Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon 2014 Recap

Like I have mentioned previously, I have been really bad at updating my blog about my races and training so I am trying to do better. With that in mind, I am heading back in time to recap my race from the beginning of June (oops).

I had done this race last year for the first time and I had really enjoyed it. I had signed up the week after for a super discounted rate and I was looking forward to it. I even had convinced my mom to do it as her first half marathon. We made an entire plan of it, with my sister and niece coming with us (so the kids could sleep in) and my mom and I running. Then I found out my BRF (Best Running Friend) was getting married the day we had to leave to get to the race. There was no way I could make the wedding and get to Niagara Falls for the race so I knew I had to skip the wedding. I think this was the hardest running thing I have had to ponder. I would have let the race registration go but with passports being ordered/paid for and my mom ready to complete her half, I needed to be there. (We did make it up to them with a dinner out to celebrate, though even 7 weeks later I am still so sad I missed their special day).

So back to the race. We left Saturday morning for the trip over. It was uneventful which is GREAT when traveling with 3 kids under 6. We got to the race expo at the mall. Now this was different than last year. Last year it was just a tent in the parking lot where the race was held. I was excited for the bigger location until we got there. It was about 3pm and the expo had a couple hours to go and the line was NUTS. It was wrapped around and back to the center of the mall. We ended up waiting in line almost 45 minutes, which after a 5 hour car ride was not the best for the kids but they did great.

Again this year the swag was AWESOME. Included was makeup, bubble bath and WINE, yes, a full bottle of wine.

We went to check into the hotel and get settled. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (never again, just too slow and overpriced) and went to see the falls. Then it was bedtime.

Sunday we got up bright and early and met a running friend in the lobby to head over to the race. It was smooth as could be from our hotel (we stayed at the Embassy Suites this year instead of Great Wolf Lodge like last year and it was SO MUCH closer). We parked and headed to meet up with some people from the Posse!!

When it was race time we all headed to our starting spots. My mom was a little worried, as is normal before your first race. I just knew I was hoping for another PR this year but I wasn't sure how it would go. As we were waiting to start I realized I was lined with with the same two ladies that I had lined up with the year before! What are the chances of that. It was so fun and a great start to the race. It is always nice to hear everyone singing the Canadian National Anthem too!

And we were off. I really did not have a plan for this race. In the first 3 miles I took 2 walk breaks then I switched to a 5:1 interval but sometimes I did 3:1. I really just ran more on feel this race. I did have in the back of my mind that a month earlier I had my best time in the hilly Novi half, so since this race was flat I was hoping to do better. I did, though not by too much!

I came in, got my food (boxes from Tim Horton's with cookies and fruit) and went to watch my friends and my mom finish. I have to say, it was awesome to be able to cheer people in and to see my mom cross the finish line. It really was wonderful.

Once my mom was done we met up, did a finishers picture and then we went back to the hotel to get showered and checked out. That was smooth as can be and then we were heading home.

Overall, again this was a nice race but I am not registered for next year. The expo was kind of a bummer with the long wait and also the drive is a bit long. Not horrible but there are a lot of other races the same distance away that I want to check out. I do like this race a lot though, just having done it twice it is time to explore others!

The Novi Half Marathon--

Who decides to run a race less than 24 hours before the race starts? That would be this girl. I had been going back and forth about races for this last weekend for a couple months. I had really wanted to do the Hightail to Ale downtown, Run with the Cops, not from them and the Novi Half. For some reason I just kept putting it off. Hightail to Ale sold out (and I am still mad at myself about this one) and the weather was icky so I skipped Run with the Cops but I wanted to run.

Saturday morning I talked to my mom and we decided to head out to South Lyon and see if we could still sign up for the Novi races (Half and 10K). Kona running company was running this so I knew it would be well run. I am not in love with the repeat square medals but this one was cute. My plan was if the half was sold out, I would go for the 10K for time for Wine & Dine placement.

Well, luck was on my side and I was able to get in for the Half (mom went with the 10K since it fit in her training plan). Now, I had not planned this well. I didn't know a lot about the course, what was going to be available on the course or even the area. I was just going to run for fun and not worry about time.

We got there early and were able to park right at South Lyon East High School so no need for the shuttle bus. We got ready, went inside to use the bathroom and then it was time for me to head to the start line. I got there as they were talking and it was neat to hear that a local athlete was trying to qualify for the Olympic team. He needed a 1:04 half time, YEP 1:04, that beats my 10K time!!

I got lined up and somehow I thought I was further back than I was. About 1/2 mile in I realized I had not used my inhaler and I did not even have it with me. Oops, this was not good but it was cool, no humidity and it wasn't like I had a lot of choice so I pushed on. The beginning of the race was on road but moved quickly to packed dirt roads. I knew some of the course was like this and I also knew that the rain had made potholes but I was not ready for how it was. The roads were in bad shape though Kona did a good job of marking bad spots and it was not a problem for me, not ideal but not an issue and it did not last too long.

