Carmel Half Marathon {A Race Recap}

In September 2010, I ran my third half marathon – Fort4Fitness – and posted a time of 1:54:12. It's a time that I have chased ever since, running a dozen or so more half marathons in the hopes of setting a new personal best. But between having babies and not finding my speed, I never quite got there.

On Saturday, though, on the roads of Carmel, I did.

Pre-race

I got off work a bit early on Friday, and Mark met me at his parents' house with the kids. I nursed Si, offered some last-minute tips on getting him to sleep and fielded the 1,500 inquiries from Miles about when we were going to leave. I guess he was as antsy as I was to get the weekend started.

After a few hugs and reassurances from my in-laws that the boys would be fine, Mark and I began the two-hour or so drive to Carmel. I was rather impressed with us – we talked the whole way down and generally enjoyed each other's company. It's amazing the things you can discuss when you're not unlocking iPads and tossing toys in the backseat.

Mark was so nice – he made me a bottle of strawberry lemonade Nuun to drink on the drive down.

The Carmel Marathon Expo took place at the Monon Community Center and, thank goodness, was open until 9 p.m. The process of picking up my bib was ridiculously smooth, and I was able to hit up the booths within a few minutes.

The race had long-sleeve shirts specific to each distance for sale, and each participant's name was printed on the back. It was a really neat idea, and I almost bought one – twice. Once at the expo and once after the race. Alas, I got a race shirt and don't really need another long-sleeve tech tee. #wompwomp

There were quite a few races represented, too, and I had to stop myself from registering for a slew of fall half marathons. I'm currently torn between the Indy Women's Half in September and the Urban Bourbon Half (Louisville) in October.

By 7:50 p.m., Mark and I were on our way to the hotel, which was supposed to be just a few miles away. A 10-minute drive based on the directions I had printed out from Google.

Yeah. About that. It took us 40 effing minutes.

Between Google maps, 15,000 roundabouts, insane construction and misleading addresses, our drive to the hotel was ridiculous. At one point, I had a complete meltdown, screaming that the whole race was jinxed and we might as well turn around and go home. The struggle to find it was my biggest complaint of the weekend, and I think it would behoove the city of Carmel to make things easier for people visiting.

But 5 minutes later, we found the hotel and I was back to being happy. Mark massaged my calves and I drank lemon-lime Nuun and watched HGTV.

Race morning

I woke up at 5:40 to pump and get dressed so that I could hit up the hotel breakfast when it opened at 6 a.m. Because everyone is dying to know – I had a bagel, half with cream cheese and half with peanut butter.

Given our troubles with navigation the previous day, we left by 6:30 for the 7:30 race and arrived about 6:50.

I was trying to be happy and positive but as the time approached to line up with the 1:55 pacer, an uneasy feeling in my stomach grew. It didn't help that I had been to the bathroom a lot that morning – enough to give me pause that my GI system could be the death of my race. After getting our bearings at the start/finish village, I headed to the port-o-potty line for insurance. It was long but I managed to find a shortish offshoot and get in and out OK.

Just then, the call was made to head to the corrals so I said goodbye to Mark, brushed off his remarks that he'd see me in an hour and 49 minutes and headed off.

The race

The goal for the day was to find the 1:55 pacer, hang with her until mile 9 and then drop her to make up some 48 seconds to PR.

The pacers were easy to find, holding signs with goal times and wearing brightly colored shirts with pacer on the back. There were quite a few in my area – a 3:45 pacer for the marathon, 1:55 and 2:00 for the half and 4:00 for the marathon.

The 3:45 pacer {Troy, I think} was chatting up his group, offering tips and underscoring the importance of hydration for the race as marathon finishers would see temps in the high 60s. My gal was chatting with a friend so I found myself eavesdropping and sort of wishing I was running with him.

In a mile or so, I would, as fate would have it.

When the gun went off and we all crossed the timing mats, I made it my business to stick to the 1:55 pacer like glue. She made quick business of getting through the crowds and getting on pace, about 8:42 to 8:45.

