Marathon #5-The Outer Banks

November 13, 2015November 12, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Race Recap

After deciding a few weeks ago I would run the Outer Banks Marathon, race day had finally arrived. It would be my second marathon in three weeks. My body felt strong, rested, and ready-to-go. I woke up around 0400 hrs, to have breakfast. I had a protein shake and went back to bed until 0530 hrs. I woke up meandered around the hotel room and finally got dressed for the race.

When I stepped outside I was immediately hit by a constant forceful wind. I walked down to the beach and the waves had to be 6-7 feet high and rolling in! The wind would be at my back most of the race so I actually welcomed it, the temperature was in the upper 50’s. The weather wasn’t as good for running as it was in Baltimore a few weeks ago, but it was much better than it had been the day before.
I drove to the parking lot where the shuttle would pick me up and take me to the start, as I walked towards the bus I saw Jim and his wife Suzanne. We rode to the start line together, chatted a bit when we arrived, and then made our way to our starting corrals; Jim and I were both in Corral A. Jim started further up in the corral and I started towards the back, I wanted to make sure I followed my plan of starting out slowly. The race started right on time at 0720 hrs., the first mile I think my Garmin had a hard time picking up satellites. It was telling me I was running a 10:30 pace but I knew I was much faster than that, when I reached the mile marker it beeped and displayed a 9 minute mile. I was right where I wanted to be, now I just needed to hold that pace and wait to speed up later in the race.

My calf was tight and bothering me a bit, the tightness had gone away in previous runs but it was sticking with me now. It wasn’t enough to worry me yet, but knew I needed to listen to my body. Through mile 4 I was keeping my pace at 9 mins, I wanted to speed up and it took a lot for me to hold back. Somewhere in mile 5 my back spasmed, it caused me to jump up and threw my stride off. It only lasted a second or two, that had never happened to me before while running. The pain didn’t last and I kept going making sure to refueled with a blok.

The course support was excellent at almost every mile marker there was a water station, bathrooms, and a med tent. The course support was some of the best I had seen. Along the first seven miles there were lots of spectators as we ran through the neighborhoods, my only complaint would be the winding course. It was hard to figure out the tangents, but a little extra never hurt anyone right? Halfway through mile 7 my stomach was starting to feel uneasy. I was wondering if I could make it the whole race without stopping, nope, I made it to mile 10 and stopped to use the bathroom. I wasn’t to concerned about losing time.

After my bathroom break it was into the woods. Miles 10-13 were on the trail, any of you who know me, know I do not enjoy trail running. I didn’t realize there was a trail portion when I looked at the course map. The trail was uneven and hilly, like any trail usually is. My stride changed and I slowed down to around an 11 min pace. I could feel my IT band getting tight as I was using different muscles in my stride to stabilize. It seemed like I was on that trail for much longer than I was; I was very happy to see pavement again at mile 13.

As I hit the asphalt, I tried to get my stride and strike back. Normally I am a toe to mid-foot striker, but through the trail I was running on my heels more. I tried getting back to mid-foot striking but my calves were tired and I couldn’t stay ‘up’. I knew I was going to have to adjust my stride for the rest of the race. The rest of the race I was striking heel first, which made it feel like the shock of hitting the pavement was reverberating through my body. My pace fell off a bit but I was still around 9 mins.

I was making sure to take bloks more frequently than I have in past races to hopefully keep some glycogen in my body for later in the race. I had to make another bathroom stop at mile 16, my stomach didn’t want to cooperate with me today. After the second unexpected pit stop, I noticed I was starting to chaff under my arms and it was starting to bother me. I decided at the next med tent I would get some vaseline. Mile 17 nor 18 had a med tent, finally at mile 19 there was a med tent and it felt so good to put the vaseline under my arms. Then it happened…

In the middle of mile 19, my body said enough. The constant heel strikes for the last 8 miles, the run streak, the marathon 3-weeks before hit me. My legs didn’t want to go anymore. The pain in my quads and claves was almost intolerable. It felt like my muscles were ready to jump through my skin and out of my body. I started stretching on the side of the road and while I was stretching I was looking at my watch, I could still break 4 hours I just needed to push through this and get going. I popped another block and started running again. The run didn’t last long before I was walking again.

