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Race Recap: Ghost Town Half Marathon 2015

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I ran the inaugural Ghost Town Half Marathon yesterday, May 25. The course was on the Ghost Town Trail, a flat crushed limestone rails to trail, from Dilltown to Black Lick, with a net elevation loss. It was near Indiana and was an easy hour’s drive from Pittsburgh. The course followed a creek and was very pretty. It was 75% shady, and it did go past what I assume are remnants of a ghost town. There were all sorts of critters on the trail. Some people saw two separate snakes, but they must have been chased away by the time I came through. I saw lots of millipedes, butterflies, and even a red salamander–I had to keep my eyes on the trail to keep from stepping on them!

I ran this race exactly like I wanted to so was happy with how I did, even though my pace didn’t reflect it. My goal was to run the first few miles at an easy pace, then pick it up to a moderate pace in the middle, and then “unleash the speed” for the final 5K. Given the heat, my plan was to run by effort and heart rate rather than pace. My second goal was to be mentally strong the whole race, to not quit when it got tough, to stay in each mile, and to fight for every split.

Race Outfit
I wore my Skirt Sports Gym Girl Ultra Skirt (review here) and Lululemon Sculpt Tank in Regal Plum, Energy Bra in Clear Mint/Grey, and run hat in grey stripe. This was a perfect outfit for a long, hot run. The skirt stayed put, and I didn’t have to adjust it once. Everything was very comfortable and nothing chafed or caused me problems.

Pre-Race
Packet pick-up was at Saylor Park, in Homer City, just outside Black Lick. When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw I was about the 10th car there, and I was happy to see other runners. While I got a registration confirmation, I never got an email about the race. So I wasn’t even sure there would actually be a race! I was happy to see it was a real race, though I was prepared to run 13.1 miles, race or no race.

There were bathrooms (basically, a permanent porto potty) there and at the start line. I went to pick up my bib and got handed a timing chip with the number 48 on it that I was to attach to my shoe with twistie ties. I was happy that I didn’t have to wear a bib, since I don’t like wearing bibs. Seeing that I was 48, I looked at the registration printout and thought there were likely only about 100 or so people registered (per the race results, there were 86). I immediately worried about finishing last and made it one of my goals to not finish last.

Before the race

There were shuttles to take us to the start line, and we were all wondering just how far we were running that day since the shuttle seemed to take a half hour to get to the start line. There was a pavilion there, and we all hung around waiting for the second shuttle with the rest of the runners. The vibe was very friendly and low-key. It felt more like we were all going for a group run than running a race.

My Garmin recorded the temp as 72F at race start, but it didn’t feel too hot in the shade. Plus, the humidity was low in the early morning.

We all knew the race was starting late when it was 9 a.m.–the race start time–and the second shuttle wasn’t there yet. Finally the shuttle came, but then everyone on it had to use the bathroom, so we had to wait for them. There wasn’t a starting mat, so we all needed to start together. Finally we all walked in a group out to the 13 mile marker, about .25 miles up the trail, where the race was to start. After a moment of silence in observance of Memorial Day, the race director basically just said, “Ready, set, go!” and we were off.

Miles 0-3
Mile 1: 10:49 | Mile 2: 11:02 | Mile 3: 11:07
Immediately, the fast runners broke away so that those of us at the back of the pack had the entire trail to ourselves for the whole race, which was nice. For the first time ever in a race, I brought music, but I didn’t plan on listening to it until it started to feel hard. Well, when you are by yourself with a few others on a trail, all you can hear is everyone’s breathing, so I started my music in the first mile. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy or appreciate the scenery if I were listening to music, but I was wrong. I still really enjoyed the course and made sure to look at everything, but the music really helped me keep my head in the game and stay focused.

My plan was to keep my heart rate in the 161-166 range, about 85-88% of my max heart rate. Well, that just didn’t happen. The first few miles were in that range but then I ran the rest at a higher heart rate than I wanted. My effort felt moderate, though, so I wasn’t too worried. The first three miles flew by.

There were three water stops, the first at mile 3. They gave out bottles of water, which was great because I drank a bunch then poured the rest over my head, neck, and back. They really helped keep me cool.

Miles 4-6
Mile 4: 11:21 | Mile 5: 11:38 | Mile 6: 11:54
I kept trying to keep my heart rate stable, even if it wasn’t as low as I wanted, and while I did that for the most part, my pace just kept slowing. I was determined to run by heart rate, though, so I wasn’t too worried about my pace. From mile 4 on, my heart rate was in the 170s. I knew that 171 and above was 90% of my max heart rate, my V02 max zone, and that I needed to just try keeping my heart rate down or I’d be in trouble.

