2011 Races in Review

Well, I guess it's that time to look back at how things went this year.  After studious calculations (thanks DailyMile!), I can say I ran at least 307 miles this year.  :-)  Not bad.  Not great, but not bad.  My best month was January 2011 when training for Disney's Princess Half Marathon really kicked into gear (57 miles).  My worst months were March and April (5 miles each).  LOL!  At least I did something those months!

The big accomplishment was running my first and second half marathons!  I never thought I could do it!  I didn't think I could run a 5k, let alone a half marathon.  Who knew I was capable of it?  Besides my friends?  ;-)

I finished in 3:21:11.  Honestly, my goal was to finish.  I had no aspirations of a fast time or anything.  I just wanted to finish.  And I did!  Though I will tell you, anything after mile 10 was torture!  All I could think of was "isn't this OVER yet???"  But, I ran the whole thing and I crossed the finish line!  There isn't much better than that!

March found us in Baltimore for the Kelly St. Patrick's Day 5k.  I love this race!  Maybe because I start at the back and the two coolest things happen at the very beginning of the race: the race actually kicks off the St. Patrick's Day parade so there are TONS of people there cheering you on as you start.  It's a fabulous feeling! The second is the race starts on the top of a hill and as you descend the hill you see all the people in front of you...all wearing green.  It is truly an amazing sight!  I did well on this one this year.  A sub-40 minute 5k!!!  I was very pleased with a 39:36 time.  Woohoo!

Afterwards, we went to the James Joyce Tavern with our friend Ada who also ran and her friends from the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club.  They are such great people!  We all had a fabulous afternoon and tons of people from the race were there, so it was almost like a post-race party!

May saw us try a new race, the Preakness 5k in Maryland.  It looked like such a great idea - run around the track the horses run.  It was a great idea until you actually ran on the sand.  Then it was one of the dumbest things I've ever done.  LOL!  But, I will say, they did a fabulous job of keeping the theme.  Each runner received a bib with a racing horse name:

We started the race running through the gates the horses like up in and start.  I thought that was cool.  It was a bit congested, but it was cool.

We ran the course, which they said they made easier to run on.  Bah!  It was like running at the beach in the sand before the wet sand.  Not fun at all!

But, overall, one of those races that you say that was a neat experience.  I'm not sure I would do it again.  The sand really messed with me.  It was a flat course, I will give it that.  And the shirts were spiffy, plus you had the option of a shirt or a fleece blanket.  We went shirts each, but decided to buy a blanket because they were pretty cool.  :-)

June found me trying a duathlon and failing miserably.  I tried, but I just wasn't prepared for it.  I am slightly disappointed and may try another to redeem myself, but I'm not sure.  It was an interesting experience, but one that has left some scars.

The second half of June found me back in Baltimore for my third Baltimore Women's Classic.  This was my very first 5k ever and I like coming back to this race.  They have a nice shirt, a great goody bag, and is the 2nd largest women's only race in the country.  If you are in the area, I highly recommend this race to any women of any athletic ability.  It's just an all-around great race.

July found us up in Harrisburg for the Harrisburg Mile.  It's a one mile run down Front Street that we've done several times and enjoyed.  This year I was not happy.  I hadn't run since the Women's Classic and didn't have the best run, but they had switched the clock over before I finished for the next heat and I had no idea how long it took me.  This is the first time in all the year's I've run it that that's happened.  I was not happy at all.  Actually, I was pretty ticked.  I'm not sure if I will do it again unless I can come in under 10 minutes and the chances of that happening....

Hubby, myself, and our friend Jim

And then there is a race drought until November.  LOL!  I was so concerned with getting my long runs in that I didn't want to run any short runs and mess that up.  So, from July to November was a barren waste land of races.

Then we come to November!  Time for my second half marathon - the Philadelphia Half Marathon.  I was rocking this race from miles 1 through 9.  The time was flying by and each mile marker was a shock at how fast they were coming.  Then I hit mile 9 and the awful, awful hill that existed between mile 9 and 10.  I got myself back at it for miles 10 and 11, but I hit the wall HARD at mile 12.  I just wanted it to be over.  And of course it wasn't.  Bah!  But, I got through it and finished the entire race!  And I PRed, which isn't half bad - 3:16:43.  :-) 

And my last run of 2011 happened last weekend at the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler in Baltimore.  It was a rough course, a good portion of it uphill, but it made for a feeling of accomplishment at the end.  Hubby told me it was part of the Dreaded Druid Hills course and when he said that I decided I didn't need to do that race.  LOL!  I PRed on this race, which made me very happy - 1:05:45.  They had a great post-race party with mulled wassail wine and amazing cookies!  What a way to wrap up a race.  :-)  

So, not a bad 2011 on the racing front - ran my first two half marathons and set a 5 mile PR.  I enjoyed the new races we threw in there this year and going back to some races because they are just darn good!  I'm working on what to focus on in 2012.  There's so much I could throw out there as goals, but I want to make sure they are reasonable and attainable.  Nothing like setting yourself up for failure.  ;-)

I won't be able to do any New Year's races this year (though I would love to!), so if you are doing one, let me know how it goes! 

