13.1 Mile Pain Cave

It's been a really long time since I've attempted to PR in the half marathon. My best time comes from the 3M half marathon back in January 2013. I ran it in 1:51:36 and it was a fantastic race day for me, with cold temps and a tailwind on a net downhill course. After running a 3:49 marathon last year, I knew that it was time to go for a better half marathon time, especially since the second half of my last two marathons has been around 1:54.

I had hoped to run my next half in October '18 in Houston, but injury prevented that from happening. Instead I'd be running a Houston Half in January, one that I had run before. It's a big race, a fast course, and probably the most well organized race I've done. I was looking forward to it!

Because of the injury back in September, I only ran 29 miles into October. I managed to have good training months in November and December, but I was wary of a lot of speed work. Not exactly a high volume few months of training prior to my attempt, but it was all I had so I did my best. Honestly, I was questioning whether I had gotten into good enough shape. I not only wanted to run a new PR, I really wanted to break 1:50. That would require an 8:23 pace, and based on how my tempo runs had felt, I knew holding that pace for 13 miles was going to be tough for me. But I had to try!

If there's one thing I've learned in the last 18 months, is that I am stronger than my brain thinks I am, and I can often push myself pretty hard. I figured the worst thing that could happen was I'd slow down towards the end, but I needed to do my best to lock into a fast pace and hold on as long as I could.

My friend and teammate Drew was supposed to run the full marathon, but decided to downgrade to the half and didn't feel comfortable racing it as he felt he had not put in adequate training leading up to the race. He knew how badly I wanted to run a good race, and since 1:50 is a fairly easy pace for him, he offered to run with me. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I knew he'd yell at me to keep up with him and it would probably be what I needed in those last miles.

I arrived in Houston nice and early on Saturday and headed right for the expo to browse. I love the expo at this race. I was by myself, which is weird for me, but a few of my friends had bailed out of the race and the others were coming to Houston later in the day. While I was browsing the booths, there was an announcement that Meb Kefleghizi would be signing at the Aramco booth, so I hightailed it over there and figured I'd get in line and have him sign my bib. I have never met Meb but he's been a huge inspiration to me over the years and I credit his outlook on life and willingness to share his journey with us as part of the reason that I love to run. He has so much joy about it, and his win at Boston in 2014 is one of my favorite running highlights of all time.

Getting to chat with him for a few minutes was just AMAZING. He's so sweet and he thought it was pretty cool it was my birthday. I told him he inspired me to try to get to Boston and that my husband and I were going to both be running it. He signed my bib and wished me well on getting a PR on my birthday. Also, I can't believe I'm shorter than him....the dude is tiny!

A little bit of rest at the hotel and dinner with my friends, where we enjoyed some great food and wine and discussed race strategy, and then it was time to sleep. I was freaking nervous as hell.

Race morning was COLD. 32 degrees out with 10 mph winds made it feel like 26 degrees. I was bundled up okay, but it was just cold out. I don't know what the deal is with my long distance races being freezing, but my last three have started out below freezing. Better than it being warm, I suppose!

My friends and I lined up by the 8:30 pace people in the corral. Along with Drew, I was starting the race with Amit and Melody, who were both registered for the full. We all planned to run about the same pace, so running together until the split right before 8 miles seemed like a pretty good plan.

The start was so crowded. Even though we were in the first corral, we were pretty far back in it and there were so many people to get through. Instead of weaving, however, I just tried to be patient. Unfortunately because it's Houston and there are so many tall buildings, the GPS is not reliable for that first part of the race. We were right by the 3:35 marathon pacer, so I assumed we were probably running a decent pace. I wanted to be around 8:40-8:50. When my watch beeped at the mile 1 sign and said 9:11, I was slightly freaked out. It felt like a sub-9 mile....that can't be good.

I immediately sped up and got into a more difficult pace and my watch was registering that lap as around 8:30 average pace. Much better. We ended up running Mile 2 in 8:25. Back on track, because I had expected to be at about 17:30 after two miles. My plan was to increase my speed slowly in the first few miles and then lock into a pace just under 8:20 to hold for as long as possible, and then hopefully surge in the last 3 miles. I like to run negative splits in a longer race, and because there was no room for a real warm up before this race, I knew running a negative split would be best for me. I needed those first few miles to ease into a good pace.

BUT....that's not exactly how we did it. I sped up in Mile 3 a bit more than I thought I had and it clocked in at 8:16. Okay, well now the plan was to NOT SLOW DOWN. Hold as many miles at that pace or faster as I could.

The 5K split came up at 26:58, pretty much right where I wanted to be. That first mile wasn't going to totally mess me up after all. The first half wasn't particularly easy for me, but it was good enough to not completely freak me out. The 10K was in 52:42, still on target. I had run mile 6 too fast (at 8:06) so I eased off in mile 7 and ran 8:21.

One of the most humbling parts about this race was to witness the participation of athletes with disabilities. On two occasions we were passed by guided athletes. And by passed, I mean that they FLEW by us. One gentleman was an amputee. The other was blind and deaf...yes, blind AND deaf. Just imagine that for a moment. I remember thinking that if these guys refused to let their physical limitations hold them back, then I certainly could suck it up and perform at my very best.