At this point, I was still feeling good and still enjoying the course. I was just running each mile as I’d planned, without thinking of how far I had to go. While the trail was mostly shady, there were sections in the direct sun, and those really zapped my energy. But overall, I felt like I was running just like I planned to and was pretty positive.

The second water stop came at mile 6, and again I drank a bunch of the water and poured the rest over me, this time completely wetting all my clothes. At that point I was pretty hot, but I have to say it wasn’t the “I’m hot and dying!” feeling like in the Pittsburgh race, and I felt like I was dealing with the heat pretty well. I do think all the hot and humid runs the past three weeks helped me acclimate. Also, I took a Salt Stick cap before the race and halfway through, and again I had no stomach problems. I really think they help!

Mile 7-9
Mile 7: 12:18 Mile 8: 11:40 Mile 9: 12:15
This race was going by really fast! I was doing a great job staying focused and mentally strong and keeping my heart rate stable. I was still feeling pretty good. There weren’t any spectators and few people out on the trail besides us in the race. There were a few people on bikes with EMS shirts who kept riding back and forth to keep an eye on everyone, but basically it was just me out there putting in some good work. I really liked that! The crowds in the Pittsburgh race were fun to see and definitely helped me keep running when I wanted to walk, but I much prefer being by myself, especially when things get tough.

The last water stop came at mile 9, I think–maybe it was mile 10, and I took a break then. I had walked through the other two water stops, but in this one I walked a little longer. I had carried a towel around my wrist (a handana) and wet it with water then wiped off my whole face and neck, which was salty from sweat and dusty from the trail. That felt so good! I had carried a bottle filled with Nuun and had drank all of it by the last water stop, so instead of pouring the water over me, I just poured a little over my head then filled my water bottle with the rest of it. I got my heart rate down a bit on that walk and knew I had some work ahead of me.

Miles 10-13.1
Mile 10: 12:04 | Mile 11: 12:26 | Mile 12: 12:57 | Mile 13: 12:38 | final .1: 13:37
I felt like I could pick up the pace and got to work. It felt like I was doing a good job and putting more effort in, so it’s frustrating that my pace doesn’t reflect that. I started to pass people and ended up passing five people in that last 5K. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but there weren’t that many people to begin with. At this point, it was definitely feeling harder, but I just kept focusing, staying calm, and just kept fighting. Also at this point, many people were walking, which made me want to walk. I had a hat on and tilted my head down so that the brim covered my eyes and I couldn’t see them.

I kept at it, but the last two miles…ugh. Mile 12 was tough for sure, but that last mile was just a killer and was really the first point in the race where I felt the fight start to go out of me. At mile 12.5, I actually took a very short walk break. I felt like I needed to in order to finish. But it was quick and when I started running again, I passed one more runner and just fought to keep running.

When I got to the point where the course left the trail and I knew there was only .1 to go, I tried hard to give it my all, but I had no gas left in the tank. I was done. My pace in that final push was 13:37, but my heart rate was 181, just short of my 184 max.

After I crossed the finish line, I basically fell to the ground while they cut off my time chip. Usually after races I try to keep walking to keep moving, but this time I just couldn’t even stand up. I was so wiped out. I sat in the shade for a while drinking water before I could get up.

At a small pavilion nearby, they had bananas and packages of bagels and cinnamon bread, and I had both. I stayed a while to talk to the rest of the runners. Everyone that I talked to ran slower than they planned and thought it was pretty hard given it was an easy course.

After the race, happy to be done!

My official time was 2:35:24 (gun time, so probably only off by a few seconds). For all that I thought I ran a strong race and did a good job, damn if I didn’t finish two minutes slower than the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. Grrrr!!!! But that’s okay. I knew my pace would be slower because of the heat, and I also promised myself I wouldn’t get upset over my time, so I won’t. 

My heart rate data tells a different story, though. It tells me that I was working hard the whole race. It also tells me that I met my goal of running the first few miles easy, the middle miles moderate, and then pushing hard at the end. It’s just so frustrating that my pace doesn’t reflect that!

I pulled the data for this race, the Just a Short Run (JASR) Half Marathon in March, and a training run from April. The JASR half was the one where I felt I did really well, running the first 10 at an easy effort and then finishing strong. Here’s a comparison of those three, with the first numbers my heart rate and the second numbers pace. It shows how much higher my heart rate was in this race.

Also, I finished 69th out of 86, so I met my goal to not finish last!

