Go Big. It was the perfect morning for a PR- dad was visiting, the weather was cool and sunny, and I felt energized and capable. Dad remarked how relaxed I seemed in comparison to other early morning pre-race preparations he'd witnessed. Running a handful of marathons does tend to put other races into perspective. That said, I hadn't really built up this race in terms of any consistent training plan. My fall workout schedule was basically a few short/easy runs, a fast run with my high school runners, and a long run on the weekends. My weekly mileage was around 30 miles on average. This isn't very much for me. Yet, I ran the TC 10 mile a few weekends before the Monster Dash and my time was only a couple minutes slower than last year. So, I knew I could PR if I was ready to accept a little pain at the end. I also knew that it was my last chance before snowfall to hit a half marathon PR. So...why not, right?
Miles 1-3 |
| Mike cheering for me in front of our alma mater! |
Easy, fast. I had on my ipod shuffle and I was loving the tunes. This was my first race listening to music; it definitely won't be my last. Running west down Summit is like a reward after running up it during the Twin Cities marathon. This photo is waving to Mike and Dad cheering at Macalester!!!!
My first split was in the vicinity of 8:40. Then, my garmin turned off somehow. I restarted it at the 3 mile mark in case I might want to check my pace later in the race.
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| Two block shots please??! |
Miles 3-6The familiar part of River Road heading towards the Ford Plant. I felt good. My music died (wah). I didn't check my Garmin for the rest of the race. I knew I was running faster than my usual pace on long runs, so there was no point of freaking myself out (if my pace was slower than expected, I would feel bad...if it was faster, I might slow). I decided to focus on my form, my breathing, and keep up my pace. I saw Dad and Mike cheering on the parkway right after mile 6!
Miles 7-9 |
| Looking for me after mile 9. |
I could feel my body getting a little bit worn down, but I tried to not let my mind go there. I kept my pace and focused on not letting this particular heavy footed/heavy breathing woman get too far ahead of me. She was breathing harder than me so I knew I should be running at least as fast as her. Dad and Mike cheered me on a little after mile 9!!!!
Mile 10 |
| Got my shot blocks! Heavy footed lady right next to me. hee. |
It was a real crush to the soul when we passed the 10 mile finish line. I tried not to look. I also avoided looking at the pacers and their pace signs. I tried this strategy after feeling really let down at the Madison Marathon when I fell behind my pacer.
Mile 11-11 1/2Big uphill in the more unfamiliar part of river/shepard road. Also there was horrible angsty singer at the top of the hill. I made a mental note to write a thank you to Team Ortho for the great race minus the 11 1/2 mile band. Oh my lord. I wanted to run faster so I didn't have to listen to the depressing music. I guess maybe that was their intent?
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| off to finish the race! |
Mile 12 to finish.Slowed down a bit after the big hill but then started to pass people as we headed into the last mile. I didn't pass heavy breather, but I closed the gap and I wasn't far behind her at the finish line. I saw Mike immediately after I crossed the finish. The clock time was 1:51, so I knew I ran a personal record. When we checked the results at home, I was totally ecstatic to see that I ran a 1:48!!! I felt like I really hung in there at the end and gave it my all. I was so excited that my dad was there to see me race!
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| Finish line! |
YES! So, so proud of you! Great race!
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