Sunday, November 19, 2006

I'm proud of me.

But I'm REALLY proud of E-Speed! She freaking ran a 9:23 at the JFK 50 miler! AMAZING, my speedy ultra-friend! Go directly to her blog and give her mad props.

Okay, but I am also kinda proud of me! My goal of 1:54 was a good one....I came in JUST at 1:55. RIGHT on it, basically. So, I have to look this up, but I think I still PR'd by a few seconds...does that count? :) I think I had the time wrong from my last stand alone half marathon back in '03....I know that I ran with the 1:55 pace group with Dr. John my Soler friend as the pace leader, but I think they finished in 1:54 something and me in 1:55 something. So, I will have to dig through the archives.

(OK, update--I just dug through the archives and I was wrong! Previous PR not 1:54.55, as originally thought, but 1:55.39--way off! DUH! So looks like I will PR by more like 25-30 seconds. That's gotta count, right?) :)

In any sense, way cool and wicked pumped that I even came REMOTELY close to a PR today. Let's just lay it out there--I pretty much winged this one. I just signed up last week. I really wasn't sure what to expect, since my weekly mileage has been pretty low. Since Ironman, I did two "long" (go ahead, laugh) runs of 8 miles, and 11 miles. The 11 miles was last week. That's it...and some tempo runs and 2 days on the track. So, I am pretty happy with my results, all things considered. I think it really shows that I still have it in me, and can set my new goal for the Indy Mini Marathon at 1:50 and achieve that. Yippeeeeeeee!

So what is it with me and bunk nasty race day weather? Today it was 38 degrees and alternating between piss-raining (as Canada Jenn says) and a full on, IM MOO style downpour. Not so cool. I actually like the temperature--38 for me is darn near perfect race day conditions--but DRY would have been nice. I think I'm still thawing out.

Coach Kara told me to go out at 8:45s for the first 3 miles or so, and then try to hold 8:20s as long as I could. So, I really thought I was doing that. Mile 1?

8:05.

Damn. I SUCK at pacing. (But not as much as MICHIGAN SUCKS--hee hee. Had to throw that in)

So I tried to slow down but to no avail. I had set my Garmin for a half marathon, and in a total violation of "nothing new on race day" had no idea that I couldn't take my splits when it was in this mode. DOH!

I tried to just go by my feel and made it to mile 7 in an hour flat. So, I was pretty much right on target. It was very fun to see my Second Sole buddies at the water stop! They kept me pumped up.

Basically, all was well and I felt great until about mile 10. And then I DIED DIED DIED DIED. Which, probably makes sense since I really didn't put in the miles. You can only be a poser for so long. :) I took another hammer gel and tried to focus on a person and stick with them. Eventually, I made it in and was very happy to even see a 1:55 on the clock! I thought for sure I totally blew it and it would say more like 1:57.

Interestingly enough, my Garmin stopped at 13.1 miles (since I set it to half marathon mode) and the time it said when I hit that distance was 1:53.28! I soooooooooooo like that better. :) That was pretty much exactly what I was hoping for! Can I take that instead? Not sure if my Garmin was off or the course was a wee bit long. Most likely, Garmin was just a bit off, I guess, huh? Bummer. If only Garmins ruled the world...

So, what have I learned?


  • I can basically wing a half marathon and do pretty darn well. I guess I must have some degree of stamina and fitness left over from IM.


  • I really need to up the mileage and get in some REAL long runs, not fake pseudo-long runs of 8 and 11 miles! I mean, come ON....I've gotta be kiddin'. I'm lucky I was able to hold the pace I did for as long as I did. So, come January, time to up the mileage up!


  • The iPod was great, especially when I felt like I couldn't move and my hammies were rebelling on the last few miles. I'd like to thank Pantera, Pearl Jam, Suicidal Tendencies, Motley Crue, the Beastie Boys, Eminem, and System of a Down for helping me freaking move my legs.


  • Running a race pretty much by yourself is different. It was nice to not get wrapped up in the numbers and the miles, since I had no splits due to my watch's function (oops), and nice to not worry about who was passing me. But, it sure is more fun to run with a friend, and probably would have helped me not totally blow the last 3 miles. :) You hear that Jacks? Kick me in the ARSE at Indy.

Afterwards, I was shivering and shaking and cursing myself for not getting their earlier to get a good parking spot. Ugh. My car was pretty far away, and so was warmth and dryness. So, I got some hot chocolate and a bagel, and struck up a conversation with the winning Master's male--he saw my IMW hat and shirt and turns out he did it, too! We were laughing that the weather was reminding us of our race day. Then, I saw another guy in an IMFL jacket and we talked a bit! Ironman peeps rock.

On my way to the car, I found one of my former students, who is a senior this year. I heard that he was running this as his first half-marathon, so I kept an eye out for him. He wasn't hard to find--he came in EIGHTH OVERALL. He finished 14th in the state, I think, at the Cross Country Championships. This kid's a MACHINE. Anyway, I congratulated him, and he proceeded to tell me that this race was "the hardest thing he'd ever done," that he was "so inconsistent," and that "he doesn't ever want to do it again." He also said, "I can't even imagine doubling that after swimming like 8 miles and biking like a hundred!" I laughed and told him that his pace is JUST a wee bit faster than mine. :) He finished in 1:21. Way to go!

So, I guess I still have some street cred. Cool. :)

All in all--a great race, a nice flat and fast course, fun people, and even a teensy little PR. Not too shabby. What more can you ask for?

Well, the Browns to beat the Steelers would be nice. But I guess I can't have everything now, can I?

