Monday, December 19, 2016

NYC Half Marathon

I received a pretty nice birthday present this year... I got into the NYC Half Marathon!


Thursday, November 24, 2016

Kirkwood/Webster Turkey Day Run

I couldn't decide what race I wanted to do... the 3 mile or the 6 mile. I wanted to do the 3 mile for a chance to PR, but I wanted to do the 6 mile because my friend Jason promised me a Bloody Mary. The races are 40 minutes apart, so I decided to do both again this year.


And guess what?? I had a PR on the 3 mile race!! It's been forever since I had the chance to celebrate a personal record.

Mile 1: 8:10
Mile 2: 8:21
Mile 3: 8:36

I should be trying for negative splits, but there is a long uphill on that 3rd mile. I finished with a time of 24:48, 8:16 min/mile pace.

I had about 15 minutes to rest before the 6 mile race. I was just doing this race for the mileage and for the Bloody Mary. But I was pleasantly surprised!! I was aiming for a 10:00 min/mile pace, but I ended up doing better!

Mile 1: 9:22
Mile 2: 9:22
Mile 3: 9:51
Mile 4: 9:20
Mile 5: 9:19
Mile 6: 9:02

I stopped for 2 minutes around mile 4.2 for the Bloody Mary. My watch didn't capture it though. So my Garmin timing is a bit misleading. I finished with a time of 58:02, a 9:41 min/mile pace. I could have had a course PR if I didn't stop... oh well. It was a tasty Bloody Mary!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Quivering Quads II 2016

I signed up for QQII 3 days before the race. I waned to see what the weather was going to do before I committed. Weather was lovely, maybe a little bit too warm, but DRY. I've never seen dry trails at the Cuivre River State Park.

I didn't realize that this was a different course from last year until the day before the race. I ran this race with my friend Ann, and this was her first trail race. I loved the new course! The majority of the race was running around the lake. It was kind of tough at times... the trail was so narrow and I felt like I could easily trip and end up in the lake.


I am not a speedy trail runner... I take it easy. I don't want to slip or trip. We got passed up by several runners, but that's fine! We finished with a time of 1:51:18. Better than last year, but this course wasn't very hilly (and I liked that!).

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Go! Halloween Half Marathon 2016

This is the course I PR'd on...

I'm not sure why. I think it's sort of tough. You start out climbing the Market Street hill. There's also a long hill up Broadway in Soulard. But there are beautiful downhills too. I say that 2016 was the year of Disney... but it was also the year of Go!

I did the April Marathon relay (8 miler), the June KT82 relay (14-ish miler), the June All American 5k, and now.. the October Halloween Half Marathon.

Race Start.
I went into this race knowing I wanted to do better than I have been. I decided to push myself. I actually felt good. I was running in new shoes, which was a bit scary, but my other shoes were killing my feet so I didn't think it would get any worse. I loved my new shoes.

Mile 1: 9:07
Mile 2: 9:10
Mile 3: 8:53

Oh shit, I thought. Why am I going this fast? There's no way I can keep up with this pace. But, I stuck with it.

Mile 4: 9:14
Mile 5: 9:34
Mile 6: 9:18

Mile 7 is the start of a long hill. I wasn't going to allow myself to think it was okay to walk some of it.

Mile 7: 9:57 (I'm proud of this time, I could have walked it, but I wasn't going to give in)
Mile 8: 9:31
Mile 9: 9:58 (starting to feel it)

This is when the metal game started. I knew I wasn't going to come in under 2 hours, but I could maybe PR.

Mile 10: 9:50
Mile 11: 10:11
Mile 12:10:10

Up until this point, I ran everything except the water breaks. I was so pleased with myself. But the last mile was tough. Again, I could feel that I was undertrained and my legs just hurt. I felt like I had nothing left. So I walked a bit in that last mile, but even with some walking, my time didn't suck.

Mile 13: 9:59

Finish Photo.
I finished with a time of 02:05:15. Uggghhhhh. I was so upset with myself at the finish. Why did I walk a bit of that last mile? If I didn't walk, could I have PR'd? Will I ever run a sub-2 hour half? I cried a bit because I was so angry with myself... BUT this was my fastest race of the year.

HM #26 complete!