But as we made our way down East 126th Street and I tried to find my own space, I found that I dropped her. I didn't want to waste time or energy looking back or trying to find her again so I decided that I was just going to run my race.

I was going to do it smartly, though. So as I came up on the 3:45 group, I realized that it offered me the opportunity to run with a pace group, log consistent splits, get the support I needed and if I needed to rein it in later, I would.

Our/my splits for those first few miles were 8:32, 8:20, 8:39 and 8:29. Even though they were faster than goal pace, I tried to do two things: stay positive and focus on the now.

About mile 4, the half marathoners split from the full participants and I soon found myself on my own. I didn't anticipate that it would affect me but I felt a bit lonely as I made my way up the hill after the turnaround. I didn't have Troy offering tips on everything from water stations to potty stops nor how to shake things out if the body was feeling tight. I was grateful that I was able to see runners in the 2-hour and 2:10 groups as they headed to the split. I spotted my buddy Joe who was running the half with his daughter! Screaming like a wild woman and waving was a much needed boost as we made our way on to Limberlost Drive.

I had considered trying to slow a bit, getting my pace to the 8:40 range but I had settled in closer to the 8:30 range. Rather than fret about it, I repeated in my head the words from my friends who urged me to believe in myself and to stay positive. And when a negative thought tried to worm its way in, I told myself that BRF Tami said no to them and I had to listen. Apparently, I'm very obedient when I run.

Splits for miles 5-9: 8:19, 8:29, 8:23, 8:33 and 8:31

While I was happy with my splits, I told myself that I needed to stay strong through mile 10 and then I could re-evaluate the time on my watch, how I was feeling and how I wanted to handle the final 5K.

But as we left the section of the course (miles 8-9.5ish) on the shady Hagan-Burke Trail, the heat and effort began to take its toll. There was a water stop about mile 9.75, and I used it as an opportunity to take a gel, grab two cups (one to drink, one to toss on my head) and walk up a hill.

To this point, I had been carrying my 8-ounce Nathan Handheld, filled with Lemon-Lime Nuun. I had refilled it at mile 7, too. I felt like I was doing well with hydration but my face did feel a bit salty.

At the crest of the hill, I told myself that now was not the time to give in so I tossed my handheld (sad face) and began to run. "The wheels cannot come off," I thought. "Not now." And to help with this, I started singing in my head "The Wheels on the Bus."

Like you do.

My mile 10 split came in at 9:19. I tried not to get upset with myself, knowing that I should have enough time banked (especially with an 8:19 in mile 5) that I would be OK.

But the stretch on Old Meridian was hot. And hilly (at this point in the race). And I was tired. And I soon found myself walking again. I was so disheartened. With each step, I felt like I was letting all of my hard work slip away. And when my watch beeped 9:27 for a mile 11 split, I knew it was do or die.

So I did.

I told myself that I worked too hard to let it go now. I knew it would be hard, that the margin for error was slimmer than ever, but I might have a chance. So I dug. I did speed play. I focused on catching people. I bribed myself. I did anything and everything to pick up my feet and get myself to the finish.

When mile 12 came in at 8:38, I felt a bit lighter. Not light but I knew that I just needed to work hard for 10 more minutes. Ten minutes = 9-minute mile for mile 13 and a 10-minute pace for the last tenth.

I run with my eyes closed - it's fun!

Note: While most courses "measure" long because of tangents, passing people, etc., I finished within five hundreths of 13.1 and didn't have to account for extra time for extra distance.

There was a timing mat at 12.6 for the AmeriFirst Sprint to the Finish, and I tried to use it as an incentive to hit the accelerator but try as I might, the engine was sputtering. I was running out of gas.

But I needed to grind it out. I thought that I was going to be within seconds of 1:54:12 so I needed to push. I told myself that I could not rely on any time I had banked, that miles 10 and 11 had eaten it all.

Mile 13 came in at 8:43.

And once you hit mile 13, it's just a sprint to the finish. Sprint I did. I didn't worry about cameras or throwing up my hands. I didn't smile or think about those around me. I didn't care about race pleasantries and passing people around me. All I saw was the clock. A clock that was at 1:54.

