2013 Detroit International 1/2 Recap

Yesterday I completed the 2013 Detroit International Half Marathon, that includes the crossing of the Ambassador Bridge and a return to the USA through the underwater tunnel.  While I have ran this race 3 previous times, yesterday was my first Detroit Marathon Day "Experience".  As I wrote about last week I went into this race without a plan, knowing that reaching any PR time goal may still be to much for me as I am still suffering recovering from a few minor aches I picked up during the 50K race/training.  What I did not talk about was the two private goals I had which were to run the entire uphill of both the Ambassador Bridge and the exit of the tunnel.  In my 3 previous attempts I would become winded and at least have to walk part of both.  This was a personal struggle for me, knowing that even though the extra taper weight is still there I needed to prove to myself I was still stronger then ever and it seemed like a fitting goal.  My recap will not include splits or times because I did not know our approximate finish time until less then a mile from the finish, and did not know our splits until late last night when John sent me the Garmin link.  It was a very different experience running a race and looking at the course, not my Garmin, focusing on how I felt and not what the time said.

Eve of the Race: Normally the night before a race I would have been in bed at 9 pm to get a good nights sleep, however the Tigers game did not start till 8 so of course that was not happening.  In fact I enjoyed a nice Mayan Mocha Stout and stayed up well past 11 pm.  That was followed by about 3.5 hours of broken sleep with the littlest needing some vicks and snuggles for a stuffy nose.

3:45 am: Up (b/c sleep wasn't happening) had some coffee, a banana and a Picky Bar, got dressed, packed up and headed out to stop at Tim Horton's for a road coffee (need both the caffeine and warmth) and then headed to our meeting spot to pick up the car pool.

5:15 am: Depart with a van full of runners (Here is a race morning tip: If you shut your lights off while waiting for your friends to arrive, it is always wise to turn them back on before driving even if you are used to the "auto" setting or else a nice Police Officer will stop and remind you)

5:40 am - 6:45 am: Got parked and everyone got on their last minute gear, and we all headed to the Fort Street Church to stay warm, potty breaks and a group photo.

GP Runners ready to run the D! (Photo w/ John Martin's camera taken by random stranger at the church)

6:50 am: One last potty stop and an Island Boost (my hoarded new chocolate flavored one, stay tuned tomorrow for a full review of Island Boost but YUM) and we were off to the starting line.  John (who once again was carrying his camera & got some fun/awesome pics), Val and I had planned to run together since we were out there for fun and no time goal.  We jumped in Corral E, figuring it would be a good place to start and we were with a few other GP Runners.

7:07 am: START TIME!

Starting Line (Photo by John Martin)

Miles 1-3: I felt awesome, I had switched my race outfit at the last minute from a skirt to capris pants and I am glad I did.  The wind was cold and the capris pants kept my legs warm.  It was a nice paced run up Fort Street to the bridge, where we proceeded to make our way up the on ramp for mile 2 and finally onto the bridge by mile 3.  (This is one of the most deceiving parts of the race because you don't just run up the bridge, no you have to run up the on ramp for a mile first and then run up the bridge)

(Photos by John Martin)

Miles 3-4: Up and over the bridge! I did it! Ran the entire up ramp and up the bridge without having to stop and walk!  Focusing on form, shortening my stride and "pulling the rope" with my arms.  It is really an amazing view (even though yesterday's view was accompanied by a cold wind) from the top of the bridge.  You can see the sun rising over Belle Isle, the beautiful fall colors of the trees as you come into Canada,  the Detroit River.  We even saw a few more GP Runners up there!

Coming back down the Ambassador (photo by John Martin)

Miles 4-7: Still feeling great, legs were nice and warm, no shin or hip pain.  I was still very relaxed and I won't lie at a few points I was looking for a clock to see approximately where we were at time wise.  No such luck.  I knew I felt better then my last long run so that was positive and I was having fun enjoying the music, bands, spectators, and the view of Detroit from across the river.

