Kauai Half Marathon

I signed up for the Kauai half marathon thinking I'd be back working on Big Island, and could just island hop over to Kauai for the race. It turns out my plans changed and I didn't come back to work on Kauai, but I decided to make the trip anyway and have a reunion with Audrey and Lacy!

I loved the Kauai Half Marathon. I think I got lucky and  happened to run it on a weekend that was less humid and hot than typical for Kauai. My friends and I woke up to cloudy skies and cooler weather than normal. We could still feel the humidity in the air, but it wasn't as bad as usual that day. We walked out to the start when it was still slightly dark and started the race early in the morning.

The course was beautiful! We ran through a tunnel of trees, saw the mountains in the distance, and finished along the beach. My favorite part was the local Hawaiian culture along the course. There were hulu dancers of all ages, drummers, fire sticks, and dancers at different points performing traditional Hawaiian routines. That was fun to see!

Lacy wanted to do her run/walk method, but Audrey wanted to try to run the whole thing, so I ran with her. I had a great time running at a casual pace and just enjoying the scenery, the music, and the Hawaiian dances along the way. At one point, we saw 2 guys running with bilateral prosthetics- it was very inspiring!

The finish area had free beer, snacks, and beautiful views of the ocean. We hung out for awhile recovering from the race and watching several HUGE sea turtles swim in the ocean right offshore. Although I've seen plenty of sea turtles living in Hawaii, it never gets old to spot them from the beach.

Despite a few hills, I really enjoyed this race. Also have to mention we had a delicious Italian dinner the night before at LaSpezia. It was the most amazing pasta, perfect for a pre-race meal. And I couldn't go back to Kauai without getting brunch at Kountry Kitchen again. They have the best coffee and breakfast ever!

All in all, a great race, and a fabulous weekend with some of my best friends!

Official Results: 2:15:25
Pace: 10:21

Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon

I love going to Nashville and wanted to run my Tennessee half marathon there. It worked out that my friend Audrey also decided to run the half, and Emily had signed up for the marathon, so we all met up in Nashville! I had come off a month of vacation time so only partially trained (typical me). Audrey and I decided to run together and just had fun running through some beautiful Nashville neighborhoods, and along the river. It was hilly and pretty warm, but I enjoyed the race.

The night of the race we went out to the country bars and had a fun girls night! I always love going to Nashville!

Race Results: 2:16:12

Learning to love the 5k

Ever since I started running, I've liked longer distances. I've never been very fast, so it was easier to increase my distance rather than my speed. I could still feel accomplished after running a long distance race, no matter how fast I finished. My first race was a half marathon and I really enjoyed 13.1 miles and 10 mile races. I didn't want to waste my time or money on shorter races.

Recently though, I've run a few 5k's and realized they can be a lot of fun! Yeah, they're over pretty fast, but it's a great chance to push myself and work on my speed. For years, my "fast" pace has been around a 9 min/mile, but running shorter distances has given me the opportunity to try a faster pace.

I surprised myself by improving a lot in the 5k over the past year. It's still not my favorite distance, but a 5k can be a great little race, and I've come to really enjoy it. I especially love that it's a race my whole family can participate in!

2014: 11/27/14 - This was my first 5k and I ran it a few weeks after a marathon. I was still sore and recovering. Not my best race! Just a fun run with friends. It was a few years before I ran another 5k.
Race: Turkey Trot 5k in Lynchburg, VA
Time: 28:30
Pace: 9:12
Place: 26/120 in age group (25-29), 123/886 females, 471/1696 overall

Last year: 7/22/17
Race: U Can 5k in Raymond, Maine
Time: 25:29
Pace: 8:13
Place: 1st in age group (30-39), 5th female, 22/71 overall
Prize: Baseball tickets

This year: 3/10/18
Race: Run for Hops in Kona, HI
Time: 23:13
Pace: 7:29
Place: 1st in age group (30-34), 4th female, 23/437 overall
Prize: Kona coffee and a pint glass

7/11/18

Race: 5k by the lake in Harrison, ME
Time: 38:40 (Ran with Lilli)
Pace: 12:28
Place: Lilli got 3rd place in her age group, and she got an award for being the youngest runner!

7/21/18
Race: Newport Craft Brew Race in Newport, RI
Time: 24:40
Pace: 7:56
Place: 8/119 in age group (30-34), 46/596 females, 181/1142 overall

The Kona race was my 5k PR. I never thought I'd be able to run a 7:30 pace for 3 miles! I contribute the success of that race to my conditioning with Crossfit. I didn't do a ton of running in Crossfit, but we did do short intense workouts and occasional 400 and 800 meter sprints. For now, I'm continuing to focus on half marathon training, but I'd like to see if I can beat my time and get a new PR for a 5k sometime!

