BluePoints 5k 8/8/09 - Race #6 Grand Prix Series

Today I ran the Bluepoints 5k. It is race #6 in the Grand Prix Series. This race, like the others, will keep me or push me out of the Grand Prix Placings. My goal was 22:30...or at least under 23 minutes.
Pre-race routine: Got up at 0500. Ate 1/4 PB&J w/out the J. Drank a poweraid and a few sips of coffee. Prayed and read my Bible. Packed up and left for the DOWD YMCA around 0619. Hubby ran this one too. We met up with Leigh around 0645. The walk from the DOWD was around .57 miles so I count this as a WU.
Leigh and I took a picture b/4 the race. I look like I am going to throw up.

I waited by the starting line with Debbie. I really thought I was going to be sick. Why do I get so anxious? The jogging strollers and wheelchairs took off. About 2 minutes later, we were off. Like I said, they reversed the course. So we were on the "other side" of the start line...headed toward the finish. Really, I crossed over the finish line 30 seconds after I started. The thought did occur to me that this may mess up my chip (It did not). However, I was in the mass of people going toward Morehead. Even going this way, there were lots of up hills. I thought I was running slower than normal and was a bit disoriented b/c we were going the opposite way of what I thought we were going to go. I hit mile 1 at 6:58. Now I am not really sure if this mile marker was right. However, my friend Leigh who has a Garmin, said it was right. I did not keep my splits so I am not sure about the other times....I know I slowed b/c as we turned on Kenelworth the course started up...up.....up. I am NOT KID'N! I was running as hard as I could but the up hill was KILLING ME! I passed a few people and the 2 mile mark fairly quickly. I thought I was going to make under 23 minutes. However, the 3rd mile just kept going up...up...up! NEVER ENDING!. I saw Mint Street where the finish line was. Then I saw the 3 mile marker. The time was 22:30. I think the course was long. I am not just saying this b/c I did not get my sub 23. I just know that it does not take me 1 minute to go .11 miles. I sprinted the last .11. B/c the course ran the opposite way, the finish line/start line was not in the right place. I could be wrong.
After the race, I hung out with some friends and took pictures. This is Leigh, Matt, Me, Debbie.

Me, Sir Purr, and Leigh!

I was very disappointed with my time. I didn't even go and see if I had placed. I told Debbie that I could not take the disappointment of coming in 7th or over. She begged me to go see. She said that I really could have placed. I did not look. But I did place 3rd in my age group. How funny!

Matt, Leigh and I went and ran 2.5 more miles after the race.
Leigh and Me in my SUV!

Me and my Hubby, Matt!

What would you do differently?: I am not sure that I could have done anything any different. I told Matt that I ran hard the whole time. I passed several people I was trying to pass. I finished well.

My Stats:

Gun Time: 23:22

Chip Time: 23:18 (7:29 pace)

Placed 3rd in my AG! WOOT!
Overall Rank = 244/1260

7-11-09 RFYL 4 Miler Race #5 in Grand Prix!

Well here we go again!
Today I ran the 5th race in the Grand Prix series. Like the others, this race had the potential to keep me at 3rd or drop me. So I was a bit anxious.

Training:
I have ran this course several times in training. I ran it a few weeks ago in 32 minutes AFTER running 8 miles. So I expected my time to be around 30 minutes. My goal was 30 or under.

The Morning of:
I have to figure out something other than PB&J to eat on race morning. I have learned that my nerves are killing my stomach....so eating anything just makes me feel sick. So I normally do not get the nutrition I need to race. So if anyone has some suggestions for a good prerace drink...let me know.
So I got up at 0500, prayed, read my Bible, and tried to eat. I could only get 1/4th of the PB&J down. My sweet hubby and best scream teamer came with me today. So we loaded up the car and at 0637 we were off. We also brought our JRT with us. She loves the races....she could beat everyone.

