Race Options & Hydration Packs

The 80-mile relay my Ragnar van was going to run has been canceled. It was going to be October 18, but they moved it to the 25th...I'll be in Seattle for a wedding that weekend (hopefully!), so I had to back out.

That leaves me with some options. The race director refunded our money because of the date change, so I now have to decide how I want to use it. I promised myself I wouldn't sign up for tons of races willy-nilly while we're trying to pinch pennies for the house, but it seems like these are funds meant for races and it would be a shame not to use them!

Option 1: Registration for the 22.4 Challenge, which I completed and loved last year, has opened. The first price increase is looming, so I need to decide quickly if I'll plan to do this again. It's a little pricier, but it's three races instead of just one!

Three races from December to April, which will keep me motivated all year.

Option 2: The original weekend of the relay has two races to pick from. One is a 10k on the 18th, and there's a 10-miler on the 19th. Technically my plan calls for a 20-miler that weekend, so I could just choose to race both and call it even.

I've never done a 10-mile race, so that could be fun, and I love the Race for Fish 10k. I've run it twice and really enjoyed it both times.

Option 3: Pocket the money, put it into house stuff, and do the training run as my plan calls for.

I haven't signed up for any races before the marathon, and I'd like to get a few in so I feel ready. There are so many fun fall races I'd love to do, including the 15k I did last year, and if I could somehow manage to fit some into my schedule, I'd be a happy camper!

On another note, I'm also deciding on which hydration vest I want to get. I need to get it soon if I plan to adjust to it by the time I'm running my 20-milers. Right now I'm between:

The Nathan Vapor Shadow

A bit heavy by the description, but I like the specialized women's fit.

Nathan Firecatcher

Much lighter and less expensive, but uni-sex fit concerns me, although it does have great reviews.

Ultimate Direction Ultra Vesta

Really light and cut for a woman, designed by Jenny Jurek, but expensive...and maybe with more bells and whistles than I need.

Some of these are priced a bit better on Amazon, but I can't find them in stores to try before I buy, which kind of stinks. Maybe I should buy all three and return the two I don't like!

Which race-refund option would you choose?
Is it in poor taste to register for "housewarming" gifts that are actually marathon gifts? Because the thought has crossed my desperate mind! I'm kidding...Promise.

ABK

Things I've Learned from My Half Marathons

Long-distance running is a wonderful teacher. (It's also pretty relative. There was a time when 4 miles seemed like an impossible feat for me!) You have to respect a distance that bleeds into the double-digits and during which you may need to literally eat while you run.

Now that I've done six half marathons and am gearing up to try-try again for a full in the winter, I find myself reflecting on those previous races. They've definitely taught me a lot.

Half #1: Naples Daily News 2011

The pain in my face is real. I stupidly ran this because I'd paid, even though I had no business running it.

My first half marathon, run on literally zero training, taught me the value of following a plan. I let work and stress get in the way and ended up "running" this half in 2:56. I came out of it humbled, injured, and angry at running. I learned from this race that dedication is key. I was fired up to try again and do it right next time.

Half #2: the St. Pete Women's 2012

Training well with my partner really helped us PR this race!

Learning from our mistakes, Kelsey and I trained our hearts out for the St. Pete Women's Half the following year. And boy did it pay off! I PR'd by over 40 minutes, finishing in 2:15 on the nose. This half taught me that you can achieve way more than you expect if you do the training. I never expected to run a race of this distance in that kind of time. I learned that sometimes dedication means running at 4:30am. This race also taught me the value of long runs! I'll never neglect those again.

Half #3: Naples Daily News 2013

Kelsey and her oldest daughter cheer me on at the finish.

There was a light and dark side to my lessons with my second attempt at the NDN, and I think this one was the biggest learning experience for me. While I did learn to take failure in stride (my time was 2:37, and coming off my PR that was hard to swallow), I also learned that I need some time off between big races. This race had me convinced that January was a bad race month for me in general. I raced this half totally burned out, and it showed. I learned that rest and recuperation are key.

Half #4: Fort Myers Beach 2013

Lesson learned: stay positive!

 If half #3 taught me to accept failure, then half #4 taught me to stay positive. After the second NDN half, I decided to change my mindset. I vowed to be more positive about running, because after all, why run if I don't love it? This race was supposed to be my first full, but an injury knocked me down to the half. I nearly didn't run it at all - I was on antibiotics for an upper-respiratory infection - but I just couldn't back out. This half was painful in many ways (my finish was my second-slowest at 2:41), but I felt like superwoman for finishing because I stuck it out and gave it what I had. I raced smart for my circumstances. I learned that we can't control every aspect of race day - like the jump in temperature or my illness - but we can control our attitude. I learned to be mentally tough. On a practical note, I also learned the importance of hydration on fueling during the training for this race!