Maui Oceanfront Half Marathon

I heard about the Maui Oceanfront Marathon when I did my race at Lake Tahoe. The race director for that race also runs the MOM. He made it sound really cool- you run along the West coast of Maui, during the coolest month of the year, and you can see whales!

Since I'm working in Hawaii for 6 months, I wanted to do a half marathon while I'm here, and the Maui race seemed perfect! My co-worker Lacy was running the full marathon, so we planned a weekend getaway to Maui from the Big Island.

All of the hotels near Lahaina were super expensive, especially during race weekend, so we ended up booking at Hakuna Matata hostel. It ended up being perfect, because the finish line for the race was literally right outside our front door!

Lacy and I picked up our races bibs on Saturday, got dinner and watched the last half of the Pats game at Down the Hatch, and then walked around downtown Lahaina for awhile. We went to bed super early, around 8pm, because Lacy had to wake up at 3am to take the bus to Wailea for the start of the marathon. The half marathon started in Lahaina and was an out-and-back, so it was easier for me. I got to sleep in until 5:30 and just walk out the door!

The weather was nice and cool in the morning, and we had beautiful views along the coast. I didn't see any whales though! but Lacy said she saw lots of whales on the marathon course. I loved the rolling hills and ocean breezes along the route. It didn't get too hot until the last 2-3 miles, then it started to get sunny and humid.

My training for this half marathon was a little different. I've been doing Crossfit 4-5 times a week, so I was only running once on the weekend, with maybe one shorter run during the week. Other than that, I'd been weight lifting, doing HIIT, and running sprints of 400-800 meters at Crossfit. So I wasn't really expecting to run a fast race. I thought I'd just have fun and try to keep a consistent pace. But I did notice during my training runs that I seemed to be able to hold a faster pace (when my quads weren't sore from squats and lunges, lol).

I started the race at a smart pace. I didn't want to start out too fast. I felt like I was holding back a little, but I still ran the first mile in 9:04! That ended up being the slowest mile of the entire race- good race execution. I'm always happy when I finish faster than I started! From there I was holding an 8:45 pace pretty consistently. I was feeling pretty good until the last 3 miles. Then I started to get tired and it was more of a struggle to hold the pace, but I knew I could break 2 hours and maybe get a PR!

The last mile I was pushing as hard as I could. I knew I was definitely going to get a sub-2, and that was super exciting! but I also knew I was close to my PR. I was getting overheated on that last mile, but I wanted to finish strong! I started to feel nauseated the last half a mile, and after I crossed the finish line I threw up from over-exertion (just a little bit!). But overall it was a great race and I felt great!

I ended up finishing in 1:54 exactly, which is my second best time ever! I missed a PR by 26 seconds, but I had a great run and did better than I expected!

Mile 1:   9:04     slowest mile
Mile 2:   8:44
Mile 3:   8:46
Mile 4:   8:37
Mile 5:   8:56     slow
Mile 6:   8:38
Mile 7:   8:41
Mile 8:   8:47
Mile 9:   8:31     fast
Mile 10: 8:42
Mile 11: 8:39
Mile 12: 8:44
Mile 13: 8:21     fastest mile

This may have been the most consistent pacing I've ever had during a race! Most of my miles were between 8:37 and 8:47.

Official Time:     1:54:00     8:43 min/mile pace     3rd place in Females 30-34

Oh yeah, I also got third place in my age group! I wouldn't have even known, except I was talking to a guy at the finish line, and he said, "I think you may have placed. Not too many girls around your age finished before you." So I went and checked the results and was shocked to see that I got third out of 24 in my age group! I got a really cool award.

Wilmington Half Marathon

When I moved back to Virginia in the fall, I wanted to try to do as many half marathons as possible in nearby states. I needed a Delaware race that sounded fun and was within driving distance. I discovered that Delaware is a very small state, with many fewer races than Virginia, so there's not a whole lot of choices. But when I read about the Wilmington Half Marathon, it was everything I wanted!

It's only a 6 hour drive from Virginia, and about a 7 hour drive from Massachusetts, so I thought it would be a great place for me and my parents, sister, and nieces to meet up for a running weekend! I also liked the fact that it started on a riverfront and that part of the race was run through parks and along the river.

My family and I rented a townhouse right on the riverfront across from the Tubman-Garrett park where the races started. My nieces ran the kids run on Saturday afternoon, and then my mom, Leslie, Allison, and Kyle ran the 5k that evening. The only downside was that it was raining on Saturday afternoon, so the kids complained about being cold and didn't want to hang out or do any of the activities at the park. 

Lilli was the only one who really ran. Izzy cried, but was dragged along by Kyle and Allison, and Karsyn cried and had to be carried.

