2016 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon - an Unexpected Result!

Last year, I ventured back to NYC to run my first United Airlines NYC Half Marathon and it was more of a success than I could have imagined.  I had a good fall of racing (in 2014) but I really over did it a bit and by the beginning of February, I was tired and suffering from a sinus infection.  I took a few days off and figured that I'd enjoy myself in NYC in March and have fun running with Mary Pat and Nick at Boston.  I ended up going out conservatively and surprised myself with a 1:41:51.  I ran the race smartly going out slow in the park and picking it up when I entered Times Square.  The race was electric and I decided that I wanted to go back.

Fast forward to last weekend.  I convinced my friend, Chris, to go to NYC with me since she loves the city as much as I do.  We had run the last two NYC marathons and will be running Boston this year.  Chris is an awesome person and friend who supports me in my crazy endeavors.  She is also a bit older than me, looks younger, and makes me strive to stay in shape and be everything I can be.  Chris is a great runner and even better cyclist, so I will be calling on her a lot this coming summer when I begin to train for that crazy Half IM I signed up for.  Chris and I went to the "experience" on Saturday to pick up our bibs and gear and then to the Ground Zero Memorial. 

 Wow does that take your breathe away. I am fortunate enough not to have known anyone who was killed that fateful day, but that doesn't make the impact any less.  We spent most of the rest of Saturday debating what to wear the next morning since the weather forecast was all over the place from the threat of snow and 20s to low 40s.

Race Morning

Lucky for us, we were staying in midtown very close to the park, so we didn't have to get up at a ridiculous hour like for many races.  Chris kindly got up earlier than I and went downstairs in the hotel to get us some coffee (there she actually met up with one of the elite women runners, but we still have not figured out which one).  We drank coffee and I had a banana and we still debated what to wear.  The snow was not going to materialize until Sunday evening, but it was still cold with a temperature of 32F.  I decided on tights, a short sleeve shirt with arm warmers and my typical ball cap.  Of course, I threw on a throw away shirt over that short sleeve one and a clear garbage bag that Chris had brought.  

We left the hotel at 6:15 and walked quickly to the park where we dropped off our gear bags.  We were in different corrals, so it is here where we hugged and wished each other a good race and went our separate ways into the park.  It was chilly, well, actually cold, but the garbage bag kept me quite warm.  After going through security, which was fast moving probably because runners are so cooperative especially after Boston, and I walked/jogged up to the corral area.  I did make a pit stop on the way and I must commend the NYRR organization when it comes to start areas (and this applies to the NYC marathon as well) - HOW DO YOU KNOW JUST HOW MANY PORT-O-POTTIES TO HAVE SO THERE ARE NO LINES!!!!!  Around 6:50 am, I did a short shakeout run just to warm up those muscles and I hit the potty once again. I then entered my corral and spent the next few minutes chatting with others around me, clapping for the wheelchair start and waiting until it was our time to go.

RACE

I was in corral 5 this year (8 last year), and I felt like I was with runners too fast for me.  I really had no idea how fast I could run especially since I had a bit of a set back with a twisted ankle two weeks prior.  The ankle seemed ok that morning, so I just tried to forget about it.  I stayed in the back of the corral especially since the 1:35 pacer was at the front of my corral and the 1:40 pacer at the back.  I had not broken 1:40 since January, 2012 in Houston and that was 4 yrs ago (right after I turned 50) and on a flat course.  I hoped to break the 1:41:51 timed that I had run in 2015 and my goal was to get under that time.  I knew I was in decent shape, but you never know.  I decided to try to keep the 1:40 pacer in my sights if I could.

After running this race last year, I knew that I had to be smart in the park and I broke the race down into two different parts: Central Park and the rest of the course.  The park is "hilly" with a good climb just past 5k.  And the rollers do not stop after that.  The first mile has a gradual uphill, the second has a nice downhill, and the course finally flattens out when you enter Times Square.

What is referred to as "cat hill" is immediately at the start.  I knew from last year to just stay comfortable here and not jack rabbit out of the start.  I just wanted to find a good steady rhythm. Nothing too fast or hard. Mile 1: 8:04

Mile two is mostly flat to start with some big downhills towards the end. When I saw my Garmin beep with a 7:24, I panicked a bit. I was annoyed with myself for speeding up as it didn't feel that way and I  worried a bit that this mile could cost me in the end. Mile 2: 7:24

Mile three is odd in that you exit the park and make a cover a little out and back section around a traffic circle.  Last year, my friend Sara Jane was volunteering along this mile so I thought about her smiling face (she is back in MN) and it carried me along.  It is along this portion that you can see the runners in front and in back of you and where the first water stop is located.  I actually grabbed a quick cup of water here as it is easier than at other parts of the course.  It was pretty crowded along this stretch, but I also knew that the "hill" was coming so I tried to stay in control.  was a new mile for me. Mile 3: 7:36.

