half marathon

Race Recap: IMT Des Moines Half Marathon

- Mel 5 Comments

On Sunday, I ran the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon — the training plan that you’ve been following along here for the last 12 weeks. This was my 7th half marathon overall and my 2nd in Iowa, and Sunday was WILDLY different than my Dam to Dam race in June (although I’m sure the humidity was the same).

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Ready for half marathon #7! Definitely don’t need the long-sleeve.

SPOILER ALERT (which you already know, if you follow me on Instagram) I PR’d this race so hard – taking another two minutes off of my time from two weeks ago at the Heartland Half. That’s a FIVE MINUTE decrease of my half marathon time in one training cycle. This excites me so much! And I’m totally amped up to make my eventual 2-hour half goal a reality. Though I had a few low moments in the race (side stitches, foot pain in my left arch, stupid hill), I was able to mentally able to push through the crap.

Registration and Cost: After taxes and fees (and, I think, a Capital Striders discount), I paid $64.14 — hilariously, I registered a couple weeks before actually moving to Iowa (late February).

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: The Expo at Hy-Vee Hall was held over two days, and I went late Saturday afternoon. Bib pick-up was the same table as grabbing my race shirt (THANK YOU), and there was a clear bag provided with some “extras” (hooray, for samples of those tiny packages of anti-chafe and muscle creams). There were definitely more vendors than my last few races — a couple that I intended to visit and actually missed! I spent a little bit of time shopping, picking up the usual free race swag, and chatting with a few shoe brands. I picked myself up a new branded race hat, too.

Bag Check and ETC: There was a bag check (I don’t typically use bag check and didn’t for this race either) and a TON of Kybos at the start. Well done, there, Race Director.

Weather: Woke up at 5:45 am to temps already at 60 degrees and 100% humidity. The fog was also so dense, we could barely see the on-ramp to the highway on the way to the race.

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Start Line: Well… there were TWO start lines — all lit up in bright lights screaming START, with accompanying strips for chip timing. Runners approached the first, started our watches, rounded the corner… and then there was a HUGE stopped mob. And then another set of brightly-lit start line signs.

So I can’t even begin to express my WTF that was all about.

Course: This is another Des Moines race that recently changed course due to construction. I have no reference to previous maps, but this year’s was an out-and-back starting from Cowles Commons, which looped from downtown and repeated several stretches. The half split off from the full very early in the race and the volunteers were YELLING which direction to take. No signs. And yep, there were several runners (wearing headphones) realizing this as they were already on the wrong path and retreating back.

I love Gray’s Lake, and since the fog was still hanging around at this point of the race, this was probably my favorite part — it looked as if the boat docks and pedestrian bridge were floating in air. That said, I’ve skated around Gray’s Lake, and the trails are small. Putting all of the half marathons on those trails before the crowd thins out was annoying. And despite there being SEVERAL signs for walkers to stay right, that didn’t happen (does it ever?). That stretch felt really crowded and chaotic.

To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the course overall. And that Capitol Hill at Mile 11 (it’s a mile-long climb) can go straight to hell. There were Kybos throughout the course, since we repeated a lot of stretches, and aid stations about every two miles or so.

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Elevation map for the half marathon. Woof, Mile 11.

The finish chute also didn’t feel wide enough to really sprint forward — and I was weaving through people, following close behind a guy ahead who was attempting the same thing.

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Running it in!

Fans and Experience: Fans were found throughout the course, and at several corners were out aiding the runners with extra water, ice cubes, Halloween candy, signs… and banging pots & pans.

THERE WAS BACON AT MILE 7. Yes, bacon.

The experience was incredible — and not at all overwhelming like I find other crowded “city” races to be. The bulk of the crowds lined up around Court Ave (and the usual start/finish line areas), and I found the experience a pretty great representation of the awesomeness of the Des Moines community.

Finish Line: Dudes. DUDES. There was SO. MUCH. FOOD. at the finish line. (And, like, a dozen massage tables… but FOOD.) There was pizza in the finish line chute (couldn’t have that, obvs) and additional food vendors in the athletes-only area in Cowles Commons. AND there were snack boxes provided for each finisher.

imt-des-moines-half-marathon-finisher-food
Finish Line snacks! (I brought my own gluten-free doughnuts)

I grabbed a chocolate milk and one of those snack boxes — which, surprisingly, I could have almost everything in there: corn chips, cheese dip, dried cranberries, trail mix; the fruit leather is undetermined. I also purchased a coffee from the Caribou tent.

Something else I loved were the various signs around the finishers park for photo ops (and directions to the beer, if you needed them).

imt-des-moines-run-blogger-half-marathon-finisher-festival

After Party: There was an additional festival-slash-beer garden over by the Royal Mile, where you could trade in your free drink ticket. Hooray, for hard cider AND wine spritzers options! They also have everyone beads with the race logo and race-branded beer koozies. The band Aftershocks was playing the main stage, and the MC for the event was an absolute HOOT. Very, very fun after party event, and I’m glad that I decided to stick around for a bit.

imt-des-moines-marathon-finish-line-party-blogger
Can’t decide what to drink!

