2012 Goals: How'd I do?

My hardware for 2012

I had grand plans for 2012. I started the year off totally high from my first half marathon that ended up propelling me to over-ambitiously over-commit. To recap - my goals for last year were doable but a tad bit ambitious. I actually knocked out the big ones, with only a couple exceptions.

Train year round - for the entirety of the 2012: 
~ I was very consistent with my training right up until I was forced to deal with my injury....so half credit on this one.
Run 1 race per month- 12 races for 12 months:
 ~ Ditto for this one. I did a race a month until August, when I started treatment for my injury. The only months I did not race were August, September, November and December. Not bad for a gimp.
 
Run at least 3 half marathons: 
 ~ Done! I ran 4 half marathons in 2012
 
Run my first full marathon:
 ~Done! At least in as far as walking across the finish line goes. I walked it so it only half counts in my mind.....so there will be a 'rematch' on the 'first marathon' in 2013 I hope.
 
Become more social with my running- join a running club, go to Fleet Feet group runs, connect with other runners to train and race with:
 ~I made some really awesome running friends this year....I couldn't have survived this injury without their encouragement and support. 

My micro goals were hit and miss....I did knock about 17 minutes off my half marathon time in that span of time. But post injury, the pacing and speedwork took a backseat....I also wanted to learn to take better care of myself by eating better and getting in significant cross training. While I did do a better job of taking care of myself while training, I have learned a big lesson with this injury - taking care of yourself while injured is also extremely important. To that end, I am proud of how hard I've been working to get off of the 'injured list'.

Goals for 2013 to come....January has been pretty busy in my house and I just haven't had time for the kind of self reflection that has been necessary to write these 'Goal' posts. So forgive the fact that I've posted exactly twice this month. I'm getting back into the swing of things again...and now that I'm getting close to doing more running than walking, I'll be tracking and writing about my training again. March is right around the corner and that is the goal month to be back up and 'running' so to speak. 

 

Portland Marathon Race Recap

Finisher!

This was my first 'destination' race, even though it wasn't very far. We left for Portland on Saturday morning, arriving about lunchtime. We were able to do an early check in at our hotel, which was really nice but quite far from downtown - it was at the airport. But there was a train stop a block away that went right downtown Portland so we hopped on that after getting settled in our room. The Girl had some birthday money to blow on tax-free shopping so that and hitting the expo was the grand plan for the day. 

We got downtown, and after a brief stop in the wrong area of downtown, we figured out where we were going. We were starving so we found food first and then I peeled off to meet up with Jess and D at the Expo.

It took a couple tries to get this picture. The old man we asked

 had a hard time figuring out how to use an iPhone 

camera....which incidentally, kept happening to us.

After hitting the expo, we went our separate ways until our planned dinner...we were late getting reservations made so after striking out at four different Italian restaurants, we had to settle for a brewery....

At dinner, I was still planning to walk only about 5-7 miles. Little did I know that I would decide to do something totally crazy - like actually walk the whole thing with no training whatsoever. I tried to get a decent nights sleep, but that is virtually impossible sleeping next to someone who snores. So a few hours of non-sleep later, I was up and getting ready for my planned DNF. I caught the first train downtown that ended up being FULL of other racers....I was earlier than our planned meet up time so I had my second cup of coffee. Again, not at all in the 'I'm about to walk 26 miles' mindframe....But the thought was starting to occur to me. I was mentally trying to talk myself into it at that point...by the time Jess, D and Mike showed up, I was all, I think I am going to try to walk the whole thing. Jess was excited and that sealed the deal. I couldn't let her walk the entire thing by herself, injured, carrying a 5ft flag. I still planned to stop if the injuries started bothering me.

Representing Blue! 

We had our Circle of Remembrance by calling out the names of the fallen soldiers -- a reminder of who we were running for. Then it was time to split up into our separate corrals. D was up front in B corral, Mike started in G I believe,and Jess and I started in Corral F. The corrals were all split up on separate blocks so we weren't able to hear the National Anthem at the beginning, which was a bummer. We finally rolled across the start at about 7:25am or so. 

 Have no idea which mile this was at....

I am still smiling though....

The first 8 miles or so flew by pretty quickly...we did an out and back along the river, walking mostly, yogging some of the time. There were bands all along the course, cheer squads and a lot of spectators. There was also a good deal of aid on the course, which - thank god - because I was so unprepared, I was totally reliant on what they had to offer. 

