Turquoise Lake Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, May 31
Leadville, CO
Half Marathon #107
Colorado Half #43
Weather - Sunny, warm, rainy, cloudy... everything?

After we had a race cancel on us we were on the hunt for a race to fill our schedule. We had been eyeballing the Turquoise Lake half marathon for a while, and L was kind of enough to register me as a late birthday present. I know I say that I don't really care about course profile, etc., but I have seriously never seen a website with SO LITTLE information.

The night before the race, we got an email that due to some washed out trails, the course would be changed, a lot of it being on the road, and it would "add a bit of distance."

There was nothing about aid station locations so I decided to wear my belt and carry a water bottle, just in case.

The race didn't start until 9, but with 100 miles (2 hours) to drive through the mountains and not being entirely sure where we were going, we decided to leave at 6. Turns out, that was the perfect amount of time. We arrive just after 8:15, and after only one wrong turn, we found the parking area. Upon picking up our bibs and long sleeve unisex cotton shirt, we were told a bit more about the course. Apparently, the "little extra" was going to be closer to three miles. Oh. In MY OPINION, an addition of THREE MILES is substantial enough that they should mention it in the email they send to registrants. Also, we found out there were only going to be three aid stations - at miles 5, 10 and 14. Again, information that might have been helpful the night before. I was worried about not having enough fuel and water, but what was I going to do about it now?

View from packet pick up

The race had not ordered port-o-potties, so there were only the two bathrooms at the start. With about 90 participants, the wait wasn't too bad. We were able to get through the line twice. The race started just a few minutes late, due to last minute race instructions. I of course lined up on the back, and we were off. I had ZERO idea of what to expect, as there was no course map on the website, no elevation chart, and this was the first time the course had changed. Turquoise Lake is just outside Leadville, which has an elevation of around 10,000 feet. The original course description was 7.5 miles of hilly, paved road, with 5.5 miles of single track. We ended up doing about 10 miles on road, and 5.6ish on trails (spoiler, the course measured 15.63 miles for me).

With no idea what to expect, I took it slow and hoped I would finish without running out of water. The hills started about a mile and a half in and some of them were pretty brutal. It was sunny and warm and I did a lot of walking. At one point, I was dead last.

I long ago stopped caring about being fast, but I certainly never want to be last. Luckily, I'm a pretty strong walker, and slowly started passing people around 4 miles in. I did short bouts of jogging, even on the inclines, trying to make up time/distance. A little under an hour in and we finally hit the first aid station. Water, Gatorade, nothing else. I refilled my water bottle and kept going.

Even though we were on the road, there was a lot to see. Creeks, trees, snow, and of course, more mountains. I was moving pretty slow, but didn't care at all. The mountains are pretty magical.

And then...... DOWNHILL!! I was feeling great and really picked up the pace on miles 7-10. I had one mile clock at 8:39(?!?). I passed at least a half dozen people.

Somewhere a few hours in, the clouds came out and we the temperature dropped a bit, which was NICE, and then we had some rain sprinkles for a few minutes, a welcome cool down.

The second aid station was around mile 10. Water, Gatorade and a bowl of fig newtons. Nothing else. The course flattened out for about 3/4 of a mile, before we FINALLY got to head onto the trail. It wasn't super technical, so I wasn't upset about not wearing trail shoes.

We were briefed about a section of trail that would require the use of "logs and ropes" - it wasn't as bad as I thought, but wow, the river was moving pretty quick:

I was thinking the worst would be over in terms of "washed out" trail sections, and enjoyed my views and my beloved trails.

I passed a decent number of folks on the trail section, which was nice. There were some sections of the trail that were flooded over, and one "intersection" where I wasn't even sure I was ON the trail. Those parts could have used some flags, as it turns out that L *did* make a wrong turn, but was lucky enough people behind her caught her before she got too far.

Shoes got a bit muddy

We came off the trail for the last station around mile 14. The last mile and half were on this "beach" area - I passed a few more people that clearly were "done" at mile 13.1... I didn't have a lot left in me, but I made sure to not let myself walk too long, and to jog for a few minutes here and there. I took a TON of pictures though, which I'm sure slowed me down too.

