White Rock Marathon Race Report

It's hard to gather my thoughts and write something concise and cohesive about my experience of running my first marathon, but here goes my best try at it.

I guess the easiest way to approach this is to write about it as things unfolded.

Weeks Before

As I wrote in my last entry, the weeks leading up to my marathon were pretty challenging, to say the least. Not just because my training schedule had insane-sounding things on it like "8mi pace run" and "20mi long run," but also because I was dealing with what seemed like one injury after another. If it wasn't my ankle, it was my hamstring or my knee. I missed several runs trying to get healthy, and the combination of lingering injuries and missed training runs really zapped my confidence. During that time, there were several times when I thought the marathon may not happen. 

Marathon Week

Then marathon week arrived. The reduced running of my tapering period seemed to help with my injuries, so I was starting to feel more optimistic. But my optimism was dampened by the weather reports that began to appear during the days leading up to my marathon. Predicted temperatures bounced around between mid-30's and low 40's, and rain seemed imminent. I was okay with the cold, but mixing that with rain brought feelings of dread that got me back to doubting whether I really wanted to go through with this. I hadn't trained in those conditions, how would I handle being exposed to the combination of cold and rain for 4, 5, 6 hours? How do you dress for that? 

Oh, and also my Garmin died. Really bad news. The battery just would not charge at all. I didn't have time to get it repaired, or money to replace it, so I would just have to live without it. Not good, really not good. I'd been running with my Garmin for a year and a half, and missed not having the feedback on my distance and pace. I substituted my iphone for the Garmin, using the Runmeter app. It's okay, but not as convenient as my Garmin.

The Day Before

By Saturday (the day before the marathon), I had decided I would just roll with whatever weather came. I would trust my training and take comfort in the fact that I would be out there with thousands of others going through the same things. I knew this was also a well-run race, and I wouldn't be far from help if I needed it. So I headed out to the expo to pick up my race packet. I had a great time. By the end of the expo, I was ready to run! There's something about being at a big race expo that really gets me excited about running. But I decided not to stay too long; being on my feet wondering around an expo for hours seemed like it may not be the best idea the day before my marathon. So I went home and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I watched "Spirit of the Marathon" and "UltraMarathon Man" to get some extra motivation.

Marathon Day!

Rain, about 40 degrees. And it was only supposed to get colder and wetter as the morning went on. :/

Not good, but I knew it was coming and I was mentally prepared for it. Time to reach back to my Army days. As we used to say, time to suck it up and drive on.

I had set everything out the night before, and had just enough time to get dressed and get out the door. I do this on purpose, so that I don't have time to think too much about the race. Idle time on race morning usually isn't the best thing for my mental state. 

By 5:20am I was out the door and heading to pick up a friend. We rode over and met up with some other runners, and we all rode together to the race. Traffic was pretty bad close to the race, but we all managed to get to the starting line about 15min prior to gun time. I spent that time chatting with some other runners nearby. Before I knew it, there were fireworks and then we were off.

As I mentioned above, I didn't have my Garmin, so I was trying to use my Runmeter on my iphone. But I gave up on it about a 1/4 mile into the race for a couple of reasons. First, I wasn't getting a good gps signal in the downtown area where we were running. Second, it was raining, and I was concerned about using my iphone out in the rain, even though I had it in a zip-lock bag. Third, it's impossible to operate my iphone with my gloves on, and it wasn't easy to pull my glove on and off to work my iphone. So I decided I was just going to have to run by "feel" and live without the distance info. Because of this, I would later realize that I had erred too far on the side of slowing my pace. I tried to keep my pace slow, knowing from past experience that I tend to go too fast, especially at the start of a race. What feels like a 10min/mi pace during training becomes a 9:30min/mi pace on race day. So I made a conscious decision to hold back.