Less than a 10K to go at this point. I was still running with Amit and Drew, but we hadn't seen Melody since those first couple miles. Amit kept looking back for her, but didn't see her. He made the decision before the split for the full and half runners to just stay with us and DQ his marathon race. He wasn't prepared as well as he had hoped for the distance and he was enjoying running with us. I think if he'd seen Melody he may have stuck with her, however. We come to find out after the race that she was a few seconds behind us the whole time!

So, if I were to be honest with myself, I was starting to freak out a little after 7 miles. I was at about 8:25 average pace, so well on my way to breaking 1:50 if I didn't implode. But I did NOT feel great. This pace was tough and the fitness I lost while injured was obvious to me. It was still the fastest 7 miles I had ever run, so I did take joy in that.

I thought about a lot of different things in order to tap into some mental toughness. The pace wasn't so hard that I couldn't keep running it, but I had to shut my doubts off so my body wouldn't give into them. I thought about the last miles of my BQ marathons, and how I remained strong despite running paces I had never run at that distance. I thought about how it really wasn't very many more miles that I needed to run, and that I was well over halfway done. I thought about the hot coffee at the finish and the hot shower I couldn't wait to take. Miles were still coming in at 8:15 range, like clockwork. As a matter of fact, my second and third 5K splits were identical, at 25:45.

Drew and Amit were doing a fantastic job of chatting with me, of building me up, of reminding me I was going to PR, and all the things great friends and pacers do to keep a runner on target. I honestly don't think I'd be running 8:15 miles if it weren't for them.

During miles 9 and 10, we had to turn into a cold headwind, but I was expecting it, and Drew reminded me that I was entering what would be the hardest part of the race and that I couldn't slow down. He just needed me to hold on for another 30 minutes and I'd blow my PR out of the water. All I could think was CRAP, another 30 minutes of this? Good grief, this was HARD.

I think miles 9-11 were probably the most difficult of this entire race. But then when you hit 11 miles, you turn east and head towards downtown and the finish. It goes by fast, and it's ONLY two more miles. 16-17 more minutes. I could do this for another 16 minutes. I could even slow down a little and still break 1:50, and I most definitely could PR. So I got a little excited once we passed the 11 mile marker.

I thought I was possibly slowing down but I focused solely on staying right next to Drew and letting him pull me into a fast enough pace. Mile 12 came in at 8:06, so somehow I had sped up. Drew shouted to me with a lot of excitement that I had sped up and that was awesome. Dude is a fantastic cheerleader. He missed his calling.

With only 1.1 miles to go, less than 2 kilometers, I really had nothing to lose but completely give into the pain cave and run my damn heart out. Only, what I hoped would be more like a 7:30-7:40 final mile wasn't really happening. I tried to speed up, but I didn't really feel like I was speeding up a whole lot. Because we were now entering the heart of downtown, I couldn't rely on the GPS pace, but rather just had to look at my watch at the mile marker. At the 20K marker, I was at 1:44:07. We had run the 4th 5K in 25:41...talk about consistent! I knew that if I was at 1:44 at the 20K point, then I would break 1:50. I could not slow down at all now. My watch beeped before the 13 mile marker (but we had added some distance on over the course of the race, close to a 10th of a mile, so I knew my miles were not exact to the course miles). It showed an 8:01. A part of me was slightly peeved that I was that close to a sub-8, but I also knew that it probably wasn't particularly accurate in downtown.

Regardless, it was only a small distance to run at this point. I ran as fast as I could and managed to squeak out a 6:59 final pace over the last 0.19 miles (according to my GPS). The last 1.1 kilometers of the race was officially in 7:49 pace.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:49:26. Our tangent running was pretty decent, with my Garmin showing a distance of 13.19. A half marathon in 1:49:26 is an 8:21 pace overall. I had beat my 6 year-old PR by 2:10!

I was beaten up, though! This race definitely tested my physical strength and mental strength. To feel like it was that difficult with 10K to go was a hard feeling to shake. When my quads started feeling sore at 15K, it made it even harder to keep up the pace. Thank God for the second wind when we made the turn at 11 miles. It wasn't easier to run, but my mind became sharper and more focused. The screaming crowds in the last kilometer made it a bit easier as well. Houston crowds are AWESOME.

I'm a stats geek, and I love to see how I place amongst my competitors. I am so pleased with my placing in Houston, considering it attracts a lot of serious talent.

Meeting my goal feels so fantastic, and it gives me an idea of where I'm at with regards to Boston Marathon training. I think my 1:49 shows me right at BQ shape provided I continue to run well and at high volume in training. I'd love to say that I'm easily in BQ shape, but I'm not there yet. This race also gives me a better idea of where my training paces should be right now. I got right back into it this week with a lot of easy paced miles. It was a bit of awkward running on Tuesday, my first run back, because of my fatigue but my legs felt much better after working out the lactic acid. I ended up with nearly 40 miles this week, all easy paced, but my 16 miler Sunday was the longest distance since September and I ran much of it under 9:45 pace while still keeping the effort low. That's a great sign a week after an all-out half marathon effort!