Best Sign: “You think running is hard, try waking up early to hang signs.” Legit, laughed so hard. Close second was the “Run like *picture of Trump* is trying to grab your *picture of a cat*”

Random Bullshit: Um, no water was ready at the first aid station on the course. Poor girl looked to be working alone, and it was just an impossible situation for her.

Awesomesauce: I finished just ahead of the 1st place marathoner, so I got to see him get draped in his flag. I’m always in complete awe of someone who can finish double the distance in the same time as what I can do a half. It’s just incredible.

imt-des-moines-half-marathon-finish-line-chocolate-milk
Chocolate Milk!

OVERALL
The Great: Running by feel and getting a PR as result.
The Good: Despite not really enjoying the course, this is an excellent race event that I would definitely do again!
The Bad: WTF, two start lines?!
The Ugly: 100% humidity in October.

Splits: 10:16 (1) / 10:07 (2) / 10:01 (3) / 10:08 (4) / 9:50 (5) / 9:53 (6) / 9:58 (7) / 10:00 (8) / 10:05 (9) / 9:52 (10) / 10:44 (mile-long hill at mile 11, #WORST) / 9:39 (12) / 9:39 (13) [8:19 (.3)]

Despite getting a PR (again! — are you tired of me yet?!), my pacing strategy didn’t get executed exactly to plan. But I’m still incredibly proud of the race I ran for other reasons — like, for instance, running a PR in 100% humidity and not.stopping.running. when I got to the big hill on the course and running a pretty consistent pace throughout (and not following pacers). Per my Garmin, the race went a bit over, but that’s TWO half marathons with no 11+ minute splits — that’s HUGE.

A photo posted by Mel! (@melliesmel) on

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2:12:16 — WOOOOO, a new PR by two minutes!
173 in 35-39 age group
1958 overall

They printed out our results! I never saw this before — what a cool thing!

imt-des-moines-finisher-receipt

Race Recap: Heartland Half Marathon

- Mel 3 Comments

So, I ran a half marathon to train for my half marathon, and to do that, I drove to Omaha for a little running adventure. The closest long-distance race to me was in Nebraska for my 14-miler, and it seems like every runner that I know in Iowa is already tapering (*gulp*). The Heartland Marathon series, presented by the Omaha Running Club, has a full marathon, half marathon, a 10K and marathon relay. And YAY, I get to cross state #5 off my map!

Registering for this race the week before, I was a little nervous in how I would do all of this on my own — this was MAJORLY out of my comfort zone. I also freaked out a little about not having limited details on the website (including not having confirmation of the course for the full, which can sometimes mean cancellation of the whole event) and not a lot of information about water stops, etc. on the course. For a race from the local running club, you’d think they understand what things runners are looking for when it comes to race day, but maybe we’re all just a little too close to things.

heartland-half-blog-runner-30something

Registration and Cost: Oh, boy, this was an expensive race for me (when considering hotel, travel and late registration) — I tried recouping some cost by bringing a BUNCH of food with me. That said, cost of the race after fees was $102.13 (I think it was $95 before fees). OUCH.

Expo and Packet Pick-Up: Your typical small race expo that was at the OTHER convention center in Omaha at the Ramada (south side-ish of downtown). There was no race day packet pick-up. Very cool that Olympic runner Frank Shorter was a guest speaker at the Expo!

Free Swag: Another long-sleeve tech tee to add to my collection — and a beer koozie with the race logo o it (the joke was that you carry it on the course, and that was how they knew to give you beer instead of water LOL).

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Bag Check and Transportation: There was a bag check at the start line, but I didn’t know about it until I was at the start line. I walked from my hotel, and the weather was OK enough not to have to bring any additional layers. The website mentioned having shuttles to the start line from the host hotel… but not if they were taking runners back (a big reason why I decided to stay downtown).

Start Line: As I mentioned, the host hotel was quite a drive from the start line of the race. I had a mild freakout when the email arrived for race day info that included a different start line location than what was on the website (it wasn’t different, but I just read it different). It ended up just being a non-helpful location of a FORMER store (hashtag, places that are not there anymore).

I was super impressed by the start line — it was like a mini festival before the race, with a few vendor booths, a line of port-o-potties, the chocolate milk guy (!!!) and some hot coffee (AWESOME). The race started at 7:00 am, which is really dark at this time of year, but they had a bunch of lights. I was more nervous about walking in the dark by myself to the start line, which ended up being OK.

Weather: I wasn’t too happy to see 90% humidity on my weather app the morning of the race. But good news was that the rain moved out of the area, so I didn’t have to worry about forgetting to bring my rain jacket. Small wins. It wasn’t super sunny until the last couple miles of the race, and the cloud coverage kept it the weather pretty comfortable.

Course: Out and back course, navigating two states! Not quite the experience of crossing the national border like in the Niagara International Marathon, but still a very cool race highlight! The front three miles of the course had a few unexpected hills, which are always fun for me. After you cross into Iowa, there is a lot of time spent on the trails, but it was flat and tolerable. To be honest, I found running around the cornfields more peaceful this time around than I did during the gnarly heat of Dam to Dam.