We also got to see everyone at some point or other....We saw Deidra twice on a couple out and back portions; as well as Mike and April, our Ragnar teammate. That was really cool since there were so many people....the flags totally helped with that! Easier to spot. 

As I mentioned in my "I can't believe I actually did that" post, this whole experience was very surreal and didn't feel like it was actually happening. If every single part of my body wasn't screaming at me right now, it might seem like a crazy feverish dream....since I did everything so very very wrong. Wrong clothes, no preparation, and made do with what I had in front of me...All the things you aren't supposed to do were done, but I survived it. 

We got through the first half and I still felt pretty good. My hamstring and hip didn't hurt anymore than normal so I decided to keep going past the 13 mile mark....and past that, there was really no turning back. After mile 16, you hit the first bridge, St. Johns bridge. The next 8-9 miles were on the other side of the river and I knew it wouldn't be easy to get back if I stopped there. Plus my phone had already died, so I wouldn't have been able to call my sister to come rescue me anyway....

Headed up the killer hills to the bridge, approaching Mile 17.

 

This picture is a result of the nice lady coming to 

the rescue of another iPhone challenged runner....

We made it over the bridge and by then it was H-O-T hot. Mid 70's and I was still in my long sleeve shirt. This next 8 miles or so was in a residential area and there were at least a couple nice folks who turned on their sprinklers in the street for us. I ran through both of them and dumped at least 4-5 cups of water on my head during the last 10 miles. I was definitely hitting the wall by this point. My energy was dropping significantly, I was really thirsty and the blisters on my feet were getting more raw. But we just kept plodding along....passing mile markers slowly but surely. 22, then 23...then finally 24 and were back over on the other side of the river after crossing the final bridge.

At this point, we were yogging more than walking since it hurt less. Jess kept getting shooting pains in her knee and was limping a bit, so she felt better walking. I sort of shuffle/dragged my feet beside her and we finally made it to mile 25. Right at that corner, I heard my sister and daughter screaming our names...I looked over at them in a daze and immediately burst into tears and almost started hyperventilating.....but seeing them was exactly the boost I needed to finish the last 1.2 miles. We rounded the corner at mile 26 and both of us held the flag the last .2 of the race across the finish line. Until this point, we were taking turns carrying it, switching off whenever one of us got too tired. 

We crossed the finish line and it was so nice to be done.....I was exhausted though. And almost burst into tears again when they said they didn't have medals right then and water was a half block away around the corner. I seriously almost lost it big time. I hobbled over to get water and again was defeated when I was handed a half full dixie cup. Seriously? No bottles of water? They got some medals finally (they had taken them all for some reason to the new finish line they were setting up since it was nearly the end of the regular course time) and I was able to stop by the medical tent to get some ice packs saran-wrapped to my arse. 

The post race food was pretty sad by then...all the fruit was brown and the chocolate milk was slightly warm. I guess that is what happens when you finish after 7 hours. We picked up the rest of our swag and got the hell out of there....by then most people were gone. And we all had long drives ahead of us to get home....

 Smiling or grimacing? You be the judge...

Overall, I thought the race was well organized, the volunteers were superb and the Pirate Band was by far the best on-course entertainment. I didn't love the on-course fuel, but when you don't bring any of your own, anything is better than nothing.....I would have loved Gatorade instead of the awful pink stuff they were calling Ultima (which I only drank b/c it was hot and I need to replace electrolytes in bad way) and gels of some kind instead of pretzels and gummy bears. But I survived. 

Overall stats- which I am writing out, since screen-grabbing is in violation of their 'copyright policy' (which, really?) and I really don't feel like risking a $150,000 fine.

Finish: 7:08:41 (Tag time; 7:27:19 Gun time)

Avg Pace: 16:21 (not too bad for walking)

Overall Place: 6374 of 6518 (ha!)

Women: 3251 of 3360

F 35-39: 557 of 565

Splits:

5 km: 43.13

10 km: 1:30:48

8.9 mi: 2:12:52

Half: 3:20:21

17.5 mi: 4:41:44

21.1 mi: 5:42:18

Finisher - Marathon #1 Done

We carried the flags the entire 26.2 miles. 

