Buckeye Half Marathon Race Report

It's been a while since I raced a half marathon. I forgot how hard this distance can be and I don't think I am particularly good at the half. With this race I really just wanted to see what I can do given my current fitness level and despite nursing this nagging left hip issue. I'm pleased with how things went on race day and it's nice to run a race that's in our backyard now as well.

It was a chilly morning in the CVNP and Steve and I had picked up our bibs the day before the race so we arrived on site at Howe Meadow around 7:30 - enough time to use the bathroom and to get in a quick warm up. The race starts on Riverview Rd maybe a mile or 1.5 mile from W. Bath Road. I lined up towards the front with hopes of maybe breaking 1:40. Things started off well. I wanted to start fast but not too fast so my first mile was about 7:16, a good hard mile for me. My next couple miles were between 7:20-7:30 and I decided I liked this pace. I wanted to hold it for the first loop and maybe the second if I could stick with it.

Around mile 4 on Akron Peninsula Road my hip started to hurt and I was worried about even finishing the first loop (6.5ish miles). In my mind I had thought about calling it a day and waiting for Steve but I didn't want to quit. I wanted to see what I could do so despite being uncomfortable off and on for the rest of the race I pushed. The first loop went by and I started the second hoping that I could perservere. Fortunately the first few miles of the second loop felt okay and I was happy with my choice to stick with it. About mile 10 I started to see my pace slow a little to 7:50-8:00. At that point I consciously tried to just keep it under 8 minute miles. Not too hard, not too easy - kindof being mindful of the bad hip.

I was able to pass a couple of women the last mile or so only to be re-passed by a couple of younger ladies on the hill before the finish. I just didn't have the kick to try to go after them but I was hoping to come in sub 1:40. I forgot there's a dirt road stretch to run into the finish and I lost some speed there. I finished in 1:41:20 but on my Garmin it said 13.22 miles/7:40 pace versus the 7:44 pace the race recorded for 13.1 miles. I placed 3rd in my AG only a minute behind first and second. Steve also had a solid day - not his fastest effort but good enough to place 2nd in his age group.

This was a good effort for me right now and I am happy with it - especially with this stupid, nagging hip injury. I am running a half on Nov 12 in Massillon and hope to break 1:40 there assuming the body holds up. Next season I have set a goal to try and run 1:38. I think when I am healthy I can do it. For now I am just happy to be running and able to push myself at all! Plus we earned a couple of hoppy post race beers...Green Flash West Coast IPAs...cheers!

Post race with awards, Stave was 2nd in AG, 3rd in AG for me

Post race rewards! So good! Hard earned!

Want to Run Faster Again? Me too!

If you read my last blog post you already know that I've been in a little running slump. For a couple of months things just haven't been easy for me and running. I've had some okay days and some crappy days. I ran an okay 9 miler in early Sept and was hoping for a good marathon Oct 1 but with hip/low back issues with my left side I was forced to back off and just finish that one as a training run. Then I sat out my planned trail 25K/50K. I just didn't have it in me to do it. When a last minute free 5K entry came along for the Beechbrook 5K I just signed up without even really thinking about it. I decided not to take myself too seriously. I figured it would be a small, low-key race and I could just run my hardest and force myself to get in some "speed work". This plan worked out well for me.

My husband Steve was also racing so we arrived early to get our packets and did a mile warm up followed by a few quick strides. The weather was pretty mild so I just raced in shorts and my Snakebite Racing singlet. I wasn't sure how it was going to go but that almost made it more fun. When the race started I just ran hard. Not overly hard to the point where I thought I was going to die just hard enough to feel the burn in my lungs, about a 6:40 mile. Mile two was in the low 7s and then I was able to run about a 7 flat for the last mile coming in at 21:43 (6:59 pace). Usually I am between 21-22 so this is good time for me right now. Last year when I felt a little faster I ran a 21:06 and a 21:09 about (6:48-6:50 pace).

With it being a small race I was able to win and take home a $25 fleet feet gift card. My friend and fellow Cleveland Marathon ambassador Stephanie came in second place so that was fun with us both doing well. Steve had a great race until the end he was in the lead and finished with a 19:01, good for 1st in AG, 4th male. Last year he ran an 18:05 as his fastest time so he is about 45-60 secs off his goal.