The next morning, Tristan and I ran the half marathon. I walked across the bridge to the start and met Tristan there. I literally left the house at 6:50 and the race started at 7am. It was nice not to have to worry about driving and parking! Tristan, on the other hand, couldn't make it to my house because of the road closures, and couldn't find parking, so she drove back to her hotel and walked half a mile to the start.

We actually started behind everybody else, because we were in line for the port-a-potty when the race started. We were in the back of the pack with a guy that was jumping rope and a guy that was juggling while running the half.

After trying so hard to break 2 hours in the Flying Pirate half and not succeeding, we just wanted to have fun and enjoy this race. And, surprisingly, I LOVED this race! Wilmington is not the best city. There seemed to be a lot of homeless people and run-down areas. But the race course went through 2 parks, along a river (my favorite part), over a suspension bridge, and through some nice neighborhoods. The weather was perfect- cool and breezy after all the rain the day before, and the sun came out at the end. It wasn't flat, but the hills weren't crazy either - and I've found that I actually prefer some rolling hills over a completely flat course.

So I was pleasantly surprised by how pretty and pleasant the race course was, and I think it's been one of my favorite half marathons so far! (Along with See Jane Run and Richmond). Besides having to run for a port-a-potty at mile 7 (only the second time I've had a bathroom "emergency" in 25+ races), the race was pretty uneventful and we kept a pretty steady pace.

Sunday was also Mother's Day, so when we got back to the townhouse, Kyle and Allison and I cooked lunch for my mom and then we rode bikes and went for a walk along the riverfront. All in all, a great weekend!

Official Time: 2:05:11

Flying Pirate Half Marathon

Tristan and I decided to run the Flying Pirate half after hearing from our friends that they enjoyed it last year. We thought the Outer Banks would be a fun weekend trip too!

We got there Saturday and had time to relax by the beach and the pool. Our hotel was right on the beach! It was warm, but still the off-season, so we had the beach and the pool mostly to ourselves. It was so peaceful.

For dinner, we went to Goombays, which I highly recommend if you're in the Outer Banks! I got the jazzy chicken, which came with a pineapple coconut sauce, fresh salsa, roasted vegetables, and rice, and everything was amazing!

One thing that was nice about the Outer Banks was that it seemed like everyone catered to the runners. At both lunch and dinner, the servers asked us if we were running the next day. And our hotel opened their breakfast bar up early (at like 4am) for the runners, which is the first time I can ever remember that happening at a hotel!

It had rained overnight, and was still damp and drizzling the morning of the race. Luckily Allison was with us and dropped us off at the start with 10 minutes to spare, so we didn't have to wait around in the rain. It completely stopped raining after the first mile, but remained overcast for the rest of the race, which was nice because it was already getting humid.

The race was a smaller one. We ran along the Sound and behind quite neighborhoods. There weren't a lot of crowds, but Allison was waiting for us at several points along the course to cheer us on! Tristan and I probably started out a little too fast and we were already getting tired by mile 4 or 5.

At mile 8 or 9, we ran past the Wright Brother Memorial, which was probably the most memorable sight of the course. At mile 10, the course turned into a packed dirt and/or gravel trail through the woods, with quite a few ups and downs. They were small hills, but at that point in the course they seemed hard!

Tristan and I were still pushing the pace, because we were so close to 2 hours! But with the hills and dirt trails on the final miles of the course, we just weren't able to make it under two. At least we finished strong, feeling like we gave it everything we had! I felt like I was pushing myself hard the entire race, and I honestly don't know where I would have been able to run 37 seconds faster!

So even though we missed a sub-2 again (by what feels like the hundredth time!) we're proud of our effort on what turned out to be a tougher course than we thought!

Official Time: 2:00:37

Love Chocolate Half Marathon

This weekend I ran the Love Chocolate half marathon in Savannah, Georgia! It was a smaller, cheaper race, but I wanted to run a race in Georgia early in the year before it got too hot. I had my favorite running buddy, Tristan, with me, so the miles went by pretty fast. I hadn't run very much in the past two weeks, so I was worried that I would have to stop and walk. But with Tristan by my side, we were able to run the whole way! I always enjoy races much more when I can run with a friend!

We ended up keeping a pretty consistent pace, with an overall average of 9:33 per mile, and finished in 2:06:30. I'll take it!

The day before the race, we explored downtown Savannah. We got coffee and croissants at Cafe M, a cute little french restaurant by the river. We walked along River Street, and stopped in at the outdoor market there, where I bought a canvas for my house. Then we headed over to Forsyth Park, where we walked around and enjoyed the sunshine.

We went on a tour of the Mercer House in the afternoon, which is right by Forsyth Park. It has a pretty interesting history, being that the story Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was set there. However, the tour itself wasn't that great, because we only saw four rooms and didn't even get to go upstairs.

