Norvo Nordisk New Jersey Half Marathon Race Report - 2:04:46

Hello there! Let's see, this is the first road race I've entered since the Army 10-Miler way back when. As I've mentioned in the past, I've been struggling finding motivation to run, since I just wasn't enjoying it very much. Alex paces the marathon every year, and I've been wanting to run the half each time, only I was never prepared. Finally, though, I was prepared enough this year.

A little backstory, if you will:

In December, a climbing friend asked Alex and I if we were interested in a 10-miler trail race in February. Instead of thinking I wouldn't have time to train, I decided to use it as an opportunity to return to running. All the while, this race was in the back of my mind. The trail race came and went (pro tip: walk the uphills of a trail race), and I hadn't yet registered for the half. My semester also picked up, and I used that, the cold, and early morning wake up times as an excuse to slack off. Yet, I knew I would be disappointed for putting it off once again.

Eventually, I finished up with three 10-mile runs, which should allow me to at least complete the race.

About the course:
The NJ half marathon features a decently flat course through the surrounding neighborhoods of Long Branch, finishing on the boardwalk of the beach. The only inclines are bridges, and maybe one or two slight uphills on the streets. There is water and Gatorade at every water stop, and they hand out Honey Stinger gels around mile 7-8. The only con is the construction along the first section of the boardwalk, resulting in some tight turns before heading onto the straightway of the boardwalk. Those condos gotta get built, though!

I'd definitely run the half again next year.

The weather was cool, slightly windy, and drizzling at the start, eventually warming up to a respectable temperature with no rain. The sun came out during the three hour mark of the marathon. By that point, though, I had finished and was wearing all four layers of clothing from my gear bag (pants, fleece top, Uberlayer, and rain jacket.)

Outfit report:

Energy gels: Boom Nutrition. The ingredients include actual fruit purees and are some of the best tasting gels I've ever used. My favorite is the apple cinnamon, though I like all of them, except the orange vanilla.

Shoes: New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v7 Brooklyn Half.
I got them on sale. I had been developing a hot spot on the inner side of my right foot almost each time I ran, unless I taped that spot up. The other downside is that they're not very cushioned, and I don't think I'd buy them again. I had considered wearing an old, comfortable pair of shoes for the race, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Nothing terrible happened to my legs in them, though I know I'd benefit from a softer shoe.

Socks: Wrightsock in size large (for a women's 9.5 shoe size). I bought these last minute at work. With the shoes mentioned above, the thicker socks I usually run in make my wide foot feel too squeezed. I really enjoyed these socks and would buy more.

Shorts: Patagonia Strider Running Shorts. My old Pearl Izumi racing shorts are too small and my Nike Tempos are blagh. These are very comfortable and include a small zippered pocket on the back. I'm gonna get the Strider Pro shorts next time because they have more pockets for gels and such. I wear a size small in these.

Watch: Garmin 230. Measurements always seem off from the course.

Top: An old Adidas top that doesn't chafe. It's a little long, and normally that's not a problem, except I wore a Nathan running belt underneath so that I had my phone with me after the race. The belt was too big and my shirt rode up the entire race.

Bra: Brooks Frontrunner in size small. This is a seriously flattering bra with good support for me. I have two of them and love it.

Hat: An old Brooks hat I picked up a while back.

Hair report: Low pony.

Race details:

Watch time and distance: 2:04.47 - 13.43 miles

Despite what my training paces indicated, I thought I might have a chance to break two hours if I paced decently. I opted to start near the 2:00 pace group and see how I felt.

Mile 1 - 9:19.24
Decent. My "fastest" 10-miler had been with the half marathon's training group, with an average 9:20-ish pace. I felt comfortable here.

Mile 2 - 9:00.47
Seemed a bit fast, since a 2-hour half is a 9:09 pace. I felt okay, and figured the pacer would adjust eventually.

Mile 3 - 8:55.43
At this point, the pace group began pulling ahead of me. I immediately knew that trying to keep up would be futile, so I attempted to keep them within sight. Still feeling okay.

Mile 4 - 8:57.61
Still trying to figure out why the pacer kept pulling further and further ahead, but was not trying to catch up.

Mile 5 - 9:02.73
Beginning to realize that I'm out of practice regarding pacing, and I should have stuck to my own plan.

Mile 6 - 9:01.53
While I'm maintaining my pace, I'm beginning to feel tired, which isn't a good sign halfway in.

Mile 7 - 9:12.46
The slowdown begins. Had I paced correctly in the first half, this is the pace I should have sped up to by this point in the race, not slowed down to.

Mile 8 - 9:12.54
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to finish the race at this pace.

Mile 9 - 9:25.64
Unfortunately, I was just unable to maintain it. I was feeling worn down, my hips hurt, and I simply didn't have the base mileage to back up what I was trying to do.