My body has never felt like it did those last 6 miles; during a race or in training before. During those miles I though that maybe running marathons 3-weeks apart after a year of running wasn’t the best idea. After a year of constant running, tendonitis, and 3 more weeks of training my body decided it was time to rest. The last 7.2 miles took me around 90 mins to complete. I knew by mile 21 I wasn’t going to break 4 hours, I just wanted to finish the race. I ran, walked, and shuffled my way to the finish line. I somehow found the tolerance to run the last half mile and crossed the finish line at 4:40:52. I added 29 mins to my time from just 3 weeks ago. I didn’t really care, I was just happy I didn’t give up.

I made my way through the finisher’s area and sat down. I wasn’t sure I was every going to get up again. I had never felt so bad after a marathon before. I sat there for about 20 mins, planning how to get up and make it back to the bus that would take me to my car. I finally got up and hobbled to the bus. It was about a 40 min drive back to the parking lot. I replayed the marathon in my mind and wondered if I could have done anything differently; the only thing I could have done differently is not run. Although my body felt good going into the race, I think it was still recovering and wasn’t ready for another 26.2 miles.

It is now time to rest, recoup, and start thinking about next race season. This one is over and though it ended on a bad note, it was a great race season. I had two PRs (half and full marathon) and came close to a PR at 10 miles. I’m looking forward to trying for some more PRs after allowing my body to heal!

-Veggie Fueled Runner

BRF Marathon in…

October 21, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Race, Race Recap #baltimoremarathon, #baltimorerunningfestival, #brf, #pr, #run, #runcommunity, #running, marathon

My alarm went off at 0400 hrs, thank goodness it wasn’t time to get up just yet. I wake up early to eat and then go back to sleep for a little while before big races. I had an Extend Nutrition bar with some water and went back to sleep until 0530 hrs. A cold front was suppose to have come through overnight and the weather was cooler than it had been the past week, which made for good running conditions. I dressed in the tank top and shorts I had been running in all summer, but put on a winter hat, gloves, and arm warmers since the temp was only in the upper 40’s.

I pulled into the parking lot at M&T Bank stadium around 0645, I sat in my truck till 0730 then made my way to the start line, it was cold but I knew I would warm up once I started running. As I waited in the starting corral I went over my game plan in my head; go out slow and try to make up time later in the marathon. A woman came up to me while we were waiting to start and we started to make small talk and introduced each other, her name was Sandy. She noticed my Garmin and asked what pace I planned to run and I explained my plan; she said if it was okay she was going to run with me for a while. I didn’t mind and she said she was hoping to finish under 4:19. This is just another reason why I love the running community, you never know when you are going to meet someone new!

The marathon started just after 0800 and we were off, we took the first mile out at around a 9 min pace, right on target, the first few miles were a slight uphill towards the Maryland Zoo. My hat at gloves were gone by mile 2, I threw them off to the side of the road. As we ran Sandy and I talked about where we were from, running, and just got to know each other. Our pace quickened a little without either of us really noticing to around an 8:30 pace. That was a little faster than I wanted to go out, but I was feeling comfortable. The first few waters stops were pretty crowded, so crowded only one of us got water, but runners being courteous people, we got enough for each other. As we passed through the Zoo, some of the animals were out to greet us. We saw some penguins; while some runners stopped to take selfies we kept on moving through. Our pace had quickened again and we turned in a sub-8 mile, I knew we had to slow down and bit and we eased off the pace.

Sorry for the thumbnail, I’m not paying $65 for 5 photos, waiting for the discount!!!