After lunch, we headed to a wine bar where you can swipe a card and choose your own tastings by the ounce. It was really cool! I've been to a restaurant in California where they did beer tastings by the ounce (Blast 825 Taproom), but this is the first time I'd seen it for wine! We got dinner at Kayak Cafe and headed back to the room for an early night before the race.

After the race, we spent the day at the Tanger Outlets. The Nike Outlet had some great deals and I got a few new running shirts and a pair of pants. There were a lot of other good stores, too.

On Sunday we drove back! I loved Savannah. The weather was gorgeous (albeit a little hot for a February race), and we had fun exploring Savannah and shopping at the outlets.

Official Race Time: 2:06:30

Richmond Half PR

I ran Richmond for the 6th time this year! It's the race I keep coming back to year after year. Even after living in California for most of the year and taking a trip to Italy for the month of September, I managed to end up back in Virginia in November for my go-to race.

I had really wanted to break 2 hours this year, but after a terrible race in Lake Tahoe, I didn't think it was going to happen. Tristan (who has run this race every year with me) and I made a pact to stay together and enjoy the race!

We started off easy and then hit a moderate pace. I was feeling pretty good and relieved that my body felt so much better than it had at Tahoe. There was no pressure to get a time goal, but about halfway through I noticed that our pace was right on track for around 2 hours. Still, I didn't want to get my hopes up, or start pushing the pace only to bonk later in the race.

We kept a steady pace and talked. Richmond is just so much fun, especially Pope Ave and Fauquier, running past the Fall colors. During the last 3 miles, I still felt good, and saw that a sub-2 was still possible, but didn't stress about it. If we got a few minutes over or under 2, it didn't matter either way. I still tried to push a little harder in the last few miles, because I like to have a strong finish and get the best time I can on that day. Tristan and I stayed together and finished strong.

And we did it! We finally got a sub 2 on the Richmond course! The best part is it was such a fun and enjoyable sub 2 race! I wasn't feeling miserable at the end like I was after Tahoe. We barely got a sub 2, but it still counts! I got another Richmond blanket to add to my collection and we rewarded ourselves with some peppermint mochas at Starbucks. Richmond never fails to disappoint, and I love coming back to the city that originally made me fall in love with running.

I was so bummed and sore after Lake Tahoe. It was nice to have a good race so soon after that. It made me realize I haven't lost all my speed and fitness; I just need to train better and stop thinking I can run a half marathon as a "fun run". I don't always want to push for a PR, but that doesn't mean I can slack off and not train, because the pain during and after the race is not worth it! If I stick to a training schedule, I can run a very enjoyable and "easy" half marathon, but if I don't, I can spend the next 3 days barely able to walk and struggling to go down stairs or sit on the toilet. The training is more important than any of the conditions on race day!

Running Richmond got me excited for all the races I want to run in 2017! My training typically slacks off a bit in the winter months, but I hope I can do a little better this year and not get derailed by the holidays. I want to focus on getting faster in 2017!

Mile        Pace

1              9:22

2              9:10

3              9:15

4              9:05

5              9:09

6              9:09

7              8:57

8              9:22

9              9:02

10           9:15

11           9:13

12           9:04

13           8:30

14           6:59

Official Time: 1:59:54     Overall Pace: 9:08

Emerald Bay Half Marathon

Or the race I thought would be easy and wasn’t.

I always say this: A half marathon is never easy.

But the Emerald Bay half marathon at Lake Tahoe was advertised as a net downhill run so I didn’t think it would be too hard. Even though I had barely trained and had just come back from a month long trip to Italy, I still thought I could run this race in close to 2 hours.

Boy, was I wrong.

My mom and I took the shuttle to the start at Inspiration Point and waited around for an hour in the cold that was quickly becoming not-so-cold. I ended up shedding all my layers and running in a t-shirt. It was unseasonably warm for October.

The race started out downhill. My plan was to take advantage of the downhill and bank some time, ignoring the other piece of advice I normally adhere to, which is “don’t start out too fast.” I ran the first two miles in close to 8 minutes each, and by mile 4, I knew I was in trouble. I felt terrible. It felt like I wasn’t getting enough oxygen, my heart was beating out of my chest, and I felt nauseated. I had to stop and walk by mile 4. I don’t think I’ve ever had to walk that early in a race before!

I ended up walking a little bit each mile from 4 on. I just couldn’t run an entire mile for the rest of the race. I continued feeling poorly the whole time. The course was a nice path along a bike trail but I couldn’t really enjoy it. All the great views of the lake were at the beginning of the race. After that, we ran through woods and then along the road until finally turning towards the beach!

