Monday, March 18, 2024

Project Dreamweaver

I was blessed to be part of Nike's Project Dreamweaver from October 2021 to February 2024! The program offered support in many ways beyond free shoes - but the free shoes alone were a dream come true. I connected with many amazing women and Nike employees, and we were all spoiled beyond what I deserved. I was planning to write a lot more about the program, but a draft of this post got lost in the shuffle of this season, so...

You can read Nike's press release about the program here.

This is an interesting blog post with more details about the program.

Casey & I in Dreamweaver land

Dreamweavers in Chicago

Fast Women newsletter mention


Thursday, February 29, 2024

Fabulous February

February 2024 in review!

Total mileage for the month: 308.1
  • Jan. 29-Feb. 4: 78.6
  • Feb. 5-11: 65.4
  • Feb. 12-18: 82.5
  • Feb. 19-25: 87.8
  • Feb. 26-March 3: 40.5 (thanks to Influenza)
We are spelling WILD - can you tell?
Races:
  • Feb. 17: Run with the Wind 25k in 1:48:01 for 3rd overall female, 1st masters female, a new single age state record for age 43, and a decent day on a course that it really tough for me.
Trae's going away run
Workouts:
  • Feb. 2: Fast finish long run with 12 miles easy, 1 mile at MP (6:45), 1 mile at threshold (6:15), 1 easy to finish. I felt strong on this one!
  • Feb. 6: Wild Card Workout of 400 m, 800 m, 400 m, 800 m, 400 m at 5k pace w/ 200 m jogs; 1 mile at 20k pace on the road then jog back to the track; 2 x 800 w/ 400 at threshold straight into 400 hard; 400 w/ 200 at threshold straight into 200 hard. Splits were: 1:31, 3:04, 1:31, 3:05, 1:30, 6:31, 1:40/1:26, 1:38/1:27, 0:47/0:42. We drew sticks for the order on this one, and my portion ended up last again! It went: Sally, Lisa, Casey, me. See January's post for a description of Wild Card Workouts.
  • Feb. 10: 16 miles via 4 easy, 3 threshold, 7 easy, 1 threshold, 1 easy. I'd planned to run the Cabin Fever Reliever 20k on this day, but I had a cold all week and opted out. That meant I didn't have a workout planned, but Karen was doing a 5k time trial so I helped her out with that (6:22, 6:41, 6:25) then the others I was running with finished at 14 miles, so I decided to do another threshold mile (6:28). Sometimes it is fun to have those decide-as-you go days! I also wasn't sure how I'd feel so I'd told Karen I'd try 6:30ish but may not be able to do it. I was somewhat congested and weak, and my heart rate was high as it had been all week, but I was on the mend and able to do this okay. I don't think I'd have had a good race so I made the right call on that, though it was disappointing.
  • Feb. 13: Wild Card Workout of: 1 mile at 10k, long recovery*, 1200 m** at 10k, 400 jog, 400 hard, 400 jog, 200 hard, 200 jog, 400 hard, 200 jog, 800 at 5k, 1:20 jog, 1 mile Gerinomo run into a 1:00 hill hard, 1:10 jog, 1 mile at 10k. Paces were: 6:11, 6:10, 5:30, 5:13, 5:44, 5:50, 6:35, 6:57, 6:13. *The long recovery was because we jogged into the track after the first mile on the road, but the way we usually go in was locked. We then jogged all the way around the other side and to the starting area only to find that the track was partially snow covered, reasonably deep in some places. Then we hopped the fence with the aid of a chair to get back to the road loop that was clear. **Due to running on the road instead of the track, all distances in meters are approximations, which is why I gave all paces instead of times. We drew sticks again for order on this one and it was: Rebecca, me, Karen, Casey, Sally.
  • Feb. 21: Wild Card Workout of: 800 m at HMP, 200 jog, 800 m at 5k pace, jog to road; 0.5 threshold, 10 squat jumps, 0.5 threshold, 10 jumping lunges (continuous), jog to track; 800 m of (200 m at threshold, 200 m hard) continuous, jog to hill; 4 x 1:00 hills w/ jog down recoveries. Splits were: 3:15, 3:05, 3:07, 3:08, 0:46, 0:43, 0:49, 0:43 and hill paces 6:25, 6:20, 6:26, 6:05. We went alphabetical order by last name: Karen, me, Lisa, Casey.
  • Feb. 27: 2 x (4 x 400 m) + 2 miles HMP, w/ 200 m jogs between reps & 400 m between sets. I developed a sore throat and shallow cough on Feb. 26 and hoped it was just allergies, but this workout confirmed that I was getting sick. I was super frustrated because I'd just been sick at the beginning of February! My 400s were 1:30, 1:29, 1:30, 1:30; 1:28, 1:28, 1:28, 1:26 and HMP miles were 6:22, 6:39. I was originally going to do 3 sets of 4 x 400 m in 1:30, 1:28, 1:26, but I was feeling pretty weak and decided to stop the 400s after 2 sets and join the tempo crew for the end of the workout. That didn't feel much better but it didn't sting quite as hard, probably because I ran a big positive split. At least I know why I was struggling! Post-workout I felt a lot worse and I skipped my Feb. 27 double, cut my Feb. 28 mileage, and took Feb. 29 off - then tested positive for Flu B.
  • Favorite workout: The Feb. 13 one was my favorite, but all of the Wild Card Workouts were really fun!
Spelling WILD again