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Mo' Cowbell 2016

I decided to run Mo' Cowbell last Wednesday... four days before the race. I know I ran a half marathon a month ago, but the most that I did in between races were a couple 6 milers. And I can honestly say that I didn't train well for Disneyland Dumbo. But, I did it. I ran to support my friend Ann in her first half.

Pre-Race Photo.
I started out way too fast for my "training." I tried to slow down, and just couldn't. It was pretty humid out (but cloudy)... and then I felt so stupid for running this race, let alone running a pace that I couldn't hold.

1, 9:26
2, 9:23
3, 9:27
4, 9:39
5, 9:47
6, 9:50
7, 10:05
8, 10:12...

Then I crashed and burned. Not surprising. The last 5 miles were tough. Plus I was wearing new shoes and my toe nails were killing me. Again, not surprised. I was dumb.

This was not a Mo' Cowbell personal best... But I'm super happy with my time w/ my lack of training. I finished with a time of 2:17:12. And look, I'm smiling!!

Race Finish.
See, it wasn't so bad. lol.

Half Marathon #25 Complete!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare Challenge

After the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend, I knew I had to do another Disney event (mainly to get my Coast to Coast medal). I loved my Dopey experience earlier this year. So I signed up for the Dumbo Challenge (a 10k and a half marathon). Totally doable. I didn't really train well for this, and figured since I did the SeaWheeze a couple weeks ago, I'd be okay.

Expo
I didn't make it to the Expo the day it opened since we arrived in LA at the time it was closing down for the day. We made it first thing the next morning. It was organized really well... if it's one thing that Disney excels at... it's lining people up. The only thing that I really wanted was the Dumbo Double Dare magnet, but it was sold out. Bah. I was able to get the "I did it" magnet, but it wasn't my top choice. We then went to Disneyland and walked all day. Smart!

10k
A 5:30 am race start isn't so bad when it's Pacific time! Our hotel was pretty close to Disneyland, so we were able to catch the ART bus to the Disney Esplanade. It was really convenient, even though it was a pretty good walk to the race start. For some reason I was in corral B. I told myself to run the first 2-ish miles since we'd be out of the park and it would be pretty boring... and then enjoy myself once we got into the park.

My first mile was a 9:04 pace... which is way too fast for my training (and with no back-to-back training runs). Second mile was a 9:24. We got to California Adventures and this was my first time here. The park was so awesome, especially in the dark. I was a bit surprised that there were no lines at the character stops. This was so not like my experience at WDW 10k. I didn't stop at any of the characters, but I did take my time around the park to take in the sights. We then entered Disneyland, and although it's basically a smaller version of Magical Kingdom, I still loved it.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle.
I finished with an official time of 1:03:28. I placed 1316 out of 9007. Obviously not a PR, but these races are meant to be fun and not speedy.

Half Marathon
I talked Josh into running this race with me, so I was pretty excited to have the company. My legs were pretty sore from the 10k (and from visiting the park and riding bikes...). The game plan was to walk through every water stop, and then after Angel Stadium (10ish-miles) do what we need to do to finish.

Running Main Street.
The first four miles are so much fun! You almost forget that you're running. Then you exit the park and it gets so tough. The streets of Anaheim are, well, kind of boring. But I kept looking forward to Angel Stadium and that Dumbo medal, so that kept me going. There wasn't the same level of entertainment on those boring stretches like there is at WDW. I loved running Angel Stadium though!! They should really do that here in St. Louis. Why don't we do that???

Angel Stadium. 
After Angel Stadium, the overcast started to clear, so it got warmer and harder. But, I only had three miles left so that made me happy. It turned into a walk/run. We finished with an official time of 2:26:06. Why is my half marathon getting so slow? It's so depressing. We did take a potty break, so that probably added a good minute or two, but still...  I just feel like I suck at running.

Half Marathon Finish!
Anyways, I'm still chasing that sub 2-hour half marathon... ugh. I'm not signed up for any races at the moment, but I'm hoping to do one out in Moab, Grand Tetons, or Yellowstone... those are the ones on my bucket list. I'd also love to do one in Las Vegas or New Orleans. 

