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!

Canal Corridor 100 Prep

Pre-run selfie with Stephanie

The last week and a half I have been winding down my training for the quickly approaching Canal Corridor 100 mile endurance run. I completed my last long run last Sunday on the Towpath. My friend Stephanie ran the first 15 with me and I did another 5.5 before calling it a day. It was a 50 mile week, which seemed light compared to the previous week which was about 85 miles with two long runs.

This week is lighter with probably less than 30 miles of running. I kicked off the week with a 90-minute recovery ride on my bike on the Towpath and have just been doing one short run a day of 4-5 miles. I got in an easy 30-minute spin at lunch today and plan to run a short one tomorrow along with some core work and maybe 8-9 miles of running Sat or Sunday.

Next week will be very light with just a couple easy shakeout runs and a couple of rest days before the race, which is Saturday, July 8. I have been so nervous about getting injured with the higher mileage of 75-100 miles week of running so I have kept all of my runs easier in effort and I feel pretty good aside from an occasional ache here or there.

Now I am focused on shopping for and packing up the gear I need to have with me during the race and for my drop bags. I am trying to get mentally prepared to take on this big challenge. I feel like I have done a good amount of physical prep for the race but I also know that a lot of the outcome will be not based on my physical strength but more on mental strength and my ability to stay strong and keep calm even if the shit hits the fan so to speak.

I am stalking the weather and of course worrying that it will be too hot (high 80s) and that they show thunderstorms. Still we are more than a week out so I am hoping for more favorable conditions!

I have to check in at the race start at Lock 3 next Friday after work then head home to eat a good meal and attempt to get some sleep. I need to be back at the start to check in around 4-4:30am and the race starts at 5am. It's going to be a long day at the races!

I have no idea what to expect from myself time wise. We get 30 hours to complete the race. Essentially you can power walk it if you want to. I would like to run as much as I can with scheduled walk breaks. The goal is really to survive this and cross the finish line as quickly as I can without injuring myself. I will be taking a longer break from running after this event - it may be two weeks before I am back out there. Only time will tell.

I'll be posting updates online as I can and I am sure Steve will be posting too. He is allowed to pace me from mile 66-100 so it will be nice to have his company in those later miles. I am sure I will need all the mental support I can get! Please send positive thoughts and energy my way next weekend! And if you happen to be on or near the Towpath Trail you may even see me!

Part of the beautiful Towpath Trail I will be running on for 100 miles!

Nothing to it now but to do it! Send me good vibes!

Hall of Fame Marathon Race Report - Hall of Fame 1, Pam 0

Sunday was a big day for me. I was ready to accomplish a couple of big goals including my second BQ and a shiny, new marathon PR. I have trained with determination for months. Through ups and downs, health concerns, foreign business trips. There were many obstacles this year that threatened to get in the way of my big goals - but I got through each of them. I never gave in. I never skipped my training - when I could control it.  Most weeks of the year I have run 50+ miles - sometimes reaching 70. I added in more cross training to avoid injury. I've biked hundreds of miles to keep my legs strong. I went to the gym all winter - lifting heavy a couple of times each week to avoid injuries mid season. I feel I did everything I could to achieve my goal. Yet, I didn't.

Prerace photo with my cute pacer!

I lined up at the Hall of Fame Marathon ready to give everything I had. Even after I knew the weather forecast wasn't ideal I could not bring myself to back down from my goals. My brain just doesn't work this way. I instead tried to acclimate to the heat as much as I could - running hot tempo runs at lunch and hydrating more than usual. I thought maybe if I ran a smart race with even splits I could beat the heat. This worked for a while. But then the heat and lack of water on the course got to me. Going two or three miles after 13 miles of running around an average of 8:08 without water caught up to me. Thank goodness my husband snagged a Gatorade bottle for me that I was able to refill and run with for the rest of the race. If not, I don't think I would have made it much longer.

The heat was heavy, my body sweaty, stomach sick from Gatorade, calves cramping and I just gave in a little around mile 19-20. Not a complete "I don't give an F" give in but an "I can't keep going this hard or I am going to pay for this" give in. So I walked a little. Then a little more. I did what I could do. I let my big goals go around mile 21 or 22. I negotiated with myself. Just break 3:45 I told myself. At least you will get in a good training run for Cleveland I told myself. You can try again. It's okay. Everyone is hurting. Not just you. Just do what you can do today. So I listened to my inner voice. I tried to run slower and steadier and just bring it home. I finished in 3:46:07. My husband was cramping and wanted to sit down for a few minutes. I couldn't. I just walked for a little bit and then stopped. And cried. Tears of frustration, exhaustion, disappointment, relief. The pressure that I put on myself temporarily removed. Until I try again. Soon. In less than three weeks - in Cleveland.

At times I wish I could just not care. Why can't I just do this for fun? Why do I need to compete? What makes me push myself so hard? So often? Maybe the need to control my environment? Maybe to prove to myself that I am good enough? Maybe something else? I can't say exactly what drives me. As long as I am competing I will compete against myself. I will set bigger goals.  And I guess that's okay. I just want to achieve things so I set big goals and then I work hard for them. I take them seriously. I make them part of me. It's not right or wrong. That's just how it is. Thank goodness I am an amateur - I can't imagine the pressure of being an elite and having my paycheck depend on meeting my goals.

So now, I rest and recover. I prepare for the Cleveland Marathon, Green Jewel 50K and the Canal Corridor 100. One day at a time. One run at a time. One mile at a time. Who knows what the future holds. Maybe bigger things than I can even imagine in this moment. Maybe more disappointment. No matter what, the journey won't be boring. And I will learn something new - even if it is something as simple as accepting myself and my failures. At least I earned a sweet finisher medal, right? I also earned my hoppy beer at R. Shea Brewing after the race!

Best part of this race is the medal for sure!

Post race at R. Shea enjoying an IPA!

Holiday Race Reports & Legends 5K Race Giveaway

The first couple weeks of January have flown by with vacation and travel for work. I was able to spend a couple of weeks in Florida and run in the sunshine and on the beach. Prior to vacation I did get in a couple of short races to end the year.

post race with santa!

The first race was the inaugural Spirit of the Season 5K in North Canton. I really had no expectations for the race but to get in speed work. It was a cross country style course that went around a high school and included asphalt, cement and gravel and there were a couple of good hills for extra fun. The whole time I felt like I was dying since this was the first faster effort I had run in quite some time. Although it wasn't my best effort I ended up running a 21:50, which was good enough to win the female race. For winning I received a free entry for the Hall of Fame Marathon's Legend's 5K race. Since I will be racing the marathon the next day I will not race the 5k the day before. I am giving away my entry. Simply leave a comment below letting me know that you want to run the race, which will be on Saturday, April 29 and I will randomly select a winner early next week.

love the medal!

The next race was the Frosty 5 Miler on Christmas Eve in Hudson. We had done this race last year and had a good time and it's a nice little tradition to kick off the holiday with a race. I felt better during this race than I did during the 5K, which is progress. My pace was about the same too. I just missed breaking 35 with my 35:02 (7:00) pace. I was happy with the age group win and rewarded myself with a tasty Christmas eve beer for the hard work.

I don't have anything officially planned now until the HOF marathon although I am debating some races in Jan-April depending on my schedule and how I feel.