As we left the zoo, the course had a few hills but then flattened out. St. Paul street to the Inner Harbor was downhill, so we could relax a little bit. Running through Harborview we saw some of my friends and I dropped my fuel belt with them. It was getting really lose during the run and was becoming annoying. I took the bloks out and put them in my pocket before dropping it. As we circled the Under Armour factory I really had to pee; Sandy said she would slow down and run along the side of the road so I could catch back up. A tree made a great substitute for the port-a-potty that had a line, hey I wasn’t the only one doing that! To catch up to Sandy I threw down a 7:30 mile, I had a feeling that would come back to hurt me.

Passing the 13.1 mile marker, Sandy saw some of her friends. I thought my Garmin said 1:50, but looking at my times on the marathon website it said we ran the first half in 1:54, I could have seen my watch incorrectly. Either way we were making good time maybe a little too fast. I mentioned to Sandy maybe we should slow down a bit, she said we should just keep up the pace. I was still feeling good and we did. Going through Harboreast I saw all the people I know from Lululemon at their cheer station, it was motivating to high five all of them as we went by. Coming out of Harboreast Sandy and I both noticed how quite it had gotten along the course, there weren’t many spectators for the next couple of miles.

Approaching mile 16 and Patterson Park I slowed the pace a bit; Sandy kept the pace going and we lost each other in the crowd as the half marathon and marathon merged together. I saw my parents cheering on the sidewalk, which was some more motivation. After passing Patterson Park, I didn’t see Sandy anymore and the climb to Lake Montebello started, for the next 4 miles there would be an incline. In mile 18 I lost my steam, someone was handing out full bottles of water and bananas, I grabbed both and walked while I drank the water and ate the banana. I finally cleared the hills and made it to Lake Montebello at mile 20 I started doing the math in my head of how fast I had to run each mile to make it under 4 hours.

Alternating between walking and running I watched the time tick away on my Garmin. Going out faster than I wanted was coming back to haunt me. I tried to find the energy to keep going, my legs were exhausted. Mile 22 was the final incline and it really slowed me down. I was going back and forth between 9:20 pace per mile and 11+ min a mile, I was in trouble. At mile 24 I still thought I had a shot at breaking 4 hours, but I would have to throw down two sub-7:30 miles, my legs didn’t have it in them, or my mind wouldn’t let them do their thing. Either way it wasn’t going to happen.

Still waiting for the MarathonFoto discount emails!

I crossed the finish line at 4:11:16. So close to breaking the 4 hour mark yet so far away. Even though I didn’t break 4 hours I was happy with my time; I PR’d by 32 minutes. I immediately started analyzing the race in my mind and where things went wrong. Then I started thinking about when I can run another marathon and when I could be ready.

I made my way over to get a foil blanket, I was freezing, I had tossed my hat and gloves a long time ago and the temp dropped after that. I finally got a foil blanket, met my parents, and got my jacket from them but I could not get warm. I think it was in the low 40’s or upper 30’s by this point. We took some pictures and stood in line for a while to get my Maryland Double Medal and King Crab Challenge medal holder, in total I was outside for about an hour and shivering the entire time.

I did get to ring the PR Bell!!! Everyone before me went up got there picture and struck the bell once, after my mom took the picture I struck the hell out that bell several times!!!

Waiting around the finish area I looked for Sandy but didn’t see her anywhere, we actually connected later in the day and caught up a bit, she finished in 4:01:40 a PR for her as well.

When I finally made it to my truck I was so happy to be able to turn the heat on and get warm. The warm shower felt great once I was home, except on my arm pits, the arm warmers had rubbed my arms raw, really raw. I continued to analyze the marathon in my head for the rest of the day and watched it on television. I had recorded it. That night the tradition of the marathon party continued, it was smaller than usual, but still a good time!

I have continued to think about what I could have done differently over the last few days and will probably do that for a while. I am looking at doing a half marathon soon, but will probably wait until the spring to tackle another marathon.

How was your race season? What are your goals before the end of the year?

