Half on the 4th (Race Recap)

Colorado Springs, CO
Thursday, July 4
Half Marathon #88
Colorado Half #28
Weather - Sunny and HOT

Seeing a "local" half marathon added for the 4th of July meant we would be running the inaugural Half on the 4th in Colorado Springs. This was yet another race that I had signed up for MONTHS ago, and I vaguely remember it costing in the $35-$45 range, so pretty affordable. My dad offered to drive us down so that he could do a ride on his bike down south AND because he really wanted Dunkin' Donuts. He picked us up at our house at 4:40 (WTH is wrong with me to get up that early on my day OFF?) and then we picked up Hope down the street for the 80ish mile drive down south.

The only email we really got about the race suggested arriving early because there wasn't going to be a ton of available parking. They were right. We got there over an hour to the start and we had to park decently far away. I had to use the bathroom before even picking up our bibs. Pick up was a bit disorganized as you just got your bib and shirt but not a bag (of advertisements) unless you asked for it. Anyway, we headed back to the car to drop our stuff off and get everything ready.

20 minutes before race is supposed to start and I head back to get in the bathroom lines. Race had more participants than I expected and 5 port-o-potties for over 400 runners was really not enough. Of course the RD comes through the line saying "don't worry, we will delay the start and not start without you."

IT IS CHIP TIMED. WE CAN WAIT. Ugh. I knew it was going to be a scorcher and every minute counts, especially since the race didn't start until 7.

The sound system was really poor so we couldn't hear any of the announcements and we did start late, almost 10 minutes. According to the website, the course was going to be a "gradual" downhill on the way out and a "gradual" uphill on the way back. Well. To ME it felt like a gradual uphill both ways.

With aid stations at every single mile (spoiler, they skipped the one at mile 6/7 and only had one at the turnaround) I had been hoping to run between every aid station. I manged to do that for the first 2 miles. Even starting insanely slow, I started cramping (mainly in my left calf) about 1.5 miles in. I hobbled to the aid station at mile 2, but then the walking started. Hope is such a good sport to stay with me, but as we had discussed, her goal was to take it easy during the race since she has back to back runs to do this weekend.

Once we hit the shaded section of the course and my legs started to loosen up a little, I was optimistic that it could be an ok race. However, everything just felt REALLY hard. I had done that horrible barre video two mornings earlier and I think that just trashed my legs. I felt like I was running uphill the whole time and I was just TIRED. I kept stopping to walk and I was thirsty. It was already getting really hot. We saw L when we were somewhere around mile 5.5-6 and were VERY sad that there was no aid station at mile 6.

At the turnaround, a woman told me that she reads my blog, that was fun. I haven't had any blog readers come up to me in a while.

I hated the second half of this race. It really felt like it was never going to end. I did not want to run, I didn't want to be outside. I was just not happy. Everything hurt, it was hot, I was so sweaty and thirsty feeling. My iPhone was taking super foggy pictures because of the heat/moisture in the air:

Still running without a watch, I knew we were going INSANELY slow, but I didn't know HOW slow. Imagine my surprise when we crossed the line at easily one of my slowest half marathons EVER at over 2:50. Womp.

Bib #342
Official Time - 2:51:33
Overall Place - 299/345
Gender Place - 177/213
Division Place - 23/26
MMR - 2:51:34
MMR Distance - 13.46 miles
MMR Pace - 12:45 (womp)
Mile 1 - 11:29
Mile 2 - 11:49
Mile 3 - 13:15
Mile 4 - 12:59
Mile 5 - 11:31
Mile 6 - 12:29
Mile 7 - 12:27
Mile 8 - 12:15
Mile 9 - 13:06
Mile 10 - 13:20
Mile 11 - 13:15
Mile 12 - 13:21
Mile 13 - 13:23
Mile 13.46 - 6:27 (12:26 pace)

This was just the WORST race since that horrible Mother's Day race last month. I don't know what my deal was. But, at least we all looked really cute and festive?