Speaking of holding back, I had to make a port-o-potty stop as soon as the race started. They had them at every water station, about every 1.5mi. When I got to the first one, the lines were pretty long, so I decided to wait until the next one. But apparently alot of people had the same idea, because when I got to the next water station the lines were long there too. I had no choice, I would have to stop and wait. I think I lost about 5-10min waiting in line.

Finally, after getting through the line, I hit the road and got going. The next several miles went by pretty fast and easily. The only down side was the constant rain that left alot of water running on the roads. By about mile 5 or 6 I was pretty much drenched, the water was completely soaked through my clothes, hat, gloves, shoes, etc. Every time I hit water deeper than the sole of my shoe I felt icy water on my toes! Also, during this time I generally had no idea how far I had run. Either the miles weren't marked or I kept missing the mile markers. I knew where the 8mi point was from running this same portion of the course last year while running the half marathon. So I knew I was still somewhere between miles 3 and 8. I also had to make another port-o-potty stop, and wait in another long line for it. Lost another 5-10min there. I guess I over-hydrated for the cold, damp conditions.

Finally I got to the 8mi spot, which was nice because for the first time I felt like I had my bearings. Still no idea how fast or slow I was going. It was around this time that I saw a guy running barefoot. Okay, I'm not into the minimalist thing, but to each his own. However, in that weather, I really think that foot-wear of some kind is really needed. This guys feet were beet red. I asked how he was doing, and he told me that his feet were numb. Well, it was near freezing and raining outside. He was running the half, so I guess at least he was almost done.

Around mile 9 we split off from the half-marathoners. Around this point we got a break from the rain, which was nice. I spent some time wringing out my gloves and hat while I ran. That was a nice lift, although I was still feeling pretty good. 

The first kind of low point in the race came around mile 11. If you've run White Rock Marathon, then you know that this is the point where you arrive at White Rock Lake. You then do a 10mi lap around the lake. Coming up to the lake you run through a sort of wooded area where the course dips then you have a small incline and at the crest the lake appears before you. The whole lake. The one you have to run all the way around. And at the moment I arrived at this point, it looked like I had to lap the Pacific Ocean. Sigh.

Oh, and the rain started again. Sigh.

Then I arrived at the half-way point, mile 13.1. Should that be a time to celebrate? I didn't feel like celebrating, as I looked across the lake and, in the far distance, saw runners on the other side of the lake. I had a long way to go, and it was getting to me. 

I focused on a bridge at the far side of the lake, sort of the half-way point of the lap around the lake. I would run to that bridge, and think about nothing else. And before I knew it, I was crossing the bridge and heading back along the other side of the lake. One good thing was I finally started seeing mile markers, so I was able to keep track of where I was at. I was finally at the bridge. I think it was around mile 17.

The next few miles I decided to listen to some music. A couple of songs got me through those tough miles from 17 to 21 as I finished my way around the lake. The first song was "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger. I just listened to it over and over, and it really helped me relax and settle into a nice run. It was so helpful to take my mind off of all of the miles that I still had ahead of me. The second song was "He Reigns" by News Boys. I listened to this song several times, probably from about mile 19 to mile 22. It reminded me of how powerful God is and how He can give me strength to get through so many things in life, including the miles ahead. 

Around mile 21 I was finally finished with the lap around the lake, and heading into the infamous incline towards mile 22. I really didn't think it was too bad, I was just grateful to be finished with the lap around the lake, and really happy to be in the final stretch of the race. By mile 22 I was cresting the hill and feeling amazing. I think at this point it really started to sink in that I was going to finish this thing. Doubt was fading. The end was less than 5 miles away! No way I would quit now. 

I was starting to feel some pain in my legs and some tightness in my hips. It felt kind of like my hydration belt had slipped down around my hips, but it hadn't. It was a strange feeling. I tried taking walking breaks a couple of times, but it was more comfortable to run than walk. If I walked, I felt the cold more and my legs started to tighten up. So I just kept running, ticking off the miles. Mile 23....mile 24.....mile 25.....