After the Feb. 13 workout - the one where our
track reps were foiled by snow

Long Runs:
  • Feb. 2: 15.1 miles (7:38), with a fast finish, described above.
  • Feb. 10: 16.1 miles (7:41), with a split tempo workout, described above.
  • Feb. 17: 18.9 miles, including Run with the Wind 25k at 6:56 pace.
  • Feb. 24: 18.4 miles (7:47) including Karen's 2 mile fast finish from about 14.2-16.2 (7:02, 6:47).
  • Favorite long run: Feb. 24 because I felt really great.
Beautiful sunrise

Fabulous February

Running Highlights:
  • Watching the U.S. Marathon Trials plus all of the events that went along with it was an amazing experience! I made the trip with 4 running buddies and we all want to go again in 2028. Details are here.
Galentines Run

Life Highlights:
  • My long weekend in Orlando was amazing. We were there Friday through Monday and had non-stop fun. We spent all day Sunday at Universal Islands of Adventure.
  • Albani had her winter homecoming dance.
  • Albani qualified for the state archery tournament, which is next month in Branson.
Archery tournament at Spokane
Books:
  • The Other Mothers by Katherine Faulkner
  • Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
  • Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
  • The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Chasing Perfect: Peace and Purpose in the Exhausting Pursuit of Something Better by Alisah Illian.
  • The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer
Theme for the month:
  • Fabulous February...although also sickness February because I had two illnesses this month.
Fabulous February

Fabulous February + Chinese New Year


Sunday, February 18, 2024

Run with the Wind 25k

The short:

I ran Run with the Wind in 20232022, 2015, 2012, and 2010, so you'd think I'd have figured out how to race it by now, but I have never been able to finish strong and this year was no different - though finishing strong with 5 miles against the wind and uphill is relative I guess! I ran 10 miles of the race with my running buddy Sally, but she had more in the tank in the final 5 and I also settled a bit when I lost contact. I was hoping I could average under 7:00 pace, and I did that with a 6:56 average. By some miracle it seems I ran a slight negative split (6:56.3 average for the first 7 miles, 6:54.9 average for the final 7 full miles), which is quite challenging on this elevation profile. I ended up 3rd overall female, 1st masters female, and with a new state record for the 25k in 1:48:01. This was the second fastest I've run at this race, and the fastest I've run from Carthage to Sarcoxie, which is the harder direction with a net uphill.

My state record will be here.

My Strava activity is here.

Mid-race smiles

It's hard both directions, but this one is harder!

The long:

I updated this bit from my 2022 race recap; it is still very accurate:

I've run this race 5 times previously, which was enough to know that 1) you never actually have a tailwind the entire way, 2) it's hilly, and 3) 25k state records are generally easily attainable since it's not a common race distance. The race organizers announce the night before the race which direction it will run, and this year was Carthage to Sarcoxie, which means primarily a south and east route. The northwest wind was behind us going south and we had a headwind going east.

Sally rode to the race with me and we had a great time on drive. The race had a bus this year, which was a nice update! We parked at the finish in Sarcoxie, picked up our packets, and boarded the bus bound for the starting line. The bus was supposed to depart at 8:00, but it left nearly 30 minutes late and we arrived at the Carthage starting area less than 20 minutes before the 9:05 start. We dropped our bags, used the bathroom, and jogged as much as we had time for which was about 1.25 miles. I'd have liked to get in at least 2 miles plus drills and strides, but what can you do? I was very cold on the warm up (the wind chill was 7*!) and questioned if I should have put on a thicker shirt, but there wasn't time.

Sally and I planned to run together, knowing that one of us would likely feel stronger at some point, much like at Bass Pro. The woman who beat me at this race last year (Katie) was in it again, so I expected she would be tough to beat, but I also thought Sally and I had an advantage working together. From the gun, one male took out hard, then Katie, then a few other men, and next Sally and me. I planned to run by effort and wanted to go out conservatively, fearing the hills from past experiences. Sally and I chatted and relaxed. After a few miles, we started passing men. I told Sally she had to tell me when we passed 5 miles so I could take a gel, because I didn't want to look at my watch and the course didn't have mile markers.

