Second Thoughts

In 100 days I'll be doing my first triathlon.

100 days.

I'm not going to sugar coat it....I'm having second thoughts about it.

Yes, after spending a good chunk of money on a bike and bike trainer, and on swim lessons, I'm having second thoughts.

In the last 3 months I've also started working for the first time in over 11 years, and it's been an adjustment. I'm trying to be better about organizing my schedule, but my line of work can be a little crazy. Finding time to train around my work schedule, the kids' schedules, and my husband's travel schedule is a bit tricky. And my swimming and biking are suffering. As a matter of fact, I'm only biking on my trainer right now. I can do it while the kids are home and I don't have to worry about them, but I do know I need to get that baby out on the roads soon.

My swimming? Well...I'm not so good at it. I think my form is pretty good now, for the most part, but I just don't have a lot of endurance. I can swim across a pool once or twice without too much trouble, but then I need a rest. That's frustrating to me definitely. I swim at a pool where I get my own lane, but I can only do that during school hours. I'm fearful of going to my regular gym and having to share a lane with someone.

I really need to snap out of this. I know I can do a triathlon, even in my current state, but I want to do well. I'm just too competitive to be okay with "just finishing." Now that marathon training season is over, I am going to have to get out there on the roads and into the open water with my triathlon group. I'm hoping that is the kick in the butt that I need!

100 days...wow.

Five in a row, baby!

February 17, 2013...5 years to the day after my very first race (the Austin Half Marathon)....and my 5th consecutive full marathon in Austin. Bound to be an exciting day!

In the few weeks leading up to this race, I have to admit I wasn't all that excited about it. Going into the training season, my "A" race was going to be Bryan-College Station in December, and Austin was going to be "fun" (yes I used the word "fun" to describe running 26.2 miles). Although BCS didn't pan out like I wanted (read my report here), I still wasn't planning on going crazy in Austin. "Fun" still sounded like a good plan. I thought it might be possible to PR, however (under 4:26).

Race day weather was looking good, although it was going to be getting pretty warm after 11am. After BCS, however, I could handle "a little warm." I was happy that start temps were going to be in the 40s. I planned out my Team Luke's race gear and was getting nervous and excited. No matter how many marathons I run, my nerves are ridiculous. I know it's going to hurt and sometimes those thoughts outweigh the memory of how it feels to cross that finish line.

Race morning was awesome. A fun carpool to the race, hanging out with Round Rock Fit and Luke's Locker folks, peeing 3 times in the span of 15 minutes....yep...race morning!

I decided awhile ago I didn't want to run anymore marathons by myself, so I had friends with me.

Karen, me, Tony, and Kalynn

Karen was turning off to finish the half, while Tony, Kalynn, and I were running the full. Kalynn was coming off an injury but our pace was much slower than her normal pace and we hoped it would be perfect to keep her with us. And our first half pace was exactly aligned with Karen's plan...I love running with my friends!

By race morning our plan had evolved into running about a 4:15, or getting as close as possible to that. That would be a 9:45 average, something that on a good running day was very reasonable. It would be a PR for Tony and me and push Kalynn a bit more than her last 2 marathons (the girl was running her THIRD in 2 months!)...sounded good to us! We still planned to run the first half in about a 2:09, so it would require a negative split to hit that 4:15 but we've done it before and could do it again.

Just like most races, this one started off uneventful. Our first mile was a very conservative 10:50, exactly what we were aiming for. After the first couple miles we could settle in to a 10 min pace and then drop to under 10 minutes after 5 or 6. From miles 2-5 there is a slight incline as you cruise down Congress Avenue so you have to play those miles smart. As you run north again from miles 5-8 you have a nice downhill, but overdoing it there will kill your legs unless you've done a lot of downhill training. We definitely played it smart and kept just over a 10 minute overall pace through that first third of the race.

I got to see the family at Mile 9 on Cesar Chavez Blvd, just like always, and it is always a mental boost.

Heather, Yvi, Amber, and Daniella - the best cheerleaders!

But now it was time to pick it up. Only we didn't really have any pick up in us. Running much faster than that just felt "off." At least for me it did. Tony kept urging me to slow it down, so I think he was feeling it, too. Or he has some freaky sixth sense about how I feel.

This is also the part where I start getting pissed about all the hills. Texas is flat as a pancake because they put every damn hill in Austin, and the Conley Sports picks the hilliest race course possible.

