HKRS Parents’ Mile Race Recap

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with Healthy Kids Running Series, HKRS, Mile Race, Mother's Day, Race, Running May 9, 2016

First, let me say that I was so overwhelmed by your guys’ support for my crazy NYC PR goal. I’m still undecided about what number I’m going to choose for my training paces, but your belief in me definitely gives me a boost in confidence ❤

The past 5 weekends, my kids have been participating in the Healthy Kids Running Series. Last year, my daughter did it, but was overwhelmed by the crowds and wasn’t comfortable running unless mommy ran with her.

Not this year though. Each and every single race, she ran with a HUGE smile on her face. Even the weekend that she was sick.

My little runner ❤

I had a feeling my son wouldn’t struggle. Even though he’s the same age my daughter was last year (and she struggled then), I knew he’d love being in the midst of craziness. That’s just his style, lol!

There he is–red shirt, black shorts–cruisin’ ❤

We remembered from last year that there was a Parent’s Mile after the last kids’ race. My husband and I didn’t participate last year (I don’t remember why) but we figured we’d run it this time around. I’ve never done a mile race and thought it would be kinda cool. I had very little expectations.

My husband went first. There was a good crowd of dads and right when the whistle blew about 5 of them took off! My husband didn’t, and I knew that he was going to run a smart race and not start out too fast. Sure enough, he started picking off runners as he ran but the first place dad (who was one that took off) had gained quite a bit of distance–too much ground for my husband to cover in a mile. He ended up taking second with a 6:10 clock time and 5:56 Garmin (his watch had him at over a mile–we thought it strange the big time discrepancy).

Then it was my turn. There were more moms than dads and as we crowded at the start, all of us chatted about not really knowing where to go on the course. One mom said, “I’m sure there’ll be one of you leading the way.” Another mom asked who ran 8 minute miles and me and one other woman raised our hands. I guess we’d be the ones leading.

Sure enough, when the whistle blew, it was me and her leading the pack. She had a couple of feet lead but I was just trying to make sure that I had enough in me to finish the whole thing. I didn’t want to burn out.

As we ran, I kept her close in sight and as we turned to begin the second (last loop), I knew I had to make a decision:

Should I speed up and pass her, knowing that once I did, she’d speed up and it would be a fight for first?

Should I maintain pace, and finish second, knowing that that was a done deal and I’d have enough energy for my Mother’s Day 5k the next day?

I had to choose quick and when we headed towards a straightway, I decided to go for it. I took advantage of being past the turns (each one we had to slow down for) and picked up my pace on the straightaway, gaining on her each second that went by.

Closing in…

We turned and I crept up behind her, passed her, and did a little surge. I could tell she was tired but not out for the count.

Surging!

We kept going. She was right behind me, and I knew that at the last turn towards the finish, it would be a fight.

Down to the wire!

The last turn came quickly, and I heard her husband shout, “You got this Julie!! You know what to do!!” I was still in front of her and while I’ve always been confident in myself that my kick is strong, I dug deep for all the strength I had so she would not pass me.

I was pumping my arms up and down–running as fast as I had ever ran in my entire life, not feeling, hearing, thinking anything. Just run, Helly!!!

Those last 10 seconds were the most painful I’d ever felt–Garmin said I was at a 4:56 pace!

And I won!!!!

The clock time read 6:50 and my Garmin said 6:53–either one, it was the fastest I’d ever run a mile.

There was no medal, no certificate–we weren’t running for anything, lol! Just pride, I guess. Ha!

When I finished, I high-fived the second place mom. She had ran track in high school (which explained her husband encouraging her at the final sprint). Her husband had taken third, behind my husband, in the Dad’s race. People came up to congratulate us, saying how exciting the race had been to watch. My kids kept yelling, “Mommy, you were the line leader!!” And my daughter gave me a huge hug.

But, I was feeling extremely light-headed and told my husband I needed to sit down. We still had a busy day ahead of us–a birthday party literally right after and a baby shower in the afternoon. I ended up spending the whole day extremely exhausted and when I crawled into bed that night, I could barely move. I had zero regrets for giving it all I had that morning; I saw something in me I had never seen. But, I knew that I was paying for it.

–Have you ever ran a mile race??

