Fontana Days Half Marathon Race Report

It was a PR kind of day.  There were PR’s everywhere!  It was actually pretty funny.  It was like gravity kicked it up a notch, helping us all run like the wind!


It was one of those days where everything came together.  Fontana is known as “the fastest half marathon in the world.”  It is pretty much all downhill.  My previous PR was set here last year and I always put a little asterisk on it, since it is such a downhill course.  Even so, I had my sights on yet another PR here.  I was hoping to take two minutes off last year’s time.


The weather was perfect.  It was chilly at the top of the course as we waited for the start.  I regretted not bringing my throw-away sweatshirt as I shivered in a garbage bag.  Even after we started running, I was a bit chilly in my tank top.  It was perfect, however, for the mid sixties at the end of the race.

Last year, I held myself back in the beginning of the race.  This year, I decided to go with the speed.  I didn’t want to accelerate down the hills, but I wanted to go with it.  The first part of the race, I had a tough time getting into a groove. I felt not one side stitch, but two.  It was almost like my chest was a little compressed.  I couldn’t breathe easily.  So when everyone else took off like bats out of hell, I chose not to push to follow.
Luckily, I got myself into a nice rhythm.  I had hoped to run the first half of the race around 7:45 and to slow to 8:15’s or so for the second half.  My goal was to run a 1:45 (8 minute miles). Those first miles flew by as I ran the first few miles in 7:36, 7:40 and 7:44.


The next three miles slowed slightly, but were still smokin’ fast (for me) and I felt like I was building up a comfortable bank.  Miles four, five and six were 7:50, 7:55 and 7:49.  That made sense to me, since the first three miles had the steepest grades.  I knew that my fastest splits would be in those first three miles.
The biggest surprise for me was that I didn’t slow down.  I got into a rhythm and was happy to look down and see a 7 in front of my pace.  Miles seven, eight, nine and ten were 7:41, 7:44, 7:44 and 7:54. At this point I knew my PR was in the bag!  And I was still feeling good!


I started to get a little tired toward the end.  I slowed down a bit.  Funny… my slowest miles were still faster than my average pace from last year’s race!  Miles eleven, twelve and thirteen were 8:01 (my only mile with an 8 at the beginning—CRAZY), 7:52, and 7:59.  I ran the last section at a 7:10 pace.  My overall time was 1:42:30, beating my goal by almost three minutes (and my previous PR by five)!


I caught up with the rest of the crew.  Everyone was at the expo getting various samples of recovery drinks etc.  I knew we needed to go and look for Sandra. With all of us having such great races, I knew Sandra would have an incredible PR as well.  In her first half marathon she ran a 2:25.  I had thought she would come in around 2:10, but I wanted to watch for her around the two hour mark.  We were there before two hours but didn’t see her.  At around ten after the two hour mark, I was starting to get worried.  Then suddenly I saw an ecstatic Sandra beaming at me.  “I ran it under two!!!!!”  I was so excited and we hugged and jumped up and down a bit.  She ended up running the race in 1:56:19!!! That is almost thirty minutes faster than her previous half marathon!!!


I should have been thrilled beyond words about my fantastic PR, but something ate at me a bit.  This next section are my personal feelings that I am NOT proud of.  I know I seem petty and overly-competitive.  I am more upset about my feelings than I am about the circumstances causing those feelings—if that makes any sense. As I was running along, I kept thinking I would catch up with Kelly. I knew that Marci, Kim and Rod would finish ahead of me, but I honestly thought I could catch Kelly.  I knew Kelly’s history and thought I knew how she would perform. They started super fast and I assumed that she would slow down as the course flattened out a bit.  I would look down at my Garmin, seeing 7:45 or 7:50, thinking that there was no way that Kelly could keep up that pace on the flats.  I should have been super proud and excited for her (she finished in 1:39:56!!!!!!).  Instead, I was upset with myself for not being able to catch her.