Once you re-enter the park, it is time to tackle Harlem Hill. It’s one long gradual climb – I think it’s about .5 miles in length with a double clutch at the top. I tried to keep the effort constant but was definitely huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top. I knew my pace would drop here but my goal was to stay comfortable.  Lots of runners slowed down here (even in the beginning corrals and I was already noticing that most of the runners around me started in corrals ahead of me.  I panicked just a bit, but then I caught a glimpse of the 1:40 pacer and I settled down. Mile 4: 7:49.

Knowing that the toughest two hills were done, but also knowing that they were still a few more climbs before exiting the park, I just tried to keep my rhythm and comfortable breathing while climbing and looking intently for Tavern on the Green.  I felt better here and was looking forward to exiting the park. Mile 5-6: 7:33, 7:22.

Exiting the park is awesome as you head towards Times Square.  I had forgotten that it is a bit uphill as you exit the park, but I got energized as we passed the Kids race on the side of 7th Avenue.  It seemed more crowded with runners along this portion than last year and this golf cart with a "blogger" talking about her race experience went by us causing runners to move over a bit.  (I found it odd that she had a number on - did she jump back into the race?).  I also noticed that I was still passing quite a few runners and many who were already walking  - what??? If you are walking, why are you in a corral a head of me?  But I digress.  I felt good, I felt comfortable, and I thought here that I would break that 1:41:51 time. 

We exited Times Square and turned onto 42nd St and the wind picked up a bit.  It seemed to swirl around us and I reminded myself that this happened last year too.  I grabbed a quick Gatorade along this stretch and looked forward to the West Side Highway.  I could still see the 1:40 pacer and I realized that I was not losing anytime in following him.  I also realized that it felt comfortable and FUN. Miles 7-8: 7:24,7:19.

I hit the West Side highway just before mile 8 and knew I still had a long way to go before I could celebrate, but also was pumped for the challenge that was ahead of me.  I started to focus on each mile trying to keep my breathing under control, maintain a comfortable stride and rhythm. I kept repeating, "push, push,push" to myself as I used this flat stretch to get to lower Manhattan. The wind swirled  a bit as we approached the tunnel with it being sometimes behind us, but mostly it seemed to come from the east and was at our side.  At one point, I remember a spectator yelling that we were catching the 1:40 pacer and I wanted to believe.  With each mile, I knew that I was gaining ground on the sub-1:41, and maybe even approaching 1:40. I wasn't sure, but it still felt good even though I knew that I had lost a little ground with pace. I lost pace around the same point last year.  I didn't feel any different, I was just at mile 9, 10, 11 of a half marathon and I was racing.  Miles 9-11: 7:21, 7:27, 7:27

I entered the tunnel knowing that I wanted to keep a steady pace since there was that hill at the exit.  I also knew that the wind was most likely in our faces when we exited the tunnel especially since it seemed to pick up before we entered the tunnel and it is usually strong between those buildings near Wall St (and it had been strong the day before at Ground Zero).   Entering the tunnel was brutal because of a headwind but once we were in, it was calm. I was cautious to push too hard here because I knew that one final hill awaited. I kept steady and hoped to get some back on the hill, but once again, that hill sucked the life out of me and I felt like I was going backwards. But I pushed on looking towards the Brooklyn Bridge and the first turn to the finish area. Miles 12: 7:28

Made the left, then the right and could see the 400m sign. I didn't look at my watch and just tried to keep my head down and push forward (I also thought I'd lose my cap -lol).  I reminded myself that I could fight the wind as I did it everyday along Lake Erie.  As I approached the clock, I saw that it said 1:44 and I knew I was off maybe 4-5 min from the start clock.  I just tried to enjoy this last stretch before the finish knowing that I might actually be sub 1:41.  When I crossed the line and hit my watch, I looked down to see 1:39:54 and I burst into tears.  I had done it - not only had I beat last year's time, but I had broken 1:40 - something I didn't think I could do (yet - it was supposed to be my fall goal), and I was ecstatic.  I also quickly took a mental inventory, and nothing hurt - not my ankle, not my hamstring, not anything - wow! Miles 13-13.1: 7:28, 7:30

