Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon: The First Half

Continued from Pre-Race.

From the gun, I took off with my eye on other women in the field.  Remember, my main objective for the race was to compete and place as high as I could.  For the first mile there were many (8-10?) women around, and I settled in.  I generally do well running by feel, so I never worried about heat/humidity adjusting my pace; I just planned to go out at an effort that felt sustainable for 26.2 miles and felt I confident that would be the correct pace. Calculators such as this one, which I looked at in retrospect, advise adding 15-20 seconds/mile at my pace based on the conditions.

Where's Sara?

If someone had asked me what pace we were running at the beginning I'd have estimated 6:40, but turns out my first mile per my Garmin was 6:13 -  the fastest I've ever started a marathon and also not a good idea for anyone not planning to average around 6:00 for the race!  I guess it was just the competition and running on rested legs for the first time in quite awhile, and I suppose I was also wrong to trust my pacing by feel.  At Tobacco Road I went out in 6:50 for the first mile and this really felt the same as that.  Oof.  Usually I believe not looking at my watch during races is a positive thing, but for this one it was probably a mistake.

But, ignorance is bliss so I didn't know what I was doing until after the fact!  I actually felt super confident for the first several miles because I was in the mix with the top women and thought we were starting relatively slow [face palm].  My course pace was 6:21 at the 5k and 6:21 at the 10k, so I was pacing evenly, but I was also pacing like the weather was perfect, which, in case I wasn't clear the first 5 times I mentioned it, was not the case.

We spread out a by miles 3-6, with two women pulling away.  I knew speeding up was going to get me out of marathon effort zone (one wise decision made at least!), so I settled in with a friendly woman and man who were chatting away.  When I first fell in stride with them there were a couple of other women with us, but they fell back before long, putting me and Samantha in third and fourth female positions, with several men in our vicinity.  The race had cyclists with the top 3 men and women, so there was a cyclist riding near Samantha and I.  I picked up my first elite bottle at around mile 4, which I'd filled with UCAN (my bottles near 9, 14, and 20 had nuun and a gel).

Samantha's foot is in this photo,
& her male friend

The miles passed quickly, and at one point I heard Samantha tell her male friend something was bothering her and she felt like she needed to either speed up or slow down, then he asked if she wanted to use the decline to speed up, and they picked it up (the race course was relatively flat and straight, but had some turns and inclines/declines).  I was glad that I'd overheard the conversation, because otherwise it would have been a hit to my confidence when they pulled away.  I think this was around mile 11.  I didn't like seeing the third spot and cyclist move away from me, but I knew I needed to keep my effort steady and not pick up at that point.  There were several men around, so I generally had someone to run with or near.  Samantha would go on to win the race.

I expected the race would have a clock at 13.1, but there was only a timing mat.  I considered looking at my watch at that point, but it was kind of freeing not to know.  In hindsight, I think I also felt better about my race not knowing, because I never thought I was not doing well!  I paced pretty evenly for the first half though, coming through at 1:23:55.  I didn't feel bad but I also didn't feel as fresh as I'd like at halfway.  I didn't feel like I was going to negative split, which was unsurprising given the temperature.  However, I kept gradually reeling in and passing men, so that gave me the illusion I was doing great.

The story continues here...

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon: Pre-Race

My race summary, with several links, is here.

I selected the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon because of the race date, the relatively straight point-to-point mostly flat course (~600 ft gain), the historical race weather (average morning low of 44 degrees), and the likelihood that there would be a women's field that would challenge me but that I could place in.  My running buddy Christian chose to run this race for the same reasons, but unfortunately got injured about 2 weeks before and couldn't compete, but she is a phenomenal friend who still made the race trip with me!  We did so many vacation activities before and after the race, but that will be a separate post.

We loved the race jackets!

My training cycle for the race was comparable to what I did leading up to my PR marathon at Indy Monumental 2019, but for various reasons I had a hard time getting my head in the game during the final 3-4 weeks.  Every race I ran during my build up was in warm, humid weather, so I hadn't run any fantastic times, but for some reason that didn't bother me.  Maybe I'm finally learning to look at the big picture instead of analyzing every workout/race in isolation!

Every time I checked the race day forecast (which was too often), it seemed to get warmer.  At one point it also indicated that we were going to have a 15-20 mph headwind the entire race, so after they took that out I was more thankful for what we got:  70 degrees throughout the race (at least it didn't warm up!), 67 degree dew point (at least it wasn't 70!), cloudy for most of the race (much better than sun!), and possible rain for the first couple of hours (rain feels good at 70!).

I was in the elite field for the race, which got me bottles on the course, access to a VIP pre-race area, and a pre-race elite meeting.  I had to restrain myself from asking hundreds of questions during said meeting!  Christian attended with me to gain experience, and I met Amy who I'd talked to many times on Instagram over the past few years (read her race recap here - it's excellent!).  I dropped off my bottles decorated with hot pink duct tape, tired to scope out my competition, and race instinct began taking over.

The pink showed up really well!

