i run for food and medals

Rounding out 2011

Wow I am really bad at blogging. So this is my feeble attempt to summarize the final races of 2011. I’ll have to post another one about Disney, which should be sometime before April :)

My 2011 race calendar all led up to one goal, the Disney World Half Marathon in January of 2012.

In keeping up with my Disney Half Marathon training, I had 2 races at the end of 2011. The Run Through the Grapevine 8K in Mount Airy MD in November and the Hot Chocolate 15k at the National Harbor in December. I was really excited about both of them when I signed up, but they actually turned out to be horrible races for different reasons.

Run Through the Grapevine 8k-November 6

My Facebook post said it all “Running through grapevines sounds good in theory. But when it is all uphill, on uneven grass and dead vines are hitting you in the face, not so much.”
We signed up for this race thinking that it was going to be similar to the trail run that we do in August. So when the website said it was an extremely difficult course, we didn’t think anything of it. After the Deadman’s Hill at the River Valley 10k, nothing could be worse. We were wrong. While the course was beautiful and the race was organized, this was the most challenging course I have ever run. It seemed like the entire run was all uphill. When we were running through the grapevines, they were all dead and therefore hitting you in the face. If you ran in the middle of the grapevine, it was uneven and dangerous. Needless to say, I was just happy to finish it.
We were in the hills of MD and to prove it, deer chasing each other literally ran across the path 15 feet in front of me. The views were amazing and I know this because I was able to see them during my many breaks along the course. I’m glad I ran this race because I have heard about it for awhile. I did feel bad because I got my sister to sign up for the race, along with Jennifer, who convinced her friend Amy to sign up. Amy actually ended up winning her age group, so that was cool. And we all got wine glasses at the end. While it wasn’t a medal, it was a nice finisher’s gift. My guilt only lasted a few weeks until the beginning of December when we ran the Hot Chocolate 15k that Kelly made me sign up for…

Hot Chocolate 15k-December 3rd

This race was the perfect time and distance for my training schedule. And it had hot chocolate and chocolate fondue at the end. It was the perfect combination! Except it was horribly disorganized and had a dangerous course.
We started seeing the signs a few weeks before the race. The website announced that you had to carpool to the National Harbor or else you had to park in Virginia. That led to questions regarding how large the race was. The Cherry Blossom 10 miler maxed out at 10,000 runners, so we had assumed it was probably the same. The National Harbor only has 5,000 parking spaces, so it couldn’t be much more. WRONG! The race organizers announced a few days before that it was 22,000 runners! Immediately people began posting on their wall asking for refunds because they knew the traffic was going to be horrendous. Long story short, the race was delayed over an hour due to the parking lot that was the Wilson Bridge, they forced people to run along roads that weren’t closed and then funneled 22,000 runners along a 6 foot wide path along the water. Luckily, we came in from the MD side, so parking wasn’t as bad as the VA side. The course was boring and they had the finisher’s line at the top of a hill. It just sucked.
BUT, the chocolate afterwards was good. Ghirardelli was the sponsor and you could tell they’ve done this before. There was no wait for the fondue or the hot chocolate and it was delicious. I actually had my best pace during this race, but I question the validity of the course. So I can’t really trust it.

Overall, I had a great time running in 2011. I found out after Christmas that I got into the NYC Half again. Kelly got in too, so it should be a good time. I have to continue running for my SIL’s wedding in June, so I’m keeping my eye out for other races to add to the calendar.

i’m getting faster!

I’m not very good at this blogging thing. Oh well. I just realized that I never updated after the River Valley 10k. Here is the short version-the lack of training really caught up with me this year. I forgot how hard the course was, so I didn’t do very well. But I finished and that’s all that mattered! The trail runs are so much more challenging and I can’t get away with not training for them. It’s still one of my favorite courses, so I will just have to train harder next year.

The Baltimore Relay came and went and it was actually really good. I ran at a 10 minute pace for my leg of the relay (7.3 miles), which is the fastest I’ve ever run in a road race. And Baltimore is no joke, there were hills galore. I am hoping to keep this up and to run the Disney Half at a sub-9 minute pace since that course is completely flat. I was nervous because I was in Switzerland 2 weeks before the race and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to continue running while there. I ran once in Zurich, but we did a lot of walking and hiking in the Alps, so I think that helped. Before CH, I only ran twice a week and after CH, I ran 5 miles the Monday before. So again, I am not following my training schedule.

Overall, the race was great. Our relay team name was Running for the Medals, since we weren’t running for time. I ran the 4th leg, which meant that I was at the exchange point for 3 hours while waiting for my teammates. I thought it was going to be worse than it actually was. I enjoyed being able to see the leaders run past (at ridiculous paces) and to see all of the UA employees run. During my run there were a few hills that were killer, but the sun was much worse. The race started at 8 am, but I didn’t start running until a little after Noon. By then, the sun was blazing and it was windy. So when I saw that my pace was 10 min/mile, I was pleasantly surprised. I also spent the first half of my run dodging people. At that point, it was mile 19 for the full marathoners, mile 6 for the half marathoners, so there were a lot of people walking. After the race, I felt fine and my body didn’t hurt, which is always a good sign. I don’t think I will ever run the Baltimore Half again, but the relay was fun so I’ll try to do that next year too.