My favorite thing about the picture of the three of us is that I can actually SEE the weight loss! Can you??

We chatted with a friend of ours on the way back to the car, and then we headed to Dunkin' Donuts. I had an absolutely delicious butter pecan iced coffee and a key lime filled donut.

 

Thoughts:

• For an inaugural race, it wasn't too bad. There definitely could have been more potties at the beginning. It was nice having so many aid stations. Gatorade were at all but 2 stations, but ZERO fuel, so bring your own!
• It was 80 degrees when we finished. I always say that races in the summer should start at 6, and of course this was no exception. Especially for the slow pokes, it is just TOO HOT to be out there trying to run in such hot temperatures. Soul crushing, for SURE.
• Back to the same ol' have no clue WTF is wrong with my legs. So tired and fatigued ALL THE TIME. I'm guessing this is permanent, because after 2 years of it being a problem it is gradually getting worse and worse and there is no solution in sight for it.
• I fueled for this race with coffee, an apple and a banana. Two gels on the course and I sorta felt hungry the whole time. Going to DD after was a great idea, and then of course we followed that up with Smashburger. Delicious.
• Next week is my last half marathon until mid-August. I don't think I am going to fill the space in between with anything else. I will still say that I don't think the amount of races I do has anything to do with my fatigue, but I don't have the energy or money to put into racing right now.
• I really WANT to be excited about SOMETHING right now and I'm just not. Nothing sounds fun to run and/or train for. As Heather says, I'm very woe-is-me and bummed right now. Trying to find things to do while A is gone is kinda crappy. Normally I would use this time to go running but I just don't feel like that either.

Castle Rock Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Castle Rock, CO
Saturday, June 29
Half Marathon #87
Colorado Half #27
Weather - Sunny and warm

The inaugural Castle Rock half marathon was going to be the closest race to our house for the weekend, and it also worked out nicely since my sister-in-law was driving up to pick up A and wanted to do a race. L was going to have to head to the race straight from work, so Lisa and I got up at 5:10, leaving around 5:30 for the 45 minute drive to Castle Rock.

There was not a lot of information on the website and I was having some trouble mapping where the race started. Luckily, they had a map of the starting area so I was able to get to the intersection. We parked only a few blocks from the start area. Around 6:15 we walked over to pick up our stuff and I immediately got in the bathroom line. There were only 5 port-o-potties at the start, so it took us a good 15 minutes to get through the line. I saw L in line after I finished and Lisa and I headed back to the car to drop off our stuff and grab what we needed to run.

We ended up walking right up to the start as the gun went off. Of course we were not ready, I had L's headphones and she was still in the bathroom. We started a few minutes late, which was of course no big deal. Lisa ran with me for about 5 minutes until we got to the first hill and then she told me to go on without her.

I really didn't know anything about the course, but everyone I had talked with had said that Castle Rock was pretty hilly. I learned that just about the time I passed the mile 1 marker when we had this ridiculously long uphill climb up past the high school. That's when the walking started.

This is the rock that gives Castle Rock its name

I finally got to the top of the gigantic hill and I was just following the people in front of me. Turns out one of the directional signs had fallen over and there was no volunteer to tells us that only the 5 mile people were supposed to turn... I ended up going a few minutes out of  my way (total) and then had to assume I was going the right way since by this time there was no one in front of me. There was another long gradual uphill until we turned into a neighborhood for the first downhill of the course.

 

The course was pretty confusing between the aid station at mile 4 and when we finally got on the path. For the most part the signs were pretty good, but they should have used darker colors for the markings. With how bright it was, it was hard to see where you were supposed to go.

I stopped to use the bathroom around mile 4 and finally "got my running mojo." I had a lot more energy and ran a lot more. Next aid station was at mile 5, and finally got some Gatorade. It was already feeling REALLY hot out.

Once we were on the bike path it was really pretty. Not especially shaded, which was unfortunate, but at least I was no longer worried about getting lost. Since I hadn't really looked at the course, I didn't know that we were doing a 6.5ish mile loop before heading back. I think I got to mile 6 before the fasties were headed back towards me.