I loved running Disney, but it's too costly to do every year. If I were to do another Disney race, I'd definitely go back to Orlando before I went back to Anaheim. I hear the Wine and Dine one is pretty awesome... Okay, I might have to do that one at some point. 

Sunday, August 28, 2016

I Love Forest Park 5k

Hot, humid, shitty run. 30:10. Loved the race route though...managed to be pretty flat for Forest Park, with the exception of the Art Museum climb. Next week, it's another half marathon.


Saturday, August 13, 2016

SeaWheeze 2016

I hesitated signing up for my 5th SeaWheeze since it's kinda pricey with all the travel involved. But I had major FOMO and was able to get a spot. It is my favorite race and no other races compare.

Expo
People were lined up at 10 am the previous day... ridiculous. A few people were getting spots in line to sell them to SeaWheezers. I hope they didn't sell any. Anyways, woke up at 3 am and got in line at 3:30 am this year. Again, ridiculous. I went in there not really having an idea of what I wanted... but pretty happy with my purchase. I got into the store at 7:30 am, and there were a few items 'sold out' (aka stashed in people's massive piles) already, like the backpack. I really wanted it, but pretty happy with my duffel bag.


Legacy runners received a clear bracelet while everyone else received blue ones. I'm going to be honest, I thought this was a pretty big let down because all weekend I thought it meant an extra surprise somewhere. But there was nothing. I just wonder why they gave the legacy runners a different colored bracelet? What was the purpose? They did have a pretty sweet dedication with the names of all of the legacy runners. I'm estimating around 300 people.


Race
This time felt so much more congested than previous years... I go into this race knowing it's busy and not speedy, but it was just tough this year.

Obligatory Race Photo.
The weather was also on the warm side and it killed me. I got to mile 11 before my body just crapped out. I walked a bit to bring down my heart rate. I think my body was tired from all the walking we've been doing... I never really rested before the race. Plus, my body is living on little sleep because I think it's wise to wake up early the day before to wait in a line for four hours. I was so happy to get to the finish. BUT, it was so so SO congested. We had to wait in this line to get out of the finish area. My body was so hot, I felt super nauseous, but there was nowhere to go! I was afraid I was going to puke on someone. They need to get this better situated next year. Like previous years, we received a finisher's hat. This is my favorite one so far!

Josh and I finished together. I really wish they provided finish photos... that would make the race so much better. We both finished with a time of 2:24:18.


I think my favorite thing about SeaWheeze this year were the secret agents. They were hilarious!!! I wonder if they work for lulu, or if they're entertainers.

Not too sure if I'll sign up for the 6th year... I mean, I've gotta stop the streak at some point. But... I just love it so much.

2015: here
2014: here
2013: here
2012: here

Sunday, June 19, 2016

All American 5k

I did this race back in 2013 and I remember it being hard, but I don't remember it being shitty. They call this the 'fastest 5k', and you think that's because it's downhill. Guess what? It's not all downhill. Why didn't I remember this from last time? I'm sure I mentioned it in my blog post. There are two long uphills that just kind of suck. The downhill portions are beautiful. My first mile was an 8:16 pace. Of course I couldn't hold on to it. I walked 4 different times to catch my breath. I finished in 27:59 with a 9:01 pace. My goal for this race was to come in under 28 minutes. Mission accomplished by 1 second! Woot! But...I'm getting slower. Ugh, need to work on speed a bit more.

Awesome finish photo.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

KT82 2016

This was my second KT82 relay race, and it was cooler and wetter than the previous year! We were also short a runner, so that was a lot of fun. I was supposed to have 3 legs, but did 4 instead... which meant I was running just under 15 miles with not a lot of training. I've been trying to do a 6 mile run every weekend, but that's about it (not counting some 3 milers here and there).

I was up at 3:30 am (felt Dopey again) and met up with everyone at 4:15 am so we could pick up the rental car and be at the race start at 5:30 am.

Team Mo' Problems, Mo' Miles.
I started the race at 6 am, and just after the start there was a strong downpour. It felt awesome, but we were running through a field and my shoes felt so heavy. I also started out last and didn't pass anyone, so that was a bit defeating. But, I ran fast for me, a 9:21 min/mile. So I think everyone was just fast.