The Race!
What can I say? It was hilly. I personally don't think it was as bad as the 1st 4 miler of the series, but My friend Debbie does not agree. I also think the weather was good...I mean for July. It could have been bad.
But anywho...back to the race.
MILE 1 - I started at the front. That means I really did not have to fight to pass people, but it seemed that EVERYONE passed me. The 1st mile, and I am not lying, was totally uphill. However, it was over b/4 I knew it. I thought I had started out slower, but as I passed the 1st clock it said 7:26. Opps!
Mile 2 was almost all down hill. As we were running DOWN East Blvd, I thought, this should be easier. Then I passed the mile marker and saw my time. Mile 2 was in 7:24. This means I hit mile 2 at 14:50.
Mile 3 was totally up hill again. I thought I was pushing but apparently I wasn't. I finished mile 3 in 7:51 (I am at 22:42 for a total time.) I briefly thought that I wished this was a 5k...I would only have .11 to go. STOP THAT! Pain is fear leaving the body....I'm afraid!
Mile 4 was mostly down so I started booking it. Then I started gagging....OH NO! I started feeling that PB&J coming back to visit....so I slowed down a bit. Several girls passed me but I knew it was better to slow than to have to stop to puke. I rounded the corner and saw the finish.

Matt took this picture of me as I was getting ready to cross the finish line. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, but had to keep my eye on the finish. This mile, even with the slowing as not to barf, was 7:35.
Total time was 30:18 chip time.
Gun time: 30:20 (7:35 ave pace)
7th in my AG out of 62
37th female out of 283
202nd finisher out of 678

After finishing I just needed a cool drink! Do you think they would mind if I jumped in that ice pool? Better not.

I just hope this drink stays down!

Me and my Scream Teamer Matt!

After:

Matt and I went and ran 3 more miles. Then went home to pack for Disney! WOOT!

Thoughts:

I regret not pushing harder on the 2nd mile. I think I could have broken 30 minutes. But that will be for another day. I am faster now. My last 4 miler I ran with a 7:50 pace....so that's cool. However, not fast enough to place in my AG!

King Tiger 5k - 6/6/09-Race #4

So I did the #4 race in the Grand Prix series this morning. I knew that b/4 this race, I was placed 3rd in my AG in the series, so this would either hold me there or drop me....or a very slim chance put me higher...LOL! No pressure, huh.
Prerace Morning Routine:
Set the alarm for 0600 but woke up, wide awake, at 0500. So me and JRT went downstairs. I let her out and fixed my coffee. After letting her back in, I spent some time with God. I asked Him to give me the strength to run well. I forced down a PB&J without the J....HaHa! Then I took some Advil. My head (due to allergies I assume) has been hurting the past few days. I don't run well with a headache.
Got dressed and headed to the race around 0645. My goal was to be there around 0700. This would be no problem b/c this race was on my side of town. Got there and met up with Bree. Got my chip and realized there would be no potty break even though I had to go.
The Race:
Lined up very close to the start line with Debbie and Bree. We were talking then everyone started running. That was the start! So I ran!
1st mile: The normal weaving but not too bad. Then I started thinking....I want to quit...I didn't feel good. WHAT? OK, that is not acceptable so I turned up my Ipod and listened to "Welcome to the Jungle" then "She's Country". Passed mile 1 at 7:21. OOOO, this makes me feel better.
2nd mile: At this point the song "Now or Never" came on. Now if you you do not have preteen girls, you will not know this song. It is from "High School Musical 3". I played it b/c I knew I had less than 16 minutes and it basically says...Man up and do it! It helped b/c I hit mile 2 at 14:47. That means I did the 2nd mile in 7:26 minutes. WOOT!
Mile 3: Arrrr....Mile 3 did not go too well. It was mainly uphill and I must have just quit racing....or something. Don't remember much about this mile except it was 7:57. WHAT?!?! I hit mile 3 at 22:44.
Last .11 took 48 seconds and that is out of control.
I always loose it the last mile and it costs me the race. I may start out too fast, but not sure if starting slower would make me finish faster. Oh well.
After Race:
Finished then saw Gygy cross the finish line. We hung out. Then saw Debbie and Bree. Found Sommer and Tim and Jeremy. Hung out and ate some of the post race stuff. Did not place, but the girl who came in 3rd in my AG only came in 1 minute faster than me....so I know what I need to do...TAKE A WHOLE MINUTE OFF MY TIME....AHHHH! Not that easy!
So, my
Total time was 23:32 chip time
Gun time 23:40
Ave pace: 7:37 (based on gun time)
Total Place: 170 out of 775
Age group Place: 7 out of 73
Gender Place: 31 out of 366

