Running Report: 3rd Quarter 2010

And just like that the 3rd quarter of 2010 is gone! I find it hard to believe that 2010 is 3/4 finished. I can't say that I am too sad to see the end of the quarter, it contained some of the hottest and most humid temperatures of the year. Fourth quarter might contain some of my favorite running days of the entire year, it brings with it cool fall days and many of my favorite races. However, before we can look forward to a new quarter we must look back at the one that just passed.

My running goals for 2010 are to:
1. Run 10 half marathons during the year 2010.
2. Record new personal records (PRs) in each distance.
3. Run 1,000 miles in 2010

Goal 1. Run 10 half marathons during the year 2010.
Half marathons were not a huge focus for me in the third quarter, it just isn't a good time of the year for that because it is too hot in Texas. The best place to catch a summer half marathon is north of here.....WAY north of here! In fact, there were only two half marathons on my calendar for the entire summer: the Hottest Half on August 15 and Heels and Hills and Him on September 26. If you have been following along, you know that the Hottest Half totally lived up to its name. About half way in I decided that it might be a good day to go for a PW (personal worst) and I decided to try to have some fun. I took pictures, visited with friends, and enjoyed some walk breaks. I don't think that anyone would blame me, it was 85 degrees at 7:00 am and the humidity was at least 80%. Ugh. Heels and Hills and Him was completed last weekend. I used this as a chance to refocus my intensity and get back on track with sub 2 hour races. That brings my total to 8 half marathons in 2010...only 2 to go! We added an extra half marathon to the calendar--the Tyler Rose Half is on 10/10/10 and seemed like a good opportunity for a short weekend get away (if you can call Tyler a "get away"). After that there is the DRC Half in November and White Rock in December, two of my favorite races and a great way to wrap up my goal--with an extra half to spare (You guessed it, I was always the kid who turned in the "extra credit" assignments).

Goal 2. Record new personal records (PRs) in each distance.
Personal Records (PRs) are not something that I focused too much on during this quarter. Facts are facts, it is just too hot to try to break any records during the summer months. I always try to better my time from a race that I have run the previous year, but I am also realistic about the chances of PRs. The biggest PR came on July 3 at the Liberty By the Lake 5K. I don't race many 5Ks and I knew that this was my best shot for a PR, short of signing up for an extra race down the road. I also had a "secret" goal of placing in my age group. The mission was accomplished and I took home a 2nd place trophy. I still can't believe that happened! I started the year with a 10K PR, but I had been hoping for a "do over" since I had improved since January and thought that I could do it better. The Tour des Fleurs 10K was held almost two weeks ago and made me question how I "officially" track PRs. I finished the race in 55:47, what I thought was 2 seconds behind my PR from January. I noticed later that the January 10K was gun timed and my official time was 55:59, although I had 55:45 on my watch. I think that I will leave this with an * knowing that the conditions were much harder in September (you guessed it, hot and humid!). I consider this goal complete as I am happy with the progress that I made this year and do not know if it is realistic to hope for more. At this point I would like to match the PR times set throughout the year.

Goal 3. Run 1,000 miles in 2010.
This goal might have been my biggest focus during this quarter and I really feel that it helped me get through the miserable summer months. I had a huge milestone during this quarter and it was a direct result of this goal. I have been running for over two years now and had never had a 100 mile month. August was the perfect opportunity as the calendar provided me with a fifth Sunday and Tuesday--days that I typically run. I have to admit, this got me going on some of those gross mornings when it was so humid and I was so tired. I was quite exhausted as I finished up mile 100, but I was also hugely satisfied. I am not sure why I picked the hottest month of the year for my highest mileage month, that is just how it works out sometimes. The totals are: July 90.07, August 100.38, September 76.98 for a quarterly total of 267.43 and a yearly total of 777.01. That leaves me with 222.99 miles to run in the remaining quarter of 2010 (an average of 74.33 each month). It is my plan to blow past this goal and not be scrambling for extra miles in December.

So there you have it. The numbers have had their quarterly crunching and I feel refocused and ready to finish up 2010's goals. I can't wait to get started on the fourth quarter, perhaps the best one of the year! I am already thinking of new goals for 2011....

Heels and Hills and Him Half Marathon: Seasons Change

Half marathon number fifteen is now in the books. As you have read, I was really looking forward to the Heels and Hills and Him Half Marathon this past Sunday. Each race has a personality all its own and this one just feels like family. This was my third time to do a Heels and Hills event and I have been fortunate enough to become friends with Paula and Libby (the race directors) and several other runners who are associated with them. There are always so many familiar and friendly faces at these races.

The fun started on Saturday when I helped out at packet pick-up. Do you know of any other race that includes at least four music therapists who are runners? That just adds to the whole family feeling, I am certain. I was lucky enough to see colleagues Mary and Shannon on Saturday. A local Girl Scout started a Couch to 5K program and chose the Heels and Hills and Him 5K as the goal race. I shared this link of Facebook and a couple of my friends from high school decided to make this their first 5K. A small reunion was held on Saturday when Nicole and Judy came to pick up their packets. I realize now that I haven't seen either of them since I graduated from high school 17 (yikes!) years ago!

Race morning came early, as they all do. I was somewhat alarmed when I checked the weather at 5:00 am and found the humidity to be a whopping 99% and the temperatures in the upper 60s. The fog was heavy as Erik and I started our journey to Irving, but it cleared once we got on the highway and out of the lower neighborhoods. It was a little warm as I milled about before the race, but I was still thankful that it wasn't as bad as the Hottest Half. I quickly found Mary, Judy, and Nicole who were all running the 5K. We also spotted another music therapist, Che, who would be completing the half marathon as well. In no time we were lined up and waiting for the starting gun. I started near the 1:50 group, feeling hopeful but also realizing that it was a lofty goal for this day. I was able to hang with the group for almost 2 miles, but soon saw them slipping away.

I love this course, it is mostly on a winding path through beautiful trails. There are very few hills and it feels good to just cruise and take in the scenery. There were lots of friendly faces at the water stops and small crowds had gathered along the course. There were a couple of girls who showed up several times during the race and cheered for me by name (which was printed on my race bib). They were so sweet and made me smile each time I saw them. Since this is an "out and back" course, I was able to pass those who were behind me on my way back. I love looking at all of the people on the other side. There are so many faces and I know that each of them have a story.

I knew that I was not on pace for a PR, but felt good that I would finish in a fairly average time for me. It was quite warm and humid until somewhere around mile 9. The sky was dark and there were random raindrops and then suddenly...with a gust of wind....Fall arrived! The race that started with warm and humid conditions would end with cool and windy conditions. Holy cow....I ran so long that the seasons changed!

That wind was really noticeable in the last mile as we were running directly into it. I had mixed feelings....so happy to see the season change, but wishing that the wind would calm so that it I could finish the race with less effort.

This was my first time to go this distance with this intensity since the May Heels and Hills race. I was not really sure what to expect. Of course, I would have loved to have matched my time from that race (which happens to be my half marathon PR), however, I realized that was an ambitious goal. The summer runs had been hard and I took those training miles a lot slower. I realize now that I started the race a little bit fast and it would have been more realistic to start near the 2:00 hour group. I am looking forward to the cooler weather and to getting back to peak racing form. I always enjoy the home stretch of a race and find in amazing that I have something left in me that allows me to push hard to the finish line. I am happy with my time as I finished in 2:01:48 and 10th out of 60 in my age group. I remember when the 2 hour half marathon seemed like an impossible goal for me and I am happy that it now become my "average" time.


Finishing Strong!

While hanging around the finish line, I found out that my neighbor, Rodney, and his family were also participating. Rodney ran his first half marathon and his wife took part in the 5K training program. Such a small world! I have seen him running but had no idea that he was training for a half marathon. I was covered with goosebumps as we walked to the car, it was noticeably cooler and the weather had made one of those famous Texas shifts.

The calendar gets busy after September with a half scheduled each month until the end of 2010. Next on the schedule is the Tyler Rose Half Marathon on 10/10/10. Erik and I are excited as we both feel that running is the best way to really experience an new place. I am hoping for a crisp fall morning and some beautiful East Texas scenery. Stay tuned!

Tour des Fleurs 10K: Personal Record Redefined?

Saturday morning brought one of my most favorite races of the year, the Tour des Fleurs 10K/20K at the Dallas Arboretum. This race is good for so many reasons...it is a HUGE race (I heard 3400 runners), the swag is great--purple tech shirts and black running hats, the Arboretum is all decked out for fall, the post race festivities are filled with great food and music on the lawn, and so many of my friends run this one. I always run the 10K because there is a half marathon the following weekend and I want to be reasonably fresh for that.

We arrived at the remote parking lot more than an hour before the race start and were ferried to the race on a school bus. I could see tons of pumpkins in the shadows as we walked through the Arboretum to the race site. I love fall and the very sight of a pumpkin can really fire me up!

We found many of our running friends right away: Liza, Ben, Vi, Mark O., and Jan. We also found DJ, a fellow that I went to high school with who would be completing his first ever 10K that day. The weather was warm, very humid, and still...a glance at White Rock Lake showed a mirror smooth surface. Thank goodness we are at the end of the summer running season.

The 20K race started 30 minutes before the 10K so I went to the start to cheer on Erik, Ben, and Vi. I milled about and chatted with friends until time for the 10K to start. The beginning of this race is always great with a high school drum line at the start line. Something about the sound of those drums makes me smile and takes me back to my many years in the marching band. I felt like I got off to a pretty good start but noticed about a half mile in that I had forgotten to start my watch. This frustrated me to no end as I love to know my time as I go so I know if I am on pace for my race goals. Oh well.

This course is pretty tough with two big hills over a 6.2 mile distance. Erik and I do our long runs at White Rock every weekend, so these hills and the course were very familiar to me. I really think that helped me handle the hills while keeping a consistent pace. The heat and humidity also made things extremely challenging and it was hard to draw a good breath at times. I tried to keep a steady pace and get good recovery from the hills after I crested them. Miles 4-6 were a mental battle and I had to remind myself that this was the time to be tough. I really pushed myself over the last .2 mile and felt strong at the end. I felt pretty terrible when I first stopped running and just tried to keep moving even though my body was telling me to sit down.

When I crossed the finish line the clock read 56-something which I knew would put me close to a new Personal Record (PR). I knew that it took me close to a minute to cross the start line from the time that the starting whistle blew. This is called "chip time" as each of us have timing chips on our shoes that are activated when we cross over a mat at the start line. Again, I felt frustrated because I didn't start my watch at the beginning and would have to wait for the official results to be posted.

After I finished I walked down to the 20K finish line to find that Ben had just finished his race in his typical fast fashion. He and Liza waited with me for Erik and Vi to cross the finish line. Then we had a great time wandering around the Arboretum lawn, talking with friends, taking pictures, and sampling all of the delicious treats provided by various vendors.


Erik, Ben, and me on the lawn

I didn't find out my results until later in the afternoon, I finished in 55:47--good enough for 10th out of 150 in my age group. I was very surprised to see that I placed so well because I considered the field to be so large and so fast. Now here is where the definition of PR comes into play. My previous 10K PR was at a Dallas Running Club monthly race and was listed as 55:45...meaning that I missed it by 2 seconds today. However, the monthly club races are not chip timed and the 55:45 came from my own unofficial timing with my watch. Upon checking the DRC website, I saw that my "official" time at that race was 55:59....so did I get a new PR today or did I miss it by 2 seconds? Fellow runners, what is your thought on this one? Do PRs just count in the "official" results or do you go with your own timing if there is no chip? This has caused me to clarify my definition of a PR.

Another one of my favorite races, the Heels and Hills and Him Half Marathon is on Sunday. I had a wonderfully good experience at the May version of this race and I can't wait to get out there and try it again. The weather forecast looks good too--they are calling for lows in the 60s on Sunday morning. What a great way to kick off the fall racing season!