I could tell I was close when I saw volunteers at the top of a big hill. Then we had to run AROUND THE PARKING LOT to the finish. WHY? The course was already long, let us stop right there. And here, is my "finisher" picture from L. Not one of my better ones :D

There was no food at the finish. No water at the finish. So... shortly after that picture, we took off for the 15 minute drive to Leadville so we could buy something to drink at a gas station.

Official Time - 3:14:15
Official Place - 62/93 (YES!!!)

So, I'm glad I took a picture of my "new" Garmin to send to Heather, because apparently, I bought a defective watch. I had had trouble initially setting it up since I already have Garmin Connect for my 405, but finally had it working. I got home and plugged it in to sync, and although the workout had been saved and the watch was charging, it would NOT sync. I kept getting the error message "failed to sync" and "click here for more details." The more details? FAILED TO SYNC. I spent a good amount of time googling how to fix this, and decided to turn off and turn back on, as the only suggestion was that the prongs on the connector might be corroded - which was obviously NOT the case since the watch was brand new out of the box. Basically, the watch completely reset and erased my whole run. I'm bummed, I wanted to see the elevation and mile paces, but oh wells.

Thoughts:

• WTF. Next to zero information about this race, so feel comfortable going in blind with all your supplies.
• The race REALLY should have communicated better about the course and the changes and the additional distance. I ended up being ok, but I'm guessing there were others that didn't fare so well.
• VERY minimal aid stations. I'm guessing the original course only has TWO aid stations, so plan accordingly. BRING YOUR OWN FOOD/GELS. None on course.
• Unisex cotton tee, I'll use as a sleep shirt.
• No medals, but they did have awards for age group finishers, although the awards were long over before I finished.
• Unacceptable that there was no water at the finish. Period.
• On the PLUS side - I honestly loved this race. I love the mountains, I love downhills, I love trails. This had a little of everything for me.
• I would probably run it again, just knowing in advance what I was getting myself into.

Week in Review (May 20 - May 26)

Tuesday - Repeats. Goal - 1 easy, 2 x 1600 @ 9:15, 2 x 800 @ 9:05, 1 easy. Actual - 10:47, 9:17, 9:22, 4:34 (9:08), 4:29 (8:58), 1.15 @ 12:25.
Wednesday - 2ish mile bike ride with A. Abs and stretching/yoga.
Thursday - Got up early to do my tempo run since every attempt at night has been a failure because of time and eating. Goal - 1 mile easy, 5 miles at 10:05, 1 mile easy. So.... not a tempo, but faster than usual and this time I at least got all miles covered. Actual - 11:18, 10:34, 10:34, 10:33, 10:31, 10:16, 1.15 @ 10:51. I'd call that a success. Unrelated to running, we had a tornado warning and the most rain EVER, which made for the worst COMMUTE ever:

Friday - Nada. My boss actually let us leave work early, so I had time to grab a beer with Colleen before going home for the night AND minutes before the down pour started:

Saturday - Long run... So, the goal was 13 miles at 10:47 pace. I was happy with my tank and skirt, but I tried the Orange Mud pack and it was not very comfortable and I spent the entire run messing with us. Also, I had a bit of a hangover and my stomach was pretty unhappy most of the run. But, it was a pretty day and I managed to get 10 miles at a snails pace done (about 12:30 pace, womp).

Sunday - Nothing. Took the kids swimming.
Monday - Had intervals on schedule, and the gym daycare was closed, so I got up early to go running. Goal - 1 mile easy, 4 x 1200 @ 9:10, 1 mile easy. Actual - 10:40, 7:06 (9:27), 6:58 (9:17), 6:54 (9:12), 6:45 (9:00), 1.1 in 11:35 (10:32). So, I would call that a success... The weather was supposed to hold up for the early part of the afternoon, so we took the kids on a 3.5ish mile hike at Lair O' the Bear. PERFECT weather, but super crowded because of the holiday and sunshine.

Weekly Miles Run - 27.40 (10 outside, 17.4 treadmill)

Weekly Cross - Hiking and Biking (1.5+ hours)

Minutes of Strength - 44 (ouch)

Weekly Gain - Sigh.