At mile 1 I looked at my watch and realized I had just done an 8:45 mile. Another oops, I have never done a mile in under 9 minutes and I still had 12.1 more to go. I was in trouble. At this point I switched to intervals since I knew I had to slow down. I stuck to a mix of 5:1 and 2:1 based on where I was on the course. There were some cramped areas on the sidewalks but not too bad.

Overall I did not love the course. The paved parts were through neighborhoods around Island Lake which just didn't do a lot for me. There were some people out but not many and it was boring. I was just focused on me. At the 10K mark I realized I was at 1:04!! 1:04? WHAT, if I had done the 10K it would have been a PR. I was kicking myself a little but I had another half of the race to go.

Now, with hydration I have been trying to cut down on how often I stop for water. I skipped the first 2 stops since they were really close to the start. By mile 6 I realized that I had not had any Nuun which was supposed to be on the course. Not sure how I missed it but I got a small cut and kept going. At Mile 8 we got back on the dirt roads and I actually preferred this part of the course even though it was HARD on me.

At mile 10 I realized I had a great chance to PR. This was not what I had set out to do but I was super excited. I will say the rough roads took a lot out of me but as we hit the paved road to head back to the high school and the finish I knew I could do it!!!

I finished strong and came in at 2:23:36!!! I beat my Detroit Women's Half time by 3 full minutes and this was a harder course. I got my medal and headed back across the field to grab some water, a banana, a cookie and to head home.

Overall this was not my favorite race. I think I am spoiled with races with perks. GU on the course, Sports Drink at every stop (or every other one), entertainment on the course, even a better medal instead of one that looks a lot like the ones from other Kona races. I mean it was not horrible but I guess I just expected more and I am not even sure what I wanted. I just know when I left Niagara Falls Women's Half, RunTheBluegrass and the Detroit Women's Half, I felt special and like I had a great time (this is even taking Disney Races out of the mix). I could not stop talking about them and I was eager to sign up again. This one just left me blah though I am over the top excited about my PR!!!

I know the speed work is helping and I am ready to get better! Now time to take it easy before my first 25K on Saturday!!

Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon (my first, their second)

I honestly am not sure where to begin with this race so I am going to focus on the race itself.

Now, the day before we had spent hours in the car and then I think I did like 50 flights of stairs going up to the water slides. We went to bed pretty early so that was good. I was awake a few times to check the clock and at 6:10am I was out of bed. I got ready and then everyone else's started to wake up. The littles were not happy with the early hour but there was really no choice since we only had one car with us.

Pink Picasso SparkleSkirt with Custom PbRC shirt and
Custom Princess Posse Bondi Band

We were in the car and heading out by 7am. After a quick pit stop for a potty break we turned into the area to park and it was almost a complete STOP! Traffic was backed up. It took us almost 15 minutes to get into the lot but it was OK, still early enough for me.

On the way towards the starting line I got a look at the large amounts of PoP they had advertised. Well, I think they needed a few more since the lines were really long, as in all the way across the parking area. I am so glad we had stopped on the way to the race. They had some really nice cloth covered tables set up for after the race and it was so pretty.


At about 7:45am it was time to head to the starting line. I said good bye to everyone and made my way to the 2:30-3:00 predicted finish time area. My plan was to try and pace with the 2:30 pace bunny as long as I could. On the way in, I got a high five from Kathrine Switzer. She did an amazing welcome about how far women have coming in running since just 46 years before she was making history and now we had a huge amount of women runners and growing every day. Then they welcomed the singer for the Canadian National Anthem  She invited everyone to sing with her and while I have heard that song many times in my life (how could I not as a Red Wings fan) I never appreciated how pretty it is. Then right at 8am the race began.

Again, Kathrine was there giving high fives as passed her! Great way to start the race. Now I was middle of the pack and this was a walker friendly race so I thought I would be OK with my pace and not go out super fast like I have done the last couple times. Well, that did not go exactly how I planned. I was feeling good and going with the pace and I was not following my intervals yet so when I checked I was at .75 miles and maintaining a 9:52 pace, oops. By the end of the 2nd mile I was at just over 20 minutes so I did two 10 minute miles, again oops. At this point, I settled into my pace.

Now the race was really nice. We went towards the falls. First we approached the Horseshoe Falls and then the American Falls. We turned around right before the bridge to the US and headed back by the falls again. At this point, the weather had held out BUT I was getting wet from the mist. I felt good but my bib was wet and my Bondi Band was holding moisture (those things are the best). This was the highlight of the race. I do wish we could have finished this way but I understand why we couldn't since I could not see closing the roads near the falls for that many hours. Another nice thing was we got to see the lead runners and others twice on the course as looped. I stopped three wonderful Princess Posse members (Kate, Susan and Linda) which was so cool.