Rural racing at its finest

The miles passed quickly and the hills didn't seem as bad this year, despite this being the harder direction on this course. I could tell Sally felt better than me for most of the race and she was pulling me along. Before I knew it we were halfway, we had passed all of the men between us and Katie, and we could see that we were maintaining pretty steady with Katie. Sally gapped me a bit going up a hill around mile 8 or 9, and I caught back up going down it but could tell that she was itching to go get Katie. I encouraged her to go chase her down, and hoped I could hang on.

Me hanging on

We took a turn onto the final long stretch heading east into the wind. You can also see by the elevation chart that 10 to the end is a long net incline. Sally gapped me again and this time I couldn't close it. I watched her pull farther away from me and closer and closer to Katie over the next few miles. I got a little complacent running alone, into the wind, and uphill, but I stayed pretty steady with just a slight slow down - but if it hadn't been uphill I think I'd have been consistent. I wish someone with Strava premium had been on this run because I've love to know my GAPs!

Final couple of miles

I was thankful when I saw Sally turn left and knew the final half mile was in sight. I stayed steady through the finish but now wish I'd have kicked because I ran 1:48:01 (1:47:59 just seems a lot better!). I was pleasantly surprised to see my time because I'd only broken 1:50 on that course once before, and that was going the easier direction. Once I learned that Sally ran her final 5 miles in the 6:30s, I felt a lot better about my performance because I hadn't been fading so much as she had been hammering! I don't know official splits or my 7.75 mile time, but my average for my last 7 full miles was a tiny bit faster than my average for the first 7 full miles, which I have definitely never done at this race - so, progress. I have never run a stellar pace relative to my fitness in this race, so I am happy enough with this one! My perfect day would have been the race that Sally had, but I'm glad I didn't have a bad day like last year. 

Finish

Post-race we enjoyed soup and snacks while waiting for the awards. I ended up getting 4 awards: 1st in my age group, top female age-graded performance, state record, and something else. This was a fun low-key race and I look forward to the next - which will surely be flatter!

We won identical awards

With the youngest (14) and oldest (71)

State record breakers - ages 71, 43, 33, 26, 14
2023 event photo on the registration site
featuring me, Colin, & Amy up front





Sunday, February 11, 2024

Olympic Trials Marathon Trip

When Orlando was announced as the location for the 2024 Olympic Trials Marathon, one of my running buddies spearheaded getting a group together to go spectate. Allegiant flies direct and cheap from Springfield to Orlando, we found great deals on AirBnb and Turo, and the trip was organized! We made the most out of our long weekend, laughed excessively, and made lifelong memories. Here is a summary of what we did!

Friday, February 2:

  • Christian, Sarah, Jessica, and I left Springfield at 11:00 a.m. Our flight and Turo car pick up went smoothly. Jessica lived in Orlando for 10 years so was nominated as our main driver for the weekend.
  • We had lunch as Miller's Ale House, which was delicious. Their specials photos were effective because three of us ordered the same thing.
  • We found our AirBnb and unloaded. It was adorable, clean, and just what we needed! 
  • Jessica drove us by her old house and got to talk to her old neighbor in his yard.
  • We went to a Citius Mag podcast live show, which took place right after a Hoka shake-out run. We got free Hoka bags and posters, and ice cream (they also had free Olipop and Goodrs, but we were a little too late for those).
  •  We then went to the Brooks Hyperion House, where everyone got two free drink tickets and appetizers (which ended up being "dinner"). The Brooks House definitely had the biggest party vibe of everywhere we went: music, lights, crowds, and the free drinks probably helped. There were also free shirts but they only had XXL left. Jessica and Sarah nabbed hats. Abby met us there, after her flight got in around 6:00 p.m.
  • We next tried to pick up Holly from a Mill City party, but she had actually not made it there yet, so we went by the Nike hotel to get her. There we also got Dreamweaver cheer squad shirts for everyone and some free sports nutrition products.

On stage at the Brooks house

Photo station at the Brooks house

Citius Mag live show behind us

Saturday, February 3:

  • Abby, Jessica, and I got up early and ran 10 miles.
  • We headed to the Trials course! Due to road blockades, we ended up walking a lot further than expected to get to our planned spot, but luckily we'd allotted plenty of time. Because of this, we also walked past the athlete warm up area and saw all of the competitors jogging up close. We also ran into my friend Melissa who was similarly trying to navigate around the road closures.
  • We found a good spectating spot not long before the start. We were able to see the race 5 times from our location.
  • Kristen, a friend who used to live in Springfield, found us and spectated with us.
  • Seeing the race unfold in front of us was awesome! We also had the live stream on Peacock going on Christian's phone so we were able to track what was happening when we couldn't see the runners. Everyone cheered so hard our throats were sore.
  • There are too many stories of the day for me to do them justice here! Some of my favorites were: Dakota Lindwurm, one of the happiest runners ever, making the team; training partners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young working together to go 1-2 (I have mixed feelings about Clayton handing the win to his friend though); 4th place Jess McClain being absolutely ecstatic about her race (often 4th is upset); CJ Albertson charging hard for a close 5th; seeing my rabbit and Dreamweaver teammates out there; and 7 months pregnant Meagan Kirchin getting the biggest cheers. My biggest heartbreak was Sara Hall not making the team; I believe she wanted it more than everyone and probably worked the hardest too. She did set the US masters marathon record, but I doubt that was a great consolation.
  • We had lunch at a restaurant that I don't remember the name of, after trying to get in at another nearby restaurant. Unsurprisingly, the area was packed. It worked out though, because we sat right next to CJ Albertson's family, then about halfway through the meal CJ himself came in. We eavesdropped on him telling his family his race story. He only missed the team by 10 seconds!
  • We went by the Brooks house again, which was still partying and giving out free drinks.
  • We next went to a Nike Dreamweaver after-party, with more free food and drinks.
  • Then we tried to go to a Hoka party but it was mostly over.
  • We had Jeremiah's Italian Ice for "dinner", then went to Publix to buy real food but no one was hungry. After two nights of not eating real dinner we decided we were done with that!
Matching cheer shirts

Women's lead pack

Top two men 0.25 from the finish

High class Italian ice

CJ Albertson is a fan of me too

Sunday, February 4:

  • Sarah and I got up early and ran 8 miles.
  • Jessica, Sarah, Christian, and I spent the entire day at Universal Islands of Adventure! Abby had to fly out early and Holly met up with others to do free activities. We were at the park from when they opened at 9:00 a.m. to about 5:30 p.m. (they closed at 6:00) and got to ride everything we wanted to except the Velocicoaster, which closed when we were in line. The Harry Potter coaster and Hulk coaster were our favorites.
  • We had real dinner at The Hall on the Yard food hall. 
Universal Islands of Adventure

Monday, February 5:

  • Jessica and I ran at 4:20 a.m. before our return flight. Some people asked why we didn't just run when we got home, but we both thought that would be harder, plus I had to teach MSU class at noon. I was definitely ready to nap right after class!

I couldn't have gone to the 2020 Trials to watch, because I was too heartbroken over not qualifying - but I still saw the big party in Atlanta and wished I was there. The standard dropping to 2:37 for 2024 made it very easy for me to fangirl this one, because qualifying was never in my realm of possibility. It was the ultimate running fan experience and we all want to go back in 2028!

Holly & I at a host hotel


Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Jumpin' January

January 2024 in review!