Mile 7-8: The Underwater Tunnel mile.  The dreaded Underwater Tunnel mile in my mind.  It is not a well ventilated mile at all, so upon entering the tunnel I rolled down my arm sleeves.  Even then by the 1/2 mile mark I was starting to sweat so bad.  Using the gloves I had shed about mile 3 I wiped up as much as I could from my neck and face knowing once we exited that would only contribute to chills.  Then it was up the 1/2 mile out of the tunnel, looking forward to the fresh air and the open course again.  As we approached the exit I pulled my arm sleeves back up, because while the fresh air was nice it also can make you really cold really quick.  Goal #2 accomplished! Ran the entire tunnel! Shortened my stride and focused on breathing and next thing you knew we were out of there.

Miles 8-10.5: Included a walk through the water station right outside the tunnel and another Island Boost.  I was in good spirits and crowd support this year was awesome! Cowbells, signs, cheering...IT WAS A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

Miles 10.5 - 13.1: We ran into a training partner who was running her first half marathon.  It was clear (Because I have been in that place before, that "I want to sit down possibly cry and say screw this" place. Last year that was me with that same look, that same struggle, and that same frustration at roughly the same spot)  Being that we had no time goals, John, Val and I fell in next to her.  These last 3 miles are both my most hated and favorite.  I love running through Mexican Village and running past what is left of Tiger Stadium, I love the turn into the homestretch and seeing the finish line.  It is also where for the last 3 attempts I truly wondered if I would finish, and several times included tears.  Really though they were uneventful miles, except for the M&M's around mile 11, that is always one of my favorite spot.  Together we put one foot in front of the other, and reminded me that even though I love my solo runs, why being a part of a group, particularly this group is so important, because if that was me someone would have done the same.  That's the beauty of running with a group, of those early morning runs, those good runs, those bad runs, those relationships that are formed are priceless.

Seconds after we finished (Photo by John Martin's awesome photog friend)

After getting our medals and solar blankets we headed back to the parking lot where we changed.  The parking lot was in a perfect spot for cheering, we were at about mile 25.75 on the Full Marathon course.  As we waiting for "our runners" we stood on the sidelines and offered cheers and high fives to those that past.

GP runners cheering and GP Runners running in some full marathoners, including a 1st timer (Photo by John Martin)

Tailgate party GP Runner Style (Photo w/ John Martin's camera)

We hung out, talked, drank some recovery type beverages and cheered on runners till after 1 p.m.  It was an amazing experience to run the Detroit 1/2 and celebrate with this group on Sunday!

Race Recap: Run Legend

8/3/13
1st Trail Race!
Time: 2:26:30

There were basically two reasons why I chose to Run Legend at the beginning of the month, 1) I figured I should have at least one official trail race under my belt before the 50k (a trail race is much different then a trail run where I am out there with only a few other people and pretty self sufficient) 2) my friends were doing it including one who was about to finish the Running Fit Serious Series.  I did not look to close when I signed up though and it was not until a few weeks before realized it was about an hour and 45 minutes away.  Oh well, thankful for carpooling and some quality adult time with friends on race morning.

On race morning we were on the road at 5:45 am and even with heavy fog we were able to arrive about an hour before the race started.  This gave us plenty of time to pick up our shirts and race numbers, use the bathrooms twice, get everything ready and get to the start with a couple minutes to spare.  Four of the people from my running group were doing the half and one was doing the 10 mile run (originally scheduled for the 5 mile run she switched race morning to rock out her longest race ever!)  Like with any run over 10 miles these days I had my Camelbak on with everything I would need and 2L of water, (if I was not training for the 50k I would have just taken my Simple Hydration bottle, it would have been sufficient with the water stations and the temperatures.)

Lining up I had 2 goals in mind:

Goal A: Run a 2:10:00 Trail 1/2 - This was a big goal, I knew it would take essentially everything to line up perfectly on race day to make this.  