I still can't believe I did it. I really truly planned to walk a maximum of 5 or 6 miles. I even packed for that - leaving no room for the possibility of even trying to walk more. But somehow, that morning, being around all those runners, knowing Jess was going to do the whole thing walking and what we called 'yogging' (a sort of shuffling jog) I decided to just go for it and play it by ear. The first half of the course was a few loops through downtown Portland and some industrial areas and I figured I'd see if I could make it to that point and do a gut check then. We were feeling good so I decided to keep going.

By the time we got to mile 16, it was like, this is it - this is the point where there is no turning back. It was only 10 more miles and I knew we could do it. My hip and arse (that upper hamstring area just below my bum where the tendons are super angry) felt pretty ok so we just kept plodding along. The walking was tough, I am not going to lie. Your foot moves around in your shoe differently, which for me, means blisters. So there were times where the yogging was less painful, as long as I kept my stride really short. And miles 23-26 were really really tough. The last mile was the longest mile I've ever yogged. No lie.

St. Johns Bridge....about 2/3 of the way there!

It felt surreal the whole time. I still couldn't believe I was doing it, even as I wincing with every step....And I was so unprepared. First off, because I planned to keep the miles in the single digits, I wore my long sleeve Wear Blue shirt and my thick heavy WB hoodie. It was super chilly at 6am, but by about 11am, the sun was out and it got really really hot...definitely hit the mid 70's, which is very very unusual for the Pacific Northwest in early October.

By mile 1 - the hoodie was off and around my waist, forcing me to re-pin my bib. But luckily, I knew we were going to see Erin around the 2 mile mark and when we saw her I yelled hi and basically threw my sweatshirt at her. Thanks for taking it Erin- You are, hands down, one of the best race pit crew people ever.

Other things I did wrong: I brought no water bottle or fuel, I didn't train at all (oy vey), I didn't dress properly for the weather (was kicking myself the whole time for not wearing my short sleeve WB shirt and forgetting my hat), I didn't wear sunscreen so my face is pretty sunburned. In addition to not training, I also wasn't fueling with walking a 26.2 in mind- ate crappy this last week, didn't pre-hydrate like I normally do, and didn't carbo load very much at all. Also, I forgot to start my RunKeeper app at the start and remembered around 1.5 miles in. Once I did start it, we decided to run without music (which I can proudly say I did for the entire 26.2 miles, also another first) but a couple hours in, I looked at my phone and had only 9% battery left. So I just switched it off. I had no idea of our pace or exact time the whole time - we just kept going (aaand another first!).

Despite all of that - I did it. I finished a marathon - walking, injured and carrying a 5ft American flag for about half the time. Every painful step was walked in honor of Command Sgt Major Kevin Griffin - who died in Afghanistan after proudly serving our country for the past 24 years.

Serious swag here - 2 shirts, a beautiful medal, a commemorative 

coin, a pendant and a rose! I also loved the personalized bib!

Seeing my people at mile 25 was also really awesome. We got to that spot and my sister, daughter and my daughter's friend were standing there screaming for us and taking pictures. I was having a really hard time at that exact moment and seeing them made me burst into tears. My girl was proud of her mama and the love gave me the boost I needed to get through that last super long mile. What a day. I feel like I am going to die today, but I did it. Full recap to come!

First marathon - Done!

One Year Runniversary

My year in races....

A couple weeks late....but just about a year ago, I decided to run my first half marathon. I'd started and stopped running regularly many times over the years and always wanted to do a half marathon. 13.1 seemed like so many miles...and I thought that I would never be able to do that. So I finally decided to give it a shot. And not be scared of failing. Or of working really hard for something. And then failing. That self doubt always stopped me from getting very far....

Now I was ready to just go for it. I started going on short runs...about 2 miles or so around the neighborhood. Looking back over my training for the last year is kind of cool. I ran between 2-3 miles 4 days a week for a full month and a half...then I started pushing that up. Slowly but surely, I was ticking off all these firsts. First time I ran 5 miles, then 7 miles, then my first run in the double digits. Then I tackled a full 13 a couple weeks before that first race. It felt so incredibly good to accomplish that and to cross the finish line of my first half marathon. I wanted to keep feeling that. To keep pushing farther.

So I kept training, kept working on my pace and endurance, and getting a few more races under my belt. One year later and I've run a lot of miles-nearly 1000. I've run 4 5K's, 2 10K's, 5 Half Marathons and one 200 mile running relay with a team of 12. That's more than I planned to accomplish. So I'm proud of that. And it's only going to get more intense...first full marathon in October and then another 200 mile relay-with 6 people this time. Kind of makes me want to throw up. Just a little bit.

