Halloween Half Recap

Last October, I had considered running the Halloween Half marathon while in marathon training. After mulling it over a bit, I decided against it because with a 2000 ft drop in elevation over the course of 13.1 miles, most of that being in the first 5 miles (see below), I was just too scared I'd injure myself.  The marathon training was more important.  However, I did get a chance to spectate the race and it looked like SO much fun.  The costumes were hilarious. Everyone just looked like they were having fun. Because, well, they were! 

This year I was determined to run it myself.  I'm not in marathon training at the moment and, let's face it, I really needed something to help me work off all the candy I've been eating.  I trained, I finally decided on a costume and I arrived at the buses on Saturday morning ready to go for it.

I'm a baker!

I rode the bus that morning next to a young mom named Wendy. We talked about our training, our goals for the race that day, our kids, our husbands, etc. We had plenty of time to chat while making our way up the Provo Canyon.  After riding up with her, I was feeling a little better about being at the race on my own. I've gotten so used to racing alongside my husband that being alone at a race pushes me a little out of my comfort zone. Luckily, runners are the nicest people so there was always someone to talk to.  After arriving at the start, I watched the costume contest (the Forrest Gump costume was awesome!), got in a last trip to the portapotty and chatted with a cute bee named Jana and also with Mike, a friendly guy with a Yoda backpack.  

Finally, it was time to start!  I lined up with the 1:55 pacer in hopes of beating my 1:55:29 from the Shamrock Half this past March. I heard the gun and we slowly made our way down to the starting line.  There were 3000 people at this race so it was packed.  After the first mile I realized that I was going to be going a bit faster than I expected. I passed up the 1:55 pace group and then quickly passed the 1:50 pace group.  It looked like a good day for a PR! 

Miles 1-5:  8:53, 7:45, 7:26, 7:31, 8:00

At about mile 5, I could feel a blister forming on my left foot. "Dang!" I was nervous it would slow me down.  I've never had a blister during a race so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was just praying it wouldn't get too bad.  Luckily, even though I felt it the whole way, it never got bad enough that I had to stop. Phew!

Miles 6-10:  8:55, 9:05, 9:15, 8:36, 8:46

After the first 5 miles, we turned onto the Provo River Parkway Trail, which was beautiful.  There was a part of the trail that was coated with fall leaves. It immediately put a smile on my face. Out of the major downhill, my pace slowed considerably and at mile 8 (my slowest) I walked for a minute in order to get my jacket off from under my apron. That was tricky.

Miles 10-13.1:  9:10, 9:13, ? (forgot to stop the Garmin)

The last couple of miles I was tapped. I remember thinking to myself, "I am definitely leaving it all out on the course today. I hardly have anything left." That was at about mile 11.  From that point on, it was all mental.  I was definitely getting excited to see my husband and boys waiting for me at the finish line. Here's a little video of me in the final stretch. 

I love how my face changes when I see my family. I obviously needed the boost.

FINAL TIME: 1:50:46.6

I did it! I PRed in a baker's cap, apron, and holding a mixing spoon for 13.1 miles! Haha! And not only did I PR but by almost 5 minutes. Awesome! I almost couldn't believe it when I finished.  Of course, the course was supa fast.  All that downhill surely helped my time but I'll take it. I covered the distance so it counts, right?!

Great race, great day, great fun! And happy to be done! Hope everyone's Halloween was as spooktacular as mine!

Ragnar Relay-Wasatch Back '10 Recap

I am still on a high from last weekend's race! I've never experienced anything quite like it.  Ever tried running while delirious from lack of sleep? While a van full of teammates sing songs to you over a bullhorn? Haha! And I can't stop smiling about the can-can dance my girls treated me to in the middle of my longest run.  I wish I had more time to write about it but instead I'm going to leave you with this video I made from the pics and video I took along the way. Enjoy!

Remember me?!

Wow! It's been awhile, eh?  After my last half-marathon in March,  I found myself floundering about without a training schedule and with no real motivation.  I was still running but it was so hodge-podge and lackluster that it was unimpressive at best. It took me a couple of months to find my footing again and I am now finding myself in the midst of all kinds of fun personal running news. Since I heart lists, here's a list to bring you guys up to date.

 

1. I'm training for marathon #2! My husband and I are running the Top of Utah Marathon on Sept. 18th in Logan, UT.  We tried to get in the St. George Marathon and didn't get picked out of the lottery to receive an entry so this marathon is actually our Plan B. All in all, I'm really getting excited for it because everyone I've talked to who has run it talks about how beautiful and fast it is. What could be better?! Today, we rounded out the 4th week of our 18 week FIRST training plan. So far, so good!  

2. Last weekend, I PRed at a 5k! I got a free entry into a 5k from my favorite local running store.  I was really excited about this one because I knew it had potential to get me a sub 24:00 time, which I really wanted to do. This was my attempt at a pre-race photo with my Blackberry. 

I was in too much of a hurry to try again so this one will have to do.  The short of it? I PRed by more than 2 minutes and finished in 23:23!! Overall- 30th out of 180, overall female- 9th out of 109 and age bracket (31-45)- 5th out of 47.  Boy, it felt good! Well, that is after the initial "I think I'm going to hurl" in the finish line chute. Haha! It was possibly the first race I've run where I truly felt I left it all out on the course.  A great feeling.
3. The Ragnar Relay- Wasatch Back is next weekend!! I have been stressing over this race because somehow I became the team captain even though I've never run it before. There is SO much logistically that goes into these relays it could make your head explode. I am really excited to get the team meetings, safety meetings, e-mails, phone calls, etc. all behind me and just enjoy the race and the company of all my teammates (which all happen to be my neighbors and great girlfriends.) Should be a blast!
4. Train4Autism has kept me very busy the past couple of days as I've been manning a booth at the Utah Valley Marathon expo and finish line. One of the race directors was kind enough to provide me space for free and I have thoroughly enjoyed talking to so many people that have been touched by autism.  I received lots of positive feedback and encouragement and have even already gotten an email from some parents that want to be involved in our chapter. I feel so blessed to have found something that I can be so passionate about. Here's a pic of me and Sam Felsenfeld from Operation Jack.  Go and visit his blog HERE to read about the amazing work he's doing to raise awareness for Train4Autism.

So, that's what I've been up to! Time to see what you guys have been doing! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!