Race Organization and Swag
This race was put on by the Gingerbread Man Running Co., an Indiana PA based running shoe store. This was the inaugural race, so there were a few mishaps like the late start. Communication could have been better. But overall, I thought they did a good job. I liked that they gave out whole bottles of water. They also had two GU stops, but I brought my own Clif gels so didn’t have any GU. And the swag was really nice!

We got a cooler, a long sleeve Brooks tech tee, and a glass.

Cooler and glass
Glass
Long Sleeve Brooks Tech Tee

Overall and Lessons Learned
I thought this was a nice race on a nice course, and I liked that it was small and low-key. My main issue was the late 9 a.m. start, and then we were delayed another half hour, so it was pretty hot by the time we got going. I think it was around 80 when we finished. I’m not sure if it was the heat or that I didn’t fuel properly after the race, but for the rest of the day I was completely wiped out. While I enjoyed the race, I probably would only do it again if the start time were earlier.

As with all races, I learned some things.

  • Music helps! It helped the race go by quickly, and it gave me something to focus on so that I didn’t let panic and negativity creep in.
  • I don’t run well in the heat. It’s crazy how high my heart rate was but how slow I was going. I think I need to say goodbye to these hot weather races and focus on half marathons in the fall and winter.
  • Hot weather training runs helped. While my paces were really slow, I never felt awful and miserable because I was so hot.
  • Salt Stick caps really help prevent nausea and tummy pains.

Race Recap: 2015 Pittsburgh Half Marathon

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First, congratulations to everyone who ran a Pittsburgh Marathon event and to Clara Santucci for winning top female and Tyler McCandless for winning top American male! And thank you to all the volunteers, spectators, and performers who supported all the runners!

This is the not the recap I hoped to write. I did not PR, did not finish strong, did not meet my A, B, or C goals, and did not have fun for much of the course. I’m disappointed but not crushed. I still am really happy with a great training cycle. May 3 was just not my day.

You know that my confidence going into this race was through the roof. I was 100% certain I would run my 11:00 target pace and thought it was probable that I would achieve 10:50 or better. In fact, when I told my husband about what time I would finish so that he could be at the finish line, my “if everything goes bad” time estimate was only two minutes off from when I told him I’d be finishing. “That’s not a lot of leeway,” he said. “There’s no way I’m finishing later than that,” I adamantly told him.

What I hadn’t planned on was the sun and heat. I had exactly one training run in hot weather before this race. The 79 other runs I did this training cycle were pretty much all in very cold temps, so I was very unprepared for the weather on race day.

If you don’t want to read the full story, the short story is that I finished in 2:33 at an 11:43 pace, five minutes slower than my 2:28 PR. Ouch. Read on for the details.

Pre-Race

My race day outfit–light, airy, comfy and colorful tank, capris with lots of pockets,
and purple bra because, purple!

I slept like a baby Saturday night, like I didn’t have a care in the world. Sunday morning getting ready went smoothly, until I started walking from my house to the start Downtown. It was 52F out, and I planned to wear a windbreaker for the first few miles of the race and then toss it to my husband when we passed him on the course. Before I was even halfway to Downtown, I started to feel pretty warm. Hmmm. I decided to put my jacket in gear check instead of wearing it for the beginning of the race.

Checking the forecast before the race, I wasn’t concerned at all. It was only predicted to be around 60 at 9:30, when I’d be finishing.

In the VIP area before the race. My side pockets in my capris are stuffed!
Amanda and I are ready to take on the race!

I had access to a VIP area in the Westin Hotel because I’m an official blogger. There was a big breakfast spread and access to nice indoor bathrooms. I met Amanda there, who won the same VIP package. As soon as I got there at 6 a.m. I got in line to use the bathroom. It was awesome to be able to use a nice, indoor bathroom! We left at 6:30 to go to our corral and almost immediately got in line for the port-a-potties. The lines were so long and took forever that we actually missed starting with our corral and had to start with the next corral. That set us back a good half-hour, probably starting around 7:30, which meant we were in the sun longer, so in retrospect starting with a later corral wasn’t a good idea.

Our plan was to run together until the course split at the Birmingham Bridge at an 11:00 pace. My own plan was to speed up to about 10:50 pace at mile 5 if I felt good, and then really speed up at mile 10. Ha, ha. How confident I was!

Start line selfie…all smiles because nothing could possibly go wrong!
Waiting for our corral to go at the start line. This is the only time we were in the shade. You can see
we were going to be running into the sun.