Mile 10 - 9:30.09
There was really nothing I could do at this point other than to focus on my form and look at the restaurants through the downtown portion of the course. I was fortunate that this course is relatively flat.

Mile 11 - 9:29.22
I'm still relatively pleased that I hadn't slowed down more than my training paces, but, boy, was I struggling. I kept thinking about my last half, in Pittsburgh, where I mentally lost it the last two-three miles and walked. At this point, I knew a sub-2 wasn't happening, but I could at least finish the race running.

Mile 12 - 9:39.41
Yup.

Mile 13 - 9:56.84
This is a pretty slow mile. I think it was part boardwalk congestion, partly the wind, partly that my body just would not speed up.

Mile .1 - 4:04.19
My watch measured every mile short by about two tenths. It's never fun, because whenever my watch signals a mile, I know I have to wait for the race markers to see what's actually happening. According to my watch, I averaged a 9:18 pace over 13.4x miles, but according to the race website, it's more of a 9:30 pace.

Clearly, and this has always been my issue, I have yet to learn the art of pacing. Regardless, I'm very pleased that I actually got myself together in time to run it.

My PR in the half is 1:51.xx, and I believe that with actual training, I can break 1:50, so that's going to be my goal for the fall. If not sub 1:50, then close to it.

Thanks for reading!

What was your first race back from an extended period of time off like? What would you have done differently in retrospect?

Logan's Run 10k Race Report

So today was race day! I keep typing "race" out as "rage" or "rest". Anyway, it went much better than I expected. Although I had no goal in mind because I had no way to determine what I could do, playing some tennis on Thursday actually helped to calm myself down and made me realize that no matter what I think of myself, I can do more than I know.

Well, that was sappy, but sometimes sappy moments happen.

TL;DR version: 49:34!

Friday:
I went to the Logan's Center to pick up my race bib and ended up eating their pre-race pasta meal. The meat sauce was pretty good and tasted like fennel.

Then I went home and sort of gathered my race gear together -

I say "sort of" because after taking this picture, I dumped everything on the floor.

Pre-Race Meal:
Yeah, I already ate pasta. Who cares, so what? My mom cooked up some liver and onions and I ate some anyway. You're probably gagging, but I'm blaming my good race on the surplus of iron.

I went to bed around midnight and woke up at 7:20 AM. I left the house at 7:50. The race starts at 8:30 and it takes around 25 minutes to get from where I live to Notre Dame. I overslept, though I didn't really care. I quickly put on my clothes, fixed my d-tag to my shoe, ate some oatmeal and a banana and drank half an energy shot.

We (my mom and I) rolled into the parking lot at 8:15. I started eating the G-Chews I brought, then stopped because the gummy chews was putting me off. Early morning weirdness. I did eat three, so that was alright.

I didn't warm up. A man sang a great National Anthem, and then I lined up close to the front. Right then, I decided on my strategy: Bank time, then hold on until the finish.

Mile 1: 7:24.17
So this was faster than I expected. I wasn't dying, so I slowed myself down a little and then focused on my breathing and stride.

Mile 2: 7:52.29
I had no plan for this mile other than to keep it under eight. Success!

Mile 3: 7:40.86
I was beginning to feel taxed, but I wasn't dead. I figured the great slowdown would occur after this mile.

Mile 4: 8:04.31
This mile went around one of the ponds. I don't know if I appreciated the change in terrain, or if I felt that the dirt path wasn't doing it for me. In any case, I just wanted to keep breathing fully. A few people were passing me and I contemplated whether or not to slow down and recover, or try to hold on. I told myself that I would finish the fourth mile before deciding.

Mile 5: 8:41.61
I'd say I struggled with this mile the most, but mentally I was keeping focused, which is rather rare for me these days. At this point, the course looped around the second pond and back onto the campus. I saw my mom at this point, who said something about being the eleventh female. One of the volunteer girls whistled at me, and even though it was a joke I really appreciated it. Thanks, girl! I was passed by two chicks who I later found out were in my age group, but I would have had to run a little bit faster to catch up, which was impossible at that point.

Mile 6: 8:28.40
This was the only point in the race with a slight incline. I was tired, for sure, but I didn't slow down as much as I expected, and I even sped up. Those walking lunges and squats I've been doing sure paid off, is all I have to say about that.


Point 2: 1:22.50 @ 7:04
The last .2 is a real pain. I told myself I could die once I finished.

Finish: 49:34.14, average pace of 8:00

And it was over. I finished fourth in my age group and ran my second-fastest 10k. The splits weren't as consistent as my PR earlier this year (which was set at another Notre Dame race), but this race made me proud of myself. I don't think I've ever felt that way after a race before so it was a good feeling.