On race morning, Christian drove me to the start.  We got lost due to road construction and a highway onramp that Apple maps didn't know was closed, so I switched my car's display screen to the compass and just had her drive north until we could again get on the highway again.  Once we arrived, we walked inside through the rain and hung out in the VIP area until it was time for me to begin warming up.  I did all of my usual race morning routines, and felt excited and ready to go.  I knew a PR wouldn't be happening in the conditions, but strangely enough I wasn't at all upset by that.  I switched my A goal to competing.  I thought winning the race would be amazing, although that all depends on who shows up.  I definitely wanted to win masters, which again depends on who shows up.  Really, in the words of Molly Seidel, I just wanted to stick my nose in it, and I went to the starting line prepared to do just that!  I really didn't overthink this one; in fact, I probably underthought it, which I imagine was good for typically-obsessive me.

Someday we will get to take expo
pics without masks again...

The story continues here...

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Cliffs Notes

The Good:  I placed 3rd overall female and 1st masters female, achieving my place goals for the race (overall podium + win masters).  I got in there and competed with a bunch of 23-25 year old ladies, who made up 5 of the top 6 women.  This race was the RRCA Wisconsin state championship marathon, so I'm a state [masters] champ - something I haven't been able to say since high school.  My sub-3 marathon streak lives on, with this being my 12th or 13th consecutive, depending on whether or not you count the marathon split of my 50k.  My time was the the fastest masters female time ever run at this race, and the 39th fastest female time ever run in the 40 years of this race.  I ended up with 14 professional race photos that I liked, which has never happened before - possibly because I smiled almost the entire race!  I also had a fabulous trip with my friend Christian, making vacation memories that will last a lifetime.

The Bad:  My time of 2:53:46 wasn't what I'd trained for, although with the race day weather we got I didn't expect much more.  It was 70 degrees and 90% humidity/67 degree dewpoint throughout the race, and from about miles 15-18 there was heavy rain.  After that cleared the sun began peaking out and baking us for the rest of the route.  I'm not saying that this is a bad marathon time, just that I believe I have a faster one in me on a 40 degree day at the moment.

The Ugly:  My splits!  My only sub-3:00 I've executed worse than this one was Houston 2020 when I had bronchitis, and does that really count?  Based on the weather and my primary objective of putting myself in contention in the women's field, my splits make some sense, but I'm not going to tell you they were the right way to do it! [10/10/21 addition: After tracking a lot of friends and acquaintances at Chicago, I felt better about my splits and time; warm weather marathons are just a trick!]

The results:  Click for mine and overall.  My Strava activity/really solid regression run is here.

The Details:

Pre-Race 

The First Half

The Back Half 

The Aftermath 

The Racecation

Always thankful

Pretty sure this means I need to go back
in 2022 & try to lower this...

It was my best Plaza 10k, it was my worst Plaza 10k

The short:

I nabbed my best ever overall placing with what was by far my slowest time at this race, with 2nd overall female in 38:15.  Due to various factors (the heat, peak marathon training, seeing two friends suffer devastating losses in the days before the race), my expectations for the race were not high.  In retrospect, I am quite happy with the place and quite meh about the time.

Results are here.

My Strava activity is here.

Better together

The long:

I continued my hot weather racing streak at the Plaza 10k, with no clouds in the sky and 80 degrees on race morning.  Because the race fell 3 weeks before my season goal marathon, I planned to train right through it, and the forecast made me confident that was the right decision (i.e., I won't run a fast time at 80 degrees no matter how rested I am).  The week before the race I had workouts that never felt good but that I hit my paces on, which is typical for me in the throes of marathon training, and a few days before the race I saw 104 miles on my rolling 7.  I don't think racing without a taper necessarily hurts my performance, but I certainly don't feel as fresh; I just grit it out when feeling tired like I do in a lot of workouts during marathon training!

Before things went downhill in the days leading up to the race, my goal was to place as high as I could.  The best I'd ever placed at the race previously was 6th overall female.  I also hoped to win overall masters female, and to break the Missouri age 40 state record of 38:04.  Race morning I warmed up with friends and tried to enjoy the moment, but had a really hard time getting my head in the game.  In the few days prior to the race, I had a friend who lost her son unexpectedly and another friend who lost her husband, so it was difficult to place importance on the race.  My heart wasn't in the race, it was with them.

We all saw the photographer on a ladder at the start!

I saw several fast Kansas City women on the starting line, and knew they would push me in the race.  From the gun a woman I didn't know was ahead for the first half mile or so, then me and the ladies I was running with (Chandler and Amy) passed into the top 3 female positions.  I knew both Chandler and Amy were talented runners, and I was hopeful for a top 3 finish because our start felt very conservative (6:13 on the flat first mile) and no other women were around.

