Monday, June 29, 2015

2015 Active Runner 10 for Them 10 Miler

Goal: race for the win
Result: 1:06:14 for first female and third overall

     I wasn't originally going to race this race but Randy from Active Runner asked me to come run it about a month before and knowing that it was going to be a well-organized, fun, hilly race for a good cause, I agreed. This wasn't going to be much of a social event. I wanted to get there, race, see a few peeps and get home. But then Margaret said she was racing and then a few other MCRR peeps said they were running it, so I knew that there would be a bunch of familiar faces out there. Also, Mike Ryan, who I had run with on the Buckeye Trail 20 mile training run was going to be there. On the drive there the rain was coming down hard and I was suddenly nervous. I was pretty sure I would be going for the win and no matter how small the race, I get nervous about that.
     This was the inaugural year for 10 for Them and featured just the 10 mile distance. The unique point to point course started in Strongsville at the Pat Catan stadium and ended in Brunswick on the high school track. The course was incredibly well-marked with many volunteers along the way and cones set in place to keep the runners safe from cars. Good energy too! I liked the loud music at the start and finish. The course was moderately hilly, with a net uphill to the seven mile mark and then a net downhill to the finish.
     At the bib pick-up I met up with Margaret and we did a quick two mile warmup in the driving rain. It was plain down-pouring by then and it didn't let up the entire race. I also did a few half-hearted drills underneath the grandstand. We mainly talked about how difficult it would be to achieve prs in this weather and on this course. These are the days that you don't look at the watch and just race! Good thing, because I wasn't even wearing one. And I knew I would have to race. Tracy Meder was standing on the starting line. This would be the third time I raced her. At Circle City Mile I beat her by one second and at Erie Marathon last year I was just 20 seconds ahead of her. This wasn't going to be a cakewalk.
And go! Beat the boys. Well, all but two of them. Photo Credit: The Medina Post

     I started fast, as usual, and was ahead of the lead guys for about 400 meters. I gradually slowed down and Mike and Ryan pulled ahead of me. No one else passed me for the rest of the race. I think this is the first time that has happened. The first two miles were really uneventful. I was going about 6:30 pace I would say, and feeling very comfortable. About half marathon effort. I looked behind me at about 3 miles and realized Tracy was right behind me. Alright, time to race. I told myself that if she didn't catch me by 7 miles that I would be fine after that. There were many turns and rolling hills for those first 7 miles. There were also rivers of water flowing down the roads and wide puddles that I had to either maneuver around or wade through. I tried to stay smooth, hold a good form and work hard on the hills. I still kept the effort in check though. I wanted to be able to go after it in the final miles. Tracy seemed to match every effort I put out, but she didn't close the gap. The volunteers were amazing. Honestly, I love race volunteers. They are so friendly and helpful and make the general unpleasantness of racing a bit more tolerable. I accepted a Carb Boom! from one them at about 6 miles and took it right before the 6.5 mile aid station. The soreness and aching in my legs subsided after I took it. Side-effects of racing on high mileage!
Early miles. Saturated! Photo Credit: Crystal Yohman

     I skipped the 8 mile aid station and did my best to get going a bit. There was one more small hill leading into the 9 mile marker and after I hit that, I started a far-out kick for the finish. I'm not sure of my final mile time but my guess was that it was in the 6 teens. Most of my miles were probably in the 6:40s. It was fun to run the final stretch to the finish around the track. After I finished I waited for Tracy to come in and thanked her for pushing me to a faster time. No way I would have worked that hard if she hadn't been there. Margaret was third in 1:09! I started feeling tired, hungry and freezing soon after I finished and decided to head back to the start. I thought that the awards were being held there, but I was mistaken and ended up missing the official awards. I felt bad about that! Fellow MCRR, Cameron was kind enough to let me follow him back to the Brunswick stadium to pick up my award. I hope they hold this race again next year!
Results: https://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-11308