I figured out today that I only really get motivated to run when I have something new like new shoes or a new shirt. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to buy new shoes every few weeks just because my interest starts to fade. I am hoping that the idea of running a sub-9 min pace is actually attainable is motivation enough; oh and to not be the fat bridesmaid.

My sister-in-law is getting married next June and her entire wedding party is tall and thin. I feel bad because while dress shopping, the other 3 girls have the same body type, so I’m the odd man out. Being short and stumpy is not as photogenic as tall and thin. Therefore, my running is hopefully going to contribute to the 10 pounds that I would like to lose before we have to send in the dress measurements in December. My SIL had originally said the measurements didn’t have to be submitted until January, but she dropped the bomb on me last week that they should be sent in November. But we were able to compromise and she gave me Christmas as my new deadline. I’ve actually done pretty well so far and have lost a fair amount; I just need to lose the last 10 which is typically the hardest. I have a bet with my friend to see who can be the first to lose 10 pounds. I need all the help/motivation I can get.

My next race is the Run through the Grapevine 8k on November 6. My grandmother’s 85th birthday party is the night before so I am hoping the Chinese food is somewhat healthy. It’s at a winery near Mt. Airy, and it’s pretty challenging. You’re literally running through the grapevines and there’s no trail. Just 5 miles of running on the grass. Then I have the Hot Chocolate 15k on December 3rd, then the Disney Half on January 7th. John’s cousin is trying to convince me to run the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in DC on March 7, but I don’t know if I can do two half marathons so close together. We’ll see…the medal is pretty cool though.

and so the races begin…

The River Valley 10K Trail Run is this Saturday. I really love this run, because it’s an actual trail run. The majority of the race is through the woods, over huge tree roots and dirt and water and it is awesome. It’s in northern Maryland, which is beautiful. Wide open land with views of the countryside passing by as you run through it. The hills are brutal, but it’s one of my favorite races. I ran for the past 3 weeks and did 5 miles on Monday. So I’m not as scared as I was 3 weeks ago. But I definitely didn’t train properly, which is now the norm for me.

After I sign up for a race, I always go to my favorite training schedule site, www.halhigdon.com. I used his Half Marathon schedule for my first race years ago and I really liked him. He has a more realistic expectation and also breaks it into different levels of fitness. So for each major race, I always download his schedule, customize it by moving long runs when I have plans on certain weekends, and add extra weeks if the race is further out than what the schedule requires. Then I always keep it on my desktop so I’m forced to see it everyday. And then I sit back and watch the weeks go by as I keep telling myself “I’ll run next week”.

Ok, no more complaining! The tides have turned. I have a great race schedule for the rest of the year and I am actually going to train properly! I also have a more important motivator, not being the fat bridesmaid (more on that later).

it’s that time again…

So once again I’ve reached that point of desperation, where I can’t procrastinate any more or else I will regret it big time. I think everyone has that breaking point. It happens to me every time I sign up for a race, I always count the weeks.

For example, we have the River Valley 10k Trail run August 13th, which I signed up for on May 2. Roughly 15 weeks. I made my 10 week training schedule (courtesy of Hal Higdon’s www.halhigdon.com) with a 5 week “get back into shape” buffer. I always say I’m going to start running, then of course, 5 weeks pass and I probably ran twice. I then enter the 10 weeks of “official” training. Of which, I take it easy the first few weeks and start running once every other week. Now I’ve entered the “ok I have to seriously start training” phase where there’s only 4 weeks. Desperation is the result from procrastination.

Typically, I can up my mileage pretty quickly. Hell, I ran the NYC Half after only training for 6 weeks, with the longest run being maybe 6 miles. So while 4 weeks might terrify other people, I’m not too worried. I may not have the best time, but I can get up to 6 miles in 4 weeks. Even if I haven’t run in months, I can typically do 3 miles my first day out. But that’s the issue, I may not have the best time, but I should. If I started training when I was supposed to, then I would probably have a really great, sub-10 min/mile pace. But no, I usually limp my way through the race at a 11 min/mile pace.

The only reason why I sign up for races is for the motivation to get up and do something. But I always wait until the last possible moment to start running. I actually don’t enjoy running that much. But it keeps me in shape (when I’m actually in shape) and it helps me lose weight. I have to sign up for races throughout the year to keep me going. So this is my race calendar for the rest of the year:

August 13th- River Valley 10k Trail Run
September 11th-Hero 5k
October 15th-The Baltimore Marathon Relay (7 mile leg)
December 3rd-Hot Chocolate 15k
January 7th-Walt Disney World Half Marathon

After that, we’ll see. Maybe the NYC Half again in March if I can get in through the lottery again…