-3 (7:37,7:12,7:09)

I spend the first mile with Brownwen, making a conscious effort to start off slow. After the first mile, I decided to pick up my pace and see if I could make it to mile 3 by 21:30. Perhaps I had a shot at 1:34xx? At mile 2, I needed to use the restroom. At mile 3, I was only 20 seconds from goal pace of 1:34. I made the decision  then and there that I was going to try for sub 1:35, which would be a small PR. I am getting slightly annoyed at the congestion on the narrow trail because at this point the 10kers hadn't separated from the half marathoners and there were several walkers walking 4 abreast which forced me to run off into the grass.

Miles 4-6 (7:24,7:12,7:09) 

I honestly don't remember much about these miles other than trying to pace off a tall guy and tuck in behind him when the winds picked up. I was also hoping and praying I wouldn't hit a wall and start feeling like dog mess.I REALLY had to go to the bathroom and was trying to remember if there were porto potties along the course. I regretted not staying in the restroom line before the start of the race. I spent these miles desperately looking for a place to pull off to on the side of the trails. I was in misery and was getting desperate. I've never stopped in a race before to use the bathroom. I knew I needed to see mile 6 at 43 minutes. I am about 40 seconds off pace but tell myself I just need to stick with Tall guy and I can negative split this race like I did last year. I didn't feel bad, I didn't feel great either but aside from having to use the bathroom, I felt good enough to pick up the pace. The race needed to start NOW..

(Tall guy is the one in yellow and blue right in front of me. I used him to block the wind until mile 7)

Miles 7-9 (7:12,7:01,7:09)

The most notable parts about these miles were that at 7.5 miles in I saw a pair of Porto potties! I have never been so thankful to see Porto potties in my life,lol!! I had the choice to stick with tall guy, which is what I desperately wanted to do, as he had a good pace going and I knew I could run with him. However, my bladder was about to explode, my tummy was in knots and I could NOT wait another 6 miles to use the restroom. So should I stop my watch while in the Porto john? Should I not stop my watch? How do people do this????

I chose to stop my watch so my overall pace on my fitbit wouldn't be thrown off and I could get an accurate pace. I didn't think about it until I started my watch again that the RACE CLOCK would not stop.  Which meant that even if I did run a PR, it wouldn't show on the official time, it would only show on my fitbit. Oh well, no time to think about it I had to play catch up!!! I make a mad dash from the restroom and start passing people like crazy. I pass Brownwen, and a handful of other gals and I'm trying to find Tall Guy but he is long gone. This is the "hilly" section of the course which is a winding path through the Newington subdivision.

Miles 10-12 (7:12,7:21,7:27)

 I felt OK until mile 9,but the wheels started to fall off. I was running in no mans land and I remember trying to find mile 10 so I could see how far I was away from my goal. I needed to see 1:11 for mile 10 and gut out a 5k and maybe just maybe I could see sub 1:33 on the clock? I missed the 10 mile marker at some point because my ipod died on me and I remember going up some inclines and glancing at my pace and I looked at the distance instead. It was 10.7 and I was like damn! How did I miss mile 10. When  I get to the 11th mile marker, a volunteer told me he though I was 2nd Overall female but wasn't sure (small race). I am trying to do mental math and missing the 10 mile marker threw me off. My legs felt tired and I no longer had music to distract me. Aside from 10k walkers, who had merged back on the half marathon course, I was running alone. It was hard for me to pick my pace up even though I knew I had to at least TRY to get some turnover. It would be cutting it close but I still had a shot at sub 1:35. And then I see another runner. I had to catch up to him and maybe we could push each other to the finish. I catch up to him and pass him and encourage him to stay with me. He doesn't so I am solo again.

Mile 13, last 0.1 (7:11, 6:50)

This was a mental struggle more than anything else. All I could hear was the sound of my own breath and my feet making steady steps. My hip had started to hurt but I didn't feel anywhere near the pain train I did last year on this course. I was on the struggle bus, but more so mentally. The last half mile of this course isn't very fun. You can hear the music at the finish line BUT you have to run uphill to get there. I glance at my watch and only have a 400 left to go. I HAD to sprint if I was going to see 1:34xx...

I put my head down and push to the line. I cant see the race clock because of the sun glare. Once i do get to the line I see 1:36xx and my heart sinks, but then I stop my fit bit and see 1:34:58. I had gone sub 1:35, but I hadn't. SO was this still a 7 second PR?

Part of me was happy and part of me was pissed. After I cross the line, I grab a foil blanket and head to fleet feet so I can change out of my sweaty clothes and get warm. I was told by a couple people that they thought I was 2nd or 3rd OA female. I was hoping I was 2nd, because last year I placed 3rd OA,lol!  I hang at at FF until awards. I take advantage of all their foam rollers and recovery products.
I ended up placing 3rd OA and several of my Wednesday night track crew friends and training partners placed in their age groups. It was really cold and windy waiting for awards so a lot of people left early (including the female 1rst and 2nd Overall finishers). I grab a quick picture with friends after we get our awards and then head on home.