Miles 0-3
1: 10:53
2: 11:00
3: 11:00
The start line was, of course, very exciting, and we started off from Downtown heading into the Strip District neighborhood. There were cheering spectators almost nonstop and several bands. Amanda did a good job of helping us to start slow, though the first mile was a little fast. I tried to really pay attention to pace, and we had to keep slowing down. We did a pretty good job of starting slowly. I can’t say that this pace felt easy, though, and my heart rate confirmed that. Already, I was working much harder than I did in my training runs at that pace. For example, my heart rate running the same course for the first two miles on a training run April 12 was 146 and 152; the first two miles of this race I was at 159 and 164. Still, I was having fun at this point. So many cheering spectators, and so many signs! It was crowded throughout the whole course, but I never felt like I was
tripping over people and never had to weave a ton, even at the
beginning. Right after the 3-mile marker as we came into the Northside, we passed my husband and my greyhound, and my husband got these great shots of us running. I called Django’s name, and his ears went straight up and he looked so confused, like, “I think that was my momma!”

My favorite picture from the race!
 

Miles 4-6
4: 10:57
5: 10:53
6: 11:23
Still having fun, we headed down East Ohio Street and then back and forth over two bridges. Again, cheering spectators and music were everywhere. It was such a fun, party vibe! We kept a good pace on mile 4 but went a bit fast in mile 5. I am guessing that was the result of running up the bridge inclines and the hill off the second bridge too fast. That’s something I practiced countless times on training runs and still cannot get right! After the hill in Allegheny Commons after the mile marker for mile 5, I started noticing a lot more that I was working hard and that I was very hot. I stayed focused and calm and thought I was holding pace well, so when the 11:23 split popped up, I was pretty surprised. I should say that throughout the whole race, we didn’t really talk. We usually chat nonstop on training runs. Part of it was taking in the race, but I know that for me I was working hard enough that I didn’t want to use up energy with talking.

Miles 7-9
7: 11:11
8: 11:03
9: 11:41
Right after the 6-mile marker, I knew things were not right and that I was struggling. But, taking Carina’s advice, I thought maybe it was just all in my head, and I just focused on pushing to keep the pace. Mile 7 included the big downhill on Western Ave., which was a really nice little break, and then the climb onto the West End Bridge. We did pretty good at keeping pace, even though we slowed a bit to 11:11. Right after the bridge, we came into West End and the only part of the course I didn’t train on. There was (of course!) a hill into the neighborhood, and then (of course!) tons of cheering spectators, music, and a dance group performing. At this point, I was definitely working hard. I didn’t dare look down at my heart rate because I knew it would freak me out, but I was struggling. I’m happy I managed an 11:03 pace during that mile. Then we left the West End via another incline and got onto Carson Street, one of the only parts of the course without crowd support. At that point, my struggle was really serious. I felt awful. It wasn’t even my stomach–I actually had no stomach problems except for a minor cramp that went away in minutes. I think taking a Salt Stick cap before I started and halfway through really helped. But what I was experiencing was major fatigue. It felt like running through quicksand. I could just not hold pace, no matter how much I tried. When the split at mile 9 came up at 11:41, I knew I was going down and didn’t want to take Amanda with me, so I told her to go ahead. I knew she didn’t want to leave me and felt bad, but I knew that she could not jeopardize her race so early on. So, that’s where we parted.

Miles 10-13.1
10: 12:53
11: 13:01
12: 13:49
13: 11:53
.02: 10:15
Almost as soon as Amanda left me, I started to walk. Running seemed impossible, and that’s when I first started having doubts that I could actually finish. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I could see myself unraveling, and it seemed there was nothing I could do to stop it. What an awful sensation, along with knowing the course really well and knowing just how far I had to go. Seriously afraid that I was going to get picked up by the sweep van, I made myself start running, though slowly, and it was truly painful. You know how non-runners always talk about how much running sucks? Well, I could finally relate. My contacts were blurry because sunscreen had run into my eyes, I was very hot, very tired, and just wanted to be done with the race.

We passed Station Square, where there were lots of spectators, and it was only because of them that I continued to run and not walk. I actually felt a little irritated by all the spectators, because I just wanted to walk and be alone in misery. Shortly after, I stopped to adjust my heart rate monitor. While I hadn’t been checking my heart rate, I wanted the data for afterward. That’s when I realized that I had sweated so much that my monitor had slipped way down below my chest. In fact, it must have slipped even before mile 3, because I had very low heart rate data after mile 3, an indication that it’s out of place and not accurately measuring heart rate. While I tried to adjust it, the monitor part popped off the strap, and I was too irritated to put it back on, even though it just snaps on. I leaned over to put it into my pocket, and when I did the magnets I use for my bib instead of pins snapped together, so I had fix that. Ugh. The mile from Station Square to mile 10 in Carson Street was almost entirely an incline, and I walked a lot. With all the walk breaks and stops, that mile took 12:53.