• Mostly ok.
• Had a fun "potassium" challenge because according to My Fitness Pal, I usually only hit about 50% of my daily recommended potassium levels. Beer, pizza, and cookie butter. Maybe next week.

• Also, I discovered a now yogurt, and it is the best EVER. If you haven't tried it yet, you should.

Everything Else

• Online dating is just as horrid as I remembered. For every guy that claims that women are needy, I swear, these men are ridiculous. Accusations and rude comments for not answering messages fast enough. Insults for certain likes/dislikes in my profile. For real, I don't think I am cut out for this.
• Work is the same, insanely busy. I've been assigned MORE work, which has finally pushed my workload to the point that I cannot comfortably complete it in a day. I tried to approach my boss about it and they all seem to think the work is an anomaly and that it's no big deal. Uh, ok.
• The ex still has not committed to the dates that A will be in Texas this summer. Last time we spoke I told him if he didn't let me know soon, he would have to come here to visit. Summer camps and activities are filling up and I don't want her sitting around doing nothing all summer.

Week in Review (May 13 - May 19)

Tuesday - Six pack burn out video and upper body tabata video. The upper body video takes a LONG time, but I think it is my favorite out of all the ones I have tried.
Wednesday - I had moved my speed work this week so that I would NOT be running right after eating, but due to a dinner reschedule, I had tempo run on a full stomach. Goal - 1 easy, 5 at tempo (10:05), 1 easy. I was pressed for time since I had to get home to watch Hannah, and my stomach hurt a bit. This, shockingly, did not go well. Actual - 11:28, 10:25, 10:33, 10:17 and .75 @ 9:57 for only 4.75 miles total. I hate hate hate hate hate tempo runs SO MUCH.
Thursday - I took the day off from work since it was FIELD DAY!! I took a billion pictures (because it lasted 3.5 hours).

After the kids were done, L and I had a kids-free "early birthday" lunch at Chili's and shared some mini cheesecakes. After dinner, did one of my favorite leg videos - drop it like a squat. Got the kids to join in for the first half or so, that was fun.

Friday - NADA. The other B was in town, so I met her after work at a brewery in Cap Hill for a few beers. No picture, because I suck.
Saturday - Redline Erie half marathon. (According to my plan, I should have been running 8 miles @ 10:37 and official results have my 13.1 @ 10:47, so I guess not too terrible). Met up with Jessa and her son for lunch at Old Chicago, then we took the kids to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman, which was cute.
Sunday - Took an extra rest day... because it was my BIRTHDAY. I had sort of thought about running Colfax marathon, but INSTEAD, I met up with some friends from work and L at Waffle Brothers (the most delicious waffle place EVER) which was ON the marathon course at mile 24. I've never really watched a marathon, but wow, people don't look happy that late in the game. It was a hot day and I think I wouldn't have had a great time. So, instead, eating. The rest of the day was spent shopping (I got a cute dress at LOFT for $9.88) and more eating. Low-key and boring birthday.

My dad actually ordered me an ice cream cake. So cute.

Monday - After dinner A and I went for our first evening bike ride of the year and then 10 minute abs and an upper body workout. I have done the upper body one before and I just don't like it as much as the one that is only 10 minutes longer. I'll have to remember that for next time.

Weekly Miles Run - 17.85 (4.75 treadmill, 13.1 race)
Weekly Cross - I did lots of walking I didn't log, 2 mile bike ride with A
Minutes of Strength - 166

Weekly Loss - Negligible.

• So my game plan for my birthday was to have all my favorite foods, just in moderation. I had a very slight loss from last week and got to eat everything I wanted, so I guess that is a win.
• For REAL, I am going to  make a better effort to #noteatallthethings. I just love food so much :(

Everything Else 

• Mostly nothing. 
• My BIA finally came. Bet you never thought you would see the day. Me neither. Review will come in a few weeks, after I have had a chance to use it.

• I ordered a new hydration system for training this summer. My vest is "OK" - it is comfortable and all, but cleaning it is a giant pain in the ass. So, I picked up the double hydra quiver pack from Orange Mud - review on this will also come in a few weeks. I have a link at the top of my blog if you want to check them out!