Boston is only 11 weeks away now, so my build will be starting soon. I'm feeling pretty great!

Race Calendar+Goals+Pride

After the excitement of finishing my marathon season, it's been nice to take the pressure off myself a bit and just get back to enjoying running and thinking of future goals. There was a restlessness, however, that was eating at me and I knew I needed to get serious about picking out some races leading up to Boston 2019.

Since my half split times in both marathons were some of my fastest half marathons ever, I knew it would serve me well to focus more on that distance. Before these marathons, I hadn't run a sub-2 hour half since 2014, and my PR of 1:51:36 is now five years old. I have a big goal that I'm eyeing in Boston (provided, of course, that my 5:07 buffer is sufficient and I get in, and if the weather cooperates), and I'd like to get in some tune up races well before the buildup to Boston.

So I have picked two half marathons so far, both in Houston, but on two totally different courses. The Houston Half is on October 28 and is on a looped course through downtown and on Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive. It's a great section of Houston to run and I'm excited about it. It's easy to travel to Houston and it's on a Sunday so I don't have to disrupt our family schedule by having to travel on a Friday. It's not a huge race as far as big city races go (less than 4000 finishers in 2017). At first I was going to run a Shreveport half marathon that weekend, but it's on Saturday and a couple hours further away than Houston. Houston Half just seemed better logistically. Besides, it was only $50!

The second half I'm signed up for is Aramco Half, which coincides with Chevron Houston Marathon in January. I've run this race five times so far, four marathon distance and one half distance. Four out of five times the weather has been great so I'm hoping for that good luck to continue. I love this race for so many reasons. The organization can't be beat, it finishes at the convention center so you get to be inside after the race, the course is great, and the crowd support is the best I've experienced so far. The 2019 race will be my first race in my new 45-49 age group. It comes three months before Boston, so perfect timing to gauge my fitness and figure out where I need improvement before I build up for April 15. I'm hoping that my time qualifier is fast enough to get me in A corral (that's a big deal in a huge race like Houston)...but I think it will. Fingers crossed. This Houston race will really be a big goal race for me, provided the October race goes well and I can still see ways for further improvement.

I'm not sure how much I'm really going to talk about my specific marathon and half marathon time goals. I haven't told anyone beyond the husband what they are, and they frighten me a little. But if I learned anything from 2017 and my two marathons, is that I am perfectly capable of the hard work and discipline that is required for lofty goals, so why stick to the same when I have the potential to be even faster? But...to throw those goals out there into the open so early in the year? No, I'm not ready to do that just yet. My mind is going a million miles an hour strategizing the next several months and I'm looking forward to new challenges.

In March I'll be racing in the Texas Independence Relay for my 9th year in a row. It's been cut down from 200 miles to 180 miles this year, which means only three legs for me and not four, and probably a max of about 16 or 17 miles total for me to run. I committed to 8:15 pace and I'm nervous and excited all at the same time to see if I can maintain that kind of pace over my three relay legs. Two weeks after the relay is my first 10K road race in nearly 6 years. My goal is to shave 5 minutes off my PR. I have a relatively slow (for me) 10K PR since I have only raced a handful of times at that distance. The weather is a crapshoot in April in Texas, however, so I'll cross my fingers and hope it cooperates and I can suck it up enough to meet my "A" goal.

The hubs pointed out something funny this morning. Because I am planning to do Boston next year, that means that my thought of running Ironman Texas is on hold right now and he's so happy about that! Truth be told, so am I! While the idea of Ironman is not off the table at all, I'm so ill-prepared to start that kind of training. It's pretty much a relief to table that craziness for at least another year.

Now enough about me...I want to talk about my husband! He's running his first marathon in July, and a goal half marathon in April, and he has already been working his butt off. I wrote up a tough training plan for him, and he's flying through it in such an impressive way. He doesn't at all question the crazy things I make him do, even if they scare him, and he totally trusts the process each week. He tells me all the details about each run and how he felt so we can adjust if necessary, being mindful of doing too much too soon and risking injury. His dedication is off the charts awesome and if he's able to continue at this with the same determination, consistency, and commitment then he has a really big shot at qualifying for Boston at his marathon. He figures if he's going to go big, he may as well go REALLY big. He's seriously a coach's dream client. He just makes me damn proud!

After spending so many years training to "finish" marathons and never committing to my true ability, it feels so good to know that I am finally a good marathoner and have the ability to get even better. Crazy fast (for me) goals no longer scare me as much as they used to, although I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. But I know if I plug away one week and one run at a time, and track my progress, and adjust where I need to, and dial in my nutrition and racing weight like I did in 2017, I'm not totally crazy for wanting these new goals. I am so thrilled at the thought of crushing my goal in Boston next year!

Thoughts on Ironman Texas

This past Saturday I traveled to The Woodlands to spectate and volunteer Ironman Texas. It was my second Ironman to attend, and it didn't disappoint. Emotional, inspiring, exhausting!

Three of my Georgetown Triathletes teammates competed, two of them in their first full Ironman and one competing in his fourth. We speculated beforehand in what order they would finish since they are all similar abilities, but in the end I think we all realized it was a crapshoot...we knew they would all do great. Three talented triathletes with more guts than I could ever imagine.

