Running Report: 4th Quarter 2010

It looks like we have made it to the final quarter of 2010 and thus, the final quarterly report for 2010. I will focus this report on the final quarter of the year and will follow up with an annual report in the next day or two. So here are some thoughts on the 4th quarter.

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

1. Run 10 half marathons during the year 2010.
The fall and winter months seem to be half marathon season around here. It is far too hot in the summer months to run any long races and there just aren't many on the schedule, so that leaves the fall and winter months for all of the good races. I ran three half marathons this quarter: Tyler Rose Half on 10/10, the DRC Half on 11/7, and the White Rock Half on 12/5. I find that I am most comfortable in this schedule where the halfs are about a month apart. I am happy to report that I recorded my 2nd and 3rd best half marathon times during the DRC and White Rock Half Marathons, both within 2 minutes of my personal record time. The White Rock Half was my "extra credit" race as it brought my total to 11 for the year and 18 overall. Each race brought increasing hip pain and I am happy that I was able to complete them with as much success as I did. I hope that the worst of that is behind me and I plan to write more about it in a future blog. I really enjoyed pursuing this goal and already have 3 half marathons on the calendar for January and February 2011. It looks like this is a goal that will continue, in some form, into the new year.

2. Record new personal records (PRs) in each distance.
I had considered this goal met during the 3rd quarter, but had a bit of a surprise in early November. I ran Dorothy's Dash 5K on November 13 and was able to better my 5K PR by almost a minute and I was thrilled to place 3rd in my age group. It was always a "secret goal" of mine to score an age group award, and I am amazed that I did it twice this year. I find 5Ks to be exceptionally challenging as the pace is faster than my pace for longer races and I would like to attempt more of these in the future.

3. Run 1,000 miles in 2010
I am happy to say that I completed this goal during my long run on December 26--with almost a week to spare! My yearly total stands at 1013.35 miles run in 2010. The fourth quarter total is 236.7 miles. It is interesting to note that this quarter brought one of my highest monthly mileage totals and also my lowest monthly mileage total. Totals are: October 100.04, November 60.29, and December 76.01. November holds my lowest totals of the year and it was caused by a busy travel schedule and (mostly) that nagging pain in my hip. I was out of town 10 days this month, which usually doesn't stop me from running, but I was also dealing with the worst of my hip pain. The combination did not encourage me to pound the pavement very much. I was quite grateful that I had run those extra miles earlier in the year and was able to take an entire week off after the White Rock Half in early December. This goal served its purpose the best of all and it really got me out there on days when I thought about taking it easy.

As you can see, the 4th quarter held a lot of highs and lows....from age group awards, bonus PRs, and half marathon success, to hip pain, searching for answers, and taking time to listen to my body. I always say that we learn the most from adversity and this appears to be the case yet again. Stay tuned for the 2010 annual report and the introduction of my 2011 running goals.

The White Rock Half Marathon: Finding A Little Bit of That White Rock Magic

The White Rock Half Marathon is probably my favorite race of the year. There is nothing like the energy of 22,000 runners as they line up at the starting line and anxiously wait for the race to begin. I have run it three times now and intend to run it every year, it is as much a part of my December traditions as putting up a tree or baking cookies. I swear that there is something magical about the White Rock Half and I was looking for a little bit of that magic on Sunday.

The whole weekend revolved around the marathon and half marathon. I love going to the Marathon Expo on the Saturday before the race, talk about two of my favorite things--shopping and running--in the same place. It is a great time to get ideas for my 2011 racing calendar as many of the half marathons have booths there with information about their upcoming races. There are some really fun things in store for 2011, I can hardly wait! We also had a great pre-race carb meal with Ben, Liza, Vi, and others on Saturday evening. One of my favorite parts of running is the food and we had lots of it! Pasta, bread, pizza, and dessert...it was a good night! I was so excited and nervous for Ben, Liza, and Vi because they would be attempting the full marathon on Sunday. I was really nervous for Ben, who would be trying to qualify for Boston by running a 3:10 or less. It turned out that Ben had an incredible race and ran a full marathon in 3 hours and 9 minutes! Hello, Rockstar! Congrats also go to Liza and Vi for their great marathons.


Running Rocks!

You know the story, Sunday morning came so early and I woke up feeling very nervous and somewhat fearful. My hip has been a bit wonky lately, tightening up as I run and causing me pain. I knew that I could run the distance and have done it with pain before, I just didn't really want to go down that path today. I was also a little apprehensive because the race had moved to Fair Park and I was unsure of how the traffic and parking would be (turned out to not be an issue). I arrived in plenty of time and stayed in the warm car while I got my gear together. It was a chilly morning, I think that the temps were somewhere in the 30s. I knew that I would be shivering as I waited for the race to start.

I felt pretty lucky because I got to start in the third wave of runners (group C) so my wait wasn't too long. The waves went way into the alphabet (at least to M) and I know that the later groups had up to a 45 minute wait. I was on the edge of being emotional while waiting to start the race. I think that it was due to a variety of things--I was worried about my hip, I was excited about being on the verge of completing my big goal for 2010, and this race is just huge and there is so much nervous energy at the start. I almost go impatient while waiting during the fan fare before the race--it was cold and I just wanted to RUN!