Fans: What I loved most about the “fans” part of the experience were the volunteers. I LOVED being able to hear them shout “Gatorade first; water last” before you approached the aid stations. THIS IS SO HELPFUL!!! And once you got to the stations, everyone was super supportive, cheering you on to continue. There were chalk drawings on the sidewalks near where the relay exchanges were, too. Man, this Midwest Nice is LEGIT.

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Dark Start and Finish Line Showcase of the Race — the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge!

Experience: The coolest experience of the race was running over the cable-stayed Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge — a 3,000-foot footbridge across the Missouri River, where you cross the border from Iowa back to Nebraska — and, perfectly, the “beginning of the end” approach to the finish line. It was lit up in the darkness at the start and a really neat element of the race experience.

Finish Line: Did I mention chocolate milk? 😉

There was also a TON of food available at the finish line — bananas, orange wedges, snack bars, cookies, pastries, chips, coffee. It was impressive! I didn’t stick around too long, as I had another mile to do. I did a portion of it (.7 miles), and then realized how tired my body was. So, I jogged back to the finish line party to hear the overall winners for the half, grabbed a cup of coffee, and then walked back to my hotel — on the way back, naturally, meeting someone who relocated to Omaha from Pennsylvania (Harrisburg). It was cool to do that East Coast vs Midwest exchange for a few minutes with someone who gets it.

After Party: Party of one for this lady (read: shower and a sandwich back at the hotel), and then I had a two-hour drive back home.

Bonus: After the race (the same day!), I received an email of my individual results. The race’s results page included a LOT of info via Online Race Results. And I really like that the race provided a participant summary:
Number of finishers: 253
Number of females: 153
Number of males: 100
Average time: 2:12:25

Notable 30-somethings: Shout out to Ann Hubl (age 37) taking Overall Female at 1:35:43 — WHAT AN AMAZING TIME!

Random Bullshit: My hotel key didn’t work when I got back to my room. GAH, SO ANNOYING!

OVERALL
The Great: If you already follow me on Instagram, I ran another PR race!
The Good: Despite my initial thought of this race missing some helpful info, I thought it was incredibly well organized, and I really enjoyed my experience.
The Bad: Anxiety before the race was kind of dumb.
The Ugly: The start time at 7:00 was SO DARK.

Splits (per my Garmin):
10:29 (1) / 10:47 (2) / 10:18 (3) / 10:18 (4) / 10:12 (5) / 10:33 (6) / 10:25 (7) / 10:19 (8) / 10:03 (9) / 9:53 (10) / 10:10 (11) / 9:43 (12) / 9:15 (13) / [8:32]

This is my first half with no splits in the 11-minute range. This race was some WORK for sure. It felt hard, and I kept pushing when my mental game was starting to fail me. And when I had that moment of “I can beat a 2:15,” I pushed even harder to get it. That last mile felt like the LONGEST length to the finish line of any race that I’ve ever done — and I was kicking it in at a VERY low 8-minute pace to end (I definitely thought I was going to throw up lol).

heartland-half-omaha-running-blogger-pr

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2:14:23 — almost a 3-minute PR!
(My 10k split was 1:04:58)
13th in 35-39 age group
156th overall

Sunday Lately for this 30-Something:: Week 77

- Mel 5 Comments

Blogger Tribe_Sunday Lately Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! Sunday Lately is a weekly linkup hosted by the Blogger Tribe (lead by Angelica, Meghan, Nicole, and Katy). And the rest of us in the Blogger Tribe are sharing our posts today, too. The prompts for June 19 (Week 77) for this 30-Something Iowan:: Doing, Appreciating, Designing, Humming, Expecting.

Catch up and read all of my past Sunday Lately posts and camp out with the Tribe on Facebook!

Doing:: I’m finally decorating my workout room! I’ve got my bibs up, my 50 States medal holder and a GIANT corkboard-slash-inspiration board hung… I seriously get so pumped when I walk into this room now. I still need to add another shelf for awards and derby stuff, and maybe include some rods to separate out my medals per race distance, but it’s coming along exactly how I envisioned. Now, to fill out that bib wall…

marathon bib wall workout room 30something

Appreciating:: A DAY OFF. I’m so glad that I finished much on my to-do list yesterday, so that I can legit chill out and read a book today (which I can totally do while the laundry is getting done).

Designing:: Guys, I changed all my living room furniture around again. And took off the slipcover that didn’t look right. I think that I’m finally understanding why the balance was off in the room, and I (think I) finally have some design direction. I really wish that my custom-ordered blinds would get here already!

Humming:: I was randomly in the mood for some old-school The Prodigy on Friday morning, and I haven’t been disappointed one bit revisiting The Fat of the Land. My heart still belongs to 90s Techno/Electronica.

Expecting:: Well, I was expecting to get a pedicure today and the spa canceled my appointment due to a scheduling conflict. >:-( Really bad first impression of this place.