But I think I'm ready. After all, a year ago, 13.1 miles sounded insurmountable. But I conquered it. And I will conquer this too.

Mid Year Check In - 2012 Goals

It's June. You know what that means, folks. It's time for a mid-year check in. You know, like they do at work....In January of this year, I wrote a post detailing my 2012 goals. Unrelated: Mileage for the year, as of 6/5/12 is 482. Not too shabby. Without further ado--here are my goals for the year and how I'm doing, score included. First, the big goals:

*Train year round-for the entirety of 2012
....Killing it. I've trained like clockwork all 6 months of the year so far. And I just finished my training  schedule through October so I'm definitely on track to meet that goal! 4/5 Exceeds Expectations.

*Run 1 race per month - 12 races for 12 months
....Done and done! Jan and Feb were 5k's, Mar, April and May were half marathons. I also have my race schedule all mapped out till the end of the year so that one is in the bag as well, if all goes according to plan. 5/5 Outstanding


*Run at least 3 half marathons
....Already done and planning on two more at least before the year's end. 5/5 Outstanding.

*Run my first full marathon
.....Planning to run the Portland Marathon on October 7th. 26.2 - bring it! 3/5 - Meets Expectations, but only b/c I haven't started training for it and it's still a few months out.

*Become more social with my running
.....Getting there. I joined a Ragnar Relay team for NW Passages in July so there is 11 other running obsessed people I've brought into my life so far...Meeting more runners to race with -- but I need to make more plans to run with folks when I'm not racing. Will keep me from getting too complacent in my routine. 3/5 Meets Expectations.

So far so good. Tracking to meet these goals, without question. I love it when I actually accomplish stuff!

Now, on to the mirco-goals:

*PR's throughout the year
.....So far so good. Every half marathon brings me a better time. Went from a 2:22 my first half to 2:05 in the last one....aiming to hit a sub 2 hour half by years end. Totally gonna nail it. 5/5 Outstanding.

*Pacing--staying consistent and pushing it down to the 8-9 min range
.....Getting there. See above....last half pace averaged 9:36 -- down from 11:08 in my first half. Speed work helps, even though it's a major bitch. 3/5 Meets Expectations

*Doing more consistent speed work
.....Haven't done as many of these workouts as I'd hoped, see above. But I am definitely seeing the benefits so will continue to try to get these in done every other week as planned. 3/5 Meets Expectations

*Cross Training- I wanted to incorporate it into my training
.....Really didn't do much until the last month or so. I really wanted to do yoga and strength training more often but it just hasn't happened. In the last month though, I've been really consistent about getting in some arm/ab work in at least 5 days a week. Can already tell the difference in muscle tone and overall feeling of strength. Will definitely keep at it, as that will only help me bring that pace down further. 2/5 Needs Improvement.

*Blogging-Wanted to figure out not suck at it
.....Getting there! Learning as I go. Did some updates last weekend and love the new look. Going to keep trying new things and teaching myself as much as I can.3/5 Meets expectations.

*Eating Better
......Still continuing to lose the weight I gained after quitting smoking....down about 30 lbs and working on fitting into all my old clothes. Doing better but still not where I'd like to be. Can't be good at everything, right? 2/5 Needs Improvement.

*Taking better care of my body-enough sleep, vitamins, learning how to use the dreaded foam roller, get regular massages
......Working on it. Figured out the foam roller and it's my new BFF. Wish I could afford a massage every month, but I'll have to settle for paying/bribing my daughter to rub my shoulders every now and then. 3/5 Meets Expectations

So there it is. On track to meet many of these goals and I think I will definitely make some serious gains in my running this year.

Heroes Half Race Recap

This is the face of an 8:10 pace.

 You have my permission to laugh at this picture all you want. I look like I am about to die...

The Heroes Half was HM number 3, fitting because this was the 3rd annual race, benefiting St. Jude's. The race, a 10K and Half Marathon, started and ended at the Port of Everett and ran along the Yellow Ribbon Highway up to Marysville and back. Very flat course, which was refreshing after MI last month.

This race partnered with Athletepath for a technology marriage made in heaven. Instant result, people! That's what I am talking about. You could register in advance for a text/email with your results, the race people had instant access so they could call out names of finishers as they crossed the line and they had this:

Instant results checker!

