Love the Loop 15K: #PRincess

To say that the 2016 running year is off to a good start would be an understatement.  I don't know where much of this speed has come from, but I'm going to keep on with it as long as I can.  My personal records (PRs) were aging at an alarming rate, but I was able to update my 5K and half marathon PR in January.  When I saw that Dallas Running Club (DRC) was offering up a 15K for the February club race, I knew that I had to seize the opportunity.  My 15K PR was from January 2010, another kindergarten age record!  I'll never forget that race, I very quietly closed in on Mr K and just almost overtook him at the end - but he beat me by a couple of seconds.  That has to be one of my most favorite race stories.  The 15K is a distance that I really enjoy and I try to race them when they show up on the local race calendar.  I have come close to my 15K PR on several occasions, missing it by about 45 seconds last April.

Once I signed up, I reached out to Stude (remember him, he is the one who has "encouraged" me to run as fast as I can in the closing miles of my last three half marathons) to see if he had any advice for racing a 15K.  He threw out some pacing suggestions and a HUGE chart full of numbers and data (swoon!) based on my race time from the 3M Half.  According to the numbers, a 15K PR was well within my reach.  I was interested in putting this to the test as I was starting to wonder if my PR from 3M Half was a bit of an outlier as it was run on a known fast course.  Turns out, Stude was planning on being there too to run the 5K and would provide "encouragement" in the final miles of the race.  I gotta tell you, I was somewhat terrified when I saw this message from him but I was up for the challenge!

The race weather gods have been smiling upon me this year and they provided more great running weather for us with temperatures around 40 degrees at the start.  The race was a sellout at just under 1,000 runners - a Dallas Running Club record!  Safe to say the new "Love the Loop" concept was a hit.  And speaking of loving the loop, I had a serious home field advantage going into this one as Mr K and I typically do our long runs on this loop around White Rock Lake.  I knew it inside and out so there were no surprises.  I planned to follow Meb's "run only one mile at a time and worry only about what needs to be done for that mile" advice until I saw Stude (The Encourager) then I would just run like hell to keep up with him.  I got off to a good start and settled into a good pace hanging out in the 8:20s for the first four miles.  There was a nice hill at mile 3, but I had just done hill repeats on it the week before so I felt very familiar with it.  Home field advantage for the win!

Post Race PR Smiles with Shantel (Pic: Stude)

I picked up the pace a bit starting with mile 5, the wind was at my back and I tried to use that to my advantage as I knew I would turn back into it soon enough.  I picked out a few runners in front of me and kept them in my sight for most of the race.  I hoped to pass them before the finish line, if everything went according to plan.  Miles 5, 6, and 7 were in the 8:10 range - so far, so good!  

As I approached the mile 7 marker, I saw Stude (The Encourager) waiting, it was about to get real, y'all.  I had just run the first 7 miles in under an hour and I knew that the PR was in the bag if I could keep on working for a couple more miles.  Stude was super helpful and set a brisk pace for us, reminding me to keep it even as we ran up the big hill by the spillway.  He even attempted to block the wind as we headed towards Winfrey Point.  Oh sweet Winfrey Point, I have had my share of battles on this sacred stretch of White Rock Lake.  Mile 8 came in at 8:02 and I was totally good with that considering the hill we just climbed.  Just over 2 miles to go and I was fairly certain that I might die!

Smiling as I spotted Stude at mile 7, it was about to get real (Pic: Stude)

I started to pass some of the people that I'd been following during the race and that provided a great boost to me.  I worked hard to stay ahead of them and not let them leap frog me at the end.  It was somewhere in here that Stude mentioned our pace, but I tried not to think too much about it. Sometimes knowing how fast I am going makes my brain go "Wait!  We don't run that fast!!!"  My watch was chiming ahead of the mile markers as I was not doing a great job with tangents and mile 9 showed 7:46.  At this point I knew that I was going to have a huge PR - finish strong, MK!  Be fearless! 

I was searching for a glimpse of the finish line and it was obscured a bit by a bend in the route.  I knew that just seeing it would help me finish strong and I was getting desperate when I finally made the slightest turn and saw it.  Oh. Thank. Heavens. I glanced at my watch and saw 1:16-something and made it my goal to cover those remaining yards before it got to 1:17.  I hit the finish line in 1:16:56 - I did it!