2015 Second Sole Midnight Mile

Goal: 5:20-5:30 and race!
Result: 5:31 and fourth female

     Not going to lie, I was dreading this race. 50k training does not lend itself to a fast mile pace. And I wouldn't say that midnight is my best time to run. Best time to snore into a pillow, yes, race an all out mile? No. I was going to need several late-night coffees. But I was driving there with some fun running buddies: Evan, Ian and Dylan and I was looking forward to seeing the Boardman store for the first time. I also skipped out on the Youngstown 10 miler to go to Colorado, so I felt quite obligated to race.
     The week before, Dylan had kindly paced me in a 0.75 mile time trial on the roads. It was a typical mile effort for me. Starting at about 4:50 pace and slowing down into my mile pace by about 300 meters. I had 0.76 in 4:00 minutes for a 5:15 pace. I figured that my goal of 5:20-5:30 would be attainable. My road mile pr was from last year at the Circle City Mile (5:36).
     The road trip-type atmosphere of driving out there was pretty fun. These are cool guys to hang out with and love running just as much as I do. We got to the Second Sole Boardman location with plenty of time to spare and stored our stuff in the back room with the rest of the Second Sole employees. At 11 p.m. sharp we started our warmup. I saw that Samantha was racing and knew that she would be winning for the women. She ran a 5:01 here last year. We warmed up on the course and realized it was dark, with several sharp turns and a very uneven road surface. I went back to the store to get my singlet on, put on my Saucony Virratas and do a couple of pre-race pees and then went back out to the parking lot to do my drills and strides. Having already downed a slushy and popcorn, Evan decided to hop in the race and joined us in drills and strides and pre-race nerves. By this point I had given myself over to debilitating nerves and just wanted the god damned race to be over. Can I just run a half marathon already?
     I got to the starting line with about 10 minutes to spare and jogged a bit more. I also did five run-outs from the starting line. I saw that besides Samantha there were two Second Sole ladies there. I couldn't be sure if they were the two that went 5:15 and 5:24 the year before, but they looked very competent and I decided to try and go with them. I stood right behind them and Samantha at the starting line in the second row of people. The fastest guys were all in the first row. The race took off and the Second Sole girls (their names are Molly and Sara) took off at what seemed like a completely unreasonable pace. Never before have I felt so out of my element, uncomfortable and just plain tired than those first 400 meters. The three top ladies were fast fading from my view and there was nothing I could do about it. I was moving forward as fast as I could. I passed a bunch of too fast starting men and settled into a rythm that was kindly pumping lactic acid into my muscles. I hit the half mile with a young girl hot on my heels in 2:42, possibly 2:44 by the time I passed the clock. This wasn't quite as fast as I wanted at the half but the chick passing me on my right was occupying my mind more than the clock. No, I was not going to get outkicked AND not run the time I wanted. I stayed on her heels for about 200 meters and then she started to die hard. I went around her and took the hard right turn to the final 400 meters. For some reason I couldn't see the finish line. It was dark and the flashing lights of the police just past the finish provided a blinding backdrop. So I didn't kick all that hard, not sure when the finish line was coming up. I nearly slammed into the back of the guy that finished ahead of me, standing in the queue. I was hoping that I'd made it in under 5:30 but no such luck. Possibly with automatic timing I would have been 5:29, but it is what it is.
Scoring a pic with the owner of Second Sole, Steve Hixon! Photo credit: Boardman Athletics