Total mileage for the month: 327.8
  • Jan. 1-7: 72.9
  • Jan. 8-14: 76.3
  • Jan. 15-21: 70.2
  • Jan. 22-28: 72.5
  • Jan. 29-Feb. 4: 78.6
#jumpingjanuary, snow edition
Races:
  • Jan. 1: Chilly 5k in 19:20 for first overall female and the perfect way to start 2024.
  • Jan. 6: Frostbite Series 20k(ish) in 1:25:32 for a fast long run while I was in St Louis. 
  • I haven't run two races 5 days apart for quite some time, but it went mostly well!
Feels like -19* run before sunrise
Workouts:
  • Jan. 3: Hill workout of 2 x 2:00, 2 x 1:30, 2 x 1:00, 2 x 0:30, which felt really hard but I suppose went well because I got faster each rep - but we ran on two different hills and no one had Strava premium for grade-adjusted pacing so who really knows. 
  • Jan. 9: Hill workout of 10 x 1:00 hills in the middle of a 12 mile run. I ran pretty even across reps and felt better than I have on any of these hill rep workouts so far. Again no one with Strava premium was on this run so we can't say grade-adjusted pace but I'll just call it a win.
  • Jan. 12: 3 mile net uphill threshold with paces (GAPs) of 7:14 (6:25), 6:25 (6:30), 6:37 (6:15). This was the fastest I've run this course with 340 ft gain in 3 miles and I felt very strong. It continues to be quite interesting to me how amazing I feel on this workout and how very hard short faster hills are for me.
  • Jan. 18: Hill workout of 6 x 2:00 + 4 x 0:45, where I had 1093 ft of elevation gain during my 12 mile run. The GAP paces for my 2:00s were 6:00-6:11 and for my 0:45s were 5:14-5:34, which seems about right. It was a hard workout for me, as always on hill reps!
  • Jan. 21: Split tempo during a long run that went like: 4.2 easy, 3 mile net uphill tempo that was also against the wind, 6.5 easy, 1 mile rolling tempo, 1.5 easy. Paces (GAPs) were 7:21 (6:32), 6:40 (6:45), 6:58 (6:36) | 6:26 (no GAP available due to no premium Strava users running at this point, but I'd say it was probably a wash). For the 3 mile uphill tempo we ran the usual route, and I was not as quick as I was on Jan. 12, but for running against the wind in -4* wind chill I was happy with it! And it felt good to finish with the 6:26 mile with having 14 miles already on my legs.
  • Jan. 24: Wild Card Workout, which was: 4 warm up, 2 x 400 m at 5k w/ 200 m jog, 2 x 800 m at 10k w/ 200 m jog, 1 x 500 m at 5k w/ 300 m jog, 3 x 300 m at whatever w/ 100 m jog, 2 x 0.5 at 5k/make the second faster w/ 1:30 jog, cool down to 12. My splits were: 1:32, 1:32, 3:08, 3:05, 1:50, 1:04, 1:06, 1:04, 2:58, 2:54. The WCW concept was inspired by coaches who give their athletes some workouts one portion at a time. It's a mental challenge not knowing what you're doing until immediately before you're doing it, and it is good practice at just running the rep you're in. Each person who comes to the workout is supposed to come with a pre-decided set in their mind, with a maximum of 1 mile in distance. The location where we are running these at has a flat half mile road loop, a track, and a hill nearby. You could choose 1 mile threshold, 2 x 800 m at 5k pace, 4 x 200 m at hard, 5 x 1:00 on/1:00 off, 4 x 1:00 hills, etc. The possibilities are endless! Then in random order we run everyone's portion, which is announced just before starting it. For this workout we had Casey, Karen, Lisa, Sally, and me, in that order (alphabetical order by first name).
  • Jan. 28: 6 miles at 20k pace during a 15 mile run on our local 20k course in 7:05, 6:33, 6:39, 6:34, 6:39, 6:47. I averaged exactly the same pace I ran for a 20k on Jan. 6 (6:43), but I felt terrible for this whole tempo and fell off the group by about 10 seconds during the final mile. I could not have run another 6.4 miles at that pace on this day, that is for sure! 
  • Jan 31: Wild Card Workout, which was 4 x 200 m at mile-ish pace w/ 200 m jog, jog to road, 1 mile threshold with an Indian Run (continuously repeating the back person surging to the front), jog to track, 800 m at MP, 400 m at HMP, 200 m at 5k w/ 200 m jog, jog to road, 0.75 at threshold straight into 0.25 uphill hard, jog down hill, 0.25 uphill threshold. This was the same procedure as Jan. 24 and our order was Lisa, Casey, Karen, me (youngest to oldest, oof). Splits were: 0:43, 0:44, 0:43, 0:43, 6:33, 3:27, 1:32, 0:44 6:15 pace, 6:24 pace, 6:28 pace. This was fun!
  • Favorite workout: It's hard to choose because I loved several of them, but I'll go with Jan. 12 because I love the workout and PRed the course.
Hills for breakfast Jan. 3

Hills for breakfast Jan. 9
Hills for breakfast Jan. 18

WILD Jan. 24
Long Runs:
  • Jan. 6: 15.5 miles, including 12.7 at 6:43 pace.
  • Jan. 13: 14.2 miles (7:53) in feels like -1*. This week was abnormal because I ran 12 miles on Jan. 9, 13 miles on Jan. 11, and 12.2 miles on Jan. 12 because I kept thinking it was going to get too bad to run due to winter weather, so I'd better get at least a short long run in early. Instead I ended up with 4 short long runs for the week.
  • Jan. 21: 16.2 miles (7:48) in feels like -4*, that included some work as described above. We had a tough weather stretch but I am proud to say I didn't miss any runs!
  • Jan. 28: 15.2 miles (7:41), with a tempo workout described above. I didn't feel so hot on this workout or the cool down; I was going to do 16 but when Sally finished at 15 I decided I was also very done. We moved this run from the day before due to feels like 27* and rain on Jan. 27 (which I still ran 10 miles easy in, which I feel like is a major accomplishment).
  • Favorite long run: Jan. 6 because it was by far the best weather and I felt great!
Jumping January post-long run
#jacketjanuary in feels like 27* rain
Running Highlights:
  • A new PR for the coldest wind chill I've ever run in, -22 degrees F on Jan. 14. I credit this mostly to cold weather running gear being exponentially better now than it was 10 years ago! So, I have already set a PR this year. ;-) I had my second coldest run ever on Jan. 16, at -19 degrees wind chill. Before this year my best was -18 degrees. I do not mind if I don't surpass this PR, but if Missouri weather makes me I probably will.
-22 does not stop us

There was breakfast after this very cold run so that helped

Too cold to jump or pose
Life Highlights:
  • OMRR annual banquet, a work after-Christmas party, and lots of reading!
Books:
Bold = 5 stars, but this month I read several page-turners that I gave 4 stars (I'm stingy with my 5 stars!), and since they made me want to read them constantly I gave them an asterisk
  • Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
  • *Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapina
  • Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson
  • *The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness by Suzy Favor Hamilton
  • The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington
  • Catching the Sky by Colten Moore
  • Running on Veggie: Plant-Powered Recipes for Fueling and Feeling Your Best by Lottie Bildirici
  • Today We Die A Little: The Inimitable Emil Zatopek, the Greatest Olympic Runner of All Time by Richard Askwith
  • *The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
  • The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
  • The Women Could Fly by Meg Giddings
  • *The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon
  • *The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush
Theme for the month:
  • Technically jumping January, but Hills for Breakfast photos come out a lot better than jumping photos do before sunrise.
#justusjanuary

Jan. 31!