Finish line celebration! (Pic: Stude)

Three races, three PRs, and one new hashtag: #PRincess. (Thanks for that one, Stude).  Somehow I have caught lightning in a bottle.  To say it is exciting would be an understatement and to say that I'm fired up for running would be an even bigger understatement.  I'm not sure how I got here, but I am not going to take it for granted.  My recent success has only made me hungry for more and I'm inspired to work even harder.  Let's see what else these legs have in them!

DRC Half: #tradition

Once upon a time I did something that felt really bold and brave and I signed up for a half marathon. I had been running for a few months and I was enjoying the challenge that it brought, but I wanted more.  I also wanted a pretty, shiny medal with the number 13.1 on it too, but I digress.  I was familiar with the Dallas Running Club (DRC) Half because, randomly enough, I volunteered at it about five years prior.  I remember handing out water that day and thinking that those runners were so cool and so impressive.  I never thought that I would be one of them, but I sure did admire them for their determination and discipline.  So when it came time to pick my first half marathon, DRC Half was a natural choice.  I have not missed a race day since that first one in 2008, it is a highlight on my fall racing calendar.

I was super excited with DRC Half weekend rolled around because I really love the event, but I was not sure to expect from my running.  I have been training by heart rate and time versus pace since I started my half ironman training back in June.  I felt strong, but I didn't know how fast I could realistically expect to run.  My last half marathon was at Redman 70.3 and was so darned hard that it left me feeling like I was a terrible runner.  I was hoping for a positive experience to erase that little bit of self doubt.  I decided to run this one largely by feel, aim for negative splits, and use this as a base for the other half marathons coming up this winter.  Simple enough, right?

Mile 6ish Aide Station (Photo: RunOn!)

Because this race was on November 1, I had to be aware of the amount of Halloween candy that I shoveled down my pie hole the night before.  I have an incredible sweet tooth and usually let myself eat whatever I want on Halloween, but I knew that a belly full of chocolate and sugar would not make for good racing fuel.  Mr K and I enjoyed the extra hour of sleep granted to us by the end of Daylight Saving Time (the famous fall back) as we had to head out extra early to allow time for the shuttle to Norbuck Park at White Rock Lake.  We arrived in plenty of time to check our bags and visit with friends.  The temperature was not bad at 60 degrees and there was no sun, but the humidity was quite high.  It was still better than the heat that we trained in all summer so I was not about to complain.  

It was time to line up in the corrals, listen to the Anthem, and hear my favorite pre-race declaration: "We are the Dallas Running Club, and today we run!"  The race was on!  The first couple of miles felt great, like a pace that I could run all day, and I was surprised to see them come in at 9:04 and 9:02 on my watch.  Perfect pacing to run it in under 2 hours, which is always a goal for me in a half marathon.  I just worked hard to keep it nice and steady for a while just like my race plan called for.  I felt like I needed to pee for most of this race and considered ducking into a restroom, but there were always lines and I didn't want to invest that much time so I just tried to put it out of my mind and kept on moving.

It is always great to see Elaine's big smile! (Photo: Elaine)

I really enjoy this course because when we leave the lake and go into the beautiful Lakewood neighborhood and there are always people out in their yards cheering us on.  They have rerouted the course in recent years and it isn't as hilly as it used to be, but these miles are where most of the hills are.  It was somewhere around mile 5 that I saw Mark L and his son Cairo volunteering as course guides.  Mark has spent the better part of this year dealing with an injury and I had to smile when he showed me his shirt that said "not running sucks!" It sure does, Mark, and we sure do miss your energy out on the course with us.  Hope to see you running again soon!

I made it to the timing mat at the halfway point in 1:00:18 - I was executing my race plan well!  Now if I could only negative split the second half then I would have my much desired sub-2:00 time.  Just after the mat I spotted Mel volunteering as a course guide.  She called out to me, asking if I had Flat Eli with me (lost a bet, long story).  I had to laugh and tell her that I left that guy at home, she agreed that was a good thing.  If you have to lose a football bet, you might as well do it with humor, right?

