I know. I’m an absolute failure at keeping this blog up to date. I have a couple reasons as to why. Well more like three.
- San Diego went no where the way I wanted it to.
- Work went super crazy.
- May have had added another member to our crazy household. She (was) tiny. Furry and bloody crazy with energy.
Let’s back up to June when the marathon took place. I went into the marathon with high expectations of myself. I trained fairly well. I usually perform better in races. I had a friend who helped me through most of the training so I had a great distraction through most of the training.
Leading up to the race, everything seemed to fall into place. I was on pace to hit a 5 hour marathon which is what I wanted. I wanted that time so bad. Then about mile 8-10, I realized there was a big difference between a race that caters to a half vs a full.
The half marathon (and the lively crowd) turned off at mile 8 to head towards the finish. Then the marathon course seemed to turn into a graveyard. The reason? People were plugged in.
When I started racing back in 2009 – 2010, listening to music was banned during races. People still did it but it wasn’t as common. Now, no one talks. Talking is how I got through races. I found new people. Now? No one wants to chat. I train with no music. I don’t believe in it. It’s for my safety.
So at mile 15, I realized 2 things. First: I was totally and utterly board. Second: my stomach was both super hungry and super pissed. The second would come back to me a lot during the race and after. It didn’t help at mile 15 that I saw there was an out and back loop that I didn’t know where and how far it was. I couldn’t even using my imagination to help my boredom. I’ve never had that happen to me in Portland marathon or in a half.
So I hit my wall with 11 miles to go. And I hit it hard. It didn’t help that there was a massive hill at mile 22 that was over a mile long. Even if there was like a mile down hill after the crest of the hill, my legs were just toast.
Needless to say I didn’t hit my 5 hour PR. I would have PR’ed by 1/2 hour. Nope. I did PR though but only by mere minutes. My soul was pretty crushed. Pretty sure you could see it in the race pics.
Did I learn anything? Ehh. Just one thing–maybe two. I shouldn’t have neglected my core. I half assed my strength training through the entire marathon training. That was a big no-no. I also learned that big chested woman need a good bra. Do your planks and pay for a good bra ladies!! Also maybe learn to love hill training maybe?
So fast forward a month. 4th of July came and past and it was an amazing weekend. Work took off with the start of a BIG project. That following Friday, I got a call from boyfriend at the start of his shift (around 2pm) asking me to come pick up this puppy of his co-worker. Well his coworker was in a bind and couldn’t keep the dog for now and boyfriend said we’d watch the pup for a few days. Well that few days turned into a few weeks and by end of August, we told him we were keeping her. So we adopted Kai (aka Kaijuu). She’s a Dane/Hound (or something) mix. She was so tiny in July. It’s hard to believe that she was that tiny then. She’s now taller than Roxie but is mainly legs. Roxie still has her in the weight department. She is definitely boyfriend’s dog. She is always trying to get between him and me. Roxie is still very much my dog.
The truth came out a few weeks after we got her that boyfriend’s cowoker was just gonna let her go. Just throw her out on the road. WHO DOES THAT!? She’s such a good girl. She’s more lively where Roxie is more anti-social as I put it. Kai wants to greet EVERYONE. And holy cow is she getting strong.
When we first got her, I was dead set on keeping her. She was a handful (I took her out hourly), but as time went on, she became part of the family and a sister to Roxie. Roxie is no longer bored. She still whines. Still wants to be under the blanket. But now that we’ve got Kai, Kai keeps her warmer. Kai is always laying/sitting/tormenting her. I’m glad boyfriend asked me to pick her up. Our walks are never boring. They are always crazy. No one wants to walk with us anymore. I have the two most crazy, socially odd dogs. But they are ours. And they are both spoiled.
Fast forward to this month. I still had one more Rock n’ Roll half I signed up for back in January and it was in Denver. We’ve got extended family down there and I haven’t been down there since I was in elementary school. The family is always coming up to visit our area so I thought this might be a nice change. So Mom and I woke up (BLOODY FREAKIN’ EARLY) the Friday before and flew to Denver.
I trained (I had a better bra and definitely added strength into my weekly routine) but this time I just trained so I didn’t die. I went into this race hoping to enjoy it. I follow many pro runners and I know they they travel to high places like Denver for the elevation. There was no way I was going to be able to train for that. Spokane was NO WHERE that high. So I wanted to just look around my surroundings and enjoy the city.
And I did.
Did I PR? Heck no. Was it my worst half? Not even close. I was happy with 2:28. I wanted under 2:30. After the race, I didn’t feel like I could really get a good breath in until Mom and landed back in Spokane on Monday. So yes, elevation is a big deal. If you travel for a race at that altitude and are not used to it, expect to feel it. I didn’t really fully feel it until about mile 5 or 6. It didn’t help that there was a constant itty bitty up hill I didn’t know was there until we turned around. Meh.
I had a great time though. I had a great group at the finish line too. Also, the music was, for once, on point. Most Rock n’ Rolls, “I’m like WTF is this!?” but this wasn’t one of them. Oh! It was cold though on the day of the race. I wasn’t anticipating that. It’s been awhile since I’ve run in 30 dg weather. Ha!
Alright. I think I’ve recapped everything. Sorry it’s been awhile.
See ya guys on the flip side!