I had to get it ... now. 

My last split was 7:29 pace.

My official time was 1:53:20 – a 52-second PR. A time that I have worked toward for years.

Knowing that I had done it was so overwhelming that I bent over at the waist, the strength to hold myself up gone, as a volunteer handed me water. I was shedding tears when I received my medal. When I saw Mark, all I could do was collapse in his arms.

It wasn't a perfect race but it was my race and for that I'm incredibly proud.

Carmel Marathon Training {Weeks 13 and 14}

"Now that's a Healthy Strides quote," my friend Karen said as we stood in the parking lot at the trailhead on Saturday morning.

It was a balmy 27 degrees, supposed real feel of 17. There was a light dusting of snow on the grass and the asphalt had a thin coating of black ice. I was strapping on her extra pair of spikes (Due North brand, similar to these) and silently wondering how the hell we were going to run 8 miles. In those conditions. On April freaking ninth.

And so I made a comment about how ludicrous it was that my first run in traction aids was in spring, on this April day. Surprisingly, it didn't have any cuss words in it. We all know that if I had uttered any, I would write them here. It sure would have sounded better than my whiny McWhinester comment.

By the way, we ran those 8 miles just fine. The first half-mile was the diciest as the pavement was complete ice but as we got farther on the trail and I got more comfortable with the spikes, we were able to pick up the pace. Karen and I ran 5 miles and then picked up two more for the final three. By the time Tina and Shannon joined us, the sun had come out and the ice was melting a bit. We all opted for traction but for runners getting a later start, they would have been fine.

Taper for the Carmel half marathon began last week, and Mother Nature celebrated with another curve ball. I spent half the week on the treadmill  and the other half completely bundled up.

I'd shake my head and throw up my hands but the weather has been so insane (in two hours we had sun, rain, sleet, sun, hail, sun, snow) that I can only laugh ... and thank my lucky cards that I was logging shorter runs on the treadmill rather than pounding out 8 miles of intervals.

Here's how last week shaped up:

Monday: 5 miles, easy
Tuesday: 4 miles, 2 at race pace
Thursday: 5 miles, 5-4-3-2-1 intervals
Friday: 3.5 miles (with Denali!)
Saturday: 8 miles

And since I'll likely post a race recap in lieu of my last week of training, I thought I'd share what I'm doing this week.

Tuesday: 4.5 miles, mid-2 at race pace
Wednesday: Easy 4 miles with my BRF
Thursday or Friday: Easy 20 minutes to 3 miles
Saturday: 13.1 miles in Carmel!!!!!!!!!!!

Carmel Marathon {Week 12}

Oh, hey there, peak week. Nice to meet you.

I am so glad you wanted to show me love but, to be honest, you have stinky breath and try to slow me down. I'll forgive you, though, because you do look pretty good.

Ha!

Last week was the big week in training for the Carmel half marathon. I had a 7-mile run with 5 miles at tempo and a 6 x 4 minutes (with 2 minutes rest) in zone 4. I also had a long run with 4 miles at race pace because tempo and intervals just aren't fun enough on their own.

... Said no one ever.

And though I jest and sort of whine about it, the week went pretty decent. I felt strong and accomplished and {almost} excited about the race.

Highlight: Hitting my paces on the harder workouts, especially the interval run. I forget the reason now but I had to do that one early on Monday, and I don't do my best speedwork before 8 a.m.

Lowlight: Taking to the treadmill for my hard runs. Have I talked about the wind and rain? Because, yo. It's been ridiculous. I think it's really important to nail the hard runs outside when you have to find your own pace. However, I just don't have any desire to do that work when it's 30-some degrees, pouring down rain and sustained winds above 20 mph.

Caption this: My lazy bottom got Denali out for a run over the weekend. I would love to say I log a lot of miles with him but the truth is that I don't. It's hard to include him when scheduling runs is already a difficult balancing act. On Sunday, though, I was planning on an easy 5 while Mark and the boys were at Sunday school. It dawned on me that I could take Denali for 3, so that's what I did.