Steve and I have decided to include some more short stuff next year and work on our speed again versus just taking on long distance all the time. I'd like to run a 5K time of at least 20:45 next season and I think I can get there with some work. Steve would like to run a sub 18 and I think he can do that as well. This will be a fun challenge. For now I am focusing on getting healthy and strong and seeing what I can accomplish with 13.1 and under for the rest of the year.

So, if you find yourself in a running slump like I did - maybe the answer is really just to pick a shorter race and just limit your expectations and see what you can do. You might just surprise yourself!

Post race with the hubby and friends!

Permission to Just Run - Working Through a Slump

Last weekend I blew off a race. I had really wanted to run it to support my friend who is the race director and to see all the friendly faces of people I like to see at races and to cheer for my husband that was running the race too. But I did not show up. I stayed in bed and drank my coffee. I made myself breakfast and took my time heading out the door for a fun workout without any expectations except to enjoy myself.  To just be able to enjoy a Saturday at my own pace. And my body is thanking for me it today. I have fought through an auto immune flare up since July and my left hip/SI joint has been aggravated for a couple of months as well. I think I earned the break. Plus I have beat myself up emotionally this year. I have allowed myself to feel like a failure as an athlete. I don't feel as fast or as strong as I was a year or two ago and it's frustrating and depressing that sometimes my body will not allow me to push my limits as much as I want to.

When I first headed to the Towpath Saturday I reluctantly made myself run even though I really just wanted to bike. At times running can feel like a chore these days. But I gave it a go. No expectations. I started and ended when I wanted. I went from feeling sorry for myself when I started to feeling blessed that I could even still run. I was reminded that I sill love running - I just need to allow myself to come back to my stride when the time is right. I gave myself permission to just run. Maybe this is what I need to do for a little while. Nothing too long and not any harder than I think I can handle. If I feel like pushing myself physically I will and if not I can just run my remaining races for fun or sit them out. That's the beauty of being an amateur. The only expectations I have to meet are my own. Although my expectations can be pretty intense. I need to learn to listen to my body and to take time off when it's needed. Maybe then I will not wind up in a running slump.

Have you ever been in a running slump? If so, what was it and how did you work through it?

Northern Ohio Marathon Race Report - A Tale of Two Races

Some races just don't go as planned, which was the case with this year's Northern Ohio Marathon. This can happen for several reasons: weather conditions, illness or injury. For me, it's a combination of late season fatigue and injury. I've been dealing with a hip and lower back problem for the last few months. It's actually an injury that affected me late last season as well. I was able to do some rehab and correct it last fall/winter but in truth it is something that was still there (just not as bad).

According to my chiropractor and the x-rays taken this August, my left hip is rotated in about 20 degrees. While I am able to run okay for a while at times when I run long or fast I sometimes get a pinched nerve from the hip that feels awful - almost like sciatica. My left low back gets tight and the hip presses on a nerve that also affects my piriformis. This makes is pretty painful to run at times.

At Northern Ohio I had no ambitions of a PR but I did think I could run between a 3:35-3:45 without

These splits say it all!

too much trouble. And the race started out pretty well. In fact my splits through the first half were perfect. Even through 16 I was on track but the hip was not cooperating and I had to slow down in order to keep going - even walk at times.

This made for a very boring, frustrating and long second half of the race. Between 17-20 I could hardly run but I could walk pretty well. I had made up my mind that I would walk it in if I needed to.

My friend Brenda saw me walking and checked in on me a couple of times. The second time I saw her she gave me some ibuprofen, which I am sure got me through the final 10K. By mile 22 I was able to run again and run it in with some miles in the low to mid 8's, which helped me to bring my finish time down a little more than I thought it was going to be.

While this was a personal worst for me in the road marathon I am happy with the effort and the fact that I was able to finish even if it was a bad second half. Some days things just go wrong and all you can do is try to hang on and finish. Who knows maybe this race will make me stronger for the next one. It certainly has reminded me that I need a break too sometimes and that I am not super human as I wish I could be.

Following the race I went in to my chiropractor and I have started lifting a few days a week. I think this coupled with lower running mileage and more cross training will get me back to fighting shape for next season. For now I have altered my late season running plans. Instead of running Doan Creek 50K this weekend I bumped down to the 25K, which I think I can handle. I also signed up for a couple of half marathons and will likely sit out the Bills Badass 50k in November as well. My body just doesn't want the high mileage right now and I need to listen to it. For the rest of the year I will run for fun and not be too hard on myself with expectations.

I leave you now with the tale of two races:

First half:

Feeling good early on in the race!

Second half: