Hampton's Mararthon Sept 29, 2012 Race Recap

I ran a marathon in June and achieved a long-time goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Yay for me!! Bummer for my husband who missed his qualifying time by 16 seconds! UUUGH! Why didn't he sprint the last mile, surely you can make up 16 seconds if you know you are that close, right?!   I now know better, much better (read on).

Because he missed it, and is not one to play the cheerleader while I run the most prestigious marathon in the world, he had to do another, and soon, so as to qualify for himself. Ok, that's great, and I'd certainly rather go to Boston with both of us running it, and if the roles were reversed I'd be doing the exact same thing!

Hence, this race recap. Not originally on the schedule, but when Bill came to me and said, "let's go to NYC and the Hamptons for a long weekend at the end of September, just you and me." I bit, and said, "of course I'd LOVE that!!" Then he added, "Oh, and by the way, there's a marathon in the Hamptons that weekend that I'm going to do, want to do it as well?" There's the catch, oh well, sure, why not!

Here's the other dilemma we face with this whole Boston Marathon quest; Bill is already planning to do a 50 mile run in the Grand Canyon (Rim to Rim to Rim) 4 days AFTER the 2013 Boston Marathon. So, even if he did qualify at this marathon, and because of the timing of Boston Registration (the week BEFORE this marathon) - He can use the qualifying time for either the 2013 Boston Marathon (if it's not full), or the 2014 BM, which would be his preference. He certainly does not intend to run a marathon 4 days before a 50 mile trail run in the Grand Canyon!

What's the dilemma, you ask? Well, that means that now, although I have qualified to run the BM in 2013, if I intend to run the 2014 BM with my husband,  I needed to RE-qualify at this race in order to be eligible to run it! UUGH! And, the kicker is, this race is only 5 weeks before our Full Ironman in Florida! Would that be enough time to recover and give my all for the most important race of my season?

Pressure! Pressure that I do not want! I trained hard for this marathon and hoped that the added training, along with a flat course at sea level, would lend to an easy, fast marathon. If there were ever a contradictory statement, that is it! An easy, fast marathon!?!?! No such luck!

The weekend was full of tourism in NYC and in East Hampton,

but that's not what this blog is about!

RACE DAY
I did all the usual pre-race routine, drank pedialite on Thursday, laid around a lot on Friday, ate pasta and chicken for dinner, and went to bed early. I woke in the morning and ate oatmeal and a protein shake.  I drank EFS on the way to the race. I warmed up for the race for about 10 minutes to get my legs and heart moving. I felt good and was excited to start. This is a small marathon (about 500 participants), but they also have a half marathon that had 2500 participants. We all ran together for the first 6 miles, then the paths split.

When the gun went off, we were off and running! I knew the plan was to hold back for the first half and keep my heart in low low zone 3, make it feel easy and know that I am holding back. I did that and was right on pace (8:20). The only problem I was seeing was that my Garmin GPS was showing a .1 mile discrepancy according to the course (and not in the right direction!) - My watch showed the course was actually .1 miles longer at every mile than the race mile markers were showing. That was not a big deal, at the time, my pace was on and I knew I'd be able to pick it up 2nd half. And I hoped the discrepancy would work itself out! I stuck to my nutrition plan and took a gel every 3.5 miles and water at every aid station. I also took enduralites and pre-race capsules at about the middle. The weather was PERFECT the entire race! mid 50s to start and mid 60s to finish, and overcast the whole time, with a few drizzles here and there. The course was winding and pretty, along the coast for part of it and through mostly rural wooded roads.