By the time I got to mile 10, the flattest mile in the course, I was so done. I felt like I had nothing left in me. My goal for that mile was just to make it to the Birmingham Bridge, where I knew I’d be close to the end. I was in really bad spirits at this point and didn’t even look at the crowds. I walked a lot and didn’t even care that there were lots of spectators there to see me. That mile was 13:01 pace.

The Birmingham Bridge came right after the 11-mile marker. This bridge was always tough for me in training, but I was so happy to get to it because I knew I was that much closer to finishing. I tried to run but took a few walk breaks. There was a runner down on the side, and announcers were telling us to get over to the right because paramedics were coming up. After that, runners started dropping. I think I saw about four runners down.

At the end of the bridge was the big hill of the course–a short, steep hill followed by a long, gradual hill. Again, I was happy to see the hill because it meant I was that much closer to finishing. I started running the hill but quickly gave up and walked that whole first hill. After that, I wanted to try to run the rest of the way. I knew the second hill wasn’t steep, just long and gradual, like a bridge incline. I actually was able to run up most of it, only taking a short walk break at the top before starting the downhill to the finish. Mile 12 was pretty much all hill, and with all my walk breaks, it was my slowest mile at 13:49.

The last mile was mostly downhill, and in my many visualizations of the race, I pictured myself sailing down and being able to speed up easily to make my final mile my fastest. Again, ha. That last mile was at 11:53 pace. Even though it was downhill, it was still a struggle not to walk. Once we got down the hill and into town the amount of spectators and noise of the crowd was insane. But I couldn’t even appreciate it, even then, because my eyes were on that finish line and I was giving it my all just to make it there. Just before the finish line–literally, about 30 feet away–there was a runner down with paramedics and her friend around her. I felt so bad for her. “Girl, I feel your pain,” I said silently as I passed.

And then I was across the finish line! I did it! I finished! My Garmin recorded 13.20 miles for an 11:38 pace.

Post-Race
It took me about 10 minutes to recover. I couldn’t eat or drink and had to stand there for a while in the finish chute, holding on to the railing. As I was calling my husband to tell him I’d finished, I swear that Charlie Batch from the Steelers walked by, just outside the chute! It was a restricted area, so it could have been him, or I could just have been delusional. He smiled in acknowledgement, which either meant, “Yes, I’m Charlie Batch” or “Yes, I look like Charlie Batch” or “Yes, I see you checking me out.” It took me forever to get out of the finish chute and find my husband, and by that point I started feeling better. We headed away from the finish line festival at Point State Park and instead to a bench in town where there were fewer people. He sat with me for a while until I felt normal, and at that point I ate my banana and potato chips. While we were there, we saw this couple with this great sign, and I couldn’t help getting a picture.

For the record, my answer was no.
So happy to be done!

With my half marathon and steel challenge medals

I headed into the VIP area at the finish line to change. Again, it was so nice to have an indoor bathroom where I could change my clothes, from which I could have wrung out buckets of sweat, and freshen up. I thought I should eat real food (there was a buffet in the VIP area, but there was nothing I could eat), so we went to Chipotle in Market Square. The line was crazy long, and only after I was ordering did they tell me they were out of guac. HOW CAN YOU BE OUT OF GUAC??? A burrito is just not the same without guac, and I couldn’t finish it. We then headed up to Smithfield Street, where we got a great spot on the course to cheer the marathoners who were just approaching mile 26.

I saw Amanda and cheered loudly for her. I was so proud of and inspired by her! It was such a struggle to finish the half that I could not imagine running the full. Again I’ll say congratulations to everyone who finished!

I stayed around a bit, hoping to see Chelsea, who was finishing her first full, but I was starting to fade and still had to walk more than a mile home. That walk home was tough, and by the time we got home I was very tired and hot again. We sat outside on our shady patio for the rest of the day, enjoying some Redd’s Strawberry and Apple Ale, my favorites.

Cuddling with my boy later in the afternoon

Swag
I got a long sleeve tech tee in the same design as the 5K tee, a spike bag, and a medal. Because I ran the 5K the day before, I got a third medal for completing the Steel Challenge.

Long sleeve tech tee

Spike bag (Django decided he needed to lie there as I was taking the picture.)