Stats: 
Official Overall Finish Time: 1:39:49
15th AG F50-54/641
501th female / 10,556
2367th overall / 20,149

Official Splits:5k: 24:14– 7:49
10k: 47:52 (23:38) – 7:37
15k: 1:10:51 (22:59) – 7:24
20k: 1:34:19 (23:28) – 7:34
Overall Average Pace per Mile: 7:37

Post Race

I crossed the line and got my heat sheet and gear bag.  I then went to the United Airlines Mileage Plus VIP area which was awesome and picked up my medal and got it engraved.  I waited for Chris who ran a 1:55!! We changed and ate breakfast (thanks to United and to my hubby who flies too much). 

Thanks to all the volunteers on the course, the NYRR Club, the NYC crowds and the NYC Police for the secure entry areas.  Sunday was a good day with an unexpected (time) result but it definitely gave me the confidence I need to get to Boston and through Boston in great shape.  I plan to come back - hopefully next year as I once again have a guaranteed time.

I highly recommend this race especially if you love NYC as much as I do.  

February (2016) Musings.......

Yes blog, I’m training again.  Getting ready for the 2016 Boston Marathon.  It will be my 5^th Boston in a row and I’ve never had a streak like that at Boston.  Trying to live the dream of running it every year until I can’t qualify anymore.  Many of you would probably be surprised to realize that there were several years (in my 40s) when I couldn’t run a sub-4 hr marathon consistently.  Why?  Too much of life going on and too many marathons run.  It was fun while it lasted though.

So blog, here are some February musings………

-        It was very cool to see so many runners on the track two weeks ago.  Who would believe we could run a track workout in the winter in the north?  And who would believe so many runners would show up to support each other so magically leaving egos checked at home. 

-     It was especially nice for me to see as I absolutely love the track and I'm happy to share it (well with just about everyone). 

-     Is it weird that I'm going to see Bruce for the first time in numerous years and I have no idea what to wear?  And why do I think about that when I'm running?

-     The indoor bike trainer really sucks.  I guess I am that bad a cyclist that it feels hard to just ride for 30 min.  I'm in trouble as 56 miles is a long way....

-        It sure is nice to run in February in northeast Ohio without snow on the ground.  The occasional flurry is fine and even a light dusting, but I’m good without any accumulation.

-        I’m been running a long time and made lots and lots of mistakes – shoot I ran my PR race as a complete crash and burn – after all that’s what the champions did in that day – run until you drop.  But I have learned so much in recent years, so how do I tell a running friend politely that he/she is training too damn fast?

-        And on that note – don’t shame me for only running 18 miles next weekend instead of the full 26.2.  Finally after all these years, I know my training limits.  It took lots and lots and lots of years.

-        Kind of hoping that I’m more fit than I believe (in that I didn’t lose too much with my low mileage in November and December and my brief hiatus in January for laser eye surgery).  I’d sure love to run sub 3:45 at Boston again.  Shoot, I’d love to run sub 3:50 again.  Wouldn’t that be cool?

-        Wouldn’t it also be cool if I could keep those first three miles to Ashland in check?  Yeah, wouldn’t it be.

-        Yes, blog I am training again and I’ve put together a couple of good weeks.  Just trying not to jinx myself and hold on through March.  Haven’t run longer than 16 yet.

And with that – back to your regularly scheduled program.

The World is Flat - Columbus Marathon, 2015

“The World is Flat” was once the official slogan of the Columbus (OH) Marathon, and this year’s theme was “Determined”, and while it isn’t Chicago flat, it is a pretty flat course and this year I was definitely determined.  I picked the race after running the half last year and experiencing how well organized it was right down to the mini-details and the major apologies by the RD for a slight medal mishap.  As many of you know (who read this blog or know me personally), I have been running and racing a long time, and this year I just wanted to see if I could get into good enough shape to run a sub 3:40 marathon while in my early-mid 50s.  My half marathon times indicated that it was possible, but I’ve always thought of myself as a better half marathoner than marathoner, but I wanted at least one more crack at a good training cycle and time.