Goal B: To race the course just like I have been planning to race Woodstock.  Eating every 4ish miles, not focus on time, walk up hills, run my race, and have enough at the end to feel good and keep going.

When we took off I was essentially headed for Goal A, and kept pace through the first 3.5 miles to reach it.  That is about where I started to become honest with myself, what goal was more important?  Saturday's time goal or running a strong 50k in a month.  Essentially it was a no brainer, I want to run a strong 50k, which means not missing training days and sticking to the plan.  I knew if I continued on to attempt Goal A, I would not have been in any shape to run my 10 miler the next morning and possibly not get my 22 in the next weekend, because it was going to take everything I had to hit 2:10.  I am not going to lie and say it was easy to back off, I threw my Garmin in my pack (I had it set to beep every mile still so I was reminded to eat) and ran the next mile in a completely foul mood.  About mile 5 my mood changed again and I found joy in the surroundings, listened to my steps and breathing, used the alone time to sort through thoughts and race plans for Woodstock.  Apparently I was completely oblivious to the bee problem where it sounds like many runners were stung at one point on the course. (I am very glad I was clueless, that would have heightened my anxiety)  I finished the rest of the race according to my Woodstock plan and honestly felt great crossing the finish line.  My only other issue was about mile 9 I was hungry, like I wanted a sandwich hungry, and this might have to do with the time between breakfast which was at 4:45 am and race time.  I satisfied the food craving with a packet of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and that held me off long enough to finish the race. 

Overall: I was a nice course, lots of grassy open areas, not to many large hills, there were a few places where there were a good number of roots so it was important to pay attention.  There were a few things I had issues with and only one Running Fit could have controlled and that was the number of port o potties at the start.  The 2nd time through we waited a little longer to use the restrooms.  The other big issues I had were with other runners and trail etiquette, and I am saying this in the name of safety not because I am trail snob, when you are on a trail it is important to be able to hear other runners, this is not possible when you have both head phones in and it is loud enough other runners can actually hear the songs you are listening to, it is also important that when you pass another runner you use the left and let them know that you will be doing so, normally by saying "left", there are often times a runner must move to avoid an object in some way an if they know someone is coming up on their left it can help avoid collisions.    

Aid Stations: I really cannot comment on them because I did not use them, however I did enjoy running through them and hearing the cheers.  I was impressed to see Running Fit owner Randy at several of the stops handing out water or Gu.  

Going up the hill to the water station

Looking down the hill as the runners leave the water station

One of the bigger hills near the end, so beautiful in the woods

GP Runners finisher picture! It was a beautiful day for a race!

Next stop: RUN WOODSTOCK!

Red Eye Relay Recap

What is now 2 weekends ago I had the opportunity to run and complete the Red Eye Relay in Bloomington Indiana with 11 other runners (9 Rusted Bears, 1 Emergency substitution/MVP, and 1 other Michigan Runner), and while there were things about the race that could be improved upon over all it was an epic adventure! (This recap is painfully late, but we are finally back into a groove and I am getting a chance to sit down and write relatively uninterrupted)

So here are the numbers:

Rusted Bears - Dirt Cheetahs, Grin & Bear It, Rusty Bear Trap

Team(s) Miles: 103.92

Team(s) Time: 16:27:00

My Milage: 23.28

My Total Time on my feet: 4:07:33

Leg 1 Malaria Miller: 

Distance 8.39 Time 1:25:54

Leg 2 Smokin' the Bear:

Distance 4.41 Time 45:26

Leg 3 Easy Cheese:

Distance: 3.33 Time 35:47

Leg 4 Death Dog House:

Distance 3.85 Time 41:49

Leg 5 Grape Ape:

Distance 3.3 Time 38:37

Rusted Bears celebrating their finish! So lucky to have had the opportunity to meet and run with these folks!

Team Dirt Cheetahs

I am not going to get into the details of every leg since you can see the little recaps on my Daily Mile page, I am just going to talk a little bit about the good and bad of it all.