Race Recap: Dam to Dam Half Marathon

- Mel 3 Comments

Thanks to a late push (no thanks to you, motivation) to train for this half marathon, I had zero goals aside from finishing in one piece. BUT aforementioned last-minute motivation or not has really helped propel my health and fitness goals and to get excited about some upcoming events — including the planning of my GOAL RACE in the Fall. More on that in another post.

Dam to Dam was my FIRST race in Iowa, and my fifth half marathon overall — and my fourth state! My PR for the half was back in February at Gasparilla… but with our big move in March, my desire to run really flat-lined. I was happy to at least get a 10-miler in (which went a lot better than I anticipated — and on the treadmill, no less. WHO AM I?!)

Two years ago, Dam to Dam changed course to a half marathon. The race still has remnants of its old school past, which is something that usually irritates me, but I actually kind of dug its small race charm (though 9000 entrants is certainly not “small”): there was no bag drop, no PERSON drop off at the start line (you had to take a bus), the emails were in all text (one that I received promised a lot of fun race day info but contained no images or links), and no real time tracking. Even the chip on the bib was MONSTROUS, considering the chip tech that exists in road racing.

And I guess, considering my not following my training plan, the race went about how I expected.

30something Flat Mel dam to dam
Flat Mel! (My race day uniform at this point.)

Registration and Cost: Registration was online via GetMeRegistered and cost $43.69 total (after some fees) — pretty great price for a half marathon! Dam to Dam has both a half marathon and 5K option, and the Half is limited to only 9,000. The first 5,000 runners get a $40 entry fee (I got in on this deal! WOOT!), $45 for the next 2,000 runners (5001-7000) and $50 entry for the last 2,000 runners. I sincerely couldn’t imagine this race adding any more runners to its registration, and I hope it never does!

Packet Pick-Up and Expo: Packet pick-up was downtown at the Veteran’s Auditorium / Convention Center the day before the race, so I had a double commute to drive into downtown from where I work. Thankfully, they were open until 8! Because there isn’t a lot of traffic in Des Moines (double WOOT!), I was able to find street parking; total time to park, pick up my bib and swag and peruse the FREE FOOD BUFFET was less less than the 42 minutes that I put on my meter.

I’m not sure if I missed a larger section of the Expo, but didn’t really explore beyond packet pick-up. Picking up bibs was by race number (which they posted the day before); t-shirts were a few tables down from there. The volunteers were REALLY encouraging me to enjoy myself with some free food. And I guess there was beer too!

Free Swag: Brooks t-shirt and socks! First time that I’ve received socks as part of my swag bag — and they’re hot pink, so YAY!

dam to dam swag brooks sponsor

Bag Check and Transportation: As I mentioned above, there was NO bag check for this race (on Facebook, the organizers posted about an unofficial and unsecured bag drop location downtown, but my day didn’t start there). I had to be dropped off at Valley West Mall in West Des Moines around 5:30 a.m. to catch a school bus that took us up to Saylorville. It seemed very organized, and once the bus filled up, the doors closed and the next bus pulled up. I did hear that at other locations, later in the pick-up window, it got a little messy and delayed. But I live by the mantra: BE EARLY! (especially when it’s your first time, and you have no clue what to expect).

I do get car sick, so I was honestly really nervous about taking a bus up (by myself, no less). But I did OK.

Start Line: The bus ride took, like, 20 minutes (if that), so I stopped into the Kybo (Iowan for port-a-john) — there were at least 100, if not more. And then I sat around for another hour. As the start time approached, all the runners make their way to the bridge over the Saylorville Dam (Dam #1!).

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Walking out to the bridge!

saylorville dam half marathon start

It was a BEAUTIFUL view, and you could see the downtown skyline in the distance where we would finish.

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Downtown Des Moines in the background — 13 miles away!

I didn’t see any official pacers, but there were sections posted with expected finish time. And then the swarm of people started moving after the gun went off and the timing mat for the start was kind of a surprise for those of us in the back of the pack.

Weather: UGH. Remind me why I sign up for summer races? I, thankfully but sadly, ditched my long-sleeve shirt. It was chilly enough to wear it sitting around pre-race, so I’m happy that I brought it. I wore it in so many races, so was sad to let it go. BUT OMG, a tank top and shorts was too much to wear within the first two miles. By the end of the race, it felt like 80 degrees and I could not keep my body cool. This was something of a disaster for me, as I felt thirsty constantly and probably drank too much water (despite properly hydrating the week before the race). And then by mid-race, I was legit feeling sick. By Mile 11, I had to stop running because my chest hurt and I was seeing spots, and I sincerely was freaking out about passing out on the course.

At least my allergies weren’t bad! #smallwins

Course: Saylorville Dam was the start, and the course almost immediately went into open roads and cornfields — so very Iowa! The course followed the path of the Des Moines River, though we didn’t see much of the waterway during the race. Portions of the race went through neighborhoods, others on bike trails; at one point we were running through the woods and over a wood plank bridge. The best was the approach downtown, coming past the Botanical Gardens and up the Principal River Walk over the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge. We have a pretty cool pedestrian bridge.

dam to dam half marathon course des moines

Miles 6-7 were no joke!