I was running again a short while later since I was runner 5. The rain had let up at this point, but half of my leg was single track trail, and it was messy. It would have been so much fun if it was dry. I hate muddy trails. Since I walked a lot of those trails and took it easy so I wouldn't slip, my pace for this leg was 12:24. Ugh. Pretty common pace for me on trails though.

Transition after my 2nd leg.
I had some time to rest, and two legs left (pun intended, badum tsss). It was getting warmer and my legs felt so heavy. My third leg was probably the toughest. I didn't want to let my team down, but I was so sick of running. Why did I have a smile on my face at the start of this leg???

Start of my 3rd leg.
I didn't feel like I was smiling inside... but I was obviously enjoying myself. This portion was so straight and so boring. So I was mentally driving myself nuts. And I got attacked by a bee at mile 3, so much so that I screamed. But I got it done and finished with a 9:23 pace. How the heck did that happen?? Only one leg left...

Fourth leg wasn't as bad since it was my last! I ran the first mile, and then each 1/2 mile I would walk and drink some Gatorade. Another mental game, but I really wanted to walk most of it, so that kept me focused. It also started to cloud up which was a blessing. There was a nice breeze as well. My finish pace was 9:58 min/mile, and I was happy with that because it could have easily been a 10:30 pace.

Done with my 4th and final leg!
I celebrated with a Bud Light after my finish. The team finished with a time of 12 hours, 2 minutes and 16 seconds. A pace of 8:49. We beat our time from last year!!

Finish photo.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Go! Marathon Relay 2016

I contemplated running the Go! Half Marathon, but in the end figured that the Marathon Relay was more fun. I decided to run the longest leg since this was my idea. The weather was a bit on the windy side, but I loved the overcast sky. Perfect running weather. Waiting around to run was probably the hardest part.

Team "We're Going the Distance"
I definitely took off way too fast when I started. I felt like a bit of an ass since the marathoners were on mile 18 and that (for me) is one of the toughest parts of the marathon. But, this was my race, even if it was only 8 miles, and I wanted to do my best. I was flying past everyone, which is something I don't experience too much of in races.

I loved my time in Forest Park. I was a bit tired at the start, but I'm pretty sure that's because of kickball yesterday. I knew every hill and every downhill, and I feel like I did a good job keeping pace. I'm different than most runners, run a bit faster up the hills and slow down on the downhill portions to recover. At the top of one hill, the race photographers were staged to take photos. Now that's just mean.

Lovely.
I thought Forest Park Parkway was going to suck, but I actually kicked ass!


I can't believe I ran a 9:06 mile! I walked at 4 water stops. I made myself do that to take it easy. Those last 3 miles were a bit challenging since I was running into the wind. I had to walk a bit near Wells Fargo (mile 7), but I really needed that walk. The rain held off until the last .2 miles. I finished 7.9 miles in 1:15:15. a pace of 9:30.

The team finished 4:12:27. We placed 131/322 overall and 60/159 in the male/female friends division.

Team finish!
P.S. I didn't get in to the NYC Marathon. Oh well...

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Run for your Beads 5k and other happenings...

I participated in the Mardi Gras Run for your Beads 5k on January 30th, and the weather was amazing. It was so nice that I was wearing shorts. I finished with a course PR, 28:34. There were a few hills that I walked, but really happy that I placed 16/129 in my division.


Some more exciting news... I signed up for the Disneyland Dumbo Dare Challenge. I'll be doing the 10k and half marathon Labor Day weekend. Which means, I'll earn my Coast to Coast medal this year!!


I'm really looking forward to running another Disney race.

I also received my Dopey Certificate. The Dopey Challenge has to be one of my favorite race events ever.


Friday, January 22, 2016

New York City Marathon

I entered the lottery for the NYC Marathon yesterday... highly likely that I won't get selected. But I paid $11 to find out.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2016

I have to admit that when I signed up for the Dopey Challenge, I believed that Josh and I could take turns running the events. When I found out that they take your photo and make sure that you're the one completing all of the races... well, I got scared. Plus, training during Thanksgiving and Christmas just sounded shitty. And in the cold??? I just didn't think it was possible about two months ago. So I got serious about my training and stuck to my schedule. There were a couple bumps in training, but I wanted to have somewhat of a social life.