Click on the pic to see it in all its evil glory

Okay, it's a great course. Really it is. Austin is beautiful and we get to see so much of it. But holy hell, the hills. After a particularly steep hill during mile 13 (thankfully it's short), I always feel a bit better. Once that one is out of the way, it's more of a slow incline over several miles before you get to the net downhill final 7 miles. At the top of that hill we saw the family again. Always a joy!

I totally love this pic...I'm happy!! 

Heather standing at the top of The Hill

We had become separated from Kalynn during these middle miles and hoped she would be catching up with us before long. I wanted to make sure she made it through this race happy and healthy. Karen had long ago taken the turn to finish the half (which she did in 2:10!!).

The next several miles is where the marathon distance can really test you. You know you're only halfway through and that can seem daunting. But you have to just keep plugging along. We hit the halfway point at 2:12, which isn't where we wanted to be, but still on target for a good marathon time, at least an Austin course PR for both of us (under 4:24) and an overall PR for me. If we could just hold steady and not let the wall get to us, we had it in the bag.

We sped up a bit through a few miles, dropping the pace to just under 10 minutes per mile overall. But when we got through 16 miles, Tony asked if we could slow it down just a bit until we hit Mile 19 and started the downhill. His hip was bugging him and things just felt sluggish. I was fine with that. A 10 minute pace still got us one of our goals.

We passed up the 4:25 pacers during Mile 17 and that was a really good feeling. One of them, James, was in our RRCA coaching class a couple of weeks ago (he called himself "Sexy") so we chatted for just a bit and then kept going at a faster pace than them. If we could stay ahead of them we were golden. We saw the support crew at Mile 19, got Tony some Advil (the conversation is on video, too..."Do you have Advil? He's hurting.") Ha! (Aw, poor Coach)

Why do I keep smiling??

Now we're in the home stretch...a net downhill, although there are a few uphills. Only 7 more miles, another hour or so of running. We just weren't feeling great, but not horrible, so we kept going. The miles were not clicking by quickly, however. We actually did walk for a little stretch after we saw the family at Mile 19, our first walk break of the race. I wanted to see some sub-10 minute miles, but I we just couldn't get our legs moving well again. Mile 20 came at 3 hours, 21 minutes, so still just over 10 minute overall pace. This may have been my best Mile 20 split in a marathon. A quick mental calculation told me we needed a 1:03 final 10K for an Austin PR for Tony, a final 1:05 exactly for a PR for me, and less than a 1:08 to beat last year's time and give me an Austin PR. Totally doable if we could just keep moving.

The wheels fell off at Mile 22.

At seemingly the same time, our bodies just wanted to STOP. We willed them to keep moving for 90% of every mile, but it was getting tough. At this point we saw 11 minute miles clicking by and slowly, our goals slipped away as well. Neither of us really cared, however. I kept remembering that we were almost done and barring something catastrophic we were still going to finish the race with a very respectable time. Perhaps it was the sun that was hurting us, perhaps it was the south winds that seemingly came out of nowhere, perhaps we just let our training slip off too much in those final weeks leading up to the race. This was most certainly the Wall....and it royally sucked.

As we ran through the Mile 23 sign I just about lost it. I became tearful as I said to Tony "Why does this hurt so bad?!?" He became even more frustrated with any incline we encountered, stopping to walk just a bit while I slowly jogged and waited for him to catch back up. We spent the final miles of the race doing this. Our worst mile came in a 11:38, which seems surprisingly good considering how bad we felt. The suckiest part I think was when the 4:25 pacers passed us up for good. Such a huge bummer.

At one point around Mile 24, I think I definitely was losing it and decided that I didn't want to hold my water bottle anymore, so I actually threw it away at a water stop. 2 miles to go and I tossed over $20 worth of running equipment into the trash. But I couldn't handle the thought of drinking anything else or holding anything, and it just seemed like the thing to do. The final marathon miles can certainly make you crazy.

With one mile to go we could see the San Jacinto Hill in the distance. We needed about a 10:30 mile to break last year's time and get me an Austin PR (4:29:01). Just a 10:30...surely we could do that, right? I started feeling a bit better and was letting the thought of there only being one more mile left carry my legs, but Tony was still hurting so badly and getting very discouraged about that final hill. I told him I had never walked that hill in the 6 years I've raced that course, and I wasn't about to walk it this time. Something tells me he didn't appreciate that. Haha.