–Has it ever gone down to the wire for you in a race?

–Ever felt light-headed after running fast?

Helly + Hanson’s = Marathon PR??

Posted by hellyontherun in Marathon, Marathon Training, Running and tagged with Base Building, Hanson's Marathon Method, Marathon Training, Race Goals, Running May 4, 2016

Welp, I’m getting on the Hanson’s Marathon Method train.

After reading Colby‘s success (and BQ!) and Allison‘s craziness towards a sub 3:05 (which she got!) using Hanson’s, I’ve decided to drink the kool-aid.

I’ll be using Hanson’s Marathon Method for New York City Marathon.

Reading about this crazy training, I didn’t think this would be a plan that would work for me. It’s SIX days of running. SIX. As in, only one day off. Both Colby and Allison used this training plan holding down jobs and still nailed each run like the freaking awesome people they are. Me though? I was already struggling with work and kids and knew there was no way I’d find time to schedule in 6 runs. Not with my already 4:30 a.m. wake time.

But hey, now I don’t have a job, lol! And I figure, now would be the perfect time to try this plan so I’m going for it.

Hanson’s calls for high mileage–40+ miles after week one. I had already planned to do some base marathon training to build up to Hanson’s higher mileage as I didn’t want to jump into the plan and go straight to 40 miles/week, something I’ve never done. And after doing a little more research, and reading Kristina’s blog post about it, I found that Hanson’s actually has 8 week base training plans that could help lead me into full blown marathon training; the plan starts next week and goes up to the start of official marathon training in July. I’ll be modifying the first couple of weeks because each week of the base plan is 40 miles (and I need to work myself up to that first). I was little bummed the plan itself didn’t do that going in, but it was easy for me to see where I could make adjustments.

Plus, there is an online Facebook group for people using Hanson’s plans where Luke Humphrey himself, the writer of the Hanson’s Marathon Method, has a very active presence. We’re able to ask specific questions and he, along with other Hanson’s plan veterans, offers up suggestions. I asked Luke about making modifications to the base training plan the first couple of weeks, and he totally agreed that it was a simple few changes to make it work.

In addition to the base training plan, I created an account on Final Surge, Luke’s site, which is a free training log website. (It seems to be similar to Training Peaks–which I’ve never used but have heard of.) One component of the site that is of interest is the Workout Intensity Calculator. This is where my quest for a PR comes in. You plug in your most recent 5k, 10k, or 1/2 time and it gives you a marathon finish estimate along with the paces you’d run your weekly runs.

Yes, you read that right. According to this little calculator, I could be aiming for a 3:45 marathon.

The other distances shown–the 5k and 10k–align pretty closely with my current PRs in those distances: 23:46, 49:29. I even plugged those in to see what marathon time it gave me, lol!

All said 3:45.

When I look at the paces for each run at that goal, they seem challenging yet doable. Long runs at 9:20-9:40, Tempo runs at 8:35, Strength runs at 8:25, and Easy runs between 10:20-9:40.

I have to choose a goal if I’m using Hanson’s Marathon Method. It’s just crazy to me to think that this could be it. A part of me wants to go conservative and shoot for a 4:15. It would still be a massive PR. Another part of me says go for the sub 4. And then a little, teeny voice in my brains whispers just go big.

–How do you determine your race goal/pace? I definitely consider the course. NYC is said to have some hills?? (is that true NYC veterans??) and it’s a destination marathon, so I think about all of that.

Insomniac Night Trail Run Series: Sinister 27k Recap

Posted by hellyontherun in Race, Trail Running and tagged with Aravaipa Running, Race Recap, Sinister 27k, Trail Running May 2, 2016

I had mentioned this race last week and how I was excited about it–well, it lived up to it all, lol!

Phoenix is either cold (for us) or hot and there’s usually no in between. But on Saturday afternoon, clouds were coming in.

And wind.

In fact, about two hours before the race started, the wind was pretty bad and several of my friends decided to skip the race as they didn’t want to run in basically a twister. The gusts were super strong, but like one of my friends said, it’s what makes the race Sinister, right?? 😀

I got to the race early to pick up my bib and swag

Swag: Arm sleeves, visor, and finisher’s cup

and my buddy and I hung out with the small crowd of runners. Amongst us, people were chatting how cold it was. I know, I know, us Phoenicians shiver at anything under 60, but it was cold for us, lol!! The wind was giving us a little chill and a sprinkle had started. I had planned accordingly with a long-sleeved and there were others with even more coverage, but I knew that once I started running, I’d warm up. Which was exactly the case.