Race instinct took over to some degree, and I slowly upped the effort.  Like every Kansas City race, this isn't an even split course, though this is the flattest course I run in that area with about 170 feet of elevation gain.  Mile 2 was 6:03 and mile 3 6:11, though as usual I didn't look at my watch during the race.  Typically this race has a clock at the 5k but this year they didn't have a clock or timing mat, which I missed!  Sometime around the halfway point, Chandler and I pulled away from Amy.  I felt confident that I could hold onto 1 and 2 with Chandler; I had no pep but the pace also didn't feel that hard, and I knew Amy had to be feeling a lot worse than I was to let us gap her.

Running with Chandler is always a pleasure!  I really enjoyed sharing most of this race and most of Rock the Parkway with her.  She is kind, positive, and helps me get the best out of myself.  With where I was mentally and emotionally for this one, running with a friend beside me was extra helpful.

Mile 4 is downhill and usually my favorite mile of this race, but this year they were doing road construction in that area and it was all rivety.  It was not ideal terrain for Next % shoes, that's for sure!  My friend Andrew, who went out faster than me, hopped up on the sidewalk for a moment to avoid the crappy road, and I considered following him but it cut a corner off the course slightly so I didn't because I sure wasn't getting disqualified in my one chance of a top 2 finish at this event!  He realized the situation soon and jumped back on the I'm-going-to-twist-an-ankle road, and shortly after that Chandler and I passed him.  I encouraged him to go with us, but his faster start had caught up with him a bit.  My 4th mile was 5:51.

Laughing at Brent around mile 4

Mile 5 goes back up the incline the course goes down in mile 4, on the opposite side of the divided road.  Some years I have loathed that climb, but it was okay this time, possibly because I was running so much slower than I ever have at this race!  The split was 6:13, which is about even effort to our other miles with the elevation gain.  Chandler and I were still side-by-side.  Shortly after we passed mile 4, there was an aid station on the side I was on.  She mentioned she was going to get a water, telling me because she was going to have to cross either right in front of or behind me to grab it.  I told her I'd grab it for her since it was on my side.  I picked up a bottle and passed it to her, and it was caught on camera.  Despite the shot being unflattering of me, I absolutely love it!

Team work makes the dream work!

We passed mile 5 together, and right after Chandler began pulling away.  I tried to stay with her but I didn't have any get up and go.  She gradually extended her lead, and I tried not to give up but my heart really wasn't in it and I settled to some degree.  If I'd kept at it mentally, she'd have still gotten me, but not by as much - she finished 15 seconds ahead of me and my last mile was 6:02 and final kick 5:45 pace.

Clock shot

I ended up finishing in 38:15 gun time.  They didn't give chip times to the overall winners (i.e., results have chip and gun time as the same, since that is how overall prizes are awarded), but I figured since I started between Christian and Andrew, whose chip times were -10 seconds and -12 seconds respectively, my chip time would have been 38:04 (tying the state record).  State records go by gun time so gun time is all that matters there, but of course that would happen to me!  Much like in the half marathon, I know I can run significantly faster than the record time, but I cannot do it in 80 degrees.

Post-race fist bump caught on film

After the race, I headed out on the Trolley Trail for 11 more miles, which is too long to call a cool down.  I felt fine running very easy, and finished up my final 20+ mile day before my next marathon.  Andrew accompanied me for the whole addendum as part of his Chicago Marathon training, which was quite helpful.  

I'm not sure what the future holds for my next race or for everything else in life, but I know who holds the future!  God's plan often doesn't make sense to us on earth, but it's always best.

Miles from Mentor

Splits

Rock the Parkway: Heat Advisory Edition

The short:

I ran my fifth Rock the Parkway half marathon on 8/28/21 - the first time the race took place in August! I placed 3rd overall female for the third time; I can't seem to move up in my placing at this race (I've also been 4th), but I'm not fading at age 40, so I'll consider that a win.  I didn't have a time goal since it was over 80 degrees at the start and nearly 90 by the finish.  However, based on my Hospital Hill performance I figured if I could run 1:25ish it would be a good day, so I was satisfied with my 1:24:19 finish time, though I missed the Missouri state record for age 40 by 34 seconds. This was also my first time running a half marathon during a 90 mile week, but I really don't think that hurt me and blame any and all difficulty on the heat and humidity.  Racing is always a blessing, and I enjoyed myself greatly, but I also didn't feel super stoked about this one before or after, which I of course blame on summer!

Official results are here.

My dad's video of the start is here (enjoy the race officials yelling that only waves AA and A were supposed to be in the chute or starting, and a lot of people ignoring it, hah!).

My dad's video of the finish is here.

My Strava activity with splits and elevation is here.

Smiles for miles with Chandler

Pain face near the finish

The long:

Rock the Parkway is one of the races I return to year after year.  2021 was my fifth time running it.  The April 2020 event was postponed to August 2020 and then cancelled.  When race organizers cancelled they noted they were rescheduling for August 2021 with the hopes that COVID would allow them to hold a normal event by then.  After my heat debacle at the USATF Masters National meet in July, I wasn't particularly excited to run an August half, but I really love this race and knew I would have fun no matter what!

I'm loving my rabbit elite kit!