Also around that incline in elevation was Morningstar Hill, lined with American flags honoring all the Iowan soldiers lost in the line of duty since the first Dam to Dam on June 15, 1980. That’s always a somber experience in a race.

I really enjoyed the variety of scenery on this course. Also, there were staggered water stops, not specifically at every mile, but enough to be sufficient; there were maybe 3 stops with Powerade. Kybos were scattered throughout the course as well. There were sponges at one stop, but they were gone by the time we got there, which was a HUGE bummer because SO HOT. At this point, I was just dumping cups of water over my head and down my back. I missed the ice cubes too, as we were approaching downtown.

Fans and Experience: As you’ve probably gleaned from my past recaps, I have problems with large race crowds; this one didn’t feel overwhelming at all. At various spots throughout the course, there was live music and DJs; in the neighborhoods, there were more people cheering on their tree lawns. Cyclists were out cheering us on at the trail crossings, too. There were a couple of nearly-drunk guys at one of the bike outposts and one of them offered us doughnuts… TORTURE. Most of the “fans” were lined up near the finish line and in downtown.

Finish Line: I didn’t specifically hear my name, but the announcer was calling in all the finishers, which I always think is super cool. The finish chute opens up into Western Gateway Park — there were so many runners with their shoes off and sitting in the water fountains. There was free beer (Coors Light and Smirnoff Ice, blech). Would have been nice if there was some kind of cider. #glutenfreeproblems I heard there was chocolate milk, but I didn’t see it (thankfully, the boyfriend brought me some).

And then the sprinkler system went off in the park near where they were doing finish line photos and OMG you could only laugh because it was definitely not on purpose.

30s Therapy dam to dam finish
A strained smile at the finish line. More happy about my chocolate milk.

After Party: BBQ brunch at Jethro’s. And heck yeah, I wore my medal inside!

Bonus: A mutual friend online connected me to someone on Instagram who was also running the race, and SHE FOUND ME AT THE START LINE! And we were planning the same pace! We were able to run most of the race together, too — and I never had to put in my earbuds (though, I will not let my $42 purchase on iTunes the night before the race be wasted).

Extra bonus for you beer lovers out there: Besides the beer at the finish line, at 400 meters from the finish line you approach Exile Brewing, and volunteers there are giving out beer samples on the course. I was almost desperate enough to take one. lol (But OH GOD the smell of warm beer on this hot day and already feeling sick made want to hurl.)

Random Bullshit: I realized post-race that something bit me on my inner thigh, and I have a rash on the inside of both of my legs. We ran through the woods in one portion, and I’m so stupid fearful of ticks (I don’t know if it was a tick but that’s where my mind goes). So, that’s something that I have to keep an eye on.

Best Sign: Run Now, Poop Later.

OVERALL
The Great: It’s always awesome making new running friends, and having someone to enjoy the experience with.
The Good: My first race in Iowa!
The Bad: My training overall for this race was not so great, so I’m not surprised how poorly I did. Despite this, I pretty much assumed that I would finish in about 2:30.
The Ugly: THE HEAT. The end of this race was an awful slog. I couldn’t even muster enough energy as the finish line was approaching; 12-minute runs-walks for the last two miles. SIGH.

Splits (per Garmin watch): 10:31 (1) / 10:36 (2) / 10:50 (3) / 11:04 (4) / 11:09 (5) / 10:49 (6) / 11:13 (7) / 10:58 (8) / 10:58 (9) / 10:23 (10) / 10:46 (11) / 12:19 (12) / 12:49 (13)

finish time: 2:27:05 / average pace: 11:06/mi

OFFICIAL RESULTS
#2154 overall
353 in my age group (35-39)
Five mile: 54:33
Ten mile: 1:49:41
Clock time: 2:35:22
Chip time: 2:27:00
Pace: 11:13

Pittsburgh Marathon: Training Update

- Mel 7 Comments

I fell completely off the rails on my marathon training for Pittsburgh. Because of the move, I haven’t been able to find my workout vibe — and I haven’t run ONCE in two weeks (ie: since moving here). I’ve only had a handful of at-home workouts in general. Prior to moving, I was already a couple weeks behind in my training program due to feeling burned out after Gasparilla (read my recaps here and here). I thought that I’d be able to make it up after a couple weeks of rest. But I know that’s impossible now.

Regretfully, I’ve decided to pull out of running the Pittsburgh full, and I likely won’t return for the half either (but the latter is mostly for personal things that may force some travel elsewhere). I’m disappointed, especially because it was another opportunity to visit Pittsburgh and run with my friends there. My former neighbors had graciously offered for me to stay in their homes for me to save the expense of a hotel, too, but I’m now burned out on traveling as well.