Pittsburgh Half Marathon medal

Steel Challenge medal–my favorite medal of the three

5K, half marathon, and Steel Challenge medals together

Final Thoughts
Emergency medical staff treated 80 runners during the race, 49 of whom were taken to hospitals. Some runners I know did pretty well, but many more were also affected by the heat and sun. I finished a half-hour later than I planned, partly because of my slower pace and partly because we missed our corral start and started later. So I was out in the sun and heat longer than I planned, and it was about 65F, not 60, when I finished. I know that that doesn’t seem hot, and in the shade it’s not. But there was practically no cloud cover, and we were running in the sun almost the whole race. I’m generally a vampire when it comes to the sun. I don’t even like standing in it for a minute, let alone running in it for so long. As prepared as I was, the sun just took me down.

So what now? Do I try another half as a redemption race? Do I really want to run the 2016 Pittsburgh Marathon as my first full, knowing that the weather is such a wild card? Or should I try for a fall marathon instead…and if so, this fall or next? I have a lot to think about so will be doing a post when I make my next plans.

I’ll end by saying that even though it wasn’t the experience I’d hoped for, this race is really fantastic between the great support and fantastic crowd support. And I’m happy I got to share the weekend with so many great running friends. I will be back!

Race Recap: 2015 Spring Thaw

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The Spring Thaw race was Saturday, February 28 at North Park. It’s considered a warm-up race for the Pittsburgh Half and Full Marathon. The course was the five-mile lake loop run counterclockwise, and available distances were 10, 15, and 20 miles. The lake loop is pretty much rolling hills. You paid one fee and then could decide during the race whether you wanted to increase or decrease your distance. I ran the 10-mile distance as a training run. This was my first 10-mile race, my first double-digit training run in this training cycle, and overall a great race that taught me a few things.

Pre-Race: Zero Degrees
The race didn’t start until 10 a.m., but Amanda and I decided to meet at 8:30 at the skating rink parking lot a little farther away to get a warm-up walk or jog in before going to pick up our bibs at the Rose Barn. When I left my house it was -1F and when I got to the parking lot it was 0F. The forecast called for 16F at race time, but I didn’t think to prepare myself for the temps before the race started. When we got out of our cars and started walking, we realized just how cold it was. I usually wear my face mask if it’s in the single digits and, without it, my nose was so cold it stung and felt like it was going to fall off. I had to hold my hand over my nose. Amanda’s toes were about ready to fall off too. We regretted not taking the shuttle, but once we started walking we warmed up a bit. But I have to say that in all the cold temps we’ve had and I’ve run in this winter, that was definitely the coldest I’ve felt! Once we got to the Rose Barn to pick up our bibs, we basically just stayed there to be warm until it was time to go over to the start line at the Boat House. We met Chelsea, who was volunteering before running the race herself. She lives close to me on the Northside, so I was happy to meet a fellow local runner! We also ran into Steff, who had decided just that morning to run the race.

Amanda and me staying warm in the Boat House before the race

We could bring bags with a change of clothes and drop them off at the start line. Because I’m always freezing in my sweaty clothes after runs, I brought a full change of clothes and dropped it off. Then we huddled in the foyer of the restaurant at the Boat House until they kicked us out.

At the start line we ran into Steff again and Nichole and briefly talked about our strategies before lining up. Amanda was going to race it, and I was just doing it as a training run, so we wished each other luck and I got in line well behind the 11:00 pacer.

Race Goals
1. One of my goals was to practice nutrition and fueling. I’ve pretty much always ignored the advice on what to eat the week of and days before a race because I figured I have special dietary needs. If I always eat broccoli and beans, why shouldn’t I eat that the night before a race? Ha! This time I’m following advice from the Racing Weight and Hansons Half Marathon Method books, which is also pretty much in line with what Nichole recently wrote about fueling. I’ve been increasing my complex carbs in general per the Racing Weight strategy, and in the two days before the race I tried to reduce high-fiber vegetables, fruit, and beans and eat more complex carbs from whole grains instead. This was very difficult for me! Vegetables, fruit, and beans are the majority of my diet, so it was like learning a whole new way to eat. I will do a separate post, but basically I think I found some things that worked.

Unfortunately, I was so focused on pre-race nutrition that I didn’t give fueling during the race much thought. I couldn’t carry a water bottle because the straps don’t fit around my heaviest gloves but was worried about not carrying Nuun. My compromise was to fill my small 8-ounce flask with Nuun and carry it in my jacket pocket and supplement with water at the stations. I also brought two Clif energy gels.

2. My other goal going into the race was to run it a bit faster, perhaps at a moderate pace. My pace for long slow runs is anywhere from 12:00-13:30 minute miles, but usually that’s putting some effort into going slowly. For this race, I wasn’t going to work at going slowly but instead wanted to run a bit faster.