More than anything, I started doubting my ability as a coach. I research and read and try to be as informed as I can.  I use my RRCA training and pull from my own experiences (5 marathons and 16 half marathons).  I stress the importance of a race plan and pacing in order to finish strong.  I give my friends advice (solicited and unsolicited) on how to run their races.  When Kelly didn’t ask for or take any of my advice, I shrugged, thinking she would learn in her own way.  Instead of having a race plan, her only plan was to go “balls out.”  I warned her not to go out too fast.


Well, she went out very fast.  And you know what?  She didn’t slow down.  In fact, her average pace was as fast as her one mile time trial for Body Back. What the hell do I know? Why in the world would she every want to take my advice?  Had she listened to me, she would have run with me and finished over two minutes slower.  Not only will Kelly probably want to think twice about my marathon training advice, but Kim as well (who I am trying to coach to a Boston Qualifying time). It is probably just my own misconception, but it seems like they all look at me a little bit differently now.


In looking back, I still think I ran a smart race.  It went better than I could have anticipated. I think even knowing what I know now, I would have run it the same way.  Going “balls out” doesn’t work for me.  I like following a race plan.  It helps give me comfort. It also helps me finish strong.  Am I leaving some out there? Maybe. It just means I need to know my capabilities better.
 
I am thrilled that everyone did so well. Did I mention that our entire group had PR’s that day? Marci even took third in her age group!! Her time was an incredible 1:37:57! It was funny how age groups work.  Kim finished ahead of Marci in 1:37:52, yet in one age group higher she was 9th.  Ironically, she would have also been 9th in my age group, which is even older.  That tells me that we don’t necessarily get slower as we get older.  Or maybe the older runners sign up for more races? Whatever it is, it is unpredictable. 

 Marci with her medal!

This race was fun.  The combination of a downhill course and great spring weather made it a perfect half marathon. I will definitely be running this race again. Don't get me wrong.  I am super happy for my friends and we all did GREAT.  The purpose of this blog is to share my personal thoughts on my own running journey.  I am proud of myself as well as my friends (and so many others) who really killed it.


Happy Running…

Palos Verdes Half Marathon Race Report

I ran the Palos Verdes Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago. My friend, Joan, texted me the day before asking if I would like a free entry.  Woo hoo!  Procrastination worked in my favor.  I had waited too long to enter online and had planned on registering the morning of the race.  The catch?  I was running as her 19-year-old daughter, who was sick.*

I ran this race last year.  It was a hilly race with a great feel.  The weather was nice and overcast.  This year, the course had changed. They promised a flatter, faster course.  I’m not sure it was so much flatter or faster, but I can’t really tell because my Garmin decided to die--no elevation information. The weather was just as perfect this year.  It was overcast and a little drizzly.

We had a nice size group and we were ready to go.  This was Kim’s first half marathon.  She ran track in college, but never ran a race longer than 10K.  She was pretty nervous.  It was the perfect race to “practice.”  She is training for St. George in October and has an aggressive goal of 3:30, so it is good to get some race experience under her belt.

We all started the race together (except Joan, who wanted to avoid the “speedy” runners toward the front and started a bit further back).  It didn’t take long for Jeff and Kim to take off ahead of us.  I was pretty happy that I kept them in my sights for quite a while.  Rod ran ahead a bit as well.  Kelly and I followed closely behind. At the first big downhill, Kelly zipped past me.  I didn’t push to follow.  I wanted to focus on running at my pace and exertion level.  I passed her shortly after that.  I thought about sticking with her, but I was feeling really good and wanted to maintain my pace.  We have an understanding that we would always run our own races, meeting at the finish line.

I felt like I was running naked. Well, not literally naked, but like I was missing major parts of my running accoutrements.  As I mentioned above, my Garmin died. I felt very strange without it, especially for a race.  I relied on that thing for pacing myself during a race.  What if I went out too fast?  What if they didn’t have mile markers (they hadn’t the year before)? What if I couldn’t do the math to adjust my pace?   In addition to that, I FORGOT MY IPOD!  What????  I have been running with the group so long that my iPod is not my staple like it once was for a run.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I ran with music (probably my last half marathon).  But when I run with my friends, I don’t get bored.  We chat the entire time.  Two hours with no one to talk to? Nothing to listen to?  What would I do?  I decided it was a good test for me.  Let’s see how well I could pace myself and run a strong race relying solely on me and my internal voice. 

