Respect The Distance

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I’m officially 9.5 days out from the Eugene Marathon. My first Boston Qualifier Attempt has taken on even more significance given the recent events in Boston. I want to race next year so bad. I want Eugene to go well.

Asia and Me During a Recent Long Run

A couple of weeks ago I was feeling very confident about Eugene. Maybe a little too confident My coach has now told me that he thinks I have 3:25 potential (he is not, however, having me run a 3:25 pace – the goal is BQ and we don’t want to take any risks) and he has said my continued improvement week to week is impressive. My runs were going well and I was feeling great. After my 22 mile run I felt really good knowing that I only had to run 4.2 more miles on race day.

Last weekend, however, was my last long run before the race. The instructions were 20 miles with the first 14 being at around a 8:50-9:10 min mile and the last 6 being close to BQ race pace, 8:10. I was actually looking forward to this run because I felt like it would be a good confidence booster going into the taper.

I ran with Asia and the weather was nice (i.e. gloomy) for running. When we first started I could tell the run wasn’t going to be as great as I had hoped. My left hamstring has been tight and my legs felt a bit heavier than I would have liked. I actually spent over 30 minutes stretching on Saturday after my easy run because my hips and hamstrings were so tight (an iPad is very handy in these situations to provide entertainment while sitting in uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time). The first four miles were somewhat slow going (with my first mile being a 9:45 pace), so we had to pick it up for the next 10 in order to get my average down into the 8:50-9:10 range.

Overall I felt fairly good and I was confident that it’d be easy to pick up to a 8:10 pace for the final 6 miles. Most of my tempo runs are done in the low to mid 7 min/miles so I figured 8:10 would feel easy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Despite significantly increasing our effort, we couldn’t get our pace down to 8:10 (ideally I had said we’d run at 8 min/mile average – but 8:10 was worst case). There are some hills on the course which didn’t help, but it was still frustrating to be struggling and seeing the watch beep off 8:18 or 8:20 min/miles. I started thinking negative thoughts about how this could be what it will be like in the race – I’ve had that experience before when you know you should be going just a tiny bit faster per mile to achieve your goal yet as hard as you try it just doesn’t happen.

We were able to pick up the pace for the next couple of miles and got closer to our desired 8:10, maybe even a little under. Negative thoughts were flooding my brain. If this is hard, imagine race day. Try 26.2 of these miles. It’s going to suck. I can’t do it.

The final mile we put the pedal to the medal and pushed out a 7:50 average, which actually brought our final 6 mile average down to 8:09, barely BQ pace if you include some extra distance on race day. I was exhausted and tired. Asia and I had barely spoken for the last 6 miles because we were both working too hard to talk. I stopped when my watch hit 20 miles and Asia ran on home. As I walked back to the house I had mixed emotions – proud of myself for accomplishing 20 miles at a 8:45 average, and also disappointed at how damn hard it felt. I just reminded myself - don’t get too confidence – you have to respect the distance.

26.2 miles is far. No matter how fast I ran a 15k at the Hot Chocolate race or 13.1 miles at the San Diego Half, a marathon is a whole different ball game. I know I have the endurance for a marathon and I’ve put in the training. I am confident that Eugene will be a good race for me, but I’m also not going to get too confident that I do something stupid to mess it up. I will still be eating well the up until race day, getting plenty of sleep, not walking too much the day before the race and following every precaution there is. Even if my coach says in an ideal world I can qualify by over 10 minutes, I’m assuming that I will barely qualify and I need to not take any chances. A lot can happen over 26.2 miles.

So here we go… 10 days to go. #TaperTime. #LetsDoThis

Runners Won’t Stop Running

Coming Out of Triathlon Retirement?

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As you’ve noticed, there hasn’t been much swim/bike talk lately – it’s all run. I announced my semi-retirement from triathlon last September after completing one Sprint triathlon post-Ironman. I was burnt out and the thought of getting back on my bike made me cringe – almost as much as the thought of getting in the pool for any scenario other than sipping a cocktail and sunbathing.

My big goals for this year are to qualify for the Boston Marathon and to complete P90X2. Triathlon doesn’t fit nicely into either of those goals so I went into 2013 with the possibility of not completing any triathlons. Then I got engaged and gave myself 7 months to plan a wedding. Less time for fitness, let alone triathlon. However, as of late (i.e. the last 3 days?) I’ve been kind of missing triathlon. I read quite a few triathlon blogs and follow even more triathletes on Twitter and triathlon seasons is ramping up and I’m reading tweets and race reports and starting to get quite the twinge to get back into it. Watching our friend Stephen (as well as getting to see the pros like Rinny!) at Oceanside 70.3 a few weeks ago also fueled the fire.

