Race Recap: RnR San Diego 2016

(I'm writing this on day three of a really nasty head cold, which started with a throat so swollen I couldn't talk on Tuesday morning, so apologies if any of this recap is nonsensical.)

Sourabh and I drove down to San Diego on Saturday around 11 a.m., stopping in Carlsbad for sandwiches before continuing on. Traffic on I-5 is the worst on the weekends for some reason. Every time I've driven south of San Clemente on the weekend I've run into traffic! But we made it to San Diego and I picked up my bib at the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego expo relatively painlessly.

This is exactly what the start line looked like -- it's a big race!

We headed to the AirBnB we'd rented for the night, which was a great little place, just a couple blocks from the start line. When the race starts at 6:15 a.m., you don't want to be worrying about catching a cab or taking a bus to the start line! If anyone is interested in the specific AirBnB, just leave a comment or shoot me an email. Definitely a good place to stay if you're running this race!

Ok, quick aside to say a huge THANK YOU to the kind man at Lenscrafters who took pity on me and gave me some sample contact lenses on Saturday afternoon. As I set my race day items out around 4:30 p.m., I realized I had forgotten to pack contact lenses. DISASTER. I could not imagine racing if the distance was blurry -- it seemed like it would be incredibly disconcerting. Thankfully, after speaking to a local Lenscrafters in San Diego, I was able to get samples. Crisis averted!

There also happened to be a Tender Greens close to the Lenscrafters, which I figured was the perfect pre-race dinner (I got their seared tuna, roasted fingerling potatoes and some sauteed eggplant, for those who are curious).

I did a short jog around the nearby portion of Balboa Park with some strides, just to get the legs moving. It was nice to see a bit more of San Diego!

I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep at all that night. I wasn't even that nervous, and the bed was super comfortable, but I couldn't get my mind to settle, so I never really fell asleep. But that made waking up at 4am a lot easier!

After sipping some coffee, eating a Picky Bar and half a banana at 4:15, and hitting the bathroom the requisite five times, I walked over to the start line around 5:30 and did my warm-up stretches. The race is pretty big (the half marathon and marathon start together, and the half marathon alone had over 16,000 runners), but RnR did a great job of organization at the start line, I thought.

I ate a Honey Stinger waffle 15 minutes before the start because, given the humidity, I wasn't sure how much fuel I'd be able to get down so I figured more fuel early on was a good plan.

Ah yes, the humidity. For the bulk of my running time, it was around 90% humidity, which.... is a lot. It wasn't very hot, thankfully, but I definitely felt the humidity in my breathing.

I actually loved the course route, despite the elevation gain (I think it was ~50 ft more than the NYC half?), which was more than most half marathons I've run. There were so many people out cheering in the first half, especially in Normal Heights, including one older man who was pouring drinks for his friends out of what looked like a fully stocked bar.

I ran the first two miles at a strong opening pace, but I had a hard time really getting into a comfortably hard groove. I was trying to run on effort level, but I just had a hard time dialing into the right effort level.

At the same time, I was really enjoying the race, even though I could tell I wasn't on pace for a big PR. I started having a sharp stitch in my right side. I realized it started after the Gu I took at mile 4, and got worse every time I took a sip out of my bottle of half water/half Gatorade.

Having read up on this, my understanding is that the liver gets larger with glucose, which pulls on the abdominal muscles and can lead to that sharp pain. This is something I've dealt with in a lot of previous races, so in our post-race debrief, Coach Jess emphasized that it's something we need to figure out because it's definitely a limiting factor in terms of effort level. Every time the stitch kicked in, I'd slow down a bit and focus more on my breathing. I didn't take anything after that Gu at mile 4 since I recognized that I seemed to be in more pain after taking any fuel.

The last few miles run through Balboa Park, largely downhill, and finish in downtown San Diego. I felt like I had to slow down on the biggest downhill, though, because the pain was at its sharpest due to the heavier up-and-down motion -- that mile still clocked in at 8:07, though. The stitch actually continued hurting through Sunday and Monday, in a pulled muscle kind of way, but thankfully it went away by Tuesday (slash, was covered up by my overall aches and pains due to being sick).

I'm most proud of the way I pushed in that last mile, where the uphill and downhill evened out and there was no net loss -- I clocked an 8:01! That's the fastest mile I've ever logged in a half marathon.

Sourabh snapped this picture of me at the finish line. Clearly I was working hard in that last mile!

I paid $30 for this picture because (1) it's the best race picture I've had taken and (2) it came with a $20 credit for Shutterfly, so I can use that to buy prints to put in our new house, which means it really only cost $10... right?

Official Time - 1:53:08

I ended up running a much hillier half, in 90% humidity, 34 seconds slower than my PR. So, I'm happy with it, even though it wasn't a PR, and even though I know I didn't give a 100% effort level. The ease with which I walked off the course made that very clear, as did the minor soreness over the next two days as opposed to my typical "OMG EVERYTHING HURTS WHY" post-race soreness.

The big reason I'm fine with not PR-ing is that I feel like I learned so much with this race. I learned that I can run strong on a hilly course and that I need to figure out longer distance fueling better. And most importantly, I finished a 13 week training cycle without a muscle strain. That is HUGE for me! 

Coach Jess and I have also agreed that I should race more, so I am planning on a late summer half marathon and a late fall half marathon, followed by a late winter marathon in 2017. I'm pumped!

Half Marathon #9 complete!

I have some ideas for late summer and late fall half marathons, but do you have any suggestions for me?

Race Recap: 2015 City of Cypress 5K

On Saturday morning, I raced my first 5K of 2015, the City of Cypress 5K. I had been looking for a 5K to race as a fitness check-in for a couple of weeks. I figured it would be good to know where I stood speed-wise before I start marathon training.

The race was only the second time I've raced in 2015. I was honestly not sure I wanted to run the race, since I had to wake up at 5:00 a.m. on Friday to drive up to Downtown Los Angeles for a pro bono hearing (I'm doing an asylum case; as a corporate lawyer, appearing in court is not something I ever do). The closest 5K I could find was in Cypress, which is a 30 minute drive from my apartment, and I'd need to get there before 7:00 a.m. to register for the race and get in a warm-up.

I was still undecided about running the 5K on Friday night. Sourabh had a Mexican food craving (specifically for queso fundido; apparently studying for the bar exam gives you weirdly specific cravings like being pregnant does), and since he was just four days out from the bar on Friday, I wasn't about to turn him down. Also it's very difficult for me to turn down Mexican food...