Moving on: I’m signed up the Dam to Dam Half Marathon in June, here in Des Moines. I’ll also be looking ahead to the Des Moines Half Marathon in October — which I’d like to be my goal race (*2-hour half*). There’s still a chance that I may look into the I-35 Challenge depending on how my training goes and/or if the challenge sells out. Surely, there will be other races to fill in the blanks, but that’s where I’m currently sitting in my training. I am undecided if I’ll attempt another full in 2016, so for now I just need to focus on the half distance and the work that goes into that training.

More updates to come!

Race Recap: Gasparilla Challenge Day #2 (Half Marathon and 8k)

- Mel 2 Comments

I ran the Gasparilla Ultra Challenge in Tampa last month, and moved only a couple weeks later. I’m finally wrapping up my race experience. Read my recap of Day #1, if you missed it!

flat mel day 2 gasprarilla
Same bib, different day.

Day #2 included a half marathon and an 8k. This would be my 4th half — my last half marathon was in September (when I was training for the Niagara Marathon). I couldn’t find any record of running an 8k race, but I had a couple 5-mile races to compare pace to and plan out my strategy. This experience was no comparison to the day before — my knee felt GREAT using a brace, but I was definitely feeling my body fatigue in the second race and the heat was borderline unbearable. I won’t underestimate it, the last few miles of this Challenge were pretty rough.

Start Line and Course: It wasn’t as cool as Day #1 at the start, but I still wore a long-sleeve throw-away to the start line. We began earlier, and it was SUPER dark for a few miles into the course — at one point we were running on brick or cobblestone roads, and I thought we were all going to trip over one another. It took a while for the course to thin out too.

While the start line and beginning of the course were different than the first day, the end of the course and finish line of the half and 8k were the same. At the start line of the 8k, there were several of us that were randomly clustered together who were running our last race of the challenge. It was a fun group, and it was awesome to commiserate over our experience so far (and our will to finish). Though, the course: same fan groups, same lady shaking her poms, same music guy… I was definitely cranky by the end of the 8k.

I stuck with the 2:15 pacer for the half marathon for a couple miles, until I realized that I was running his race strategy instead of my own. I didn’t feel bad about walking through a water stop and letting them run ahead (it seemed he was skipping water stations every 2-3 miles). I would gain some traction further on in the race. Later in the half — around Mile 10 — I saw the 2:20 pacer pass me and decided that I was going to attempt a PR and knew it was maybe possible to gain a few minutes but STAY AHEAD OF THAT PACER (at the time, I had zero idea what my total time was, as I only watch pace for the current mile on my Garmin watch).

Medals and Swag: Like the previous day, these medals do not disappoint. The half marathon medal and shirt are my favorites.

gasparilla day 2 shirts ultra challenge

Bonus: That Ultra Challenge finishers medal is something else. SO HEAVY.

gasparilla ultra challenge jacket medal

Random Bullshit: Uh, my “bonus” from the day before (the cold towels at the finish) were not available on Day #2. Now that I was used to that perk at this race… that’s some bullshit! It was longer distance on Sunday AND hotter. I just couldn’t understand the reasoning (plus, you know, HOT and I was cranky AF).

Also BS, the volunteers had already packed up the water stop at Mile 4 of the 8k. I was sincerely ready to lose it and stopped dead in my tracks. The water stop ended up somewhere a quarter of a mile later or so, but… WHY?! I was definitely feeling dehydrated.

After Party: We packed up and drove to Sarasota after Sunday’s race activities (thankfully, I had enough time to take a shower before checking out).

30something gasparilla challenge all medals chocolate milk
Spoiler alert: I FINISHED!

TL;DR
The Great: Honestly, summing up my entire Gasparilla experience, this was one of the best-managed races that I’ve ever participated in – especially considering the logistics of some 30k+ runners and four different events over two days.
The Good: Both days, I had pacers from Pittsburgh. I met a few others on the course, too, with the same randomness of location.
The Bad: One bloody sock, a couple of blisters at the tips of my toes and a bruised toenail. This challenge wrecked my feet.
The Ugly: Those last few miles, man. ROUGH.

Some people have asked if I would do this race again. Heck yeah, in a heartbeat. Though, I really wish that I had friends running this one with me. There are definitely other challenges out there that I’d like to add to my trophy room first before going back to Tampa. I learned that I really like challenge/multi-day races, and even though the mileage was split between two days, finishing gave me a little more confidence to pursue a 50k.

RESULTS
Half marathon official finish time: 2:17:17 — a new PR!

Splits: 11:07 (1) / 10:27 (2) / 10:27 (3) / 9:59 (4) / 10:21 (5) / 10:16 (6) / 10:45 (7) / 10:20 (8) / 10:46 (9) / 10:32 (10) / 10:31 (11) / 10:31 (12) / 9:46 (13)

8k official finish time: 54:00 ON THE MONEY (but nothing that makes me rich! lol)

Splits: 10:06 (1) / 10:40 (2) / 11:11 (3) / 10:36 (4) / 11:17 (5)

gasparilla finishers certificate 30something

Running Goals for 2016

- Mel

My 2016 running intentions are one part goal and another part bucket list. I accomplished quite a bit in 2015 and I want to keep that hot streak going but also remember the FUN in discovering this hobby/sport/whatever-you-call-it (and also remember that I’ll be training in two different sports, with my decision to return to roller derby).

