Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, St. Petersburg, Florida, Feb. 10, 2013: race recap

It's official: I adore this race.

I loved it last year, and this year solidified my love.

I was worried I loved it so much last year because it was cold (I prefer cold weather running), and I got a 15-minute personal record. I loved the bands and course, but I was afraid it was tainted by the weather and my sweet PR.  

This year, it was not cold (it bordered on hot at the end of the race), and I actually ran it a few seconds slower than last year. But, I still smiled throughout the majority of the race and loved almost every second of it (The few seconds I didn't love were in mile 12 ... blech). 

For a baseball-loving girl like myself, I love that the expo and start line are at Tropicana Field.

I didn't love that my Garmin decided to freeze. Grrr.

It was 6:45 a.m. all day.

I love that the course follows familiar turf: right by Taco Bus. What I didn't like this year is I was starting to get warm at this point (only mile 3).

I love the slight downhill into downtown St. Pete, and this year I loved the shade the tall buildings provided. This is where I took my first GU gel (about mile 4).

I normally wouldn't love the route south into a somewhat boring stretch into a neighborhood, but I do love the bands along the course. They'd make any course fun.

I felt pretty good miles 5-7. It was cooler through this part of course, and I felt a nice breeze as we went from mile 7 into mile 8 along Tampa Bay. I took my second GU gel around mile 8.

Then, this happened.

Yes, the pesky Pier. It's no secret that it's not something I love. It wasn't this day either. Don't get me wrong: the views are beautiful, and I know there are much worse routes than this. But, it's long, there's no shade, and it's windy. 

I started struggling a bit on the Pier. My legs just started feeling tired. Not horrible, but miles 9 and 10 were kind of rough. 

It was also rough not knowing my time. They had clocks at each mile, but I wasn't sure how much later I started than the clock. Being in corral 8, I figured it was about 10 minutes later, but I wasn't entirely sure. I tried doing math while running, which was a bad idea on my part. It made my head hurt.

I felt a little better in mile 11 because I saw some rockin' cheerleaders: Lori and Georgina. They really were at the right place at the right time. I needed a push, and it was great seeing friendly faces who were cheering their faces off for me.  

After the race with one of my rockin' coaches
(Carolyn) and the rockin' cheerleaders,
Lori and Georgina.

Mile 12 is where things got worse for me. I was hot, tired and done. I really didn't know if I was pushing for a PR (I didn't think so, but wasn't certain) or if I was way off (I didn't think so). So, not knowing and being hot and tired, I walked a bit. I doubt it was more than one minute, but having a frozen watch, I don't know.

I tried to push mile 12 into 13, but I really don't think it happened. Again, I don't know because my watch was frozen. 

But, I did take a rockin' race photo (the first and only time this has ever happened) during this time. (Didn't my frozen watch photograph nicely?)

The run to the finish line seemed to take forever. It could have. I don't know. MY WATCH WAS FROZEN.

The LONG run to the finish

It was great seeing more rockin' cheerleaders along the finish line. 

After finishing, getting a sweet medal, a cold towel and grabbing some food and beverages, I met up with the cheerleaders.

With my cheerleaders Caroline, Dan and Theresa. Oh, and a
photo-bombing Chloe. She went for the bagel while we were
busy posing for a photo. (Cheerleader Eric took the photo.)

With my rockin' running buddy and cheerleader, Lori

Then, I went to check out Sean Kingston at the after-race concert. I wasn't crazy-excited about seeing him, but I was pretty impressed with his performance. I heard him sing "Beautiful Girl," which is the only song I thought I knew that he sang. He then proceeded to sing a string of songs I knew. Fun. 

And, that's what this entire race is: fun. I love the organization, the atmosphere, the bands along the course, the course itself, the post-race concert ... yeah, pretty much everything. 

Oh, and my time: 2:33:54. After hearing it, I wondered if I could have cut 4 minutes off (to get a PR) if I had an unfrozen watch. I wondered if I would have ran harder if I had an unfrozen watch. Then, I realized I couldn't change it. And I had fun, which is the most important thing.