When I went to bed Friday night, I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m., but thought I probably wouldn't want to race. Only I naturally woke up at 4:58 a.m. and felt pretty awake, and I knew if I did try to go back to sleep I'd just sit there in the dark feeling annoyed at myself for not racing. So I hauled my ass out of bed and got ready.

I ate half a Picky Bar, picked up an iced coffee from McDonald's for the 30 minute drive (this is totally a Lazy American cliche, but I really love the convenience of drive-thrus, especially early in the morning), and hit the 405 to head north to Cypress.

Once I got there, I registered, which took about 5 minutes since the organization was fantastic, then hit the bathroom. There were three real bathrooms by the registration area, and then about 15-20 porta potties near the start line.

I stretched a bit, jogged around for 15 minutes, did my dynamic warm-up routine, ran a couple strides, then hit the bathroom two more times because, ahem, Mexican food (sorry).

I ate a salted caramel Gu and sipped some water since the water station was before the finish line (it was meant for the 10K runners, but they were offering water to everyone before the race). Then I headed to the start line and listened to my psych-up playlist, which includes such gems as Fort Minor's "Remember the Name" and Eminem's "Lose Yourself". Fun story: I listened to this playlist before the first day of the California bar exam.

No corrals, but it was easy to get to the front.

As soon as the race started, I immediately regretted my decision to run with a shirt on. It had been cloudy up until about five minutes before the race started, but the sun had finally broken through the marine layer, and I was HOT.

Mentally, I just wasn't "right" for the whole race. I never felt like I pushed hard enough, but when I tried to get myself to kick it into another gear, I just couldn't find the mental discipline to do so. I almost always start races thinking, "why am I about to do this?" But this time that mentality didn't go away in the first half mile like it normally does.

The course is basically a large square through residential streets of Cypress, and it's all flat, so it wasn't super interesting, but plenty of families came out to watch so there were distractions. I mainly tried to pick people ahead of me to catch up to and then pick new ones.

Extremely sweaty post-race.

I ended up finishing in 24:06, which is 17 seconds off my PR of 23:49. My splits were: (1) 7:31, (2) 7:50, (3) 7:56, (.11) 0:47 (6:53 pace) <--- positive splitting like a champ.

I started the race well and just could not keep it up. I can't possibly blame the heat or the Mexican food or anything else for my failure to PR on Saturday because it was 100% a mental issue. I know that physically a 5K PR is within my ability, and Saturday's race was all about my inability to stay mentally strong in the latter half of the race.

I plan to run several more short course races in the next few months (with Coach Jess's blessing, of course) so that I can focus on the mental aspect of racing. I've definitely been a lot mentally stronger in races in the past, but I haven't raced much in the past year. I think more races can only be a good thing as long as they're shorter and aren't putting me at risk of injury.

One big, shining positive, however: I was first in my age group! I think most of the "fast" runners were running the 10K, but hey, any time you can end up with an age group win, the race can't be a total bust, right?

I hung around to eat a popsicle and cheer on the lead women for the 10K before jogging for 8 minutes or so as a cool-down, then drove home and took a nap.

First woman in the 10K coming in like a boss. Look at that gorgeous stride.

Now, I'm on the hunt for another 5K to try to redeem myself and PR. 

Race Facts

• Parking: Free. I think as long as you arrived 30 minutes before you'd be able to park relatively close to the start line.  
• Course: Loop of closed roads. This is not a scenic route. You're running on neighborhood streets, but it's kind of fun because a lot of families were sitting outside their homes, watching the runners. The 10K runs two loops of the 5K course. I would not personally be a fan of this because the idea of doing a loop and seeing the finish line so close then veering to the right to do the loop all over again would mentally kill me.
• Bathroom situation: Six real bathrooms (three for men, three for women) near the registration/finish line area, and plenty of porta potties near the start. 
• Swag: No medal unless you're doing the race as part of a series of Orange County races. Cotton t-shirt is included in registration price.
• Price: $25 early registration (until roughly two weeks before), $35 "late" registration.
• Corrals: No corrals, but I had no problem situating myself close to the front, and the race takes up about half a city street so it doesn't get too congested if you're towards the front.
• Post-Race Food: Popsicles, bagels, bananas, and water bottles. The race is also part of the City of Cypress Festival, which has a pancake breakfast.

I would 100% recommend the City of Cypress 5K/10K if you're looking for a late July short course race. The organization was superb and the course was flat and fast.

Race Recap: 2015 Surf City Half Marathon

I have waited so long to be able to write a half marathon recap where I had a fantastic race that felt (relatively) good and resulted in a PR that I worked hard to earn. Finally, I can write that recap! YESSSS!

The Surf City Half Marathon was a fantastic race. The course support was stellar, the expo was actually enjoyable to walk through, and the weather ended up being perfect -- sunny but not too hot with no real wind resistance (my biggest concern given that the course is mostly right along the ocean).

We love each other despite our team allegiances.

About that PR? I beat my previous half marathon time by more than six minutes! I ran a 1:52:34, down from 2014's 1:58:46, and considering I didn't run much from April to September of last year, I am extremely pleased with that progress. It was a good day.

Strike that, given the outcome of the Super Bowl, it was a good morning. The evening was... disappointing. Some might say deflating, but I would never take a cheap shot at Sourabh's beloved team. (I was actually classy to the extreme and took the dog for a walk once the Pats clinched the win so that Sourabh could enjoy his team's win without me glowering from my corner of the sofa.) And that's all I'm saying about the Super Bowl, k? Yes, I'm kind of a sore loser, sorry.


Last Week

Let's start with last week's training. I didn't mention in last week's training log, because at the time it didn't even register as significant, but during my final "long" run of 6 miles, I sort of twisted/strained my ankle. An illustration is probably necessary here:

The artistic ability on display is why I'm a lawyer.

It didn't hurt at all during the run or the rest of the day so I didn't think anything of it, but it became noticeable on Monday. I foam rolled the whole right side of my calf, but that actually made the area feel worse on Tuesday. So all running was put on hiatus until the area felt fine. This did not help my confidence at all. Since I'd had to rest a lot of the previous week, I was concerned that my cardio fitness would be affected by my lack of exercise. Thankfully that appears not to have been the case.

Just one more shout out to rest and recovery, guys. This training cycle has really shown me how important they are.


Expo / Saturday

Sourabh and I hit up the "Southern California Lifestyle Expo" (AKA the Surf City Expo) on Saturday morning, arriving around 9:30 a.m. We thought it'd be relatively empty at that hour, but surprisingly the expo was crowded. However, it was well-managed, and we had my bib and t-shirt within five minutes of entering the tent. We browsed a bit then headed home since we had to drive north by noon to meet friends in LA.