We started from Fair Park this year, which was different, but I loved the course. We ran out of Fair Park and into the Arts District. It was a breath taking to turn the corner and run directly towards the very dramatic (and red) Winspear Opera House and the neighboring Meyerson Symphony Center. I perform at both of these with my wind ensemble, the Metropolitan Winds, which is still a complete thrill to me. After leaving the Arts District we ran down the very festive McKinney Avenue and into stately Highland Park. The views were astonishing at times and the crowd support was phenomenal. Best year yet!


Dessert Anyone?

As predicted, my hip started to tighten a bit in the early miles and I became quite concerned. However, I was prepared to run a slower pace (I was prepared for 2 hours or slower) and I walked the entire span of each water station to allow my hip to loosen up a bit. Fortunately the pain seemed to plateau at a very manageable level--sometimes it was noticeable and sometimes I didn't feel it at all. My pace was quite good considering my circumstances and I began to feel optimistic about my finishing time. This was confirmed when I passed the 7 hour mark at 1 hour and 15 seconds (during my PR half I passed 7 miles at exactly 1 hour). My race data shows that I got somewhat faster in the final miles, which is always a goal of mine. I felt strong as I wrapped up the last couple of miles, the return to Fair Park was pretty cool--lots of people cheering. I finished in 1:53:56...just 2 minutes and some change slower than my PR and my 3rd fastest half marathon time yet. A year ago I broke 2 hours for the first time (1:57) and this year I broke 1:55 despite that cranky hip....looks like I found that White Rock magic again.

After the race I wrapped up in my heat sheet, and went in the adjacent building to collect my medal, finishers shirt, and free food. I only wish that my car wasn't so far away...and wait a minute...it is COLD out here! All in all I missed the energy of Victory Plaza, but liked the space and logistics of the new Fair Park setting. The course really showed some of the best and most beautiful parts of Dallas. It was quite a study in contrast as I ran passed a homeless man with a shopping cart on the way out of Fair Park and found myself in front of million(s) dollar Highland Park homes five miles later.


Mission Accomplished

Now that one of my 2010 goals is complete (10 half marathons in 2010--this was number 11 on the year and 18 overall) I am taking a whole week off from any intense running or exercise. Recovery is the hardest part of training for me and I am finding my own challenges in this week of downtime. I am looking forward to getting back at it as I have one more goal to wrap up in the final weeks of this year. Stay tuned!

Dorothy's Dash 5K: The Debut of Team Starfish

Saturday was the Dorothy's Dash 5K and a big day for Team Starfish. Team Starfish is the walk/run group based out of our Special Education Office. Our building's Collaborative Leadership Team formed several "special interest" groups and asked me to head up the walk/run group. We named the group Team Starfish after our district's special ed motto (from the old story about the man who was throwing the starfish-one at a time-back into the ocean...the "I made a difference to THAT one" story). So far the group has participated in National Run At Work Day and several members were following a Couch to 5K plan in preparation for our goal race--Dorothy's Dash. I am happy to report that we had ten members signed up on our team. I am especially proud of Melissa R. and Shirley W. who ran their first 5K, I am seriously want them to get hooked so that we can do it again! I hope that by guiding this team I can give back to the running world that has given so much to me.


Music Therapists and Runners!

This was only my second 5K race in 2010 and I really wanted to score a person record (PR)and break 25 minutes. My 5K PR came at the Liberty By The Lake 5K. It was so hot and humid that day and I felt like I could take some time off of that one simply because the weather conditions were near perfect. The start line was quite hectic. Don't get me wrong, I love a small town, family oriented 5K but the start line can be a little unnerving! As soon as the race started I ran into people who started at the front and who were walking. This always makes me nervous and frustrated because I worry about tripping over someone. My mind is also telling me that I have to get the heck outta there because the race is so short. It took me a half mile or so to maneuver around all of the slower people and then I settled into a pace. Perhaps I shouldn't say settled....I think that 5Ks are so HARD! It is full throttle for 3.1 miles. I was trying to hit the miles in a consistent pace and I managed to accomplish that. It sure felt like I was getting slower at the end--probably because I was tired of running like my hair was on fire! My intern, Patina, passed me after mile 1 and I just tried to keep her in my sights. Darn her and her 23 year old legs! I crossed the line and checked the time--24:33....goal MET! I was thrilled as this was the fastest that I have run any significant distance. I was also fortunate to take 3rd place in my age group, I don't win bling very often so it is always a thrill. And I was so proud of Mary, Shirley, and Melissa R. as they ran across the finish line.


Patina and I show off some new bling!

For now I must take a few extra rest days...that wonky hip of mine has been talking to me again. I have spent some quality time with my chiropractor and massage therapist and hope to be back to normal soon. Rest is an important part of training, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it. The timing is good as I am headed to Cleveland for the American Music Therapy Association conference. I hope to explore Cleveland on foot with some other music therapy/running friends, but am also glad that I won't be tempted by my usual training routines.