By about mile 12 I realized that the distance discrepancy was getting larger, .1 mile had turned into .17 miles. If it did not fix itself and the course was actually long, I would have to run .17-.2 miles extra and still be under 3:40. For someone who barely made the 3:40 cutoff (by 11 seconds), that would mean a minute or more of extra running to cram in somewhere and still make my BQ time! I began to pick it up and still felt great, but was going as fast as I felt was possible, knowing the distance I had left to go. From mile 12 on, not one person, male or female, passed me (like I said, it's a smaller race, but I was still cranking!). I began to pass many of those who had passed me earlier on in the race. By mile 20 I was concerned, my pace was still right at 8:20 (8:23 is the limit to make it under 3:40), but if I had to add in an extra tenth or more of a mile, I would not make it. I pushed harder and started really passing people in the last 6 miles. By mile marker 25, my watch said 25.2. I realized then that the course was not going to correct itself and I could not bank on that! I pushed it even more, to near red line for the last mile (which ended up being my fastest mile of the marathon!) - I turned around the  last corner to see the finish line and saw the clock reading 3:40:08 - I had been sprinting, when I saw that, I was deflated and slowed just a bit, crossing the line at 3:40:25. Oh come on, you say, couldn't you sprint and make up that last 25 seconds?! NO!! I could not, I knew from about mile 20 that I may have to do that and I gave it all I had, and on this day, I came up short.

As I crossed the finish line, the announcer said, "Rachel Lyons from Lone Tree, Colorado finishing in a great time, her significant other had a great race as well, finishing in the top 5 earlier today." Wow! I though! That was the first news I had about how Bill had done. We had passed each other once during the race on a long out and back, and he looked strong. I was so excited for him and when I found him he told me he had run it in 3:08! His BQ time is 3:10. He did it!! And he won his agegroup and was 5th overall. I ended up 12th Female overall and 3rd in my AG (small race!).

Part of me wanted to be disappointed in my result, but I simply could not be. I knew that I gave it my all. I ran an exceptional race, for me, and felt great and was able to crank it up quite a bit for the last few miles. I had several people come up to me after and wonder how I had so much energy in the last few miles! Little do they know it was not so much energy as it was desperation! As I review the race in my mind, the ONLY thing I could have done differently to make the time I was shooting for, was to run faster in the first half, which I could have done, but then I would have been in mid to high zone 3 and who knows how that would have affected my pace in the 2nd half. It was simply not meant to be for this race on this day.

Utah Half 70.3 Race Recap - August 25, 2012

70.3 miles of Swimming Biking and Running  5:33:08 total time 
13th Female overall (out of 101), 4th in my division (out of 18)

Another Utah Half Ironman in the books. This was my 3rd year in a row doing this race. It is one I will most likely do every year (**unless we decide to go to the AG nationals for the Olympic distance one year - which is the week before this race - that would be fun and a great experience also  - I've qualified to go each of the last 2 years but haven't done it yet) The longer races are my priority right now.

The Utah Half is a great race, run well, great support, great course, shaded run ;), the ONLY COMPLAINT I have each year is that for some reason or another they can NEVER GET THE DISTANCES right!! 2010 - the swim was long (that's more understandable than getting the bike or run distances wrong though!) 2011 - The swim was actually a tad short, and the bike was 3 MILES SHORT!?!? 2012 - bike was right on (i'm sure they heard enough comments about it from last year) - BUT the swim was again long (like 1/4 mile long), and the RUN was over 1/2 MILE LONG!!! Ouch!! that hurt!! So while I like to compare from year to year - they are making it tough to do so!

SWIM 1.2 miles (actual approx 1.4m) 42:19
Wave starts for the swim. My wave was very last - I hate that!! But at least for the most part it means not getting passed for the rest of the race, and I am passing others (mental boost). Not eventful swim, I didn't really ever get into a groove of drafting, which I do like to try to do if the opportunity affords itself. the swim was a 2 loop though so by the time we hit the first loop, the waves that had started 15/20 minutes ahead of us were coming around for loop 2 (I don't agree that wave starts make things less congested - usually it is the opposite - it just happens out on the course instead of at the beginning - which is more of a pain because you finally get into the groove of your swim and all of a sudden someone is climbing over you or you are bumping into the slower swimmers from the waves ahead of you). The swim did feel long and when I saw I had 400ish yards to go I looked at my watch and it read 33 min, I should be done in 4-5 minutes (37-38 was my goal) - I knew that wouldn't happen. I got out of the water and my watch read 41 something. It's a bummer when the course is wrong (for my own personal comparisons), but at least for race purposes - everyone is doing the same course! I was 6/18 in my division in the swim and 28/101 females - that's about where I usually fall (top 25-30% of the swim).