This race was 5 weeks out from my first fall marathon, and there was no reason to "waste" a taper on an 80+ degree half, so I trained right through it, including a workout with almost 7 miles of sub-6:00 running on Tuesday, 13 miles on Thursday, and 90 miles total during race week.  I've run solid halves during 80-some mile weeks before so this part didn't worry me.  I tend to feel worse if I taper too much!

I never expected the weather would be good, but when weather.com told me it was 79 degrees when I woke up on race morning, I knew things were going to be even worse than I'd expected by the 7:00 a.m. start.  My goal was to place as high as I could, and while I'd thought that I could probably just barely break the age 40 state record of 1:23:45 at 70-75 degrees, I knew it would be a stretch at 80-90 degrees.  I race by effort anyway, and this course is hilly in a way that you really need to run by effort instead of splits, so I figured I'd just start off about marathon effort and see what I got!

Not the best temperature to 
see at 4:44 a.m.!

I warmed up for a little over 2 miles with my running buddies Casey, Christian, and Andrew, we all complained about the weather, and we lined up in the elite wave.  I greeted my fast friend Chandler in the corral, saw another fast Kansas City area runner Connie, and had a brief conversation about the course elevation profile with a runner I didn't know, Kristen (names were on our bibs).  I was open about my plan to go out very easy, since the heat sneaks up on me if I don't, and I also told the others that miles 2 and 3 of the course have a lot of elevation gain so it's best to keep things really in check for the first 3 miles.

Miles from Mentor teammates

After the start, Connie was quickly out front for the women, followed by Kristen.  Chandler, Casey, Christian, and I were all together, with Andrew and several other men around as well.  Chandler and I ran most of the 2019 Grandma's Marathon together, and she told me that she was going to stick with me in this race since she thought I was the best pacer (aww).  I shared my course strategy mile by mile with her, and after getting up the climbs in miles 2-3, we notched down the effort and started trying to chase down Kristen.  At that point we lost the others who'd been running with us.

This must have been right after
an aid station, because Chandler 
was never behind me

Running with Chandler was great.  We chatted a bit, I gave her a heads up on course hills and upcoming turns, and we encouraged each other that we could overtake the woman ahead of us.  We gained on her, but I could see she was also passing men who'd gone out fast so I didn't think she was dying.  I kept my eyes on her, and before a hill around mile 8, I told Chandler we should ease up the hill then really chase her down.  At this time we were 3rd and 4th females behind Connie and Kristen.

Towards the end

I've learned that in the heat, instead of a slow burn to fatigue, it often hits me all at once.  Instead of going from feeling good to feeling okay to feeling a little tired to feeling pretty beat, I go from feeling good to feeling pretty beat all at once!  This happened around mile 9.5 of this race.  I began struggling to stay with Chandler, and hung on for maybe a quarter mile but then she gapped me.  Shortly after,  I saw Connie standing on the side of the road, having dropped out due to overheating.  She'd gone out pretty fast for the conditions, and of course I'd hoped I could catch back up to her, but not like that!  At that point I was 3rd female, with Chandler looking strong.  I hoped that Chandler could catch the first woman, and better yet, that both Chandler and I could catch her.  She still had a significant lead on us, but heat is an X factor for everyone.  I felt myself fading but reminded myself that the heat could hit the others hard at any time so I should keep pressing.  Sometimes I wish I could try a run in someone else's body and see if it feels different!

How the final 3.5 miles felt

I'm pretty good at negative splitting long races in cool weather, but it's much more difficult for me to do in the heat.  I had a far weaker final 5k than I typically do in this race, but I fought with all I had and didn't let myself settle for 3rd until I saw Chandler crossing the finish line.  The final mile of the race is downhill, though you've earned it after climbing the same hill in mile 2, and normally it's a relatively smooth mile, but this year it felt like the longest mile ever!  I just kept thinking, "when am I going to see the finish line?!"  I'd looked at my watch at mile 11 to see if I had a chance at the state record to try to motivate my tired body and my mind that was telling me 3rd was just fine, and by my very loose calculations I thought I could get it if I ran the final 2 miles at about 6:00 pace.  I have done that on this course in 45 degree weather, but it wasn't to be on this day.  I know I can break the record significantly in decent conditions, but I don't have another half in Missouri planned before I turn 41 so it would have been nice to sneak by in this one!

Clock shot!

The announcer announced "another top female finisher coming in" as I crossed the line in 1:24:19.  After bending over for a moment and congratulating Chandler and Kristen, I turned around to watch for my friends coming in.  Andrew came through in 1:25:58 (I think he is in better shape than me but the heat bothers him more), and Casey in 1:28.  We snapped some pictures and I knew I'd better get moving pretty quickly or my 6.5 more miles for the day weren't going to happen!  Christian came through in 1:34 then I jogged to my car to change my shoes, drink multiple bottles, and grab a gel and chews.  I'd planned to take a gel in the race since I had a 22 mile day, but the thought of stomaching one was not appealing!  Generally I don't take a gel in a half, but I've learned that when I'm tacking on a lot of miles after the race I need to take one to stay on top of my fueling, and I later paid for not taking it.