• I did, however, set up my online dating stuff again. It's now been a year, so maybe I'm ready? The creepers are still out of course, and I'm appalled at the things men say in a first contact message. No dates lined up yet, but I'm talking to a couple of people.
• Work is the same, we are FINALLY having a "work flow" meeting today to go over what everyone is supposed to be doing since the communication here is so poor. Can't wait. 

Redline Erie Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, May 17
Erie, CO
Half Marathon #106
Colorado Half #42
Weather - Overcast

The Redline Erie half marathon was only added after the race I initially wanted to run ON my birthday was cancelled. Leading up to the race I had TWO nightmares that we missed the race. Why?? This certainly wasn't our first rodeo, I have no idea why I was having this issue.

I glanced through the long-winded email from the race director and scanned for an address, mapping it at 30 minutes away. Also noting that there would not be medals on race day due to a manufacturing issue, but that they would be mailed (this race director ALWAYS seems to have problems, and this is not the first time medals have had to be issues way after the race is done).

The plan was to leave around 6:45, giving us plenty of time to park, get our bibs, navigate around the town fair and use the bathrooms.

The first problem is that we left a few minutes late. Second problem was the address in the email was only for packet pick-up days before the race. We had to go to the race website for the actual RACE address as it was not in the "things-to-know-last-minute-info" email. By the time we did all that driving around, we didn't get to old town Erie until 7:32. With the race starting at 8:00. We had to park about a half mile away because of the street closures, but in and out of the bathroom with no problem. Yet another race where there are no shirts in my size. Ordered a small, smallest size left is a large. WHY WHY WHY. Barely had enough time to slap on sunscreen and pin on my bib before we had to rush back over to the start. One more bathroom stop and we walked up minutes before the start.

Josh (the race director) had lost his voice but was still trying to yell out last minute course information. I couldn't hear him at all and figured - I'm mid to back of the back, I'll figure it out. I had a bottle of water with me since the first aid station wasn't until mile 3.5, even though there were 7 total stops on the course.

Race starts, and it is a bit congested at the start, but I fall into a decent pace and move over to the side and it's not that bad. Then I see the first big hill. I manage to run up the whole thing, but then of course, my legs are tired. I'm walking less than 15 minutes in. Even though it is cool and overcast, I am sweating like a crazy person.

The course was very hilly, and most of it seemed uphill. I vaguely recall miles 1.5-3 being the "best" - but I don't know if I'm remember that accurately.

There were not a lot of runners (maybe 100?) and I was in the back, with only a couple of people to run with. While I enjoy the smaller races on the trails, I hate city races like that. It is like a training run gone wrong. I was hot, tired, and not feeling all that great. The course was hilly, but at least things are finally turning green. I spent the first half of the course chasing a woman, and finally passed her around mile 8.

Various pictures along the course

Not much to say about this race.... I walked a lot. I was tired. I don't feel like I necessarily gave it my "best" effort, but I didn't have it in me to push. Wah.

I somehow passed a half dozen people in the last few miles of the course. L was waiting near the finish line and got an amazing picture of me. HA.

Official Time - 2:21:26
Garmin Time - 2:21:24
Garmin Pace - 10:55 (course measured short, yet again)
Mile 1 - 10:45
Mile 2 - 11:27
Mile 3 - 10:14
Mile 4 - 10:55
Mile 5 - 10:19
Mile 6 - 11:20
Mile 7 - 10:27
Mile 8 - 11:30
Mile 9 - 11:10
Mile 10 - 10:34
Mile 11 - 11:17
Mile 12 - 10:55
Mile 13 - 11:02

Thoughts:

• More information on the race itself would have been nice in the last emails, without having to dig for information. 
• Bummer about the race shirts - I find this INCREDIBLY frustrating at every event where they "run out" of sizes.
• Also, bummer about the medals. I'll  post a picture if one ever gets sent.
• The aid stations were placed well, but there should have been one prior to the 3.5 mile marker. If the sun would have been out, it would have been way too hot to go that long without water.
• Water only at a few of the aid stations, the others had cytomax. No gels, food or snacks at any aid station.
• No timing mat at the start or finish. One of the only organizations that doesn't use timing chips...
• I also don't like that he separates this out into the "men's half marathon" and the "women's half marathon" - that just AGGRAVATES ME.
• Post race food was good. Pizza from Papa John's, apples, bananas, bagels and Noosa yoghurt. Rumor has it there was beer, but I didn't see any.
• No bathrooms on the course, other than one where the trail was under construction and was not provided by the race.
• We had to have a random fair participant move a barricade for us so we could leave. Roads got shut down after we parked. Also annoying.
• I always have issues with Redline races. This is the last of the half marathons he puts on that I hadn't run, and I won't run this one again. 