Since the course was one big loop, I knew I would pass by the start/finish line after the return from the falls. My mom, Jeff and the kids were going to be there but we had not really talked about when I would be coming back by. I usually know my landmarks on a course but I will admit, I never really got my mind around this whole 21.1 km thing. Luckily, they were waiting for me as I came by. I was so happy to see them. It gave me a boost completely.

The next 2 miles or so were not my favorites since it was industrial and old motels but not bad. Right before we made our way over a small bridge to follow the water, Tim Hortons had a water station with orange slices. I grabbed one and it tasted great until some got stuck in my teeth and my hands got sticky. NOTE TO SELF: Skip the oranges!

From there the course just went along the water. Nice houses on one side and water on the other. There was a Sax player and Muscle Beach where they had bodybuilders out showing off (not bad I will admit). The hard thing was that I never knew where the water stops would be. I was fine since I have been practicing limiting what I drink on longer runs but it was still a focus point.

After the second turn around I know it was nearing the end. Under 3 miles to go and I was on pace to get my PR and beat my A Goal of a Sub 2:30 but I was also slowing down. I don't know if it was the odd eating the day before, the stairs, the fast beginning pace or just me being tired but I knew I had to move.

I did really good until the last 1/2 mile. At that point I was trying to calculate my end time and I was doing math in my head and I was just I was going to be over 2:30 and while even 2:35 would have been a PR I was mad at myself and I got into my own head. It was at this point when spectators were cheering and calling out our names (since they were big on the bibs which was awesome). So I picked it up, running into 20mph winds, AGAIN. Right before the finish I saw my amazing family again, with the signs and I made it across. The clock said 2:31 but I knew I had started in the middle. My watch said 2:30:28 but I wasn't sure if I had started it at the right point so it was not until Sunday night that I found out my official time:

Seriously, 2:29:57. I don't think I could have gotten any closer but I did it.

I got my medal from a firefighter, got some water (they only had sugar free PowerAde which I don't drink), my food box, chocolate milk. I found the family and I was so happy. They had a rough morning (potty training and PoP are not a good combo and neither is 2 kids, little sleep and 3 hours outside but Jeff and my mom are the best).


Overall:

• I want to do this race again next year but I will go alone and stay somewhere cheap
• I hope they get more PoP
• I wish they had a better water plan but I think since it is only the 2nd year they will get better
• The medal is awesome!
• So was the Swag Bag (yes, that is a full bottle of wine)!

Strange side note: There were a lot of pacers on bikes or around that were bringing things to runners, giving encouragement, going off again, coming back. I am new to racing so maybe this is common but I was surprised.

Setting my race goals (with some runDisney thrown in)

This weekend I set out for my third half marathon. For some reason I am really excited about this which surprises me kind of since it involves a 4.5 hour car ride to get there and anyone who knows me knows that is not my favorite thing at all.

I know it is not the weather I am looking forward to since it is 60% chance of thunderstorms, it is not the car ride but it is the chance to run a race without snow, without characters and with a chance to see and feel Niagara Falls as I run.

Goals:

• A Goal: Sub 2:30--my plan is to start with the 2:30 run/walk pace group. I don't know what intervals they are going to use so I am not sure if I will stick with them. 2:1 has been working well for me and I think I want to stay with that.
• B Goal: Sub 2:42--This is my current Personal Record so I want to beat it since I was having leg craps and the sleet and 20mph winds messed with me last race.
• C Goal: Sub 2:52--I mean come on, I have to beat a race I stopped for pictures at right?

We will see. Now I am going to finish getting ready and I am going to dream of the Dumbo Double Dare medals that have officially been released!

Sometimes it all comes together

I really want to get a 2:30 half on June 2nd in Niagara Falls. I really do. I know that 12 minutes is a lot to cut off from my last half but I really want this. For this reason 2 weeks ago I did just over 12 miles as my long run and then this week I did 3 short runs followed by a 14.25 miler.

I did not tape anything and I did not take anything. When I set out at 8:10am the weather was perfect. When I finished at 11am, the sun was up and it was still awesome. At 13.1 I was at 2 hours and 35 minutes for a training run, so based on that I only have to cut 5-6 minutes off or less than 30 seconds a mile during the race. I am scared but I am hoping the extra miles will help.

Plus as of yesterday it has been 2 weeks since I have had pop and that included Mountain Dew, since that is the only pop worth drinking. It has been tough mostly because I don't feel any different since cutting it out but I figure it has to help in some way.

So we will see what the next 2 weeks bring and hopefully Niagara will hold a PR for me!