Check back tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud and see if the streak continued…

-Veggie Fueled Runner

Charles St. 12 (PR)

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Race, Race Recap #charlesst12, #chuck12, #personalrecord, #pr, #race, #run, #runfriends, #runhappy, #running, #training

The alarm was set for 0400 hrs. when I woke up and looked at the clock it was 0345 hrs. I thought about going back to sleep for 15 mins, but decided I would rather get up now and eat than wait to hear my annoying alarm clock go off. I got up made a shake, drank it, and went back to sleep for another hour. I’ve been getting up early before long races and eating something, I think it helps to get something in my stomach and eating earlier gives it time to settle.

0515 hrs. I woke just before my alarm went off, I had a nightmare that I slept through my alarm and missed the race completely, thankfully it was only a dream. I got up got dressed, packed some clothes for after the race, and I was out the door to meet Elizabeth. We were going to ride to the race together since it was a point to point from Towson to Power Plant Live in downtown Baltimore. We arrived at the start line and immediately got in line for the bathrooms, let’s be honest that is pretty much what everyone does because you are going to have to go if you have hydrated properly. After we used the bathrooms, we warmed up a little and did a 5 min run near the start line. We ran into one of our friends Laura, we briefly chatted and made out way to the start line. I decided to use the bathroom one more time, and made it back to the start line just before the race started. I saw two of our other running friends Sarah and Lauren. I talked to them and they were planning on starting at a faster pace then I wanted to, so was Elizabeth. I wanted to use this run to simulate, the best I could, what I wanted to do in the marathon.

We were all at the front of the starting line around the 1:35 pace group, when the race started. Sarah, Lauren, and Elizabeth took off and I hung back and slowed down that first mile. My first mile was 8:17, still a bit faster than I wanted to be and it was uphill. I wanted to start around an 8:30 pace. The Charles St. 12 is an overall negative downhill race, the key word being ‘overall’, it is actually a pretty hilly course. Just after the first mile there was a water station, which I though was great this early in the race. The second mile was mostly downhill, and I ran it in 7:51. I remember thinking without a plan this race could get out of control quickly because of all the changes in elevation. I made a conscious effort to slow down a bit; I was feeling strong but I didn’t want to burn out and not have anything left for the end of the race.

At the end of mile 2 there was another water stop; I thought to myself this is great if there is a water stop approximately every mile. That was not the case. Mile 3 I slowed to 8:30 on a pretty steep climb and then my pace evened out around 8:15 a mile. Miles 3, 4, and 5 came and went without a water stop. I was getting pretty thirsty and even some other runners around me began to comment on the ‘now’ poor placement of the first two water stops, they were to close together. Finally around mile 6 there was a water and Gatorade stop. Just after the stop I heard someone from behind call my name, it was my friend Pat. I was surprised to see him, he had told me he wasn’t running the race, we ran together for a few miles and talked politics. He decided to slow his pace just a little but I was feeling strong so I pushed on. Normally, I would have hung back but I wanted to make sure I could keep the pace and feel good at the end. Now my pace was just below 8:10 a mile and I was still feeling strong.

The water stops picked again in frequency and were much better placed for the remainder of the race. In mile 8 my right shoe came untied twice which really annoyed me. I finally tucked in my laces, which I should have done earlier. After each time I stopped to tie them I sprinted back to where I was, I had noticed which runners were behind me. So while I didn’t lose any time I didn’t make up any either. At mile 9 there was a water stop at the bottom of a steep hill which followed a steep ascent, near the Washington Monument. I think it was poor placement of the water stop but that late in the race I’ll take water whenever I can get it.

With only 3 miles to go I though about really starting to push the pace, but I was also feeling like I could use a bathroom break so I decided to keep the pace the same and not pick it up to much. The rest of the course was downhill, from mile 10 I was pretty familiar with the terrain, since it was in downtown and I run a lot there. I wasn’t sure if there was going to be a final climb in Federal Hill, some of those streets can be pretty steep. We ran through Fed Hill mid way through mile 10 and thankfully there were not any hills. All of mile 11 was along the promenade of the Inner Harbor which made for a great finish, after the final water stop at the mileage marker I decided to pick up the pace. Just before the finish line my Garmin 220 beeped, I looked down I had run a 7:44 mile, the fastest one of the race. I sprinted the remaining few hundred meters and crossed the finish line at 1:38:16 an 8:11 pace! That was PR! It was PR by default because I had never run that distance but I had also never run that long at that pace so it was a great feeling.