So let's start with the expo... 
I woke up at six am the morning of to sign up for the special New Balance Disney shoe virtual queue. I managed to get a spot, so I was thrilled about that. They released a beautiful Ariel themed shoe that I just had to have. Packet pick-up wasn't an issue. I got some commemorative items. When I got to actually look at the shoe, I decided that I needed the Minnie themed shoe. They were both so cute.


This whole week felt like Groundhog Day. Wake up at three am, quick breakfast, drive to Epcot parking lot, get a photo, go to the bathroom, get in the corral, run, get finish photo, go back to hotel, go to sleep. Repeat. Since this was my first Disney race, I learned a little bit more each day. Like... how to get the best parking spot, where the shortest lines were for the toilet, etc.

Pluto 5k
The 3:30 am wake up wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I thought of this race as practice to get ready for the next three days. We left a bit early because I was reading about the traffic getting there. It wasn't an issue at all.

I was a bit confused by the layouts of the corral, but in the end it was really efficient. I met this nice man from St. Louis in my corral and we chatted for a while. That helped relieve the nerves. I wasn't nervous about the 5k, rather what was coming the next three days.

I loved this race!!! It was so much fun running around Epcot. There were several photo opportunities with characters, but the lines were super long. I was unsure if we had to keep a 16 minute pace throughout all of the races to earn the Dopey, so I got a bit scared. I ended with a time of 43:32, which is my personal worst. I went into this race just to have a good time and that's just what I did. I look so happy in all of my race photos!! I just wish that my husband did this race with me. It would have been so much more fun running it with someone else.

5k finish.
After the race, we went back to the hotel and took a power nap. Then we went to Magic Kingdom where I walked a ton. Smart :).

Minnie Mouse 10k
When we pulled into the Epcot parking lot, it was misting. I wasn't too concerned since it was only a 10k. The set up was basically the same as the previous day, so there were no surprises. Before getting into the corral, I gave Josh my poncho since he'd be waiting for me. While in the corral, the rain got heavier. Thankfully, it wasn't cold outside so it was no big deal.

This was another awesome and fun race. The first three miles are rather boring since we were outside of the park, but it was great for me mentally to prepare for the half marathon and the marathon. I was afraid of those boring stretches, but it wasn't all that bad.

The route went around Epcot like the 5k, but we also went to the boardwalk area. This was my first time here, so that was rather exciting (and wet).


I enjoyed myself while running around Epcot. I wanted to take it all in and not get too tired for the following two races. This is another race where I would have loved to have a run buddy. This is a fun race and not so much a speedy race. I finished with another personal worst, a time of 1:07:07. After the race, I went back to the hotel to sleep. The 3 am wake up was pretty tough.

10k finish.
Donald Duck Half Marathon
I wasn't too nervous for this race since I've done plenty of half marathons, but I knew that this race was super important and that I needed to play it smart if I wanted to finish the marathon the following day. I told myself to run 10ish miles and walk the rest. This is also the first race where we'd leave Epcot and run to Magic Kingdom. I was looking forward to running through that park.

What I didn't plan for was the one mile walk to the race start. This threw me off big time and I was a bit late getting into the corral. Also, since I was back in corral I, we didn't start until 30 minutes after the official start. The start was so exciting. Fireworks for each corral start? Awesome. I also loved that Donald Duck counted down each start. It was so cute.

I got a bit irritated at the start because I felt like I couldn't run! There were so many people walking in groups and I couldn't get around them. The race felt congested like this until we entered Magic Kingdom.

As we turned the corner on Main Street, it was such an amazing feeling. Cinderella's Castle was in the distance and people were cheering for all of the runners. This is something I will never forget.


As we exited Magic Kingdom, I started to get a bit hungry and that scared me for the marathon. I've been working on fueling and was surprised I was pretty hungry. I had a protein bar at mile eight and that helped out a lot. My knees were starting to hurt, so that scared me as well. Then my groin started to hurt and I started having nightmares about the injury I got training for my first marathon. I had all of these negative thoughts in my head, but I tried to keep positive and I literally told myself that I ran the Go! Marathon with the same injury, so I could do the marathon tomorrow as well. The mental game is pretty entertaining.