30 something 2016 running goals

1. PR my half marathon: I super, really want to work on getting my half marathon under 2 hours. I won’t be planning for this right out of the gate in 2016 to train properly (and smartly!) for my second full marathon, but I fully intend to make this happen later this year. My current half PR is 2:18:36 so I know this is ambitious (but a two-hour half marathon is not completely impossible).

Which brings me to #2: Complete another full marathon: I already have the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon on my calendar — and registered! — and training kick-off starts this weekend. No time goals this year (yet).

3. Run 700 miles: I barely squeaked out 500 miles in 2015 (actually only did 488.59 miles), what makes me think that I can run 700??? Let’s just say that I have a plan.

4. Do a 50k and/or Ragnar Relay: This is the year that things get CRAZY for this 30-something (and why I think that my mileage will be higher than last year). I want to cross one (or both) of these off my bucket list in 2016. Again, I’ll look to late summer/fall to make this a real thing.

5. Run a race in costume: I get so caught up in race day anxiety and performance that I sometimes forget about the element of fun. After laughing at the costumes in the Movie Madness Half Marathon and seeing everyone have so much fun with it, I want to be “that guy” too.

So my running goals for the year have a little bit of everything. I think it’s a good balance of challenge, adventure and, most importantly, FUN.

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #3

- Mel

This is week three of training for the Gasparilla — a two-day running event with four different distances. Part of this race is a half marathon (on Day Two), which will be my fourth half and the focus of my training plan (an adapted Higdon’s Novice 2), but this is my first challenge event. I don’t currently have any plans to PR these races. But I do intend to do a LOT of workouts on tired legs, since I think that’s really the only way to train for one of these things. Running the morning after derby practices and back-to-back training days will probably help me the most, and how I ultimately plan to be “ready” for this challenge.

MONDAY Spinning Skipped spinning. I was just plain exhausted (and did not sleep well at all on Sunday night). [Walked to/from work.]

TUESDAY REST… and bake cookies. I haven’t baked in so long! Made some gluten-free dark chocolate-butterscotch chip cookies for my office cookie swap on Friday. I also tried out this King Arthur Gluten-Free Cookie Mix for the first time too — they came out pretty good (only lost a couple to cracking). [Walked to/from work.]

WEDNESDAY run//yoga//run club, holiday edition, which started with a plate full of cookies and peppermint bark — and lululemon gifting us a run top (Our ambassador brought a few different pieces and colors to select from; I picked a Runderful 1/2 Zip in a beautiful green color). Both lululemon and Urban Elements been absolutely amazing already in sponsoring these weekly run and yoga sessions, and this was above-and-beyond thoughtful. So I got to test out the top immediately, which was nice — I love the cuffins and small zip pocket in the front. The Runderful is WARM and super cozy. And Pittsburgh, as you know, hasn’t been cooperating with winter weather. But I will get plenty of use out of this top.

So, our group did 3 miles again (3.22) at an average 9:20 pace. We were speedy! Splits: 9:12/9:01/9:41

After the run, we were welcomed with another hot and sweaty 75 minutes of yoga flow, which really felt great for my hips and we did a good amount of plank/core work. Our instructor even put a series of Utkatasana poses to the 12 Days of Christmas (Muppets version, natch) and it was a leg burner! While we laid in Savasana, the lulu angel came around and left gift cards underneath our mats, so I will definitely be treating myself to a little something this holiday.

THURSDAY Two-hour roller derby scrimmage practice that started with some ladder-drill endurance work (woof!). We basically only had six players per team, which meant MORE endurance — so I played most jams (and even jammed a few times). First jam of the game: a direction of gameplay penalty. 😐

Alas, this was our last practice of the year, and it was SO FUN.

FRIDAY As much as I wanted to run before work, I was up super late from practice (past midnight) and I was out for after work (had to leave for a 5pm dinner reservation and holiday party). Sooooo, I took another rest day. [Walked to work]

CrossFit 12 Days Xmas WOD

SATURDAY I returned to my CrossFit box, Industrial Athletics for anyone looking for a gym on the north side, for a 12 Days of Christmas WOD and Cookie Swap. The workout was insane at first glance and felt a little chaotic when it started, but I found my rhythm with each progression. I scaled back to part bronze/part brass and finished in 32:15.

Check out my Overhead Squat! (and, naturally, an awesome lifting face). Since I haven't been to CF in a few months, I only used an empty bar.
Check out my Overhead Squat! (and, naturally, an awesome lifting face)

SUNDAY I waited late in the day to get this run, and to be honest… I struggled with leaving the house. I knew that I would be running into drunken Steelers fans again on the north shore and just didn’t feel like dealing with it. But, I bundled up (chilly run even at 4pm!) and did my long run in 59:16 (6.02 miles, average 9:51 pace). Splits: 9:50 / 9:25 / 10:17 / 10:08 / 9:26 / 9:53

Naturally, I felt better once I was out there (and thankfully, no incidents with drunken tailgaters aside from overhearing a guy call me crazy that I was “out running in this” — I’m assuming he meant weather, but… seriously?). And I’m definitely crashing early.