Our Friend Stephen Crushing Oceanside 70.3!

In the winter, triathlon reminded me of the February mornings that Team WODS would go to Del Mar and swim in frigid water that caused my face to freeze up and I would slur my words. It reminded me of 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls for Master’s Swimming at the YMCA and all day Saturday bike rides with freezing wind whipping at my neck. it reminded me of the time Mike and I spent 3.5 hours on the trainer and then ran 4 miles in a rain storm with 20+ mph winds.

But now, spring is here. The days are longer, the mornings are warmer (I now only wear 2 layers each morning for my run instead of 3), and people are racing triathlons, not just sitting on their trainers working toward a goal that is months away. I’ve started relating triathlon to weekday morning rides down the coast where there is relatively no traffic and I can ride fast and hard along the gorgeous Pacific. I think about group swims at the Cove or the Shores with friends, old and new. I think about our old Pizza Port loop (45 miles through Rancho Santa Fe to Rancho Bernardo and back) and the Monday night group runs at Moving Shoes. I want in on that!

Asia and I After Completing Our First Triathlon 2 Years Ago at Solana Beach!

My mind isn’t made up yet but as long as things go as planned at Eugene, I will likely be racing the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon at the end of July. This was my first triathlon 2 years ago and I went out and watched Mike, Jeremy and Asia race it last year. It’s a fun, close to home and a super short sprint triathlon and I think it will be the perfect way to get my triathlon fix without overdoing it this year. And, since the swim is only 1/4 a mile, I probably can get away with only swimming 3-4 times before the race. This is a competitive sprint triathlon in San Diego so I don’t expect to podium or anything like that – I just want to go out there and have fun and enjoy the day. Of course when I’m on the course I’ll be working my ass off because that is my nature, but I don’t plan to put a lot of pressure on myself to train well for it. I still want to tone up and strength train with P90X as well as continue to run so I do well at the AFC Half in August so I’ll likely just add 2 bike rides and 1 swim to my routine each week.

Sooo we’ll see. I am already finding myself wondering what is next after Eugene and it’s not even here. I know I need to just put my head down and focus on these next 2.5 weeks of training before Eugene but I also like to think about the future and get excited about things like this. I haven’t ridden my bike in 7 months…. so if anything, at least this will give me an excuse to get it out and dust it off and lube the chain so it doesn’t rust to itself.

Ready to Get Back on Rory!

What is your favorite part about triathlon training in the summer?

Bridesmaids, Tempos, Tastings and 20 Milers

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My life outside of work has been consumed for the last 5 weeks by two things: wedding planning and marathon training. I thought it would be a good time for a status update.

Wedding Planning

Planning has been going well! In the last 5 1/2 weeks I’ve secured a venue (wedding date is September 28 of this year!), hired our day of wedding coordinator (she works for the venue), secured a discounted room block at our host hotel, bought my wedding dress, chose our wedding colors (light grey, white and yellow) booked our wedding photographer, took engagement photos (my step-mom is a wedding photographer so she took the photos), printed and added labels to all our Save the Date cards. We’re waiting to send the Save the Dates until we finish our wedding website which has been more work than anticipated (also narrowing down a guest list was very tough as well)!

Asking Mike’s Sister Claire to be a Bridesmaid!

I also asked all 9 of my bridesmaids to stand by my side on my big day. I was able to see 8 of them in person but one I had to mail out. I had these grand plans for how to ask Asia to be my Maid of Honor. One idea I had was to get a poster board and surprise her one of her runs by holding the sign up (i.e. like a race sign) asking her to be my MOH. Another idea was to make a tank top asking her and wear it to the Hot Chocolate Race. in the end, i just came over to her house with wine and flowers and the card I made her. She was thrilled and of course said yes! For all the other bridesmaids, I gave them cards that I made using materials I bought at Michael’s. I was proud of my craftiness!

Allison’s Instagram Announcement After I Asked!