Kat, Christine and I ready for the day

My volunteer gig was as a Finish Line catcher from about 5pm to 9pm, along with a few other teammates, so in all likelihood we would get the chance to see the three #wonderboys finish, hoping one of us would get to be the one to "catch" them. But first things first....we got to spectate!

We didn't see the swim start or finish, and except for seeing the cyclists on the course as we made our way into The Woodlands, we didn't watch the bike leg. We camped out in a couple spots at T2 and anxiously awaited our teammates' arrivals. Of course the tracker didn't work at that time so we had to just be patient as we waited for them to come through. They all looked great when they entered T2 and were within about 25 minutes of each other (just like we thought!). Once we knew our guys were out on the run, we could breathe a big sigh of relief. The hardest parts were done (arguably) and all they needed to do was keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other (not so easy, of course).

Camping out for a bit on the run course was especially fun. The spectators are just awesome, and it's a 3 loop course along a waterway...lots of opportunities to see your runners. We got to see all three, plus I saw a couple other friends out there kicking butt, and we were getting more and more eager to get to the finish line and wait for the big moments to happen.

Favorite signs... especially "Run like her dad walked in"

Untrustworthy bunch

Being a Finish Line Catcher is a busy and rewarding job. It's not just about greeting each runner as they finish and making sure they are okay, but rather we were their personal assistant through the entire finish chute. Wrapping them in a thermal blanket, giving them water, getting them their medal, shirt, and hat, getting their chip removed, getting them a recovery drink, guiding them to get a photo, and paging medical should they need extra assistance. We didn't take our hand off of them until they exited the finish and could meet their loved ones...and then we went back up the finish line to catch another athlete.

Overall winner

Female winner

Above photos courtesy of teammate Amanda Shannon

I knew I would encounter so many emotional moments and I was pumped to watch the excitement these athletes experienced as they crossed that finish line. I think I maybe underestimated exactly how many times I would be brought to tears.

Jayson was our first athlete to cross the finish line and it was his very first Ironman. He's our young one and I knew he would have a great race. Luckily one of our teammates was right there to catch him, and as soon as Jayson saw him, he burst into tears. I was walking back to the line after letting one of my athletes go, and it was such a glorious sight to see Jayson's face and the emotion he was releasing. As I'm typing this, I'm getting emotional again! I immediately went right up to him to hug him and congratulate him. He was feeing great and had totally owned that Ironman course, right down to his 3:40 marathon and his 11:29 finish. Absolutely brilliant performance!

Photo cred: Amanda

Since Jayson and Drew (our other first timer) were racing almost identical races, we knew it was Drew's turn next and could be at any moment. I was right up at the front with teammate and club leader Christine when we saw him, and she grabbed him as soon as he crossed. I took the next athlete and trailed right behind Drew and Christine while I took care of my athlete until I had the opportunity to congratulate Drew myself, with a great butt slap thrown in because Drew is all about the butt slaps. He, too, had a brilliant race, capping off his 11:41 finish with a 3:53 marathon.

So sweet of me to look like I'm going to kill Drew

Wonderboys and Wonderwives
(photo cred: Amanda)

Our third teammate, Justin, was still out there but on his last few miles of the run, and his wife Kat stayed after her finish line shift to wait for him so she could personally give him his medal and greet him. Once again, we were in the right place at the right time and a teammate, plus Kat, got to catch him and help him through the finish chute. He had another great Ironman, finishing in 12:18.

I think he's done (photo cred: Amanda)

As emotional as watching my teammates finish was, the other athletes I had the privilege of helping will leave a lasting impression on me as well.

A first timer, age 25, who was completely overcome with emotion about halfway through the chute. He had to stop walking, his face took on all his emotion, he started crying, and he told me he was a St. Jude's baby. We shared a very special hug. I wish I had remembered his name. And I hope he keeps competing.

A middle aged gentleman who told me he had a rough day and wasn't sure he would finish because he's diabetic. He had trouble all day keeping his blood sugar regulated, but he pushed through and was able to still have a brilliant race. I walked him through slowly to be sure he was okay without medical assistance. His strength was astounding to me and I didn't hesitate to tell him how inspiring he was. 

The older gentleman who had just completed his 64th Ironman and wondered when someone would convince him to stop torturing himself. And the older woman that completely owned that finish chute after completing her 22nd Ironman and looked like she could get out there and do it again.

The young foreign gentleman who spoke little English but kept telling me he felt like new and wanted to do it again. I had a hard time walking as fast as him. 

The first timer young woman who could not stop crying and telling me thank you, who saw her husband along the fence and didn't want to let go of him, and probably took the most beautiful finish photo I've ever seen after such a grueling race.

The married couple who had no intention of finishing together, but it worked out that way. They found each other on the run and were each other's rocks to get to that finish line strong.  