T1 - 1:26
I ran into transition and pulled my wetsuit off, threw on my helmet, glasses and shoes, grabbed gels and inhaler for my back jersey pocket and got on my way.

BIKE 56miles  2:51:05
The Bike is a nice flat course with mostly decent roads. There are several turns, especially in the first 8-9 miles. I got onto the bike and started to work on bringing my breathing in check. I began to eat and drink asap and ate something every 25-30 min. I went through 3 blueberry muffins (homemade and full of good stuff - apple, banana, blueberries, raisins, pecans, flax seed, oat bran, greek yogurt, brown sugar, white flour (I make them with wheat flour too - but white for races)- they are really good and great for you!!) Then I started in on the gels. I drank 4-5 water bottles of either water or EFS fluid through the bike. There were several girls that I kept leap frogging with (doesn't it always seem that way?!) I felt good on the whole ride and tried to push as much as I though I could. there was a definite wind that seemed to change directions every time I turned to remain a constant headwind! My bike MPH average was 19.7 ish - my average was higher last year (but there was less wind then, and I may have pushed too hard last year because my run suffered because of it last year). I have been practicing getting my feet out of the shoes before I get off the bike and so I did that as I came down the last stretch of road, then hopped off the bike barefoot to run into transition.

T2 - 1:07
quick and uneventful T2 - grabbed my visor and gels and headed out.

RUN 13.1 miles (actual was 13.68) 1:57:13  8:34 pace
I felt great starting the run and again worked on getting my breathing in check and not going too fast. Because of the way your legs spin on the bike, the natural tendency is to run much faster than you should right off the bike. I watched my pace and tried to keep it just around 8:30 and not let it get much faster (for now).  My goal was to run a low 8 min pace. Much of the run course is shaded and that is wonderful because it was HOT by now (mid 80s) and sunny. I ran with a girl for a few minutes and we talked. I enjoy doing that because it distracts me, but also if I am able to talk  while running, then I know I am not going too fast at the beginning. My run is my strongest leg and I always am able to pass way more than pass me. I use everyone ahead of me as my short term goals, and as long as I stay within my comfort zone, it is a helpful distraction. There was one girl who passed me on the run, and I knew she would. We actually were parked in transition next to each other and talked quite a bit before the race. Super sweet girl! This was her first 70.3, but as we talked I found out that she is an amazing runner - her best marathon is a 3:04!  I saw her on the run, about a 1/2 mile behind me on the first out and back (there are a couple of out and backs on the 2 loop course so you get to see who is close to you, both in front and behind). We shouted encouragement to each other as we passed and I knew it would not be long before she caught me! It wasn't! She kept reeling people in and every time I saw her she had passed more! I had too, but not at her pace! She ended up 2nd in our division with the 3rd fastest run of the females.