I was just so ready for the race to be over! I made my way to the beach and sat down for a long time to recover. I still felt nauseated. I made it back over to the finish area just in time to snap a picture of my mom as she finished! (My mom did great, and did not have the problems I did).

On the way back to the car, I felt so sick, I had to stop several times to breathe and quell the nauseous feeling in my stomach. I threw up on the car ride, then immediately took a two hour nap when I got home. I’ve never felt so bad for so long after a race was over! I blame the exertion at altitude along with my insufficient training. It was my worst race since Michigan.

It was one of those races that shredded my muscles and I could barely walk for the next 3 days. I had muscle pain in my left IT band and hamstring with every step, along with some calf soreness.

So the lesson here is that I need to go back to my original game plan! No race is easy, and I need to be consistent with my running. Some people can run races without any training, but I can’t. My two most miserable races were the ones I trained for the least. I don’t like being sore and unable to walk after a race. When I train adequately for a race, it’s much more enjoyable both running and recovering!

Even though it was a terrible race for me personally, it was a fun laid back race with gorgeous views at the beginning, a later start time, not too crowded, and it is a net downhill (though after the first 3 miles, it's rolling hills with plenty of up AND down). My mom and I enjoyed exploring Lake Tahoe. We got to check out the restaurants in Heavenly Village and do some sight seeing during the off season when crowds were at a minimum. Lake Tahoe is beautiful and peaceful in October!

Official Results: 2:18:16

Big Sur Marathon

The Big Sur Marathon has been one I’ve wanted to run ever since I first saw a picture of it. It all seemed epic – a race along the beautifully rugged Pacific Coast. I got one glimpse of the gorgeous coastline and read the name “Big Sur” and it seemed like the ultimate marathon.

On Sunday I got to fulfill the dream of running Big Sur! It all started about 8 months ago when I entered the last chance lottery. I didn’t think I’d get in, but I heard that each year you enter gives you a better chance (still not sure if that’s true?) so I thought I’d better start entering to get picked in the next few years. Then I got the e-mail and had to decide whether or not to go through with registering. Was I ready for another marathon? Would I have time to train with my busy and unpredictable schedule? I wasn’t sure but I decided to go for it!

I didn’t know all the details of the race when I signed up, and I’m glad I didn’t. I found out later that there’s a 2 mile long uphill stretch, that there’s really no place to stay near the starting line, and that if you stay in Monterey, you have to take a shuttle at 4 am. Four in the morning!! And that’s one of the later shuttles. I purposely chose a hotel with a pick-up between 4-4:15. Some hotels had pick-ups from 3:15-3:30!

My mom and I checked into our hotel on Saturday and went to the Expo. My mom was really excited to meet Jeff Galloway, and he was super nice and encouraging about her story. We found our names on the banner, took some pictures, and got our t-shirts and race bibs. That evening, we went for a walk along a bike path near the beach. I wanted to get my legs somewhat warmed up before race day and get rid of some nervous energy.

I got in bed by 9pm, but had trouble falling asleep. I woke up throughout the night thinking it was time to go, until 3:30 rolled around. My mom dropped me off at the bus stop at 4am and I got one of the last seats on the 4:00 bus. The bus ride was dark and long. I wasn’t planning on it, but I ended up rolling my coat against the window and trying to rest. This was partly to prevent me from getting car sick because the winding road and the reflections in the dark windows made me feel a little queasy.

When we finally got to the drop-off point at Big Sur Station, it was 5:15. I still had to wait 1.5 hours for the marathon to start. This was the worst part for me. It was really crowded and pretty cold. A lot of people were sitting down, but I thought the cold ground would make me feel worse. So I stood around and waited. And waited. I had forgotten my cell phone and had nothing to do!

Finally at about 6:30 the announcers started calling people to line up for the race.

At 6:50 I was off with Wave 2! The sun was out by now and already it wasn’t as cold. I took my long sleeve off before mile 2 and never put it on again, even though some places along the coast were very cold and windy! I started off near the 4:15 pace group and thought I could finish around that time. However, I hate running near a pacer! It’s too crowded for me, and I like to run my own race rather than trying to keep up with someone else. I was trying not to go out to fast, so I let the pace group go ahead of me. The first 5 miles were mostly downhill, so I was trying to hold back and run a steady pace. I caught up with the pace group again around mile 4 and ended up passing them.

Miles 6-10 were a gradual uphill climb, but these were some of my favorite miles! We were finally running along the coast. It was beautiful! I didn’t have to worry about holding back anymore, so I settled into a good pace and my legs felt strong going uphill. I actually think I did better on the climbs than the descents. I kept passing one girl going uphill, and then she would catch up to me going downhill!