And then there was Craig Tippit's family. Craig was a local athlete who was killed by a hit-and-run driver last month while on a training ride. His family was at the Ironman anyway, and his best friend, Bryan Ford, competed in his honor, carrying his bib and Craig's so Craig could still become an Ironman. Thousands of athletes, spectators, and volunteers wore bracelets in his honor. When we saw Craig's wife and family come to the finish line waiting for Bryan, we all had a lot of trouble keeping our tears in check. Bryan crossing that finish line was the most emotional finish I've ever seen. The strength displayed by Craig's loved ones was unmatched. The absolute best moment of the day. Hands down (sorry, #wonderboys). And once again, the tears are welling up just reliving it.

There were moments when I thought there's no way I would ever want to put in the time and effort to compete in something like this, there were moments when I wanted to say "screw it, let's do it," and there were moments when I thought being a volunteer was the coolest job ever. At the end of the day, it just cemented what I already knew.

I have the best team.

I have the best teammates. I love them all beyond measure.

I am so fortunate to know these people, and I am so fortunate to train and compete alongside them, to learn all I can from them, and help them when they need it.

Their successes sometimes come secondary to my own. I soak up so much pride and inspiration watching them chase their dreams, find strength they didn't know they had, slay their demons, and become better people. It's so freaking corny, but it's true.

If you want to experience an infinite amount of positive emotions, go watch an Ironman. Volunteer. Cheer. Whatever. Just go.

200 miles.....and Confusion

Not really sure where to start.

So I ran my 8th Texas Independence Relay this weekend. I committed to four legs for over 19 miles, plus the 1.15 mile prologue.

It was probably a poor choice to commit to that many miles, but we had several runners that were not 100% and I felt like I didn't have any nagging issues that could prevent me from being a workhorse over the course of the relay.

Well....

I blew up. I did all the miles I said I was going to do, and I averaged 9:31 pace over my four legs. But it should have been much faster and much easier for me. My last two legs were the two slowest legs I have ever run in all eight years of this relay, at 9:49 and 10:20 pace. I'm so disappointed in myself and so confused as to what went wrong.

Two days later, my legs feel pretty good. Although I had a bit of IT band tightness in the late hours of the relay, and my quads were unusually sore going into my fourth leg, I have recovered well and my IT band is giving me zero issues right now. I am, however, very sick with a cold that started coming on Sunday night. I don't want to make the excuse that I was coming down with something and that's why I suddenly couldn't run well anymore. I suppose it's possible, but it still frustrates me.

I ate well. I hydrated very well. I rested better than I expected during our break overnight. I don't think I was particularly tired or cranky.

I just totally blew up.

I ran 8:53 pace and 9:06 pace for my first two legs, and while it wasn't particularly easy to hold those paces, I was steady and determined and not overtaxed despite the warm weather. I had high hopes for the my third leg, which was at 1:00am in much cooler weather. Usually my overnight leg is my strongest and with it being only 4.13 miles I thought I might be able to run about 8:45 pace. But as soon as I started running it felt hard. I thought I was running around 9-9:15 pace but when my first mile came through it was an even 10:00. I tried speeding up in the second mile and it came in at 9:38. No way should this leg have been feeling this difficult, but I simply could not run any faster without it being a huge struggle. My van mates cheered me on when they checked on me, and all I could think of to say was "I'm running 10 minute miles and I don't know why!" They thought that was hilarious....but no. No it was not.

I wasn't the only one to struggle overnight. The humidity was getting very bad as the night progressed, although I didn't really notice it so much on my leg. The other van was feeling the effects of the weather and the miles and a couple of them needed to drop their fourth leg. I really had no choice but to suck it up for my 5 miler into downtown Houston. My legs were getting so stiff and I was honestly worried about being able to finish strong. We needed absolutely every strong mile we could get in those last legs of the relay. I wanted to do well for my team.

It was pretty ugly. I started off as conservative as I could to loosen up, but even a slow pace was hard. As the other van passed me to check on me, I told them I was running 10:30 pace and wasn't sure I could make my legs go any faster. They cared less than I did and just cheered me on.

I have never had the urge to walk on a relay leg more than I did right then, but I pushed through and forced my legs to keep running. As I crossed the pedestrian bridges over the bayou and could glimpse the skyscrapers of downtown it felt like they were so far away, even though it was less than three miles. This leg was taking so long to get through! For the first four miles I averaged about 10:15 pace but my fifth mile I slowed down considerably to 10:45 pace. I couldn't really pick it up very much when I turned the corner for the last minute of the run down Smith Street to the exchange.

The best way to describe my last leg was that it was every bit as hard as the last five miles in a difficult marathon, and the way I felt after I finished that last leg was exactly like how I feel coming down the finish chute after a marathon. I was completely spent, totally sore, unable to breathe, and miserable.

Thinking back on it now, two days later, and I'm still pretty perplexed as to what happened. Is it obvious I'm totally disappointed in myself?

I need to shake this disappointment and move on. My team did pretty well for having so many people struggling with injury and training problems, with it being in the mid-80s and sunny during the afternoon runs, and with having to shuffle some of the legs around. We finished earlier than expected (barely!) and nobody was really hurt (at least not anymore than when we started!), and we had a great time. But I always want to be a workhorse (even if I'm the slowest workhorse).

Good God, I need to shut up.