Granted, I just started my illustrious racing career,  but I've never seen this before! It was so cool....in the 'Registration Room' where they were announcing the winners, there were about a dozen of these little stations set up. You just typed in your Bib # in the little keypad and boom--results!

Happy to report two awesome things: another PR- an itty bitty one, but PR nonetheless -- finished in 2:11:33. The other was a huge first: negative splits! This was totally not on purpose at all, it just ended up happening that way.

See I met this other cool running chic-- and we talked up a storm until I had to stop for a brief Honeybucket visit and we split up, around mile 4. It made the first miles go by so quick! And I was so excited to meet another awesome superwoman running mama! We ended up having a lot in common and have done/are doing some of the same races! Hi Jess! I'll see you at Rock-n-Roll in June! 

After we split up, I was feeling pretty good and loving the pancake course so I went for it. Decided to see if I could best my MI time so towards the end, I just kicked it into gear....I kept myself going by picking off the ladies in front of me- one by one. About 6 people later, I was rounding the final loop into the finish, for a nice little PR and some killer negative splits.Thanks Speedwork! You are a bitch, but you make the kick at the end on tired legs so much easier.

This was also my first race in Blue. I was proud to honor Air Force Master Sgt. Tara Brown . I can't wait until the RnR when there is going to be a huge sea of Blue!

 Please excuse the I'm-already-home-race-pic. This was my first race with no pit crew and I haven't perfected the self timer/portrait thing quite yet.......

Overall this was an excellent, well run race. The course support was great and everything was very well organized. Favorites were the use of technology for instant results, PB & J sandwiches at the finish, and a group warm-up led by a very attractive runner dude. I don't know what it is exactly about the PB & J that just hit the spot, but it was the perfect post-race grub....I probably ate the equivalent of a sandwich and a half!

There were a few things that could have been a tiny bit better: there were a few loops at turnaround point where runners coming and going crossed paths and it got a little confusing which direction you were supposed to go. And there was very little water at the finish. Great fuel support on the course (h2o, Gatorade & Gels every 2 miles) but this is the first race I've been to where they didn't hand out bottles of water at the end. They just had the same coolers set up for self service...But aside from those two minor things, it was a great race that I'd definitely do again.

Splits:

Mile 1 - 10:54
Mile 2 - 11:24
Mile 3 - 10:48
Mile 4 - 10:24
Mile 5 - 9:03
Mile 6 - 9:31
Mile 7 - 9:29
*Avg Pace - 1st half: 10:01
Mile 8 - 9:20
Mile 9 - 9:25
Mile 10 - 10:06
Mile 11 - 9:45
Mile 12 - 9:18
Mile 13 - 9:05
Last bit - 8:10
*Avg Pace - 2nd Half 9:19

Overall 2:11:33; 10:02

Man Up Month

It’s here.  This is the month I run two half marathons. I’m a little nervous about how my body is going to hold up. Especially since my weekly and monthly mileage has been the highest it’s ever been and I ran a race 3 weeks ago. I am feeling good right now so I think this is going to be a good experience. Listening to my body is going to be key – and getting enough rest, hydration and good nutrition over the course of the next month will be my focus.

Man up month, was somewhat inspired by this girl…..She’s been doing her own, much more hardcore Man Up Week and I am seriously in awe.

Check it out: She ran the Gansett Marathon in RI on Sat 4/14. Followed by a kick a$$ performance at Boston on Mon 4/16. She’s back in her home state on the West Coast now and is starting the Ragnar SoCal Ultra Relay today, continuing on into tomorrow. All of this is going to be capped off with the San Luis Obispo Marathon on Sun 4/22. [Note-she’ll be doing her encore performance next Sun 4/29 at the Eugene Marathon.]

If that is not super insane, I don’t know what is! I can’t compare myself to people like that. This girl is, I am convinced, a genetically blessed anomaly. Either that or she’s a robot. I say that with a huge amount of respect—especially considering that this isn’t even that out of the norm for her. She regularly runs back to back marathons and her daily runs are typically in the double digits. See? She’s a robot.

She’s also incredibly funny and self-depreciating for such a talented runner. I enjoy following along….and find inspiration in her dedication. All of which sort of possessed me to sign up for 4 half marathons in 4 months, after only completing one prior to that. And two of them will be in the next 4 weeks. 

So it’s here—my Man Up Month! Here’s to staying healthy, running strong and having a really good time.