Sunday, January 7, 2024

St. Louis Frostbite Series 20k

The short:

My husband needed to go to St. Louis this week, and I told him that if there was a race there on Saturday I'd go with him. I found the St. Louis Track Club Frostbite Series 20k and registered for $20 the day before. The race was a lot bigger than I expected (over 900 runners between the 20k and 5k!) and a little longer than I expected, but I also felt better than I expected to! There was snow on the ground in Forest Park, helping the race live up to its name, but it was really nice out for the morning of January 6 in Missouri, at 33* with virtually no wind.

I ended up running 1:25:32, which was 6:43 pace for 12.73 miles per my Garmin (Strava said my 20k was 1:23:36). I ran the first half of the race at 6:46 pace and the second half at 6:40 pace, finishing with 6:37, 6:31, 6:30 so I think I got about all I could have out of myself on the day. I ended up placing 4th overall female, after running in 3rd for about half the race and getting passed with less than a half mile to go, so that left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth - but I was still mostly pleased because I gauged my effort well and ran way under 7:00 pace, plus Premium Strava said to subtract 4-5 seconds for grade-adjusted pace!).

Results are here, my details here.

My activity on Strava is here.

The long:

I wasn't sure how I'd feel for the race having raced the Chilly 5k five days prior, not adjusting my training to account for racing since it wasn't pre-planned, and doing no training focused on long-race prep since October (although you could possibly count the Jack is Back 30k as one). I'd debated on whether to run my hill workout on Wednesday or Thursday that week, and ended up doing it Wednesday so I was glad for that at least! I looked up results of the races in the series that had already taken place when I registered, and from those I figured it was doubtful I could win overall female, which made it easier to not care if I didn't feel good and needed to make it into a moderate long run.

We left our house at 4:15 a.m. on race morning. I brought breakfast and planned to eat around 5:00, but ended up falling asleep until 7:20, which is quite late for me! The race started at 8:20, so being only 30 minutes out from my warm up I didn't want to eat anything. I had a couple of gels so figured I'd use one during my warm up and one during the race.

Jon dropped me off at the race and I picked up my number, used the bathroom, and started my warm up. The Frostbite series is a 5-race series, with a short and long race each time. I found the 5k start on my warm up but had to ask a few people where the 20k started. I found it with about 10 minutes to spare, so continued my warm up jog, took a gel, and stashed my throw away shirt (which I got back after the race, so wasn't throw away this time). I only had time for 1.6 miles of jogging and 2 strides, but I figured I'd just ease into the race and be fine. During my warm up I saw many, many fast-looking women and it seemed like a larger percentage of people were warming up than usual, which made me feel like the race was going to be competitive.

The grassy areas of the park were snow-covered, but the roads were just wet. The temps had been warm enough that the snow didn't last on the roads, but they were a little sloppy and the bridges were slick the first time we crossed them (they seemed to melt after that, I imagine from cars and runners going over them). The temperature was 33* and I ran in a my uniform very thin long sleeve shorts, shorts, and gloves. I ended up being both cold and hot during the race, and wished I'd worn a tank top and capris instead - though if I'd worn that I might have wished I'd worn long sleeves and shorts!

The race consisted of two laps of the course, with each lap including two out-and-backs. The first out was only about a mile, then we went around a round about. It was easy to see what place I was in, which was 4th female. There were also what seemed like 50 women right behind me. The second out and back was longer and much hillier, and had a hair-pin turn. Again, I was in 4th female with what seemed like 50 women close behind. At that point I was going back and forth between "I'm going to catch the two in front of me" [it seemed #1 was a lost cause because she was so far out, which made sense once I realized who she was] and "50 women are going to pass me!". But I was also focusing on and reeling in men one by one.

I was gaining on woman 3, so that kept me going from about miles 4-6. I passed her a little before halfway, and got excited that I was in 3rd! The course was a bit of a cluster from about 5-8, because we were running through slower 5k runners, the faster 5k runners were leaving the parking lot right off the course (the roads weren't closed to traffic), volunteers were waving 5kers to turn, and then when I was coming back lots of other 20kers were going out. I was relieved to get through that part. I was going to take my gel at halfway but forgot about it and didn't, so this wasn't my best fueled race.