Half #5: Suncoast 2014

I wonder if Mom knew she was going to be matching me when she went with her purple vest!

I was so excited for this half. It cut through my parents' neighborhood, meaning I'd run most of the route at one time or another and knew exactly what to expect. I wanted to make up for the previous half's bad luck, and boy did I! The weather was cool and overcast; it even rained toward the end. But what I learned from this race was 1) to never underestimate the energy boost a cheering section will give you, and 2) making friends on the course is a great distraction. This race taught me that coming into the finishing chute with your hands raised is totally acceptable, because even if you don't PR a race (my time was a respectable 2:24 on this one), you've still done something amazing. I also broke two "curses" on this race: the January-curse and the mile-9-slump!

Half #6: Paradise Coast 2014

Could this starting-line photo be any more perfect?

The pattern I've noticed in my most recent half marathons is that the more positive I feel going into a race, no matter my goals, the better experience I have. This race, which I ran the day after my birthday as a celebration for myself, was my best by far. I remembered my previous lessons: fuel, hydrate, dedicate and push yourself, and be mentally tough. Coming off Ragnar, I had no goal. I just wanted to have fun and do my thing. But here's the beauty of teaching and learning: when you remember the lessons and apply them, great things happen. It took three half marathons (not including the distance I raced overnight for Ragnar) in between to do it, but I finally earned a new PR (2:11) on this race. More importantly, I learned the value of digging deep and challenging myself. I learned that even training mostly alone, I am capable of great things. I learned to balance running with others, running alone, long runs, speedwork, and other training/cross-training techniques. Oh, and I learned the right podcast can really give you a leg up.

One of the best things about running is how much it teaches us about ourselves and our abilities. With these lessons under my belt, I feel ready to tackle my first marathon in November. I know now that I must (and more importantly, CAN) do the training; control what I can and let go of what I can't; and stay positive and mentally tough.

(Detailed race recaps can be found under the "My Races" tab at the top of the page.)

What have you learned from your previous races?
What is your favorite distance to race?
Have you ever had a race that was just ROUGH, but taught you a lesson?

ABK

Suncoast Half Marathon - Lakewood Ranch

Let me start out by saying that all your words of encouragement really helped to make this race amazing. Sometimes I just really love the blog community an almost unhealthy amount!

Okay, so this race was emotional for me from the get-go. I drove into town Saturday and started tearing up just thinking about how much was riding on it. I didn't feel nervous or upset (yet); I was choked up knowing my parents would be watching me and that this was finally the race I'd been working toward.

I packed for every condition I could imagine, which was good because the weather changed overnight!

I met Britt at the race expo to pick up our packets and we drove to the starting line to get a feel for where we wanted to park. Depending on how early she was ready, the plan was to have Britt pick me up in the morning, but in case that fell through, we wanted to park near each other.

The night before the race, I began to get nervous. Like, really nervous. Mom made spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner, served with fresh salad and an Udi's baguette, which was the perfect pre-race meal (second only to sushi). I stayed up to watch Captain Phillips with the family, and couldn't help noticing that the butterflies were beginning to emerge in my tummy.

Pre-race, carb-heavy dinner. Perfection!

I think I had so much riding on this race that fear was just unavoidable. I run most of my short races with confidence, but most long races I don't push myself too much. I had plans for the race today, and I think caring so much fed my anxiety.

Steph texted me "good luck" and when I answered immediately chastised me for being awake.

Still, I slept really well and woke up before dawn to have breakfast (which I barely touched) and get dressed. The day was supposed to start in the high 40s, but overnight the cold front let up a bit and I awoke to perfect race conditions: 62 and overcast with a 20% chance of rain.

We both look...awesome?

Somehow the app missed the incoming rain.

Britt picked me up and we got to the venue at 6:30. After getting prepped and taking a selfie while in line for the Port-o-Johns (where I was able to finally see one of my other running friends - Karen - after years of keeping in touch online), we stepped into the corral. There were just over 400 people running, and the corral wasn't too crowded. Without much ado, we began the race.

At the starting line!

