And that's a wrap!

Trees around Maple Leaf after snow.

The goal race was this weekend.  We've had an extremely mild winter so far.  What are the chances that winter is going to show up on that weekend I have a goal race? After many years of lucking out, the Nookachamps Winter Run Events got weathered!

I was all prepared to run a half marathon, really I was.  I knew what pace I planned to go out at and what I was aiming for overall. A front was moving through with a mix of cold rain/slushy snow and temps in the mid-30s. Drizzle and temps under 40 I can handle.  Drenching rain in those lower temps?  I had my doubts.

There was a large group of us from CoachLesley.com plus friends of friends and that was fun!  It was great to see/meet everyone including one very new runner who was going to be running her first 10k.  I met up with EC who I did a lot of marathon training with last year.  We went out for a warm-up together and the rain was awful.  And as we turned back towards the start, I realized there was a pretty good wind coming from the south.  Really?

The start was even more chaotic than usual with this race.  All three races (5k, 10k and half) start at the same time with no helpful hints from anyone that slower paced runners and walkers should move to the back.  I couldn't hear anything with the heavy rain.  And without warning, I realized those in front of me were moving!  I guess the race had started.

My goal was to go out at 8:10 for the first mile and keep it feeling easy.  This is a crowded start and as usual, i did see someone trip and go down.  Careful!  I hit 8:09 and realized my shoes were completely soaked.  Hmm.  And oh yes, i was still really chilled even with a tailwind.  the second mile has a long sweeping downhill and I kept it easy (7:45) and was even colder.  And I was soaked. I could feel the crosswind and knew we'd be turning into it after another mile.

And here is where this course is perfect.  At just over 2 miles, the 10k turns off and goes up a hill.  There was no question, I made the turn off and ran a 10k.  It's a really hilly 10k (more hills than in the half i think) adn I didn't worry about pace at this point.  I just wanted to keep it steady and not have a repeat of last year were i fell apart the last mile and realized I had some running form work to do. Much better this year and I kept even splits even with all the hills.  That last mile on the squishy trail wasn't easy but I held it together.  I was a minute faster this year.  If I'd been aiming for the 10k, I'd have started faster too so I'm happy about that.

What was the big challenge with this race?  Taper!  Coach really wanted me to do a proper taper for this half marathon.  I was a little doubtful about how it would play out but decided to go ahead and follow it.  What did I learn?

I completely see the need to cut miles although I doubt I need to cut quite so many miles if I am not running that many overall.  I have been typically running about 30-35 miles per week with either 1 or 2 rest days erring on the side of caution (and weather!). Coach wanted me to cut about 25% of my miles and keep more rest days.  Now she gave me the option of doing some cross training  (bike or row) but as I've had some odd little back issues, I was hesitant to add that in when I haven't been doing much. And, I got so ridiculously stiff that it got hard to run.  I'm not kidding.

I'm on my feet a fair bit at work (going up stairs and walking around) and we debated how much of an impact that has on training recovery.  personally, I think it is a great thing because when I get tired of sitting and need a stretch, I can get up and attend to some other duties.  Coach has been concerned that the extra time on feet takes a toll and I need the strict taper with full rest days for this reason as well.  Again, I have my doubts that this is the case.  I am very used to being on my feet a bit more than the average office worker.  

And then race day, after two weeks of dealing with this, my low back was grumpy and tight the morning of the race.  This never bodes well for having any sort of power on the hills and my hamstrings always feel tight if this happens.  So lesson learned.  I'm "challenging" with taper so obviously we'll be playing with this.

So the race itself was disappointing from the standpoint of I was looking forward to racing a half marathon.  Both weather and taper challenges meant running a hard 10k was a better choice.  Overall it's been a great year though and I've learned a lot.  After that awesome 12k where I was a LOT faster than I expected and held that race pace, I know good things are happening. I'm looking forward to the coming year for a lot of reasons.

And as usual the beer and burger at Skagit River Brewery with even more running friends was wonderful.  We came home and the next day, SNOW!  Woohoo!  Winter, finally.

Busy Weekend

It's one of the best races in the area at a time when there is not much else going on.  Nookachamps Winter Runs has a race distance for everyone from a 5k, a 10k and a Half marathon.  The Half is the big draw and I've run it the past couple of years.  This year, I wanted a shorter harder effort and K was going to be back to an organized running event after 3.5 years.  Wow! 

Quite a few friends were running in the events so it was fun to see everyone and we got a good group together to go for the obligatory lunch and beer stop at Skagit Brewery in Mount Vernon.  That hamburger after the race always hits the spot. 

The weather was amazing again this year.  It's been pouring but for that morning, the rain stopped.  It is unseasonably warm around 50 degrees and the day of the race, we had some pretty good wind which was noticeable.  Actually, since it was so warm, I welcomed the wind to cool myself off when I was running. 

The race itself?  I feel like I ran a great 5 mile race.  The only problem was that the course was 6 miles.  What happened?  It's a hilly course. I got out at just the right pace (8:17) and felt relaxed and comfortable.  Mile two has a long downhill which I used but didn't push on (7:50).  Mile 3 is a pretty good climb.  I stayed focused on form and kept it in control (8:42).  I did manage to pass one gal but got passed by two others.  Hey, that's better on hills than I have been.  This is an amusing mile also because you go a by a dairy farm.  All the cows are right next to the road staring at you in bemusement.  The urge to "moo" is great. 

Mile 4 is rolling and like usual for a race, I had to stay focused in the middle to keep pace up (8:24).  Mile 5?  It drops for half a mile and then climbs culminating in a short sharp uphill ((8:44).  I managed to stay with my little group on the uphill which I was pleased about.  I'd normally get dropped. And then?  I knew this race went onto a woodchipped trail for almost the entire last mile.  The last half mile is a gradual grind uphill.  All in all, the worst possible combination for me.  The short sharp uphill followed by a downhill on an uneven surface messed me up!  Almost immediately I got a side stitch which got worse and worse.  No good.  I had to walk and was really, really mad about it. 