Then I got a massage for my calf that made me feel wonderful. (I apologize, lady who massaged my calf, for having to touch my sweaty leg.)

I still won't be training for anything anytime soon as I prefer to just enjoy running for the time being, but I can't say I won't enter a race here and there. Just short races. Preferably with complimentary massages.

Notre Dame Holy 10k Race Report

As you may recall, I entered this race on a whim. It wasn't planned and I wasn't even sure I wanted to run it, but I'm glad I did.

The flat course loops around and through the Notre Dame campus. The constant change of scenery is nice and you'll never be alone on the course because there will always be a half marathoner somewhere along the way.

The unfortunate part is that there will always be a half marathoner somewhere along the way. During the trail portion of the race, the paths are so narrow that you're weaving in and out of clustered runners, running around puddles and more groups of runners, and making sharp turns, sometimes around... You guessed it, more runners! The issue might have been resolved had the 10kers started out first, and as the 10k field was much smaller it might not have been as bothersome to the faster half runners.

Weather-wise, I got lucky. It has been hot all week and I was worried how that would affect my race. Then on Friday it started to rain and cooled down, and by Friday evening I was assured of cool temperatures and overcast skies on race day.

I ran a 48:51, a one minute personal record. My splits averaged 7:51.

My objective for this race was to determine where I am at in my training. For example, I felt much more fit during this race than I have during previous races. Usually, I feel like I'm hanging on the last two miles due to a lack of fitness, but today I felt strong (I was told that I looked pissed during the final .2, though).
Another example is that I didn't feel like I failed to run hard enough. Sometimes I am able to end races with a rather strong finishing sprint because I ran too timidly. Part of the problem is that I didn't have an idea for a goal pace. Running tempos has helped solve the problem (as well as input from others) and prepare me for what it feels like to run fast and strong.

Because I didn't start my watch at the beginning and because I kept hitting "lap" at the wrong mile markers, I don't have accurate mile split. I'm upset, as I really looked forward to going over my splits for this race. I'm pretty sure I ran a negative 5k the last half, though. Or maybe I didn't. Whatever.

Mentally, I don't remember much about the race. I was concentrating pretty hard on my pace, how I felt, and dodging runners that I didn't notice much else, though that wasn't a concern of mine anyway. I did keep note of a woman who had passed me around mile 3, whom I used as a rabbit. She had more of a kick the last two miles and I lost sight of her, though she was just faster than I was so I wasn't going to try and catch her.

To end on a food related note, I woke up at 6:00 AM. I ate a waffle with strawberries and syrup, followed by a cup of tea with milk and sugar. I finished that with a cup of coffee with a splash of milk. About an hour before the start of the race, I took an energy shot. Fifteen minutes before the race, and after my warm up, I ate half a packet of honey stingers. It sounds like overkill, but if there's one thing I have figured out about my racing, it's how to fuel beforehand. I know how much I need to eat so that I have enough energy to last through the race without feeling stuffed.

The end.

River Run 10k Race Report

This actually took place, um, last Saturday? I don't know. But it completely crapped me out, probably both mentally and physically. I mean, I'm not brooding over it kind of Prozac mental, it just kind of made me really tired. If you've been keeping up with my Daily Mile, I think I've only run once or twice since then. Apparently, I took last week easy.

I have a habit of picking races with inappropriate names. For example, this race course ran along the lake, not the river.

The temperature was bad with a humidity percentage of fail. The shaded sections were nice and breezy, but the contrast of the coolness of the shade with the inappropriate sun beaming down on your skin was terrible.

Mile 1 - 7:43
May have been too fast. There was a really steep downhill and I didn't make sure to slow down after it ended.

Mile 2 - 7:56
That's more like it.

My brother ran the 5k. Hello, brother!

Mile 3 - 9:20
I forgot how bad that hill was, exactly. It slowly steeped up, then suddenly was completely almost vertical. I AM NOT KIDDING ABOUT THAT. I never really recovered.

Also, running on a brick road is ridiculous and I can see now why Dorothy chose to skip along down the freaking yellow brick road instead of running. Never mind that she was wearing heels.

Mile 4 - 8:20
I guess this was getting better.

Mile 5 - 9:45
This was the point where I mentally checked out. I got passed by a few people, and passed some people, and kept other people in my line of sight, but that was all I was able to do.

Mile 6.2 - 9.59
Works out to an 8.18 pace. I really had nothing left except to make sure I didn't get passsed by anyone. This was successful. I saw some of the 5k walkers walking three in a row. There was a gap between one of them, and I momentarily considered running between the gap, though I did not.

Total - 53:05

My slowest race this year. I feel I paced this terribly, and I didn't take the heat and course conditions into account. I did place 4th in my AG group, and I've never placed top 5 here so I'm happy about that. I wasn't really looking for a PR, but I wanted a time close to what I got at the Sunburst, which is why I didn't like my results here. However, it was a slow race for everyone, though that isn't much of a consolation for me.