Casey showing how we all felt, Andrew staying on
top of hydration, & my awesome parents

Andrew ran the 6.5 additional miles with me, which was much appreciated!  We ran back on the course since the road was closed to traffic, and I ended up picking up water from two aid stations along the way, and when I started bonking I stopped and drank 3 cups of Gatorade, which saved the rest of the miles.  The extra miles were quite easy paced, but we successfully finished them off, another step towards our next 26.2s!

Please refer to age percentages ;-)

All in all, I'm content with this race.  I'm not super pumped or proud of it, but I'm also not disappointed.  I don't really think I could have done anything differently to improve my performance.  It's always a competitive event, and I'd love to move up to 1st or 2nd some day, but this wasn't my year for that.  The two women who beat me both competed in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials and are currently training for fall marathons, so I had my work cut out for me.  I also think it was a take-what-you're-in-shape-for-and-add 5:00 kind of day for most!  Strava said this course had 525 ft of elevation gain, while it said Hospital Hill had 590 ft, but it was nearly 10 degrees warmer for this race so I think that means I ran better than at Hospital Hill - and I definitely ran better than at Masters Nationals with a non-flat middle 10k of about 38:30 in this race.  I also think I'll get some nice training gains from the race and from gutting through the miles afterwards.  And as always, any day we can run is certainly a God-given gift!

Am I the only one who keeps their
plaques in the plastic?

USATF Masters Outdoor National Championships 10,000 m: That was Terrible!

The Short:

I ran in what I hope will be my first of many USATF Masters* Championship races!  I also hope it is the worst race performance I produce in a competition like this; though I was able to hang on for a 2nd place finish in age group 40-44 and 5th overall female in the race, my time was a huge underperformance in relation to my fitness.  I'm sure no one is surprised that it was hot and humid in Iowa on July 24.  I went to compete without expecting a fast time, but I didn't expect to suffer as much as I did, finishing in 39:39.  I think the heat slowed me down about 2:00, but my performance being equivalent to 37:39 in good weather doesn't really make me feel any better, especially because I couldn't dig to compete like I typically can.  I really enjoyed training for this race - the day-to-day training was awesome! - so I'm still glad I did it, but it's going to take some time for my ego to recover from it.

*I also learned that although masters division typically begins at age 40, USATF starts it at age 35, so I have missed 5 years of masters championship road racing.

My medal was silver but my parents are gold

The Long:

As part of enjoying being a new masters runner, earlier this year I looked at the USATF masters championship race schedule.  As part of being crazy, I love racing 10,000 m on the track and thought doing it at the end of July in Iowa seemed like a great idea!

I didn't have a time goal going into this race, because I knew that weather and strategy could be big factors.  However, my speed block leading up to the race went well - the best speed block I've ever had actually - and I felt fit and tapered leading into the race.  The race day forecast was warmer every time I checked it, and by the time the race began at 8:45 a.m. the heat index was 90* with the sun radiating off the track.  I told myself that I die less than most in the heat, shoved ice into the crop and shorts of my new rabbitELITE race kit, and went to the starting line hunting a national masters win.

Shorts with the elite logo came a few days later!

My heat of the 10,000 m had 4 women's age groups and 2 men's age groups in it, so there was a crowd!  My plan was to run the first 2 miles conservatively to try to avoid overheating, then progress the pace downward from there.  While I didn't have specific time goals, I thought I was in shape for a 35:59 in ideal weather on a good day with good pacing, so I figured high-36/low-37 in the conditions we had.  I have been heat-adjusting my workout goal paces when it's been over 70* and humid, but by only 50-75% of the amount this heat calculator recommends.  I came through each of the first 8 laps right around 1:30 (I ran by feel but it's very difficult not to look at the clock when it's a huge display in front of your face each lap), and it didn't feel fast but it also didn't feel good.  I told myself I'd feel stronger as the race went on, and to reel in the women ahead of me.  At that point I was leading my age group, with two women ahead of me in the 35-39 division.  

This is pretty much how the entire race felt

Around 2 miles I started feeling worse, and a man who'd been running right behind me passed me.  I told myself to latch onto him, which I did briefly, but I couldn't maintain contact.  By the 5k I really started worrying, but I reminded myself that in most 10ks I've run I've passed the 5k thinking there was no way I could run that again, but I always did, often faster.  At some point another woman passed me, and I tried to stay with her even harder than I'd tried to stay with the man, but much like earlier, I just couldn't.  Our age groups were on our backs, so I knew she was in 45-49 and I was still leading age 40-44.  I knew I was slowing despite my best efforts not to, and at that point my goal became hanging on to win my age division.

