Race Recap - Garmin Oz Run 4.16.2016

I know this race recap is a few days past due, but life has been really busy lately, and some things have had to give. Blogging has been one of those things. Fitness, no. Computer time, yes. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Anyway, I paced the 2:55 half marathon group about two weeks ago at the Garmin Oz Run in Olathe, KS. The start time was early - 6:45am - and they had warned of getting to the location early due to expected traffic problems. So, with the race start being less than 10 miles from my house, I was able to roll into the parking lot by 5:15am. The race started at the new Embassy Suites Hotel, so I crowded into the lobby with a ton of other people to stay warm before the gun went off. I chatted with some other races, met up with friends, used the indoor bathrooms!, and waited for the time to pass. About 6:15 I started to make my way to the shoot to line up and see just who would be running with me at the 2:55 pace time.

Pre-race selfie with the ladies of KC Express

The race started, and off we went. I was running my group 2:1 intervals. Meaning run for 2 minutes, walk for 1 minute. It went well, and we cruised along through several miles. At the mile 4 water station I ran into Brandie C. - a fellow KC Express member and good friend. She was volunteering her morning at the water stop, on her birthday no less! After a quick side hug and a jump, I was back on the road with my pace group.

Brandie took this photo at the mile 4 water station

The race course had changed from the previous year - a new start location and a new course. Instead of being "fast and flat" it went to "slow and hilly". My group really started to struggle with the hills, and I worked hard to keep them engaged and still in the race. Usually at mile 6 people start to mentally check out of the race, and wonder why they signed up for such a thing. So, by keeping their focus off that and on the latest tv show or sports game, current news, or just whatever, it helps to keep people moving forward.

Jumping at mile 10.5 with my INKnBURN Robot Capris

My finish jump

I managed to finish up the race and welcome in the runners I started with that just couldn't hold on. My finish time was 2:58 - a few minutes off of my 2:55 pace time, but the minutes were worth it as I was able to help people finish up. After spending some time in the finish shoot and headed to my car and waited in the traffic fiasco to get out of the race area. I'm pretty sure this was the number one complaint the race director received after this race, and I have no doubts that things will be fixed for next year.

And just to make the morning even more special, my oldest son ran the Munchkin Marathon - a 1.2m race for kids. He did really well, and had a lot of fun. This is his 3rd year running it, and I couldn't be more proud.

Finishing in the green shirt on the right - middle.

#medalmonday with Glenda the Good Witch

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Race Recap - Rock The Parkway 4.9.2016

This past weekend was the 6th annual Rock The Parkway half marathon in Kansas City, MO. I have run it four years in a row now, as part of the Heartland 39.3 series (second race is this weekend!). I love the race. I love the atmosphere, and the vibe of the racers in the starting shoot. I love the crowd all along the route, as it really brings out quite a few people. I love the neighbors who sit on their front porches and lawns, cheering on the random strangers that slog past their houses. I love the downhill to flat finish. And I love the rush once I'm finished.

When I started running this race in 2013, I was still fairly new to running, and didn't know what I was getting myself into. It was my third ever half marathon, and I pulled out a 2:22:39. I was pretty proud of that time, and still consider it a good time.

Fast forward to November 2015 when I put myself into a 100-mile-per-month running challenge. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I wanted to see if I could complete it, and I did. I then ran 55.7 miles in December 2015, and really started to up my game at the turn of the new year. I wanted to achieve a new PR, and beat my 2:13 record set in March 2015. I put in the hours at CrossFit and Jazzercise, and ran at least 1 mile each day, but often more like 3. And come Saturday, April 9, 2016, I put it all out there on the line. I didn't want to leave anything in my tank. I wanted to see if my training, hard work, and dedication could really pay off. And it did.

Race morning came, and the weather was much colder than I'd expected. I was thinking sunny and 50's, but instead it was kinda gray and 32ish. I slipped into my INKnBURN Ryu capris and pullover and prepared to release my innner dragon.

I met up with my friend Tracey, and several other great running friends from KC Express. We chatted, took our traditional 'classy' selfie in front of the porta-potties (and got photo-bombed like a boss!), and headed to the shoot for my Wave D start.

My KC Express Ladies

Once in the shoot I chatted with other runners, and started to get into my zone. I don't normally run with headphones, but I found an old ipod, charged it up the night before, and was ready to be surprised music wise. I had no idea what was loaded on it. So when Snoop Dogg's "Holiday Inn" started up, I was ready to rock. I thought I had my Garmin set up to run 4:1 intervals (run for 4 minutes, walk for 1 minute, and the watch beeps at you when your set time is up.) Turns out the watch was not set, so it never beeped at me to stop. So, I just went.

I can tell you that I really got into the zone and my head with this race. The first three miles went by pretty quickly. Around the four mile mark is when I started to see the elite athletes head into the home stretch, which is always fun to see. I took short walk breaks in the water stops (have you tried to run and drink?), and kept at it. I did not walk except for the water stops. My split times reflect that. Mile 8 was slow (10:40), but I tackled those hills and kept at it. I was determined. I did manage to work in just a single jump. I wasn't going to give any more energy or time to them - not on this race.

Jumping around mile 10

I finally reached mile marker 12, and my time was under 2 hours. That was crazy. I knew at that point that I would reach my goal time of a sub-2:10 race. I mean, I knew I wasn't going to have a 15 minute mile. And in fact, I actually had some gas left in the tank, as I pushed myself to pick up my pace, extend my stride, and really reach deep.

My Split Times

I finished the race with a time of 2:06:12.7. I smashed my previous record by 7:22 I shaved over seven minutes off my time! So huge!

I'm so glad I worked so hard leading up to this race. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I could in fact run a sub2:10 race. I could keep an average pace of 9:40.

I'm proud of my race. I've been grinning about it for days now. I'm still asking people if they just "happen to see my race time". I mean, I'm working this from all angles. But I also am keeping an eye on the horizon, as there are a few races left in the Spring season. I don't want to work myself up, or over-hype the next race, but, well, you know. Why not try for a sub2:05 now, right?

Crossing the Finish Line

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