I felt great most of the run and kept to my nutrition plan -which was to drink water at every aid station (every mile) dump a cup of water on my head, and take a gel every 2-3 miles. I was able to make it to the run without needing to go to the bathroom so that meant my bike stayed clean ;). No GI issues on the run either so no stopping for me. I don't mind running while I go #1 and I do on the run as needed. I did not pay attention to the distance on my watch when I finished the first loop. I should have! If I had, I would have noticed that it was long and that 2 loops was going to be significantly longer than 13.1miles. Live and learn! I hit mile 12 and felt really good still so I picked up the pace, thinking I had a mile to go. At about 12.7 I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn or done an extra turn that was I was not supposed to because I knew I would not reach the finish in .4 miles. I was starting to stress that I really had gone the wrong way! There are not TONS of people that do this race and while there were always runners ahead of and behind me, I had already started to lap some of them and did not know if perhaps on the 2nd loop we were supposed to go somewhere different?! I was pretty sure I was on the right track though so I kept going and pushing hard hoping the finish would appear soon!! FINALLY I saw the turn that took me to the finish and my watch read 13.68 when I crossed the line. I had hoped to beat my Oceanside run time (1:53:11) - and knew I did not do that!! But my pace was faster, (8:34 this race vs. 8:38 in Oceanside - barely faster) - but that's all I could hope for and I was happy with it. I had the 4th fastest run in my division and the 9th fastest run out of 101 females.

Bill got 3rd in his division and made the podium! So proud of him!!

The craziest part of this day was afterwards! My 20 year high school reunion was that same night, BUT IN CALIFORNIA! We were staying at my sister-in-law's house in Utah for the race. I went back to her house with my husband, showered super fast, and jumped in the car to head to the airport. I had a 5pm flight out of SLC, arriving in Orange County at 6pm for my reunion that started at 7pm in San Clemente (about 40 min from the airport). I made my flight - barely - they were calling final call when I ran up to the gate! I wore my compression pants and socks on the flight to aid in recovery! Once in Cali - I got my rental car and went to my girlfriend's house to actually get dressed and ready (my hair was still wet (I threw it in a bun and threw a visor on for the flight!) and I had not done my make-up. I showed up to the reunion about 7:30pm and had a blast!such a fun night. I was up until close to 3am (got up at 4:15 am that morning for the race), THEN I got to sleep for 3 hours because I had to head back to the airport to fly to SLC at 7:30am to meet my family on their way up to Jackson Hole, WY. We were in the middle of a family vacation and I had to get back! When I went to bed Saturday night after the reunion (sunday morning actually) - I totally felt like I was getting sick - my throat was starting to close up! UUUUGH! I loaded up on vitamins and went to bed early the next couple of days and fortunately I avoided the sickness!!  It was a whirlwind of a weekend with the race and reunion, but I loved it all! The following few days we had a great trip to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.

 

 In the Yellowstone Grand Canyon

 at the top of Jackson Hole

 old faithful

The Grand Tetons

Next Race is the Hamptons Marathon in New York, Sept 29. Then the Florida Ironman 5 weeks after that on Nov. 2.

I'm Still a Rookie - Loveland Lake to Lake Olympic Triathlon Race Recap; June 23, 2012

Being a rookie has many connotations associated with it: young, inexperienced, immature, newby, etc. etc. While I don't often consider myself a rookie in the triathlon world (most of the people I associate with would think of me as experienced and knowledgable in this area - but those people are not triathletes, for the most part), I have only been doing this sport for 2 seasons, 2012 being the 3rd. I've done 5 olympic distance, 2 sprints, 3 70.3s, and only 1 full IM in those 2.5 years. I have another 70.3 and a full IM left this season (and another Marathon). The reason I call myself a rookie is that I still find myself making significant improvements race to race; which is typical of a rookie - to make leaps and bounds in the first few years until you get to that point where something new needs to happen in order to continue to see gains - and they will be small gains at that point. I must admit - it is fun being a rookie.

Who doesn't want to see great improvements and new PRs (personal records), at every race. If that is what being a rookie means in the tri world, can I stay a rookie forever?!

The Loveland Lake to Lake Olympic Triathlon is a phenomenal race, one of the best run races I have been a part of. With the fires near Ft. Collins the bike course had to be changed just a week before the race, then the construction messing with the run course did not get completed on time and the run had to be changed. Even with all those complications and last minute changes it still all went off without a hitch - great organization that runs that race! And for me, personally, on a 100 degree day, a shorter bike and run were fine by me! The bike is usually 30 miles and when changed it became less hilly, and only 24 miles. The run is supposed to be a 10k (6.1 miles), but when changed it became 5.1 miles.