We actually hadn't made it up to LA since moving to Orange County, and we both thought we'd make the drive and think, "oh that's easy, why don't we do that more often?" Only we hit random Saturday afternoon traffic and what should have been a 40 minute drive took an hour. Then, after lunch with friends, it took us nearly an hour to get a few miles and find parking.

We were both reppin' our teams on Saturday. I'm actually telling him to act angry for a photo opp here, and he did not oblige. But the picture turned out anyway! Hah.

Sourabh and I both agreed we need to get up to LA more often, but man, that traffic was obnoxious. On the plus side, it was great to see friends and we caught a gorgeous sunset at Perch, which has a great rooftop bar (note: no alcohol for me because it was the day-before-race-day). Also, plenty of rest for my legs!

Race Plan

Given the previous two weeks, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from myself. I thought I could probably hit a 1:55, but wasn't totally sure. The whole week I kept waffling on what my goal was for the race. I had a fueling plan (take a Gu before the race and one during miles 4 and 8) but no pacing plan, just because I wasn't sure what I'd be capable of.

I had a really hard time getting to sleep Saturday because I was so nervous and pumped up (probably a bad idea to put the finishing touches on my playlist before going to bed). I tried to sleep around 10:00 p.m., with a 5:50 a.m. alarm set, but I don't think I fell asleep until after 11:00 p.m. Then I woke up at 4:00 a.m. feeling wide awake. This sounds like a scene from a movie, I know, but I swear I woke up thinking: "1:52. What paces do I need for that?" I grabbed my phone and opened up my pace calculator app. I'd need roughly an 8:30 average pace. "Okay, so I'll try for 8:40's in the first four miles, 8:30's in the second four miles, 8:20's in the third four miles, then I'll drop the hammer for the last mile."

Somehow having that :40's, :30's, :20's, hammer plan in mind made me feel calm and much more confident. Unfortunately it didn't help me sleep and I didn't do more than doze until my alarm went off. Thankfully I had a good night's sleep on Friday so I didn't feel that tired.


Pre-Race

I had a glass of Nuun for extra electrolytes and a Picky Bar at about 6:15 a.m. Sourabh and I headed out fifteen minutes later, found parking and then waited in the extremely long shuttle bus line. I think more parking was necessary, but I can't fault the race organizers for the shuttle bus organization -- they had plenty of buses and they came pretty regularly. I ate a Gu right before I got off the bus. I got a box of the Salted Caramel Gu's for Christmas (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and they've come in handy during this race cycle. I could never stomach the taste of gels on longer runs previously, but I really like the salted caramel flavor.

Once I got to my corral, I had about 10 minutes to sip the random plastic water bottle I'd grabbed from our car and do my dynamic stretches to warm up. It was probably cutting it a bit close and I'd recommend getting to race parking more than an hour before your corral start time for anyone thinking of running this race in the future. I'd give yourself closer to an hour and a half to be safe, especially since it's not cold outside! I think it was in the 50's when we started and heated up to the high 60's by the end of the race.


The Race

Miles 1-4

(1) 8:27
(2) 8:33
(3) 8:36
(4) 8:46 <-- uphill

The course starts in front of the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort and goes north along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) for about three miles before turning east and running into Huntington Beach. It's a residential area, but one side of the street has views toward the San Gabriel Mountains, so I spent most of those miles feeling lucky to be living in California with mountain views. I know, I know. I'm a mountain loving sap.

I felt really strong on these miles, even on the unexpected uphill throughout mile 4. I thought I might be going a bit fast, but I also thought it wasn't so fast as to burn me out, so I stuck with what was working. The first 30 minutes of my playlist had me feeling super pumped and I was lip syncing along as I ran. I took a Gu during mile 4 as we climbed the hill, so it kept me somewhat distracted. I had carried the small water bottle with me, thinking I'd throw it away whenever it felt heavy, but somehow the weight never bothered me so I kept it for most of the race.

The only negative was a slight stitch in my right side that I felt developing. It stayed with me almost the whole race, but I was able to use the tip I got from Carrie to minimize it by exhaling as my left foot hit the ground.

Science behind this: "When you exhale, you use the muscles of your diaphragm. When this happens in unison with your foot striking the ground, the impact forces travel up the body and through your core (your side too) and exacerbate (piss off) the muscles in spasm creating that stitch. When you change the side of the landing forces to the opposite side, the tension causing the stitch releases." (Runner's World)


Miles 5-8

(5) 8:14 <-- downhill
(6) 8:34
(7) 8:37
(8) 8:40

Sometime during mile 5 I passed the 1:55 pacers and never saw them again. That was a nice feeling! Especially in the harder middle miles, knowing I was ahead of the 1:55 pace group kept me moving forward. We also joined with the marathoners around mile 5, but there was never too much congestion.

Around mile 6 we turned back onto the PCH and headed north again, with the beach on one side and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve on the other. It was around mile 7 that running started feeling like work instead of a fun frolic along the beach. This stretch is also pretty rough because you keep running away from the finish line. I wasn't sure exactly when the turnaround point was (yet another strike against me -- I'd read the course map but hadn't committed it to heart and really wish I had) so every time there was a slight incline I'd think "perhaps it's on the other side of this?" and then I'd get over it and be on the decline and see that, nope, it was just another stretch of road.

It was around mile 7 that I was starting to get pretty hot, so I took off my shirt and ran the rest of the race in my sports bra. I'd thought this might happen so I pinned my bib to my shorts so that I could strip down if necessary. I took my last Gu during mile 8, which is also when I started dumping water from the water stations down my back. This was amazing and I highly recommend it.


Miles 9-13.1

(9) 8:30
(10) 8:28
(11) 8:30
(12) 8:40
(13) 8:34
(.19) 7:46 <-- only overran by .09!

These were the miles where my 4:30 a.m. race plan started breaking down. I kept willing my legs to move faster, but somehow all that did was keep me running at the same pace instead of slowing down. There's a hill that lasts about a third of a mile during mile 11 or 12 that felt like a soul crusher.

By miles 12 and 13, when I was going to "drop the hammer", my body was laughing at my plan. Instead, it kept telling me it was a really good idea to walk. This was where my mental game had to kick in, and I kept telling myself I had "only a mile left, you've got this, you're strong, keep going."

That last mile sucked some serious ass. I wanted to be done SO BADLY and yet the course DID NOT END. For some reason they really stick with that whole "13.1" distance...

