last minute half

About this time last week I decided to sign up for a half marathon. I had been seeing the ads/invite on my facebook sidebar for the Chi Town Half Marathon and 5K for some time but couldn't take the financial plunge. I've said it before, I have an issue hitting the submit/confirm button when it comes to signing up for races. Anyways, I had 14 easy on the schedule, the race was 3 miles from my front door, and along the path I would have to run my long run anyways. I figured I might as well get a shirt and a medal out of a long run! I saw that it would be cold but I was half hoping weather.com was lying because really - what do they know ;)?

Race morning was freaking freezing! I guess they weren't lying this time around. My husband woke up early to drop me off about 30 minutes before the start so I could pick up my ankle chip. I thought there might be a line... It took under 30 seconds. Then I stood around freezing because the real feel temp was around 19 degrees.

Nothing too exciting to talk about this run. It was a local, very small race but well supported for its size. I primarily "raced" to motivate me in completing my long run because well, I haven't wanted to run lately thanks to the weather. I also wanted to see where my endurance was and if I could hold my desired marathon goal pace after coming out of the boot 6 weeks ago. It didn't feel as good as I had felt in previous races but with some self bargaining and thanks to a random runner at mile 6 who unknowingly paced me I held onto my goal marathon race pace. Can I hold that for a marathon? No, not right now. But I'm not disappointed. I finished in 1:58:19 (9:01 pace) and exactly halfway overall, crossing the line in 322nd place out of 644 finishers. Definitely a first for me! I was happy to come in under 2 hours and while this is not my best race it's definitely not my worst. Really that's all you can ask for coming off an injury and randomly signing up for a race! Another reason not to be upset - I had an amazing mid distance progression run 2 days (less than 48 hours) prior to this race ;)

Women's 10K Race Report

Last Monday I made the last minute decision to run the Fleet Feet Women's 10K on Sunday. I realized looking over some past races I haven't run a 10K since 2006! Either there aren't a lot of 10K races or I am never looking for them instead choosing to focus on the half or full marathon distances.

Race morning came early after a night of not sleeping well. I had originally planned on having to walk to the race start (less than a mile away from my condo) but the husband rolled out of bed early to go golfing at the city course right by the race so he dropped me off a little closer to the start. Since he was golfing this was my first race I went to completely alone. It ended up being not as bad as I thought it would be ;) I arrived about 30 minutes before the race start and tried to stay hydrated. It was humid! Luckily, there was cloud cover or I most likely would have walked the course instead. I lined up about 10 minutes before the start and snapped a quick picture.

There were a lot of announcements but there was one that had me choke up a bit and remind me why I run. I didn't know but the race donated to/was sponsored by "Catch Your Breath" which is a women's lung health group. She thanked us for being there, asked us to take a deep breath and see how good it felt, then reminded us of all those people who would love to be out here with us but couldn't because they had diminished lung capacity/problems breathing. I'm very glad I can catch my breath and run for those that can't:)

Like I said it was a humid morning. As soon as I started running the sweat started rolling off of me and I knew this was not a day to break any records. I decided to push myself to my abilities that day and enjoy the morning with 3000 other women runners.

Mile 1 went by quickly enough as I passed the clock just under 9 minutes. As we headed North and then turned back South along the lake there was a nice breeze coming off the lake but it seemed to drag on forever. Before mile 3 the 5K runners were splitting off and the 10K runners were on my usual running path. As I turned to my right I cursed myself for not signing up for the 5K ;) I made sure to stop at every water stop (except 1) since I hadn't brought my own water and ended up walking through the stop. I take racing in the heat seriously, especially after my 2007 Chicago marathon experience, and I wanted to make sure no to overheat too much! Oddly enough my slowest mile was the one where I didn't stop to walk and take in any fluids. Miles 3-4 went by quickly enough and I seemed to be keeping the pace around 9 minutes or just under. Miles 4-5 I really felt the heat. My legs and lungs were fine but I was just exhausted. I dialed it back until just after passing the mile 5 clock. I ended up finally picking it up when I could see the finish line, passed a few ladies, and broke the 8 minute barrier for the last 1/2 mile.

At the finish line I found sweet relief in the cooling fan race organizers had set up. I tried not to linger too long to make sure everyone else could enjoy the cool mist. There was decent food but all I wanted was a water and to head home to shower. I had plans to meet the husband for a yummy brunch at The Southport Grocery. Some of the best breakfast and lunch food in the city that only seats about 30 people. So you need to get there early or wait for awhile.

According to the B chip results I finished in 56:28, about a 9:06 average. Way off any sort of PR but it was my best on this day.

Even though I was by myself I had a lot of fun. It was nice to have all the guys cheer us on and not competing against us. I don't know if it was the weather, lack of testosterone, or just me but atmosphere was completely different; it seemed a lot less intense. A fun race AND we received a super cute running shirt and reusable bag. It doesn't get much better than that :) As usual Fleet Feet put on a fantastic race!

so sore

As if I wasn't sure of how old I was water skiing let me know. I am no longer in college and I am freaking sore the day after my lake fun. I seriously believed I had whiplash this morning when I woke up because my neck and shoulders hurt so bad!

I was determined not to use my soreness as an excuse to keep me from my mid-long run today. I had pushed it off long enough! Since it wasn't as humid/hot today I was able to head outafter 4 and feel pretty okay. I didn't overheat in the first 2 seconds of walking out my front door. Always a good day when that doesn't happen ;)

The run itself was nothing to write home about. I got it done with a decent pace even with a devastatingly slow 5th mile. It was my longest run in a long time thanks to being sick for over 2 weeks, busy with life, work travel, and general laziness. It felt good to go the distance and I am looking forward to the long runs once again. Though with my time away from the longer distances I forgot how hungry I am after the run. I made the mistake of waiting to grocery shop for dinner post run and had to make a 2nd grocery store stop thanks to the first not stocking anything I needed (hello avocados and freshly baked bread). By stop 2 I was famished!

In other random news I'm thinking of signing up last minute for a 10K this Sunday. It's an all women's run put on by Fleet Feet and starts less than a mile from my front door. I can walk there early Sunday morning and experience my first all female run. What's stopping me from signing up? I am ridiculously out of shape for a 10K and I would really like a friend to run with me :( It's one of those races that a lot of sisters, mother/daughters, and friends all run together and I might feel a bit out of place. But it may be good to get a feel for where my racing fitness truly is so I can create a good plan of attack from Sunday on out. Another plus of the race, it might liven up things around here to have another race report; no matter how pathetic :)