Twilight 5k-5/8/09 - Race #3 Grand Prix

Pre-race routine:
With this being a night race, my whole routine went out the window. Matt (hubby) ran this race too! That excites me! Matt and I drove to downtown, parked, met up with Ron, Bree, and Lucas. We walked to the race and went to pick up our chip. There I saw Gygy and Rusty from BT! It was great to get to chat with them. It helped to calm my normal prerace gitters. There was no WU. Just went to the start and waited with Matt, Gygy, and Rusty. It was a crowded race and I knew already that I would have to be passing lots of peolpe who lined up wrong.
Run
The Fire Fighters raised a huge flag b/4 the start. This was cool!
It took me almost 30 seconds to get past the starting line. Then the first mile was playing the passing game. When will I learn to get near the starting line? I was feeling pretty good. Passed mile 1 at 7:49 clock time. I think I yelled, and speeded up. Mile 2 I hit at 15:06 so I think I did speed up a bit. I have to say the 3rd mile was hard. I wanted to walk SO bad. It was a mind game. I was glad to see the finish line.
Post race
After I finished, I waited at the finish line for Gygy, Rusty, Matt, Bree, and Ron. Never did see Gygy and Rusty finish. They may have come across while I was walking to find a good spot. Then saw Matt come across with a PR. 29.06, WOOT! Saw Bree and Ron cross then chatted with them and some other friends....Ron's grandaughter ran the kid's fun run, so we cheered her on. Then went to Brix and grubbed.
What limited your ability to perform faster:
ME! I had panned for rocks all day with Maggie (my 8 yo) on a field trip. This was lots of hiking and squatting so I went into the race tired. But I would not change going on the field trip....it was worth the seconds I lost in the race.
Came in 54th out of 843 females! WOOT!
Total Time = 23m 41s
Overall Rank = 276/1696
Age Group = 35 - 40F
Age Group Rank = 9/135

Skyline 5k 4/25/09 - #2 race in Grand Prix

So is this why my truck won't start?
Prerace
Got up around 0500 and got coffee. Drank it while I prayed for this race and my friends who were doing the race. Went to make my PB&J and found I was out of bread....NOOOOOO! So I heated up a Eggo Waffle and put P-nut butter on it. I think this hurt me in the long run...no pun intended. Drove to the DOWD YMCA to meet my buddy. We were going to meet there so we would be sure to be together. As I pulled into the DOWD, something happened in my car....It ended up a belt broke. I knew the car was acting weird on I77, so I had prayed that God just get me to the DOWD. He did...thanks God! She drove up and I hopped in her car then drove to the start.
I would say I really did not need a WU due to the heat. I was warm. However, I think holding my breath and then smelling the stinch in the port-o-jon....then gagging and almost throwing up could count for a warmup.
The Race!
The start was very crowded due to the small amout of space that was avalable. Even though I lined up near the start, I had to fight my way around all the people who lined up wrong. I think this could have zapped some energy because I had to jump upon the sidewalk a few times to pass people. Finally I made it past and got into a pretty fast pace for me. I went through my 1st song, my second, then the 3rd came on. I had not seen the 1st mile marker and I thought I may be going slower than normal. I try to time out my songs so I can guestimate my pace. This worried me a bit. I upped the pace a bit to find the 1 mile mark. After a few minutes of this I started gagging...like I was going to throw up. At this point, I went back to the previous pace. I started to doubt myself a bit, then in the distance, I saw the mile 2 marker. It said 15.08. OK, I am good now. I am OK on pace, but Oh no, I have 1 more mile.....OK, only 7ish more minutes. This isn't suppose to be easy. I do wish this pace was easy for me. When we started going down hill, a few people passed me. I feel like up hills....even though I hate them...are a strong point for me. I could not get the leg turnover I needed to pass the 2 girls (in my AG) back. I had been ahead of them the whole time. DRATS!!!!! I got to mile 3 and started gagging again. I thought, OH NO! If I throw up, this will mess up my time for sure. I saw the finish line and went in.
After Race!
After passing the finish line, I just walked around a bit. After a few minutes, I took off my chip. Then I went to cheer in Leigh....She came in at 29.08...WOOT! We met a few other friends and exchanged hellos. Then got a drink. Waited to see what our official time was then went back to the DOWD and ran 4 more miles. I called AAA and had my car towed and it is being worked on as I type this.
Not sure if hydration and breakfast hurt or not. I ran this faster than I ever have ran a 5k....so can I really expect more?
My Chip time was: 23.13
Overall Rank: 156/843
Age Group Rank: 5/13?
I did not like how we were crammed in at the start. However, it was a fun race. The volunteers were cheerful and helpful. So it was cool!