Week in Review (May 6 - May 12)

Tuesday - Speed work. My nemesis. The goal was somewhat less intimidating than last week, 6 x 800 at 9:05 pace, with a mile warm up and a mile cool down. Actual - 1 mile @ 10:42, .50 @ 9:16, .50 @ 9:12, .50 @ 9:04, .50 @ 8:54, .50 @ 8:50, .50 @ 8:34, 1.30 @ 11:24. First two repeats were a bit slow, but gave me a lot of confidence to get this done. Pleased.
Wednesday - All I had time for was a quick arms video, because tonight was A's theater performance of "Bugz." She was the only kid that had three speaking parts. Bummed I didn't have better seats for it. This was the cutest ever.

A's self portrait with giant, frizzy hair (LOL)

We also had a random hailstorm.

Thursday - I had high hopes for my tempo run after the last one was not the worst ever. Goal - 1 mile easy, 5 miles @ 10:05, 1 mile easy. Actual - 10:48, 10:09, 12:32, 10:36, .15 @ 11:27. So. Basically, this was terrible. My easy mile felt great. The rest, not so much. Combination of "it's hard to run immediately after eating dinner" and "this is way outside my comfort zone" and "my legs are tired and tight and angry." Cut my losses at 4 not-even-close to tempo pace miles.
Friday - Nada. A and I both got haircuts.

Saturday - L is on a new schedule, no longer working overnights. I had 12 miles on schedule and got up early so I wouldn't waste my day getting these done. The first few miles were pretty awful with some GI issues. Then, just the normal issues of being tired, not feeling "right," excuse, excuse, excuse. Got the 12 miles done. Goal was pace of 10:47. Actual was 11:27. Wah.

Sunday - Nada. Mother's Day did not involve a pampered and relaxed day. The weather was crap. Cold, windy and SNOW. Yes, snow. Took the kids to see the Muppet movie, then cooked dinner for the family, having a Mexican fiesta of chicken/bean/cheese enchiladas and chocolate Costco cake.
Monday - More speed work. Goal - 1 mile easy, 12 x 400 @ 8:55, 1 mile easy. Actual - 1.25 @ 10:38, .25 @ 9:00, .25 @ 8:48, .25 @ 8:44, .25 @ 8:36, .25 @ 8:28, .25 @ 8:24, .25 @ 8:20, .25 @ 8:20, .25 @ 8:16, .25 @ 2:01, .25 @ 7:44, .25 @ 7:20, 1.5 @ 10:59. So basically, I killed this. This was not the most awful ever. I wish all speed work was 400's. I also walked for about a half hour on the treadmill at home.

Weekly Miles Run - 27.20 (15.2 treadmill, 12 outside)
Weekly Cross - 35 minutes walking
Minutes of Strength - 20 (Wow. So, I was terrible this week).

Weekly Gain - don't want to talk about it.

• Once again, two days of weekend and eating like a crazy person has done me in.
• I either do it or I don't.

Everything Else

• NOTHING.