I still kept telling myself I was going to feel better and speed up, and that everyone else was dying just as much.  I was trying to take 1600 m splits on my watch to look at later, but I missed one of them and then started really struggling to remember what lap I was on.  My brain felt foggy, my legs wouldn't move, and I just felt gassed.  At some point a woman with AG 40-44 on her back passed me and I really tried to hang onto her but my body felt felt shut down and I couldn't respond.  The possibility of a national championship slipped away and my goal mostly changed to just making it through, which is not a very inspiring race goal.

About to get passed

I was lapping people, some multiple times, plus two women and two men lapped me.  With the number of people in the race, the officials had their work cut out for them with telling people what lap they were on, and several times they didn't tell me my lap count when I passed.  My pace was so off what I'd expected to run and my brain was extremely cloudy, so the best I could do at times was "somewhere between 8 and 10 left" and "either 4 or 5 laps left!"  It started to not really matter, as the race began feeling more like a survival thing than a competition.  Finishing was a relief, though also a huge disappointment.

New rabbit teammate!

My official lap splits were:  1:29, 1:31, 1:29, 1:29, 1:30, 1:30, 1:31, 1:30, 1:32, 1:35, 1:36, 1:32, 1:36, 1:39, 1:39, 1:36, 1:35, 1:36, 1:40, 1:40, 1:38, 1:40, 1:40, 1:40, 1:33 (i.e., don't pace like this!).  I thought that starting at 6:00 pace was conservative, but clearly it wasn't adequate for me that day.  At the end of my 50k, I felt like it was the distance that got to me (not the pace), but in this race it felt completely like the pace!  Oddly, 25 laps on the track didn't seem very far.

I am really not sure what happened.  Yes, 90 degrees and humid (dew point 72*) on a hot track is miserable, but surely that can't account for slowing down 37 seconds/mile from what my workouts indicated I could run; I am also generally really good at knowing what I'll realistically run in races.  Most of the field ran about 2:00 slower than their seed times, but I was 3:05 off of mine (my heat calculator also gives me about +20 seconds/mile in the conditions, which is 2:00 - but remember, for hot workouts I've been using only 50-75% of the calculation).  All of my track workouts and strength-based workouts this season were faster than when I ran 36:34 on the road, so even in the heat I thought I'd be in the 37s on the track; I also ran a 36:52 on the road in not ideal weather of 71*, dew point 68* when I was at similar fitness to what I am now (though now those conditions seem okay, haha!).  I couldn't respond in a competitive situation, plus I felt awful and not at all strong, which I think is what makes this particularly discouraging.  There was just nothing there.  Maybe it's just time to retire from summer racing!

I'm trying not to dwell on this too much, because I am really thankful for the opportunity to compete in this event, and to take home the silver in my age group.  I'm thankful my parents came to the race with me, and for the vacationing we got to do along with it.  I'm thankful that my training for this race went so well, and that I'm 100% healthy.  But this was sure a hit to my confidence!  I also had to laugh about it; it was like my body said, "You think an 18:09 5k wasn't good enough, I'll show you a bad race!" Related note: my HR was higher during this 10k than it was during that 5k time trial, showing that I was right about that 5k effort being more like 10k-half effort.  This race was a 10k effort, it just wasn't the pace or place I thought that effort would produce!

But!  During my final tune up workout 4 days before the race, one of my running buddies was on a recovery when I was running a rep, and said "Go, coach!" (I coach several of my training buddies), which was the perfect reminder mid-400 that THAT was really what it's all about.  I love running and competing, but that is the selfish piece and surely not the primary reason God gave me a passion for running - though I believe He wants us to be happy, and running certainly makes me that way!  I love coaching, cheering for, supporting, and pacing others in this sport, and I really feel in my element when I'm doing those things.  I don't think I'll ever be anywhere near content with how this race went, but it doesn't change how much I love running and everything associated with it.

Now, onto a 5k, a half, a road 10k, and 26.2 between now and October 3!

3.1 on the 3rd: Disappointed but not Discouraged

My running group held an unofficial 5k race on July 3, which we decided to call 3.1 on the 3rd (there is an awesome race in Springfield called 4 on the 4th that didn't work into most of our schedules a day later).  I created a course on rural farm roads that was rolling with a small net drop, and measured it 4 different ways.  Race morning was 64* (61* dew point), which is really amazing for July in Missouri!  I expected I'd be running alone, which was the main downside, but based on how my workouts had been going I thought I could still dip under 18, and I was even in a cut-back mileage week.

Post-race celebration

We met at my house at 5:30 a.m., then jogged over to the start a little over a mile away, did some drills and strides, and took off at 5:50 a.m.  Colin was immediately out front as expected, and his goal was to break 17 but I thought he could be significantly under.  Steve was next to me for the first 200 m or so, then I eased away.  I wore 2 Garmins for accuracy, with one programmed to take 1k splits and the other taking mile splits, although I ran the race by feel without looking at the data until after.  I liked having a beep every 1k because it split the race up nicely for me.  

There was only 1 second difference in my race time (&
apparently also the time of day) on these two Garmins!