I was pleased to see that I was running right around an 8:15-8:20 average for the first few miles (when the math was easy).  That was exactly where I wanted to be.  I knew I wanted to run faster than the prior year (1:53:19), but had a secret goal of running a 1:50.  I felt if I could run a difficult, hilly race at 1:50, then I was in good shape for a 3:49 marathon in the fall.  Things were looking pretty good for a good portion of the race.

At mile four, I passed Rod.  He told me that his legs felt like lead.  He didn’t look so good.  I asked if he was ok and he said yes, but that it wasn’t going to be a PR sort of day.  I knew Kelly was not too far behind me and I went on my way.

I felt good.  Around mile seven or eight I actually felt great.  I was in a really good rhythm and felt like I could run that pace for a long time.  I did rudimentary math (although my math skills fly out the window while I run) and figured I was on pace to run right around 1:50! 

Then I hit mile 9.  Everyone who ran this race had something to say about mile 9.  We ran down this hill very early in the race, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it was.  It was a steep hill stuck right in mile 9 and it was TOUGH.  In retrospect, taking a walk break might have been a good idea, instead of pushing up that thing, trying to maintain my pace.  I got to the top completely out of breath and my legs felt like jello.  Luckily, it was flat and even had a bit of a decline after that (for a little while).  Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite get back into that wonderful rhythm I had going.

The last few miles were tough.  The course passes right by the finish line and goes out and back for another three miles. Those miles had their share of hills as well.  I could see people pushing toward the finish line.  Then I would see someone running a bit less intensely and realized that their bib was a different color and they were running the full.  I would never want to run this full marathon.  Not only do you run the final stretch of the half with halfers sprinting by you, but you run right past the finish and start the loop all over again.  The full is simply the half twice.  Yikes.  No thank you.

While this little out-and-back section was annoying, I enjoyed being able to see my friends.  I saw Jeff, then Kim, several minutes ahead of me.  Rod, then Kelly, were several minutes behind me. Everyone looked like they were struggling a bit. But everyone was running a strong race.

When I finally got close enough to kick, I realized I still had a little left in the tank.  I finished strong with a fast kick.  I almost missed the finish line.  The final straightaway suddenly dog-legs left a few yards to the finish while the full marathoners keep to the right. Spectators and race officials were good about guiding those of us not paying attention into the finish chute.

I finished in 1:52:43.  Not bad for a hilly race!  I am pretty happy that I can run a strong half marathon without really training for it.  My “sweet spot”** seems to be getting lower and lower.  For a while it hovered around 1:55 and now it seems to be getting closer and closer to 1:50.  That is a good place to be!

The only real negative to the race was the shuttle buses back to the parking areas.  Due to the layout of the course and the lack of parking and open lanes, we had to park several miles from the start/finish area.  They had shuttle buses to take us to and from the parking areas.  Before the race, it was no problem.  We didn’t wait in line and got right on a bus.  After the race, however, was a problem.  The line for the shuttles was about an hour long. It was still drizzly, which was perfect for the race, but not so much afterward.  We didn’t have jackets because there wasn’t a drop bag system (at least not one we were told of or saw).  I used the t-shirt (which they gave us after we finished) to try to stay as warm as possible.  The whole situation really put a damper on the entire experience.  If they keep the same course, they will have to find a different solution for the parking and shuttling.  It was a really mess.

Despite the long wait, it was a good day and a good race.  I have come to realize that I really enjoy hilly courses.  It breaks things up and gives a nice challenge to a race.

Happy Running…

Coming Soon:  Fontana Half Marathon Race Report—a PR!!

*Here is a racing ethics question: is it ok to run a race with someone else’s bib?  My thoughts were that the race received its money and I was not running as a “bandit.” I am a middle-of-the-pack runner, so it wasn’t like I was going to get prize money or anything. Unfortunately, this time, it bit me in the butt a little.  I won the age group for my friends’ daughter.  oops. Luckily, this race doesn’t give anything for AG awards.  It just so happened that it was a small group.  Other age groups had the top times in the 1:20’s, 1:30’s and 1:40’s.  Who would have guessed that a time in the 1:50’s would win.  The other times in that age group were well over two hours.  In my own age group, I would have placed eighth.  What do you think?  Is it ok to run for someone else when they can’t run the race themselves?? 