Tonight we have a tasting with a caterer who I really feel good about. We already had one tasting and it was very generic and greasy food and I was not thrilled. The caterer we are seeing tonight already had us over to her house for wine and appetizers and we discussed our “vision” for our big day as well as constructed a menu with her help. Tonight we’ll try the menu and I’m very hopeful! She is affordable and creative with her food.

Marathon Training

Hot Chocolate 15k!

Marathon training has been going as well as wedding planning! A week and a half ago after my not so great 20 mile run, my coach emailed me this:

When I analyzed the file from the 15km last week this is what I came up with. You actually went through the 9.3 mile mark in 1:10:56 which is a 7:37 pace. The normalized pace which is what we call the effort taking into account the hills would have been 7:29 pace that equates to a 1:09:35 time. That puts us in the 3:28 range now for your marathon goal.

I wouldn’t worry too much about how the run went today, bottom line is that you got the mileage in and we know where your fitness is right now based on the races and other workouts and you know why you suffered a bit towards the end of the run.

Yahoo! Although I’m not so sure about that 3:28 remark,I am at this point pretty confident that if baring any serious craziness on race day, I can qualify for Boston. One of the reasons I don’t believe that I can run a 3:28 is that a) he adjusted my time for the course being exactly 9.3 miles yet Eugene certainly won’t be exactly 26.2 and b) I didn’t stop for water at all during the last two races and I will definitely be using aid stations at Eugene (whether or not it’s to refill my handheld water bottle or to use the cups is TBD).

At this point though, I do think I have what it takes to clear the 3:35 mark at Eugene. All I am hoping for is to cross the 25 mile marker knowing that even if I ran a 10 min/mile (or slower!) from there on out that I’d still qualify. I want to enjoy the moment I’m crossing the finish line as a Boston Qualifier, not be racing the clock for the last mile. But of course, if I have to race the clock to get it, that’s fine too!

My tempo runs have been going well and my pace for tempos has dropped from the high 7:40s/low 7:50s when I first started working with my coach to the 7:15-7:25 range (depending on the length of the tempo interval). I ran 22 miles at a 8:53 average this past weekend and it was the best I’ve felt on a 20+ mile training run. It didn’t seem like I was pushing it too hard. I was ready to be finished at the end but I knew I could run 4 more miles at that pace. This coming weekend I have my last big run – a 20 miler with the last 6 miles at marathon goal pace (8:08 ish). I really hope this will be a confidence boosting long run going into my final 2 weeks of training.

18 days til Eugene and 171 days until our wedding!

Why Boston?

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Recently a coworker asked me why there was so much hype around the Boston Marathon. My answer was basically that human begins are competitive and as soon as you make a race exclusively available to those that can run a certain time, it’s going to get increasingly popular. However, I was still prompted to do my own research and thought it would be an interesting blog topic to share with my readers especially since the 2013 Boston Marathon is next Monday and in less than 3 weeks I hope to qualify for the 2014 race.

The Boston Marathon is always held on the third Monday in April which is Patriots Day. The race was first held in 1897 (1896 was the first marathon race in the Olympics) and is the world’s oldest annual marathon. The 1897 race had only 18 participants and was a free event (it continued to be a free event for many years). In the 1980s the race began offering cash prizes for the professional winners however even before then it became competitive enough to require a certain time.

The reason that the Boston Marathon began having qualifying times is the race logistics. It was getting too popular yet the race can only logically accommodate around 25,000 entrants (still seems like a lot to me!) due to fact that it begins on the narrow streets of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The goal of the qualifying times wasn’t to challenge runners to race harder to get in, but in the end, that was the result.

Human beings love a challenge and as soon as the Boston Marathon put qualifying times on their race, people worked harder to get in. The “BQ” as it is commonly called became a quest and a bucket list item for many.

The original standards required men to run the marathon in under 3 hours and the women in under 3 hours 30 minutes, regardless of age. In 1980 the times changed for allowances for age, since it was very rare for runners over 40 to qualify with the current standards. In 2012, the standards changed again, dropping by 5 minutes and eliminating the 59 second safety window (i.e. you used to be able to qualify if you were a 29 year old woman with a time of 3:40:59 or less and now it is 3:39:59 or less, a 6 minute difference).