I knew miles 10-12 were the biggest climb of the race. It was 2 miles of a fairly steep ascent up to Hurricane Point. I had decided to refuel at mile 10, so once I got to the big hill, I walked for a bit and ate my Honey Stinger waffle. I recently discovered these things during training and I love them for refueling during a long run! After I was done eating, I started to run uphill. I also quickly stopped to refill my water bottle with Gatorade on the way up. I think making those two short stops helped to break up the long climb, because before I knew it, I was at Hurricane Point!

I realized at the top why they call it “Hurricane Point”. It was crazy windy. I felt like I was going to get blown over. It was so windy that when I picked up one leg to stride forward, the wind blew my free leg into my other leg, and my ankles bumped together painfully a few times. It wasn’t until after the race that I realized this had caused me to bleed into my running tights! #battlescars

The descent from Hurricane Point to Bixby Bridge was my favorite part of the race! The views are absolutely gorgeous and as you run down, you can hear the piano music drifting towards you on the wind. There’s a piano player who plays classical music at Bixby Bridge every year and it’s a memorable moment hearing it as you cross the iconic bridge.

Bixby Bridge was the halfway point. I honestly don’t remember miles 13-20 that much, except that we went uphill and downhill a lot, and I had bathroom issues around mile 17. TMI warning: I had started feeling like I had to go around mile 15, and by mile 16 knew I had to find a porta-potty. Since I had gotten on the bus so early, I hadn’t had time to use the bathroom. At mile 17, there was a row of 5 porta-potties so I ran into one. I was kind of irritated that I had to stop, but when you gotta go, you gotta go! I probably only took 3-4 minutes, but this must have been when the 4:15 pacer group passed me. After mile 17, I could sometimes see them in the distance, and I spent the rest of the race hoping to catch back up!

I was going to do my second refuel at mile 20, but when I got there, we were going downhill, so I decided to wait a little bit longer and time my break for when I could walk uphill. At mile 21, I took my break and ate my second Honey Stinger waffle. The hills at miles 21 and 23 aren’t that long, but they can be brutal because they’re at the end of the race. I tried to maintain a good pace on all the hills and continued my trend of passing people going uphill, and they’d pass me going down!

We ran through the Carmel highlands next. It wasn’t my favorite part of the race. We were no longer along the coastline, so it wasn’t as pretty and it wasn’t as cold. Even though there was some shade, I missed the breeze from the ocean cooling me off! I did get a strawberry at mile 22 just because it’s special part of the Big Sur race!

During the last few miles, I was trying to calculate if I could finish in 4:15. My watch was off from the course markers by about 0.2 miles, so it was kind of hard to figure out. I would be sure I could make it, then a few minutes later sure that I couldn’t! But I decided to try! The last 2 miles were a hard effort, and the hill at mile 25 was a killer! But after that, the last mile was downhill to the finish! It still seemed to take forever to see that finish line, though!

I got tunnel vision at the end. I didn’t have energy to look for my mom in the crowd or to look around at anyone else. I had my eyes on the finish line and ran hard until I crossed it. My Garmin said 4:15, but my official results were even better: 4:14:56 – a new PR and just under my goal of 4:15!!!

Overall, a great race and I’m glad I did it, but I don’t have a desire to do it again. It was very challenging and the point-to-point course makes it impossible for friends or family to meet you anywhere along the course. However the views were spectacular and the race is very well-run and organized. Definitely a fun destination marathon!

Official Time: 4:14:56

Big Sur Training: 18 miles

My marathon training got derailed after the Golden Gate Half Marathon! I was so sore afterwards that I didn't run for 6 days- almost a week missed of my training plan! I tried to run the day after the race, but I literally couldn't. I was hobbling in a way that didn't remotely resemble running. So I walked five miles instead, and even that made my legs feel like they were going to give out on me.

So I did the smart thing and took a week off. The next weekend was a cutback week anyway, so I did a 10 mile run on Saturday (as planned), but on Sunday I went on a hike with my friends instead of running. But it was a 17 mile hike so I figured it was even better than the 8 miles I had planned. Then I spent the next week trying to get back on track with my training plan.

Saturday was the big test since I had an 18 miler planned. I was still a little sore from my fall during the race and I didn't feel like I was nailing any of my runs. I was nervous and wondering how much I would struggle during this long run. Well, God answered my prayers and I had one of my best long runs to date! I started off slow, but felt stronger and better as I ran. I had a great time and started feeling like my marathon training is back on schedule!

My Splits:

1	9:50
2	9:30
3	9:17
4	9:11
5	9:07
6	9:05
7	9:04
8	9:01
9	9:19
10	9:33
11	9:31
12	9:32
13	9:24
14	9:46
15	9:23
16	9:10
17	9:12
18	8:23
19	8:28
Summary	2:48:12

I'm super proud of the fact that:

1. My first mile was the slowest. After I saw my time for the first mile, I made it a goal to try to keep every other mile under that time.