There was a 9k race (one loop), a 27k race (3 loops), and a 54k race (6 loops). I knew quite a few people doing the 9k, including my BRF, Foxy Jen–I call her that not only because she is a hot mama, but because she’s a fierce fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Foxy Jen and me at the Start 😀

I tried to convince her to upgrade to the 27k but like a smart woman, she declined.

Anyway, the 54k people went first. Then, it was my turn.

Go time!

Promptly at 7:30 p.m., the race began and I was off. The sun was finishing setting and I settled in behind a guy who seemed to be running at a good pace, which pretty much meant I was running too fast.

I was flying through the rolling hills behind this guy who was essentially lighting and paving/pacing the way for me, until we reached a hill towards the end of the loop (each loop was around 5.6 miles). I saw him start to get away from me on that hill between mile 4 and 5 and as his body dimmed from my view, so did the light. Alone, I realized my light was dim! My batteries were dying!

I finished the loop, passing through the start line and the aid station thinking I could manage with the little light I had, but as soon as I passed the crowds and was back out on the desert, I could tell that it was not going to be easy.

First Loop (Mile 5.6)– 56:20

I had to run with my head down because all I could see was the ground immediately in front of me. My neck started to hurt, my body was already aching, and I knew this was going to be a long loop.

When I reached the aid station that was nicely positioned in the middle of the loop, I stopped for a break. They asked if I needed anything and I spotted a liter of Coke. I took a small cup of the amazingness and continued on. It was then that I realized I could text Foxy Jen for help! She should be finishing her 9k loop and I could just get her light! Luckily, I was in an area with phone reception because she responded that yes, she would definitely hand over her head lamp!

I was approaching the uphill at the end of loop and just told myself to get to Jen. Once I had my new light, I would be able to finish the last loop stronger. I ran carefully, only tripping a few times but never actually having a conversation with the ground.

And finally, after what seemed like forever, there she was. I handed her my light and she handed me hers, and I was back on the trail for the last loop. It was almost 10 p.m. at that point and I knew that I would be finishing, if I was lucky, around 11.

Second Loop (Mile 11.2)–2:01:16

With the new lamp, it was night and day. I was running more confidently but still slow, as fatigue had really set in. My entire body was aching. My arms from using them for balance, my ribs and core from keeping my body upright and steady, and my legs from the rolling hills and pounding.

But I forged on. I knew this was the last loop; I just had to make it to the aid station and I would be almost done.

It seemed to take forever to get there. I was by myself the entire last loop, whereas before, I would encounter other runners along the course. Not this time. When I reached the aid station, it was so nice to see people, lol! I drank a little bit more Coke, grabbed some gummy worms, and said happily, “I’m almost done!”

But I knew the end would be the hardest part with that damn hill. I could feel my calves and shins start to ball up and that worried me. I had been taking salt tablets the entire way and was frustrated I was beginning to cramp. I can’t seem to avoid it!! They never fully came thankfully, as I kept running and telling my brain to tell my legs to shut up.

Finally, I saw the tent lights. I picked up my pace as all I wanted to do at that point was finish. I got closer and closer and then… I crossed, triumphantly, before putting my hands on my knees…lol!

Third Loop–(Mile 16.8) 3:12:47

My official stats:

3:12:47
7/31 Female
27/65 overall

I’m really happy with how I ran as I went in with very little expectations. I felt strong and felt that my mental game is growing. I was using this as a training run for R2R2R in a few weeks but was worried about running 17 miles with having only a 10 mile training run under my belt. I finished though, albeit extremely achy, lol!!!

Elevation

I’m still sore two days after and this week will consist of many foam rolling sessions and massages and very little running. To be honest, if any.

If you’re ever in Arizona, you gotta do an Aravaipa race. They are stellar, so well done, and just perfect trail races with many distance options for everyone. Not all of them are night either, lol! Can’t rave about them enough!

–How do you recover from an achy run?

–Is a trail race on your list of to-dos?