Carnival Classic Half Marathon, Long Beach, Mississippi, Jan. 26, 2013: race recap

This race was completely last minute. On a running high from the race with the big bridges, I happily agreed to travel to Mississippi (Long Beach in da house) for a half marathon the next weekend.

It wasn't all about the race. My boyfriend and I usually take a trip at the end of the year. Instead, our house was packed with guests from Dec. 20 until the first week of January. We really needed a trip after that (just kidding, family ... kind of). 

So, after too long of a drive, we arrived in Mississippi on Thursday. I know so many people love road trips. I do not. I love flying. If the drive is anything more than two hours, I want a plane. But, the drive allowed us to take this crazy girl.

She's worth it ... I guess.

The race started at 8 a.m. on Saturday. That seemed late to me. I'm used to 7 a.m. starts. But, I actually got a great night's sleep, and I thought I was ready to run. I thought wrong.

The first 3 miles were completely painful. Not just as in an "I'm totally not into this," which I wasn't, but an "Ow! My calves are cramping," kind of painful. This is new. This hasn't happened before.

I think part of it was because I felt like everyone took off at the beginning of the race, and I was left by myself (this isn't completely true). I ran faster to try and keep up with the pack. And, part of it was probably due to not drinking my usual Nuun the day before. I like to drink a few tablets worth of it to up my electrolytes. Whatever the cause, my calves hurt!

Mile 1: 11:11 (Eek! Started too "fast")
Mile 2: 12:02
Mile 3: 12:09

After slowing down and grabbing some Gatorade at a water stop, the calf pain eased, and I felt better. Still not great, but at least I wasn't in pain.

Mile 4: 11:58
Mile 5: 11:47 (I took a GU gel around mile 4.5)
Mile 6: 11:47

It wasn't until mile 6 that I felt totally in the race. Prior, I had dreams of stopping, calling my boyfriend to come and pick me up and booking it to New Orleans. Not that I was going to do it, but it was fun to dream. 

I came into this race wanting a personal record (PR). I thought it was finally my time to get that PR I've been chasing for almost a year, knowing it was a super-flat course. Before mile 6, I really didn't think it was going to happen.  

Super-duper flat

Mile 7: 11:36
Mile 8: 11:46
Mile 9: 11:31 (I took another GU gel around mile 8.5)
 
I started to get more optimistic after mile 9. I finally felt great, and I wanted to get to New Orleans.

Mile 10: 11:12
Mile 11: 11:14
Mile 12: 11:07

Coming into the last 1.1 miles, I knew I had a fabulous shot at that record. I wanted it, and I hoped I could at least keep up the pace of mile 12.

Mile 13: 10:45 (Holy crap! My fastest mile of the entire race was the last full mile!)
Mile 0.1: 0:43

My official time: 2:30:54. FINALLY! I took off almost 3 minutes from my personal best. 

Super-duper happy with my PR!

Pretty sweet medal

This course was gorgeous. It was an out-and-back of this view.

Maybe the repetitive scenery made me run faster?

But, it was the same thing for 13.1 miles. I know there are worse things in life to look at for 13.1 miles, but it got boring. I need variety ... waaah, right? I'm such a baby. 

But, the after-party made up for it. 

Homemade gumbo? Yes, please.

Beer? Yes, please.

=

On the beach? Yes, please. 

Oh, they also had hot dogs and pizza ... but, why? 

This race is ideal for a "fast" time. It's super, super, super flat (yes, it deserves three "supers"). And, at the end of January, it shouldn't be too hot (for a race in the South) — it was actually warmer than I hoped, but it wasn't unbearable (70s by race-end). As an added bonus, it's only about an hour's drive to New Orleans. YES! 

Have you ever had calf pain during a run? Do you know why? What did you do to resolve it? Has it even taken you 6 miles to warm up? Ever run a race right along the coast? Ever get bored with the same scenery (no matter how beautiful) during a run?

Clearwater Halfathon, Jan. 20, 2013, Clearwater, Florida: race recap

You know those days when from your first step, you know it’s going to be an awesome run? Well, Sunday (the day of the Clearwater Halfathon) was not one of those days. 

But thankfully, around mile 5, it turned into one of those runs.