After a decent Spring capped off with a nice, fun run at Boston and a solid half at Toledo, I took some down time and dropped my mileage back into the mid 30s (mpw) for the rest of April and May.  I then decided to get more serious and see what I could do over the summer and ultimately with hopefully good results in the fall.  Coach Bob and I put together a schedule that had me slowing down my long runs considerably, adding in more MP and LT runs, adding back a mid-week sorta long run, and raising my overall mileage albeit slowly.  I ended up running consecutive months of 198, 216, and 219 miles (July, August, September), running 4- 20+ milers with two over the hills in western NY, and while I didn’t race as much as I normally would (and maybe that was good), I did run a minute faster at the little, hilly race that I do at CHQ every summer, and I ran a pretty decent and consistent 5K (22:09) in cold, rainy, windy conditions.  Although I felt like I was running my daily runs too slow, I was hitting my planned MP and speed work paces even during my three days of carb depletion in the last week of taper.  I guessed after running an easy 3 miler on Saturday morning before the race that I was as ready as I was ever going to be.  So with the forecast for cool temps (30F at the start), I figured that my time had come to trust all the training and all the books and run a marathon.

Fast forward to race morning, and yes, it was cold.  I wasn’t sure how to dress exactly, but decided on my standard skirt (that I always race in), my short sleeve 2^nd Sole shirt, arm warmers, longer socks, and a throw away shirt.  Met up with Joe (my old training partner from Atlanta, Nick, Pete, Jenny and Nick's Mom and sister), and we headed to the start.  (I also ran into my friend Gerry that runs with our group here in Cleveland at the hotel, and she walked to the start with us.) Yup, it was cold - but someone had told me the night before that it was cold at the start last year, so I figured I'd be fine once I got going.  We may have waited too long to get to the start area and drop off our gear as we were still trying to walk to the B corral as they were playing the National Anthem.  In fact, the gun and fireworks went off and there we were at the back of the corral – nowhere even near the 4 hour pacer, let alone the 3:45 pacer (who I thought I might start near).  I didn’t let it bother me, and I even ran an made a last minute (nervous) pit stop before even crossing the start line (roughly 6 min after the gun). 

Just the night before, I had talked to Coach Bob briefly about not spending too much energy bobbing and weaving around “slower” runners and I didn’t.  I just bided my time and slowly worked my way down to the 8:30 pace that I wanted to run for the first half.  I had settled into running 34 min 2 mile splits, and I comfortably reached 5, then 10, then 12 miles right on that goal time if not slightly ahead by half way where I ran 1:51:17.  I even just took it easy when I reached the 4 hr pace group between miles 4 and 5 where it was very crowded and I had to slow some just to stay in sync and not get hung up in the crowd of runners.  At that point, you are running up North High St near the Arena in what I think of as the largest, longest uphill on the course.  I took as assessment of how I felt so far at this point, and I realized that I felt like I had run 5 or 6 miles not 13+.  (It was also here that I tossed off my throwaway shirt onto some grass over the snow fence - as luck would have it, I picked it up on my way back to the hotel!)

I continued to press on and when I mad 15 miles in 2:08 feeling very strong, I knew it was time to go ahead and just let the body settle into the pace it wanted.  We went by the stadium, crossed the river, passed through the cornfield with the “corny” jokes, (My favorite being: Why did the marathoner cross the road? Because his GPS read 26.19 miles), and the next thing I knew I was running right behind the 3:45 pace group and getting ready to pass right on through. I then remember getting in sync with a fellow runner as we passed into Grandview Heights and a nice gradual long downhill stretch.  At this point, I was not paying any attention to my watch, just running by feel, and the course clocks.  I knew where I had to be and actually subtracting the 6 minutes seemed like real easy math.  I think a sign of feeling and being in the zone is that math is easy at mile 21 rather than a struggle.  Shortly after mile 23, I caught up with Raj and Kyle who were looking strong.  I had told Raj the night before that I’d find him in the morning.  Well, I assumed that would be at the start, but instead it was around mile 23.

It was around mile 23 that my watch started doing crazy things – like beating that it was shutting down and restarting – I ignored it, and just kept running.  Right around mile 25, I could see where I was with regards to the Arena again, and I was starting to feel those last few miles (and some where I had run low 8s and even one 7:51), and I knew that if I just hung on as best as I could, I would be well under the 3:45 (after all I had passed the pacer), and hopefully under the 3:40.  On the final stretch, a few people passed me (damn those with young legs), and I pressed on only to see the final clock and realize that with a gun time of 3:44:47 – I had done it.  I had run my fastest marathon since St. George in 2008 and I had run a PR in my 50s!  I even got a cool little pin that they gave out to Boston qualifiers - yup, got that done too for 2017 (and I age up).