The week, in running:

Monday: 6 miles, intervals
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 7 miles, tempo
Saturday: 12.4 miles, Nutri-Run
Sunday: 5 miles

Carmel Marathon Training {Week 11}

Last week will be known as the week of the tights. Otherwise known as the week winter came back to Fort Wayne. Otherwise known as the week I was reminded of the importance of checking the weather before getting dressed. Otherwise known as ... who gives a crap.

Week 11 of training was my favorite.

For a few reasons:

• The hardest workout was 6 miles with the goal to negative split the run (average pace of the first three miles slower than the average pace of the last three miles). My other runs were easy, easy and cross train.

• I had company for three of my runs. To top it off, the Saturday long run was the first time in months my ladies group was all together. Between injuries, holidays and crazy schedules, it's been two or three here and two or three there.

• My rest day was Sunday, and it was totes nice having a weekend day off.

• I couldn't even write a lowlight for the week if I wanted. My running felt good and my legs seemed to benefit from the rest.

I did make one swap. The plan had me down to do a 12-mile long run but after 15 the week before and 13 two weeks prior, I felt due for a cutback. Plus, I have a 20K on April 2 so I switched my March 26 long run (12 miles) for April 2nd's (10 miles).

The week, in running:

Monday: 5 miles, easy (with BRF Tami)
Tuesday: 3.1 miles
Thursday: 5 miles, treadmill (stupid windy)
Friday: 6 miles, negative split (stupid windy ... again)
Saturday: 10 miles

Carmel Marathon Training {Week 10}

"Why does this feel so hard?" I gasped.

We were about 13, 13.5 miles into our 15-mile run and headed directly into the wind.  Though our pace had remained steady, I felt like we had slowed by 30 seconds a mile – or more. My legs were tired

"Because it is hard," Joe said.

And hard it is. Running. Long distances. Running long distances after a long tempo the day before. Running long distances into the wind after a long tempo the day before. Mentally, it's tough to feel committed and confident to do a long run into the wind after a long tempo the day before.

This point in training is hard, too. I'm 10 weeks into a 15-week plan. I'm running a lot of quality miles and the race is close enough to second-guess goals but not close enough to get excited.

But I keep telling myself that there are training plans that are nice and training plans that make you better. This plan – no matter how much I curse it and its overachieving long runs and lengthy tempos – will make me better.

It is making me better.

I just need to do my part, find a way to make me better, because if I learned anything this week, it is that I need to bring my mental game to the table and not worry about what I've done or what I have to do.

A photo posted by Kimberly (@healthystrides) on Mar 15, 2016 at 8:09am PDT

Highlight: A solid pace during my hilly run. I had taught a challenging circuit class on Monday, and my legs were smartin'. I thought that I'd be slow, for sure, but it was at what could be goal pace ... or faster than goal pace ... or maybe just a smidge slower ;)

Lowlight: The struggle of the long run. It's hard to feel so challenged and then think about running 30 seconds to a minute per mile faster on race day. Actually, I was supposed to run that race pace (for 6 of the 15) on Saturday but I didn't even entertain the idea since I was with the group.

And that was weird ... I usually carry my phone with me during morning runs but don't always use it to listen to music. So, I guess it's for safety? Anyway, I had it with me on Tuesday for my hill run at a local cemetery. I used it once to grab pictures of the fog but otherwise just held it. About 45 minutes in, my Garmin alerts me to a text message from my co-worker.  "WTH," it read. I check the conversation and my phone had sent four pages of gibberish texts to him and another gal. I should say near gibberish because there were just random words. I have no idea how this happened but I think it an odd coincidence that I was in a cemetery.

The week, in running

Tuesday: 6 hilly miles
Thursday: 5 miles, early with my BRF
Friday: 6 miles, with 4 at tempo
Saturday: 15 miles

Carmel Marathon Training {Weeks 8 and 9}

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” 

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

And, indeed, the places where you will go – especially when you are hitting the higher mileage in half marathon training.