**My “sweet spot” is that range of time where I finish half marathons.  I usually finish a minute or two above or below it.

Happy National Running Day!!

Have you gone out for a run today?

I enjoy running for so many reasons.  The answer I gave at http://www.runningday.org/site/ was that I run to get my "ME" time in.  I can socialize with my friends, listen to music or a book or push myself beyond thought.

Why do you run?

Gladiator Rock ‘N Run— Not Your Typical Bridal Party

Ah, running…I love you!  Not only does running keep me sane.  Running keeps me healthy.  I have all the typical reasons for loving running.  Running also opens up opportunities for some fun events.  VERY fun events.

A couple of weeks ago I ran the Gladiator Rock ‘N Run and had a fabulous time. The name of our team was “Not Your Typical Bridal Party.”  You see, I wore a wedding dress and my girlfriends wore bridesmaids dresses and my brother wore a tuxedo shirt.  I tried to talk my husband, Kenny, into running with me, but he wanted to follow us to take video and pictures. He was our own private paparazzi. Instead, my brother ran with us.  He wrote “Best Man…She’s my SISTER.”

So why trash a perfectly good wedding dress? Well, in 1991, I got married.  It was a big, traditional wedding with all the pomp and circumstance.  Unfortunately, that marriage only lasted about two years.  For some reason, I kept the dress, all boxed up by the dry cleaners and moved it from house to house, state to state.  I kept thinking I could sell it.  However, I don’t think the Craigslist crowd appreciated the early-nineties styling and I never got any offers each time I tried to sell it.  It seemed like a waste to donate such an expensive dress.  So, the last time I did the Gladiator Run, I decided that I needed to dress in a cool costume the next time.  When I saw that it was coming back to Southern California this spring I had a brilliant idea!  It was the best costume idea EVER.

I originally wanted to have it altered to be shorter to make it easier to run.  Then I thought that cutting the train off would do the trick.  Kenny wouldn’t let me.  He told me that the pictures would be so much better with the train in tact. I then decided I wanted to score it to make it easier to rip off when it got difficult to run. Again, he told me to leave it.  I did make him bring some scissors just in case…but I was committed to running this thing, train and all.  I figured I would just gather it up and run holding a bunch of (heavy) satin beaded fabric.  I am SO glad I didn’t change the dress.  The best thing about running in that thing was the difficulty involved and the kudos that came with that.

It was a three mile run with some obstacles.  Under normal circumstances, it would be fun (if you like that sort of thing—which I do!)  It is better to tell this story with pictures.  So here you go!  *warning…this is very picture-heavy.

Getting Ready (a little different than a typical bride gets ready for the festivities)

Dan “Nitro” Clark, former American Gladiator and creator of the Gladiator Rock ‘N Run, wanted to get a picture with us!

My bridesmaids were committed to the train!

And we’re off!!!

And, yes…I was able to run (with a little help from my bridesmaids)

Still committed to the train!

The first wet and wild obstacle!  Here is where the fun really starts!

It was a great setting for a race!  This would be a nice setting for an actual wedding.

Before the mud pit!  My brother picked me up before we had to crawl on hands and knees under the flags.

I guess I had a moment of panic, because I don’t look too happy in this next picture…. I don’t remember feeling like I was going to cry, but that is how I look.  I love the juxtaposition between my face and my brother’s.

There is some joy!

When I got done with that mud pit, I was struck by how extremely HEAVY that dress had become.  I seriously considered taking it off and finishing the run in my sports bra and shorts.

This is a grainy crop, but you can see the look on my face as my brother helps me up.

Another hill!! It was way harder than my hill repeats at home.  LOL.

More mud!!