Funny story about this stretch: for some reason I did the mental math totally wrong around mile eight or nine and thought I was way off from 1:52 (we'll call that "second half of a half marathon brain error"). So I wasn't even looking at my watch until about a quarter mile out from the finish line, when I realized I was going to hit 1:52. I crossed the finish line shocked, elated, and extremely dizzy.

There was a medical tent right at the finish line, and they kindly let me sit down until the dizziness subsided. Something to think about fueling-wise for next time -- perhaps I should have had some kind of sports drink around mile 8? After about five minutes I felt better, so I got up and teetered to receive a medal (they're gorgeous and definitely my new favorite in my collection) and chugged some water.

I love this medal.

Sourabh found me and then we met up with our friend Allie, who also PR'd and ran a 1:51! Allie's watch was telling her she was running 9:xx miles, so she kept trying to run faster. This was either evil or masterful coaching by her watch.

We headed out soon after, so I didn't check out the post-race festivities, but they seemed fun...?


Post-Race Thoughts

I am so happy to have finally run a half marathon where I felt good for most of the race. This race got me so excited to see what I can do in the rest of 2015 with continued solid work and a focus on rest and recovery. My goal is a sub-1:50 half marathon this year, and there's no longer any doubt in my mind that I can make that happen.

For now, I'm focusing on resting my body for the rest of this week. Monday and Tuesday will be entirely rest days. I might do some light activity on Wednesday and some strength on Thursday, but I won't be running until next week.

I do have two hours of indoor cycling to do on Sunday, but it's for an incredibly important cause that I am more than willing to burn out my legs for -- look out for a post on that tomorrow!

Race Recap: 2014 Orange County Turkey Trot 5K

(source)

Yesterday I ran my fourth 5K! The Orange County Turkey Trot 5K had some issues -- it started late because there weren't enough porta-potties or people to check in morning-of registrants. I overheard that it was the first year of the race so it makes sense there would be kinks to iron out. All the volunteers and coordinators were very nice, too. It was a nice and flat out-and-back course with a medal at the end and lots of food and drinks, so I was happy with the race. And... I PR'd so I have nothing to complain about!

PR smiles

I was dreading the race the night before. My parents and I went to see Aziz Ansari (he was fantastic -- really funny and insightful -- and the tickets were only $35, thank you, Orange County!) and we didn't get home till 11:30 p.m., which is after my bedtime on a normal night, let alone the night before a race. I was so tempted to bag the race entirely since my legs felt a bit sore and I knew I was coming off not a lot of sleep. And in all honesty, I wondered if I could hit a similar pace to my July 2013 PR (7:59 avg) and didn't want to run the race at all if I'd be way off. 

But thankfully I didn't give in to my lazier/cowardly urges because the race went fantastically! I PR'd, I got to cheer my dad on through the finish line, and I had my mom and Mason there cheering.

The cheer squad

I hate having much in my stomach for short runs, so all I ate was a tiny end-piece of bread with some almond butter and honey at about 7 a.m., an hour before the start, and a salted caramel Gu right before the start.

The course was an out-and-back that took us around the Irvine Valley College campus. There were quite a few kids running and one of the top 15 was an 8 year-old boy who ran a 19:18! The little girl running a 7:30 pace in front of me was my inspiration for the first two miles.

Irvine Valley Campus includes some pretty farmland that we raced around.

I've written before about the mental side of running, and while I didn't initially want to be running, I just refused to let that affect me mentally once I started. (It helped that it was only a 5K.) I kept my mental game very positive the whole time and focused on the fact that Tuesday I had just run six 800m repeats at a 7:00 pace. I thought of this as a longer version of that workout and it helped me push the pace.

It was a gorgeous day for a 5K.

Splits
(1) 7:44
(2) 7:55 <-- always the hardest mile for me in 5Ks
(3) 7:28

Finish Time -- 23:49

(The race started without much warning so I didn't start my Garmin right away and only have 3 miles of splits.)

"Can't-talk-about-to-puke" snapshot

I nearly threw up after crossing the finish line so I think that's a pretty good sign I ran the last mile hard.

Gear

• Oiselle distance shorts
• My beloved Saucony Kinvara 4's
• Nike dri fit tank and sports bra
• Sparkly Soul thin headband
• Sunglasses I picked up for free from a Sweet'N Low booth two years ago and still feel guilty for wearing because Sweet'N Low is gross but they just work so well for running...

Mason had to be in every picture, obviously.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, Americans! Hope everyone had a great day filled with fun, food, family, and friends.

Race Recap: 2014 NYC Half

I have no idea how to start this recap because two things happened at the NYC Half: (1) I finally broke 2:00 and finished in 1:58:46, and ( 2) I felt absolutely terrible during the race.

So, let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start (name that movie/musical!).

Gear

I wore a Oiselle Lux Layer (does not seem to be on their website anymore), my best-purchase-ever C9 by Champion puffer vest, discontinued Lululemon tights, mittens, a Sparkly Soul headband, and Mizuno Wave Inspires.  

It was "feels like 23 degrees" at the start and was about 31 degrees for most of the race, but other than my face, I felt plenty warm in this outfit. I was on the fence about the Mizuno Wave Inspires for a while after I got them, but this winter I've really started liking them, and they felt great during the race.

Pre-Race

I wasn't able to do any runs the week before the race because I was so busy at work (the shortest day, I billed 12.7 hours) and Jess said to prioritize sleep over getting a run in. However, I was able to manage a 20 minute shake out run Saturday, taking advantage of the gorgeous, spring-like weather.

I woke up at 6:40 AM after sleeping terribly. I had decided to treat the race pretty casually when I saw how busy my week was going to be at work, so I wasn't extremely anxious. I still had that stomach flutter I get for all races, but I wasn't feeling the pressure of great expectations, which helped. I think my nausea had already started a bit, since I wasn't interested in food at all and barely got down 3/4 of a Picky Bar. 

I took a cab to Columbus Circle then jogged to the entrance at 6th Avenue and Central Park South. It was pretty cold out, but since I was moving continually, I didn't notice it as much as I did last year when I waited for 30 minutes in my corral. I met up with Brittany and we jumped in my corral. Brittany had been sick the previous week with strep throat and wasn't so sure about how the race would go, but we wanted to start together at least.

Almost immediately after we'd started chatting, the crowd started moving forward and just a few minutes later we were crossing the start line. "Are we really about to run a half marathon?" Brittany asked. 

Central Park

The new course that NYRR designed meant that we immediately climbed up Cat Hill then continued on the main Central Park loop. I was not a fan of the additional out and back they added at the top of Central Park. We ran out of the Park, along 110th Street up a gradual incline, around the Frederick Douglass statue, then back to where we exited and entered the park to run up Harlem Hill. The out and back just felt so tacked-on and the road was in pretty bad condition. I could easily see people tripping. 