With the long training I have been doing, an Olympic distance triathlon is short. I wanted to see great improvements over this same race last year (where I had a great race in 2011). The course changes bugged me a little bit because, except for the swim, there would be no apples to apples comparisons.

As we did last year, Bill and I went to Loveland Friday night to stay the night in a hotel the night before the race. We went to eat at a mexican place and I at a large grilled chicken burrito with rice and peppers in it. Even staying near the site, we still got up at 4:30am to get ready and get to the race. I ate oatmeal, and drank a gatorade before we left the hotel. I at a PB&H while setting up transition and took a gel right before starting the swim. My swim wave (and Bill's) was going to be the last to start, at 6:50am. I don't like being the last to start, but not having the power to change it, well,  I just had to get over it ;).

We arrived at the race about 5:30am, set up transition, got body marked, did the usual business and socializing, and got into the water to warm up. It was already warm, due to be over 100 in Loveland that day! I was hoping to be done shortly after 9am, and it was forcast to be in the mid 80s by then! UUGH!

SWIM: 28:40 1500M
When my wave started, the first guys of the elite wave were just getting to the shore (they started 20 minutes ahead of us). I got into position just behind the front line, started my watch, and started swimming. I was swimming hard, and trying to find someone at the right pace to draft behind. Maybe it's mental, but I really do feel a difference when I can do that - If they are just the right pace, I can easily stay behind them and it feels easier. Of course at each turn, I had to re-evaluate and find another, or maybe the same guy, you never know who is who out there!! I felt good swimming and only corrected my course a couple of times (I have a tendency to pull to the left). I got to the shore and checked my watch (26:49) - I was very pleased with that for a 1500m swim - probably my fastest yet. The timing mat for this race is all the way up by the transition area - so for the race, the swim time includes a 1/4 mile run (approx) - which made my official swim 28:40. Last year I was 30:45! I was stoked on a 2 minute PR for the swim!!! I was 9/58 in my division and 50/231 females for the swim.

T1: 1:26
Stripped the wetsuit off as I was running into transition and finished pulling it off at my bike. Put my shoes, helmet and glasses on and got on my way. This is a 10 second improvement over last year's T1 - I still need to shave about 30 seconds off.

BIKE:  1:08:59    24 Miles      20mph avg.
I got moving on the bike and tried to bring my breathing in check. I wanted to push hard though for the duration of the race, and the first few miles of the bike are uphill, so I did the best I could to calm myself down! I felt great and was passing a lot of riders (being the last wave, I knew that would happen) - most of them were not in my division, but passing is still passing and it is better than being passed! There were 2 girls that I passed on the bike that caught up and passed me, but then I passed both of them again just a little bit later. The course was rolling hills, with most of the climbing in the first half of the ride. I took on 2 water bottles (1 was EFS fluid); and 2 gels while on the bike. My husband passed me between 5-8 miles into the bike (I swam faster than he did on this day). He flew past me and did not get passed by anyone for the rest of his race :). At the aid station halfway I took a water bottle and dumped it on my head. I wasn't hot, but knew I would be getting hotter as the day went on and the water helped. Overall, not one girl passed me on the bike and only a handful of guys did. I have been practicing taking my shoes off before I get off the bike (trying to save those extra seconds in T2) - So I loosened my shoes and got my feet out with just a few hundred yards to go. My bike time was 6/58 in my division, and 41/231 females.

T2: 1:11
Racked my bike, took off helmet, threw on visor and shoes and got on my way. 8 second improvement over last year.