     As usual, I was happy and relieved after the race. Glad to be done and ready to relax. I cooled down with Evan and Ian, who had both run good times. We waited for the awards to start and met a bunch of Second Sole employees that we had only known over the phone, asking for shoe shipments! I introduced myself to Molly and Sara and asked them what they were currently training for. They probably thought I was over-curious and crazy. I felt a bit of kinship towards them...maybe just because they are small and dark-haired? My post-race brain function is never the best. I was fourth female and first in my 30-34 age group. We started on the road back to Medina before 2 a.m. and made a food stop at Steak N Shake. I was starving and the taco salad that I chose hit the spot. I think we were the only sober customers in the place. I finally got home just after 3 a.m. The last few miles into Medina I was struggling hard but after I got home I had a difficult time settling into bed. Probably should have saved my shower for the morning but I hate going to bed sticky with sweat and salt! Planning on at least one more mile race on the roads this summer. I may be focusing exclusively on the mile for the indoor season. It makes no sense but I want that 5 teens mile. If I see a 5:19 or under this indoor season, I swear I will never run a track mile again.
Results: http://media.wix.com/ugd/aa0c98_585c79bd06b54ea98fac9554d34865e0.pdf

Monday, June 1, 2015

2015 Medina Half Marathon

Goal: A - 1:25 B - 1:27 C - 1:29
Result: 1:27:14 (2nd female, 10th overall)

     First things first, this is the funnest, most efficiently run local race that I've ever participated in. And they are only in their second official year! The race directors work year-round to keep sponsors coming in, the city and law enforcement involved and are continuing to update the course as better routes become available. Next year the course will be amazing with the addition of the Buckeye Trail section. I can't wait for that!
     I hadn't originally planned to run the 2015 version of the Medina Half Marathon, since it would take place just 13 days after the Cleveland Marathon. I was going to volunteer before and during the race as it is a Medina County Road Runners event. A few months ago, Beth, the world's best race director, asked me if I wanted to run it and honestly, I really did want to. Last year it was my goal spring race and I love being able to jog up to the square and race in such a low-key atmosphere. I ran a 1:32 mid for a lifetime half marathon pr. It was a turning point in my running, where I realized I might be capable of a 3:00 marathon in the near future. The course was different for 2015 and included plenty of hills and many sharp turns in the later miles. Despite this, I found that I enjoyed the course during an early May training run with Speedy Pete, Bob Jones and an amazingly fast masters runner, Margaret. We ran 1:35:58 on that training run and I knew that my time this year would be much faster than last year. I figured that a pr would be a bit out of reach, but I should expect something between 1:25 and 1:29.
     The night before the race it was so hot that I slept without blankets for the first time this year. We had all of our windows open, trying to get some breeze in. It did finally go down into the 60s as dawn closed in, but the air was thick. I wasn't too worried about the temps or humidity. The day before it was 85 degrees during my shakeout run and I was loving it. Bring on the heat of summer! So much better than the threatened hypothermia that I experienced on nearly every Cleveland Marathon training run.  The one little glitch to racing this was that I was due to catch the bus from Buckeye High School to the DII Regional meet in Lexington at 9 a.m. We had five kids competing on Saturday, including four distance studs who ran the races of their lives to make it to this meet. So I calculated that with the race starting at 6:45, I would hopefully be done by 8:15, have time to change at Second Sole really quick and then book it to bus. My plan worked almost perfectly and I even gave myself a few extra minutes by meeting my "B" time goal. The one thing that I did not plan was post-race snackage and I ended up being a very bad example to my track kids by scarfing down a chili-dog, a huge turtle sundae and a pepsi after the meet. When I was done with that it was all I could do to keep from going back and ordering more. It is not advisable to wait eight hours after racing a half marathon to eat. The bad choices did not end there. I ate a sushi roll, french fries and a big mac later that night. Perhaps I was a bit sodium deprived from the race and sweating through the hot meet? Not anymore. I'm pretty sure all that salt and fat is still seeping out my pores three days later.
     Anyway, back to the race. Second Sole was open and Joanie and Dylan were holding down the fort. I was able to use the bathroom there for my pre-race pee. I warmed up around the area, seeing a lot of familiar faces along the way and even did some drills in the back parking lot. A few minutes before the 6:45 start I made my way to the starting line. I knew almost everyone up there on the front line and looking behind me were more familiar faces. Last year I was afraid to stand in front of the 1:30 pace group. This year I boldly stated to Margaret that I would go out ahead of that. I wasn't wearing a watch and with the downhill first mile and my history of reckless starts, mile one was going to be fast. After the mayor started the race, I tucked in behind a group that included Patrick, Evan and Ian. I heard someone behind me shout "Let her go!" Ha! Sounded like a warning!
Ready, set, go! Wait, check the watches.