I LOVE how in the next few pictures, Sandra has the biggest smile on her face.  As a little side note, Sandra took up running in September.  She ran her first half marathon in January.  She is my friend who took a wrong turn in a trail race, added extra mileage and said she would do it all again. Running is definitely opening up a world to her as well…

After the race, they had a green screen for group pictures.  The line was pretty long.  Unfortunately, Jen couldn’t wait in the line.  I wanted to get as much documentation of this adventure as I could get.  The coolest thing that the race did was arrange for each runner to get one free digital download of a picture,  Additional pictures (low resolution) were $14.  I wish every race would do that!

Dan “Nitro” Clark came to get an “after” picture with us and this was my free download:

My brother told me that he nearly threw his back out picking me up the second time.  Apparently, I weighed a LOT more at the end of the race than I did when he picked me up before the mud.

For the second time, this race did not disappoint!  Other than some back-ups at obstacles (that didn’t really happen the first time I ran it), the race was nicely organized.  There were plenty of porta potties and people working the bag check. They had a nice selection of vendors at the “after-party.”  They had a good selection of fun bands.  Once again, the mud was the best mud of any mud run I have run.  It had the perfect balance of liquid and dirt to make it cover EVERYTHING.  Other mud runs don’t even come close.  If this race comes to your area, I definitely recommend it.

Happy Running….

Body Back Recap—results and revelations

I completed my Body Back program a couple of weeks ago.  As you learned from several earlier posts here, Body Back is a series of high intensity interval workouts (HIIT) accompanied by a meal plan in a supportive environment of women.

I learned some key things during this eight week journey:

* I can push myself harder than I thought I could
* I sometimes grunt when I am really digging deep.  Who knew?
* I really can make time for breakfast every day (more than just a Luna Bar)
* I.am.strong
* I can hold a plank about two minutes longer than I thought I could. I just needed to be willing to sweat and shake.
* I never stop being inspired by other women.

I am pretty fit and have been for a while. I have run five marathons, some of which needed quite a bit of mental toughness. Yet, the eight weeks of Body Back humbled me and reminded me that I have a long way to go in my fitness journey.

I found myself pushing myself harder than I have in my personal workouts in a long time.  The program made it easy to push, even on those days when I stayed up way too late and felt exhausted and not in the mood to work out.  Most of the workouts are organized into little bite sized pieces. We would do an exercise for a short duration such as a minute or two. You can do just about anything for a minute, so it allows you to push that much harder during those sixty seconds. Allison, our instructor, would give us cues, such as “only ten more seconds.” I knew that I could get a couple more pushups in or lift my knees higher for those last few seconds.

As I was digging deep in an exercise, I would catch myself grunting or making some other sort of not-so-attractive sounds. Vanity goes out the window when you are that focused. Often I would be sweating and red in the face, but didn’t care. If I did look up and see one of the other women, they were working just as hard.
The food plan was a big surprise to me. At first, it was hard to pay so much attention to my food choices. I am not a big fan of diets. Luckily, this isn’t a diet. It is a meal plan that focuses on making healthy choices.

We didn’t count calories or weigh our food or anything like that. The plan calls for a healthy breakfast (preferably with plenty of protein), a decent snack, lunch, another snack and then dinner. It is about education not deprivation. It focuses on whole foods and limiting serving sizes.  Not rocket science.
What was great was that after a while a lot of the habits stuck. Even after the program is over, I am finding myself making a nice breakfast where I used to rely solely on bars, protein drinks and coffee. During the program I cut out two of my biggest “vices”: soda and cheese. Well, I didn’t cut out cheese entirely. I still used some cheese (mostly low fat) but I did cut out the snack cheese that used to dominate my snacking. I used to eat several pieces of cheese while cooking dinner, for example. I also still try to eat healthy snacks instead of getting myself so hungry where I don’t make the best choices.

On my first day, I did a plank for 2:36. I decided that I wanted to set a goal to hold it for five minutes.  I told the group.  On the last day, I thought to myself that three minutes was probably a more reasonable expectation. Before we started, a few of the girls said to me, “so, Lisa…you ready to do this for five minutes?”  Busted.  Now I have been called out.  After about two minutes, it started to get difficult.  I looked up to the other woman, Angela,  attempting five minutes and she was going strong.  After a while, everyone but the two of us were cheering us on.  At four minutes, I said to Angela, “we can do anything for a minute, right?”  My entire body was shaking, sweat was dripping down my face.  We hit five minutes and kept going.  I made it to 5:38!!! (and so did Angela, btw).  I never would have done it alone. The women surrounding me pushed me forward to not only reach my goal, but surpass it.  I have found that surrounding myself with supportive women can help me do anything from running my first marathon to dealing with the stresses of being a wife and mother.