(Even my Mom was impressed as she texted me with congrats on such a fast time- woohoo.  If you knew her, you would understand that is major kudos)

The negative split was actually a complete accident as it simply resulted from my patience as an old, experienced runner.  I had no intention of running anything but somewhat even splits, so it came as a surprise.  What did not surprise me was my ability to really just go for it and realize that I was more fit than I gave myself credit for.  All those slower long runs, the backing off in the final couple of weeks with the strength training to let my body rest and properly taper, and the paying attention to my diet and my depletion and loading all came together.  And it is real nice when that happens!

Michele Keane        Age: 53             Residence: Bay Village, OH 
          Show All Results for Michele Keane 

 

20M	2:47:38
13.1	1:51:17
5M

 8:21 per mile (view kilometer pace) 
 73 percent (view time) 
 821 out of 4435
 181 out of 1969 Females
 5 out of 115 Females in the F5054 Age Group 
                                     (See complete F5054 results)

 

Location	Race Time	Time of Day	Pace Between	Overall Place	Division Place	Sex Place	Age Graded Place	Passed / By
Finish	3:38:41	11:14:59	8:15	821/4435	5/115	181/1969	93/4435	197/8
20M	2:47:38	10:23:56	8:11	971/4435	5/115	213/1969	115/4435	291/2
13.1	1:51:17	9:27:35	1:10:05	1217/4421	7/114	300/1962	145/4421	0/1381
5M		0:00		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
ChipStart	6:07	7:36:19		2177/4435	31/115	714/1969	714/4435
GunStart	00:00	7:30:13

216!

216!  Well not only is it the area code for Cleveland, OH, it is also the final total number of miles that I ran in August.  So after running just shy of 200 in July which was my highest total in many years, I surpassed it easily in August, and I must say that I am actually surprised because I felt like I was running less mileage this month than last.  This past week was my first week after leaving CHQ, so many of those miles were done in "flat" Cleveland and in very cool weather (for August) as we had a cold front pass through.  That was kind of odd as the end of the week was spent in Boston and it was much, much warmer there.

The week started with my pacing of the Rock Hall Half Marathon in downtown Cleveland on Sunday, the 23rd.  This was a brand new race for the area directed by the group out of the Mentor area that directs the 10 and 20 Mile Drop Races in April, the Hill Yeah Half in June, and the Northeast Ohio Half and Full Marathons in early October.  The half marathon had over 100 finishers which I think was excellent for a first time race especially in August and the week before many schools started for the new year.  I do think some may have boycotted the race believing it to be the resurrection of the Rock 'N Roll (Competitor Group) race from 2013, but it was not and I hope that the word spreads.  

I was the 2 hour pacer and I finished at 1:59:35 (clock time).  Misjudged a bit forgetting the 15 sec off the chip but still maintained a very steady pace that I was pleased with.  I had a group of 20-25 runners for much of the way and many of them who had never broken 2 hrs successfully did just that. It helped that we were blessed with relatively cool weather with lower for an August morning and it didn't get into the mid-70s until my group was at 11 miles.  The course was pretty flat with a nice, shaded downhill on MLK Blvd.  All in all, to me it was well run and well attended for a first year attempt.

The cool weather stayed for the week along with some overcast skies which were very welcome for both my 2nd speed session of this training period (and first on a real track) and my long run on Wednesday morning.  Managed to run my second 20 miler around Bay and River by myself which will definitely help my mental strength going into October's race. I worked at keeping the pace slow in the beginning and ran the last two miles comfortably at 9 min pace for an overall 9:24 pace.  That combined with a successful track session has me believing that I am fit to run a marathon, but the last aborted MP run still has me a bit concerned.  I won't be running my usual half marathon this month to give me some confidence, so I will have to rely on another MP run and an LT/MP run when I head back to western NY and the hills next weekend.  I plan to spend another week there running those hills and then capping off the weekend with my third 20-something run as part of the Erie Marathon.  The current plan is to run 22 of the 26 miles very comfortably - so I hope the weather is good.

A recap of the last week of August is as follows:

Monday - 6 recovery miles after pacer duties

Tues - 7.14 miles of Speedwork (2K, 1mile,1K, 800m); Core work and weights with Jake

Wed - 20.25 mile long run

Thurs - Drive with Shannon to Boston for Senior Year!