Other than qualifying, there are ways to get into the Boston Marathon. There are a certain number of slots allotted to runners who raise funds for charities. Otherwise, you have to run a qualifying time before mid-September before the race you wish to run in. Two years ago the registration process changed by allowing runners who qualify by over 20 minutes to register first, followed by those with times over 10 minutes and 5 minutes faster. Last, those who qualify by less than 5 minutes may register. Since this new process has been introduced, no runners have been shut out who qualified but it is possible that even with a qualifying time there will be no slots left for you to run (say for example the registration fills up after allowing 5+ minute qualifiers in).

Qualifying times for the 2013 Boston Marathon are (according to baa.org)

AGE GROUP	MEN	WOMEN
18-34	3hrs 05min 00sec	3hrs 35min 00sec
35-39	3hrs 10min 00sec	3hrs 40min 00sec
40-44	3hrs 15min 00sec	3hrs 45min 00sec
45-49	3hrs 25min 00sec	3hrs 55min 00sec
50-54	3hrs 30min 00sec	4hrs 00min 00sec
55-59	3hrs 40min 00sec	4hrs 10min 00sec
60-64	3hrs 55min 00sec	4hrs 25min 00sec
65-69	4hrs 10min 00sec	4hrs 40min 00sec
70-74	4hrs 25min 00sec	4hrs 55min 00sec
75-79	4hrs 40min 00sec	5hrs 10min 00sec
80 and over	4hrs 55min 00sec	5hrs 25min 00sec

So there you have it. Boston Marathon is competitive because people love a challenge. And you know me – I LOVE a challenge. Hopefully I will be at the start line in Hopkinton next April to run the oldest marathon in the world.

Have you qualified for the Boston Marathon? How long did it take you to qualify?

Tempo Intervals

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Kick Butt at the Hot Chocolate 15k Thanks to Tempo Intervals

Since hiring my coach, I have seen some pretty dramatic increases in my speed most of which I attribute to the tempo intervals he has me doing 1 – 2 times a week. My weekly schedule is actually very similar to what I was doing while following Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning plan (18 week, 55 miles/week peak), however instead of speed work or longer tempo runs, I do tempo intervals.

What Are Tempo Intervals?

According to Paul Greer of the San Diego Union Tribune,

Tempo-pace running is designed to maximize aerobic capacity and increase aerobic efficiency. Regular threshold training enables runners to increase pace without suffering from lactic acid accumulation. Athletes should do these runs at a pace that can be maintained for 15-35 minutes. Tempo runs should be done at a pace that acclimates the athlete at, or slightly above, the anaerobic or lactate threshold.

Threshold training can be continuous or segmented. Continuous training, usually called tempo runs, is typically done for 20-40 minutes at a pace 30-40 seconds per mile slower than 5K race pace. Warm-up and warm-down running should precede and follow the tempo run.

Segmented threshold training also is referred to as tempo reps or tempo intervals. This training consists of a series of shorter runs lasting anywhere from 90 seconds to 8 minutes or 600 – 2000 meters with short rest intervals of 1 minute or less. A tempo rep workout will usually take 30-40 minutes with recovery included in the workout.

How I Incorporate Tempo Intervals in my Training

Every week my tempo interval work out is different. It’s always on Wednesday (leaving three days between my long run and this hard run) and it either lasts 60 or 90 minutes in total. There is typically a warm-up and then the intervals begin. An example of a workout would be:

10 minute warm-up
8 x 5 minute tempo intervals with 1 minutes recovery between
Cool Down

Recently my tempo portions have been getting longer. For example this week I ran:

30 minute warm-up
15 minutes tempo
20 minutes easy
15 minutes tempo
10 minutes cool-down

When I first started working with my coach the intervals were typically on the short side – 5 minutes or 10 minutes long pretty much every time. Then, as I’ve progressed, he’s increased the tempo interval segments. At first I was running my 5 and 10 minute tempo intervals at a 7:40-45 min/mile average. On Wednesday I ran both of my 15 minute tempo segments at an average of around 7:27 min/miles and the last time I ran 5 minute tempo segments I averaged around 7:20! The longer intervals are definitely harder in that they take more focus and discipline to get through.

4 Minute Half Marathon PR at SD Half 5 weeks After Surf City Half (and 5 weeks after hiring my coach)

4 Minute Half Marathon PR at SD Half on a Hilly Course 5 weeks After Surf City Half (and 5 weeks after hiring my coach)

Prior to using my coach I would often do Yasso 800 intervals which were much shorter but also more intense (800 meters in 3 minutes 30 seconds – 7 min/mile pace). I know that I was making progress using the Yasso 800s and I used them to achieve my sub 3:50 goal time last year at Surf City, but I think that the tempo intervals have improved my speed more than the Yassos.