Harrisburg Mile Race Report

On Wednesday, July 20th, the hubby and I participated the Harrisburg Mile.  This was our fourth running of it and it is exactly as it sounds, a one mile race.  And let me tell you, at this time of year, one mile is all I can take!  The temperatures yesterday hit approximately 98 degrees with a heat index of over 100.  At race time, the temps were to be 91 with heat index of 98.  I believe it.  Oddly enough, it seems that this week is always the hottest of the summer.  I'm not sure what the organizers of the Mile did to tick off the powers that be, but man, enough already!

Anyway...enough about the heat that can kill.  Hubby and I are officially now in different age groups, so his heat went off at 7:15 p.m.  He had a goal of a sub-6 minute finish.  I would tell you how he did, but he can do it so much better.  My heat went off at 7:25 p.m.  It is a very competitive race.  People run mid-4 minute miles to finish.  Craziness.  Anyway, I headed out when the bullhorn went off and as predicted, back of the pack and fading fast.  LOL!  Honestly though, I finish last every year.  I'm ok with that.  I figure someone has to be last and since I'll never run those types of times, I'm ok with it.

I hit the quarter mile mark much faster than I thought I would....or at least it came up faster than I remember from past races.  I had Garmie on, but apparently I hit the wrong button and the time didn't start.  I did have MPH going and at one point I was at 7.8.  ROFLOL!  Yea, that could be how I came up on the 1/4 mile marker so fast.

As I came up to the half mile marker, I was pleasantly surprised to see I was at exactly 6 minutes.  I was still in last, but having not run in 6 weeks and all my running for the past year has been for distance, I was impressed with my 6 minute half mile.  I will admit though that the race was kicking my butt.  (Prefacing this with a please don't worry about the next sentence) I was having a hard time getting air in.  With the excessive heat advisory and air quality advisory in full force, I believe this is what they were talking about.  I did feel better in the second half of the mile, but I also slowed down.  Bah.

As I came up to the 3/4 mile marker, the person with the stop watch was chatting with someone.  I yelled out "Time?"  To which I was told she had already stopped the watch for the next heat.  This made me exceedingly mad.  I have done this race three years now and never once had that happened.  And she was snotty about it.  Like I was taking her away from her precious conversation.  Grrr...

But what made me even angrier was a few feet past there, some random guy came over and asked if he could run with me.  Uhhhh...ok?  He then proceeded to tell me that I was in last.  Yup. Got it.  That with my projected time, I was going to finish slower than him.  Yup. I'm a slow runner. (ass)  I then proceeded to share with him I've run a half marathon.  I run distance, not speed.  That shut him up pretty quickly. He shortly left me.

At this point I could see the beer tent and finish line.  I had nothing in me to sprint, unlike last year when I sprinted to the finish line.  I just kept going.  Had some cheers from the crowd and then it happened.  I looked to the timing clock.  And it had reset for the next heat.  It had never done that before.  I was ticked.  I finished my race, but was so upset over the clock having be reset that I never really looked at it after that.  I finished the race with only one person at the finish line congratulating me.  Which is a departure from previous years when no matter how last I was there were plenty of people there saying great job.

Hubby is always looking out for me.  He walked up to me with a nice cold bottle of water.  Oh thank heavens!  I say this because last year, when I finished (with many heats still left to run) there was no water. And when I asked about it, I was told very snottily that I should just use the water in the ice bucket.  Apparently, there must be snotty people volunteering at this event.  Ugh.

We met up with our friend Jim who introduced us to the Mile several years ago.  This was his first running in several years due to asthma issues.  He also did great! He has a 10 minute goal and smashed it coming in in the 9's.  Then it was off to the beer tent!  The best part of the race is the beer tent.  I'm not going to lie.  After running in 98ish heat, a cold beer is necessary.  :-) 

So, here's my honesty for ya.  I'm slightly annoyed with the race.  I paid my registration fee and yet when I crossed the finish line I had a vastly different experience than those who finished earlier.  I do not like feeling like a second class runner because I am not fast.  I run just as hard (for me) as they did and I deserve to be treated the same.  If this race is only for those who can run a sub-10 minute mile, then there should be something on the website stating that.  And I would be ok with that.  I can either train to run a sub-10 mile or I don't run. It then becomes MY choice.  Instead, they welcome all runners, but treat those who cannot run under 10 minutes with less courtesy.

I'll leave you with something more positive than my race opinion - the sun setting over the Susquehanna River.