After Harlem Hill, which Brittany and I were both happy to be done with, we saw Sourabh cheering with Mason at 96th Street. Shortly after we saw Fiona cheering -- hey, Fiona! I knew I should try to fuel around then, so I popped a chew in, but I could barely get it down. I had started feeling a bit lightheaded and didn't try to keep eating the chews. 

(1) 9:03

(2) 8:43

(3) 9:04

(4) 9:06

(5) 9:03

(6) 9:00

Midtown

After we exited the park, I got down about 3/4 of a gu between miles 6-7, but that was the last fuel I had. As the race progressed, I just kept getting more and more lightheaded, and I'm sure that was due in part to fueling, but I also felt nauseous and the thought of trying to get down more chews seemed impossible, so I just drank water from several aid stations. 

Thanks for taking this awesome picture, Kim!

We had a great pick-me-up at 52nd Street, seeing Beth, Kim, Allison, Leticia and Bernadette (did I miss anyone??), but after we hit a killer wind running east on 42nd Street, I think Brittany and I both felt like we were over the race. We both started listening to music. Huge thanks to Ke$ha and Pitbull for their fantastic duet, "Timber," which really got me through a tough time. What can I say, I love shitty music when running.

(7) 9:08

(8) 8:52

West Side Highway

By mile 9 or so, Brittany said her legs were just done, so we eventually parted ways. Those West Side Highway miles were the worst because I was feeling incredibly lightheaded. I'm not sure where it came from -- although I'm guessing my fairly sleep-deprived state and inability to take in much fuel had something to do with it -- but from roughly mile 6 or 7 onwards I felt lightheaded and somewhat nauseous. I kept wondering if I might pass out or throw up. I didn't, though, and each time I saw my pace drop too much, I just kept thinking about the people in my life who are going through way worse shit than a race that they chose to run not being perfect. 

(9) 9:08

(10) 9:17

(11) 8:59

(12) 9:16 [<-- I think this mile is messed up because I had overrun the course by .1 until the large buildings in the Financial District and the tunnel, and then my watch said I finished in 13.11; this mile was probably a bit faster]

Finish

Last year, I hated the Battery Park tunnel, since it seems to go on forever. This year, I loved it because it meant we were almost done and it was a bit less cold than the highway. As we emerged, I tried to push with everything I had left, but there just wasn't a ton left. I think the lack of fueling probably really hurt me when it came to that last mile, but I still was able to kick it up a bit.

(13) 8:45

(.1) ?? [tall buildings messed it up, it says 12:00 and there's just no way]

Post-Race

As I crossed the finish line, I stopped my watch and looked down with an "oh, 1:58, cool" shrug. It's funny that something I worked so hard for last year felt good, but not overwhelmingly exciting. It was almost an after thought to the happiness that was no longer having to run. My primary thought was, "where is Sourabh, I need someone to get me out of here because I am too woozy to navigate on my own." 

After walking through the exit chute for what seemed like forever (but let's be honest, it was probably no more than a half mile or so), Sourabh and I were able to meet up. He gave me a big hug and helped guide me to the subway. As soon as we got home, I ate a bowl of cheerios (basic carbs were all I wanted) then slept for two hours.

After a nap and some food, I think I'm happy with my time. I am 99% sure I could run a faster half, especially on a flatter course when it wasn't below freezing and I wasn't sleep-deprived and incapable of fueling, but I have finally reached my goal of going sub-2, and that's pretty damn exciting. 

SO MANY THANK YOU'S to Coach Jess! I have no idea how I would have navigated training for this half marathon and working an increasingly demanding job without her help, giving me guidance on what workouts to prioritize and which would be okay to skip. Jess: you are the best!

Did you run the NYC Half? If so, how did it go? Post your recap here, I want to read it! Super curious about how everyone else's races went. 

Race Recap: 2013 Join the Voices! 5M

First off... happy birthday to my sister, Priyanka!!!

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you! Sending lots of virtual hugs. You're the best!!!

On Sunday, I ran the Join the Voices 5 mile race for the second year in a row. Heading to the park, I was filled with an overwhelming desire to turn around and head home. I really didn't want to run. It was a gross morning (chilly but humid -- 83% -- possibly one of the worst combinations), I'd just run 8 miles with Laura the day before, I didn't think I'd PR from the previous year (8:55 average pace) and worst of all, I was feeling sick.

Still, when you pay as much as you do for NYRR races (this one was $30 I think?), it seems like a waste of money not to run. And yes, for those of you who are criticizing my handle on economic theory, I know that it's a sunk cost since I've already spent the money on the race entry and can't get it back either way, but hush. I didn't major in economics for a reason.

And besides, it was only 5 miles, right? Oh, how the marathon messes with your mind. A year ago I'd never have said "only 5 miles"!

I added a few songs to my 5K race playlist to make it last for the 5 mile race while waiting in my corral. I had gotten there a bit late, so they were just about to sing the national anthem as I finished up my playlist. I popped in my earbuds and we were off!

I didn't look at my Garmin at all in the first mile. I wanted to see what felt comfortable. So when it ticked 1 mile and I saw it was an 8:19 mile, I was kind of shocked. "Okay then, let's go with that," I thought. My goal was suddenly to keep my pace sub-8:30 the whole way.

Of course, the second mile had Cat Hill, which wasn't exactly the best way to keep my pace speedy. I ran a pretty good tangent up the hill to minimize my time climbing and snapped a picture to distract myself. This was the only time I ran a good tangent, by the way... I ended up overrunning the course by .11, which is quite a lot in a 5 mile race.

I kept thinking I must be slowing down a lot because my pace continued to feel fairly comfortable, but my Garmin said I wasn't, so I trusted it, knowing my race pace would be a bit slower because I was clearly going to overrun the course.

In the first three miles, I really never felt uncomfortable. Maybe I should have pushed harder? The fourth mile, though, which included the rolling hills on the west side, definitely felt tough. I tried to "get comfortable with discomfort," and kept repeating positive mantras to myself as I climbed each of the three. I actually think the northernmost hill is the worst because it's fairly gradual but seems to go on forever, so mantras were most important here.

I've mentioned this several times, notably in my 5K PR recap and my post on the mental tricks I used for the Chicago Marathon, but the shift in my mental game has been huge this year. I truly believe that race day performance is at least 50% mental.