I started feeling really great on the second tour of the course, and kept picking off the men in front of me. I saw fewer women close to me on that turn around the round about, and started feeling confident that I could go with anyone who tried to pass me.

Mile 10 included a long uphill, a gain of 82 ft per Garmin (on the first lap it was during mile 4-5). It wasn't steep but just long. I knew it was coming since we'd run the course once, and I kept reminding myself that I'd get to go back down it. I also told myself that it was to my advantage because it would take some of others' speed, plus I've been doing hill work. I caught and passed a man on it, which helped keep me going. As I approached and went around the hair-pin turn, I learned that there was no way I could catch the women in front of me, but one woman behind me was dangerously close and also running with a man she seemed to know. Though I was tired, I also felt strong and like I'd be able to push the end. The man who I'd passed going uphill passed me back when the course flattened out, and I went with him. It was hard to stay with him but I kept telling myself it was easier with someone else and I needed to stay with him to stay ahead of the woman.

I was able to stay right behind or beside him, and as we passed the 12 mile mark I started feeling confident I wasn't going to get caught. But then I heard footsteps and a man talking behind us, and it was clear the man was coaching the woman to go by me. I mentally prepared myself to fight for position, but when she passed me she was hammering it and I couldn't hang. I felt strong and finished strong relative to my other splits, but unfortunately I didn't have what she had. As we made the final turn one of the volunteers said something like, "2nd and 3rd woman, who wants it more??" and I guess I was really hurting at that point because I thought "she does." (also he must have missed a woman because we were actually 3rd and 4th).

The guy in gray was the one I ran with for the final
 few miles, woman in green had just passed us here

After it was clear I wasn't going to get her, I didn't hammer quite as hard as I should have for the final bit, but it was also on a curvy sidewalk that made it very difficult to run fast. Jon got back just in time to see me run by on her tail then he ran to the finish. He tried to take pictures in the rush that didn't come out great, but at least they show the snow on the ground!

Finish

I stopped my watch to see it showed me as averaging 6:43 pace, which I was happy with! I wasn't sure I'd be under 7:00, and don't look at my watch during races so had no idea what I was going to end  up with. All of my miles were under 7:00, even the 82 ft hill. The course read 12.73 on my watch. I don't think I've ever had a certified half read more than 13.25, and rarely have they read more than 13.15-13.20 unless they have a ton of turns. With this one being two out and backs I'd buy 12.50 or a smidge more for a 20k but not 12.73 (most others on Strava had 12.65+ too)! Plus they have a certified half that follows almost the same course and it is barely longer than what we ran for the 20k. Strava said my 20k was 1:23:36, and of course Strava isn't perfect either but had it been certified I'd probably have run 1:24-something. With non-certified races you get what you get and everyone in the race gets it, but everyone in that race should get credit for faster paces than the results show...especially me, hahaha!

I decided that I was first place masters female; the overall female was also in masters, but since she got overall I took her out of the very unofficial masters standings. I admit I am using a double-standard here, because when I have won both overall and masters I thought I deserved both, but this is my blog so I can do what I want, right? The race did not have masters, but I have to take my victories where I can find them. I am getting better about being happy with running well for me "right now" instead of being upset about running slower than I used to, which is probably the biggest victory of my 2024 races! I also wish Springfield had a cheap multi-race winter series like this; I'd love to do all 5 races but driving to St. Louis that many times in a winter seems excessive.

Elevation gain per mile, in feet, with my splits:

  1. 3 - 6:39
  2. 16 - 6:47
  3. 36 - 6:52
  4. 69 - 6:48
  5. 49 - 6:48
  6. 23 - 6:43
  7. 23 - 6:42
  8. 16 - 6:33
  9. 30 - 6:47
  10. 82 - 6:57
  11. 33 - 6:37
  12. 30 - 6:31
  13. (final 0.73) 20 - a little faster than 6:30, I stopped my watch 3 seconds after I finished

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Chilly 5k

The short:

I jumped into a New Years Day 5k and it was a great way to kick off the year! I was unsure what to expect time-wise but I aimed to compete, and came away with the overall female win in 19:20. I got to run through a finishing banner, got a few great photos, was interviewed post-race, and had a fun day with friends, so 2024 can really only go downhill from here. ;-)

Results are here, my personal results are here.

A Joplin Globe photo of me from the race is here, and an article that I am quoted in and pictured in is here.

I love a breaking the tape action shot!

The long:

A friend told me about the Chilly 5k in Joplin a couple of months ago, and I wrote it in my training calendar for reference but didn't really think I'd run it. The week before the race, a very tentative girls' day in Pittsburg started becoming more definitive, and I decided if the girls' day happened it only made sense to run the race on my drive to Pitt, since I'd be driving by Joplin anyway. 