Good: RUNNING BUDDIES! Because we had 12 runners we actually formed 3 teams and decided ahead of time to stick together, so every leg I was out there with my 2 running buddies.  I cannot tell you how much I loved that we did it this way.  Being out in the middle of no where Indiana in the pitch black by yourself can be a bit creepy, having 2 other people there, while it did not help stop my imagination freaking me out a bit, it did help relieve some of the anxiety.  I would not have done this race as a solo runner.

Hey we just met, let's go run 22+ miles (See the rockstar in the middle-she was a last minute substitute b/c a teammate had to drop for an emergency, anyways later deemed MVP had only been planning to drive her team, instead she ran 23.28 miles like a boss at the last minute!)

2 legs down, ready for the last 3!

After-we did it!

Good: Having plenty of clothes & shoes to change into.  I took 5 complete outfits, 1 for every leg, and while I ended up only wearing 4, it was nice to have the option to change if completely stinky or sweaty.  Having 3 pairs was nice since the race started in the rain. (Side note: One of my van mates was thinking ahead and bought several newspapers when we stopped for gas to stuff in our shoes, that helped dry them out a bit)

Bad: The mental exhaustion that comes with staying up overnight, and also the ups/downs that come with it.  There were several points throughout the night that I did not want to continue, I just wanted a nap.  Those thoughts were then followed with reminding me how much fun I was having and what a fun experience. 

Bad: Fueling for this race was tough.  With the travel I had forgotten to eat a late lunch/dinner and the granola bar before the race just didn't cut it.  Throughout the night traveling in the back of the van really bothered my motion sickness and made for an icky stomach for a few legs till I figured out the cause.  Throughout the night I had 3 Island Boosts, 1 Package Honey Stingers Cherry Cola Chews, a handful of potato chips, a handful of peanut butter filled pretzels, 1 Picky Bar, 1 piece of pizza, tons of Nuun and water, and a total of 1.5 cans of Busch Light (not craft beer but it was still tasty).  I ended the night/morning extremely calorie deficient and I do not think I felt full until Wednesday. 

Bad: The course while marked apparently better then last year there were several typos in the race manual, and several times throughout the night the signs were turned/moved or completely removed by what we could only assume were people who thought that would be a funny prank.

Good: And overnight race means you can sport AWESOME night gear!

Overall I would run it (or another relay) again, even though I doubt I would do more then 1 a year...

Bayshore 1/2 Marathon 2013

The road to Bayshore started on December 1st 2012, when registration for the event opens up.  The draw of Bayshore (well at least for me) is that it is a beautiful course, small number of runners, well organized and in one of my favorite place ever-Traverse City! Since it is a small field which caps around 2000, registration needs to be done as soon as it opens at 8 am on December 1st.  Thankfully, even with all the Bayshorians crashing the registration I was able to register myself for the half and a friend for the full.  The half sold out in a record 1 and 20 minutes this year!

After getting registered our next step is to secure our reservations at Great Wolf Lodge for the weekend, and by booking early we do save a bit of money.  Bayshore is during the long weekend we have made it a family vacation for the last several years.

I have run Bayshore half marathon in 2011 and 2012.  In 2011 I was 26 weeks pregnant with my youngest and I visited every port o potty possible during those 13.1 miles!  In 2012, my littlest was 9 months old, we were still nursing and the return to training was less then stellar, so after putting it in perspective my 2:17 time was still a PR and still something to be proud of.

When I got in for 2013 my goal was a sub 2 half marathon, I planned to use and stick to the Run Less Run Faster plan.  Great in theory but, speed work in the winter in Michigan is tricky, getting strep throat 2 times and a week long vacation in Hawaii before the race made it a bit tougher then I thought.  I still trained and logged miles, including 2 13.1's on a trail, and one sub 2 13.1 in my neighborhood.  I was confident going into the race, not really nervous, mostly anxious.  I planned on running most of it solo, even though I was starting with fellow GP runners who were under strict instructions to stop me from going out to fast.

