Frisco Railroad Run Marathon

The short:

I won overall female in the Frisco Marathon but it was rough! Warm marathons and I don't get along, but I registered before I knew what the weather would be like because I had a discount code. I thought if I took it fairly easy I could handle the weather, but I was wrong. I led the female field for the entire race but ran the final 8 miles expecting to be caught at any time because I was slowing - but turns out others were dying even more than me and I won by about 8 minutes in 3:25:36. Really the whole thing was kind of out of a running nightmare: downed trees on the trail that you had to go over or under, water that you needed desperately but was hard to access, and conditions you aren't prepared for (at least I didn't forget my shoes!). I'm proud of myself for finishing but I am never doing a warm marathon in April again!

Also important to note: the race organizers are amazing, and it's clearly not their fault that Mother Nature didn't smile on us this year. They put a ton of work into this and they are all volunteers!

Results are here.

My Strava activity is here.

My time was the 5th fastest ever run on this course, which I was disappointed about but at least with the win I kept my 100% ranking on UltraSignup!

The long:

I wasn't sure if I was going to run a spring marathon this year, but couldn't stay away and decided a low-key one sounded perfect. The Frisco Railroad Run is put on by my local running club, starts about 30 minutes from my house, and holds a special place in my heart even though the course feels uphill both ways and the dirt isn't well-maintained. It was the site of my first 50k in 2021. I also paced Jon in the marathon there in 2011 and raced the 8k at the event in 2015, so I knew what I was getting myself into.

What I did not know is that we would get storms and wind in the days leading up to the race. The race runs on dirt for 22+ miles, with the first and last 2 miles on a paved path (the course is just straight out then straight back). The trail isn't technical in the sense of large rocks, roots, and tons of elevation, but it isn't well-maintained and some of it is kind of like two single track trails running side-by-side. Add the storms and we had several tree obstacles on the course, along with crazy humidity! The race organizers tried to clear the largest trees off enough so that people could pass, and it would have been much worse without all of their hard work, but they simply didn't have the manpower to clear most of the debris off that length of trail 12 hours before the race.

We had my least favorite race weather: warm, windy, and humid. It was about 68* at the start and 76* at the finish, with a dew point of 65* and 20 mph south winds. My original goals for the race were to win and to break the course record (3:17:58), and I was hoping I wouldn't have to run all out to accomplish them, but the worse the weather and trail conditions became, the more unsure I was if I could even manage 26.2 miles that day.

I think if I was racing a marathon on a good course and in good conditions right now I'd run 7:00-7:10 pace. I decided to aim for 7:30 pace, which would have put me in at 3:16, good for the course record and what I though was a conservative adjustment for the temperate/humidity. This course is pretty hard to negative split on because there is a lot more decline going out and incline coming back, plus this year we had a tailwind going out and headwind coming back. I struggle with negative splitting anything when it's warm, so I figured it was unlikely I'd be able to pick it up in the second half but I'm also not dumb enough to try to bank time - so I thought if I ran an even split it would be really good.

I started off right at 7:30 and it felt so easy. I was gliding along holding myself back, and even decided that I'd run to 20 at 7:30 then do a progression from there to keep myself from speeding up then. Oh, the optimism of the beginning miles of a marathon! Often I don't feel like that when I'm racing a marathon; I feel like I am riding the line the whole way and marathon pace is not easy. At this point I was certainly hoping this one would feel more like a long training run.

Happiness sometime before mile 2

My only real problem, aside from going over and under a few downed trees, was that I had to pee badly as early as mile 3. I made myself wait until 12, and I was really quick (maybe 15 seconds) and still ran 7:41 for that mile. The beauty of running a small race on a tree lined trail!

I had to stop & hold onto the branch that's
sticking up to get over this one

Although this isn't me, it's just what I looked like here

All was generally good and I made it to the halfway turn around in 1:38:5x. I saw the 2nd and 3rd females were about 1:30 and 2:00 behind me, which made me a little nervous because I did not think I'd have much fight in me during the final miles of a marathon in warm weather. Miles 12-13 are pretty downhill and miles 14-15 go back up it. I expected miles 12-13 to be a little quicker and miles 14-15 to be a little slower, which is what happened if you take out my quick stop to pee. But then miles 16-17 back on flatter ground stayed slower and I could tell I didn't have 10 more good miles in me. I knew the possibility of the course record was slipping away, and my goal became to hold on for the win.