Another way that my coach uses tempo intervals is within my long runs. He said when we started that every other week my long run would include tempo intervals but due to the fact that two of the last 9 weeks we’ve worked together were races, I’ve actually only had 2 long runs without any speed work. The Pfiztinger plan included a long run with “marathon goal pace” miles every three or four weeks so I had already been incorporating some sort of speed into my long runs. However, the biggest difference has been that my coach has me doing the tempo runs at the beginning of the run, not the end (although lately there has been some at the end as well). He says that adding these intense intervals at the beginning of a long run provides the simulation of additional miles without adding the pounding of them.

The first time I did a long run with tempo intervals, I definitely felt like I was running more miles! I believe I only ended up running about 11 miles but it felt more like 14 after starting it off (after a warm-up) with 5 x 5 minute tempo intervals with 1 minute of rest between. This past weekend, as I lamented in my last post, I had a 20 mile run that included tempo at the beginning as well as the end. These workouts are hard, but they work!

As of now, I don’t plan to continue using my coach after Eugene (given that I qualify for Boston there of course), but I will be taking his tempo interval workouts with me to use in the future! I love how much I’ve learned already in the three years that I’ve been running half and full marathons seriously – I can’t wait to see how my running evolves over the next three (or ten!) years!

Do you use tempo intervals in your training? Do you use them in long runs or on their own? What is your favorite way to gain speed?

#EatingCleanUntilEugene

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After the Hot Chocolate 15k I knew that I needed to clean up my diet since it was affecting my running. However, I ignored my own good advice due to three birthday parties, Friday happy hour plans, and two wedding food tastings I had this week and went ahead and enjoyed plenty of non-vegan food and lots of beer and wine. The worst of which was Saturday which involved three hours of Ironman California 70.3 race spectating (Mexican mocha coffee, breakfast burrito), a stop at a friends birthday party at a brewery (potato cheese pierogis, five tasters of beer), a bowling birthday party (two more beers), and finally a new baby “open house” party (chips, appetizers). Although I was in bed by 9:30, my stomach felt awful and my head was already beginning to pound from a slight hangover from the days festivities. If they were to list all the things you SHOULD NOT do the day before your 20 mile long run with tempo intervals, I’d say I hit most of them. At least I got 9 hours of sleep right?

Our Friend Stephen Crushing Oceanside 70.3!

Bowling!

Yes I Beat Mike!

Baby Time!

I actually woke up Sunday morning feeling fairly good. My legs felt somewhat light and I didn’t really think the run would go too poorly. I got up and got out of the house after eating a bagel (oh yeah forgot to mention the bagels and cake we had at work on Friday too). The workout was this:

2 mile warm-up
2 x 10 minute tempo intervals (7:30-7:40ish is my typical tempo pace depending on how the hills are for that segment)
12 miles easy-moderate @8:40-9 min/miles
20 minute tempo segment (no mention of a pace from my coach but last time I did a tempo segment at the end of my 17.5 mile long run I was able to maintain a 7:40 pace)
5 minute cool down
Total = 20 Miles

The first two miles were fine. I didn’t feel bad yet. The sun wasn’t out but I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt knowing it would get warmer. Once I started the tempo intervals i knew it was going to be a long day. My basis for comparison on this run was my amazing 17.5 mile long run that I ran just two weeks early – the tempo intervals felt great and my 17.5 mile pace average was 8:30 min/miles.

My first ten minute tempo interval felt harder than it should have. I averaged 7:36 and was really tired afterward. The two minute recovery period between didn’t seem nearly long enough! The second 10 minutes was even tougher because it started mid-way up a hill and I average 7:46. I felt pretty tired after these and knew I still had 15 miles to run….

The 12 mile segment in the middle of the run was supposed to feel “easy to moderate” and be within 8:40-9 min/miles. While this pace felt easy and great just two weeks ago on my long run, this time it felt difficult. I started off in the low 9s and let myself ease into a lower pace later on in the run. I ran south from my house in Encinitas which meant I was climbing a few hills, especially the fairly large one leaving Del Mar near Torrey Pines. The hills felt hard my mind was not in a great place. I was able to pick it up a bit on the 2nd half and was able to average 8:59 for the 12 miles.