At mile 25, the first tears of joy welled in my eyes. I pulled out my phone and sent my wife, Melody, a simple text: mile 25 :) 

It was around mile 25.5, with less than a mile to go, that I passed an old man on the side of the road who looked like he could have been a runner too. He smiled at me and told me to enjoy it while it lasted, it was almost over.  My emotions really surprised me at this point. I was completing a goal I'd dreamed of for many years, and that until recently I never thought I would ever accomplish. It was overwhelming. 

Mile 26. The finish line was ahead, and I saw my wife, Melody, and my Mom cheering for me as I approached the finish. Yes, I shed a few tears. I couldn't help it, I was completely overwhelmed by the thrill of finishing a marathon. Crossing the finish line was a moment I hope I never forget. Suddenly all those months of training, long runs, lost sleep to get up early to run, it was all 100% worth it. I was cold, I was completely soaked, I was exhausted. And I was now a marathoner.

Run the Rails race report

This morning I ran the "Run the Rails" 5k. I finished with a time of 26:56, which just barely beat my top goal of 27 minutes. It also beat my time from one month ago by about 1.5 minutes. So I'm very happy with my performance this morning.

I did a couple of things different this race. First, I had coffee this morning, which I've never done pre-race before. I had one cup with my usual two special-K cereal bars about 2 hours before race time. I think it helped me wake up, but I'm not sure it had any affect on the actual race. I also had a gatorade g1 about 20min before the race, which has become another pre-race tradition.

Also, this was the first time I did my packet pickup on race day. I usually don't do that because I like to show up ready to run. But it was a busy week, plus I anticipated that I'd be able to park close to the event area. That was important because there was no bag drop and I didn't have any friends or family there this morning to watch my stuff while I ran. So I just picked up my number, bag, shirt, etc., and dropped it off back at my car.

The race started at 8am. Considering the heat and early sunrise this time of year, I think they should consider moving the start time up a bit to 7 or 7:30. It was sunny and upper-70's at the start. The open, un-shaded course offered no relief from the sun. I was grateful for the water station at the half-way point. I took a small sip and dumped the rest of the water over myself.

I intentionally started at a relatively easy pace. I kept it at about 8:45 for the first mile. A couple of guys passed me early on and then slowed in front of me, so I followed those two for a while. We ran along single-file and kept a pace that ranged from about 8:15 to 8:45 until the water station at the half-way point. That's when the guy in the middle of our pack took off. I guess it got to the first guy who was in front of both of us, because right after he got passed he stepped off to the side and started walking. I didn't see him again. Around that time I got passed by a guy pushing a stroller. I let him go, but kept an eye on him and the other guy that took off, thinking I may catch them later. And sure enough, by about the 2.5 mile point, the stroller guy had slowed a bit, and I had started to pick up my pace a bit, and I managed to pass him. But I never could catch the other guy. Then with about .2 miles to go, the stroller guy caught up to me. He was really moving and so I hung with him as long as I could. We were moving at about a 7:20 pace I think. But as hard as I tried, he had me and I couldn't hang that last bit. I let him go, but was still happy to see the clock just under 27 minutes as I crossed the finish line.

The preliminary results showed me in 9th place in my age group. Apparently this race has really gained in popularity this year, because last year my time would have got me 2nd place in my age group. But I think it just shows how these events are continuing to gain in popularity, and how more people are really getting into pretty decent running shape in our area. That's a trend that I really hope continues!



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Quick Race Recap and training update (Marathon Training - Week 1 of 30)

Just taking a few minutes to write a short post about Saturday's race. According to my Garmin, my finish time was 28:25. Not the time I wish it was, but all things considered it's not bad. I only managed to hit one of my three goals, but better than meeting none of them. At the very least, it's good to have beaten last year's time. So even though I was slacking for a while, at least I'm doing better than this time last year.