The Skipper presented me with my age group medal!

In the end, it's all Al Gore's fault. And if you ran the 5k, YOU DID NOT NEED TO TAKE ALL THE GATORADE, LEAVING NONE FOR ME. Thanks for nothing. Maybe my brother took one, but he let me have some.

Spud Run 5k '10 Race Report

Before I begin, I'm going to ask that you please vote for me in the Recipe Rivalry. I would also appreciate if you passed the word along and got your family and friends to vote as well.

Coming off a rather dissatisfying 5k (only because I knew I was capable of more) the idea of running another 5k greatly appealed to me. I've never run two races so close together, but after talking it over I decided that I didn't feel dead and I should do it. My goal time was 23:28, or a sub 24.

The only obstacles in my way with this race wasn't vehicle issues, but a lack of power due to the storm that blew by the night before. Sucks, but I roll with the fist bumps and don't let it get me down. I did get an amazing 9 hours of sleep since I went to bed at 9 pm, so waking up at 0635 felt great.

Mile 1 - 7.34
ALL MILE SPLITS WERE MARKED. DID YOU HEAR THAT, CHICAGO? (This race was also a fund raiser, so anyone who gets mad at me for ragging on a $40 race with 1,200 entrants, cannot.)

Anyway. I could tell that I started off pretty fast. This race was just as fast as Chicago, but with less people. I wanted to push the pace and hang on as long as possible, so I did without feeling like death.

Mile 2 - 7.54
I drove the course the day before and noted that mile 2 was marked right as it changed over to 2.1. Don't know about the accuracy and I didn't feel as if I slowed down that much, but whatevs.

Mile 3.1 - 8.30
That works out to a 7.43 minute for the last mile, which wasn't fast enough to get my goal time. The only reason I ran a sub-24 was because I really kicked it in at the end, which is always great but I'd rather have more of an insurance with an overall faster pace. I always say that I could have run faster, and I know I can definitely run faster miles, so I wasn't pleased by that aspect of this race. I was happy with my time, all things considered, because I won 1st in my age group again!

Total Time - 23:58

For this mile, though, I felt like an actual competitive racer. I zeroed in on two ladies (who weren't in my AG, actually, but whatever) and decided it made sense to catch up and pass them. I've been in a competitive rut where I refrain from caring if I pass people because I'm "only racing for time", and I couldn't get myself to push during the end of the race. This is one aspect of my racing I'm working on because I really want to race competitively. In order to do this, I need to push beyond my comfort zone and realize that I may feel crappy for only a bit at the end, but that's just what a person has to do if they want to race well.

I've also come to the point where I MUST focus on speed work more than I have been if I want to improve. On the running front I've done well, but my running will greatly benefit by added speed training to increase my foot turnover and smooth out my stride. Not only that, but I need add in some strength training, too.

I'm also really proud of my brother, who snagged 3rd place in his age group with a time of 22:13! Way to go, little bro! This was faster than his time in Chicago (I forget what that was) and the Sunburst. (All his running accomplishments are courtesy of me, who got him started.)

I'm still chasing a 23:23.

Jim Gibbons Traffic Jam 5k '10

Please vote for me in the Recipe Rivalry. You can vote one time everyday from now to the 23rd. Thanks!

So I hadn't run in 5 or so days, I wasn't feeling particularly rested, and to top that off by the time we got to Chicago it was 5:30 (race starts at 6:25) and I didn't get to warm up like I wanted. Whatever.

My plan was to try and keep my brother in sight for as long as possible (he was attempting a sub 22) but I lost him after mile 1. Way to wear all black, bro.

In fact, I had no idea where mile 1 was. Or mile 2. Or mile 3. All of which were VERY CLEARLY MARKED last year. Now I was left running by feel, which isn't fun when you aren't feeling well. The good news is that during mile 2 I didn't feel like I was slowing down since the other runners weren't passing me like a communal tidal wave.

My time was 24:23. I feel really bad about that because it's a minute slower than the time someone called for me to run, though the splits averaged out to 7:50s, which is definitely faster than my time last year, so it wasn't too bad. I know I can do better, though.

I found out just a moment ago that I took first in my age group! Granted, the 1st and 2nd winner overall for the women's were also in my age group, leaving them ineligible to claim the AG award, but I'll take it. I was about a minute and thirty seconds faster than 2nd place, so that was good running on my part.

To finish the evening, we headed over to a restaurant to watch the Lakers win again! Pretty cool finish to our trip.

Sunburst 10k Race Report

Hey everyone! A really brief recap of today's race, and my thoughts.