RUN: 38:38   5.1 Miles    7:34/mile pace
The first part of the run was HARD and it made me nervous! I was going just under an 8 minute pace and wanted to be going faster, but didn't know if I could! So I settled in at around 7:45 pace and tried to (again) get my breathing in check. I have slight exercise induced asthma and I wondered if the smoke in the air from the fires was maybe affecting me. I always take 2 puffs on my inhaler before races, so I was hoping that I would be ok. My friend came up behind me and commented that I wasn't even breathing hard. I totally was, I felt, but hearing someone else's view helped me mentally. I began to get into the groove and upped the pace. I took 2 cups of water at every aid station and dumped them on my head. It was about 8:30am by now and was in the mid 80s already! I drank either gatorade or water at every station as well. I began reeling people in, I think one or two guys passed me on the run, but that was it!!! I passed tons of girls and a lot of guys as well. I kept looking at the girl's calf to see if they were in my division. I did not see many. I knew I had passed a couple on the bike and I passed at least 1 on the run, that I saw. I was hoping that meant I was near the top of my division. The run was a loop around the lake we swam in. As I got to less than a mile left I saw my husband sitting on the side of the course, he cheered for me as I went by. I upped the pace for the last half mile and crossed the line at a sprint. Last year's run on this course (similar, but not exactly the same) was a 7:55 pace. I was hoping to be closer to a 7/min pace for this race, but I know I gave it my all. I am hoping the heat and air quality are what slowed my run. All in all I was VERY pleased with my race! My run time was 5/58 in my division and 25/231 females.

TOTAL RACE TIME: 2:18:56,  4th in my division 35-39F, and 28/231 females

Bill and I after the race

Because I had not seen any of my division on the bike or run (that I didn't pass) I was hoping that I would be near the top. Last year I was 6th out of 68, and was only 6 minutes off the winner in my age group. This year I knew I went so much faster and harder and am so much stronger that I was hoping for podium. I told myself as I went to check results to not be disappointed no matter what the outcome, because I had a great race, and this is one of the larger Olympic distance triathlons in Colorado. But still, when I saw I was 4th, I can't deny, I was a little disappointed. I am getting stronger and faster, but so is everyone else!! And this year I was 16 minutes off the leader in my division! You can only control your own race, you can never control who else shows up to race. But hey, I'm still a rookie, so as long as I continue to see great improvements, you won't hear me complaining. ;)

3rd Time's the Charm : Race Recap - Utah Valley Marathon, Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Bill and Me (he ran a 3:10:16)

Thursday, June 7th - I drank tons of water and 2 bottles of pedialite (as per my coach), and we travelled to Provo, Utah that evening. 2 days out is supposedly the most important nutrition, hydration, and sleep day. I try to start avoiding the high fiber foods about this time as well to prevent the obvious bathroom issues that are associated with lots of fiber ;) Bill and I got into Provo about 8pm and went to a fabulous dinner at Texas roadhouse: baked potato, veggies, lots of rolls with cinnamon butter, and fillet medallions - delicious. I had been doing no sugar for the three weeks leading up to the race, just to see if it might help. I am a sugar-a-holic and it was not easy.

Friday, June 8th -slept in, went for a 5 mile easy pace run, picked up race packet, and drove the course. While the elevation shows mostly downhill, there are several pretty good hills. It is always good for me to drive the course to get an idea of where and when those hills will hit. I ate a great lunch at CPK, (thai chicken pizza and bread), and dinner at Malawis - (chicken pesto pasta) and drank water and more pedialite all day. I went to bed around 9pm.

Race Day, Saturday, June 9th

3am - alarm went off! very early! ate oatmeal and banana. We left at 3:30 to head to the bus pick up (to drive us to the starting area). I met Kari (coach) and Debbie (friend) at the bus pick up and we all loaded on the bus. I was drinking water and gatorade and ate a PB&H sandwich on the bus ride up. Kari, Debbie, and I were planning to run the marathon together, assuming everything went as planned (which we all knew, it never does). We sat by the fires they had set out to keep us warm and then about 5:30 started warming up with a bunch of dynamic stretches and drills. I hit the bathroom a couple of times while waiting for the start. At 5:58 we ran over to the start and dumped our morning clothes bag, and got near the starting line. The temperature at the start was in the high 50s and was supposed to be mid 60s by the time I finished - PERFECT!!!