However, at the end of the day, the Texas Independence Relay is still the best race of the year, even if it's the most exasperating. Lots of great moments. Lots of crazy moments. Lots of moments that fall under the category of "what happens on the relay stays on the relay."

Another race...and Uncertainty

After 16 days off running.....SIXTEEN FREAKING DAYS....I ran the Houston Half Marathon. I actually didn't do all that bad, either!

Because there was still some uncertainty on my foot injury, I knew going into the half marathon that it could once again be one of my slowest ever, but I was okay with that. A weekend in Houston is always good therapy and I love the race. If it was going to require a lot walking to get that medal, then so be it.

Somehow I ended up in a fast corral. I guess I must have been feeling really good when I registered for the race, because they put me in a corral where the slowest pace was 9:00/mile. My goal for the race had dropped to about a 2:15, so I was going to be around a lot of fast people. I contemplated moving back to the next corral (where a few of my friends were), but decided to stay where I was and just stay off to the side of the road so people could pass me easily.

The race started off great. The energy in Houston is just awesome and after taking so much time off I actually felt fairly rested. I figured that feeling would pass eventually so I enjoyed it while I had it.

Within a half mile I felt twinges in my heel but thankfully those passed as I got warmed up and I was having no heel pain for many many miles. My goal was to make it 3 miles without having to take a walk break, but those miles passed without incident so I kept going. I was running about a 9:25 pace and feeling just fine.

Did I mention the weather was PERFECT?? In the low 40s and it would stay in the 40s for the entire race.

My next goal was to make it to 5 miles. Still no pain, so I decided the halfway point would be good. Still no pain!!

Wow....things were going well for me! I was still maintaining a good pace and got through the halfway point in just under 1:03. A far cry from my glory days, but far better than I expected for the day.

I decided to hold back just a bit in the second half so I wouldn't get caught up in the race environment and overdo it. I didn't feel pain in my heel until about the 15K point. I decided at that moment that I would take 1 minute walk breaks about every mile until the end of the race. At 10 miles I walked for 1 minute, then started back up into a jog. Funny enough, I was running well enough that mile 10 was still under 10 minute pace. At mile 11, I took another walk break and lo and behold it happened to be right by the beer tents.

Now, I've never drank beer during a race before but being that this was no ordinary race for me, I had to try something new. Beer for Steph!

Somehow, despite two shots of beer and a walk break I still ran 9:30 for that mile.

At this point there are less than 2 miles to go and I'm feeling a bit better so I decide to just finish up this race. I was feeling my IT band and my heel a bit during those miles, but I didn't speed up much at all and kept a very fast cadence to minimize the impact.

I finished the race in 2:04:53 and I was thrilled! Basically anything under 2:15 would've thrilled me. Best part was that heel pain was minimal....at least right then it was.

By that evening I was in pain again. And more pain the next day....and the next. By Thursday I was in my podiatrist's office so we could get an MRI scheduled. Although it still wasn't likely I had a fracture, it wasn't out of the question, and I could possibly have a tear. Or it could be the original diagnosis of inflammation and tendinitis.

I got lucky. My MRI (which, by the way, because of our lovely insurance, cost me $800 out of my own pocket) showed NO DAMAGE! It was pretty incredible news considering the amount of pain I was in. All my tendons were intact and there was no sign of a stress fracture. It was, in fact, really bad inflammation.

What does this mean for me? It means I still take time off from impact exercise and then reintroduce it slowly. I need to focus on stretching and strength training so I can avoid this problem in the future. I get to use an anti-inflammatory gel for awhile to see if the nerve settles down, and if it doesn't then I can get a shot. It also means I still made the right decision to pull out of New Orleans Ironman 70.3. That race is 11 weeks away, which sounds like a lot of time but in reality, with injury rehab the most important thing, it's just not a smart choice. There will be other 70.3 races for me to choose from in the future.

In the midst of all of this, I have actually been dealing with other health issues and I admit it does have some bearing on my decision to reduce my future training for the time being. I have been having a lot of bad side effects from an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication I have been on for about two years, most notably severe fatigue. At first I attributed my symptoms to stress and possibly low thyroid function (I only have half of my thyroid). After getting my health insurance screening done last month and seeing in black and white that my health has definitely gone downhill as compared to a year ago, I knew that getting a full workup of my blood was in order, which I had done Monday. My results came in yesterday and almost all my numbers actually look great. My thyroid is functioning well, and my other numbers, with the exception of one, are all within normal range (the one bad reading is a whole other story! I am a mess)

So....the culprit is my medication. I have to go off of it and try a different one. Then I need to reverse the damage it has done to my body. I had anticipated this possibility so I had already started weaning myself off. I took my last pill Monday and am having some pretty bad withdrawals today. Now I hope that I see a positive change physically over the next few weeks. The fatigue was debilitating on some days.

I am also going back to my gastroenterologist. I have a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis that I have had since childhood (although it wasn't diagnosed until 2009). It means that a particular type of white blood cell (eosinophils) are attacking the tissue in my esophagus and creating strictures. I can't swallow anything other than very small pills and food will sometimes get stuck. It can be quite scary. In 2009 I had two endoscopies with esophageal dilatation to help correct the problem, but after so many years it has become necessary for me to repeat the procedure. My blood work over the years has shown a slow increase in my eosinophils and Monday's blood work was no different. It's the highest it has been in awhile. Scheduling my procedure needs to be a priority.

