The good, the bad, and the question on my mind

One week out from my half marathon and how am I doing? I've got good news, bad news, and a big ol' question in the back of my mind.

We'll start with the good news...

Last week I had two GREAT 4-mile runs! This is the same hilly route I struggled through about 7 months ago. I think at my worst, it took me about 56 minutes to run. On Tuesday, I ran it in 45:30 and yesterday, 43:30! Again, this is a VERY hilly run. My pedometer read 4.20 when I stopped, so who knows...my time might have been better than I thought!

I feel so very strong on these shorter distances now. I can say running is truly fun again for me. I was also pleased that I didn't experience any hip or knee issues during yesterday's run.

Now the not so good news...

It appears I've put back on about 4-5 pounds. Sort of a bummer since I worked so hard. It's time to clean up my diet and get back on track. I'm still under 150 and I can still wear my size 8's, but I don't want to lose any more ground.

I'm actually headed to NYC in a month for BlogHer and I want to look and feel my best. I plan on working pretty hard this month and hope to dig in and lose a few more good pounds.

And the question...

This might come as a shock since this blog is all about marathoning, but I'm having serious doubts about wanting to run the Portland Marathon this year.

Here's the thing...while I completed the half marathon last week, I can't say that it was entirely fun. I had my slowest finishing time EVER and ended up having to walk a considerable portion due to hip and knee pain.

Go back to March...I ran my first 5K in a decade and hit a PR! I had fun...it was short so I could really push myself. This week's 4-mile runs were also fun for me for the similar reason.

I'm wondering if it's time I shift from long distance (which I've already proven I can do) to learning how to become a better, faster runner (something I've never entirely focused on).

I want working out and running to remain fun and interesting and quite honestly, I'm having second thoughts on this marathon.

What do you all think I should do? I need to make a decision pretty quickly....

Thoughts??

Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Race Recap

I'm proud to say I finished my fourth half marathon yesterday!

This was my first Rock 'n Roll event. There were some things I really liked about this particular race, and there were also some things I found incredibly annoying.

Let's start with the good:

::The weather was perfect! Seriously, I don't think I've ever run a race in better conditions ever. Upper 50's, low 60's, cloud cover...perfect.
::The course was mostly flat. Maybe you'd disagree with me if you were an out-of-towner, but as far as Northwest courses go? This one was pretty tame.
::The music/entertainment was great! I'd recommend this race for anyone with a super short attention span. There was ALWAYS something keeping you going on this course...bands, fans, water stations, and the like.

Now for the things that irked me:

::The pre-run stuff was not fun. The race starts in Tukwila and ends at Qwest Center in downtown Seattle. However, you had to park at Qwest and take one of the shuttles down to Tukwila. This took a long time. From the time we parked until we got to Tukwila? One hour.
::The corrals. While the race started at 7, it didn't start for me until near 7:30. UGH. I don't think I've EVER been in a race where it took so long to get the runners through the start line.
::My knee and hip! About mile 8 or 9, my left hip and knee started to feel buggy. I ended up having to walk a good chunk of the time the last 4 or 5 miles....which resulted in a not-so-good overall finishing time for me.

That being said, here's my stats...

Time: 2:47
Place: 12,879/17,593
Gender Place: 8,634/12,560
I finished before 39.5% of the people in my division

This is definitely a far cry from my PR of 2:10 (in 2005), but I am glad to have finished this race and added another medal to my collection.

Of course, I had to pull all my medals out tonight. I'd forgotten my first half marathon was in 2003...to think I've been doing half and full marathons for seven years now surprised me!

Pictured: (from L-R: 2003 Seattle Half Marathon, 2004 Vancouver Full Marathon, 2004 Seattle Full Marathon, 2005 Federal Escape Sprint Triathlon, 2006 Seattle Half Marathon, 2007 Disney World Full Marathon, 2010 Seattle Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon)

Not Pictured: 2005 Mercer Island Half Marathon. They did not give out medals for this race, and it's a crying shame. That's the race I got my 2:10 PR on!

I have a couple more things I want to share soon as I've reflected on marathoning. They deserve their own posts though...so stay tuned.

Tomorrow is race day

Ah....the day before a race.

How am I feeling? Nervous. Excited. Ready to go already. Ready to be celebrating my accomplishment, sore feet and medal hanging from my neck.

I can't believe here I finally am. After starting out of shape and overweight several months ago, I've lost most of the weight and am capable of finishing a half marathon without killing myself! The human body is truly an amazing thing. While I wish I would've pushed myself harder to have lost those last few pounds, I am truly grateful at the progress I have made.

Yesterday I picked up my timing chip and racing bib. I must say that most of this last week I haven't really been "feeling" this race. And then something happened when I walked into the expo. Maybe it's the loud music and flashing lights. Maybe it's being surrounded by hundreds of runners that are gearing up to run the same race. Or maybe it's the memory of preparing for my first half marathon several years ago. Whatever the case, I can say I'm ready!