As soon as I started my 20 minute tempo segment (at mile 17! cruel!) I knew it was not going to go well. I was hot (it was 70 and sunny!) and exhausted. At first I picked it up to a mid-7s pace but within the first two minutes it felt horribly difficult. I just let the pace drop but I was still working hard. My breathing and effort felt like I should be running a low 7 min/mile and instead my Garmin seemed to be laughing at me as it flashed 8:15. I couldn’t even hold marathon goal pace for the 20 minute tempo, ending up with an average of 8:18. More than once during this segment I almost got tears in my eyes and I wondered if the walkers on the boardwalk were worried for my well being because my facial expressions were pained.

The 5 minute cool-down at the end of the run felt like misery and as soon as I opened the door of our house I said to Mike “corpse” and proceeded to get out a mat and lay on it, relishing in my favorite yoga move, corpse pose.

While I am happy that I was able to run 20 miles at an 8:48 average, I’m not pleased with the way I felt. I know that it’s my own fault for treating my body like absolute crap for the last few weeks. This run was a very unfriendly reminder that what you put in your body does affect not only your long term health but also your current athletic performance.

So beginning Thursday, I’m going to #EatingCleanUntilEugene – no alcohol, dessert 1x/week and no coffee for 24 days. I can do it! Knowing that my actions will give me a boost on race day and help me achieve this important goal that I’ve been working toward for 7 months will definitely keep me in line!

Do you notice a difference in your performance based on what you eat? Do you want to join me in #EatingCleanUntilEugene or some other race/event you have coming up?!

Wedding Planning = Ironman Training?

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My lack of blog posts lately can largely be attributed to something that is taking over all my free time. Something that requires lots of preparation all for one big day. Something that causes you to lose sleep, get into work late, takes up your entire Saturday each weekend, and that you research every day while you eat your lunch. Wedding planning!

Last year I raced an Ironman and this year, on September 28, I will get married. Although the actual event is just one day – the year leading up to both of these events is arguably more all consuming than the one day. Although it’s only been a month, I’ve already noticed some serious similarities among Ironman Training and Wedding Planning.

All Day Saturday Wedding Dress Shopping

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All Day Saturday Riding My Bike

1) It takes over your life. Ironman was a eat, breath, sleep training regime at times and right now I feel like I’m living wedding planning. I get in to work a bit later some mornings because I have to stop at the grocery store to get stamps for a deposit I’m mailing, just like I would be late to work because my training session ran long. As soon as work is over I often have to rush to a tasting or vendor meeting, just like I used to rush home to get in my 2nd workout of the day.

2) People are always asking how it’s going. Just like everyone would ask “How is Ironman training,” people are always wondering how wedding planning is going. I certainly loved to talk about training and I love to talk about wedding planning so I enjoy this question. Just like Ironman, however, I know most people are usually asking it to be polite.

3) Both require extra food. Ironman training left me ravenous – I ate big meals and tons of snacks to satisfy my never ending hunger. Wedding planning involves lots of dinners and drinks with friends and family to celebrate your engagement, celebrate finding a gown, or tasting reception food.

Ironman Feasting

Wedding Celebrations!

4) Both cause nightmares. I had several horrible Ironman dreams during training and now I’ve already started having wedding nightmares!

5) Internet research and blog reading increases. During Ironman training I was online constantly reading blogs of fellow triathletes and Ironmen as well as researching nutrition, gear, and anything else triathlon related. Now I’m online researching weddings and honeymoons instead!

6) Both cost a lot of money. No further explanation needed.

7) Both are totally worth it! Crossing the finish line at Ironman CdA was certainly the highlight of that year and I know that my wedding day will be one of the best days of my life. I can’t wait to vow to love Mike for the rest of my life!!!

Where we’ll say I do on September 28 (thanks to www.wedding.com for photo)

If you’ve done an Ironman and planned a wedding, which was harder!? Which do you prefer?

Hot Chocolate 15k Race Report

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I’d been looking forward to this race for a long time and it definitely didn’t let me down. Not only was I excited to race my first 15k distance (i.e. less pressure – no PRs to worry about), I had also rounded up a fun group of people to race with me (including my Dad and Step Mom!) and at the end I’d be served hot chocolate and fondue with all the fixings. Best. Race. Ever.