Also - so much for rolling with no training plan. Starting this week, I'm back on a program. I'm planning to run my first full marathon in December, so as of this week my focus is on that goal. I found an 18 week training plan (Hal Higdon's Novice II), stretched the first six weeks, tacked on a bit to the beginning to match where I'm at, and ended up with a 32 week training schedule. Basically, I'll be running short-intermediate distances Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, then a long run on Saturday. Sunday is cross-training day. Hal suggests swimming, cycling, or walking. I don't have access to a pool, and my bike is old and in pretty rough shape (plus cycling around here doesn't seem like the safest thing to do), so for now I will do about an hour of walking on Sundays. Monday and Friday are rest days.

That's it for now. Got a run in the morning.

A few things

Some things on my mind today:

1. I'm surprised by how tired my legs are from last night's 400m time trial. Maybe the most tired my legs have ever been after a run.

2. The Cowtown 10k has been upgraded from "Possible" to "Locked in" status on my Race Schedule. The race is on Feb. 26. Should be fun. It will be my wife's first 10k. Plus, we have alot of friends running one or another of the Cowtown events. I haven't run a 10k since last September. I feel a new PR coming.

3. Official results have now been posted for the 5k I ran last Saturday. Turns out my memory is failing. My official time was actually 24:48, not 24:28. Sidebar has been updated accordingly. (why couldn't it have been faster than I remembered instead of slower?)

4. I'm feeling great about the upcoming training schedule that I start officially on Saturday. Maybe the best I've felt about a training schedule since I started my half marathon training late last summer. I believe it will really help me improve, and I'm excited that it includes so many of the types of runs I enjoy the most: easy-pace runs in the 5-7 mile range.

My 400m time trial

If you are new to running like I am, you might be tempted to think that a 400m time trial is easy because it's only one lap around a track. But as I learned tonight, you would be wrong. Turns out it's hard. Crazy hard.

Before I get to my time trial summary, here's a look at Michael Johnson setting the current 400m world record, which remains safe after my attempt tonight:



I ran my 400m time trial in the dark, so I don't have a video of myself for comparison. But to give you an idea, watch the video above once again, and imagine me at just past the half-way point as Johnson crosses the finish line. Either that, or watch the video above at just over half speed if there's a way to do that.

Before beginning my 400, I followed some advice I found in a running forum and did a warm up that included an easy 1/2 mile run, some dynamic stretching, and some strides.  Then I found the 400m starting line and got ready to go. I thought maybe I should try to pace myself. But I decided just to go all out. After all, it's just one lap, right?

So, off I went, full bore. Around the first 100m, feeling good. Thinking about my breathing and my form. Down the back straight-away to the 200m mark, feeling okay. Still thinking about my form, trying to keep my strides quick.

Somewhere around 250m-300m I remembered something else I read online in the same forum where I found the warm-up advice. It was basically something like "don't just go all out, or else you'll burn out at 300m."

Well, guess what.

As I approached the 300m mark, turning into the final straightaway, my thighs suddenly felt like they were burning. To say I was hurting doesn't begin to describe how deep I was in the hurt locker. I seriously thought I was not going to make it the whole 400m. But I was absolutely determined not to quit. I would finish that last 100, even if I had to vomit while I ran. I would finish.

Did I mention how insanely hard that last 100m was?

Well, I did finish. My time was 81 seconds. Only 38s off from the world record! Watch out, Michael Johnson.

But seriously, this was really a worthwhile exercise. It's fun to find out just what I can do, and to have another milestone to try to surpass. It also gives me a whole new perspective and appreciation for world-class runners like Michael Johnson, who can run the 400m almost twice as fast as me, and for elite marathoners who can run 26.2 miles at a pace that's faster than my pace was tonight.

Rascal Roundup 5k Race

Thoughts on today's race:

- It was COLD! - about 30 degrees when we arrived.

- It was really alot of fun watching my wife and kids run a 1k together. It was my kid's first race. They had a blast, and all want to do another one some time.

- It was also really cool to see my step dad David run his first 5k (that's him in the Harley gear in the photo below).