One final little walk before tackling the big hill and seeing the family one last time before the finish.

You can see just how crazy windy it was by looking at the "600 meters to go" sign

There I am smiling again!

Heather and Daniella cheering us on

Funny enough, just like last year, I grabbed Tony's hand on this hill. Last year it was for moral support...this year I literally did drag him up that hill! Talk about role reversal for the second year in a row! I think I also chanted "4:29" a couple times to keep him moving.

Getting to the top of the hill is glorious. 200 meters to go and it's all downhill. Only a minute of running left.

We crossed the finish line at 4:29:40...39 seconds slower than last year. We just missed that Austin PR for me, but it makes no difference. Seeing a 4:29 instead of a 4:30 was a relief to me.

I danced around in a circle right after the finish. Such an incredible feeling! And let me tell you...finishing with a friend is infinitely better than crossing that finish line alone.

As we walked to get our medals, I found Bart Yasso...RUNNING LEGEND! I've been wanting to meet him for years and finally I could! I didn't let this opportunity pass me up and I introduced myself and got a picture with him.

I think this is one of my favorite pictures ever

After making our way through the finish area, we stopped to wait for Kalynn, who had never caught up to us. I checked her splits on my phone and saw that she was actually over 20 minutes behind us at the 20 mile mark, so she still had a ways to go in the race. I hoped she was okay.

A slow, painful walk the few blocks back to the Round Rock Fit tent felt like miles, but we finally made it and saw some friendly faces waiting for us. Greg and the kids had our beer ready and waiting. I think this is my favorite part of any race! Kalynn did end up finishing the marathon...the last half was just very difficult for her. But she finished her third in 10 weeks, qualifying for Marathons of Texas and Marathon Maniacs - incredible!

Kelly!!!

Round Rock Fit Director Kat Misiti...love her!

Derek!!!

So now Marathon #8 is in the books. In the last 364 days I ran 4 marathons, with an average time of 4:30:50. I'm still chasing that elusive sub 4 hour marathon, but on the right race day I know I'll accomplish it. 

Oh, and you know why I felt so sluggish?  I AM SICK. I came down with a full blown cold right after the marathon. So there you have it!

It wasn't exactly a perfect marathon but I'm going to think about all the positives:

1. I finished my EIGHTH marathon. EIGHT!!!

2. Still finished around the top 40 percent of women. That's typical marathon placing for me.

3. I got cheered all along the course for being a member of Team Luke's. That was AWESOME.

4. I saw tons of friendly faces along the course...friends, Round Rock Fit members, and all those wonderful spectators cheering my name even if they didn't know me.

5. I was in Austin, the best city in the country!

6. So many of the guys I coach finished strong and happy and I'm so proud of them.

7. I had one of my best running friends with me the whole time and we didn't drag each other down, but rather kept each other going through the hard parts.

8. It wasn't 80 degrees at the finish like in College Station.

9. I didn't feel like an asthmatic during any part of this race.

10. Did I mention I've now done EIGHT MARATHONS???

Now onto the next one...

So who is "Coach Steph"?

I've been thinking for the past couple of weeks about what my philosophy is with regards to training, fitness, and health. Every fitness professional needs a philosophy and everyone is different. I am constantly throwing ideas around in my head about how I would describe myself as a trainer and I started making a list. I think it's a pretty good start.

I don't focus solely on weight loss. I focus on body composition change - fat loss and muscle gain.

I don't use the word "diet." I discuss "nutrition."

We will talk calories, but I don't "calorie count". I focus on portion control, food quality, and food variety.

Fueling is key. Starving is stupid.

There will be weight training. Lots of it. More cardio does not mean better results.

Finding something that can be maintained is the ultimate goal.

I will hold you accountable.

I will push you into uncomfortable territory.

I do not believe in fads or too many restrictions.

I will make you believe that fitness is necessary for quality of life. You will make it a part of your life permanently.

Regarding nutrition, I see way too many people focused solely on calorie counting, with little focus on food quality. Their main focus with exercise, therefore, is to burn calories. I just don't completely
subscribe to this...although it can be a good start to understanding portion control and getting a big bang for your buck with exercise. But fitness is so much more than calorie counting and cardio. You'll never get the results you have the potential to achieve if you use this narrow focus. While it's important to understand calories in general, it's much more important to eat proper portions, eat quality food, eat a variety from all food groups, and eat throughout the day. With a consistent practice like this, your caloric intake will regulate itself properly.