I was talking to my friend Denise last night on the phone. I had the pleasure of training for and running my my recent marathon, The Disney World 2007 Marathon, with her. I was telling her how as I left the expo yesterday, I was fighting back tears. She understood exactly what I meant by that. There is just something so powerful, so moving, and life-changing about the marathon process. I can't fully articulate it (and I am a person of many words).

I feel so blessed that after two kids, I'm still at this. And no doubt tomorrow, even after 3 half marathons and 3 full marathons, there will still be a few tears of hard-earned accomplishment.

Time to eat some pasta, put my feet up a little, and picture that finish line.

See you on the other side!


Pictured above: my running shirt, bib, and swag from yesterday's Expo

St. Patty's Day 5K last Saturday!

Pictured above: the running crew! From left to right: Jessie, me, Tia, Kaia, and Christine.

These last couple weeks have been...well...busy. Extraordinarily busy. I've not kept up with my workouts or eating like I should. To make matters worse, I've been coming down with a bit of a cold.

Even still, I had a 5K to run last Saturday. The St. Patty's Day 5K dash in Tacoma. It was 10 years ago I did my first race - the St. Patty's Day 5k dash in Seattle. It seemed fitting to be doing a similar race to kick off a new era of running.

The course was mostly flat, with a couple small hills - one right at the start, the other (of course) just before the finish. I couldn't find my watch the morning of the race, so I had to just push myself hard and hope I'd end up with a decent time.

I did pretty well keeping the same pace throughout the race, and was able to really sprint through the finish line. Overall, I felt I'd done a pretty good job.

My results? 30:47 - a pace of 9:56! I have NEVER completed a race with a pace under 10:00 - this is a first for me! In addition, I finished #43 of 128 for my division. Another first - I've never finished within the top half for my division! I'm so proud to see how far I've come in these past few months - from being in the worst shape of my life to hitting some new PRs.

It was also a special day because I was able to run with four special ladies (pictured above) - and none of them had ever done a fun run like this (though two of them had done cross country in the past). One of the gals, Kaia, actually placed #3 for her age group - not bad for her first 5K, huh?

So where do I go from here? The time has come to up my distance and prepare for marathon season. I officially registered last night for Portland on 10-10-10, so I'm committed to doing this thing!

My first marathon

Here I am...nervously smiling minutes before running my first full-distance marathon in Vancouver, B.C. Excited to be meeting this lifetime goal head-on, but also wondering what exactly I'd gotten myself into.

Months before, I'd finished my first half-marathon in Seattle. It had been a feeling like no other crossing that finish line. And yet, I felt it was a goal half-finished. I felt I needed to complete the entire 26.2 distance, if at least just once.

My friend Kim also decided she wanted to work towards this goal and thus began our grueling training. Grueling, because we ran the same route over and over and over. It was mentally exhausting. I remember on days we had to run 16 miles and over, we'd have to run miles around a local school track to make up the distance. Boy, I do NOT recommend that!

Come race day, I was feeling pretty good. Our longest training run had been 20 miles and I was pretty comfortable with the idea of tacking on an extra 10K. The first 8 or so miles of the race I felt great, really strong.

I decided at that point to take one of the Power Gels Kim had given me just prior to the race. It wasn't one I'd had before, but since I'd had similar varieties during our training, I didn't think twice. Bad idea. Two miles later I began feeling sick...really sick to my stomach. I couldn't believe this was happening.

About halfway into the race things started to go downhill pretty quickly. I remember looking for medical personnel or racing staff for assistance. I didn't think I could finish. It was also about this point I had to slow down to walk. I was miserable! But because I never found anyone to assist me back to the finish line, I HAD to keep going. Over the next few miles I was able to alternate running a little with my walking. I was in beautiful Stanley Park, and the scenery definitely encouraged my spirits.

At mile 17, I passed the beautiful gazebo my husband had proposed to me in a few years before! It was another nice surprise and encouraged me to keep pressing on. I also remember making the decision to complete the race about this time. I had completed 17 miles, had trained for months, driven all the way up and taken time off work...I couldn't quit. I'd cross that finish line if I had to crawl.

About mile 20, I was really fatigued. Exhausted. I recall seeing volunteers handing out what looked to be lemon popsicles. Famished, I grabbed one and nearly popped it into my mouth when I told it was Vaseline. Great!

I was completely dragging near the end. I remember meeting a man from Mexico City and we encouraged each other towards the finish line. By the time I approached, the finish line had been moved along a sidewalk to start making way for traffic. No matter - it was still beautiful to cross that finish line! I was proud, relieved, and tired all at once. It was a wonderful rush of emotions. I finished in about 5:45. My next marathon I'd train smarter and shave about 35 minutes off this time.

As difficult as this race was, I still completed it and am glad I did it. It's funny how all the hours of training and racing and effort pay off the instant you cross that finish line and receive your finisher's medal. And then you say, "that was fun. When's the next race?"