A hidden back entrance to a local park. A small foot bridge over a babbling creek. The winding path of a cemetery. The gym, even when it's off hours. Every foot of the Rivergreenway ... or so it seems.

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” 

 ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Training has been a great balancing of act of late. The mileage is getting a bit higher – not a lot but enough that it can make it just a bit more difficult to fit in the weekday runs between daycare and work. I've had to drop off Miles a bit earlier on the days I need to run on that schedule. Other solutions have been to wake up early an extra day during the week or run both Saturday and Sunday.

This past week, when I had training all weekend at the Y, I made the decision to take off Friday. There were lots of balls in the air to get the miles in but succeed, I did.

A photo posted by Kimberly (@healthystrides) on Mar 10, 2016 at 8:57am PST

“You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don't. Because, sometimes, you won't.” 

 ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Speed is a fickle thing. A relative thing. An almost intangible thing. I've been hesitant to reach for it, to touch it, to hold on to it and yet I think, maybe, I might have found it. I'm not the best of the best but wherever I go, I might have it in me to be the best of me.

But I might not because sometimes I won't. But I might. And I need to think about that as I stare down the last few weeks of training.

The weeks, in training:

Week 8

Tuesday: 6 miles, including 4 x 1 tempo
Thursday: 5 easy miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: 6.2 miles over a hilly course

Week 9 

Monday: 5 miles easy
Tuesday: 3.5 miles, runch
Thursday: 6.2 mile, including 2 x 2 tempo
Friday: 13 miles with a strong finish
Saturday: 6 miles, intervals

Carmel Marathon Training {Week 7}

"Neither rain, nor snow, nor sniffle, nor fever shall keep me from my training schedule." 

I couldn't have written that line from a Runner's World article better myself (which is why I didn't).

Halfway into a "race it" training plan for the Carmel half marathon, I was facing what might have been my toughest week yet. It wasn't the workouts on tap nor challenging weather conditions. Oh, no. Snow and wind – I laugh in your face ... and then run on the treadmill.

Rather, it was lack of sleep due to a sick baby and my own bout of illness. It started with some pressure in my sinuses. And then my nose started to drip. Congestion began to set in and then came the cough. Oh, the cough. It was persistent and dry, reminiscent of a long-time heavy smoker who moonlights as a adult phone operator.

I could have, understandably, phoned it in last week but the whole sick baby thing left me yearning to run more than ever.

So I consulted Dr. Google and Runner's World, finding solace in the "neck" rule – if symptoms are north, you are clear to go. South of the neck? Well, dose up and stay in bed.

This view is supported by research done at Ball State University by Tom Weidner, Ph.D., director of athletic training research. In one study, Weidner took two groups of 30 runners each and inoculated them with the common cold. One group ran 30 to 40 minutes every day for a week. The other group was sedentary. According to Weidner, "the two groups didn't differ in the length or severity of their colds." In another study, he found that running with a cold didn't compromise performance. He concluded that running with a head cold--as long as you don't push beyond accustomed workouts--is beneficial in maintaining fitness and psychological well-being. {Source}

As my symptoms were all in my head, literally, I kept up with my training – if only for my psychological well-being.

Highlight: A surprisingly speedy run on Friday with my BRF. It was a great run for so many reasons but a sub-9 pace after a night of coughing was a great boost.

Lowlight: My long run was a challenge from start to finish. I was heading out solo on a long run for the first time in ages; Mark and I were not on good terms when I left; and I had some mighty headwinds. My plan called for 14 miles with 5 at goal pace, and I was ready to quit after the first 6. (I ran three loops – 6 miles, 5 miles and 3 miles.) I managed to keep going but I had a really hard time hitting the faster pace. The goal miles were between 8:43 and 9:01, and I thought I'd be closer to 8:40 for all. But oh well. It's crossed off the schedule, and I can take pride in that.

The week, in running:

Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 5 miles, with 3 at tempo
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 14 miles, with 5 at goal pace
Sunday: 6 miles, negative split