Cardio is not the only way to proper weight loss. In order to obtain healthy body composition you have to include weight training. Lean muscle mass will boost your metabolism like nothing else. Your fat burning potential is increased since muscle is where fat is metabolized.

But that's not all. Muscle improves heart function...your heart simply doesn't have to work as hard. You will also protect joints and connective tissue and reduce arthritic symptoms in the process. Your bone density is increased with weight training. This ability to protect your joints and bones will lead to fewer injuries. Strength train with functional movements (using more than one muscle group at a time in a strength training move) and you're improving core and balance as well. With a stronger core, your ability to perform daily activities and exercise without injury improves even further.

Nothing can be achieved without a solid plan, consistency, motivation to succeed, and holding yourself accountable. I have always said that if you don't schedule fitness into your day, you're going to make every excuse in the book to not get it done. So schedule it like any other appointment....and then stick to it. If you need someone there to hold you accountable, join a fitness group. Make them depend on you and you will show up and you will work hard and succeed.

Exercise isn't always fun. If it didn't hurt at least a little, it isn't doing you any good. But there is a way to find the comfortable in the uncomfortable, and you have to be willing to understand that and put it into practice. You have to be willing to take yourself to a difficult place and push through it. What's on the other side is amazing and very much worth it.

Fad "diets" or fad "workouts"? Not my thing at all. I'm very simple and basic when you strip my philosophy down. I don't cut out any macronutrients and don't believe in diets that tout that. While I think some of these fad workouts are good to get people off their butts, a lot of them have too much fluff to do any kind of good in the long term. You want to be successful? Get your heart rate up, work your muscles to fatigue, don't be afraid to suffer, know your limits, do not do anything beyond your ability, get that core strong, and you will lose the excess body fat and gain that lean muscle in the process.

My philosophy is coming together. I'm enjoying the process of discovering it.

2012 in Review and Plans for 2013

I think it's safe to say that 2012 was a CRAZY running year for me. It exceeded all my hopes and dreams. I feel like I'm so much stronger of a runner and it's an incredible feeling for this 39 year old.

Wait...39? When did THAT happen?!?

My main goal for 2012 was to conquer the marathon. I had the thought of a 4:15 marathon, but my training wasn't quite at that level, so a 4:25 seemed like a better goal. I ran a 4:26 in Houston in January, but the best part of all was that I ran a strong negative split during the race. I felt good practically the entire time and I never gave up on myself or let doubts creep in. I won the mental battle and that was so much more significant to me than any arbitrary time goal.

After that race and another great marathon in Austin just five weeks later, I decided that a sub-4:00 marathon was in the cards within the next year. Basically the rest of the year was spent slowly working on my speed and strength. I added in trail running and mountain biking to change things up, and found myself registering for more races than I had ever run in a year. And then somewhere along the way, I found myself becoming a "triathlete-in-training."

I had so much fun!

By the time the year was over, I had set new PR's in every common race distance - 5K in 23:09, 10K in 53:12 (although this race actually served as a training run and I didn't go all out), half marathon in 1:57:32 (I set a new one on 1/13 this year in 1:51:36), and marathon in 4:26:27. Plus, I ran a 1 mile race to see if I could break 7 minutes, and I ran it in 6:38. All in all in 2012, I ran a 1 mile race, 3 5K's, 2 10K's, 2 half marathons, 3 marathons, 1 Trail 30K (which ended up being 20.5 miles), and 1 Trail 10K.

I won my age group twice, got second once, and was top 9% in the San Francisco Half Marathon.

This all coming from a girl who was picked last in sports while in school, who never once was considered athletic.

So yeah, I might be bragging a little.

But dammit, what a freaking awesome year!!!

So what did I do differently that worked?