It is a lot to take in a short period of time, that's for sure. But actually having answers today makes me feel so much better about where I am headed. Taking charge of my health is a positive step. Racing is absolutely not an important part of the next few months, and it shouldn't be (one caveat....I am doing the relay in April....DUH...seven years in a row!). Time in the gym to strengthen my muscles and focusing on my eating habits are my top priority. After I feel like I have made progress, my injuries have resolved themselves, and I feel stronger, then I can decide what the future holds for my racing "career."

Ironically, I just read an article about reasons why you SHOULD NOT race. It's like it was speaking directly to me and just reinforced the decisions that I've made in the last couple weeks. Big weight off my shoulders, that's for sure!

Next Steps

Damn injuries.

It's my own fault. I knew it was coming. I tried to fix it before it got too bad. But I didn't rest. After all, I was signed up for races that I really wanted to complete. No regrets, but I'm still frustrated.

One of these races was the New Years Double. I would be doing the Double Double, which was four different races over 2 days, a 5K and either a half marathon or full marathon on each day. Since I'm only "half" crazy I went the Double Double Half route. I knew from the beginning that my times weren't going to be super speedy. I was training to finish these races, not set PR's. After all, it's 32.4 miles over 2 days and I'm not an ultra runner. That is some serious mileage for me.

In the months leading up to the race I just wasn't feeling like myself. I had also signed up for the Houston Marathon on January 17, but decided awhile back to drop to the half marathon. I felt sluggish, was under a lot of stress, had not been focused on strength training like I should have been, and just wasn't feeling like a full marathon was a smart choice. But I really wanted to complete the New Years Double. Running double long runs of no more than 12 miles wasn't intimidating to me like a single 20 miler would be, and in all honestly the training went fairly well. My times were slower than in recent years, but I was able to get through the long runs okay.

But I was having nagging pains that frustrated me. I assumed I was developing Achilles tendinitis, so I tried rolling, trigger point, and stretching and I kept most of the problems at bay. I was still nervous about how Day 2 of the New Years Double would go.

I got through the race. I finished. Day 2 was fairly ugly. The pain after Day 1 was pretty significant and I won't lie by saying I wasn't fearful my Achilles would snap in two during Day 2. It didn't, but at some points it sure felt like it might.

Day 1 I actually posted respectable times. The 5K was long due to a direction error by a volunteer and I'm pretty pleased with my 8:35 pace over 3.4 miles. My half marathon was 9:25 pace. But there was an incredible amount of discomfort after those races. I ran my slowest 5K ever on Day 2 (intentionally), and my second slowest half marathon. I decided that in order to reduce the impact to my heel, I would run for only 10 minutes at a time and then walk for 1 minute. This plan worked very well and my running pace was respectable. As the race progressed, my quads definitely started getting sore and it was harder and harder to start back up with running after my walk breaks, but my heel wasn't giving me a whole lot of trouble towards the end.

Did I mention it was brutally cold both days? And windy!

I made it through 33 miles and earned my Double Double medals. It remained to be seen at what cost, however.

Done with all four races

Eve race medals

My friend Melinda ran the same races as me

The day after the race was probably the worst as far as pain and swelling. I noticed, however, that the pain was more on the medial side of my heel rather than being right on my Achilles, and that worried me even more. If it was truly tendinitis I would assume my pain would be centered on the back side of my heel. So now I was worried about a stress fracture. Needless to say, I called my podiatrist and made an appointment.

Luckily, no fracture was detected on x-rays and based on the swelling and pain location, it was most likely an inflamed nerve that runs along that part of the calcaneus bone. I was ordered to rest it, use ibuprofen, and ice. I likely also had a touch of tendinitis, but that wasn't a huge concern since with rest it can easily be rectified. Being the distance runner that I am, however, I of course asked the doctor if I could still "run" the Houston Half Marathon on the 17th. He told me that if my pain and swelling was gone, and if I listened to my body, that would be okay. If I still had pain after the race that worried me, we could schedule an MRI to get more answers and a more definitive treatment plan.

What does all this mean for my upcoming races? I have Houston on the 17th, which is a "go," although it will probably once again be very slow. I then was going to be ramping up my training for the New Orleans Ironman 70.3. Right before New Orleans is my 7th Texas Independence Relay. After that my schedule is open.

Coming off a sluggish season and nagging injuries, however, I decided that ramping up for a half ironman was not smart. My focus has to be on correcting my imbalances and getting stronger. Putting the pressure of a huge race on my shoulders would cause me unneeded stress. I don't want to just "finish" my first 70.3. I want to finish it strong and in top shape. This wouldn't be the case if I forced myself to complete New Orleans.

I hate the idea of not doing the race. So many people from my team are competing and it was going to be so much fun. I will miss the excitement and camaraderie. I will miss a good vacation to New Orleans with the husband. But in return I will be able to come back stronger and ready for the training that a 70.3 requires.

Down but never out! 