Britt and I stuck together for the first quarter mile or so, but soon I had broken off on my own. I just kept thinking how good and confident I felt. Miles 1-4 flew by; I kept a slow-and-steady pace, pausing at mile 4 to eat two GU Chomps (one with caffeine). Around mile 5 I struck up a conversation with another young woman running just behind me, and we ran together until the water stop at 6.5, where I broke off ahead again.

 I tried to get photos of the route, but they all came out pretty shaky.

The first half of the race was a wonderful blur. I was amazed at how strong I felt. I wasn't clocking any miracle miles, but my pace was so consistent I thought my GPS had to be wrong.

The route boasted cloudy skies, lakes, pretty houses, palm trees. If this were a sunny race it'd be brutal - no shade!

At mile 7.5 I ate a non-caffeinated Chomp and spotted my parents and brother. Zach took photos as I waved and ran past. My dad caught sight of me pretty far back, so he was able to ask how I felt; my mom was pretty distracted and nearly missed me, so she barely had time to shout, "You look great! See you at the finish!"

Mom holding up her sign for me!

(FYI: We used the Find Friends app so my parents could track me and it worked like a charm.)

The emotional boost from having a cheering section helped me conquer the one big hill in the race. After that, I knew it was smooth-sailing. I had the advantage of being very familiar with this course because I run parts of it whenever I'm home, and by the time I got to mile 9, I knew exactly what to expect.

9 is usually my weak point, so I took my last caffeinated Chomp. This was when the rain started. Up to this point, there had been some tiny pin-pricks of rain here and there, but nothing steady. Now, the rain came down in a steady patter. I personally love running in the rain, so this was icing on the cake for me. I picked up my pace and broke the evil mile-9 curse!

In the second half, I passed tons of runners. Slow-and-steady pays off!

It wasn't really until mile 12 that I began to feel any kind of fatigue. I was able to push myself through the last mile and finish at a sprint, clocking in at 2:24:53 and beating my B-goal by 7 seconds. (I avoided walking at all the entire race - goal met!) In the finishing chute I heard my mom scream for me, and at the end when she found me and asked, "Are you happy with your race?" I could barely choke back tears enough to answer, "Yes."

Dad and mom met me at the end.

What she said next perfectly sums up why this was so important to me. She told me, "Before this, all your running has been theoretical to me. But now I see..." We runners talk non-runners' ears off sometimes, and they simply don't "get" it until they see it for themselves. Seeing both my parents so proud and beaming at the end was the cherry on top of this freakishly perfect race.

At that point, we wandered around until we found Brittany...who was in the medical tent. At mile 4 her foot, which she broke a couple years ago, popped; by mile 8 she couldn't go on. Obviously this truly sucked, but like most runners, she's only more determined to come back stronger as soon as she's able.

Such a trooper.

All in all, this was the race I was hoping for. I was healthy (I think my recent obsession with squats helped in that regard); the weather was perfect; it was my second fastest half; and I had my cheering section there to support me. What more could I ask for?

Half marathon #5...success!

I am incredibly stoked for my next adventure...Ragnar!

ABK

Redemption & Race Plan

Fall of 2013 was rough (running-wise) for me. My injured foot meant no attempt at my first full marathon. It ended up being a blessing in disguise because the route was mostly ugly urban road and the day was hot. I ran that half heavily medicated, dehydrated (from medication), and sleep-deprived after deciding the night before to run it afterall.

My last-minute decision to run that half was met with opposition.

Since then, I've been dedicated (my word of the year!) to running long on weekends, cross-training, and being honest with myself.

This weekend is my chance at redemption. The half I've been training for is Sunday. Despite heavy legs, work-induced stress, and loneliness (Matt is in Las Vegas at a double bachelor party...what a butthead), I'm excited and ready for this race. It may not be my fastest half, but it's going to bring me some redemption from the last one.

Bring it on.

I plan to walk only while fueling.

I plan to study the course map so I know when to expect water and when to eat.

I plan to see my parents at mile 8 and the finish line.

Aid station/water stop literally directly across the street from my parents' house!

(Mile 9 is usually my weak point, so I think this will be a great pick-me-up!)

I plan to finish under 2:30. (A goal - 2:15, B goal - 2:25, C goal - 2:35. There are pace teams at the race, so I plan to stick close to the 2:15 pacer.)

I plan to celebrate my first race with Brittany - her first race post-baby - and enjoy every moment of the event.

I plan to actually see what I'm made of when I train alone and don't have illness or injury to contend with.

Time to see if all this training has paid off!

I'm antsy, excited, and ready for this race! I haven't felt this confident for a long-distance race since November 2012...It's time to make this one count!

What are your weekend plans?

ABK