However, right before the race started, I wasn’t sure what to do. It was so cold that I did not want to run anywhere close to slowly, and I wondered if I should try to run part of the race (the middle or the second loop) at race pace. Even as I lined up I wasn’t sure what to do. 

Race Start and Miles 1-5
Almost as soon as I lined up, Joanna introduced herself. I was so happy to meet her! I read her blog, Next Gen House, and her approach to eating (against caged/confined animals, a clean, whole-foods approach supporting local agriculture) is very similar to mine. Plus, she has chickens! I love chickens and have always wanted to have them as pets, but because I have feral cats in my backyard I can’t. Joanna’s plan was to do the first loop around an 11:30 pace and then pick it up in the second loop if she felt like it. That sounded great to me, so I asked if I could join her.

Per my Garmin, it was 9 degrees when the race started. But at least the sun was out, and it didn’t feel like I was going to get frostbite anymore.

I kept track of pace and we did the first 5-mile loop between an 11:20 and 11:25 pace.  My feet were cold and toes almost felt numb for about the first mile, but then I quickly warmed up and was comfortable for the rest of the race. We talked the entire time about being vegetarian when your spouse is an omnivore, healthy eating, chickens, and other fun topics. I did wonder what the runners around us thought of our conversation!

That first loop was very enjoyable. The pace felt easy, and only on hills did my breathing become a bit ragged. I checked my heart rate occasionally and was comfortable with where it was. Unfortunately, I was having so much fun that I completely forgot to take my gel! I typically take a gel every 45 minutes on long runs, and as we completed our first loop I saw the clock was at 58 minutes. Oops!


Miles 6-10
I pulled out my gel right after we passed the clock and was kicking myself for not taking it out earlier since there was a water station right there. That gel was the beginning of things taking a turn for the worse. The gel itself was so cold, even though it had been in my pants pocket, that it was very thick and hard to get out of the package. It seemed like it took forever for me to get it down. Then, my flask was in my pocket, but to get it out I’d have to take off my glove, and by that point my hands were a little sweaty so pulling my big, thick ski glove back on was tough. I swear it took me a good half-mile to get my gel down and get my Nuun out. Joanna asked if I still wanted to pick up the pace. Suddenly, our pace seemed harder, and I admitted that I could try for a little bit of a push but didn’t think I could go much faster, and she said that was fine with her.

Right around mile 6, I pretty much stopped talking. I felt like I was having to work hard even though our pace was reading about 11:25. I apologized to Joanna, but I was just not able to talk much from then on out. Every time I checked my heart rate, I saw that it was very high, in my max zone. That flustered me, so I changed my screen so that I couldn’t see my heart rate anymore. I was working very hard, which upset me because an 11:25 pace should not feel that hard! I also had a little side stitch and my stomach was a little nauseated, which typically happens when I push hard.

As we started up the biggest hill on the course, on Ingomar Road, I told Joanna I had to slow down but would try to pick it up again on the downhill. I also told her she could go on ahead since I didn’t want to hold her back. But she said she was just doing it as a training run, so she stayed with me. At the top she asked me how my heart rate was, and I checked it. It was sky high, near max. But at that point, we had slightly less than 1.5 miles to go, so I was okay with it and knew I just needed to dig in and get it done.

We had walked through all the water stations, and the last water station at mile 9 was a killer because we both said we didn’t feel like running again. I walked through the water stations at my last half marathon but am not sure I’m going to do it at the Pittsburgh race. Especially late in the race, it’s just so hard to start running after take a walk break.

Also, I’d been working so hard the second half of the race that the effort involved in taking my second gel seemed impossible, so I didn’t take it.

We started the final mile and when we got to the smallish hill up Pearce Mill Road, I was so tired that I really felt it and it slowed me down. Next thing we knew, we had only a half-mile to go, and we both picked up the pace. As we turned into the Boat House parking lot and ran around the cones that were set up for the finish chute, I was gasping for air and felt like I was running at 100% max.

We crossed in 1:55:06 for an 11:30 pace, per the official results. My Garmin recorded a 10:13 distance for an 11:22 pace.

Joanna and me crossing the finish line


Post-Race
I picked up my medal, hat, which was the race giveaway, and my bag that I’d dropped off, and we headed over to the Rose Barn where they were serving lunch. Changing out of sweaty clothes is a good idea, but in reality it was about as much work as the race was. Changing out of my bra and tops took so much time and effort that I just left my sweaty bottoms on.