5k pace is hard from the beginning, and Colin was significantly ahead of me by 1k and continued to steadily widen the gap throughout the race.  I tried to stay focused on my effort but kept thinking, "Either Colin is annihilating his sub-17 goal or I am failing on my sub-18 goal" (turns out it was both - he ran 16:30!).  I caught my mind drifting several times and directed it back to quick turnover/5k effort.  It is harder to focus running solo!  The race passed by pretty quickly, but sure felt like a 5k on my legs, especially during the uphill from about mile 2-2.4.  Though the race was a net downhill, it rolled the whole way and finished the last 0.1 uphill, so if I had to do it again I'd run this on a track!  I do well with hills at marathon pace but definitely need to improve on my power going up them at faster paces.  I knew I wouldn't count this race as a real PR if I ran one since it wasn't a certified course and had a net downhill, but that wasn't a decision I had to make since I finished in 18:09, 5:50 average pace (Strava activity here) - although I later realized that this was my second fastest open 5k ever (I've just run faster in 10ks and close in the final 5k of a half marathon or two, bahaha!).

When I saw my time, my first reaction was disappointment.  I'd been so sure I could run in the 17s.  However, one of the reasons I wanted to race so badly this weekend was because my first short race of a season has rarely (never?) gone amazingly, so I wanted to bust the rust in a setting that didn't really matter, before my important shorter races.  That goal was accomplished and this was a much better way to start out than trying at a high stakes 5k like I did in 2019!  I also remembered that I've had multiple seasons where I've run a 10k goal race at a faster pace than any 5k I did, so I am not letting go of my ambitious 10k goal for the year. My heart rate indicated that I wasn’t really running 5k pace (more like 10k to half  HR), but I really didn’t feel like I could go any faster! [later note: I ran a 10k at a higher HR 3 weeks later, so this was correct]

One thing I was really happy about was my negative split.  I fully believe negative splitting is the best way to run your best time on the day in any distance race - though if competing for place, not time, is the goal, it is different - but I have a very difficult time executing a negative split in a 5k.  I'm not sure I have ever negative split a 5k I was seriously racing.  My mile splits were 5:55, 5:50, 5:46 (not sure what my kick was because I didn't get my watch stopped when I finished).  If I'd had to choose my ideal splits before this race I'd have said 5:50, 5:45, 5:40, so I got the pattern right!  Oh, and I was the first overall female if that counts for my 2021 record (7 for 8, with one second OA female).

I cut off the final 0.1 since it was at 18:12 pace
due to my stopping error

I was hoping my rabbitELITE race kit would arrive in time for this "race", but it didn't quite make it.  Hopefully its first race will be one I'm happier with!  I'm super thankful for the experience and to have running buddies who are excited to do things like this with me, and also thankful that 18:09 is a time I feel meh about (I used to be ecstatic anytime I was under 20).  How our expectations change, eh?  I have a real 5k race next month, in a competitive women's field, but it will also likely be quite warm, so I'm not sure how that will go, but I really want to do this again!

Hospital Hill Half: Hot Hilly Happiness

The short:

I kept saying “it’s not a real race” before the Hospital Hill Half Marathon, but I am also well-aware that when I get into a race I will not run easy! Now, when it’s a sunny 74-80 degrees, the course is very hilly, I'm 3 weeks off a marathon, I am just off a rest phase, and I am 3 days off of a major vacation, that doesn't mean I am going to knock it out of the park, but I'll give it all I've got on the day.  That is exactly what I did at Hospital Hill, and I was very happy with my result all-considering.  I was first overall female in 1:25:27 and set a new women's course record (it's a relatively new course).  I also had a ton of fun in the process; running a race with no time expectations can be very freeing!  I came home with a great finishing banner, a lot of joy, and a tan.

Overall female results are here.

My activity on Strava is here - check out that split variation based on the elevation, hah!

My dad's video of the start is here.

My dad's video of me breaking the tape at the finish is here.

I love when races have & let you keep
these finishing banners!

Athlinks says it was 87*...maybe in direct sun?

The long:

I had no desire to run Hospital Hill this year until my friend Andrew started talking about pacing their 1:25 pace group.  We both thought that it was odd to offer a 1:25 group because anyone who could run that kind of time on that course in typical Missouri June weather probably didn't need any pacing assistance, and we also agreed that it would be about max for both of us to do it, but if we could get a free entry to pace then we should do it (follow this logic at all?).  I knew I could combine the race with a work trip, and my niece's high school graduation ceremony was 36 hours before the race in the same town, so it seemed like a no-brainer that I'd run it if I had a free entry.  Andrew ended up getting me that free entry, but with no pacing duties (the 1:25 group was axed), and although I briefly retracted my willingness to run it when we scheduled our family vacation right before the race, I felt fine enough when the time came so I lined up on race morning.

Missouri summers are very humid, and I was not yet heat adapted, so I knew race day with temperatures starting at 74 degrees and quickly rising was going to be uncomfortable.  The course is very hilly, including the infamous Hospital Hill climb, so I had zero expectations for time; I just wanted to work with Andrew and compete with the other women in the field.  My friend Laura was running the race, and I suspected she'd be my main competition (she'd won the race several times before).  I knew I'd have to have a good day to beat her, but also figured we could work together.  I wasn't in the mindset to throw down an extremely hard effort, but I knew I would if that's what it took.