Matt came all the way to the DOWD to help his wife....thats a good man!

Leigh and I ran 4 more miles then she waited with me. Good friend!

Shamrock 4 Miler - Race #1 Grand Prix 3/21/09

Me and Leigh after the race!

Me, Bree, and Leigh

Today I ran the Shamrock 4 miler in Charlotte NC. It is the 1st race in the Grand Prix Races. There are 9 races in the series. Basically on average one a month. There are a few months where there are 2. Anyway. Had a friend do the series last year and she placed in the Athena Category. So I thought....maybe I could win some hardware.....So I am going into this wanting to run...FAST. (well fast for me).
I have to admit I did not know what to expect. I have not run a shorter race in over a year. This made me nervous!
THE MORNING OF:
I got up at 0500 and went through my normal prerace routine. Spent some time with God, ate, then Bree picked me up and we went to the race. It was COLD!
THE RACE
I lined up at the starting line with Gygy, Debbie, and myself. The starting gun went off and I turned on my Ipod. The 1st song was "Welcome To The Jungle" to remind me of the pain I would experience in this race. I was having some issues with my pants. They kept falling down. So I had to keep pulling them up. I hit the 1st mile at 7:34. It was a pleasant surprise. I remember pointing this out to Debbie and kept running.
The race was an out and back course. Right before we hit mile 2 we turned to start heading back. I am not even lying when I say that the rest of the race was uphill. At mile 2 the song "No Air" came on. This reminded me that I probably went out too fast. But too late to think about that now. I was really trying to book it and just focus on my breathing so I would not cramp up....or throw up.
Mile 3 came around 23 minutes and some change. At this point I did think it would be embarrassing if I threw up on the side of the road. But I know when I cross the finish line, all the pain will be worth it.
Turned the corner on the way to the 4 miles and saw the finish line. I also saw 4 speed bumps that I have to get over. This was cruel.....Just don't fall, Just don't fall. I see the clock and book it. I want to get there before 32 minutes. I did.
Here are my stats:
I was 201 out of 850 total
12th out of 74 in my Age group
43rd out of 417 females
Chip time - 31:18 Gun time - 31:25 Ave Pace - 7:52
OTHERS STATS
Debbie finished around 32.15 minutes and came in 3rd in her AG! WOOT
Bree and Leigh also PRed....40 minutes. WOOT!
We packed up and left after the race because we were so cold! Well I was anyway. Debbie stayed for the festivities and got lots of FREE stuff.
THOUGHTS
I wanted to place in my AG, but that did not happen today. I did go as fast as I could so it was not for a lack of trying. I will now start some speed work so I can compete.

Bree, Leigh, and me....freezing!

Myrtle Beach Marathon 2/14/09

How do I celebrate Valentines Day?
Well, 11 years ago, I brought my sweet little girl into the world.
This year, I ran a marathon.........
In Charlotte, I did not meet my goal of sub-4, so I thought I would give it another chance. To do this, I had to recover from the Thunder Road Marathon, ramp back up my miles, and taper......all in 8 weeks.

FRIDAY!
Well here I am. Packing up for my 9th marathon. I have to admit I do not feel prepared for this marathon. However, looking back, I am more prepared for this than ever.
The phone rings. It is the school calling me to tell me my 11 year old baby girl is in the nurses office.....with a fever. AHHHHHH! Now I may be stressed. Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out.
We drop off the dog, pick up the girls, pick up Peggy (my Mother-in-law), and head over to Myrtle Beach. I eat pasta with very little marinara and chicken. Then around 1950, I head to bed.

THE MORNING OF:
Well my alarm was set for 0400. It did not go off! I wake up in a panic at 0418. I fix some coffee and spend some time with the Lord asking for His blessings on this day. I pray for a sub 4 for me and Ricky, who I will be running with. Then I realize....I HAVE A HEADACHE! I make the decision to take some Advil. My head is killing me and I will have to chance an upset stomach b/c I cannot run with my head hurting.
I pack up everything and my sweet husband, Matt, gets up and we head out. We get to the race start and begin the search for Ricky and his crew. I then get sidetracked by the port-a-jons. One last stop to the potty b/4 the race.
Find Ricky and friends, kiss Matt goodbye, then lineup at the start. I look at Ricky and say, "It may not be a good sign that we are standing here in shorts and a t-shirt at 0630 and we are nice and warm."