After quickly grabbing my medal, I saw Sarah and Elizabeth waiting for me, but I made my way to the bushes. I though I was going to vomit after my sprint. I didn’t and Elizabeth came over, and said ‘Let’s go get our beers!’. That’s the whole reason to run right, free beers at the end! We stood around and chatted for a little while and then decided to make our way back home, I was meeting Sarah and FKBT for brunch, Elizabeth had to work. We walked back and stopped at Lululemon, because well you just have to stop in when you walk by. I bought some boxers because I had forgotten to pack some; I used this as an excuse to finally buy the one thing I had been holding out on buying. I’m so glad I bought them they are super comfortable, no surprise there. But I digress.

I went back to Sarah’s apartment, showered and changed, our friend Theo, came back with us too and we went to brunch at Warehouse 518. Tim’s (FKBT) friend Aiden is the head waiter there and he took care of us! I have met him a few times and he is a pretty fun person and made sure to take care of Sarah and I since we just finished the 12 miler. It was great to catch up with Tim, I haven’t seen him much since he moved and it had been quite some time since Theo, Tim and I hung out together. Brunch was delicious! If you are in the Mt. Vernon area I recommend Warehouse 518!

You have to put back the depleted carbs after a race!

Overall it was a great day with friends and we all PR’d, so we were all happy! It was a good way to judge where we are all at in our marathon training, though I think we all agreed we would have liked to run that extra 1.1 miles to see if we could have PR’d at the half distance. The Charles St. 12 is a race I will consider doing again next year.

Did you race this weekend? How did it go?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

No Pain, No Spain

June 15, 2015 veggiefueledrunner Race Recap #personalrecord, #racing, #run, #runchat, #runhappy, #runhard, #running, #runstreak, #training

On Dec 6th, 2014 I decided to enter a 5k. I had run this race the previous year and did okay, but I was eager to see how and if my race pace had improved since starting the streak and becoming a vegetarian. I had run a 5k race about a month before on Day #9 of my running streak and wasn’t pleased with the time. My body was still adjusting to running everyday, and race conditions were rough on that day, lots of wind and pretty cold.

Today was Day #42 of the running streak and I was feeling strong! Whether it was psychological or an actual effect of becoming a vegetarian, I felt less stressed and more energized. My legs were feeling great and by this point I had lost close to 12 lbs. When I was running on my own or with my friends my average pace was getting faster so I was ready to see where I was at on an official course.

The race commonly known as “No Pain, No Spain” is actually the Patterson Park 5k and Fun Run hosted by the Patterson Park Public Charter School. The proceeds from the race go to help students travel to Spain for a summer program. My friend Pat is very involved with the school and is a past board member, so I had an extra reason to participate. Pat and I have a friendly competition and the previous year he had beat me by a decent margin, 3 mins. (As I mentioned in a previous blog the year past hadn’t been that great for running)

The weather was overcast, cool, and drizzling on and off. Whenever it rains, even a little, I wear a hat with a brim to help keep the rain out of my eyes, I also wore a long sleeve Lululemon 1/4 zip vented shirt, and Lululemon running tights. As the race welcome ceremony got underway I chatted with Pat and told him I wasn’t really looking for a specific time, just wanted to gauge where I was at and to have a solid race.

The race starts in the middle of the ‘big Park’ on a slight downhill, some of the Charter School students were the race starters and the race was underway just after 11am. I like the later start, at least in the cooler months, you get to sleep in a little and the weather warms up slightly. The first mile of the race was pretty smooth, Pat and I were running stride for stride. I thought we were going out a little fast but I felt good so I didn’t say anything. At approximately, the half mile mark you cross over into the ‘small Park’, you need to cross a street but the race staff has it closed to traffic. This begins the first hill of the race, it isn’t a big one less than a quarter mile. Anyone who knows Patterson Park knows there is going to be lots of hills! As we peaked and began the decent I was still feeling strong but started to get a little warm, so I unzipped my shirt a bit. As we completed the half circle around the ‘small Park’ we crossed the street again back into the ‘big Park’ that was mile one. Pat and I were still side by side our mile pace was 7:20, pretty fast for me but other than feeling hot I was still feeling strong. The next mile would be the challenge.