- Even though I didn't PR today, I still had a pretty decent time of 24:28, which was good enough to take third place in my age group. So I scored my first age-group award, which is a medal that is like a dog-tag (there was a kind of camo theme to the race, so I guess Army dog tags go well with the theme).

- Post-race, they had some fun stuff for the kids, including a bounce house (behind me in the photo above) and face painting.

As I mentioned above, I didn't PR, but I'm still happy with my time. My splits for the first two miles were right about on target (7:39; 7:48). The third mile, things started to unravel (mile 3 - 8:08!?!). Here's my excuse:

See that hill around the 2-mile point? It killed me.

So what did I learn? I think it turned out to be a good plan to go out easy and save something for the end. It helped me get through the hills. I'm sure I finished faster than I would have if I had burned up too much during the first half of the race.

I need more hill work.

Super Bowl 5k!

Image via Wikipedia

One of my goals for 2011 is to run more races than I did in 2010. That means at least seven, but I'm aiming for 7-9 races this year.

I'll be getting a quick start on this goal by running my first race of 2011 this Saturday. Last night, on a whim, I registered for the Super Bowl XLV 5k. The registration fee was only $10, and they are giving away a pair of tickets to the Super Bowl. Plus, I get a long-sleeve t-shirt. The race will be run through what looks like a pretty nice park area that I'm not familiar with, so it's also a good chance to check out a new park. It's a bit out of the way for regular runs, but it's always nice to have options when I have the time to drive a bit for a run.

My primary goal for this race is to win Super Bowl tickets. Other than that, I'm not taking the actual race too seriously, although it may really depend on how competitive I'm feeling that morning. Considering that I'm just coming off a bout with the flu, I'm not really feeling 100% ready to go out and PR. But who knows? Anyway, it's always fun to go run a race. I can't wait to win those Super Bowl tickets and post my first race bib for 2011.

Team World Vision

I learned a bit more about Team World Vision at the expo last weekend. I had heard of them before because of Ryan Hall's involvement with their program. I've been meaning to look further into it, so I was glad to see their booth at the expo. What I learned is that you can run one of several races around the country, and use that race as an opportunity to raise money for World Vision. They use the money to help provide clean drinking water in Africa. I checked out their website, and I learned that the clean water program is actually only one of many things that World Vision does to help those in need around the world.

So I've decided to get involved with Team World Vision and do at least one fundraiser race for them next year. There are two races that are local - a half marathon in October, and White Rock Marathon next December. I'm thinking I'll do at least the half in October, and maybe White Rock again next December too.

If you can't make one of their listed races, no problem. You can use any race as an opportunity to raise money for World Vision. You just sign up through their "Choose your own event" page, and they set up a free fundraising page for you. 

It's good to run for personal achievements like improved fitness and reaching new time and distance goals. But it really adds so much of a deeper meaning to running when you are doing it to raise money for great causes like this.

If you are at all interested, check out their program at their Team World Vision website (http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/getinvolved/teamwv).

Also, consider helping me with my fund raising efforts by making a donation to World Vision via my Team World Vision page at http://twv.convio.net/site/TR/TeamWorldVision/General?px=1139901&pg=personal&fr_id=1381

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White Rock Half Marathon

Today I ran my first ever half marathon...

...and I got this cool medal to show for it.

The experience was amazing. I can't wait to do another one.

The day started kind of rough. It's never easy to get up and out of the house before 6AM with three kids. Plus, it was very cold outside - about 35 degrees with wind (the one time the weather forecaster was right, darnit). The race was scheduled to begin at 8AM. We planned to leave by 5:30, actually left some time after 6. At 7:40, when I was supposed to be lining up in my starting corral, I was instead stuck in some major traffic. We finally got within about a mile of the starting line at about 7:55 or so, and so I bailed out of the car and jogged to the start along with several other late arrivers. Fortunately, the race was running late. I ended up having plenty of time to hit the port-o-johns and find my starting corral. I was in starting wave "J" and my wave didn't end up actually starting until about 8:45. So all the stress about running late was for nothing. Plus, the jog to the starting line ended up being a decent warm-up, and so I wasn't too cold waiting for the start.