Clever Mr K seeking shelter from the rain 

We approached the veloway I knew that it was an opportunity to pick up the pace for a mile before the dreaded hill by the spillway.  At this point I started to notice the people ahead of me and I keyed in on a few random runners that I would like to pick off before the end of the race.  I find it helps to have a goal like that in the later miles as things can get a little bit tedious.  We made it back to White Rock Lake around mile 9 - which is both good and bad.  Good because I feel like I know every inch of that lake...and bad because I feel like I know every inch of that lake - including just how far it still was to the finish line.

Mile 10 came along and I knew that it was time to start inching down to a faster pace.  I felt really good at this point and my heart rate was staying nice and steady.  My splits had been very even and were trending negative, which always makes me smile.  Maybe I don't suck at running after all!  The best aide station of the day had to be the Dallas Dirt Runners (I think that I got their name right) and this is where I found Karen Baha.  I love seeing my people along the way!  They were blaring "Never Gonna Give You Up" and they were dancing their tails off.  As I left the aide station I saw signs that said "you've just been Rick Rolled." Well played, Dirt Runners, simply brilliant.

I was able to to keep dropping the pace going from 9:04 in mile 10, to 8:51 for mile 11, and 8:49 for mile 12...but things were about to get really interesting.  Somewhere just past the 12 mile marker I spied my friend Stude (aka Sheriff).  Stude does many things well, but he is really good at finding his friends in the closing miles of a race and pushing running them into the finish.  I think that part of my mind said "oh good, Stude!" and the other part said "oh sh!t, Stude!" He hopped in next to me and things really got going from there.  I was huffing and puffing and just trying to keep up and Sheriff was doing his best to encourage me.

Sheriff smiles while I suffer (Pic: Mark O)

Just 800 meters to go now....I'm not sure that a half a mile ever seemed so long.  I was truly dumbfounded when my watch chimed and displayed 7:58 for mile 13.  That might very well be the fastest 13th mile that I have ever run.  Remember the runners ahead of me that I was targeting? I dropped them like a bad habit! Stude told me to keep on pushing and then he peeled off right before the finisher's chute.  I'm not sure how I did it, but I did indeed keep on pushing and managed a 7:26 for the final fraction of a mile.  I ran the second half in 58:07 for a total time of 1:58:25 - my goal for a sub 2:00 race with negative splits had been met.  Turns out it was the fastest half of the five I've run in 2015. What a wonderful feeling!

Fake it until you make it! (Photo: Stude)

I collected my beautiful medal, part of a six years series portraying landmarks on White Rock Lake, and my cap - this race always has some nice swag!  Mr K and I devoured some post race food (hello In n Out Burger!) and then spent some time with friends in the beer garden (hello Lakewood Brewing!).  The sun never came out and it even rained on us a little bit, but it did not dampen our spirits.  I love the post race atmosphere at the DRC Half!

Hanging with new friends Chris, Sandie, and Dory (Photo: Stude)

This race did a great deal for my running confidence.  It marks a great starting place for the winter running months and upcoming half marathons.  I've already got a few target races marked on my calendar and I'm ready to get to work.  It is running season, y'all!

Tal Morrison 15K: Taking a Gamble

I have found my racing to be stuck in a bit of a rut lately.  I dread the plateau that can come with running and racing year after year, so I've been thinking of things that I can do to shake things up a bit.  I love half marathons and have found that they tend to dominate my calendar so one idea I had was to run shorter races and try my hand at triathlon this spring.  As luck would have it, the Dallas Running Club monthly club race on April 4th was the Tal Morrison 15K.  Tal Morrison founded the Dallas Running Club back in 1967 and this race honors him each spring.  I have enjoyed the handful of 15Ks that I have run in the past because the distance is roughly a loop around White Rock Lake - and therefore, one I am quite familiar with.  It is far enough to feel like a "long" run but short enough that it can be taken at a tempo pace.

Hanging with our DRC Peeps (Pic: Mark O)

I checked my 15K PR before heading out to the race - 1:19:30 from January 2010 - and knew that it would be quite a challenge to beat it.  But I kept an open mind and decided to see what the day would bring me.  We had very warm and humid mornings in the week heading into the race, but were graced with an incredible cold front the night before.  With temperatures in the 50s and bright sunshine, I knew that this might be the last "good" racing day until October.  There is one DRC tradition that I just LOVE and that is the playing of the National Anthem followed by the proclamation that "we are the Dallas Running Club, and today we RUN!!" How can you not be fired up by that?