START: The gun went off a little after 6 (probably about 6:03ish) and we jumped in right behind the first mass of runners. The road for the first 7 miles was somewhat narrow and I did not want to have to weave in and out of runners. We had some pass us, but not many. The first 7 miles went by quickly and were easy and fast. Mostly downhill and with a tailwind, my pace for those first 7 was just under an 8 min mile. I was holding back on those miles and kept my heart rate in my high zone 2 / low zone 3 area (155-165).

As soon as the course turned onto the main canyon road, we had a major headwind - ugh - and it kept blowing hard up the canyon (in our faces) for the next 13 miles!! About at mile 8 is the first of a couple of miles of hills, rolling really, but the first of the longer hills. None of the hills were nearly as bad as the only other open marathon I have done though and so it actually felt ok. Pace slowed to high 8's for 2 miles of hills but my HR stayed mid zone 3 and that was the goal. I recovered on the downs and flats and picked up pace again until mile 12, where the next hill was. Debbie, Kari, and I talked while we could (when we could hear each other, because of the wind). I was feeling really pretty good, and trying to not get too excited that I was going to accomplish my goal, but also trying to not get too anxious if it wasn't going to happen. I had been there before.

Miles 13-15 were faster than goal pace (which was 8:23minute/mile for the duration) and I was getting excited, but was also feeling the impact of each step in my legs more now. IT band and muscles were fine though, no major pains, thankfully! Mile 16 was another hill, probably the steepest one (or so it seemed, being at mile 16). My Garmin lost satellite at some point for about a 1/2 mile after going through one of the tunnels and when it picked up again it had the distance off. It showed that I had run .2 miles farther than I actually had (according to the mile markers on course). I adjusted my calculations in my head and still felt I was going to have a bit of a cushion to make it under 3:40. The next few miles were mostly downhill but my pace was slowing slightly. When I hit mile 20 and came out of the Canyon into Provo, my average for the 20 miles was 8:11 (at least that is what my watch showed). I tried to keep each mile under 8:30 and was mostly successful.

At mile 21 I had 45 minutes to finish and earn a Boston Marathon qualifying spot. 5.2 miles in 45 minutes - that's just under a 9 min pace. I was stoked, knowing I could easily do that. The last 6 miles are either flat, very slightly down, or slightly up - no major hills either way.

As I got to mile 24.2, I realized somewhere my calculations had been off, I had 16 minutes left to finish before 3 hours 40 minutes. That's 16 minutes to run 2 miles - that means I had to run an 8 min/mile for both of them. I racked my brain as to where I went wrong calculating, but sped up my pace while I was doing that! I feel very lucky that I was able to pick up the pace those last couple of miles. My lungs felt great throughout the race and my legs felt pretty darn good too, for running that distance. My Garmin was showing my pace at under an 8 minute mile for the last two miles and I sprinted (or felt like I was). My watch turned to 3:39 and I could see the finish, I gave it all I had and crossed the line while my watch still said 3:39. If I made it, it was going to be very close!

I was nervous to go check the official time, because it could very well be over 3:40 (no matter what my watch shows - it's the chip time that matters) and I'd be out of luck. I waited for Debbie and Kari to come across the line and we went and checked together. 3:39:49 My knees almost buckled right there as I realized I had actually done it! The 2 previous times I have run a marathon with hopes of a Boston qualifying time, I had 6 more minutes to do it in. But this year, Boston tightened the requirements for every age group, making each age group essentially 6 minutes faster. I used to be in the 3:45:59 qualifying time, now I am in the 3:40:00. This marathon time for me is 19 minutes faster than any other one I have ever run (old PR was 3:58:10 - 1st ever marathon in 2009). 