1. I added a lot more strength training. Towards the end of the year, I hired a personal trainer and he completely changed the way I thought about training by putting me through high intensity circuits that got my heart rate sky high while making me stronger than I thought I could get. And he forced me to do a lot more lower body strength work. I pretty much hated it, but I loved what it did for me. Explosive power, sustainable endurance, a ridiculously strong core.
2. Interval training. From 2 minutes up to 14 minutes, very little rest, threshold pace. Every single week.
3. Hills, hills, hills. I needed serious hill training for San Francisco. I even did it at the height of summer, in 100 degree temps. Every single week.
4. After San Francisco, I began speedwork at the track. Ridiculous speedwork, sometimes for over 2 hours. Every single week.
5. Crosstraining on the bike and at the pool.
6. Trail running for a change of pace and scenery. So much easier on the body, and relaxed...and FUN.
7. Listening to my body when it needed rest. If I knew I was overdoing it, I rested. And I came back stronger the next day.
8. Not being afraid to listen to my coach when he said I could run faster. I stuck next to him, it hurt, and I did it...just like he said I could.
9. Believing my body was stronger than my doubts.
10. Knowing I could go one more mile, one more minute, whatever it took.

You have no idea just how excited I am about what 2013 will bring. I am signed up for several races already and have some pretty lofty goals in mind.

I'm running Austin Marathon next month and am hoping for a PR, but will not race all out like I planned at BCS last month. It's a hilly course, so I have no thoughts of running a 3:59, but I'd like to post a good time regardless. First and foremost, I want to enjoy it with friends.

In March I am running with my team Blood Sweat and BEERS in the Texas Independence Relay for the 4th year in a row. Hands down the best race of the year.

In April I'm planning to run a 10K in sub-50 minutes (well....maybe sub 51...we'll see how awful the course is). And then there will be my first trail race of the year, a 30K that is part of the Rogue Trail Series.

May is the Dam Mile race in Georgetown. The female winner ran a 6:13 this year. I was third at 6:38. I don't see why I can't try to get closer to that 6 minute mark! So we'll see what happens.

June will be a crazy month. My first triathlon. I'm terrified. But I'll also run another 30K trail race, so that will be awesome.

At the end of the year I'm planning on breaking 1:50 in a half marathon at BCS. I'm already registered!

Lastly, one year from now I'm going for that sub-4 hour marathon again...in Houston. That 1:51 I ran at 3M last week qualified me for guaranteed entry into the race, no need for a lottery submission. I missed this race this year and I'm very excited about going back.

Did I already mention how excited I am???

So what's up with Coach Steph?

I haven't blogged much about my new job quite yet, as I've been getting acclimated to the huge life change. But now that I'm several weeks in I've got a lot to say!

Not only do I individually train people (both at the rec center and through my independent business), but I am also teaching fitness classes at the rec center. And in a nutshell, I LOVE IT.

I get nervous every time I have to call a new client (who, by the way, totally suck at calling back...boo!), and every time I am standing in front of a room full of hopeful people about to get their butts kicked, my heart races just a bit. But once I start, I feel great. Time flies by, I get excited seeing people go beyond what they think they are capable of, and I especially get excited when I see concrete results from what I'm doing with them.

I think I chose the right path.

Teaching group exercise classes is not necessarily something I thought I would enjoy as much as individually training someone, but I'm finding a lot of fulfillment there as well. I'm only teaching 3 classes per week but several people have asked about the rec center adding more of my classes. Many have pulled me aside to say they love them. I think I scared quite a few after that first core class (oops!). And I'm seeing a lot of familiar faces every day. It's really just a lot of fun to turn on the music and get them all moving and pushing themselves to be stronger.

As I continue to travel this path I am fine tuning my fitness philosophy. I think it's important for every trainer to have their own personal fitness philosophy that they can discuss with their clients. As I tweak mine more and more, I'll be sure to write a great blog post about it. I'm collecting as much knowledge as I can and finding what I am comfortable with.

Lastly, I'm continuing my education via National Academy of Sports Medicine. I signed up for a specialty certification, the Weight Loss Specialty. It incorporates nutrition, fitness, and psychology to not only help people lose weight and fat, and gain muscle, but how to maintain that weight loss. I'm so excited to crack open the book for the first time and absorb that knowledge so I can pass it on to clients!

Life is good!

Best Race Ever!

My December Marathon glory didn't exactly pan out liked I planned because of that atrocious weather, but I still had one upcoming race I knew I could conquer. I had never run it before, but everyone told me the 3M Half Marathon in Austin is one of the best races in our city. It's a net downhill, and pretty good course, and the goody bag is awesome (it's 3M after all!). I had been registered for it for awhile and was looking forward to seeing what I could do for 13.1 miles.