Week in Review (April 29 - May 5)

Tuesday - Dun dun dun... first time attempting "speed work" in a hundred years. I pulled up paces based on a recent half marathon time of 2:18 and it gave me times of 9:10 for a 1200 and 9:05 for 800's. Now, at some point in my running life, I was able to run such paces. And I was able to do so for an entire half marathon. I won't lie, these paces terrify me now. I did my mile warm up, and felt pretty good. That is, until I actually started the speed work. On schedule - 2 x 1200 @ 9:10, 4 x 800 @ 9:05. What I managed to pull out was NOTHING close to that: 1 mile @ 10:59, .60 @ 9:20, .25 @ 9:52, .25 @ 9:32, .25@ 9:16, .35 @ 9:03, .30 @ 9:00, .35 @ 9:37, .25 @ 7:52, .50 @ 9:12, 1 mile @ 11:45 (with first 90 seconds walking). So basically, I was able to do one 800 sort of close to pace, that's it. I'm trying not to beat myself up over it, I haven't done speed work in a LONG time, and the whole point of this program is to improve my running so I can have a great race in NYC.
Wednesday - Walked a bit on the treadmill during lunch and tried the new abs video. I am amazed how taking just a little time off from doing core work makes it SO HARD again. After work, went to BodyPump. I'm killing the cross training part of my training!
Thursday - DUN DUN DUN (again). First TEMPO run in ages. I was actually dreading this more than the repeats, and was sort of surprised that while it was HARD, it was not AS BAD as I thought/expected. Goal - 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ 10:05, 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ 10:05, 1 mile easy. Actual - 1 mile @ 10:53, 10:07, 9:57, 1 mile @ 11:17, 10:06, 9:53, 1 mile @ 10:55. So... pretty decent!
Friday - Nada. Ate pizza. Drank some beer.
Saturday - Runs With Scissors half marathon. This was dismal. I was tired from the beginning. Maybe I need two rest days after a tempo run for a decent race? I forgot to look what the goal pace was, but I think it was around 10:55? I was closer to 11:35. Wah. A and I spent the remainder of the day at another BBQ.

Sunday - Lower body sculpting video.
Monday - Upper body superset with cardio. This one is ok, although when I selected it, I stopped reading at superset and didn't realize there were minute long cardio intervals. At least there were no jump squats? Then I did the abs video again. A joined me for a bit, which was mildly hilarious.

Weekly Miles Run - 25.21 (12.1 treadmill, 13.11 racing)
Weekly Cross Training - A bit of walking on the treadmill, nothing exciting
Minutes of Strength - 161

Weekly Gain - 0.8 pounds

• And with that weigh-in I am officially at the highest weight I have been in a year.
• Clearly, I am not putting in the effort, it just seems crazy how easy it comes back, and how hard it seems to lose it?
• The other day I finally started tracking again, which is the Worst, but it worked for me the first time around, so I guess I have to do it if I truly care.

Everything Else 

• My friend that is going to NYC with me so I can bring A and I have decided to add a day to our trip. We are going all the way out there, we might as well see everything we can. We will be going out the Wednesday before and coming back the Monday after the marathon. Hotels are booked, I'm just eyeballing airfare for now.
• Related: I AM THE MOST EXCITED EVER FOR NYC.
• Related: A week into the training program and I think it will be a good fit. I think I have a good schedule going, and I'm excited to see where it will take me. 
• Related: Hearing about my friend Elizabeth PR'ing the shit out of a half marathon this weekend makes me sort of want to work towards getting some of my "speed" back. But then I remember how hard running fast is, so nevermind. 
• Work is still really busy and I'm still doing 95% of the support work. WTF. At this point, I don't even bother complaining because I'm at least busy. But really, WHAT DOES SHE DO ALL DAY???
• Nothing else. Nothing nothing nothing.

Runs With Scissors Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, May 3
Brighton, CO
Half Marathon #105
Colorado Half #41
Weather - Sunny and warm

I somehow found the Runs With Scissors half marathon when I was looking for an ultra marathon. There wasn't too much information on the race, but obviously, we had to run it. A very affordable opening registration fee of $40, but by the time I signed up it was $50 (still very reasonable).

The race director, William Morton, had a basic, yet informative website set up, and sent out pre-race emails that were humorous and informative. As per the norm, I had not bothered to read much about the race itself, so when L told me the course was 10 1.31 mile loops I was not exactly surprised.

The week of the race we had been having a cold front, with 4-5 very windy and chilly days (highs in the low 50's). Of course, by the time race day rolled around, it was warmer than that when we left the house just before 6:00. The race started near the Adams County Fairgrounds, and we made excellent time getting there. We walked over to the pavilion to get our bibs and found out we had already won door prizes. The RD had also made name tags for our backs so we could "cheer people on" -- best race ever!! We moved our car closer to the starting line, cycled through the bathroom line twice, and spent the time leading up to the start chatting with Ross about our upcoming races.