Before that, as I saw the 5Kers make the turnaround to go back, I wanted to go back. As I saw the 5-milers turn around to go back, I wanted to go back. I kept going (afraid to walk at a water stop because I was afraid I would never start running again, so I proceeded to spill water all over myself). 

Then, glorious mile 5 came along, and I didn’t want to stop running. The rest of the race went by so quickly (this is a relative term because I am not quick). Instead of “Ugh! It’s only mile 7,” it was “Wow! It’s already mile 7?!” This went on for the remainder of the race.

Yes, the race that scared me. The race with the big, scary bridges. THAT race. 

You know what? It turns out that I liked running up and over two big and scary bridges, and I liked running back over them to get back to the finish. Well, “like” may be a strong word for the bridge at mile 12. But, it was doable. But, it was also a challenge. It was fun to run up it when so many walked. I felt strong. I felt amazing. I felt empowered.

Before I even hit mile one, I went up the first big bridge (Clearwater Memorial Causeway). Then, I made my way to Clearwater Beach and up another big bridge (Clearwater Pass Bridge) before mile 5. Miles 5-9ish were flat until we went back up the bridges on our way back to the start. 

Before mile 1 (picture not taken on race day)

Down the other side

The weather ended up being pretty awesome: 60s and overcast. Considering it was in the mid-80s earlier in the week, I thought it was fabulous.

And, the course was beautiful. 

I never got bored on the course, and I think the bridges helped with that … as did the sweet views of the gulf. 
 

I took GU Energy Gels (mandarin orange and island nectar) at miles 4 and 8, and I took water and sometimes Gatorade (blech) from each water stop.

As I made it to Mile Linda (mile 11), I made sure to enjoy every step (which wasn’t hard since I was already doing that). But, it was a beautiful mile (I wish I was talented enough to take photos while running, but I’m not).

It was also at Mile Linda that I started calculating my possible finish times. For some reason, I am terrible at math while running (this is not the case when I’m not running). I could not figure out why my finish time was going to be so high. It felt like a great race despite the pesky bridges. Um, unfortunately, it’s because I thought I had 3.1 miles left at this point (instead of the actual 2.1 miles).

When I made it to mile 12 (and the final bridge),I realized my math was off, and I got excited about my possible finish time. That final bridge ascent really wasn’t fun (and it was pretty darn slow for me), but a sweet descent to the finish followed. 

Across the finish

My Garmin time was exactly the time of my official chip finish time: 2:38:29. It’s my second-best half marathon time, and it was on the most difficult course I’ve ever run. This is exciting to me! 

So, even though it wasn’t a personal record, it was an amazing race, and I’m really happy with my result. I loved the race, I loved the experience of the bridges, and I love that I’m back in the 2:3Xs for a half marathon time.

Have you ever been worried about a race and ended up surprised at how well you did? Do you like running bridges or hills?

An eerie calm

I tend to panic. It’s not a good thing, but it happens.

Thankfully, I already went through my panic stage for the Clearwater Halfathon. My panicking usually happens closer to a race, so this is kind of strange for me. The race is Sunday, and I have an eerie calm about me.

So why am I so calm?

•  I know I can do this. I can run 13.1 miles. Even if I didn’t run for a few weeks around Christmas and the new year, I’m still quite capable. Why? Runners don't lose much V02 max over a 10-day period of inactivity. And if you have to miss two weeks, it only reduces it by 6%. Thanks to Julie, I know this and feel so much better. I love her (not in a weird way … don’t be scared, Julie).
• I’ve done this five times before.

• It does involve big, scary bridges, but the Holiday Halfathon did, too (but not as big and not as scary). Guess what? I actually liked the bridges in that race. It broke up the race. It was something different. It was a challenge. That’s a good thing. 
• I'm running mile 11 for my friend, Linda. I've dubbed it "Mile Linda" (sounds better than mile 11, right?). She's been on bed rest during a good deal of her pregnancy. No matter what, that is difficult; but, Linda is a runner, too. So I'm running the 11th mile (her favorite number) in her honor.
• I’m really looking forward to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in St. Pete and view that as my “A” race this year. I love that race. This race will be a build up to that.
• When it comes down to it, it’s only a race. It’s not life or death. I’d love to finally beat my best time, but if I don’t, there’s always another race. It’s not that I’m not taking it seriously or that I don’t want to do well, but on the “what’s-important-in-life” scale, it’s not at the top.