The day before the race we arrived at Great Wolf Lodge, swam for a bit, then headed to Pangeas downtown for pizza (Margarita Pesto Pizza with a pint of seasonal Right Brain).  After, it was off to packet pick up, which like usual is small.  I grabbed my race number and shirt and we were headed back to the hotel so I could head to bed early.

Race morning I kept things as normal as possible, and did not vary from any other log run morning.  Took my thyroid medicine, got dressed, had my coffee, had a banana, and about an hour before the start had a half a Honey Stinger Waffle (normally it would have been a whole one but the kids wanted some-mistake #1 because I was hungry around mile 4) and 16 oz of Nuun on the way to the start.  We got dropped off at the start about 6:50, had enough time for a stop at the port o potties, dropped our bags and headed towards the staging area.  We took our GP Runners picture, listened to the National Anthem and enjoyed the beauty of the course.  Weather was perfect for the race, around 40 degrees at the start, and plenty warm enough for my Under Armor Heat Gear tank, Brooks PR Mesh Skort, Pro compression socks, Brooks visor, and cheapie knit gloves.

Lap 1: 9:13.26 (John and Angela did a fantastic job of keeping me contained at this point)

Lap 2: 8:50.59

Lap 3: 8:57.64 (This is where I lost everyone and took off, I was feeling good)

Lap 4: 8:58.17

Lap 5: 8:44.09 (We started passing the marathoners on the bluff so that kept me occupied for a while looking for Dan and Megan)

Lap 6: 8:51.40

Lap 7: 8:38.11

Lap 8: 9:04.65 (This mile I slowed to eat a Honey Stinger Gel.  Looking back I waited to long, I had been feeling hungry starting around mile 4 but didn't want to eat to early)

Lap 9: 9:21.08

Lap 10: 8:51.21

Lap 11: 9:46.46 (This is where it started to fall apart, I kept trying to keep a decent pace and I would have to stop every so often to walk. Even though it was brief walk breaks it added up and cost me the race time I wanted)

Lap 12: 9:34.66

Lap 13: 9:52.31 (I literally was giving it everything I had at this point, my legs just didn't feel like they were moving, my hamstrings were screaming)

.1ish (GPS says .17): 1:22.97 (Entering the track I attempted to sprint to the finish, apparently my husband and kids were cheering for me, the announcer even called my name and I didn't hear a thing.) 

I stopped my Garmin and the elapsed time was over 2 so I knew it would be close.

Chip Time 2:00:04.6 Pace 9:09 

As I walked through the shoot I had 4 separate volunteers ask me if I was ok/needed the medics.  Clearly I was looking about as good as I felt.  After picking up my drop bag and finding my family I headed to our meeting place near Moomers Ice Cream tent. Yes, it was amazing ice cream!! 

4.6 seconds! So close, if I had just shorten the few walk breaks by a step, if I had ran a just a few seconds faster, cut a corner a little tighter.  Seriously there are a million what ifs, a million I could haves. As I sit here the day after, unbelievably sore (ok so maybe Bayshore is not as flat as I remember), I can honestly say I left everything out on the course yesterday. It will only be a matter of time before I crush the 2 hour half and I am choosing to focus on the positive from yesterday.  I PR'ed, I took 4 minutes and 4 seconds off my half time from just 2 months ago at Rock CF! I took 17 minutes off my time from last years Bayshore! I had a ton of fun, really I did, and I enjoyed the scenery and the awesome spectators along the course.  I pushed myself to a point of uncomfortable, a point where I really could not give anymore.  I came within 4.6 seconds of a time I never thought was possible if you would have talked to me 2 years ago when I was not running any faster then 11 minute miles.

Overall Bayshore is still one of my favorite races, always well organized and weather wise has the potential to be perfect (last year it was around 70 at the start to hot for this "sweater").  If anyone needs me December 1st at 8:00 am I will be at my computer attempting to get my golden ticket to 2014 Bayshore!