Fri - 6.0 miles in Natick

Sat - 5.45 miles on Esplanade before returning to CLE

Sun - 10 easy miles in the Metropark

WTD:  54.84

I expected to be very tired this morning especially as I attended my first core class of the Fall, but I easily ran 5 recovery miles and hope to be able to run a decent track session tomorrow night even if summer has returned just a bit. Had to continually slow down this morning to keep the pace and HR in recovery territory.  Never sure if that is good or bad. Headed back to the hills of CHQ this weekend.  We will see.  

That 5 miles capped off the 216!  216 - let's hope it is a magic number.

Back to Reality

It is hard to believe that there is really only one more week of summer (not calendar officially or vernal equinox officially, but in terms of real life officially).  Up until last week, it was also one of my more successful summers of running both in terms of miles and injuries in that I ran a lot of them and none occurred.  Oh I have a couple of little niggles due to tightness and just training in general and even though I wasn't happy with the last week of runs, I really have had a good summer of training.  As for those bad runs, they do happen and sometimes it is hard to face up to that age thing in terms of pushing myself.  After all, I'm complaining about an aborted LT run (ran 3.5 out of 5 LT miles just 3 days after a tough 5K race (2.7 hilly miles) and 5 days after a 20 on very tired legs and then my last long run in which I did only 8 instead of 12 MP miles (in high humidity and after being chased by a dog) - so really I have nothing to complain about.  Yup, it is just hard to accept that they will not all be perfect days - type A personality - welcome to the club.

Highlights of the summer were big though:

     1) I ran the most amount of miles in a month than I had in many years - 198 in July
     2) I nailed 3 out of 4 of my LT runs  ( and the last one was the one described above)
     3) I successfully slowed down my long runs and have felt real good on all of them with the 20   
         being kind of easy and not a trial or slog fest
     4) I ran the fastest time on that 2.7 mile hilly race since 2004 (I ran 19:35 in 2011 and thought I 
         was in great shape and ran 19:30 this year)
     5) The hills are feeling easy (even if I don't run them as fast as I used to) and 6 miles feels like the 
          new 3

It will be interesting to see what I feel like when I get back to Cleveland on flatter terrain but in slightly warmer temperatures and I'll get my first dose on Sunday when I pace the Rock Hall Half Marathon.  www.rockhallhalfmarathon.com  I'm the 2:00 hr pacer which should be a relatively easy pace and I sure hope that it is.  I always worry just a bit, but for the most part I should be fine especially after this down week of mileage.

And a quick recap of last week's mileage:

Monday - No running, but worked out in the gym with Annie
Tuesday - Comfortable 8 miles (8:57 overall pace) with 10 20 sec pickups
Wednesday - Easy 12 miles (9:33 pace) with Chris on Fran's Loop (hilly) followed by an hour of
                 yoga
Thursday - Recovery 6.6 miles (9:33 pace)
Friday - Yoga class
Saturday - 16 miles with 8 @ LT (supposed to be 12); 9:06 overall pace per mile
Sunday - 5.5 miles (8:44 overall pace)

WTD:  48.1  YTD: 1242     

Last year at this time I had run 1122 miles - so I've got 120 more miles with some downtime in early February.  

Wow, Most Monthly Miles Ever (or at least in 30 yrs) and The 2015 Old First Night Run

I don't believe that I have run (almost) 200 miles in one month since I was in my late 20s, and this lat month, well, I ran 198.  198 - and I can't really believe it.  Not only that, I finished the month with a day off.  Of course, it followed a solo 18 miler over hills, hills, hills, so I'm thankful that the temps were only in the low 60s when I started and low 70s at the finish, even if the humidity was in the 84% range.  I still did it, and I was very happy to finish in 2 hrs and 53 min since that was so on pace. Like I said, my goal was to slow down those long runs, and I definitely have accomplished that this summer.  I was not super happy with my running of the Presque Isle Half on the 18th, but I did maintain 12 miles at marathon pace which was really what that was to be all about.  I finished 4th in my AG after a series of placings, but it was ridiculously hot that morning (73F at the start) and 90% humidity, so I kept echoing in my head that it is a "B" race and not my goal, my goal race is in October!  