Waiting in the starting corral was actually kind of fun. There was alot of energy and excitement, and mixed emotions of runners around me, many of whom were first-timers like me. Some were running their first half marathon like me, and others were running their first full marathon. People were really anxious to get going, but were mostly joking about it rather than complaining, which was nice. I guess people were just feeling too excited to complain.

When we finally got up to the starting line, we heard the countdown we had heard many times by then, and then we were off! The first few miles were pretty typical of an early part of a race. Alot of people jockeying for position, and I was focusing on trying to get warmed up and into a groove. And then, miles 4-10 just seemed to tick off more quickly than I could believe. The water stations were every 1.5 miles (and were well-stocked and run by friendly people). It was funny how it seemed like they kept coming up so fast. I would see one and think that they must have worked an extra one in, then I would check my Garmin and be surprised to see that another 1.5 miles had actually already passed. Then the last few miles seemed to drag on. I think because by that point I was more focused on finishing than just running. Finally with about 2 miles to go we merged with the full marathon route (we split from them I think around mile 8), and then mile 13.1 - the finish line! The area around the finish line was really packed with spectators, and there were several giant video screens and music and noise - it was really overwhelming, especially when combined with the emotions of completing the run. It was an experience I just can't describe.

One cool thing  was that at one point near mile 11 I heard a police motorcycle coming up from behind me, pulsing his siren. He passed, and was being followed by another motorcycle that had a rear-facing passenger with a big video camera. Behind them was a woman marathoner running a really fast pace. I'm guessing she may have been the lead female runner. It was kind of cool to be running near such an elite runner, even if only for a moment as she made quick work of passing me and the others around me.

One of the things that struck me about this race was the amount of spectators. I'm used to seeing alot of spectators around the start/finish area, and occasionally I may see some here and there along the course. But this course was pretty well covered from start to finish with spectators. Some stretches were lighter than others, and some spots had some pretty good crowds. But I don't remember ever being in an area where there weren't people watching and cheering us on. That makes such a huge difference, especially when I see kids. It really gives me a boost and lifts my spirits to see people encouraging us on. I wonder if most of them realize how much runners appreciate them. I also love it when I see a kid reaching out for a high-five. I always try to get over and oblige. I gave about a half-dozen of them today.

So looking back, I think I will definitely do another half. I'm not sure about doing a full marathon, but I suspect I probably will at some point. I realize now that it's not so much the race itself that's the challenge - it's the weeks and months of training that allow you to finish the race that is the challenge. And while the weekly long runs might sometimes seem like a grind, it is so worth it on race day to be able to go out and spend a couple of hours with several thousand others on a nice run for a good cause and having a great time.

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The night before

The race shirt and bib

Just a few thoughts the night before my first half marathon.

This might be the most relaxed I've been before a race. I think it's because my recent leg/knee pains caused me to back off my training the past couple of weeks, so I've also backed off my goals for this race. I was thinking of trying to come in under 2 hours, but I doubt that I have the stamina for that right now. So I'm really just going into this race tomorrow with the idea of taking it easy and just enjoying it. No matter what, it's an automatic PR, right?

But, I do still have a few time goals in mind:

Easiest goal: 2:24:00 - I feel like I should be fully capable of finishing under 2:24, which is about an 11min pace.

Mid-level goal: 2:17:00 - About where I expect to finish, with an average of about a 10:30 pace.

Hardest goal: 2:11:00 - Averaging 10min/mile - a good effort for a race that I'm planning to take easy.

Another positive is that my leg pain has just about gone away. I got to talk to a sports medicine doctor at the expo today. He seemed to think it was tendonitis and gave me some good tips for stretching and strength exercises, and recommended post-run stretching (4-5min) and icing (no more than 15 min). He also thought my new shoes might be the culprit. It's disappointing, because I really like those shoes.