It was definitely a hilly and challenging course. I walked a lot more than I wanted to, but the uphills were pretty steep and they were just trashing my legs.

The views weren't half bad:

L was running with Hope's husband Terry, and I kept wondering when I would see them heading back. I finally saw them when I got to about mile 7.5 and I was pretty surprised I hadn't seen them earlier.

I knew we would be getting to the turnaround soon... and of COURSE there would be another nice uphill before we got there.

Mile 8 was the turnaround and I grabbed a Razz gel and some Gatorade before heading back. I had remembered how uphill the last 2 miles had felt and thought maybe it would be a bit better on the way back.

Well... some sections felt easier, but there was a surprising number of uphills on the way back as well. Hit the aid station at 11.5 (the one that had been the start of the loop at mile 5) and they had run out of Gatorade. Dang. The course finally was getting some shade, but by this point I was really hot, running low on electrolytes and I just wanted to be done.

When I finally saw the rock again, I knew I had to be close:

I was so happy when I saw the marker at mile 12, thinking SURELY I can run the last mile. NO. I could not. My legs were tired and I was hot. That last mile was the longest mile EVER. The finish was a nice .1 UPHILL (of course) and probably my biggest achievement is that I didn't walk across the finish line.

Heading in to the finish

Thanks to the matchy matchy outfits, I spotted Lisa and L right away. Lisa had dropped at the mile 5 aid station and walked the last 1.5 miles back to the start/finish area. She is from Texas and said she was really struggling with not being able to breathe.

We grabbed a bunch of water and had a delicious sausage burrito and chatted with Ross at the finish area before heading out.

Official Time - 2:34:38
Overall Place - 248/299
Division Place - 62/79
MMR - 13.73 miles
MMR Pace - 11:15
Mile 1 - 10:15
Mile 2 - 12:38
Mile 3 - 11:55
Mile 4 - 10:21
Mile 5 - 10:43
Mile 6 - 10:48
Mile 7 - 10:45
Mile 8 - 11:34
Mile 9 - 10:48
Mile 10 - 11:05
Mile 11 - 11:22
Mile 12 - 11:33
Mile 13 - 11:40
Mile 13.73 - 8:48

Thoughts:

• For an inaugural it really wasn't that bad, although:
• 5 bathrooms at the start was not enough. They should have had at least 8-10
• Two aid stations ran out of water (but offered us ice), and at least one ran out of Gatorade - they needed to stock better.
• The shirt is a nice tech tee, but again, with it being unisex sizes, I will never wear it again. Same complaint with other race - please have gender specific shirts so we can wear these again!
• Nice finish line area with plenty of water, fruit and of course, the tasty burritos.
• Very friendly volunteers
• Course could have been marked a bit better - again, darker colors on the signs would have been helpful.
• I walked a LOT during this course, so I was pretty please that I only finished a minute slower than I ran at Slacker (and hypothetically, had I not gone the wrong way or needed the bathroom I would have been faster).
• I really am not a big fan of running in the summer. It is just too hot.
• This wasn't TERRIBLE, so I maybe would run it again, just knowing in advance what a tough course it is I might be better prepared the next time around.
• I ran in my Pure Flows again, and they seemed fine.
• As "slow" as I ran, as much as I walked, as HOT as it was, I did NOT hate running when I got done with this. Progress?

Palo Duro Trail 50K (Race Recap)

Palo Duro, TX
Saturday, October 20
Ultra Marathon #5
Ultra State #2
Weather - COLD at the start - 105 at the finish

Lesley and I started talking about new races to register for MONTHS ago. Palo Duro trail run was one of the ones I thought I could fit into my schedule and wouldn't be too expensive. I might even have booked my airfare (ridiculously cheap $39.80 each way) back in April.

