- Austin
Marathon - This was an
early season (February) marathon to see where the fitness was and start
building up the mileage for the ultra training. The race went okay. I
overheated and came in about 10-15 minutes slower than my goal, finishing
in 3:50. It was at least a good training run and Steve and I got to
experience Austin for a long weekend.
- Shamrock 15K - This is a tough early season
road race around St. Patrick's Day with some good climbing. I was not
feeling it before the race due to some "female issues" but was
able to run decent anyways at about a 7:29 pace - good for 5th female, 1st
in AG.
- Run to the Beach 5K - I need to force myself to get in
my speedwork sometimes so I signed up for this 5K to get in some fast
running and test my fitness leading into the Hall of Fame and Cleveland
Marathons. It did not go as well as I hoped. The last mile was more trail
and beach running so I ended up running over 22 minutes on the course,
which is not great for me. I ended up 3rd female overall with Steve also
being 3rd male. The awards for this were pretty cool!
- Hall of Fame
Marathon - This was one of
those races where you can almost perfectly execute but still not hit your
goal due to outside forces as with this case unexpectedly hot weather for
April in Ohio. My goal was to PR with a 3:30 and I was on track until
about 20 but just overheated, cramped and felt a little dehydrated. Steve
paced me for this one and our splits were dead on for most of the race so
this was disappointing to run a 3:46. Hint - PR will be one of my goals
again for 2018.
- Cleveland Marathon - This race went better for me than Hall of Fame. I really liked the new course. I thought it was a humid day and then of course the rain later in the race was not ideal. I was close to a BQ here with my 3:41 finish. This was my fastest time I've run in Cleveland so it was a good effort for me.
- Green Jewel 50K - This race nearly
killed me. I was originally planning to run as a training run and then at
the last minute decided to attempt to race albeit in the heat of June and
on extremely tired ultra training legs. Not my best idea or effort. My
first half was okay but the back half was not pretty. I added about a half
hour to my time from 2016 finishing in over 5. Somehow I managed to win my
AG but this was a rough one for me and so was the training run I had to do
the next day!
- Canal Corridor
100 Miler - This race also almost killed me as you can
imagine. I trained as much as I could for it and as luck would have it I
got a bladder infection two days out from the race. That made for an even
harder effort than it should have been. I debated dropping at mile 75 but
somehow convinced myself to walk basically most of the final 25. I was
glad to finish this one. It was hard earned and just an awesome and
difficult experience. This was definitely the highlight of my season as
was helping Steve with his BR100 finish!
- Moebius
Green Monster Trail 50K
- I was probably still recovering from my 100 and then pacing Steve
for his 100 but I decided to run this 50k in August. I really liked the
course. It ended up raining for a while and making footing slick and then
it heated up and got pretty hot. I ended up missing a turn on one of the
loops and added an extra mile too. This is a nice, little ultra and I did
better than I thought I did when I checked the results I was 3rd
female.
- Potato Stomp 9
Miler - After a summer
of slower running this was my first attempt back at speed. It's a great
little race that draws out some competitive runners since they hand out
cash awards to the top finishers. It's also a hilly road course. I
finished 9th female and 5th in my AG (ouch) so I did not win anything this
year with my pace of 7:39.
- Northern OH
Marathon - This race was in
early October and I felt pretty strong but was having some low back/hip
pain similar to the issue I had last fall. My first half was on pace at
1:46 but by mile 16 I knew it wasn't my day. I had to walk some to relieve
the pain and I debated dropping out entirely. At mile 19 my friend saved
me with some ibuprofen and I was able to run the last few miles. Still I
think I walked almost 5 - leading to my slowest ever marathon time of
about 4:30. It was still a finish and I am thankful I could suck it up and
get it done. Needless to say I did not win my AG :(
- Beechbrook 5K - This was a last minute race and
another opportunity to get in some speed work. It was a good weather day
to race and I ran okay - finishing in 21:40ish and actually placed first
female, which was a nice surprise. This was fun because my friend and
fellow marathon ambassador Steph finished 2nd!
- Buckeye 1/2
Marathon -
This was the first 1/2 marathon I've raced in a while and I forgot how
much they hurt. I had set a goal to break 1:40 but was unsuccessful -
finishing in 1:41 and 3rd in my AG. The two runners ahead of me were both
within a minute so at least I was close.
- Made in America
1/2 Marathon - This one kicked my butt. I liked the course it
starts with rolling hills on the road and then the rest is on the Towpath.
I really faded at the end but I held on to run 1:39 and change so I
was happy and I won my AG so it was a good race for me!
- Bills Badass 50K - Bills is a tough race that follows
the Perkins loop of the CVNP. The weather was pretty dreadful as it ended
up being rainy and muddy. After 3 of the 6 loops Steve and I decided to
call it a day and head to the Winking Lizard to warm up and refuel. Kudos
to all who stuck it out and finished this one. This was my one DNF of the
year. Some days are just better running days than others.
- Home Run for the
Homeless 4 Miler -
This was my first time running Akron's famous turkey trot, which is a
challenging 4 mile course. Cool temps and hills made this one a toughie. I
was hoping to be a little faster than a 6:57 pace but was happy to place
3rd in my AG. There is some strong competition at this race. Steve won his
AG and brought home a turkey!
- Miracle on Erie
Street 5k - This was the last race of the year and we
decided to do it because they had a finish party at Willoughby Brewing
after. I wasn't sure how it would go but I felt pretty good for most of
the race and was able to win the female race in 21:07. It was a nice way
to wrap up the year.
My plans for 2018 are still in development but I will write a post in the next week or two with an update. I plan to add multisport back in so that I am cross training regularly and not just running 24/7. I'm excited about next season and building my base as we speak for spring marathons!
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