Near the start of the race (Pic: Jesse)

My legs felt great out of the gate and I decided to just go with it - take a gamble, a risk - what did I have to lose?  I looked at my watch every mile or so, but basically just tried to keep the effort steady and think of the race in 3 mile segments.  I was hoping that I could post a nice negative split, but would be happy with consistent splits.  I used the first 3 mile segment to "settle in" to the pace and get used to the effort.  Those miles came in at 8:45, 8:24, 8:48 (can you tell that mile 2 has a nice downhill?).  This was the gamble that I'm talking about, but it felt good so I went with it.  

Feeling good at nearly 2 miles into the race (Pic: Jesse)

The middle segment would bring the turn around on this out-and-back course and that always gives me a big mental boost.  I worked hard to stay strong and my efforts paid off: 8:27, 8:30, 8:27.  I hit the turn around at right around 40 minutes and some change- quick math told me that if I could hold the pace I could make it to the finish at 1:20 and some change.  Challenge accepted!  I knew that the last 3 miles would be the most challenging mentally.  I have been thinking about and working on pushing past that part of my brain that is telling me that I'm tired or that I need to slow down.

Working hard just before the turn around (Pic: Jesse)

There was a runner in blue that passed me during my second section of the race.  She got a bit ahead of me, but I spotted her again around mile 7.  As soon as I approached her, she would speed up and leave me behind.  We played this game all the way to mile 8-9ish when I was finally able to pass her for good.  I had a few more targets ahead of me, including a guy in a red shirt and one Mr K.  Coming back around the lake at mile 8 was tough because we had the wind in our faces again, but I thought again about that mental toughness and pushed through.  I got past the guy in red and had that PR in sight.  I gave it all that I had, but fell just a little bit short - final miles 8:31, 8:30, 8:20 and 7:42 for the last partial mile.  Total time: 1:20:17, just 45 seconds short of my PR from 2010 and 17 seconds short of my course record from 2012.

Trying to catch my rabbit just before the finish line (Pic: Jesse)

I feel like I met many of my goals at this race: I took some risks with pacing, I pushed through those hard mental moments, and I ran some pretty nice splits (you can't even "see" that big hill in the final set of miles).  I ended up placing 4th in my age group (noted that I would have been 2nd in the one I just left behind....40 year olds don't play around!) - a total win for MK today.  And for those of you wondering if I caught Mr K...not this time, but only 2 seconds separated us in the standings.  

I Couldn't Believe My Eyes!

The Dallas Running Club is one of the oldest and biggest running clubs in the nation. It was founded by Tal Morrison in 1967-patterned after the New York City Running Club-and had 20 members with dues set at $3.00 a person. Fast forward to 2012 and the DRC has over 4,300 members and while dues have gone up, it is still a good value for the money. A great perk of membership in the Dallas Running Club is that there is typically a free club race on the first Saturday of each month and Saturday, April 7 brought the Tal Morrison 5K/15K -- named in honor of the DRC Founder. I love DRC Club Races because 1. Hello--Free!! and 2. It is a laid back and friendly atmosphere--kinda like an extended running family.


Hanging out with Mark & son Cairo

I was excited about the chance to try another 15K, it is a favorite distance for me and I have raced two of them already this year. I know that my fast racing days are numbered around here with the summer heat looming, so I feel a little bit of pressure each spring to get "one more" good shot at various distances before the heat sets in. Fact is I have to slow down in the summer, I don't like it one bit--but that is just how it goes for me. I told Erik that I was just going to go run as hard as I could and would see what happened on the other side. The weather was not the best but certainly more bearable than some recent mornings had been.


Cairo delivers the knock-out punch!

We got there early enough to score a close parking spot and were able to hang out around the car until time for the race to start. It was a smallish race by DRC standards, I'm guessing about 500 runners were there for both of the races with most people running the 15K. After the Star Spangled Banner (I love that part of DRC races) we were off...and running! I felt great at the start, but knew that maintaining that pace would take alot of work. The aide stations were few and far between for this race (3 total) and I was so glad when I finally made it to the first one just before mile 4. The course was an out and back, which sometimes I think is harder than just looping the lake (one loop of White Rock is almost a perfect 15K) and the turn around did not give me the same mental boost that it usually does. I was closer to an "oh man, I have to run all that way back" whiny sort of mental state. I feel like I was the most tired in the 2nd 5K of this race although my splits do not reflect that at all. I wanted to just slow down and walk so badly, but I knew that my pace was on target for that PR goal, so I kept on pushing. My mantra being "do you want to be fast or do you want to be comfortable--because you can't be both at the same time."