The week leading up to this race was somewhat of a rough one for me. I had an absolutely amazing 17.5 mile long run the Sunday before which had included two segments of tempo intervals and I had finished at an 8:30 min/mile average. It was a great run but it also took me at least two full days to recover from it. Wednesday I had my tempo intervals which went really well (main set was two 20 min tempo segments with averages in the 7:30s!) but they also took some time to recover from. Come Sunday morning pre-race my legs were a bit heavy and I was regretting drinking champagne and wine (pre and post engagement photo session) and eating a big (however, extremely delicious) Italian meal at a local restaurant the night before.

Running Buddy From Our First Marathon

However, the excitement of the race was enough to negate all of that. One of the best parts was that for the first time in over a year, I was running a race with my best friend Asia! Mike came with us to be our cheer squad even though he wasn’t racing and after breezing into a free metered spot in the Gaslamp, we walked a few blocks to East Village to the start, past all the cars sitting in traffic waiting to pay for expensive lots. Once we arrived, we used the restroom (super short lines!) and attempted to corral the various people we were trying to meet up with. Luckily we all found each other for a few minutes before getting lost again when we went to gear check.

With My Parents!

After a short warm-up run through the parking lot, we made our way to the front of the very first corral. The start line was literally on a hill which was great foreshadowing for what was to come. I had known that this course was hilly, but I hadn’t driven the course or every run any of the streets so I really had no idea of what was to come. I knew the first half was definitely more hilly than the second but that was it.

Elevation Map

Once the gun went off we shot out the gate. Since we were going uphill I wasn’t sure how fast to actually run so I just went based on feel. Well, it felt hard. My legs weren’t fresh – I knew immediately I didn’t feel as great as the San Diego Half yet I knew I was racing a much tougher course. My mind wasn’t in the best place right off the bat which is never a good thing. Asia and I barely spoke for the first mile because we were breathing really hard. My watch ticked off the first mile – 7:53. Behind pace but certainly not bad considering the hill we were climbing. At some point we saw Mike cheering for us on the course which was a boost!

Mile 2 included both inclines and declines which meant we able a slightly confidence boosting 7:36 min/mile, but from there on out it felt like we were nonstop climbing. I kept thinking to myself that this was a “soul crushing course.” I had no idea if I’d be able to achieve my goal of a 1:11 (7:38 min/miles) because at this point it was difficult to even stay in the 7s. Miles 3 & 4 – 8:00 and 8:21.

I knew that at some point we had to go downhill after so much climbing. I just didn’t know when. Asia was right by my side and we were doing a good job of keeping each other motivated to keep going (mostly just knowing she was there with me kept me pushing hard – we could barely speak). I think somewhere during the 5th mile I got pretty excited because I knew I was over halfway done and I could survive the pain if I had to push hard. I guess that’s one of the reasons that tough training runs are so hard – during difficult moments in a race you can always go back to that memory of how bad it hurt during a training run and remind yourself that you can make it through the pain.

Luckily mile 5 also had some downhill portions so we were able to get back to a 7:49 average. Mile 6 was probably one of the best because it had a very, very long decline that was quite steep. We were flying down it and finally could talk because we weren’t breathing so hard. There wasn’t a lot of course support or much to look at during this race but it almost didn’t matter because all your mind could focus on was keeping your body moving forward. A ray of hope that we could make up the time we lost going uphill came over me when my watch clicked off 7:27 for Mile 6. I told Asia our pace and then said that if we kept it up or went faster for the next 3 miles we could make it! I think she grunted in response.

The beginning of Mile 7 was the remainder of the very wonderful downhill portion we’d been cruising down but at the bottom of the hill we turned a corner (where Mike was standing and cheering for us!) and immediately were greeted with a Goliath hill. In the back of my mind as we’d been cruising down that last decline I knew we hadn’t climbed our last hill but I was also hoping that there wouldn’t be too many soul crushers left. I mentally reminded myself that I was less than 15 minutes from the finish line and ran up the hill as fast as I could. At the top, Asia and I got separated as I dodged three slow people turning a corner and from then on out, I was running by myself. My watch clicked off mile 7 – 7:19.