2. I had solid and consistent miles 5-8. I seemed to hit my groove and run a very consistent pace for awhile. Then I think I got tired (maybe due to the lack of solid training?).

3. I had a strong finish with miles 16-18. My last 3 miles were way faster than my first three miles!

4. That last mile in 8:23!!! What!? I never thought I would finish an 18 mile run in which I would run the last mile in 8:23! I think it was slightly downhill, but I'm still proud of that number!

Golden Gate Trail Race

I'm about halfway through my marathon training and I had to run 16 miles this weekend. I thought it would be a great idea to sign up for a half marathon and just run 3 miles either before or after. Wow. What I didn't consider was that trail races are typically harder and steeper than your average road race!

source

This race was no exception. It started out straight up a hill... and we continued going uphill for the next 3 miles! I had decided to run a mile beforehand, but misjudged the time it would take me to get back to the starting line, so I literally ran up to the back of the pack and then started running uphill with everyone else.

The hills were steep. I hiked more than I ran for the first couple miles. Everyone else had to stop and walk too, because not only was it steep, it was rocky! Oh my goodness, it was tough! After about 2 miles, I knew this was the toughest half marathon I'd done yet. I was exhausted and HOT. It was very windy and cold by the starting line at the beach, but as soon as we started up those hills, I got overheated real fast. I was shedding all my extra layers within the first mile.

We continued running on hilly trails in the hot sun; hiking up the steep rocky parts, and trying not to fall down the steep rocky parts when going downhill for most of the race. Luckily there were some gorgeous views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Pacific Ocean. This was one of the toughest races I've done, but also the most beautiful!

source

After the initial three miles of uphill torture, I started to enjoy myself. We started to run up and down and along the ridge instead of just straight uphill. I discovered trail running is really kind of fun! There seems to be more camaraderie in a trail race. People were running in groups and talking, and actually stopping along the trail to wait up for friends. It was more like a group running adventure than a race! I really enjoyed that atmosphere of being on the trail for fun.

Another unusual thing was that the race directors made you stop at the fuel stops, even if just for a bit. You weren't allowed to just run right by. People were actually hanging out at the rest stops for awhile and chowing down on some chips, oranges, pretzels, and other snacks. I joined in and it was nice to take a few minutes to rest and refuel.

source

About halfway through the race, I had a near fall. I was running down a steep hill on some rocky terrain and loose gravel, when I tripped and felt my foot slipping out from under me. Luckily I was able to stagger and stay on my feet. Luckily because it was REALLY steep and I could have gotten seriously injured.

Then I did fall, about mile 10. It wasn't in such a bad spot as the first near-accident, but I still fell pretty hard. The guy in front of me stopped and turned around and the guy behind me ran up and they helped me up. SO embarrassing. The guys were really nice and waited to see if I was okay. I assured them that I just needed to walk it off and I'd be fine. I had to walk for a good 4-5 minutes and my hip was throbbing, but eventually I felt okay to run again.

The last mile was the only mile partially on paved road and it was mostly downhill! Hallelujah! I don't know if I've ever been so happy to see a finish line. Needless to say, I didn't run the extra two miles to make it to 16 (I ended up running 14 miles total due to the extra mile I ran before the race).

This was one of my slowest half marathon times, but I didn't care. It was tough! Also this marks my first trail race. And my first fall during a race. haha.

Official time: 2:20:47

My Splits: You can tell how hilly it was by the wide variance in times. Obviously mile 5 was all downhill!

1	09:40
2	11:54
3	12:48
4	09:35
5	08:00
6	13:23
7	10:23
8	10:37
9	08:58
10	09:39
11	08:55
12	11:09
13	08:41
14	05:27
Summary:	2:19:09

Star City Half Marathon

Right after the Richmond half, I decided to run the Star City Half in Roanoke with my friend Emily. I literally signed up on Wednesday on the last possible day to sign up and ran it on Saturday. This marks my first half marathons on back-to-back weekends!

The Star City Half is a smaller race that starts on the Ronaoke River Greenway (my favorite place to run in Roanoke!), winds through the downtown area, up and down some hills in the middle of the course, and finishes along the river on the Roanoke River Greenway again.

I decided to run this for fun, so I ran with Emily and her friend Allison for the first 3.5 miles, then I took off so I could go at a little faster pace. I was surprised at how good I felt after running a half marathon the previous weekend! Both races were for fun and I ran at easier paces so that helped.

I finished in 2:07:19 official time, but it was probably about 2:06:48 net time since I started closer to the back. I thought our bibs had chips, so I'm not sure why there wasn't a chip time. Anyway, I'm glad I wasn't trying for a PR since the results weren't accurate!