BRING IT ON:

Here is the course layout!
At 0630, we begin the race. It takes us a few seconds to get across the starting line so my chip time is behind my clock time. I am running with Ricky, and a friend of his named Jason. Like always, there are tons of people who have lined up wrong. So the passing, weaving, and trying to keep up with Ricky begins. We pass mile 1, mile 2....Starting to warm up. Well it is warm and humid so we were warm when we started. By mile 3 we were in our groove and it was starting to get light out. We passed the mile 14 mark and I looked at Ricky and Jason and said, we will have to pass this again.
Mile 4, I took my 1st 1/2 of a gel. We turned on Ocean Blvd and started toward the Pavilion. I really enjoyed this part of the run. Lots of things to look at and lots of crowd support. Jason and I have now started a game. At the water stops, we try to throw our cups into the trash can. We both got several "rim shots". I even had an assist with a volunteer.
At mile 8ish, we turn and head back to the 1/2 marathon mark. The official results show I hit mile 8 at 1:14.....however, I don't think this is right. I hit mile 7 around 59 minutes and I know it did not take me another 15 minutes to get to mile 8. Also, at this point, Ricky had just looked at me and said we were doing 8:34 MPM....So not sure what was up with this.
At mile 8ish a girl runs up beside me and Jason and asks if she can run with us. Oh yeah, the more the merrier! We hang the rest of the marathon together. Her name is Gay.
I hit mile 13.1 at 1:54. This is correct. I saw it on my watch. This is about the same time I hit the 1/2 way mark in Charlotte.

However, I feel good this time.
At this point, Gay and I start counting down. At each mile marker, we yell out how many miles we have left.
We pass the mile 14 marker...again. Gay and I yell 12 more miles. I look at Ricky and say we are passing mile 14 marker again, but this time we are really at mile 14. WOOT!
At this point, I think Gay and I pick up the pace. She was listening to her Ipod. I had mine, but decided not to turn it on until the hard times hit. The miles start passing by quickly....at mile 16 I look at Gay and say, now we get to single numbers.
At mile 17, I know I have been running at a faster pace than normal. I make the decision to break out the Ipod. Oh, yeah baby. Take another gel and suck it up and run.
At mile 19 Gay looks at me and asks if I think we can finish this thing in an hour. The clock says we hit this at 2:45. I told her that if we do this, I will qualify for Boston. Now the goal changes. My BQ is 3:45. I really feel good and look at Gay and say, "Why not, the worst that can happen is that we throw up".
Hit mile 20 at 2:54.57 clock time. WOW! Mile 20. I finish up a gel with caffeine and get H2O at the water stop. Gay and I yell, "6 more miles!"
At this point the miles start to get long. I say a prayer that God will give me the strength to finish well. I know that these miles can make or break the race.....so I decide to break down the wall! It isn't supposed to be easy!
At mile 22, I walk through the water stop b/c I am thirsty. Gay runs on. I can see her, but thought I can't catch up. I start to feel a cramp in my left calf. I knew if I did not slow down, I would cramp up and not finish the race. So I slowed down a bit. I knew I was right on the edge of a BQ, but that could wait until another day. It had started sprinkling a bit but I was hot and thirsty so this felt good.
At mile 25 the bottom drops out. It starts pouring the rain. I was ready to finish this thing and my calf was doing OK so I start running. I pass several people. I even catch up to Gay, who I had lost sight of. She tells me to run on and not wait for her.
I run past mile 26 and start through the finishing chute. I can see the finish line and I run as fast as my legs would go. I am smiling and laughing as I pass the finish line. My clock time was 3:51.40.
My chip time is 3:51.11! SUB 4 BABY!
Gay finishes right behind me. We hug and get a picture taken together.
Ricky also gets his sub 4! What a wonderful day! I see Ricky then loose him again. It is still pouring the rain and Matt has found me by now. So we go to the car and go eat! And that is why I run!
My ave pace was 8:51. I started out much faster, but as always, I slow a bit.

THOUGHTS!
I thought this was a much easier course than Charlotte. I hydrated well during the race, even when I did not feel like it. I took my gels and drank my HEED. The Lord was with me every step of the way. I left it all on the course. WOW! I cannot believe I went sub 4! Am I dreaming?
NOW, Can I shave 6 minutes off my time for a BQ?