I haven't done any time-based workouts since before the Bass Pro Marathon, but I have been running consistently and doing hill workouts so figured it would be fine enough. I also figured that no one is 5k sharp on January 1! My primary goal was to place as high as I could, going for the overall female win if it was within reason, and not worry about my time.

The race is point-to-point, from downtown Joplin to the YMCA on the south side of town. I parked at the Y and ran to the start plus a little more to warm up. It was simple to do, but the downside was that I didn't have a car at the start to toss clothes into. I dressed between what I would wear for an easy run and a race in the conditions (air temp 30*, wind chill 22*) in a thin long sleeve, gloves, an ear warmer, and tights. I was a little cold on my warm up and a little hot during the race as expected.

The race was decent-sized at around 300 participants. I wasn't sure who my competition would be, but as I was warming up I saw another woman warming up and thought, "She looks fast!" As I got closer I saw it was my friend Liz, who is fast! After I got my race number I connected with my friends Natalie and John, and stashed my phone in their car. I'd warmed up with it in a pocket because I was paranoid about getting lost on my warm up and missing the start, which ended up being a very unfounded fear. 

The start that I was not ready for

I lined up near the front, not far from John, Liz, and a woman who I know from Joplin, Christy. After the National Anthem and a prayer, we were off! It seemed like many men and boys went out fast, but I zeroed in on women and noted I was in 3rd behind a teenager and Christy. I settled into 5k effort and found myself right next to John. The first two women weren't too far out, and staying steady I reeled them in and passed them both around the mile.

Around that time a young man (from the results I know he was 23) settled in just behind me. Passing for the lead and having him on my shoulder was good motivation to push, and the second mile had several hills so it wasn't easy. After a bit he came up and ran beside me. Going up a hill shortly before the 2 mile mark, he pulled away slightly, but after the hill I closed the gap. When we hit mile 2 I pushed harder and gapped him, then extended my lead to 15 seconds by the finish.

This course was interesting because it was a net uphill for the first 2 miles. I thought mile 1 was pretty gentle, but I could tell it in my pace and by the elevation chart. Mile 2 seemed harder with more hills, though still nothing extreme for a Missouri runner. Then mile 3 had almost all down, which was fun! I felt like I ran in a way that mile 3 would be my fastest mile, but the downhill made it even faster. It felt really good to push and I felt strong coming towards the finish. I definitely felt better in this race than I have been feeling doing short hill reps in training!

About a quarter mile out from the finish, the lead bike came back for me after leading the top male in. As he rode me closer to the finish he waved his arms up and down, I assume to signal the finish line that the first female was coming in. I heard the announcer say something to that effect and saw the finish line volunteers put up a finishing banner. I love getting to break a tape! I gave a huge smile and the announcer said, "Keep that smile right through the finish line!" He was also announcing where the clock was at as I came down the final stretch, and when I heard 19:10 I was pleasantly surprised; I wasn't completely sure I could run under 20:00 but I was going to be way under!

Final bit

I had a huge smile on my face as I came in, and saw a photographer snapping photos in the finish chute, indicating that I was surprisingly coherent. I ran through the finishing tape, which was supposed to break at a Velcro attachment but did not. I then ended up tripping over the banner that didn't break, and narrowly avoided falling down. I was hoping I'd get finishing photos of that part, but they were either too nice to take them or too nice to post them. My official time was 19:20. I thought there were a ton of men in front of me but it turns out there were only 4.

Not my best photo but a big smile

I turned around to see where my competition and friends were. The second and third women came in at 19:43 and 19:48 (Christy), then John came though, then Liz, then Jacob - all pretty quickly after I finished. As I started walking out of the chute, a reporter from the Joplin Globe asked if he could ask me some questions, so I of course obliged. I think my runners high was clear from one of my quotes here, "It's great, a great way to start the year...I highly recommend it for everybody."

Joplin Globe article

My mention

John was planning to run back to the start to get his car prior to the awards, and I'd told him I'd run back with him when I stashed my phone in his car, because I wanted about 10 miles for the day. We ran the course backwards along with Liz for about a mile, and cheered for those we knew who were running. We ran 3.5 more miles total at my request, then hopped in his car and hightailed it back to the awards. I ended up just missing my overall award, but Natalie picked it up for me and later they called me back on the podium.

The podium was a nice touch!

My run on Strava matched with a couple of people who have premium Strava, one of whom was only 14 seconds behind me, so I was able to figure out my grade-adjusted paces for the race. My actual splits were 6:19, 6:27, 5:55 (5:25 final 0.12) - grade adjusted was 6:12, 6:22, 6:06. I felt like I got out well, eased up a little during mile 2, then hammered the final mile, so this makes sense to me. It's also faster than I expected to run, so I was happy about that.

I think 2024 is going to be my year of running races like this where I can compete for the win, because this race felt really right and I want to do it again!

Cute unique award

Post-race girls' afternoon!

The other Joplin Globe mention