________________________________________

Okay, another update. I keep having all these afterthoughts. It's been a few hours and I just graded some papers and...am I seriously complaining that my PR isn't "PR enough?" What's wrong with me? Someone should smack me upside the head. A PR is a PR, whether it's 1 second or 1 hour. I think after taking 56 minutes off my marathon in mary #2, in my head a PR should be of those epic proportions. Which is PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE, so I am now officially embracing my PR, albeit a small one. Yay for PRs, yay for progress...yay for half marathons! I think I remember now why I always said that's my favorite distance. Onto Indy!

30 comments:

RunBubbaRun said...

Great job at the Half marathon. A PR is a PR on any day. I think the worst part of the a winter race is the end. It gets cold out there after that.

Kate said...

Nice work!

You may not need longer runs than 11 for a half- I did my best halves on long runs of 10-12 miles and went from a 1:54 to a 1:42 over roughly a year. When I started adding mileage, I hit 1:49 and 1:47.

Then again- we know that your body can do endurance in a way that mine couldn't, so...

Barb said...

Congratulations on your PR! I'd be very happy with 1:55! Good job!

Browns beat the Steelers? Ummm... well, anything IS possible! Steelers aren't much without the Bus and a quarterback!

Being a long time Seahawks fan, I understand your pain. :)

JenC said...

I say it was a PR. That course isn't entirely flat and it has some camber to it at times, which gave me a blister the last two times I ran it. Oh, and they were both around 2:11, so you know I'd be happy with a 1:55. Great job!

The weather today was lousy. I was thinking of you on my 75-minute run. I was wet and frozen the whole time!

On a side note, no luck with the Brownies. What a heartbreaking loss, but at least it wasn't 41-0.

Michele said...

A PR is PR! Congrats to you on your today.
I say extra credit should be given for crappy weather! Something like 5 seconds for every mile you had to run in the rain.

Triteacher said...

Repeat after me: I love my beautiful, beautiful PR-setting legs.

Congratulations. :)

Janet Edwards said...

Congrats lady...not only was it a PR, but a PR in some crappy weather!

Scott said...

Congrats on the PR - I'm glad you got your head together about your PR... I was trying to figure out how to reach to OHIO to smack you...

christine said...

your right quit complaining and embrace your awesomeness.
i WISH for a sub-2.0 half-mary

E-Speed said...

You ROCK! A PR is nothing to shrug off whether it is 1 minute or 2 seconds, it is still faster than ever before!!!

You did great and I am so happy for you. Now I am going to start concentrating on sending good weather your way for Indy!

Tracy said...

INDY MINI!!!!!!!!!!!

OMFG Sis.... like I'm not traveling enough in 2007. HOW am I supposed to resist this one knowing you'll be there!???? HMMMMMM????

And you're now officially Sister Speedy, by the way... just sayin'. Congrats chica!

jbmmommy said...

I can't believe you wrote totally blowing it would have been 1:57! You did get your PR, but any finish time for something like a half marathon that you just decided to do would be amazing in my book. What a day. Good luck with Indy.

Rae said...

Way to GO!!! I think you tore the pants off it. Congrats on the PR, and in crap weather to boot, too!

You're going to blow Indy up!

Bolder said...

i think a teensy PR, in a just-winged-it sitchyation, counts as a PR, with no asterisk.

well done!

sometimes, you just have to stop, and realize what you've accomplished from the perspective of the common man. many, dream of being able to wing a run around the block, you just winged a half-mary!!

tryathlete said...

"PR or no PR" - does it really matter? You were great!

Habeela said...

Sounds like a great day overall! And you're completely right - a PR is a PR no matter how you look at it.

Chad said...

Congrats on the PR and the "street cred". You rock!

The Blights said...

Yes, I was ready to slap you upside the head until you're "update!"

Way to go! You've had an awesome!

Kurt said...

Good job for you. Run more hills and hit the track for some 8 x 800's and work on your pacing and speed.

Still a PR is a PR and now you can target a new one.

Good job!!

TriSonq said...

.000000001 of a second faster is a PR in my book. Way to go!

Wes said...

Nice PR Iron Sara! You are an endurance animal!

21st Century Mom said...

*SMACK*

Feel better?

Why is it that we trash ourselves when we have done something good? Why is it never enough? As Stuart Smiley would say, "That's just stinkin' thinkin'"

walchka said...

Congrats on a great race despite the condition. Hey a PR is a PR so mark it down and feel good about meeting your goal. :)

Rachel said...

The PR totally counts! You rocked it. No surprise there. You had such a base built up from IM that the half marathon must have felt fun. The last 3 miles are always the toughest. I love that feeling when you have to rein it in at first. Then you know the adrenaline is pumping. At my last half, I was sick and running slowly. I was way over my target time in the beginning--not a good sign. Anyway, way to go!

Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

I agree with your last update - Girl, don't be giving your PR the shaft - a PR is a PR is a PR!!!!! And they rock - every time!!!

Besides, look at the conditions and the fact that you haven't been training for a speedy half mary - but you PR'd it anyways. That's awesome!! That is definitely progress! And you'll definitely show Indy what progress is all about come next May!!

Cliff said...

Congrats on the PR

Ellie Hamilton said...

Fantastickal! Can't believe it. I've run one mile since IMFL and that made my legs sore. You ROCK!

Jodi said...

Great job, girl! You should be so proud of the PR! I'd be thrilled with 1:55 if I can pull it off in 3 weeks.

Allow yourself to really enjoy all of your achievements. You deserve it!

Jodi

qcmier said...

Great job!!! I feel terrible for not traveling a mile down the road to cheer you on. That rain just killed any and all of my willpower. So yeah more power to You!!!

Anonymous said...

congrats! sorry just getting to this...have somehow gotten WAY behind on the blogging...