We get to the downtown area where the race begins. The temperature is cool, a bit on the warm side, and humid, though the breeze helped keep it at bay. I warmed up a little with my brother, who ran the 5k, and watched him start. I then went to the restroom, which ate up most of my waiting time.

(My arm says "For the Shire")

My goal here was originally to set a PR, which would mean breaking 53:33. A 6-miler earlier this week clocked in at 53, and once that happened I figured I was completely capable of actually breaking my PR.

• Mile 1 ~ 8.10: Obviously I didn't want to start off too quickly, as I have a tendency to do. Thankfully, the intuitive approach to running I've been implementing really paid off because I can pretty much tell by how I'm breathing and what my legs feel like to determine how hard or easy I'm running. I felt really comfortable, so I kept the pace.


• Mile 2 ~ 7:37: This was marked incorrectly because a, there was an uphill right after the first mile marker, and b, I didn't speed up that much. And c...


• Mile 3 ~ 9:19: I refuse to believe I slowed down this much. Refuse. I heard two guys (who were earlier discussing Colin Farrell's career) mention that the split wasn't correct. They probably were wearing Garmins for authenticity, too, but I didn't look. Also, my 3 mile split was 25.07.
  
  I heard some girls who were volunteers playing a song from The Bieb. It really helped.


• Mile 4 ~ 7:54: Definitely a more believable split. The good news is that I've been running a lot of epic hills lately, and since in years past I didn't run throughout the winter, leaving me scrambling to prepare for racing, the hills would just crap me out. However, I felt really strong after the uphills, and this mile proved it. It was after mile 4 that I knew a sub-50 time was attainable, though I remained hesitant to speed up much.
  
  I also saw the mayor of a Mishawaka, who is also a runner, and thought it was so cool to be running his pace that I decided I would catch up to him. He was at a different 10k I ran last year, but I paced that race so terribly that my pace dropped off after the third mile.


• Mile 5-6.2 ~ 16.49: I didn't see the mile 5 marker, nor mile 6 (though I sort of knew where it was based off the map), so my remaining two miles plus the extra .2 were all combined. However, I'm guessing both the miles were sub 8s because it would have taken longer to run .2 than just 49 seconds. After the uphill during the 4th mile and a bit into mile 5, it was pretty much flat or slightly downhill the rest of the way into the stadium. My pace definitely quickened because I was passed only by 2 guys.
  
  Entering the campus of Notre Dame, I didn't speed up soon enough because I guess I was nervous. Before actually entering the stadium, though, I began to sprint, not really hitting a faster pace until I went downhill into the tunnel leading onto the holy field. It was simply a sprint to the finish line, where I passed a dude. I didn't feel bad about it because he wasn't in my age group.

So, my chip time clocked in at 49.52! Unfortunately, my clock time was 50.00, which obviously wouldn't have been the case had I sped up earlier. Oh well, I'm not too upset over that. For the first time ever at this race, I placed 10th in my age group, and 46th overall in the female category. Pretty freaking cool to have cracked the top 50!

While I haven't done much in the way of speed work, save for a few hill intervals, I ran way too many hills overall. This definitely helped out at this race, as I had confidence going into the race simply because, although at a slower pace, I would be prepared. I don't sprint uphills, but I drop the pace slightly to maintain an even effort, then naturally speed up downhill to keep from fighting gravity. Running hills this way keeps you from being fatigued because of them.

Another factor was that I've been running more mileage. I've adapted my legs to the stress, and the miles+hills combined definitely made a difference.

The few speed stuff I did was going out with my brother. He runs faster than I, therefore I pace myself off him. The mile time trials I've been doing about once a month also served as a form of speed work, as usually I would run a fast paced 3 miler, with the last mile being all out.

Even though I hadn't been hitting 8 minute miles consistently, I think "saving myself" in training enabled me to actually run fresh on race day. I wasn't running junk mileage, but I wasn't really going fast every time I ran.

All in all, I'm really proud of actually being prepared to run this race, and there wasn't a single part where I felt like I wouldn't be able to keep the pace up. Could I have sped up even more? Possibly. I didn't feel super trashed at the end, but rather fatigued, so who knows. There are more races to come, though, and we'll see what happens then.

Also, my brother ran a really great race for his second 5k ever, 22:53. Last year his time was in the 27s, so that's a pretty solid difference. He's a speedy dude, and we'll be running another race together in two weeks.

Salmon Chase 10k, food stuff, and a Giveaway

Giveaway info is at bottom of post

On Friday, I signed up for the 10k at the Salmon Chase. Immediately after which I walked over to Chicory Cafe for some coffee and beignets.