The only thing causing some anxiety at the moment is the weather forecast for tomorrow morning - 35 degrees and 10-15mph winds, making it feel like 30 degrees. It's hard to dress for this temperature range. I know I'll be freezing at the start and sweating by mile 4. My plan is to layer - two shirts, short sleeve under long sleeve, and a zip-up sweat shirt hoodie as a third layer that I can ditch along the run if I get too hot. I'll also have long compression pants under shorts, a knit cap, and gloves. I'll probably be out of the gloves and hat by mile 8. The gloves are too nice to ditch, so they'll go in pockets. The hat might get ditched, so I'll pick one that I don't mind parting with.

So that 's it for now. Being at the expo today really got me mentally ready to run. Can't wait to run this thing tomorrow!

Rest time is almost over

I've now taken a couple of evenings off, and the knee is feeling much better. The pain is totally gone. I did do some walking yesterday and today during my lunch hour, about 1.5 miles each time. Yesterday I could feel a twinge of pain/tightness, but today was completely pain-free. So my plan is to go out for about a 3mi easy run tonight and see how it goes.

On another note, last weekend my wife ran her second ever 5k. The kids and I were there to cheer her on. As she rounded the final corner, my oldest daughter jumped in and ran the last 50 yards or so with her. It was really cool. And as an added bonus, apparently a race photographer captured the moment:

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Dallas White Rock Half Marathon Course

Looks like they have finally settled on the (unofficial) course for the HM I'm running in a few weeks:

MapMyRun.com | View Dallas White Rock Half Marathon Course in Dallas, Texas

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Komen 5k Race Report

Yesterday I ran in the Susan G. Komen 5k. This was the coolest race I have participated in so far. There were about 25,000 runners and walkers, and about $1million raised for cancer research, which is awesome! The race was amazingly well organized considering the number of participants. I had no problem parking and it was a fairly short walk to the event area. They had mailed my race packet, so I had no lines to wait in on race day.

My expectations were pretty low in terms of personal performance for this race for a few reasons. One, I had heard that the size of the crowd made it difficult to run. Two, I hadn't been training specifically for a 5k - I've been focusing on a 1/2 marathon coming up in December, which means I haven't been doing alot of speed work the past few weeks. Three, the day before I started getting that sinking feeling that usually signals the onset of some kind or cold or flu. So I was going into this race with an open mind, resigned to being satisfied just to be a part of such a great fund raising effort for such an important cause.

Saturday morning I arrived at the race site about 6:30, which was an hour and a half before race time of 8am. There was already a sizable crowd in the vendors area, but noone near the starting line. I headed over to the starting corral and did some stretching and light running to get warmed up. Soon a few other runners started appearing, and by 7am a good number of runners were gathering near the starting line. So I spent the next hour chatting with other runners about the typical runners topics - races, training, etc. The time flew by, and soon it was time for the National Athem (this was the first time I'd seen this done at a race), followed by a count down and then we were off!

Since I was so close to the starting line, I had no problem taking off at a good pace, and I found that the crowd thinned out pretty quickly. I was feeling good, so I decided to go ahead and try to break 25 minutes for the first time - which meant keeping about an 8min/mile pace. By 1/4 mile in, it could have been any race in terms of the size of the crowd around me. At about 1/2 mile in I checked my pace - 7:15 - which was way too fast, so I thought I'd better back off a bit. So I eased back to about 7:50. At the 1 mile mark, they had a clock (cool!) that said I think about 7:47 (also cool - I was ahead of my goal of 8min/mile). Mile 2 was fairly eventful - alot of spectators (we ran through a residential area), a few turns, few groups of cheerleaders, a water station where I accidentally spilled water on someone (I didn't get a good grip on the cup they were handing me - sorry!),  so there were enough distractions to make the second mile go by pretty fast.  The clock at mile 2 said 15:something - cool, still maintaining a sub-8min pace.