          I realized I was going a little too fast within about 400 meters and backed off the front group. I smoothed out to what felt like 6:15 pace, but was probably just under 6:00 pace. Not sure of the exact time on my first mile, but it was most likely under 6:00. I felt fine, but once the course flattened out I fell into what felt like a natural rythm and Chelsea Oswald began to creep up on me. She was never far behind and by the time we hit the hills on Reagan Parkway, she was just steps behind me. At first I was very motivated to surge and try to stay ahead of her. I told myself that I should fight for it because I was lead female and that is what lead females do. Within about a quarter of a mile I decided that the pace felt too fast and let her pull ahead. Reality was that she had been running faster than me for all but the first mile and going with her would mean approaching oxygen debt long before the end of the race. This is the price of going out fast. You do eventually get caught. I was pretty down on myself as we turned into Lake Medina and got onto the gravel path. She was steadily pulling ahead, running an even 6:20 pace and I had fallen into about a 6:45 rythm. It took me about a mile to mentally let it go and focus on staying smooth, getting enough water at the water stops and targeting the male runner ahead of me. This guy and I traded spots throughout the race and I ended up out-kicking him in the end. I felt strong up the route 18 hills, but then started struggling as we neared the 7 mile mark. I think I waited a little too long to take my Gu Roctane Cherry/Lime and muscle fatigue was setting in. My legs felt sore and heavy. There were two ladies creeping up on me, one of whom was Teresa Ferguson, a very fast masters runner who had won the Football Hall of Fame Marathon just a few weeks before in 3:05. The other lady, who eventually dropped back a bit, was a local girl who won the 1500 meter title at GLIAC this year and qualified for DII nationals. In the next few miles I disobeyed my rule of "no looking back" many times as Teresa gradually gained on me. I surged around the sharp turns and on the downhills and just tried to stay smooth on the flat and uphills. At one point, near the 10 mile mark I was so mentally drained from her chasing me that I just wanted her to get it over with. As I neared 11 miles though, my gu really kicked in and I started feeling great. From there to the finish I passed three guys and nearly caught another one. I saw so many familiar MCRR faces and they all cheered as I went by. I started to put a little space between Teresa and I and hit the 12 mile mark with a "comfortable" 15 second cushion. Bring on the downhill! I kicked it in a little too conservatively in this final mile and after I finished I felt a bit too good. Much more left in the tank. I ended up focusing more on racing Teresa and just staying ahead of her than on giving it all to the finish, but that isn't such a bad thing. When you don't wear a watch, you focus more on the people around you and simply racing them. What I need to work on is being willing to race earlier and trusting that I'll be okay later on. It was pretty cool to come up to the finish and I tried to sprint it in with good form so I would look badass in the finish line photos. Because that's what counts, you know. I looked pretty pathetic last year with my poor, limping, bare feet!
Me finishing the 2014 Medina Half in 1:32:28. Photo credit: Black and White Services LLC
     After I finished I talked to the female winner, who has an amazingly fast track resume that includes an SEC championship title and a sub 16:00 5000 meters. She is from Medina, but lives in Columbus and trains with the Columbus Running Company. Future Olympic marathon trials qualifier there, I am sure of it! Teresa and I thanked each other for pushing each other to faster times than expected on that tough course and I talked to Ian and Evan and even attempted cooling down with them until we decided that a cool-down wasn't necessary. Margaret finished fifth female and first masters and I talked with her and Bob really quick before I had to get back to Second Sole, get changed and drive up to Buckeye. I managed to wash my face in the girl's locker room there, but spent the rest of the day soaked in sweat and salt from my race. It was totally worth it! 
Finishing the 2015 Medina Half. In shoes. Photo credit: Black and White Services LLC