Arriving to your table fresh and dusted in confectioners' sugar, these have to be my favorite doughnut thing of all time. Light, crispy outtards and chewy-fluffy innards.

what I wanted from this race
Going by the first four miles from the 15k two weeks ago, I knew I could hold sub-9 minute miles for the first four and if I couldn't get myself to overcome the pain I'd drop back to around 9:20s like I did then.

Then I got sick. Just a cold that has since mostly gone away, but it zapped my energy and there was no way I was going running since I had that nasty cough. Since that meant I hadn't run in a week I figured a) this means I'll be well-rested, b) I can't lose that much fitness in a week anyway, and c) I'll be racing in practically new shoes. They ("they" being the running experts) suggest not racing in shoes you haven't broken in, but for many shoes the break in period isn't very long, and I can tell these shoes are the best I've worn yet. More on that later, though.

I get to the race, which starts at 0730 in front of the College Football Hall of Fame, and it's pretty chilly, around 57° and breezy. Only to have the start time delayed by five minutes. Just five minutes longer. I'm sorry, but there are a few course complications, so we'll begin in five minutes. Then there was the stupid playback voice over the loudspeaker, "The race will begin in juuuust a feew minutes. Just a feeeew minutes until the start of the race." I swear he sounded like Horacio from CSI: Miami, and I pictured the voice tilting its head down, lowering his shades, and telling me, "The race will begin in juuuust a feeeew minutes."

Eventually the race starts and off we go. The course was similar to the Sunburst 10k in that it went along some of the same roads and paths. And the hills. Don't ask me how I liked them hills. Anyway, the course went along the river and it was nice, and the mile splits were clearly marked with Army dudes calling out the split, which I thought was pretty cool. And I hope they were in the Army, otherwise I'm going to sound like a moron.

My first split came in around 8:06, which I wasn't quite expecting. Second was around 8:12, third back at 8:06, the fourth I messed up but I think was just under 9, and the last two were close to 9:25. I still feel like the part of running I have to work on is talking myself through the pain and continuing to push myself. Probably why I backed off was that I couldn't draw a deep breath since I felt like I needed to cough, but the only way to cough would have been to stop so I didn't.

Here is my finishing kick. And see the clock? My chip time came it at 53:33, which is a personal record and a 5th place in my age group!

Now about the shoes. I had a coupon from the Blueberry Stomp for the New Balance store so I decided to see what they had. The guy who helped me, Kurt, was very informative and explained why I probably wanted to veer from a stability shoe and directed me towards the New Balance 800, a shoe designed for midfoot strikers. He also felt that given my size, the trainer would hold up against a decent amount of mileage. It felt different, obviously, though it seemed like a good idea and I went with it. I couldn't really tell much from the 2 runs I put in prior to the race since the first one resulted in a walk of shame back to my house since it was just when I got sick, and the second I was coming off the sickness and felt weird, although the shoes felt fine. There was only a small adjustment period, going from a shoe with a built-up heel to one where it was designed for the way I run was a bit different. Also, shuffling in these shoes is a NO. You can really tell when you aren't running with proper form, but I like that.

You know what the absolute bummer is? NEW BALANCE IS GETTING RID OF THE SHOE. That's correct, folks. I called the store and the guy said they'll be getting the 801 in next month and he can't even order the 800s any more. And New Balance only offers frees hipping for orders over $99. The difference, he said, was that this new and supposedly improved shoe is cut out more like a shoe and will have more support under the metatarsal.

Sigh.

The post race snacks were excellent, and once again I didn't grab enough. If I had my bag with me I'd have really made out well. But I grabbed Sun Chips (great flavor, though I think "Hot House Canned Salsa" would have been better), some Effin Crackers (which were really Elfin Crackers, think Animal Crackers but in a cannibalized Elf shape -- I was about to say 'tiny Elf', but that's redundant, like saying, "What a small hobbit!" I misread the label and swore they said Effin Crackers, which made sense since I thought what I was grabbing was a bag of jelly fruit slices, so Effin Crackers they remain), and a popsicle that I wrestled with opening the slippery plastic covering for what I swear was five minutes. There were also doughnut holes, but I wanted that popsicle. I worked for it and earned it, damn it!

Walking back to Chicory Cafe for hot chocolate (which was meh, unfortunately), and corn crab chowder which was a bit spicy, not too thick, and altogether yummy. It came with a roll, no crackers.

---

The Giveaway

And now what you've all been waiting for! I picked up my favorite flavor of coffee from Chicory Cafe to give away to one lucky person.

This Coconut Supreme flavor is so far one of my favorites I've tried. The flavor is really good, reminiscent of toasted coconut almost, and a little sugar and cream actually enhance the flavor. Equally good black, I have no doubt. This is an 8 oz. bag of whole beans.

Chicory Cafe procures their beans directly from a micro-roaster in New Orleans, and they also make sure their coffee comes from the source of where it's supposed to come from -- the fridge. It's also Fair Trade.