Training Cycle #3

Already started...and already at the end of week 3. This cycle started post Mercer Island Half and is taking me all the way through the Rock and Roll in June. It's really more of a maintenance cycle to power me through my series. But it's doable...and every month will be over 100 miles. Woot woot!

After that....we'll see. I'm not sure what the summer holds other than I know I'll be switching my focus to training for a full in the fall and build my training/race schedule around that. I still haven't decided which marathon I'll do. Holding out hope that I'll get lucky and get in to NYC through the lottery-will know at the end of the month! If not, the Portland Marathon is currently holding spot #2. But an ad I saw for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco in October made me think we've got a challenger for that number 2 spot.

Loving the fact that it's getting light earlier and staying lighter later. I have decided to not beat myself up over not getting up early in the mornings and actually plan for it. One week I'll get up early and the next I'll run after work. This week was an after...next week I'll get up early and knock them out before work.

Only a few weeks until the Heroes half! Can't wait.

Fast Forward-Week 14 in Review

 

Great week. I hit every day exactly as planned and the weather is starting to get more....spring-like. It's amazing the confidence I get from nailing a week. Got up early for two and ran after work for the other two. And Saturday's long run was....well I ended up stripping down to just my tank top. It was really clear and sunny out. And there were dozens and dozens of bikers and runners out enjoying it with me.

So clear....the Mountain even made a special appearance.

That was the end of the week....earlier in the week, Tuesday to be exact, it was a different story. It was a little sunny, a little cloudy and I was enjoying a nice after work run. In the middle, I started getting pelted by freezing rain, but I didn't mind too much since the final mile home looked like this:

Double rainbow!!

Monday

Last week was post MI half recovery week -- a nice and light 16 miles. This week bumped back up to normal--as I am now 3 weeks out from the Heroes Half Marathon on 4/29.

3.49 mi; 34:32: 9:54

Tuesday

Nice after work run that started off sunny, got a little freezy and wet in the middle and ended with a sparkly double rainbow. Not bad, mother nature, not bad.

4.29 mi; 55:39 (stopped to take pics more than once, forgot to pause); 12:58

Wednesday

Tempo run....really ran hard on this one and nailed my splits for the middle three miles (9:31; 9:50; 9:55). Felt really good afterwards but definitely a bit sore.

4.93; 48:48; 9:54

Thursday

Did back to backs for this one...yesterday's run was after work and this one was early a.m. Felt pretty good....

3.5 mi; 34:17; 9:49

Friday

Much needed rest day. Legs were a little sore from increasing mileage back up to the mid twenties after taking it easy last week. 

Saturday

Beautiful day...warm, sunny and in the 60's. Felt pretty good and made sure I kept hydrated. 

10.23mi; 1:49:29; 10:42

Total for Week 14: 26.44 miles

Officially two weeks into Training Cycle #3. Well, what I am calling all one cycle but it actually includes 3 half marathons. Details on that to come!

March 2012: In which I hit my highest mileage in a month.

For a month in which I felt like I was just not getting it done, I actually pulled off a monthly mileage PR. Crazy....since my last couple months peaked out in the high 80's. So that tells me that I despite my perception, I managed to step it up and get back to consistently nailing my training plan--for the most part. I beat myself up so much when I miss a day or don't quite get the mileage in...so this is a good motivator to head into training cycle #3. Every month from now until the last Half Marathon in my series (Seattle RnR in June) calls for over 100 mile months. Since spring is also slooowly getting here in the NW, I am ready to take it on!

March's weather on the other hand, definitely came in like a lion. Tons of rain, wind and grey skies...even a bit of snow in the middle of the month. My long runs in March were really enjoyable even so. Varying the route is really important because it helps to stave off boredom and keeps things challenging. And the varying the timing of the hills in each run ultimately helped me do much better than I expected at the MI Half.

March also brought my first ice bath. Ever. It wasn't too awful, and actually felt pretty good to get my sore legs completely numb. And even though I had a less than stellar training cycle, I decided to chalk it up to the luck of the season and move on.

I closed the month out with a 9 min PR a the MI half and a new monthly mileage high. All in all, it ended up being a great kick off to race season.

Mercer Island Half Marathon Recap

 

Official results posted. The time I saw when I crossed the finish must have been my gun time; official time- 2:13:01. Woot woot! That is pretty cool - PR by 9 minutes! 