Do you panic before races (or any big events)? Or are you more rational than me? I hope so.

Time to panic

I’m not sure why I keep doing this to myself.

The last two years I’ve taken time off from running over the holidays. Some of it is due to a crazy December work schedule. Some of it is due to family visiting. Some of it is due to travel.

Last year, I panicked. I assumed I’d lost all running ability. I adjusted my training schedule and realized I did not lose all running ability. Even with the time off, I got my beautiful half marathon PR of 2:33 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in February.

This year, I’m panicking again. I tried to remember that I took the time off last year and was fine. The only problem: this year I have a half marathon in two weeks. Yikes. And, it’s not any half marathon. It’s the Clearwater Halfathon, possibly “the most challenging half marathon in Florida” (according to the race website). Double yikes.

Why is it challenging? It has two ascents over two “relatively” tall bridges connecting Clearwater to the barrier islands.

And, by “relatively” tall, they really mean gigantic, scary and huge. Triple yikes.

So, even though I’m trying not to panic, I am.

Even though I ran 7 pretty awesome miles on Sunday, I’m still panicking. 

Awesome miles, but not awesome hair

Even though I’ll have four more weekly runs and one more long run before the race, I’m still panicking.

Gah.

How do you deal with being unprepared for a race? Do you panic? Should I stop panicking? Ever run over “relatively” tall bridges? How does one do this?

This week in running: week 11

I'm finally settling into that groove where I'm not panicking about my lack of progress. Why? Because I'm progressing! I'm finally at that point where all of the training clicks. Yay! It can get exhausting doubting yourself and your abilities.

Tuesday

Oh 800-meter repeats, you may be the first speed work that I haven't really cared for.

We only did four so that we could spend more time on stretching, and I'm thankful that we did. I didn't really feel like I needed extra stretching (although it can't hurt, right?), but I'm just glad we didn't have to run more of these things. 

I actually got progressively faster (as you're supposed to do ... shocking, I know)! And, I blew my last one out. Like it was WAY faster than the others. I get to the last one and know it's the last one, so I just go crazy. Maybe I should spread that craziness out over the other ones? 

Total: 3.4 miles

Thursday

Oh, the dreaded tempo run. We had to deal with 60 minutes of you (well, it actually ended up being 55 minutes ... oops). 

Not only do I have issues with tempo runs, but Sandy started causing gusty conditions in Florida this day. Like, really gusty. I'm not a fan of running in strong winds, I decided. This made for a difficult, slow run.

It's nice to have a waterfront running route – except when it's windy.

We ran out for 30 minutes and then back the same way. The only problem: a 5K was occurring on our route on the way back. It was an evening Halloween-themed race. Normally, I'd be all about it, but it was dark, and the runners had to run on brick roads. Clumsy me does not need to be running on brick roads in the daylight, let alone at dark. We stuck to the sidewalk, but it was still kind of crazy with water stations and additional people. I hate dodging people and things – it wears me out.

Total: 4.5 miles

Sunday

We had 11 miles on the schedule, but I did the Halloween Halfathon because I'm an overachiever. Not really. I just love Halloween, costumes and races.

It wasn't my best, but it wasn't my worst. I was hoping to do better, but I'll take it. You can check out my recap (and costume) here. 

My first running costume

 Total: 13.1 miles
  
How was your week? Have you ever done 400-meter repeats? Do you like them? Do you like tempo runs? How do you deal with running in windy conditions? Have you run a Halloween race? Did you dress up? 

Halloween Halfathon, Tierra Verde, Florida, Oct. 28, 2012: race recap

I love costumes. So when I heard the Halloween Halfathon encouraged costumes (and was part of a local Halfathon Challenge — four half marathons from October through March), I was so in.

I immediately began thinking of a costume ... and thinking. And thinking. It's tough to find a costume that won't get annoying while running 13.1 miles. 