The class was everything I had hoped it would be. The women in the class had fantastic results as well.  We had a woman as young as seventeen and grandmothers in their fifties. The lowest improvement was 11% and the highest was 51%. Improvements took into account weight loss and strength.  The highest weight loss was close to 16 pounds (2 pounds a week is about as much as I would be comfortable having clients lose).  One woman improved her run from 12:39 to just over 9 minutes!  Another went from 11:45 to under 9 minutes.  This was done without any running training, just strength and added ability to push themselves. Average overall improvement among all nine women was 28.4%.  Average weight loss was 9.64 pounds.  Not bad for an eight week program!

So, in the interest of full disclosure, here are my results:

starting weight: 128.2 (definitely in the healthy range, so my goal was not weight loss.  However, that is at the higher end of my feel-good-about-myself weight)
ending weight: 121.2 (I feel great! Most of my “mommy pooch” is gone!) 5% loss


starting 1 mile run: 6:44  (*the course was actually just under a mile.  My time was closer to 7 minutes.)
ending 1 mile run: 6:26 (4% improvement) 

starting plank: 2:38
ending plank: 5:38 (125% improvement!!)

starting side bridge/plank: 1:13
ending side bridge/plank: 1:31 (25% improvement)

starting push ups in 1 minute: 14
ending push ups in 1 minute: 23 (39% improvement)

starting sit ups in 1 minute: 20 (full, military-style sit ups)
ending sit ups in 1 minute: 22 (9% improvement—I think the plank took it out of me)

starting bicep curls with 10 pound weights in each hand for 1 minute: 23
ending bicep curls with 10 pound weights in each hand for 1 minute: 37 (38% improvement)

beginning squats in 1 minute: 47
ending squats in 1 minute: 61 (23% improvement)

My measurements (bust, waist, hips, thigh) decreased by an average of 3.5%.  My overall improvement was 24%.

Before

After

My own class began today and I am so excited to see what these women accomplish. I hope to inspire them as much as I know they will inspire me.

Giveaway Winner!

I want to thank Alissa for the opportunity to have such a fabulous giveaway!  I had a record number of comments for my blog and gained quite a few new followers!


So…. without further ado, the winner of a t-shirt from Balancing Act Clothing is…..

Baby Weight My Fat Ass!!   (I really just wanted to type that…)  Please contact me at runnermommylisa (at) gmail (dot) com to get your code to use on Alissa’s site.   

In case you had any doubts, here is the totally scientific random number generator I got on the internet.


For the rest of you, don’t forget the discount code RUNBLOG04 for a sweet discount! 

Happy Running…

Balancing Act Clothing Giveaway

My friend and fellow blogger, Alissa, has recently started a clothing company. She has made her own silk screens for a unique, one-of-a-kind look.  I have the t-shirt pictured below and love it. It is fashionable and totally ME.  My friend told me that the silhouette of the running girl actually looks like me.

Alissa has generously offered to give one of my readers a t-shirt (a $26 value).  And for everyone else, there is a discount code.  Enter RUNBLOG04 for 15% off.

The drawing will be held on Friday, May 6.  Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment for each entry
1) Mandatory--Go to BalancingActClothing.com and check it out. Leave a comment with your favorite style or saying or even if you have an idea of something you would like to see made (Alissa is open to custom orders!). Alissa is always looking for new inspiration.
2) Become a follower of my blog or let me know you already are one.
3) Spread the word about this giveaway. Say it on Twitter, Facebook and/or your blog and leave a comment for each one.

I know I haven’t been much of a blogger lately.  I haven’t posted much and haven’t commented on blogs. I have had a lot going on, but hope to catch up with all your blogs and start posting more very soon.

Have a great weekend and happy running…