I started off very conservatively, running easier than marathon effort for the first 5k, which included the 160ish ft Hospital Hill Climb.  I was with Andrew, his friend Josh, my friend Laura, and a man who wanted to break 1:30.  There were a couple of women ahead of us, and it was hard for me not to try to chase them down, but I kept it easy through the 5k then upped the effort a little, thinking, "it's just a 10 mile race".  Laura and I moved into the top two female positions around mile 4, and our group of 4 (Andrew, Josh, Laura, me) stayed pretty close, although we approached hills a bit differently.  I just aimed to maintain equal effort.  I don't race by my watch anymore regardless, but this race is definitely not one to run by split times because the elevation varies so much.  Our group chatted and laughed quite a bit and everyone seemed to be enjoying the race.  Laura and I got a lot of "go ladies" cheers, and Josh kept chiming in, "and men!" after them.  Andrew was very familiar with the course and kept narrating it for us, particularly emphasizing how sucky miles 11-12 were going to be.

Josh, Andrew, me

The saving grace on the hot sunny day was the amount of shade from large trees on the course.  If it had all been in open sun I am pretty sure I would have died!  I felt really good and like I was holding back, and around miles 7-8 I felt like others were easing off a little, so around mile 9 I started pushing more, then Josh and I gapped Andrew and Laura.  I knew that miles 11-12 were all uphill, then the last mile was downhill, so I gave effort accordingly.  I passed several men between mile 10 and the finish, which kept my momentum going.  At mile 11 I was definitely ready to get to mile 12 and the downhill, and Josh told me that I had a significant lead so I didn't plan to hammer the end, but the downhill propelled me to a 5:58 final mile.  I never felt like I was running that hard during the race, but the heat snuck up on me so I also don't think I could have run really any faster, so I'm glad I didn't try to early on (though mindset probably played into this)!  Overall I felt strong but not sharp, which is what I'd expect based on where I'm at right now.

Smiling as the announcer stated first female

I had a lead cyclist with and around me from when Laura and I took the female lead to the end, and he was great.  We kept joking with him that he had to make sure I didn't cut the course.  As I was coming down the final stretch I saw him waving frantically at the finish line staff to hold up the overall female finishing banner.  It's always so fun to break a tape; I did so with a huge smile on my face and I even remembered not to stop my watch until I was through the line and stopped.  The only disadvantage to that was that I didn't capture how fast my finishing sprint was, but we all know I'm not setting any speed records in anything, so...  My parents said they announced that I set the female course record (the course has been changed since they used to give prize money), but I haven't found anything official about that anywhere yet.  I also completely forgot to pick up my overall award, but I'm pretty happy with the banner.

Professional finishing photo sequence

Post-finish photos from race officials

After I finished some of the race staff took my photo, my parents took pictures, and a race official asked me about the event and how easy the course was to follow (answer: it was great, except the runners behind us who were going out when we were coming back moved over to the shorter route lane of the road, so we ran the longer route going both out and back, which added a little distance).  I met back up with Josh and Andrew, who both finished right behind me.  Andrew was pleased to hit the 1:25 goal - pre-race we'd hypothesized that 1:25 on that course in the heat was like 1:20 on a good course in good weather, then post-race he determined that temperature calculators like this one give us 14-18 seconds/mile, and the course (based on Strava GAP) gives us 4 seconds/mile, so our performance probably is equivalent to a 1:19-1:20.  This premium Strava user finished not far behind me, so you can look at his grade adjusted paces.  I have enjoyed running races that I know I won't run super fast in this season though!  I love PR-chasing, but it's also a joy to just go compete and do my best given the conditions, without worrying about seconds here and there.  I also seem to also be doing well on long races with climbs towards the end (e.g., every single race I have run in 2021 aside from the Squirrel 5k), although I will not select courses like this for PR-chasing.

The last mile was nice!

My parents took a bunch of pics with
this banner while I ran my cool down

Aren't they the cutest?

This summer I will be doing a little less mileage and a little more speed work before transitioning into marathon training.  Speed stuff is not my forte but it will be good for me, and I am hoping to challenge my 5k PR.  My next long race (another half) will be August 28, which seems really far away even though it's not, so I'm extra glad I got this one in.  I continue to be amazed at the blessings God gives me through running, especially considering that a year ago I was highly skeptical that I would ever run well again.  That was probably dramatic, but us runners are likely to defer to that when off running or not performing well, so if you are in that situation, don't stop believing!  That time period has made me far less obsessive about times and finding "perfect" races, so I imagine that was part of the blessing in disguise.  I've loved every race I've run this year, but a few years ago I don't think I'd have selected any of them!

I bought this great top for a 4th of July
race, but since I'm not running one I
decided to wear it for Hospital Hill!