I finally decided on this.
 

That's Mr. Potato Head. I cut out his parts from felt and used fabric glue to put them on a brown T-shirt. Cutting them out wasn't hard. Finding a brown T-shirt was. I finally found one online that I ordered last minute that fortunately worked out great.

I also found a mini bowler hat online. It had an elastic strap that went under your chin. I decided quickly that this would get annoying without running. So, I cut it and tied it on a headband. 

The finished product (please excuse my poor
self-portrait skills; it's my only pre-sweat
costume photo)

With my costume made and on, I was ready to race. Well, or do a training run. I really wasn't planning to "race" this race. I treated it as a long training run (I had 11 miles on my schedule). My training schedule is actually for the Women's Half Marathon on Nov. 18, so this was technically early for a half marathon. I can't resist a good opportunity to wear a costume, though.

After my pathetic self-portrait, I picked up my running buddy, Lori, and we headed to the race site.  It was early and really dark. I felt so disoriented (especially since the race is along a state park beach path, and it is super dark there — no street lights). 

I packed up my packet early, but needed to get a timing chip at the race site. We arrived at 6:30 a.m. (for a 7 a.m. race) and had plenty of time to get the timing chip, hit a porta potty and line up for the start. 

We couldn't find anyone else in our running group, though. Pitch black conditions don't lend to finding people. 

We started running in the dark, which was strange. I guess I've done it before, but in a city with street lights. It was really bizarre without any lights. But, it started to get light soon after the start, and we started seeing people in our running group.

The first part of the race follows the 5K course, which started 15 minutes after the half marathon. After running back by the start line, we headed out on a 5-mile out and back course.

At this point of the race, I was feeling good, but not great. We stopped to walk through water stations, but that was it. As we started out on the out-and-back portion of the race, the half marathon leaders were coming back. It is mind-blowing to me how fast these people are! I'm at mile 4, and they're almost at double-digit miles. Insane.

Anyway, the out-and-back portion is a path along the beach, but you rarely ever see the water. Because of that, it's pretty boring. Thank goodness this was a costume race! This provided entertainment. We saw angels, devils, cowboys, cats, bunnies, zombies, Forrest Gump, a Victoria's Secret angel (a guy) and many others. Thank you for dressing up!

Around mile 5, I took a GU gel. I still felt good, but not great. We kept up the same habit of running except for the water stations. 

Thankfully, it was mostly overcast for the majority of the race so it wasn't nearly as hot as it could have been. One problem: the wind. Because of pesky Sandy and a cold front, it was super, super windy. I didn't notice it too much on the way out on the path. But, shortly after I made the turnaround, I noticed it. It took a lot of energy to run.

I kept running, though, until about the 9.5-mile mark. I stopped to take my first walk break (besides the water stops) at this point. 

From this point on, this race was a struggle. I was losing energy. Every time I tried to run, I couldn't run for long. I took another GU gel. This helped some, but fighting the wind was still difficult. 

Even though I was treating this as a training run, I was really disappointed. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I hoped to do really well. Even if it wasn't my goal to get a faster time, I kind of still wanted to do that. I can't help it. I always want that. Training runs were going well. My speed work was impressive (for a slow girl like me). I guess I thought I could sneak in a PR. Yeah, not this day.

I struggled the rest of the race, but managed to finish strong (thanks to support from Lori). My official time: 2:42:48. Eh, definitely not my best (2:33), but not my worst either (2:48).  

The good news: I finished, I had fun overall (at times I was bitter, but thanks to running friends, I quickly got out of that mode), I got a medal, and I see lots of room for improvement. 

 
Oh, also good news: beer at the finish.

Best beer EVER

More good news: my costume was not annoying (even the ears), and my hat did not move even in really gusty wind. 

Mr. Potato Head ended up being a sweaty potato.

And then, a couch potato.

I'm so using this idea for a holiday half marathon (minus the mustache and teeth, plus an antler headband). Yay! More race costumes! 

Do you secretly hope to PR every race? Do you wear costumes for races? What's your favorite costume you've seen? Do you enjoy beer after races?