Most people don't negative split marathons (even though it is the best way to run one, it is difficult to execute), and of the minority who do few of them can do it in warm weather. Especially not in April when all of your long runs have been in the cold! So, I just hoped that those behind me were feeling about like I was and did what I could with what I had. The 20 mph headwind wasn't as bad as I expected because most of the trail is tree-lined, but when there were stretches without trees it made things even harder.

By mile 20 I was really feeling done, but reflected back on the Easter Sun Run 10k when I felt terrible for most of the race yet managed to hold my place in the women's field. I kept counting down distance to the next aid station because each time I got water I felt better for awhile. There was one at about mile 21 and then the last one at about 24. In the end it didn't matter, but I lost time at each aid station because they were not handing you the cups but you had to stop and pick them up off the table - which also meant finding them on the table. At one I had to ask for cups and they tried to give me a half gallon of water to "refill your bottle" (I was not carrying a bottle, though in hindsight I should have been!). If I'd have missed the record by a minute or less I'd have been really annoyed about this because I think I lost at least 5 seconds at each of the 9 aid stations since I couldn't run through. I HAD to have water though, so there was no choice. When I ran the 50k I had my crew handing me bottles so I didn't realize this was how it worked - but if I ever run this marathon again I'm going to need a crew again!

"Can you hand me a cup? A cup of water?" + Sally
also telling them I wanted a cup. I found filled
cups hidden behind those orange containers.

Each time I heard my watch beep another mile I also thought "thank God!". Even though I was dramatically slowing, I passed a good number of men in the final 10k, which helped keep me going too. I started telling myself "surely you feel better than you did at this point on the course when you ran the 50k", which may or may not be accurate - I think it was just different types of bad. Heat rough hits me differently and I am so fortunate the weather was good the year I ran the 50k!

I knew the landmarks I was passing as I got closer and closer to the finish. I was so ready to be done, and so happy I hadn't gotten passed yet. I thought I had a little fight in me if a woman were to come up on me, but I'm glad I didn't have to dig to try to find that. I didn't kick at all. My finish was very anti-climatic, and I grabbed a bottle of water and my medal, then walked straight to my car and took my shoes off.

Everyone I knew who raced had a rough day. My friend Casey won the half in 1:30, and based on the 7 days a week I run with (or behind!) her, I know that she is in 1:21-1:22 shape. The man who won the marathon is kind of adjacent to my running group and he's been cranking out long chunks of 5:55s to 6:10s in training plus lots of mileage, so I hypothesized he was in at least 2:42 shape, and he ran 3:03. The woman who was 90 seconds behind me at the turnaround ran 3:33:33, which seems like a very satisfying time but also indicates she was slowing down way more than I was, and that is saying something! How to win a warm marathon: die a little less than everyone else.

Another factor was that I did lose 3 weeks training to the flu, and then wasn't quite back to normal until not long before this race. My long run build was 16-16-20-23 because of that. I don't think I was that poorly trained since I had weeks of mileage and long runs in prior to the flu, but it probably didn't help. I only did one training run on gravel, but that was the same way I approached the three 50ks I've done on gravel so it seems to be a non-issue. I have also had a flare up of vertigo, and had been struggling with that for about 10 days prior to the race. I don't think that hurt me in the race, as I didn't experience any dizziness then and it's mostly an issue when I lay down or engage in certain movements, but not being able to lay down flat doesn't help my sleep.

Casey & a guy we don't know looking like
something straight out of Runners World

The main lesson I learned is: it doesn't matter if you have a discount code that you must sign up in advance to use; never sign up for Frisco until the day before the event when the forecast is reasonable! Or, just do the 8k, lol!

But praise God for another marathon finish! As hard as this race was for me, it was much better than a DNF or DNS. I have now run 45 marathons (not counting my 4 ultras), and enough of them have gone well that I want to keep doing them, even though it seems like I am only adding them to the wrong side of the tally lately!