I flew in to Amarillo on Friday morning. It was too expensive to stay in Canyon since I didn't have a roommate so I stayed at a Super 8 near the airport. While I was waiting for it to be time to get my packet, I ran to Target to pick up some drinks and then I came back to the room to take a nap. I'm so old.

I left to go down to Canyon to meet up with Lesley and Libby around 4:45. Took about a half hour to get there. I ended up running into them in the parking lot, which worked out nicely. We grabbed our bibs and then we had our free pasta dinner. I had some pasta with meatballs, a salad, and a piece of some kind of cake. There was a VERY long trail briefing, where I discovered that it would be dark the first hour that we were running. Oh. There was so little information on the website I had not known that and didn't bring my headlamp. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at Wal Mart and bought a $4.88, very poor quality, headlamp. Then I sat around drinking beer out of a can and watched a movie before heading to bed at 10:00.

Race Day

I did NOT sleep well. I somehow pulled something in my neck during the night and woke up barely able to move. I did not allow enough time to stop somewhere on my way down to meet Lesley and Libby at their hotel so we could carpool to Palo Duro. I was there right on time at 5:30 and stole a cinnamon roll out of the lobby while waiting for them. The gates didn't open until 6:00 and there was a line of cars waiting to get in. It was COLD when we parked. REALLY cold. Like I wish I had brought gloves. And maybe pants to wear until the start. We grabbed our stuff and headed to the start area. We set up our drop bags and made a quick trip to the bathroom. And got an awesome pre-race picture: 

Back: Tony and Martin Front: Lesley, Me, Suann, Libby

Before we knew it, it was 10 minutes until go time. We got herded over to the start, and as you can see, it was PRETTY DANG DARK at 7:00 am. Glad I had my poor quality light.

Lesley was running the 50 miler and Libby and I were running the 50K. We lined up more towards the back, and the race started right on time. The first few miles were DARK. Luckily, the pace wasn't too quick and it didn't feel that hard. My hands were really cold, and most of the early miles were spent shaking my hands because they were SO cold. Libby and I ran together for the first couple miles, and then she pulled ahead when I stopped to walk because I couldn't get the valve open on my hydration vest. Stupid cold hands! The sun came out, the headlamp came off.

The first loop was 6 miles, and it was a rough six miles. I just couldn't seem to get a good groove going. I had been hoping to match my performance at Bear Chase, but even running, I was struggling to be under 15 minute miles. What is that???

My stomach started feeling angry, and when I came through the start area, I noticed Libby at the drop bag area and I headed to the bathroom. I was not feeling great when I headed back out for the first of my two 12.5 mile loops. I kept thinking that if I just kept running that I would find my groove and the race would start getting better. It didn't.

My feet hurt, my ankles felt weak, and I overall just felt really fatigued. The temperatures were rising pretty rapidly, and even though I knew I was drinking enough, I felt really dehydrated and my throat was hurting. I arrived at the aid station around mile 9 and saw Lesley heading out toward the start line, she was probably at mile 10.

And then shit got bad. The back... oh, 6-7 miles of the course is all sand/dirt and is completely exposed. The sun and the overall hot was draining the tiny bit of energy I had right out of me. I just couldn't run the way I wanted. I had to keep slowing down and stopping and walking. So demoralizing. At this point I could still sort of enjoy the scenery, it WAS a beautiful course.

This is somewhere around 12 miles in. Already about 65 degrees, although it felt a lot warmer than that.

It was SO hot. And I was just feeling so awful. The exposed part of the course was super tough for me. Then finally once we got to the back side of the course, there was a nice shaded section. Doesn't even look like the same place, does it??

I think it took me 4.5 hours to get back to the start line, maybe 4:45. I saw Libby at the drop bag area (finally caught her!) and she was changing her shoes. I quickly applied some sunscreen and then I headed out. The last lap was a death march. I very briefly considered not even starting the last loop, that's how crappy I felt and how hot it was. I took a few more pictures on the last loop. I did more walking than running. I honestly haven't felt that bad during a race in a long time. Maybe not since the last 10-15 miles of Moab. My legs were just exhausted and the terrain was so packed that every step just ached.