Near the finish.
I finished with another personal worst (2:36:16). Not that I'm upset about that, I planned to keep the pace slower so I could save some energy for the marathon. I stopped by the medical tent after the race to ice my knees and my groin. I probably wouldn't have done that if I didn't have a marathon the next day, but thought I should be more proactive. After the half marathon, this is how I recovered:

Recovery.
After icing my knees and hip/groin, we went out for Japanese hibachi and I ate a ton. It was pretty amazing. I wasn't feeling too nervous about the marathon...yet.

Micky Mouse Marathon
I set my alarm for a 2:30 am wake up. The wake ups were getting pretty easy by now. I ate my normal cereal before leaving and packed some bananas and a protein bar to eat in the corral. I got to my corral a bit earlier than the day before to avoid rushing and overcrowding. I started to get extremely nervous about the distance and started to cry. I had such a hard time controlling my emotions. I told myself that the first two to three miles were going to be hard since I'd be running on tired legs, but to hang with it. It was another exciting race start and Mickey Mouse led the countdowns. I was a bit afraid that the first six miles would be as congested as the prior day, but told myself to not let that bother me and enjoy the slower pace.

The race started at 5:30 am, but my corral didn't start until 6:00 am. There weren't as many walkers, so congestion wasn't an issue. The starting pace was slow and that was good for me. I didn't notice any pain in my knees or groin and I thought that was strange. I also didn't have heavy legs at the start like I thought I would. So strange! But the humidity.......... ugh. We started with 100% humidity. By the first mile, I was soaking wet. Luckily (or not), I train in the summer humidity in Missouri so it wasn't a big issue at all for me. I just made sure to keep the slower pace and to stop at each water stop. It was basically the same route to Magic Kingdom as the day before. I didn't spend as much time in Magic Kingdom and instead I was concentrating on the run. Could I have had more fun? Probably. But I also wanted to get my Dopey medal!!!

Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom was the WORST. We were running through their sewage treatment area and it was really hard mentally. I started having negative thoughts. I ate a protein bar and that helped a lot. As we entered Animal Kingdom, they had all these animals lined up. I loved that and got my photo with several animals. I wanted to stop to ride Everest Expedition, but I was 30 minutes too early. We hit the half way mark after we left Animal Kingdom and had to mentally build myself up. I actually told myself that I ran a half marathon yesterday and I can do it again. Hahaha, so crazy.

Animal Kingdom.
I thought I was about to hit the wall around mile 16 because the sun came out and I was feeling a bit hot. The route outside of the parks is pretty boring, so I think I was just losing motivation. We then made our way to Wide World of Sports. A lot of people hate this part, but I really enjoyed it. I knew we'd be there for four miles. Also, Josh was there so that made it better. I loved running around the ball field. I was also feeling pretty good and I was so shocked!! Where was this energy coming from???

After Wide World of Sports, we had two miles until we got to Disney's Hollywood Studios. This was my first time in this park and there were so many people there. I loved all of the people cheering. It was thrilling. We hit the boardwalk at Epcot and then I knew I was on the home stretch. I WAS STILL RUNNING. How was this happening??? I started to get so emotional. I just couldn't believe that I was actually doing it and I would soon have my Dopey medal.


I thought about enjoying my time around Epcot, but knew I could beat my Chicago Marathon time. I was so close to a marathon PR, but I missed it by three minutes. I ended up finishing in 5:04:40. I beat my Chicago time (by seven minutes) and I stopped a lot to take photos at character stops. I got the marathon, goofy, and dopey medals. I was elated.

Officially Dopey!!
Would I do the Dopey Challenge again? I'm not sure. I mean, I LOVED every minute of it, but four days of running is so tiring. I would absolutely love to do a Disney race again and I'm hoping to do the Disneyland Half Marathon to receive the Coast to Coast medal. I loved how each race was different and super fun. I loved all of the costumes and race entertainment. I really don't have any negatives. Run Disney put on an awesome event. 

I want to give a special thanks to my husband for being there for every race. Three am wake ups are hard, and then waiting around for me probably wasn't the most fun, but him being there made the mental part a lot easier.

DOPEY CHALLENGE RESULTS:
Sex Rank:
681/3123

Female 30-34 Rank:
126/511