The final week in July started with a bang too (and ended with that 18 miler) in that I successfully completed a 10 miler with 5 @ LT pace (7:45-8 min per mile).  Now I have not had a bad time with these LT runs, but my last two had my pace fall off in the last mile - not going over 7:55, but still falling off, so since it was a relatively cool morning, I made it my goal to stay as fresh as I could and keep it in control for the first couple of LT miles hopefully reaching my fastest mile in the last one - and I did it!  What a great confidence booster to see 7:37 for that last mile of the 5!  Of course, I then barely made it up the hill for the last couple of miles of my cool down - lol. I never thought I would make it through those miles and I didn't even have the luxury of Chris or MP to help me through.

Running a good LT run and a good 18 miler though, I felt I was hardly ready for Saturday's Old First Night Run. They changed the course just a it this year - no, they did not remove the nasty uphill first mile, but they did add a brick path in the end to make the course 2.73 miles instead of 2.7!  On Friday after my 18 miler on Thursday, my legs felt pretty trashed.  I made it to yoga which felt much needed, but I decided to skip my weight session with Annie as my legs already felt like lead weights. Smartly, the race start time was moved up to 8 am this year partly to avoid he heat and to avoid the congestion at the gates as Saturday is a big turnover day here in CHQ especially between weeks 5 & 6.  In fact, my daughter asked why we have t-shirts from races that I never ran in the late 90s and early 00s, and it was because we usually drove here from Atlanta (then) and left on that Saturday.  Because of the 9 am start, I could never run as we had to get on the road.  Of course, the last few years I have run when I was injured ans she has done the "closet to the pin" walk with her friends all those years too.  

Last year, I ran 20:04 on the course and felt like I was in really good shape coming off a 1:44 at Presque Isle.  It was a hot and humid day like it always is, and I was happy that it was a successful run.  I also figured that my sub-20 days on the course were over.  The OFN run is a deceptively hard 2.7(3) miles with the first tough hill occurring at 0.5 miles and then the uphill basically continues until 1.7 miles where you get a bit of a reprieve, but of course, nothing like the steep uphill you just crested.  The finish is basically flat but tricky since you make a hairpin left turn and run over bricks for 0.3 miles of the last 0.5 miles.  This year has been cooler and I was happy to wake up to temps in the mid 60s with lower humidity, sunshine, and an hour earlier race start.  

Since I'm really not a terrific short distance road runner, I warmed up with an easy 2.2 miles followed by some striders hoping to get it going.  I was very happy when we lined up that the RD made those with walker numbers move behind the runners so that we wouldn't mow them down in the first half mile.  There are a number of young stud college and high school XC runners who get primed for this run as it is right up their alley and perfect timing to see if they are ready for those fall seasons, and it isn't fair to them (or to us oldsters) to have to trip over walking 10 and 80 yr olds (the oldest runners in the race were both 90! and they did it in 30 min). 

After a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem (after all there are voice students here), we were off and I round myself running next to this woman whom I figured was in my AG and we were going strong.  We hit the first mile in 7:19 and I was like, "alright that wasn't so bad", and then she surged ahead and I just tried to stay with her.  Our second mile was 7:10 and then we hit the final downhill and the finishing stretch.  I stayed right behind her until we got off the bricks and then I pulled next to her only to be out kicked at the finish.  Our chips were identical, but officially, she won by 1 sec. And of course, she is 51 (so in my AG, but I'm, 53.5!)  Our time - drum roll please - was 19:30.  19:30! I had not run the course that fast since 2004, and all the women in front of us (we were 6th and 7th respectively) were pretty much teens (one 24 yr old).  Woe, that was some serious kick butt performances by two old ladies!  I'm guessing the Tim Warren adage of "run slow to race fast" might be paying off thanks to the wisdom of Coach Bob.

Synopsis of my week then looks like this:

Mon -Day off, weights and core

Tues - 10 miles with 5 @ LT pace - last LT mile was the fastest

Wed - Easy 5 recovery miles; Yoga

Thurs - 18 hilly, humid miles @ 9:37 pace

Fri - Day off, Yoga

Sat - Old First Night Run (2.73 miles) 19:30 - fastest time since 2004, 2nd AG (lost by 1 sec), 7th woman overall - warm up and cool down miles to total 11.26 miles

Sun - 4.35 recovery miles

WTD: 48.6   YTD:1143

Now on to August and my first 20 miler of the cycle.  I need to get excited as I can do this - after all, the 18 wasn't so bad.  I am waiting for that bad run, but so far, I've held it together, and maybe I can say that Presque Isle was my bad run for the cycle.  That would make me nothing but happy.