Mile 8 began with an incline but also included some lovely declines and as I caught my breath I was able to pull out a 7:30 min/mile. I was feeling good – I knew the finish line wasn’t far away and I knew I had a nice downhill to take me there. I dug deep and pushed hard – as I ran down some of the hills my pace was in the 5s and even on the flat I was cruising in the high 6s. Just as we re-entered downtown there was one last fairly steep yet very short incline and I just flew up it. Just before I saw Mike (he was standing near the mile 9 sign) my watch clicked off mile 9 at a 6:55 pace. I was close to my goal and I was so happy to see him – I was smiling ear to ear. I felt strong and good.

Seeing Mike at Mile 9

The last 0.3 seemed very long, likely because it was finally mostly flat. I ran my heart out and averaged 6:41 for the last 0.42 according to my Garmin. I got passed by a couple of people who apparently had a lot of steam left in the tank, but I didn’t let it bother me as I jammed toward the finish line. Victory!

I ran 9.42 miles in 11:11:35, for an average pace of 7:36 on a soul-crushing course. This was actually a 5k PR – 3x over! I haven’t raced a 5k for a couple years but that’s still pretty awesome! My official time was 1:11:33 and I was 11th in my age group out of 556! The 162nd person to finish out of over 12,000!

Asia came in right behind me and I was so proud of her – I am really feeling great about our chances of qualifying for Boston together at Eugene. I can’t wait!

Cheering!

We went back to the spot near mile 9 where Mike had been cheering us on earlier and cheered for the racers (some in really awesome costumes like a Hershey Kiss), including my co-worker Joanna and my Dad and Step Mom! After they finished we headed back for our much anticipated reward- hot chocolate and chocolate fondue!!! It was absolutely delicious and the perfect treat.

Thank You Sweet Volunteers!

YUM!!

This race was another confidence booster. My coach confirmed that I’m still a head of the game for my BQ at Eugene and that this race proved that I’ve gotten even faster in the last week. Each week I’m improving. I would have never thought that with 5 weeks to go til a race that I still had room to get even faster – but now I’ve proven that even just 5 weeks of focused training can make a difference. Here we go!

Have you ever run a Hot Chocolate 5k or 15k? What did you think!?

Will Run For Chocolate

4 Replies

I’ve been anxiously waiting for this weekend for months now. After running a beautiful race though downtown San Diego and Balboa Park, I will be presented with a box with hot chocolate and chocolate fondue, complete with delicious dipping treats. Is this a dream? No, this is real life – the San Diego Hot Chocolate 15k.

Even better, I have so many friends and family racing on Sunday. I organized a group of my runner girlfriends and two co-workers to race! Plus, my step-mom and Dad who have taken a pretty intense liking to running since they finished P90X last Fall, will also be racing (their first ever running race!).

I’ve never run a 15k. I’ve actually never even run a 10k outside of a triathlon and have only run two 5ks. I’m not really sure how to pace myself other than to go fast, but not too fast. The course is very hilly – there aren’t many courses in San Diego without hills but this course didn’t seem to do much to avoid them. The race begins downtown (I might get deja-vu from the San Diego Half two weeks ago) and immediately begins with a hill up into the southern end of Balboa Park. It then heads up Park Blvd (hill!!!) and into the aptly named Hillcrest district before heading back down through the park via a different route. The finish line is back in downtown. The best part is that the final mile is pretty much a straight shot downhill.

I Don’t See Any Flat Sections- Do You?

My coach’s directions for this Sunday’s run (which there isn’t really a taper for so it will basically replace my long run) is to start in the 7:40-45 range, drop down just under that for the 2nd 5k and in the final 5k get as close to 7:30 or faster as possible. His goal time for me is 1:11:00, a 7:38 pace. Of course I looked up what my goal time should be according to McMillan’s pace calculator using a 3:34:59 marathon time, and my coach was right on track – McMillan says I should be able to run exactly a 1:11:00. So of course, I want to go faster than this if possible to give myself a confidence boost. My coach has let me know that he thinks I’m on track for a 3:33 marathon at this point based on my training runs. He thinks that we can get me close to 3:30 marathon by race day (just about 5 weeks EEEEKS!).

Since the course is hilly, I will likely be running more on perceived effort than the paces my coach set out for me. When running uphill I’d expect my pace to drop to the high 7s/low 8s depending on how steep the hill is, and while I’m running downhill, I need to be between 7-7:30. Asia is also racing and her coach gave her instructions to race by effort, not pace, so we plan to start together and see how long we can hang on by each other’s side.

No matter what, it’s going to be a great day because it combines my friends, family and one of my favorite foods – chocolate!!!

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