Some steep climbs

About noon, it was already over 90 degrees

It got hotter and hotter. I was drinking a lot of water, but I just felt dehydrated and super tired.

They claim their name was changed to "Two Crazy Bitches"

The "Dos Locos" were very friendly ladies, and thankfully they put some ice in my bra and down my back. It helped cool me down a lot the last 6 miles of the course.

I just had NO energy to keep going, and I walked most of it, until I hit the last mile or so. I stepped it up the best I could, if for no other reason to just GET OUT OF THE SUN.

I was ECSTATIC to see the finish line. It honestly felt like one of those Twilight Zone episodes and I felt like the course was never going to end. But it did. I was a bit sad to cross the finish line and not get a medal, I instead got a hat. Boo.

Official Time - 8:23:44
Official Loop 1 - 1:25:45 (6 miles)
Official Loop 2 - 3:09:09 (12.5 miles)
Official Loop 3 - 3:48:50 (12.5 miles)
Overall Place - 100/139
Division Place - 6/15

Mile 1 - 13:13

Mile 2 - 14:47

Mile 3 - 14:26

Mile 4 - 13:54

Mile 5 - 14:25

Mile 6 - 13:37

Mile 7 - 15:59 

Mile 8 - 15:52

Mile 9 - 15:00

Mile 10 - 15:32

Mile 11 - 14:38

Mile 12 - 13:02

Mile 13 - 16:54

Mile 14 - 15:00

Mile 15 - 15:38

Mile 16 - 14:42

Mile 17 - 15:37

Mile 18 - 15:23

Mile 19 - 17:42

Mile 20 - 16:17

Mile 21 - 17:25

Mile 22 - 18:28

Mile 23 - 20:28

Mile 23.68 - 15:27

and then the POS Garmin stopped. Seriously. Can only last 6 hours?? WTF.

Thanks for the finisher pic, Monica!

I could not believe it when I saw how long it took me to finish this race. Well over 70 minutes longer than my previous worst time. Lesley got a picture of the temperature about an hour after I had been there. It got a LOT hotter.

Finisher!!!

We hung out at the finish line, and I grabbed a burger while waiting for Libby to finish. She came in about 8:39. We met up with Suann and Martin and found out that Lesley was not going to make the cutoff for the 50 miles, but we still didn't know how long she was going to be. We stood at the finisher's chute and cheered runners in. Lesley came through looking GREAT. We sat around at chatted for about a half hour. Then we drove back to Lesley and Libby's hotel and I got my car to drive back to Amarillo. On the way, I stopped and got dinner. Yum.

Thoughts on this race/weekend:

• They REALLY needed to have more information on this race on their website. I went into the race completely blind and even though it probably would not have mattered if would have been more knowledgeable, it would have been nice to know the terrain.
• Hardest race ever. Seriously. I wanted to quit so many times.
• BUMMED to not get a medal after all that. :(
• AWESOME to meet so many of my Texas Twitter friends!
• Really great aid stations. Every single aid station had plenty of food and great volunteers
• No beer post-race was sad.
• THE HOT SUCKS. This was the hottest temperature I have ever run in. SO FREAKING AWFUL.
• Everyone had a rough day, it is my understanding there were a lot of DNF"s. What a bummer.
• Wish the shirt was a technical one so that I could wear it to run in.
• I really didn't enjoy myself the last loop. It was too hot, and I was pretty miserable. If I wouldn't have traveled for this race, I might have dropped out. Yuck.
• I didn't use my iPod. 8+ hours of "running" with no music? While "running" alone? Huh. Impressive.
• THE FLIES. They were everywhere. And they bite!! So annoying and gross.
• I won't run this one again. It didn't feel like a runnable course to me and even though the overall atmosphere was great, it was just not a fun course/experience. Texas weather is too unpredictable. Only plus was no humidity and a slight breeze.