If you would like to try this, leave a comment telling me a) your favorite coffee, b) your favorite time to drink coffee, and c) your email address (or you can email me if you'd rather not leave it publicly -- address is on the sidebar). Entries close at 12:00 PM EST on Friday, the winner will be determined my random selection and announced shortly after.

US residents only, please

Good luck!

blueberry stomp 15k race report

Failed attempt at Usain Bolt!

Labor Day marked the first 15k I've raced. A few things that set this race apart from others is a) the distance (9.something), b) the terrain (quite hilly, and I haven't been training on hills), c) it's definitely longer than an hour. My running has only recently started being consistent since Run Jane Run and I decided to go ahead with signing up. I felt reasonably comfortable with this decision since I knew I'd be able to finish without walking and that I could handle the distance with the desired pace in mind. I'll go through the miles and then talk a bit about my "training" strategy. I deleted the race time with splits from my watch so the splits aren't going to be completely accurate.

15k - 1:25:0something, avg pace of 9:07

Mile 1 ~ 8:45?: Gun went off (it might have been a cannon) and I have to wait a moment before crossing the start line. I wasn't just going by mile splits as much as I was paying attention to how I felt effort-wise, but I wasn't planning on clocking a sub-9 minute mile. The first mile never feels bad, no matter how quickly you start off, and knowing this I focused on my breathing pattern and holding myself back.

Mile 2 ~ 8:39?: So much for holding myself back. I didn't feel like I had sped up, maybe it's an adrenaline thing, and I was a bit concerned because now I might have gotten myself into trouble. The hills were beginning to arrive in steady intervals and I knew I might have issues with those, so I just concentrating on maintaining a steady effort going up the hill and surging naturally on the way down -- not necessarily speeding up but going by the force of gravity. So far, I didn't feel as if I was dying.

Mile 3 ~ 8:49?: Here is the slow down, and also more hills. What I will talk about later is training by effort and time instead of miles (though I do keep track of them). This really helped me not freak out so much about slowing down since I still felt pretty decent, as I have a tendency to figure out what my pace needs to be depending on my estimated finish time with the resulting emphasis on mile splits. Yes, I seemed to be slowing, but given the terrain and my fitness level this wasn't a bad thing, especially since I hadn't been hitting the 8 minute range in my runs. This is also where I realized, as the 5k runners (including my brother) veered off to their route, that I was going to be out here longer than usual for a race.

Mile 4 ~ 8:59?: I was beginning to feel the effects of the hills in my legs, which was feeling a tad more heavy than at the start. Still feeling relatively good despite the many, many hills, I could feel that I was settling into a pace that I would be holding for the remainder of the race.
Around here is where the top 6-8 guys ran by all us slower runners, and that's what I love the most about out-and-back courses. It's amazing to see their form and the speed, it's simply incredible. If I wanted to be rude I'd have said, aloud, "And we still have about halfway to go!" I missed shouting out around 15 minutes into the race how someone must have finished the 5k by now.

Mile 5-6 ~ 9:09s?: These were together since I apparently didn't fully press the lap button after reaching mile 5, though judging by the total time it was around 9s. The fatigue really started settling in, and here was when my timed runs came into play. After passing the hour mark I kept telling myself two things -- Just a 5k to go, and I've run longer than an hour in training. That run, 1:40:xx, ended up being 10 miles that came rather easily. Just coasting along and enjoying myself. A tip I've picked up from some great runners at the Runner's World Forums is to run time-based runs to get the feeling of being out on the road for however long you might be running. Since I've been dealing with leg problems, I let how I feel dictate how long I run instead of locking myself into a set mile run. I feel this has allowed me to pace myself more intuitively based on exertion feel and all that -- if my mind knows I still have halfway to go, I "preserve" myself. I think I took a water break here, too.

Mile 7 ~ 9:29 or 39?: Yes, I definitely slowed. I was vaguely concerned that this meant I was slowing down too much, and I think I did considering my fast few miles. I shifted my focus on racing the last 3 miles at a pace faster than my easyish runs that have been around 9:45-10s. Again, breathing from the diaphragm allows more oxygen to enter your lungs, I think it's how it goes, and it really helps me to stave off that winded feeling as wells as cramps. Regardless, I'm starting to feel tired. Concentrating of my form, my foot strike, and my breathing is what keeps me focused.

Mile 8 ~ 9:31?: Coming around to the last mile. Based on my split and how I felt I could tell I wasn't slowing down any more, though the concern was not letting my mind slow me down; I have a tendency to do that to myself in races. The course runs alongside the parade that's part of the Blueberry Festival and that was kind of fun, running between the downtown area with people packed on either sides, staring at the floats filled with sitting people. Crazily, I kept talking to myself and telling myself that I was almost there, don't slow down, don't me a n00b. But, my conversations remained in the first person.