If you needed more proof this day was
something out of a running nightmare

Chadwick Flyer 5k

I decided to run a close-to-home 5k in lieu of running 12 miles with a fast finish on April 20. I thought the race would be small and therefore possible to win without running all-out, I suspected the course would be pretty hilly, and I doubted it would be the right distance, making not killing myself ideal for many reasons.

When we drove into Chadwick I confirmed there was definitely no way the race would be able to run that wasn't hilly - in fact, there was only way we even could run from the high school. After getting my bib number I went out to run the course to warm up. The course was out and back with a few turns along the route, and they had it well-marked so it was easy for me to follow, but they did not have the turnaround set up yet so I didn't know if it would be one of those 3 mile 5ks or one of those 3.5 mile 5ks.

I lined up at the start around a lot of teenagers. My race plan was to try to run with the leading female until the turn around or 2 miles, depending on her pace and how I felt, then try to go. I was hoping I wouldn't have to run too hard, but I was also prepared to go all-out if I had to.

I was quickly reminded that my plan wasn't a good one when racing high schoolers, because three went out way faster than I was able or willing to. I ran my first half mile at what felt like my max effort for a 5k, which was the fastest I was willing to go. I passed two girls running together to move into second female position at about the half mile. I then set my sights on the leader, who I gradually pulled in over the next half mile. By then I'd backed off to more of a threshold effort because she was slowing and I had plenty of time. I would have passed her shortly after the mile if I'd maintained threshold effort, but I decided I would stay behind her until halfway. That meant I got over a half mile of easier running.

Then at the turn-around I lapped my watch and passed with authority. In hindsight I wished I'd also lapped my watch the first time I eased off, because the only pace I have for my first mile is for the entire mile, but I guarantee I ran the first 0.5 quite a bit faster than the second 0.5 trying to ensure I could be in contention and race all out if needed.

After a surge when I passed, I settled back into about threshold effort for the remainder of the race. I ended up winning by 50 seconds, so I could have run easier but I never looked back after passing. I really enjoyed this race because it was workout pain and not race pain. I love 90% but 100% sure hurts - maybe I am getting wimpy on that! My official time was 20:23 and my Garmin read 3.19/6:24 pace.

So the workout ended up being: 0.5ish at 5k pace mostly uphill, 0.5 at threshold (mile 1 all together was 6:23, but like I said I'm sure the beginning was a lot faster than the end), 0.60 float recovery (6:43), 1.6 threshold (6:20 for 1, 6:19 for 0.59).

I ran the course plus a bit again for a cool down because it was really the only place a person could run in the town! Then they had a little awards ceremony and I collected my winnings then had Jon drive me by the S Rose street sign I'd spotted on the course on the way home.

Though my heart rate was threshold/half marathon-ish, my body was much more beat up from this than I expected! I think that was in part because I didn't eat a meal for several hours after the race (I did have a protein bar soon after), but also hills are always the last strength I get back when returning to full strength. I think I'm mostly back from the flu, with hills being the exception! Luckily I won't be racing anything hilly for awhile, I don't think.

Official results are here.

My Strava activity is here.

My middle name is Rose & email
address starts with srose

Easter Sun Run Take 5

The Short:

I registered for the Easter Sun Run when they had a nice discount on the entry fee a few months before influenza tried to kill me. I was torn between bowing out/letting my entry fee be a donation to a good cause and running the races with whatever I had - since I was on an upward trajectory I chose running the races! It was the best way to get in mileage that day while visiting my parents anyway. I ended up placing 2nd overall female in the 10k and 3rd overall female in the 2 mile, plus I won a restaurant gift card in a drawing, so it went about as well as it could have under the circumstances. I am not back to pre-flu strength or fitness, but things are progressing and I'm hoping I can run some stronger races in 4-6 weeks.

The Long:

I have run the Easter Sun run four times before, in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2023. It's a fun Easter weekend tradition! Last year's 10k was the only win I've had at the race, and I had hopes of returning to defend it, but with my body still weak from the flu I thought any podium placing would be a big win. The courses for both races are long so I never worry about times here but aim to place as high as I can.