In this race, I set tiny goals, like keeping my pace sub-8:30 going up Cat Hill or dropping my pace along the straightaway on the east side of the reservoir. The smaller goals helped keep me focused and distracted me from thoughts like "eek I have the rolling hills to get through still."

Finally, I hit the last mile. My mini goal was to run it sub-8:00 since it's a net downhill, with a finish that went slightly uphill heading east along the 72nd St Transverse. Mission accomplished! I was pretty proud that after four hilly-by-NYC-standards miles I could pull out a sub-8:00 mile. Or maybe it just means I could have pushed harder? The last .11 was sub-7:00, but it's only a tenth of a mile, so who knows how accurate it was. I just know I was sprinting as hard as I could to pass as many people as possible.

I stopped my watch and looked down to see 41:56, a nearly 3 minute PR from last year's 44:50, and a NYRR pace PR of 8:24. YES! Apparently training for a marathon does make you stronger! I guess that means I should thank Coach Jess for those tempo runs and mile repeats she made me do?

As a final note, I really love racing in my Saucony Kinvaras. They feel extremely light without hurting my feet, which is rare for me. I got these shoes for free in May at the FITNESS Magazine Meet & Tweet, but I'll be buying a new pair shortly since I've put a ton of miles on them. I was just looking them up to gauge price point, and it looks like they're $10-20 cheaper on Amazon than elsewhere online. Figured I'd mention this in case anyone needs something to add to their Christmas lists!

RACE STATS

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 41:56

Average Pace: 8:24

Splits: (1) 8:19, (2) 8:27, (3) 8:09, (4) 8:28, (5) 7:53, (.11) 6:13


Did you run a race this weekend? How'd it go?

Race Recap: 2013 Dash to the Finish Line 5K

On the day before the ING New York City Marathon, New York Road Runners holds a 5K that takes you through the streets of Midtown up to Central Park and through the marathon finish line.

As soon as I saw the route, I wanted to run this race. My favorite part of the NYC Half was running through Midtown, and getting to pass under the marathon finish line would be an awesome preview of what so many of my friends would be doing the next day.

The race is a bit expensive ($40 I think?), but when you consider how many major streets are shut down for the race, including part of 42nd Street, I considered it fair.

We were lucky, and after a couple of gloomy days last week, Saturday was gorgeous running weather. High 50s and sunny. I was surprised by how many runners were in long sleeves and tights! I wore shorts and a tee shirt and ended up feeling warm during the race (but I also "run hot").

HUGE thanks to Gianna, who made running the race possible! The only place you could pick up your bib was at the NYC Marathon Expo at Javits Center, which is on the far west side of Midtown, about 4 long avenue blocks from the subway, and the hours were 10 AM - 7 PM Thursday and Friday. Since I work in Midtown East and a typical day runs from 9 AM to 7 or 8 PM, there was no way I could have gotten my bib if not for Gianna. She volunteered to pick it up for me while picking up her own, which was so helpful. Thanks so much, Gianna!

We met up at the start line around 8 AM and chatted about our "race strategies." Neither one of us was out to PR -- I ran my first marathon three weeks ago and she was running NYC the next day, so it would have been a bad idea for either of us to race this.

I decided my goal was going to be to beat my previous New York Road Runners pace PR (an 8:55) and Gianna was using the race as a shakeout run before the marathon.

I think a lot of runners were doing the same thing, since the race was surprisingly crowded. It's a great option if families travel in from out of town to cheer at the marathon and want something fun to do the day before. I saw a lot of people who seemed to be in groups running together.

The race course starts you off right in front of the UN building on the East River. Is it shocking to say that I'd never been there? I've seen it in many movies (notably, the 1966 Batman movie, which was a favorite of mine when I was an oh-so-cool little kid), so it made the start line extra fun.

As soon as we took off, I realized that this was not a race to "race." The course was incredibly packed, despite taking up all of 42nd Street. I think that for a lot of runners visiting from out of town, they use this race as a fun run pre-marathon to check out the city and the sights. Lots of runners had flags painted on their faces (or hanging down their backs) and I saw so many people stopping in the middle of the road to take pictures. I couldn't be annoyed, though, because how can you hate on so much enthusiasm for your city?

This is a race to be enjoyed. You run by iconic sites like the UN building, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall. I loved seeing so many people having fun on the streets of Manhattan.

And of course, the race concludes with the finish line of the NYC Marathon.

I finished in 26:58. Not a PR by a long shot, but I did chop 13 seconds off my NYRR pace PR (from 8:55 to 8:42 average pace). Woot! 

This race is such a fun celebration of running and NYC, and even better, it's one that doesn't require you to train for a marathon! 

Did you run a race this weekend? Do you like races that celebrate the city they're in?

Race Recap: 2013 Chicago Marathon

I'M A MARATHONER!!!

So, with that out of the way...

I didn't take a lot of photos yesterday. Katie managed to snag two of me on the course, which provide a delightful illustration of mile 2 versus mile 21, and we took pictures after the race. But before the race, I was just totally keyed in and for once didn't feel the need to take any picture. I just wanted to start... and was also totally scared of starting. (I may or may not have said "oh f-ck, oh f-ck, oh f-ck" as we got within sight of the start line. May or may not have.)

But once we crossed the start line, I felt ready. I just started in at a roughly 10:15 pace... 15 seconds faster than I'd thought I was going to when I chatted with Jess. We'd decided I'd start at a comfortable pace for the first 10 miles, then shift gears for 10-20, and then see how I felt for the last six. I suggested 10:30 as an optimal pace, based on my injury and my A goal -- that I thought was out of reach, post-hamstring strain -- had been an average 10:00 pace.

My legs didn't actually feel great. My calves were tight and my right piriformis was loudly proclaiming its displeasure with moving. Yet somehow, mentally, I felt fantastic. I started a podcast that I only half-listened to, just using it as conversation to listen to while paying attention to the crowds.

Crowd Support
Oh man, the CROWDS! Chicago deserves a million high fives for the fantastic crowd support. There were maybe three miles in total that didn't have people lining the sides cheering, handing out water, bananas, and even beer.

I'd written my name on my charity team singlet (Lurie Children's Hospital! WOO!), so people kept cheering me on, which was awesome. And I kept yelling "thank you!" with a giant smile on my face. I was running a marathon!

The Amazing Course

2012 map, but don't think it changed (source)

In addition to the fantastic crowd support, the course is just wonderful. It's essentially three large out-and-backs, on different roads, with extra curves. That means spectators can see you at multiple points -- I got to see Sourabh, Katie, my mom, and my aunt six times! (They split up at the end so they could see me multiple times) They were AMAZING. Seeing their faces helped me so much each time.