There was pizza, soup, fruit, water, Gatorade, and hot chocolate. I got pizza and scraped the cheese off and had tomato florentine soup. I was starving, so both were delicious! I sat at a table with Amanda, Nichole, and Nichole’s husband and adorable son, who literally smiled the whole time. It was nice to relax, chat, and enjoy the food. Amanda (her race recap) and Nichole (her race recap for the 15-miler)  both had really good runs, so I was happy for them.

Luckily, a shuttle came pretty quickly to take us back to our cars because neither Amanda nor I wanted to walk in the cold back to our cars!

The Stats
Earlier in the week, I’d been playing with my Garmin and took it off auto-lap and completely forgot to reset it. So my Garmin didn’t record my mile splits. ARGH. However, I can still see the data–heart rate, elevation, pace–per mile and distance, so I’ve been able to do a little analysis. The first 5 miles my heart rate was between 80-90%. The second 5 miles it was between 90-100%. The first 5 miles we ran at more of a consistent pace, and the second 5 miles were bigger increases and decreases in pace (between a 10:09 pace and 12:50 pace within .25 mile, for example), though that may be the result of slowing more dramatically on uphills and trying to run faster on the downhills to make up the time. The last half-mile we ran a pretty consistent 10:00 pace.

Per the official race stats, my first 5-mile split was 11:33 and second 5-mile split was 11:29.

What Went Well
1. I met my goal to run faster than my long, slow pace.
2. While just barely, I met the goal Joanna and I set at the beginning to run the second half a little faster. (Note that Amanda knocked out an absolutely awesome negative split, running the second half 42 seconds/mile faster than the first!)
3. I never gave up and kept pushing, even when it got really hard in the second half. I owe a big thanks to Joanna for that. I do much better when I’m running with someone, even if we’re not talking. Just having her beside me helped me keep pushing. If I had been alone, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have slowed down a lot or even walked.
4. I was able to not only keep pushing when it felt hard but surged for the last half-mile of the course and ended at a 10:00 pace.

Given that this was my first double-digit run since last December and given that I met my pace goals, I’m happy with this race!

What Could Be Improved
But of course there’s always room for improvement. At the post-race lunch, I started feeling bummed that the second half felt so hard. If I’m struggling with an 11:22 pace for 10 miles, how am I going to do 13.1 at an 11:00 pace? When I got home I was still disappointed, but I ended up reading this article from Running Times about how to regain your confidence after a poor performance. This especially rung true: “Running a poor race can be devastating because there is an assumption
that you’re ‘just not good enough’ despite all of the effort and emotion
you’ve put into your training.” The gist is to immediately stop the negative feelings of self-doubt, which can be really detrimental to your next race. Instead, the article suggests listing out what things contributed to your performance, what were out of your control, and what you can do about the ones that were in your control. Here’s my list of things in my control I can work on.

1. Fueling during the race. Running for nearly two hours on only one gel is not setting myself up for success. We’re all different in how much fuel we need, but I am not a runner who can get by with little fuel. Plus, I was running at a high enough intensity that I was burning through carbs more quickly than on slow, easy runs. So I think one of the biggest contributors to how hard the second loop felt was that I was starting to run on empty. I tend to do best taking one gel every 45 minutes. I should have done this during the race and need to do this for all training runs and races from here on out. Also, I usually take a Salt Stick cap before hard runs, which helps prevent nausea for me. I didn’t take one for this race because I didn’t think I’d be going at a hard effort, but I should probably just take one before every race or hard run.

2. Running through the water stations. I think it’s okay for me to walk through water stations early on, but later on when I’m tired it’s just too difficult to start running again. For my next race, I’m going to practice either not walking through any water stations or walking through only the first few and not walking later in the race.

3. Running hills at race pace. I have been running the lake loop every single weekend since last fall with Amanda. But most of the time I’m running hilly routes at an easy pace. I’m going to run more of my race pace runs on the lake loop to practice running my target pace on hills.


Race Management and Swag
This race was organized by Elite Runners, a local shoe store. Their races are always very well organized. I like that they offer pacers, and I was really happy they had bag drop-off for this race. I think this was a really good event with nice swag and a good meal afterwards. Also, I love that they give you free finish line pictures and videos. While we were eating lunch, the race director Kevin Smith got on the microphone and asked us if we enjoyed the event and to feel free to offer him suggestions for future events. You can tell that Kevin and the whole Elite staff totally get what makes a great race and want to make their races as good as they can be.

All finishers got this really cute medal. I love this medal!

All finishers also got this knit hat.

15-mile finishers also got gloves, and 20-mile finishers got gloves and a neck buff. 

Overall, this was a great race that I’ll definitely do again.

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