Emily got a PR with 2:23:20!

After the race, we went to Lynchburg for the Poplar Forest wine festival and had a great time indulging after getting our exercise out of the way that morning! :)

Richmond half again

This was my fifth year running Richmond! (2011-half, 2012-full, 2013-half, 2014-full). It's the ONLY half I've run multiple times. I normally would rather run a different race than repeat the same one, but there's something I love about Richmond! For one thing, Richmond is where I started training for my first race. The 6 mile loop from Boulevard to Pope to Brook is a route I ran regularly, and to this day is probably my top favorite running route. There's something nostalgic about running that course again during the race and thinking about how I fell in love with running there.

There's so many more things to love too - the fall colors, the fall temperatures, the beautiful neighborhoods, the downhill finish, the finisher's blankets, and the awesome medals! Richmond is always a great experience and I highly recommend it!

The weather was great this year. It was cold in the morning, but not as frigid as previous years, and once we started running we warmed up pretty quickly. We parked in a parking garage about 10 blocks away and stopped in the Omni Hotel for awhile to stay warm, so we only had to wait out in the cold for about 20 minutes before the race started.

I ran with Tristan and her friend Joy and we kind of took it easy. None of us had trained exceptionally well and we weren't trying to PR, so we went at an easy pace and talked for most of the race. I started to get antsy during the last few miles and wanted to go a bit faster, but figured there was no point since I wasn't going to break 2. So I tried to just enjoy it and take it all in, and honestly there was a certain relief in that. I felt great and it was nice to just run and not worry about pushing for a time.

At the very end, I couldn't hold back and told the other girls I was going to sprint to the finish. Running down the big hill at the end is always a little scary, but such a fun way to finish. It was one of my slower half marathon times, but was probably the easiest effort I've ever put into a race. I NEVER thought a half marathon would be easy, but this one was!

Official Time: 2:12:12     Pace: 10:05

See Jane Run SF Half Marathon

I finally got a new PR!!!

I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to write about this race. I was busy with life for awhile, making new friends in California, and somehow never sat down to write about my best race ever!

To be honest, I'm not sure how I got a PR! I didn't train for this race any better than some other races. I did my long weekend runs, but not a whole lot during the week. I had been doing a lot more hiking, so maybe that helped?

Either way, I had a great race and got my PR without feeling sick or getting sore afterwards. Win-win!

Cat and I drove to SF on Saturday and picked up our race packets in Alameda. It was a small expo, but they had some good stuff. We got free Ocho chocolate bars, free granola bars, and we bought some Asics socks that I love! The reusable tote bag was a nice bonus as well.

After that we decided to head across to the SF area. We had a wonderful dinner in Mission. We wandered around afterward and saw Delores Park and hung out in the Mission area for a bit. Then we drove back across the bridge to our hotel in Alameda.

Race morning was uneventful. We had a short drive to the start since we were staying in the area. Originally I thought we could walk, but it ended up being a bit farther than expected, and anyway we had no trouble finding parking as they have a big lot to park in (it does cost $5 though). It was a smaller race (about 1000), so it wasn't too crowded at the start. They had a fun set-up in the park with blow-up markers and tents everywhere.

I started near the 2:00:00 pacer, but I wasn't expecting to stay there. My plan was to run this race for fun and not push myself too hard (to the point of feeling sick like I did in Key West). Early on in the race, I got ahead of the 2 hour pacer, but I figured I started out a little too fast and they'd catch up to me later (spoiler alert: they never did!)

From the very beginning, I felt good. The weather was the perfect breezy cool weather that San Francisco is known for. There were a few times during the race when I got a little hot, but then that breeze would blow through again and cool me off again.

The race was along the shoreline of the Bay and it was beautiful. I honestly don't remember a lot of it now (I'm writing this almost 3 months later!) but I remember loving it! It was flat, either along the water or through pretty parts of town, and the weather remained cool for the most part. It's the perfect race to try for a PR!

Even though I wasn't planning on it, I quickly realized I could get a PR on this course! I've had that thought before though, so I didn't get too excited. I just continued to run at a fairly comfortable pace and hoped I'd continue to feel this good during the second half of the race.

I amazed myself by running a sub-9 min pace mile after mile! I'm not saying it was easy, but it was a breeze compared to other races where I've really tried to push myself, and still couldn't run a 9 minute mile. I kept running at a steady pace and didn't really push myself until the last mile or two. I lost all my data from my Garmin, which is really frustrating, but I know I never ran a mile over 9 minutes which is a big deal for me!

Official Time: 1:53:34     Pace: 8:40     Place: 81/1030     Age Group: 18/125

We celebrated with champagne and snacks at the finish area! What a great day and fun race!