Mile 2 of the race is pretty much an uphill climb and gets pretty steep about half way through. Starting mile 2 I remember thinking I wish I didn’t have this hat on, it was keeping heat in and I had pulled down my zipper as far as it could go on my shirt. I thought about taking my shirt off and tying it around my waste but I was worried I would be too cold, I decided to leave it on. As Pat and I started the climb I asked him if he had been doing any hill training, he said not much, to which I replied well I haven’t done any so if you feel like you have it, go for it! We ran together for a little longer then Pat started pulling away, I just needed to keep him in my sights if I wanted a chance of redemption for last year. Then I thought wait I’m not racing Pat, I am just want a solid race…we all know no matter what you say you are always comparing yourself to something in a race, whether it is the clock, another competitor, or the place you finish. Halfway through mile 2 I could still see Pat but the incline was getting steeper, I passed some spectators and threw them my hat. I had to get rid of it, I figured I would try to track them down after after the race and get it back. On the steep climb up to the Pagoda I really slowed down, I was just trying to stay steady and make sure I had enough in the tank to finish strong. Three other runners had passed me and I really couldn’t see Pat anymore. As I crested the steep hill it flattened out and began to go downhill and mile 2 was behind me. My pace had really fallen off, my mile 2 pace was close to 8:30.

Mile 3 began with a steep downhill, which was welcomed relief after the last mile. Running downhill pounds your quads but gave me a chance to get my breathing back into rhythm. In my mind I set a goal over the next mile to catch those three runners that had passed me. The course had long straight-aways in the first portion of mile 3 so I could see how far ahead of me they were. I got back on my pace, my breathing settled in and I started to bear down on the runners who had passed me, one by one I caught up to them and then passed them. When I passed that 3rd runner I felt great! I had set a small goal, mid-race and pulled it off. As I came around the second to final turn I could see Pat again, he had a pretty good lead on me, I wasn’t sure if I could catch him. As I rounded the final turn I entered the final ascent of the course. An uphill finish, always makes it interesting. With a 1/10th of a mile to go I started to kick, I wasn’t going to catch Pat but I could hear steps pounding the pavement behind me. Out of the corner of my eye could see a female runner coming up along side of me, I tried to kick harder but the hill in mile 2 and catching the three runners had taken a lot out of me. I watched as she passed me and I didn’t have enough in the tank to catch her. She crossed the finish line just before I did, turned out she was the 2nd place female finisher. I crossed the line and felt I had a solid race and given it my all.

My time was 23:34, it was a Personal Record by 13 seconds!!! I didn’t expect that especially with my slower second mile and the hilly course. I was stoked, even though Pat had beaten me again, but only by 30 seconds this year. My overall pace was 7:36 per mile. I felt really good about that.

After chatting with Pat a bit, I went to try and find my hat as I cheered on other runners who were still out on the course. I found the person I threw my hat to and they said they had given it to the race director. Pat knew who that was, so I figured I’d find her later. We cheered on the rest of the runners and then went to the home brew beer tasting, which was included in the entry fee. The beer tasting was something new that was added this year and it was great to taste several unique home brews. Some of the students had formed a band and they were performing some covers as well as some original songs, they were awesome (I wish I could remember the name of their band). I finally found the race director and got my hat back, Pat and I hung out for a while enjoyed the music and beer and then called it a day.

Pat and I after crossing the finish line.

When I checked the race results I was really happy to confirm my PR time! Overall I was 18th out of 197, and 7th out of 35 in my age group.

A PR is always great, but it is even better when you weren’t expecting it!

Have you had a race that you were running for fun and it turned into a PR? Have you had to adjust goals during a race?

-Veggie Fueled Runner

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