RECOVERY
chocolate milk, compression pants and socks for 24 hrs afterwards, ice on my knees, trying to walk around as much as possible, and lots of yummy food and sleep! My quads were sore for 2-3 days afterwards, I swam and ran light on Monday and then had a monstrous ride on Wed following the race (100Miles) - that was the hardest 100 I've done - I was still pretty fatigued. Over a week out now and I feel mostly recovered. My run yesterday was 7 miles and still not super fast yet, but getting back to normal. I have an Olympic Distance Tri on Saturday, I hope it was not a mistake to plan these two races so close together.

me & my 100 mile girls!

Marathon Training

My next race is around the corner (Utah Valley Marathon, June 9th) and I have not posted in awhile. Sorry about that for all you loyal fans (all 2 or 3 of you!!) Ha ha! I know this blog is mostly for me, but I do appreciate that some of you actually enjoy reading my rants and raves about my tri training.

What have I been up to lately? A lot of running, a lot of biking, a little swimming, and some much loved and needed R & R. My husband and I went to Lake Powell with some good friends last week and did absolutely zero training - it was great!!

So a few milestones in my training have happened over the last few months. Probably the most important one for my endurance training is that my heart is getting measurably stronger, which means that at the same heart rate as previously, I can do more work, push harder, go faster. My coach has me do a bike test on my computrainer about every month or so. I have seen marginal improvements over the first few months of doing the test. But this last time (mid May) that I did the test there was a significant change in my heart rate as compared to the first time I did the test in January. Not only did I get a higher score for the test (which means I went longer and pushed more wattage (power)), but my HR was 20 bpm lower throughout the first half of the test, and 10 bpm lower through the 2nd half of the test. And during my recovery minute (between each hard interval), my heart recovered more quickly and to a lower HR before I started the next interval. For those of you who understand this HR thing, you would know that I am pretty stoked on that. Basically it means that for the same effort, I can do more work, which means I can go faster, and go faster for longer - which is the goal!

Second milestone is a combination of two runs I have had recently, an 18 miler and a 16 miler. Both were ones I was a little afraid of, because of what was prescribed.

18 miles - 3 mile warm up (slow: 9-10 min pace), then 14 miles at marathon pace (8:23), then last mile at 5k pace (7:00). I did it! The 14 at marathon pace varied between 8:15-8:29, but averaged faster than 8:23, then my last mile was an 8 min pace - not my 5K pace - but it was all I could push out at that point. It was the first run where I have legitimately felt like I might actually be able to run a Boston qualifying marathon. The second run, the 16 miler, was this morning. I was less afraid of this one than the 18 miler, maybe because I did that one. But the run was supposed to be 2 mile warm up (zone 2 HR), then every other mile at 8 or below, with the recovery mile as slow and bringing my HR back into zone 2. It was a great run, my coach and my good friend came along with me (we are all running the marathon together), our first 2 fast miles were right at 8 min pace, then the rest of them were 7:40 or lower with the last one at 7:30 min/mile pace. And during the recovery mile my HR dropped into zone 2 (140s for me). The bonus about this run is that I felt great at the finish and knew I could have kept going.

Third milestone was riding 120 miles this past Wednesday. That's the longest I've ever ridden. From my house all the way down to Colorado Springs, and back. It was a great ride, averaged 17mph on rolling hills with a couple of good climbs. The first 10 miles heading back are all pretty good uphill.

One concern I have had recently is that I will sometimes get tingling all over, and lightheaded when I finish a longer training session, I am fine through the end of the workout, but as soon as I stop, it hits. And I did that after the 18 mile run and also the 120 bike. I am experimenting with nutrition and supplements to see if I can figure it out. I am pretty sure it is not dehydration, which would be the first conclusion many would come to.

Anyway - that's it for now - marathon is 2 weeks from today! I feel ready!