TOTAL RUNS: 2
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 9.24 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 24.30 miles

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #2

- Mel

With a nearly-full schedule of holiday social engagements and pre-Christmas tasks, I knew that this would be a tough training week — and something I’ll have to pay mind to for the next couple weeks. It wasn’t a total bust though, as I somehow fit in two runs and a derby practice.

MONDAY: Two hours of roller derby practice, skills- and partner-work focused. Hot, sweaty, fun. I’ve regressed back into a couple of my bad habits (grabbing, becoming “small”… or smaller in my case, forgetting about my long-lost “lower butt”) and making stupid gameplay decisions, so I have some work to do. It’s hard not to switch to autopilot as I’ve done in the past.

TUESDAY: First of a three-peat of rest days. Sorry not sorry, my legs were beat. Side note: it’s been really nice waking up early, especially on tired legs and your boyfriend drives you to work in the morning.

WEDNESDAY: Rest Day (walked to/from work)

THURSDAY: Rest Day (walked to work)

IMG_2266

FRIDAY: Ran three miles (3.02) in the morning (!!!) at average 9:44 pace. My legs were feeling mighty stiff, but the weather was incredible at 7:30 a.m.

Splits: 9:29 / 9:30 / 10:06 (That last mile seriously felt all uphill!)

I also walked to work. Call it a cool down!

SATURDAY: Today’s workout brought to you by Christmas Shopping.

SUNDAY: This week’s long run was 5 miles (5.02) — and it was GORGEOUS outside! It’s still surreal to be outside in mid-December running in shorts. Average 10:19 pace, which felt easy. Though, even in shorts, I was sweating pretty good. After my run, I did a mini-circuit workout: two rounds with one minute on, one minute off of plank holds, sit-ups, squats, push-ups and lunges.

Splits: 10:21 / 10:18 / 10:39 / 9:58 / 10:09

TOTAL RUNS: 2
TOTAL MILES: 8.04 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 15.06 miles

Gasparilla Challenge: Training Week #1

- Mel

The training for my Gasparilla races started this week! I signed up for the Michelob Ultra Challenge, which consists of 30+ miles over two days in Tampa, Florida in February — a 15K and 5K on Saturday of race weekend and then on Sunday, a Half Marathon and 8K. I’ve obviously never trained for a race quite like this, and the swag is supposed to be ridiculous. My focus is on the half marathon, for which I’m adapting the Novice 2 Hal Higdon training schedule. An aside: I strongly dislike the Higdon app and keep a paper with my dates tacked to the wall like total old school. Anyone else feel the same way?

Because I do plenty of cardio and cross-training (and that will increase exponentially with derby practices), I’m cutting out the extraneous mid-week 3 mile run. I’m focusing on three runs per week — with one long run, a weekly regular 3-mile run and one additional mid-week run that spans from 2-3 miles throughout the 12-week program, and at least two cross-training sessions.

Week #1 of this plan calls for three 3-mile runs and one 4-mile run, with one day of cross and two rest days. I personally like two-a-days with another rest day, which is another way that I’ve adapted my training schedule. It worked well for my previous half and full marathon training plans. I haven’t decided yet if I intend to PR this race or not… but I still have a little bit of time to figure that out.

MONDAY: An hour of spinning at the Y. (Walked to work)

TUESDAY: REST DAY (Walked to/from work)

WEDNESDAY: 3 miles with run//yoga//run club (just less than 10-minute pace), followed by a hard, sweaty 75 minutes of hot flow yoga. While I didn’t have any abnormally-long coughing fits, I found myself struggling to move with my breath. We did a bunch of hip openers and core work which felt amazing. My legs, though, felt super sloggy during the run. Meh. (I also walked to work today.)

THURSDAY: REST DAY (Walked to/from work)

FRIDAY: REST DAY (Walked home from work)

Long winter shadows.
Long winter shadows.

SATURDAY: 4.02 miles – holy moly, my legs felt so fast today. I had my first sub-8 mile! I followed my run up with 3 sets of 60-second planks (and a very long, steamy shower).

SUNDAY: Stairs workout at The Cathedral of Learning, my first off-skates workout with my NEW TEAM, The Allegheny Avengers! I should say my new old team, as I was one of the home team’s inaugural members two seasons ago — but I got drafted back on this week now that I’m officially-official back playing roller derby. We did 10 minutes of interval climbs and then a 10-minute body weight circuit (crunches, planks, lunges, squats and push-ups). I hoped to run a couple miles after this workout, but my legs were toast!

This upcoming training week will be tough to schedule around all these holiday parties during the week, but my goal is for two runs and two other workouts.

TOTAL RUNS: 2
TOTAL MILES: 7.02