I warmed up about 3.2 miles in a perfect race temperature but a cruel Kansas wind. After the 10k sorted out I found myself in 3rd female position. One of the women in front of me was a teenager, so I figured I had a good chance of catching her, which I did not long after the mile. 1st had been steadily pulling away from me, and I knew I couldn't speed up (in fact, I slowed down, lol - mile 1 was my fastest of the race, which is not my typical MO!) so unless she bombed I would be out of luck on a repeat win. I also knew she was in her 40s so I wouldn't get the masters win either.

I never felt good and by mile 2 I was really questioning why I'd decided to run the race. But, I was in 2nd female position, so I tried to focus on maintaining that. The course is marked every kilometer, so I also focused on just getting to the next K sign. I could see some men in front of me and tried to pull them in to keep myself going.

I think I have a photo coming out of this bridge
from every year I've run this race!

Around mile 4 the course does a couple of loops where you can see the people in front of and behind you. The course is on paths through a park that are curvy, which was nice with as windy as it was because I never had to battle a headwind for an extended time period, but it's hard to gauge your distance in relation to you competitors. From the mile 4 loops I learned that 1st had a substantial lead on me, and I had less of a lead on 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th places, who were all closer to me than I'd have liked based on how crappy I was feeling.

Since mile 2 of the race I'd also been telling myself that I didn't have to race the 2 mile or do a long run that day. Around mile 4, that changed to "I don't have to do those thing if I can maintain 2nd place". I pushed with what I had and when I saw Jon around mile 5 he told me I had a solid 2nd. I didn't really believe him and I felt like all of those other girls were coming for me so kept pushing. I was extremely thankful when I got to the finish line! It turns out he was right and I guess everyone else was dying even more than me because I finished 50 seconds ahead of 3rd.

New PR for the number of times I've been asked
to pose with the Easter bunny - post-10k

Ultimately 2nd felt like a huge victory. I ran the slowest I've ever run at this race, but I averaged 6:36 pace which seems better than anything else I've done post-flu. It was very hard though! I told my family that I didn't think I had it in me to race the 2 mile, then jogged a couple of miles while waiting for the 10k awards.

I think this was from the final stretch of the 10k

After getting my awards, I decided I would start the 2 mile and if top 3 (prize money) didn't seem do-able I'd just stop or maybe jog it in. I don't think anyone believed me, probably because I've said something similar between the races every time I've done both distances at this event. But, I truly didn't believe I was going to be able to do much. I'd been jogging around at 9:00 pace between the races and felt super weak. I just told myself I'd run a hard mile if I could, then evaluate and probably stop.

We had to stand on the starting line for an extra maybe 10 minutes while the race organizers had some cars vacate the course, and I continued to question my life decisions at that time but I think I also got some additional recovery in. The race start for the 2 mile is always a cluster because there are a ton of kids and teens who go out fast then soon slow down. The race is on a road for the first couple of minutes, then turns onto a park running path, right when the youngsters are really starting to slow. I think because I started off slower than I ever have in the race, trying to navigate around kids was a lot harder this year than in the past. I weaved a lot and had to step off the path into uneven grass a few times to somewhat maintain pace.

But I got through it and before the mile I'd moved up to a solid 4th female, not far off 3rd, and hadn't passed out so I was committed. I slowly reeled 3rd in by around 1.5, then sat right behind her for maybe a minute, gathering the strength to go. I didn't want to pass too early and blow the little I had, but also didn't want to leave it to a sprint finish. I passed with all the authority I could muster, then pushed to the finish with all I had. It was pretty miserable but I made it in 3rd! I definitely surprised myself by running 6:31/6:18 after I'd been feeling like I probably couldn't run another mile under 8:00 pace between races.

Top 3 in 2 mile

I did 1 more mile to cool down to 16 for the day. I'd wanted to get in 18 because I'm still clinging to the hope of running a marathon this season and haven't run more than 16 miles post-flu, but I stopped for the 2 mile awards and by the time those finished I was done. By some miracle I felt great the next day and did 15 miles for a 31 mile weekend though!

On paper these performances don't look good for me, but based on where I'm at strength-wise I was happy to pull them off. It was also the first hard running I've done post-flu where I haven't coughed. 

10k results are here, 2 mile results are here, my Strava activity with both races plus almost 8 miles of jogging before/between/after is here.

I love these checks!

My mom loves Chick-fil-A

Albani loved these bunnies in a stroller

Easter Sunday