Pre-race picture

Race started on time, at 7:00. It was already sunny, and hot. My legs were tired from the beginning on what was promised to be a "flat" course for Colorado. It WAS mostly flat, although arguably, it felt uphill to me at the start of every loop. As soon as we crossed the entrance to the parking lot, we were on some packed dirt "trail" -

For about 3/4 of a mile, and got to run by some pretty trees:

And then about a half mile on pavement...

 With NOT the worst view I have ever seen on a loop course:

Before heading back out for about .20 on dirt to get back to the aid station. I had brought my own little handheld, but I left it under the pavilion after the first loop because I was already tired of carrying it. They did have cups of water and two flavors of Gatorade (lemon-lime and orange) available.

Back to the race. I have not had a good race in a while, and with this being a loop course, I had a goal of running the entire loop, every time, and just walking the aid station. WHICH, I did. Of course, I spent a LONG time at the aid station every time, and I also walked longer than I usually do.

So... how did this go? Not well. As I said, the course "felt" uphill and I was tired from the beginning. I had quite a bit of the weird numbness in my feet (AGAIN) and my left food ached a bit in the later loops across the top of my foot. I'M FALLING APART. My calves felt a bit tight, but not to the point where it should have been an issue. Maybe I was just tired from finally putting speed work back into my training? I really should take two days off before races. Anyway...

L passed me the first time (yes, she passed me twice) when I was finishing up my fourth loop. I wasn't surprised. She passed me the second time when I was finishing up my 8th loop. I can't remember if she took this picture of me hydrating at the end of the 8th or 9th loop...

She decided to run with me for my final loop, and man, I was TIRED. It was nice to have the company though.

DEAD at the end - can you tell? (LOL)

Official Time - 2:32:02 (womp)
Garmin Time - 2:31:59
Garmin Distance - 13.11
Garmin Pace - 11:36
Mile 1 - 10:30
Mile 2 - 11:57
Mile 3 - 12:06
Mile 4 - 11:07
Mile 5 - 10:49
Mile 6 - 11:42
Mile 7 - 12:06
Mile 8 - 13:00 (bathroom)
Mile 9 - 10:32
Mile 10 - 12:03
Mile 11 - 11:49
Mile 12 - 12:04
Mile 13 - 11:00
Mile 13.1 - 11:27

Since there were only 9 runners in the half, I was third overall, and 2nd female, over 30 minutes slower than L. L got a coffee mug for winning and I got a blanket. I LOVE PRIZES!!!

We of course had to pose with the giant scissors when it was all over:

We stuck around to see how Ross did, and he finished only a few minutes after us. There was tons of food at the finish, candy, fruit, and PIES. An unbelievable spread for a small race! Literally, tables of food.

In addition to the coolest medal ever, we got a pint glass and a beanie for finishing:

Thoughts:

• I really don't mind loop courses, but keep in mind, that's what this is. 
• The course measured dead on, which I always appreciate.
• There were plenty of bathrooms on the course.
• The main aid station was very well stocked, friendly and helpful volunteers.
• Even though there were less than 30 participants across the distances (half marathon, marathon and 50k), the course was not crowded and yet, there were always people in my line of sight.
• The race director was AWESOME. I really enjoyed talking with both him and his wife. It was obvious that he was a runner, as he really thought of everything.
• Unique swag - the medal ranks in my top 5 favorites.
• I would recommend this race for sure.