My original plan, if I was in sub-4 hour marathon shape for the BCS Marathon in December, was to hold on tight to that fitness level and run a 1:50:xx at 3M five weeks later. When BCS beat me up more than I thought it would I added 2 minutes to that half marathon goal. It would still be about a 5 minute PR if I could run that kind of time (PR from July in San Francisco was 1:57:32). A lofty goal, but lately I've been making all sorts of lofty goals.

I didn't really run as many good runs as I had hoped in those five weeks. A couple interval workouts, some speedwork, a 5K PR race (okay, so THIS was a good one!), and a decent 13 mile training run (fastest 13 mile training I had ever done, 4th best time at that distance, at 1:58). Running a 1:52 was possible, but it was going to hurt. I ran a 30K training run 8 days before this race, but I was smart and ran it easy, just under 10 minute pace and I took a few water stop breaks. No way was I going to let that run mess with my race.

My coach, Tony, decided to run the race with me, and would go ahead of me if he felt good and knew I could hold pace to the finish. My plan was to run the first mile in about 9:30, maybe hover around 9 minutes for Mile 2, and then drop to 8:30-8:45 for a few miles, to finally dropping to 8-8:20 for the second half. If I could do that it would be faster than I've ever run those kinds of miles by a long shot. Yes, a LOFTY goal. Heck, my best 10 mile time was 1:27:30, way over what I'd need to post at 10 miles during this race.

The weather, thankfully, was going to be perfect. In the upper 30's to around 40 degrees, with a windchill bringing it to below freezing, but with the wind at our backs for the majority of the point-to-point race. Waiting for it to start would be the worst part, but once we started running it would be perfect. The humidity was even relatively low. It took me forever to really decide what I would wear. Normally, it would be long sleeves for the whole thing because of the windchill, but with it being a tailwind I had a feeling I'd warm up more than expected. I opted to wear my Team Luke's tank top and some arm sleeves, with a light jacket I could just tie around my waist if I got too warm. Capris instead of pants because they are more comfortable but would still keep my quads warm.

I'd like to say this was an eventful and dramatic race, but it really wasn't! I actually think it was my most perfectly executed race so far. And also one of the hardest, merely because keeping up the pace I was running was no walk in the park.

Mile 1 was a bit slower than we had hoped, at 9:47. We had lined up to start the race with the 2:05 pace group, knowing that they wouldn't be going out too fast and we'd pass them up after about a mile to get into a faster groove. But the sheer number of people (and WALKERS) in that first mile it just slowed us down. I didn't want to weave too much, so had to tuck myself behind some runners going at more of a 10 minute pace. After than first mile, however, we were able to get into a better run pace and clicked off an 8:47 second mile. I tried not to let this fast pace scare me, however, because I honestly thought it was more of a 9:20. I felt really really good and just let my body do what it wanted.

By mile 3, we were running south, so the north winds were now at our backs. I was warming up just like I thought I would and shed my jacket. I was very comfortable at this point and happy I made the race clothes choices I did. Tony and I were locked in at about an 8:30-8:35 pace and feeling great. I remember telling him at 4 miles that I felt just fine. I used him to pace off of and never had to look at my watch. I trusted that he knew what I was capable of and wouldn't overdo it. Plus, with the downhill course, the miles were sure to fly by a bit faster than normal.

As we approached the 10k split mat, I glanced at my watch and saw were were in the 54 minute range and at 8:48 overall pace. It was perfect for where we needed to be. I planned to drop to to 8:15 range and hold for as long as I could. I needed about an 8:35 overall pace for my goal time, so we were doing great at this point. I also saw my friend DeDe on this stretch, and it gave me a big mental boost. She's a strong runner, so to know I was holding pace with someone like her was HUGE to me. As a matter of fact, mile 7 was one of my strongest splits, at 8:12, and it never felt that fast. The downhill was working to my advantage and I was getting comfortable at that faster pace.

Tony asked me a couple times how I was feeling, and I told him I could maintain to the end and get a big PR. I remember saying at one point I thought we were in 1:51 range. He contemplated going ahead of me to get a sub-1:49 (which would be a PR for him), but by the time he took this thought seriously, he missed the window. I also may have reminded him I did him a huge favor the day before (lost keys, driving 40 minutes out of my way...) and he owed me. I'm sweet like that. Gotta use guilt when necessary, right? In all honesty, I knew with only a few miles left I was fine, although definitely getting fatigued, but having him right in front of me makes it easier to keep pace. I was a bit worried about the few rolling hills coming up in the last 2 miles, but tried to block that out.