It took me a long time to warm back up and I proceeded to have GI cramps and issues the rest of the day. I am guessing I wasn't hydrated enough. While I did try to stay on top of hydration there were a couple days leading up to the race I fell short on water intake.

I took Sunday off completely. My hips were tight and my left knee felt sore but overall I wasn't as beat up as I was last year.Maybe that's a good sign?

Final Thoughts....

I still have mixed feelings about this race. Some positives things I noted :

I didn't get a lot of negativity in my head throughout the entire race. I was never hating the run and wishing it to be over with as soon as possible. I actually (gasp)enjoyed the mental challenge of trying to pace myself and just thinking of the race as a Tempo run.The only "mistakes" that I let get in my head were missing the 10 mile marker and not being able to readjust as fast as I wanted to when my ipod died. I was forced to hear my own thoughts but the good that came from that was that it made me focus on my form, my cadence, my breathing...which I should be doing anyways. oh and the other mistake I made was not staying in the restroom line,lol!!!

I'm glad I raced it despite not feeling well the week before, and even though my fitbit told me I reached my C goal, the race clock didn't. I know I shouldn't worry about that but I KNOW I have a faster time in me, I KNOW my training does not reflect a 1:34:58. While I really hate don't like the HM distance, I want to keep trying to chisel down my time until I reach my A goal of sub 1:30. In the meantime I'm still going to try for at least ONE good race before the end of the year. I keep reminding myself that running success in NOT linear but that doesn't keep me from wanting to use these last 5 weeks of the 2017 racing year to see if I cant pull off a PR. If not 2018 is literally just around the corner and I will continue to keep on chasing that all Illusive 18xx for the 5k!!!

And now I've got less than 4 weeks to prepare for Kiawah Half....I actually feel excited and motivated to nail these workouts!

So how do you handle races like this?

have you ever had to stop in the middle of a race? Do you stop your watch or let it roll?

Should I count this as a PR even though the official race clock didn't say so?

This week, I'm linking up with HoHoRuns and MissSippi Piddlin' for their Weekly Wrap series.

WK 11 HMT

Wk 11 has come and gone, and now its taper week.....
brief run down of last week:
0ct 30th-Nov 5th
Monday-rest
Tuesday- active rest
Wednesday-5 miles including 12x300
Thursday-rest
Friday-10 miles including 8 mile tempo at HMP
Saturday-45 minutes elliptical plus weights/core/hip work
Sunday- 8 easy miles

Monday and Tuesday, my legs were still feeling the JICR race/workout I did.
Halloween I wasn't feeling that great but still had a good time trick or treating with my clan. All 4 kids decided to dress up this year and our neighborhood was over crowded with all sorts of haunts and ghouls running around. My children came home with tons of candy just going around the block once.

 Even the pups joined in the costume fun!

that didn't last very long since Fanci thought Maggie was a giant chew toy and Maggie thought Fanci was a chew toy and they started trying to rip up each others costume. It was pretty comical!

On Wednesday I skipped the group run in the hilly neighborhood (my hips are still tight) and had to fit it the miles on the TM. I was really needing to be at the track and had mile repeats on the agenda but I got in the shorter speed work.

Thursday morning I woke up at 4am with a sore throat and a sore hip.

 Friday was my last hard tempo run before the half and I managed to get in 8 miles at HMP. My paces weren't very even at all but my over all average pace was at HMP so it works, right? My throat was still scratchy, and I felt exhausted. My youngest daughter came home from school complaining of a sore throat and a headache. My youngest son had an allergic reaction to something and whelped up on his face and neck.

Saturday morning I skipped a local 5k and slept in. I felt groggy and blah all day. I was planning on getting in an easy few miles but did elliptical and weights after my daughters first round of soccer games. My youngest daughter started running a low grade fever.

Sunday morning was spent at Daniel Island on the soccer fields. They won their last game of the season but due to their previous loss they moved to 2nd place in their overall division. Considering this team started off as the complete under dogs in their league, I am SO proud of all the girls for coming together as a team, playing as a team and improving on both an individual and team level.

I didn't end up doing my easy run until late afternoon. 8 miles on the TM felt pretty good even though my kids were starting WWIII while I ran.

As soon as I was done running though, I started to feel like dog mess. Sore throat, congestion, and fatigue set in. I couldn't help to have flash blacks to the last week of HMT for the race that shall not be mentioned. I mean the week was exactly the same!!!!! Even down to the kids starting a war between themselves. I am begging the Running Gods to have mercy and be kind to me on race day. I'm starting to think I'm not cut out for this half marathon thing. All I can do is try to focus on the things I can control for taper week, ie nutrition, hydration and rest. If I am feeling better by race day, I plan on racing. But if I continue to feel how I do now, then I wont make the same mistake I did in MB. I wont risk racing while sick. Its totally not worth it. I've got several other races lined up including another half. While I am really hoping to land a shiny new PR this weekend, If I don't, then I've got one more shot before the end of the year.

Heres hoping to a healthy week, a good taper and one epic race!

Have you ever raced while you were sick?

I’m linking up with Holly at Hohoruns and Tricia at MississippiPiddlin‘ for their weekly wrap link. Come join the fun!