Oh well.  So it goes.  I'm used to trails but I didn't apply that knowledge when I hit the trails after that hard uphill when I was tired.  My form fell apart, I probably was leaning back and not running with correct form and it does not surprise me that I got such a side stitch.  Ouch!  I used to get those a lot and still can with the right circumstances. 

Lots of other people had very good races and I was happy about that.  K got his nookachamps hoody after two years!   We all got showers (best part of this race) and hoptailed to the brewery.  Tasty!  This race is certainly something to think about and reminds me yet again that I really do need to race more often.  Even train a bit harder I think.  I'd been thinking this before the race and still believe that I never really get out of my comfort level for key workouts.  How do I expect to handle that when racing?  Something to ponder a bit more obviously. 

Nookachamps Half Marathon

This is a great event in the great Northwest frozen tundra. It's an inexpensive race and about the only one that happens around here at this time of year. It draws all the gazelle people from the area. I have always wanted to be in shape to race this half marathon but it just never seems to happen. I've raced the now defunct 4 miler and the 10k or I've been injured or out of town. I still wasn't in shape to race the half but I was in shape to run it as a long run and enjoy myself.

And 13.1 miles would be a long run for me. Looking back over my running log from last year, the last time I ran 12 miles was in May. Really this shocks me and makes me a bit sad. Well no wonder it was so challenging to get ready in the morning. It took me a bit to remember that I should probably bring a gel to have mid-run and I had better wear the comfy running shorts with multiple pockets. We went off to pick up RPD who was also going to be running the half and set off for Mount Vernon.

RPD promptly fell asleep as soon as we hit the freeway. Truly I am envious. We made it up to Mount Vernon in record time and followed the line of cars/suvs with bike racks into the parking lot and were registered and ready to go in no time. I kept running into people I know which was pretty nifty.

It's a new course this year and I really loved it. Flat and hilly with lots to look at as you are running alongside farm land, lakes, sloughs and across creeks. Every time I have raced here, it has been well below freezing. Today's temps were actually above freezing which was novel so I wore shorts even though it was chillier (just above freezing) because of the fog. The shorts I was wearing were so comfortable after the tights I have been wearing that i honestly thought for a moment that I wasn't wearing anything. I had to check a couple of times!

And we were off. The goal was just to settle into a comfortable easy pace and enjoy myself. The second mile has a big downhill and I didn't get suckered into running that harder than I wanted. Pace was around 8:45-8:50 and I was happy. Just in the past week my pace had dropped for effort so I was curious as to what was going to feel comfortable.

1 - 8:47
2 - 8:29 (downhill)
3 - 8:52

The best and most memorable part of the race occurred around mile 3. We were running by horse paddocks and the stunningly gorgeous horses seemed to be excited about the race. One of the stallions was galloping about his paddock. In the fog, it was just an awesome scene. All the runners around me also took time to comment on the beauty. About mile 4 I started chatting with Retail Guy who was running the same pace. He politely took out an ear bud and we chatted about what all runners chat about - races and next races. He was actually a tennis player who loved running because it kept him in such good shape. We were chatting a bit too much (going uphill) and slowed through one of those miles. He seemed ready to move up the pace after around 7 so I let him go.

4 - 8:55
5 - 8:52
6 - 9:04 oops. chatting too much.
7 - 8:35 short steep up and then down.

there was a very long out and back section which I wasn't prepared for at all around miles 8-10. It seemed to go on forever. But it was very interesting to see the runners coming towards me. They were obviously working hard and I really felt fresh and full of of vim and vigor. In fact as I was coming towards the turn around pretty much by myself, the lone volunteer gave me a "good job" and I thanked him for being out there with a huge grin on my face. He laughed and said that I must've started later because I obviously had way too much energy at this point in the race. That got a big laugh out of me and I explained I was just out for a fun run.

8 - 8:37
9 - 8:47

Not too long after the turn around I acquired Heavy Breathing Guy. He stayed on my tail for the better part of two miles until I finally got him to pass me. He said he was using me as a wind break (there was wind?). No biggie for me. I quizzed him about the hills the final miles but he didn't know what to expect either.

It was a little strange the last couple of miles. We made a turn back to the main road and were serenaded by a flock of turkeys. I laughed out loud about that one much to the delight of the volunteers at that intersection encouraging the turkeys. It was a little confusing the last miles about which side of the road runners were supposed to be on. the road was not closed and there was a lot of traffic. Cars and big trucks were going slowly but still didn't like it.

Finally we started the rollers the last couple of miles. I was ready to be done and enjoyed the ups and downs. I had been passing people very steadily for the last few miles and set my sights on one person after the other on the way in. I didn't mean for that last mile to be 7:50 pace but it sure did feel good to let 'er rip!

10/11 - 17:42 Big uphill in mile 11. sorry I missed the splits.
12- 8:36
13 -7:50
0:49

1:54:01 by watch time. An easy run where everything felt great. Another fabulous aspect of this race is being able to wait before and after the race in the heated gym and we can use the shower facilities. RPD came in shortly afterwards. After freshening up we went off to Skagit Brewery for hamburgers and beer. It seemed that every other Nookachamps runners was doing the same thing. the place was full of happy runners.

I have run shorter races for fun but usually have paced people to PRs. This is the first race I have run where I am just out there to have a good time. I have never trusted myself in the past to be able to hold back. Ok, I let it slip there just a bit at the end. However it is really a neat feeling to know that I am able to run a half marathon casually and so in control. I consider this another lesson learned in my running life.