JBLM Half Marathon

I am not known for being spontaneous. I thrive on structure and some may say I over plan. In fact, when it comes to planing for races, I sign up for them months in advance and I study the route map as part of my training. So when I signed up to run a half marathon with one week advance notice I was a bit surprised at myself. At the time I had only been running for a couple weeks after taking three weeks off due to the injury during my last race. Not really a smart choice, but I knew as long as I took it slow I would be fine. Another deal breaker for me signing up was the entry fee being only $25. (Quite the deal considering the fact I have paid twice as much for other half marathons.) The race was being held on an army post and with my husband being in the Air Force, I got a discount.

I knew little about how race day was going to go. The only information given on the website was the time date and place. I always come prepared to any race with my own water and GU, but I would later find out that I should have brought my own Gatorade because none was provided. After getting my race pack and soaking up some sun, it was race time.

 Waiting to start the race.

 Lining up.

Crossing the finish line

This race was full of surprises. During the race I found out that part of it was also on a dirt trail and had steep hills, not idea for someone recovering from knee problems. But I think the biggest surprise for me was finding out I was wearing a 5k bib after I crossed the finish line. I was also disappointed to find that finishers medals were not given. Don't get me wrong. I don't run races for the medals, but I do like collecting them. Other than that I followed my plan to take it slow and just ran to finish. My official time was 2:29:40. 

My next race is The Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon, August 2nd 2014. My goal time is 2:10:00.

Tacoma City Marathon 2014

For those of us who love to run, we get to a point where we want to push our limits. That is the self competitive drive in us. In my case it was running two marathons within two weeks. Not an impossible feat, but definitely a test of my training and ability to recover between races. I made this plan a year in advance and I knew that I would have to put many hours of training to make this happen. Unfortunately though, when you push yourself and finish the last race with a personal record, it can make you think you are capable of more than what your body is willing to give. I would learn this lesson during this race, but not at a complete loss.

One of the best rules for race day is no new anything on race day. No new foods because you don't know how it will make your stomach feel, and no new clothes because you don't know if it will make you chafe. (That is why I never wear that years race shirt for the race.) Another great rule for race day is get to the start area early. This gives you a chance to make sure you are where you need to be, and if you need to use the porta-potty you won't have to wait in a long line. Getting there early can have its disadvantages as well. On this particular race day the weather was cold and wet and we got there almost an hour early, but once the race started I warmed up quickly and the rain was a welcomed comfort.

Waiting in the rain for the race to start. 

Getting ready to start.

This is the part where pushing more than what my body had to give comes in. After the last marathon, two weeks prior, I was having some knee pain. I have never had knee pain in the almost three years of doing distance running therefore I thought nothing of it. I did know I needed to prevent injury so I used KT Tape for added support. (This is a great product by the way) By mile four of the race I was starting to feel a little pain in my knee, nothing major so I pressed on. Around mile ten I was feeling good and took a walk break for some GU and water. At mile sixteen is when my knee had enough. Looking back I realized I made some rookie mistakes that may have contributed to my down fall. This course is mostly down hill and in an effort to run a sub five hour marathon, I though I could speed run the down hill portions to save time. This is not a good idea especially when you have knee issues. Needless to say, I ended up walking (more like limping) most of the last ten miles.     

 Crossing the finish line.

Glad to be done and sporting my fifth marathon medal.

My finish time for this race was 5:21:04. Twenty two minutes past the time that I wanted, but I am actually thankful I finished the race at all. By the end I was in quite a bit of pain. I had to take a three week break from running and cross training and quit a running streak I had going to allow my knee to recover. There is always a silver lining though. Because the Wenatchee Marathon and this marathon were sixteen days apart I was able to qualify for the Marathon Maniacs. I do not have a marathon planed for my near future, but when I do I will be wearing a Marathon Maniacs singlet. 

My next race is the Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon, August 2nd, 2014. My goal is to finish in 2:10:00

Wenatchee Marathon 2014

 The best part about doing a race for the second year in a row is that you know the course. Somehow I find that to be an advantage. If you were focused the year before, and if you didn't 'hit the wall', you remember when every turn is, where every aid station is. This year I also had something to prove. Last year I came short of my goal time by almost an hour. Although I was happy to had finish the race, I was sorely disappointed of my time. Not this year though. Nope. I trained harder, became stronger, and started the race better prepared. I learned from training for the last marathon that cross training is a major key to doing well. This time around, my cross training of choice was a round of Insanity. Also training on routes with more hills helped me build endurance.

Race day came on a cool spring day. It was sunny though, so that meant that the weather would get warm during my run. Learning from the mistakes I made the year before, I made sure this year I had sunblock, a hydration belt, and my own gels. (I'm picky when it comes to flavors.) There is a point on the course, between mile 20 and 23.5, where there is a gap between aid stations. If you have ever been in Eastern Washington in the spring then you know it can get warm. Last year I was not prepared for this gap and heat, so this year I made sure I had plenty of water on me to compensate.

 Waiting for the race to start.

 First time around the loop.

Second time around the loop and making good time.

 Crossing the finish line.

Me and my bling.

My official finish time for the is race was 5:05:59, six minutes short of my goal. I really can't complain much with that time because I pushed hard and I had a fun time. That is really what maters most. Normally I give myself some time to recover after a marathon, but this time I had to jump right back into training because I will be doing this again in two weeks. My next race will be the Tacoma City Marathon, May 4th, 4014. My goal is to finish under five hours.