Mile 9.something ~ 11:30? (there was no mile marker): This was it, and I was getting stoked to be finishing because I knew there were popsicles! Instead of telling myself that I was just going to finish, I actually sped up and started sprinting when I saw that 1:25 was nearing, which was my goal time. I came in just over 1:25, but I was still pretty happy with my time. It placed me 6th in my age group and I know I can improve on that next year.

My brother finished the 5k in 26.xx with an average pace in the 8.30s.

And here is my finishing apple and popsicle

Now I will go over a few aspects of running that I follow.

Form and Breathing ~
I run on my midfoot instead of heel striking. This places less stress on your leg and mimics a barefoot running motion. The first place I read about this was when I searched various articles on shin issues, which led me to an article about ChiRunning and shinsplints. I will quote a section of the article:

Too much impact to the lower legs: If you're a heel striker, the repetitive shock of your heels hitting the ground will irritate the fascia (the connective tissue) in the muscles of your lower legs, especially your shins. When the fascia becomes irritated or inflamed you'll feel discomfort in your shins that could worsen over time if no correction is made.

Impact to the lower legs can happen in a variety of ways. Here are a few:

* Running in old, worn-out running shoes
* Heavy heal striking
* Extended downhill running
* Running on an unstable surface (like snow or ice)
* Running on a treadmill
* Running on a side-sloping street

To reduce the amount of shock to your legs, it is important to eliminate any heel strike while running. Heel strike happens when you run with your trunk upright and reach forward with your legs as you stride--commonly called over-striding.

ChiRunning offers a way to eliminate heel strike by leaning forward from your ankles as you run, thereby allowing your foot to strike underneath or even slightly behind your body. This allows you to land on your mid-foot and your legs to swing to the rear as soon as your feet hit the ground, eliminating any heel strike.

Overuse of the lower legs: This is caused by pushing off with the toes, which in turn causes the calf and shin muscles to overwork. Anytime your body weight is supported by your toes, your calves and shins are required to do much more work than they were designed to do.

In fact, if you're pushing off with your toes, you're actually increasing the workload to your calves and shins to be more than your body weight because you're pushing up against the downward pull of gravity. That's simply too big of a job for that relatively small group of lower leg muscles to handle. They'll get overworked and will eventually begin to complain in the form of soreness, inflammation and in some cases, become separated from the bone (the most painful version of shin splints).

The article goes on to address other ways of overusing your legs, pertaining specifically to beginner runners, and those are increasing your mileage too quickly and also your intensity, or speed too soon as your legs aren't ready to handle it. I've worked out that I tend to add speedwork too soon when I realize that I didn't start focusing on a race soon enough. I highly recommend reading the article in its entirety. Just think of heel striking as hitting the breaks and trying to speed up at the same time whilst driving.

Back to my training, this was somewhat of a "revelation" for my running since I overpronate a bit. Instead of relying solely on a stability shoe, I worked on my form simply by paying attention to it at various times during a run. This became a conscious effort, overtime turning into a subconscious effort that's always in the back of my mind.

The breathing part is really simple: Breathe fully from the diaphragm. In short, this delivers the maximum amount of oxygen to your lungs and utilizes your entire lung capacity. You aren't "shorting" yourself out by breathing from your chest. I got this tip from Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing. The benefits I've notices is that my pace seems easier to maintain and I don't tire as quickly.

Time-Based Runs
The concept of runs based on time instead of mileages at first seemed inconceivable to me, as I wanted to know my exact mileage and exactly how far I was going. I don't have a Garmin and have no intention of getting one in the near future, so I mapped my run and memorized where the miles markers were. I then would figure on what the pace needed to be for the scheduled workout and hit the road trying to fit each mile into the time slot; in short, in a sense I was racing each mile.

After developing some leg issues and having to reevaluate how I trained, I decided to think about the time runs more deeply. My first time run was different in that I didn't necessarily know where each mile was, and I didn't have any markers but for the watch. What I noticed is that I enjoyed myself more and I noticed my surroundings more. I also have regained a bit of the inner pacing I had back when I first started. So, while I still keep track of my miles, I feel like I've let go of whatever pressure I was putting on myself. I focus on how I feel, the exertion level and if I can keep an even pace for the duration of the run.

Another aspect of time runs is that you definitely know you can hack it on the road for however long you need to be out there. It's partly a mind game, but much of running is about how strong your mind is anyway.

Alrighty, that's it for now. I gotta pay attention to this tennis match, the Bryan Brothers are about to close the second set. Must concentrate. For any runners out there, please share your training and racing tips, and go visit Sam at Antics of a Cycling Cook. He will be running his first half marathon in a month, so wish him luck!