Erik and I enjoy the view

I knew that the big hill by the spillway would be coming near the end of mile 7 and I tried to keep an even pace for the mile leading up to it. That hill never gets any easier and it always comes near the end of a race--but I got to the top and focused on running strong all the way until the end. I knew that the PR would be close, but I gave it everything I had once the finish line was in sight. Annnddd....at 1:20:00 I fell about 30 seconds short. Dang. I will be quite honest, I felt pretty disappointed at first because I knew just how close I had come and how hard it had felt. I tried to remind myself that my PR came on a perfectly cold January day in which I had an epic battle with Erik at the finish line. I couldn't mope around for too long, there were too many frunners to see, pictures to be taken, cheering to be done. Erik and I talked with his friend and his family for a while before we headed back up to the camphouse to check the results and look for more friends. When we went inside I checked the results on the wall....blinked twice....and looked again...somehow I had managed to win 1st place in my age group! I jumped up and down and rushed off to find Erik so that he could verify what I saw. I have placed in a few 5Ks before, but never anything longer and nothing above 2nd place. I simply could not believe my eyes, I really thought that there must have been a mistake with the timing--no way that just happened!! I claimed my medal with a huge smile on my face,and you know....I suddenly felt alot better about that missed PR.

Frigid 10K...Two Races In Two Weekends

Two races in eight days? Why not! One of my 2011 goals is to add variety into my training and racing. The Dallas Running Club monthly race on Saturday seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to work on that. The Dallas Running Club is a nice resource for runners in the Dallas area with affordable membership and eight free races a year. I typically make it out to the January and February races (usually a 10K and 15K) and then find myself trailing off a bit as the distances get shorter. I intend to make it to more of these races this year as it is a great time to work on that 2011 goal.

I went to this race alone because Erik is training for the Cowtown Marathon in late February and needed to run 18 miles on Sunday. I know that I will see many familiar faces at DRC races, so I don't worry too much about going by myself. It was a near perfect morning for running too--40 degrees, a nice sunrise, and very little breeze. I had a great feeling about the day and fully intended to get a new 10K personal record (PR). I only race about two 10Ks a year and my PR race came during the heat of September. While I run in all seasons, I am not a great summer runner...but I tend to thrive in the winter months.

I was eager to try out my new Garmin running watch. This watch can tell me how fast I am currently running and how fast I am running each mile. I have always felt that I run a fairly consistent pace, but had not observed it enough to know for sure. I also feel like I am slowing down at the end, but wonder if it is a perceived slow down because I am more tired at that point.

Here are my mile times from the race:
Mile 1 8:28
Mile 2 8:30
Mile 3 8:38 (hello hilly area)
Mile 4 8:19
Mile 5 8:21
Mile 6 8:08
Last .2 7:38
Total time: 52:39 (7th in Age Group)
Average pace 8:22/mile

I was thrilled to see that I maintained a fairly consistent pace and I could see where the more challenging areas of the terrain were. I am beyond thrilled with mile 6....hello!! Who is that runner?? Looking back, I recall that I was working hard on trying to pass and stay ahead of some runners. That is a little trick that I learned from Erik and one that I will use more often. I felt strong for much of the way and found that I really enjoyed this race. It didn't feel as frantic as a 5K, but not as grueling as a 15K or half marathon. I am looking forward to running more of these this year.

After the race I milled about and said hello to a few friends. I also met Lesley who is one of the runners behind the "Run for the Bling of it Challenge" to run 12 races in 12 months. I was wearing my new New Year's Day Half shirt and found that it was a real conversation starter (and possible PR-setting lucky shirt?). I love the community that running fosters, there are no strangers on race day.

Unfortunately my little racing streak will come to an end because I do not have any races planned for this weekend. However, with the Too Cold To Hold and Houston Half Marathon coming up, we are looking at four out of five race weekends in January. Some call it winter....I call it running season!