Week in Review (April 22 to April 28)

Tuesday - NOTHING. Me and A watched Full House reruns and ate some Easter candy. It was Great.
Wednesday - Lunch run on the treadmill in my building. 1.25 miles flat and 2.75 miles of hills. This was pretty terrible. Pace felt ok-ish, but my feet kept going numb. I haven't had that problem in a while, but it HURTS. Headed to the gym after work, 10 minutes on the bike before class. Then an hour in BodyPump. I really really really do not like this BodyPump release. The back track is just dumb.
Thursday - Total Body Toning and HIIT workout during lunch. I really like this one, with the exception of the jump squats at the end. Went to the gym after dinner and struggled through 3.75 miles at what should have been an "easy" pace. I spent half the time texting Heather how miserable I was and how my NYC training was going to be an epic fail. Horrible.
Friday - NOTHING.
Saturday - A's school hosted their annual 5k Firebird Family Fun Run!! This year, we all made it out. My dad walked, L ran with H for her first 5k, and I ran with A. The first part of the course was up a decent hill, but it was pretty much all downhill after the first mile. A paced mostly ok, and ran with a small handheld the whole time, which she ended up finished after about 2 miles. This was the best she run (attitude and pace-wise) in all the races we have done together. The course measured a tad short (but mapping on a city map should have been accurate for a 5k) - so I'm counting this as her new PR!

After the race, we rode our bikes back to the school for the bike rodeo, where we got both our bikes checked for safety issues, learned hand signals, etc. A pretty good tine, with the exception of all the kids :D Did some shopping in the afternoon, which led to this cool Lego set that A and I put together after dinner.

Sunday - Got up early to go to Heather's house (obviously not my BFF Heather, my run club friend Heather) for her annual post-race party for the Cherry Creak Sneak (a pretty big race that runs near her house). We didn't run, but we were happy to head over for some socialization, food and beer. The weather was pretty crappy (rainy and windy), so I was happy to skip the actual running part.

After lunch we took the kids to the rec center for swimming. After dinner, I started day 1 of my official NYC training program! Cross-train day, so I did Lower Body Toning - 56 minute butt and thigh tabata workout. I really like this one. 8 sets of flutterkicks is so hard!
Monday - Another cross-training day. During lunch I hit the elliptical for 20 minutes and did 8 minute abs. After dinner, I did an upper body tabata workout for an hour.

Weekly Miles Run - 10.85 (7.75 treadmill, 3.1 race) - lowest mileage week, um, pretty much ever. I have been struggling pretty much since I quit the streak with finding a good run workout and pace. I've been tired and just not into it. So, since this was the first week before I start "training," I decided not to push it and didn't run, because I didn't feel like it.
Weekly Cross Training - 10 minutes bike (plus maybe a few miles with A on Saturday that I didn't track/log), 20 minutes elliptical
Minutes of Strength - 218

Weekly Loss - 0.2 pounds

• I'm trying to watch, but trying not to obsess... how did this go so smoothly last year?
• Beer consumption was a bit up this weekend.
• Yogurtland consumption was down, I only went one time last week.
• Only one donut this week! (But I did have some delicious chocolate chip pumpkin bread)
• Thanks to a crazy sale at Target, it looks like I will be going back to the Lean Cuisine's at work for a while. 98 cents for a lunch is pretty unbeatable, although they aren't especially satisfying.

Everything Else 

• Brace yourself!! Last week, I sat down and created my TRAINING PROGRAM for NYC marathon! As I have said in passing, I would love to have a great race, and I'm going to be shooting for a ridiculously fast time for ME, and HOPEFULLY a marathon PR. My training is going to be based off the RLRF program that I have used in the fast - which means 1 day of speed work, 1 tempo run, and 1 long run, with 2-3 days of cross-training. I've nailed the first 2 days (no, I haven't done a run yet... the paces are pretty intimidating). Basically, I am doing the full 16 weeks of marathon training, and then to ease in the higher mileage, I'm doing 11ish weeks of a half marathon program - which really, is pretty much the same as the marathon program, with shorter long runs. Anyway, should be "fun."
• Work is still really busy, and I am still butting heads with the other legal assistant. I use the term "assistant" loosely, because I for REAL cannot figure out what she actually does all day. Every week she seems to be doing less and less, and I end up doing more as a result, which is obviously annoying.
• I have been trying to make an honest effort to get out of the house and socialize with people other than L at least once a week. So far, so good. I have another BBQ planned with my work friends this weekend, as we are supposed to have highs near 80!
• Annoyance of the week - tried to do the new iOS update for my phone, and for some reason, it made me restore my phone, which took OVER THREE HOURS. Grrrr.
• Nothing else, obviously.