At just past the 10 mile sign I glanced at my watch and saw it said 1:26...just over 8:30 pace. I had never before run 10 miles that fast. A quick mental calculation told me I needed under a 26 minute final 5k to get a 1:51...UNDER my goal time. Under 27 minutes to get my 1:52 goal. Under 25 to make my original 1:50 goal. I could do this...I really really could do this. I put in my head I wanted to see 1:51 and just kept running at an even, steady, fast pace. I could do anything for 3 more miles, right?

Those hills in the last 1.5 miles sucked. Holy crap, those sucked. As I'm running them I'm mentally thanking my trainer for forcing me to do lower body strengthening for the past few months. Without strong muscles these hills would have erased some of the gains I made on the downhill portion. Downhill races sound great but they can seriously beat up your quads. In San Francisco, Mile 11 is a huge downhill and I blazed down it, only to find my legs completely depleted for the final 2-mile uphill. I was so glad I approached this race differently and could stay strong on those uphill portions. I remember asking Tony at one point how many hills were left, and he very smartly told me about one, but then said "and that's all you need to worry about." In other words, he wasn't about to freak me out.

I told Tony to go ahead of me in this last mile. He was itching to just sprint, so off he went, but I was keeping him in my sights. I was running under 8-minute pace now and it felt good knowing in only a few minutes I'd finally be done. We were on the very last awful hill on Red River at this point and as I'm running it I'm thinking about how glad I was he didn't tell me about it when I asked.

As I'm coming down MLK Blvd for the final half mile, I heard my friend Dorothy call my name and that was just the boost I needed to know just how good this race was going. Dorothy is an exceptional athlete. I told her to get next to me and just run. Funny enough, as soon as I saw the 13 Mile marker, my legs pretty much stopped working. I had to force them to keep moving for that last tenth of a mile. I could tell I was slowing. As I turned onto Congress, people started passing me. I hate getting passed in the final finish chute. But I could not run anymore. Everything I had was left out on the course in the first 12+ miles.

As soon as I crossed the finish line, I saw the 1:51:xx on my watch, hugged Tony, turned around and saw Dorothy finish. It really couldn't have been more perfect!

Just a few minutes later we met up with Greg and the kiddos and got the heck out of there and that cold windy weather. They had gotten there just in time to park and wait for us to finish. The kids were still in their pajamas!

Looking back on my race, there's not anything I would have done differently. My splits were better than I expected. I ran 8:48 pace for the first 6.2 miles, and 8:13 pace for the final 6.9, better than I've ever even run a 10K race! I added on less than a 10th of a mile to the distance, so we ran the tangents very well. Mile 13 was 7:52 pace, which is the only sub-8 pace mile I have ever run in a half marathon (the final "sprint" was definitely slower, at 8:28 pace). Tony only beat me by 19 seconds in that last mile he went ahead. My splits were: 9:47, 8:47, 8:47, 8:34, 8:30, 8:35, 8:12, 8:18, 8:16, 8:04, 8:15, 8:08, 7:52, 1:31 (8:28 pace) for 13.18 total miles at 8:28 average pace.

Official results:

1:51:36, 8:31 average pace (and 6 minutes off my previous PR!)
78 out of 535 in my division (top 14%)
421 out of 2909 females (top 14%)
1242 out of 5009 overall (top 24%)
I beat 61% of the men

I feel pretty damn great!!

5K Personal Best...complete with BEER

I have these crazy ass friends who think it's cute to run half marathons a week after a marathon, and they tried (and failed) to get me to sign up for the Shiner Beer Run Half Marathon on December 16. On December 9 I ran the BCS Marathon, and no way in the world would I run a half marathon just a week later, knowing I'd be running 7 or 8 miles with my training group on December 15.

I told them I'd go to the race and cheer them on, but then decided since there was a 5K option I'd go ahead and sign up for that. It wasn't going to be a pretty 5K but it would give me something to do while I waited for them to finish the half. And I'd get the goodies...and the beer...I just couldn't resist.

Greg decided to register for the 5K as well and since my parents would be in town, we didn't have to worry about childcare and could enjoy a day to ourselves. A little road trip, exercise, beer, and bling with no kiddos...sounds good to us!