There were races of all distances - Kids dash, 5 and 10K's and Half Marathon Walk and Run in this one. They staggered the times and the run didn't start until 9am--which is later than normal for these kinds of races. I was glad--we got there early in plenty of time to watch my best friend's son run the kids dash. He had fun and I think I've been successful in pulling in a new recruit! 

So I may have mentioned- this was a super hilly course. The course followed Mercer Way around the island, which is heavily wooded and really just one rolling hill after another. Up and down. Up and down. The weather was perfect though. It was sunny, in the high 40's and was just really beautiful, especially when you could see the lake. 

Things started to get a little more exciting around mile 9-10. There seemed to be more people out and I just got a surge of energy when I started seeing the mileage get higher and higher. The hills towards the end were no joke though. Last half mile to the finish was uphill. And there was one huge one - much steeper grade and longer it felt like - around mile 11. I kept running up the stupid hill and was pretty excited to find a Gatorade station at the top. 

Until, again, I pulled a rookie mistake. Didn't slow down enough, nor did I pinch the cup at the top and ended up literally inhaling it. Face full of Gatorade. Just like I did in the Seattle half...won't be doing that again...I hope.

Even with the hills, I enjoyed this race a lot. I felt strong the whole time and really ended up doing much better than I thought I would. A 9 minute PR. I have visions of a sub 2 hour half in my future!

 

Splits below--you can definitely tell where the biggest hills were!

Mile 1 - 9:38

Mile 2 - 9:29

Mile 3 - 9:43

Mile 4 - 10:11

Mile 5 - 9:38

Mile 6 - 9:58

Mile 7 - 10:04

Mile 8 - 9:52

Mile 9 - 9:57

Mile 10 - 10:26

Mile 11 - 10:26

Mile 12 - 10:43

Mile 13 - 9:30

Last bit - 12:32

Pictures are up now. And I look like a total weirdo  b/c I decided to wave like a cheeseball when I finally crested the top of the last hill.

Yes

                                                    Even yesser.....

2012 Goals

I am new to this running business. Used to run in high school and college but that was over a decade ago....I've tried to start running again at various points in my adult life, only to quit after a few weeks. It was always hard to get over that 'getting into shape' hump. It's tough to build a base when you start out so out of shape....it's easy to see why people who are overweight have a hard time keeping at it. It's painful. And it takes some commitment to get past that on your own and get to a place where it's habit, where it gets easier and where you start to have fun.

When I made the decision to start running again this year, I wanted to set a goal and accomplish it but I also wanted to make a lifestyle change that would stick. 6 months now and I am sticking with it. That is something pretty big for me. Challenging myself and accomplishing things I set out to do-big ones and little ones along the way-brings more self confidence and erases some of doubt I carry around.

In 2011- my goal was to train for and finish my first half marathon. I not only finished- but I met my A goal of doing it in 2:22. I also met my goal of setting up a training plan and sticking to it-every day. 

In 2012- I want to run my first full marathon. And accomplish a few other things as well....

• Train year round - for the entirety of the 2012
• Run 1 race per month- 12 races for 12 months
• Run at least 3 half marathons
• Run my first full marathon
• Become more social with my running- join a running club, go to Fleet Feet group runs, connect with other runners to train and race with

First two half marathons will be the Mercer Island Half on 3/25/12. Following that 12 weeks later is the Seattle Rock and Roll Half on 6/23/12. Full marathon is slated for the fall. Entered the lottery for NYC so that is choice number 1. Next is Portland and if all else fails, it will likely be Seattle. Keeping my fingers crossed for NYC.....what an excellent first marathon that would be. 

Already have January's race taken care of with the Resolution Run....have March and June covered as well so next up is looking for Feb, April and May races....will probably do either 5 or 10k's those months. 

Not only is all this totally doable, I am going to try to meet some micro- goals as well.

• PR's throughout the year
• Working on pacing- staying consistent throughout a run, and pushing the pacing down to 8-9 min/miles consistently
• Doing more consistent speed work
• Incorporating cross training into my training cycles-yoga to start, perhaps spinning or swimming later in the year. 
• Blogging-I want to figure out all this stuff so I don't suck too much at it.
• Getting better at cooking nutritious meals so my body gets the fuel it needs to stay healthy and perform efficiently
• Taking better care of myself-getting enough sleep, vitamins, stretching, using foam roller and stick, getting massages when I can...

Well that is quite the list...I'd better get busy!