It was great to be able to split up the course in terms of seeing my cheer squad. I knew I'd see them at miles 2, 13, 17, 21, and 25, and possibly at mile 9/10 as well. Leticia was visiting Chicago and cheering, and I knew she'd be around miles 8-9. I'd start looking out for them for a half mile before the planned area, which was a great distraction. It was so nice to break the marathon into mini chunks, so I just had to get through a few miles before seeing my loved ones. And seriously, I love these people. At mile 21, I shouted "I LOVE YOU GUYS!" at Katie and Sourabh. 21 was my toughest mile, and seeing them then helped so much. I may have been a tad bit emotional.

Fueling
Additionally, I had my miles broken down further by fueling -- 4, 8, 12, 16, and 21. I couldn't find any place that sold Vega gels near me, which I'd used early on for fueling and liked, so I stuck with Honey Stingers, another more natural fueling method. I took four chews at mile 4, five at mile 8, half a Honey Stinger waffle at mile 12, half at mile 16, and a Honey Stinger gel at mile 21.

I also kept Nuun in my handheld and used that for electrolyte replacement, taking roughly a swig or two every mile. Oh, and in the craziest news, I didn't actually stop running the entire time. I ran through the water stops. Jess said I could make a game-time decision based on how I felt, and I somehow just... didn't want to stop running? I can't explain it, but running through the water stops just felt right, so I went with it!


Mile Breakdown
Miles 1-9: Like I said earlier, I didn't feel fantastic legs-wise, but somehow I just tuned that out and focused on the amazing things, like the fact that I was running a marathon. In August 2012, I couldn't run a mile straight. And here I was running a marathon. I smiled at the crowds and enjoyed the loop through Lincoln Park. I had thought I would aim for 10:30 as my comfortable pace, but 10:15ish felt right, so I stuck around that pace.

I'm running a marathon! I'm so happy!

Splits - (1) 8:54 - messed up because of tunnel, not accurate! may be the reason my Garmin was so off on distance, (2) 9:24, (3) 10:39, (4) 10:14, (5) 10:04, (6) 10:16, (7) 10:13, (8) 10:12, (9) 10:15

Miles 10-20: Jess had said to check in with my body and see how I felt at mile 10. If I was up to it, I could bump the pace 20-30 seconds. If I wasn't feeling good, I should lower the pace, since my goal was to have a celebration marathon -- rejoicing in everything that has happened this year (graduation, starting work, taking the bar, running my first marathon).

I still didn't feel great in my legs, but everything else felt good, and I thought I could bump it up a notch, so I increased my pace to the 9:30s-9:40s, and ended up never looking back!

In fact, I missed my family at the 13 mile mark because I'd sped up so much! Before the marathon, I told them I'd definitely be running over 10:00/mile paces, so something like four miles would be 43-44 minutes. As I increased my pace, I didn't even think about the fact that I was speeding up so much that they might miss me! Thankfully, they calculated my splits and realized I was going faster, so they adjusted accordingly for the rest of the planned cheer spots.

At mile 16, I switched from slightly distracting podcasts to loud, bouncy music to give me a boost for the rest of the race. I started with "Lake Shore Drive," by Skip Haynes, about the highway that runs along Lake Michigan and gives you a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline. It's my favorite song about Chicago, and it made me smile even wider for the next few miles.

Splits - (10) 10:02, (11) 9:37, (12) 9:39, (13) 9:34, (14) 9:35, (15) 9:44, (16) 9:53, (17) 9:46, (18) 9:49, (19) 9:34, (20) 9:49

Miles 21-26.2: Ow. I'm so happy that I didn't hit the wall until mile 21, because even then, telling myself it was only 5.2 miles left, less than 50 minutes at the paces I was running, I had a hard time continuing my pace. My legs really started hurting -- not just my piriformis, but my knees, my left quad, my right hamstring, my left hip. Basically everything below my waist was unhappy with me for running a ridiculous distance.

I swear I was smiling and waving at them...

Mile 21 was the slowest of my second half splits, but when I saw Katie and Sourabh near the end of mile 21, it gave me a boost and I picked it up through the end.

I wanted to push for that final 5K, but honestly I just didn't have anything left to go faster. I was able to keep up my pace, but doing so felt like I was actually pushing faster. The final 2 mile straightaway hurt so much, but I knew I was about to finish a marathon. At that point, though, I was more excited to finish than to be a marathoner.

I saw Sourabh and Katie again at mile 25, blew them a kiss, then powered through to the end. Oh, by the way, the biggest hill of the entire course is RIGHT at the end, in the last 1/4 mile leading to the finish line. You go up a ramp then turn left to the finish. OW that hurt.

Because I was running for a charity, my mom and aunt got special wristbands that allowed them to sit in the bleachers by the finish line, so I got to see them right before I crossed the finish.

Splits - (21) 9:57, (22) 9:42, (23) 9:28, (24) 9:34, (25) 9:48, (26) 9:40, (.57) 8:41 pace

Final time -- 4:20:17 <--- data-blogger-escaped-br="" data-blogger-escaped-in="" data-blogger-escaped-shock="" data-blogger-escaped-still=""> The Finish!

Thank you so much to my family, Katie and Sourabh.

And a huge thank you to all the incredible people who I knew were following me online via tracking and Twitter. Every time I passed a trackpad, I got excited thinking of all my friends who I knew would be rooting for me to keep up my pace. It was an additional boost in a race that was already extraordinary. Thank you!!!!!

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Wenatchee River Run

Hi all!

Hope you had a great weekend! I'm a day late with this training recap and race update because I only have a couple days left in Washington, so I'm trying to prioritize family time and sleep over blogging.

I spent the weekend on the "other" side of the Cascades (the east), in Wenatchee and Winthrop, WA. It's really stunning over there, and it was a great weekend with my parents. Even better, I was able to run my dad's first half marathon with him!!

Here's how it went down. After feeling pretty disheartened about my bum hamstring on Friday morning, I ran two miles with only discomfort, no pain. The physical therapist said that was the sign that I could attempt a half marathon with my dad on Saturday, as long as the pain never went above a "1-2" on a 1-10 scale. The PT checked me out post-run and gave me the OK to attempt the half.

As my parents and I headed to Wenatchee, I knew I'd start with my dad, but I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to complete with him. My dad's main goal was to finish, but he was hoping to come in under 2 hours and 30 minutes.

We got to Wenatchee around 7:00 in the evening, after crossing the mountains and seeing a great sunset, and proceeded to a well-rated sushi restaurant, Iwa Sushi and Grill, for pre-race fueling. The restaurant definitely deserved its four-star Yelp -- it was delicious!