I ran on Saturday the 15th without incident. It was my first run since the marathon and I felt pretty good, although a bit fatigued still. My goal was to just feel good the next day for the 5K, maybe run a bit under 30 minutes, but definitely not race it. My PR was 24:00 and I had no intention of shooting for that time.

I discovered while getting my running things together that I didn't have my Garmin charger. I must have left it at the hotel room in College Station. Not a big deal...I wasn't racing the 5K so I didn't really care what my pace or time was for the race. I'd just race without it. I did a 10K race once without my Garmin and I loved having that freedom.

The temps were going to be a big warm and humid. As we were driving the 2 hours to Shiner, all it did was pour rain on us, complete with thunder and lightning. The weather models were showing the storm would ease up by race time at 8:30am, but it didn't look pretty at all. I wondered if they'd have to cancel the race, but knew they'd wait until right up until race time to make that decision, or they'd delay it knowing the rain would ease up. By the time we got to the race, it was still raining, but definitely was a lot lighter. We got our packets and chilled out in the car until race time got closer. I couldn't reach my half marathon friends, Adam and Lesley, who were already there. Tricia was a little delayed, but on her way.

Just arrived at the brewery in the drizzle

As soon as the rain stopped, at about 8am, we headed to the start area and finally found everyone. It didn't look like it would start raining again, which was great, but wow it was HUMID. Not quite as warm as marathon race day, but every bit as humid. Adam is from Arizona, and although he's an exceptional runner (1:29 half marathon PR) I was a little worried about how his body would handle the high humidity. Lesley had run the Dallas Marathon the week before and would be using this as a good training run. Tricia decided not to run after all because she was not feeling well, but she was there with her family ready to cheer everyone on.

As we're waiting for the race to start I realized Greg and I didn't even warm up. Usually for a 5K I'll do about a half mile to a mile warm up jog just to get my legs loose. Oops...didn't do that.

The gun went off and I just started running. I knew I was going at a decent pace, but I felt fine. It was only 3 miles and all of a sudden I got a wild hair to just RUN. I could run well for 3 miles surely. No Garmin to tell me just how fast it was, so I used how my body felt to gauge the right pace.

I was perfectly comfortable running whatever pace I was running, so I just got into a rhythm and maintained it. As a man was running by using a running app on his iPhone I heard the app speak the distance, time, and pace...we were right at 8 minute pace. Sounded good to me.

As we neared the turnaround (this was an out and back course), I saw Greg in about 10th place and yelled to him. He looked really really great, probably running about 6:30-6:45 pace. I counted a few women, but it wasn't very many. I knew I had started towards the front of the pack but I still expected to see more women in front of me.

I felt absolutely great at the turnaround and knew I could maintain the pace I was running for another 1.5 miles. I figured maybe I'd be running a 25 minute 5K, which would thrill me for it being only a week after a marathon. I passed a couple women and a whole lot of men, which just made me run faster. And I saw adorable Lesley in her Santa socks...LOVE!

At the 2.5 mile marker, I definitely started feeling the effects of the humidity. Plus, the sun came out and was glaring badly on the wet asphalt. A few more minutes of this and it would be all over, but I still didn't feel all that bad considering. I had more in me, but didn't want to push it.

As I came over the bridge in the last 10th of a mile I heard the announcer calling off the time...we were under 23 minutes. SAY WHAT?? I was running a 23 minute 5K??

I crossed the finish line in 23:16, which was a chip time of 23:09. A PR for me. A week after a marathon.

OOOOOKKKAAAAYYYY.....

The official results placed me in 1st place in my age group (out of 41), 6th overall woman (out of 268), and 34th overall (out of 463 total runners). I've never won my age group in a 5K before.

1st place!

Another 1st place! Hahns rule! 

Greg also PR'd, with a 20:03 and won his age group as well. Basically it was a good day for the Hahns.

We hung out and waited for Adam and Lesley to finish their races. Adam felt like he had a bad race, but he still came in at 1:30 and 14th overall. Lesley had some difficulty but didn't push herself to exhaustion (smart) and had a very solid race. Plus she was way too adorable and really, that's all that counts.

Trisha, me, and Lelsey

Four Shiner beers per runner, some food, and some age group award bling and we were all having a very good time indeed. My doubts over signing up for this race quickly disappeared. I felt pretty damn awesome.

Maybe I should run more 5K's.