Then came the pain - mile 3!

As good as I felt during miles 1 and 2, mile 3 was a grind! I'll start by mentioning that I was wearing my heart rate monitor - great move! Seriously - if I hadn't had the confidence my heart rate info provided, I never would have been able to grind through the pain of mile 3 without slowing my pace. Everything hurt - my legs, my arms, I was t-i-r-e-d! My hr was hovering around 93-95%. I knew this was actually a good range for a 5k, so I just took it a step at a time, just kept going. Half way through the third mile (around mile 2.6) I was greeted by a hill - great, just what I needed - an extra challenge! I increased my arm swing and pushed on. Then came the stench - some horrible smell - imagine running by a sewage plant or landfill - I suddenly thought this might be the first time I throw up during a race. I checked my pace - still around 7:50. I was now at about mile mark 2.75. I thought to myself - forget this! just imagine running a 400 - you do them all the time, just grind through a 400.

Finally I could see the starting line, which meant that the finish line was about .1 mile away. I don't remember seeing a clock at the 3 mile mark, but I may have missed it because by that point I was back near the start and the crowd was huge! I was surprised to see that there were still people just starting the race. I took a right, then a quick left and the finish line was in sight. At this point, I could see the time was close 24 minutes, and I decided that no amount of pain was going to keep me from missing this chance to finally break 25.

That last .1 was a blur, but before I knew it I was crossing the finish line and the clock said 24:24. I couldn't believe it. I felt close to tears thinking about all the training I've gone through over the past 10 months, starting from barely being able to run for 5 minutes, and here I was finishing a 5k in just over 24 minutes. It felt great to know that all of my hard work was paying off and that I was actually making progress.

Here's a snapshot of my official results:

So, overall it was a great experience. It's fun to set a new record, and especially sweet when it's part of something that is raising money and awareness for such an important cause.

Two For One

Just noticed something pretty cool. I actually set two PRs during my 10k race a couple of weeks ago. My 10k time of 57:47 was a new PR. So I was going back and checking my splits from that race, and I noticed that my time at the half-way point (at 5k) was 28:12, which beats my 5k PR of 28:54 set back in May.


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New Poll Q - Do you wear a HR monitor while racing?

Was surprised to read a blog entry recently where the author mentioned that the hr monitor provided some confidence to push beyond their comfort level and set a new PR. It never occurred to me to wear a hr monitor during a race - just seems too restrictive for racing. I like it for training, but I don't know about racing. And I can't recall ever seeing one during a race, but I also don't recall ever looking for one either. So now I'm curious - just how common is it to wear a hr monitor during a race? Comment/vote in the poll, and let me know what you think.

It's Official

I just registered for my first half marathon. It will be in Dallas on December 5 (Dallas White Rock Marathon).

I've been thinking about it for weeks, and finally decided to go for it. My long runs have been going well, so I feel confident that I can be ready. My long runs are up to 8 miles, so I should have no problem adding another 5.1 by December, right?

I can feel the anxiety slowly settling in already...

Boston Half Marathon; Houston 5k

Boston Half Marathon

Registration for the Boston Half Marathon opened this morning...and closed just 2 hours later. The field size limit was reached that quickly. Wow.

Houston 5k

I'm thinking about running the Houston 5k on Jan. 30, 2011.  It coincides with the Houston Marathon, which is one of the marathons that is commonly used to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  If I ever do get to the point where I feel like I'm ready to try to qualify for Boston, I'll probably do it at the Houston Marathon.  There are certain marathons that the Boston Athletic Association expressly recognizes as marathons that can be used to qualify for Boston (although they point out that this is not an all-inclusive list). The Houston Marathon is the closest of those that are listed, making it the most likely choice for me.  So, if I get to that point, I think it would be good to have at least have had some experience running down there, even if it's just the 5k.  Besides, I think it would be fun to travel for a race.

Some video of my first 10k

The video begins as I'm approaching the finish line.  I was exhausted!