My parents and I split the sushi for three dinner, then headed back to the hotel so my dad could do a mile shakeout run and I could log 20 minutes of cycling in the hotel's fitness center.

Saturday morning was the most relaxed pre-race morning I've ever had since the race didn't start until 10:00 AM. We were able to wake up at 8:00! Love small local races with late start times.

We picked up our packets in 5 minutes, then walked around Pybus Public Market until 9:45. The race started by the Market and ended in the heart of the Taste of Wenatchee food festival!

The Public Market has produce stalls, restaurants, and artisan wares; it's similar to Pike Place Market in Seattle, just smaller. It was a fun place to browse, and even better from a racing perspective -- real bathrooms with heat and running water!

About ten minutes before the start, the race coordinator asked everyone to line up at the start line, with those running the 5K and 10K getting in front and those running the half in back.

Can you tell I was a tad bit excited to be running a race with my dad? I took about five million pictures while we ran. Perks of not racing!! I can't wait to run a race with my mom next year -- she's gotten the OK to start running in two weeks from her doctor, after her minor surgery a few weeks ago.

After a megaphone countdown, we were off! I immediately had to hold my dad back as he wanted to run off with the 5K and 10Kers. I've so been there before... you've been waiting for a race, you're rested, and shooting off feels great -- you're easily able to hit that amazing pace! Of course, while that might work in a 5K, it definitely doesn't work in a half marathon, so I reeled him in, and we set off at a more sensible pace.

Have I mentioned that I'll never trust a western race/trail description again? Because I won't. Described as "gently rolling," this course had a LOT of hills. It was pretty similar to Central Park, with some mega inclines leading up to bridges when you crossed the Columbia River. Since it was an out and back that crossed the river four times altogether, there were quite a few steep hills.

Of course, we were running with views like that, and the weather was fantastic -- high 60s to low 70s with a cool breeze off the Columbia River. It got a bit hot near the end, but overall racing conditions were pretty optimal.

My hamstring wasn't 100% by any means, and it never felt comfortable during the race, but since the physical therapist said I could run as long as my hamstring didn't hurt, I was determined to keep going with my dad as long as it felt okay. And thankfully, my hamstring felt okay the whole time!

I was SO proud of how my dad toughed out the course! It was a total elevation gain of roughly 400 feet, compared to 500 for two loops of Central Park, so it was a tough first half marathon.

And to add to the difficulty, the half marathon ended with an uphill over a pedestrian footbridge into Wenatchee. But at least it meant you could sprint downhill to the finish! The finish line area had pretzels, bananas, orange slices, cookies, bagels, twizzlers, gatorade, and water. Quite the spread!

Thumbs-up for River Run Wenatchee!! I would definitely recommend the race, although it's not necessarily PR-friendly because of the hills. It's an awesome local race that doesn't skimp on the post-race festivities. And since Wenatchee gets 300 days of sunshine a year (yep, Eastern Washington is a lot sunnier than Western Washington!), you have a pretty good chance of a sunny race!

After the race, we showered then headed off to Winthrop, a cowboy town two hours north of Wenatchee, nestled in the North Cascades. The drive takes you along the Columbia River, past vineyards and apple orchards.

We had dinner up at the Sun Mountain Lodge, which is perched atop a mountain overlooking the Methow Valley and Cascade Mountains. The views were crazy gorgeous. I'd been to Winthrop before, but never up to the Sun Mountain Lodge, and seeing the area from that vantage point made me appreciate the Methow Valley so much more.

Also, Winthrop is adorable. We had breakfast in town and walked a bit around the downtown, then drove out to see Falls Creek Falls (yes, the name is slightly repetitive, I know). 

Finally, we headed back over the mountains and toward home! Highway 20 is an incredible drive through the Cascades, but unfortunately it was rainy, so we didn't get to see most of the peaks. 

Diablo Lake was still its brilliant turquoise color, though. I've always wondered why it's so green, so I looked it up (the internet is magic): "Ten percent of the glaciers in the lower forty-eight states grind rock into a fine powder that stays suspended in the lake. Light reflecting off those rock particles causes the intense turquoise lake color." (source) Cool, right??

Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week 14

Since I was dealing with a bum hamstring, I did not quite have the ideal peak week of training. I'm not even going to bother posting what my assigned workouts were, since it'll just depress me. Here's what I was able to get done.

Monday: 2.75 miles around Green Lake in Seattle, WA

Hamstring pain got worse instead of better as I tried to log 10 miles around the lake. When I texted Coach Jess about the pain, she texted back that I should stop and not risk straining my hamstring further. Was so bummed that I didn't bother taking a picture of gorgeous Green Lake.

Tuesday: 75 minute gentle yoga class at 8 Limbs Yoga in Seattle, WA.

This class was a great deep stretching class, but unfortunately it just set off my hamstring further. Pain when I stretched confirmed to me I had an injury rather than just tight muscles, though, so... a good thing? At least the class helped me stretch out my oh-so-tight hips and calves!

Wednesday: Rest day / Physical Therapy appointment. 

Thursday: Rest day. Did 3 rounds of physical therapy exercises and walked 2 miles.

Friday: (1) 2 easy miles. (2) 20 minutes easy cycling. + Physical Therapy appointment.

Ran down the street by my house. No pictures, again. Apparently when I'm bummed about pulled muscles, I don't take pictures?

Flushed out legs with a quick cycling session after the four hour drive to Wenatchee. 

Saturday: 13.11 miles in Wenatchee, WA for River Run Half Marathon. 

I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of shocked/amazed at the lack of over-running. How did we manage to pretty much perfectly run the course??

Sunday: 60 minutes moderate cycling (20.5 miles)

I texted friends throughout this ride because sitting on a bike at the gym for an hour is extremely boring. But I did see a gorgeous sunset on my way to the gym, so... it balanced out? 

Total Mileage = 17.86 

Next Week's Training Schedule

Since I have to be extra cautious with this hamstring going forward, this week won't be full of high mileage. Instead, the priority is getting in a long run on healthy legs this Sunday. Here are the workouts Jess has on deck for me: 

• 2 strength workouts

• 1 yoga class

• 2 easy runs (60 minutes each)

• 1 cycling session (class or outside)

• 1 long run (20 miles -- crossing my fingers this goes okay!!)

Of course, in addition to this, I have to keep up with my physical therapy exercises and sleep a lot to make sure my body can heal itself as quickly as possible, to have me at 100% for race day. Which is less than 20 days away! AHH!!

How was your weekend? Have you ever raced with a parent or relative before?