A Tale of Two Races

It's triathlon season....that's still a really weird thing for me to say. No running races for me this summer. I'm sticking strictly to triathlons and for the most part I'm having a really great time.

If you had asked me two weeks ago, however, I would've just groaned and complained about how crappy I felt. On July 12 I competed in the Couples Triathlon, which was similar to May's Rookie Triathlon, just a bit longer. A 500 meter open water swim, 11.2 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. My hope was that I could have a panic-less swim, a faster bike, and just maintain a decent pace for the run. The swim was great, the bike was great up until 9 miles, and I completely fell apart on the run. The end result was a crappy overall race. My time of 1:31 was just not good compared to what I knew I was capable of.

Georgetown Triathletes

In the days following I tried to cut myself some slack. I had an asthma attack on the bike that I just couldn't overcome during the run. I didn't have my inhaler or my essential oils to help support my lung function, which was a really stupid mistake on my part. I probably was too dehydrated when I started the race and that just added to my already weakened state. It was humid and hot, although the heat actually really didn't bother me that much. It wasn't my day.

My next race would be Tri Aggieland in College Station on July 26, so I had two weeks to get over myself and get prepared. It would be a 400 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run. Thankfully the Texas A&M course was mostly flat, and the swim would be in the A&M Natatorium with 50 meter lengths versus the normal 25 meter lengths in most pools. It would of course be hot, and probably humid, but I was pushing that thought out of my head and focusing on the positives.

I'm not a strong cyclist as I just haven't put in the real work to improve, so having a flat course would play to my strengths. I wasn't sure about the run course, but I do pretty well on running hills so I didn't worry too much there. I was really looking forward to swimming in that pool as I had never swam in a 50 meter pool before and I knew I would like that so much better. Truth be told, I actually now prefer open water swimming because I've finally gotten comfortable enough with my breathing and stroke to just get into a rhythm without stopping. Having to make a bunch of turns in the pool really bugs me.

Unfortunately, I still was having a lot of doubts about racing. I was having a hard time shaking my dismal performance in the Couples Triathlon. Trying to focus on what was in my control was proving to be challenging, but I was doing my best. I was eating better, hydrating better, getting myself even more acclimated to the heat. I ordered extra lung-supporting essential oils and put them in my new transition bag (finally bought one!) so they'd never be forgotten, I visualized some strategy for the race, and I kept telling myself I would be just fine this time around. I thought a lot about what a reasonable time goal might be for the race, with some wiggle room.

I did come up with some goals and I do think they were reasonable. I wanted to be out of the pool in under 10 minutes. I wanted to have smooth transitions, no more than 2 minutes for T1 (I knew there was a long jog from the pool exit to the transition area), and no more than 1:15 for T2. I wanted to hit 18.5 mph on the bike, and finally, I wanted to be under 10 min pace for the run. If I did all of this, my final time on the course would be 1:22. My "A" goal was 1:19. I did not have any hopes of placing in my age group for this race....the field in College Station is pretty competitive and it really was going to depend on who showed up to race that day.

Doing all of these things was certainly helping me calm down about the race and forget my fears of falling apart. I was prepared and could do well.

Long story short....I had a great race and I'm really very pleased. I didn't come even close to placing, but I put in a strong performance and I pretty much got my mojo back!

The swim was a good one for me. That pool is just plain awesome. To be able to do my swim workouts there would be incredible! I did have a couple of panic moments when I couldn't get my breathing under control, but it didn't stop me and I just kept going. I was out of the pool in 9:50, right under my target. My teammate Joe and I finished the swim at exactly the same time and ran to transition together. It took about 52 seconds to run to the timing mat, so my actual results show a swim in 10:42.

T1 was awesomely fast! From the timing mat to bike exit was 1:00 flat. Perfect.

The bike was fun. I loved the course, which ended up being two 5.8 mile loops for a total of 11.6 miles. I just tried to keep a nice steady 18-20 mph pace with as little slow down on the turns as possible, really focusing on my control and efficiency. There weren't any big downhills so I couldn't capitalize on that type of speed, but that's okay. Joe passed me during the bike and I lost sight of him in all the turns. I secretly hoped he didn't get too far ahead and I could catch him on the run. Overall, I did the bike course in 36:26 for a speed of 19.1 mph. I was ahead of my goal at this point and it was looking like I might hit my A goal. I knew the bike course was a bit short of 12 miles, so that meant my A goal was now a lower number.

I had a quick T2 but not as quick as I hoped. I was in and out in 1:23.

Now for the run, which you'd think would be my strong split. I just focused on keeping a steady cadence, with steady breathing, one turn at a time. There were actually two pretty good hills on the course, and mostly everyone was walking them. I refused to walk at all on this run, no matter how slow my pace was. I wasn't feeling overheated, which was awesome. When my first two miles came in well under 10 minute pace I was thrilled. I knew I would be way under my A goal. I had Joe in my sights the entire run, but just couldn't catch him!

I ran the 2.9 mile course (it was a little short) in 26:21 for a 9:12 average. My overall time was 1:15:54. To say I was thrilled was an understatement! Joe finished in 1:14:40.

I got my ass handed to me in my ultra-talented age group, however! Out of 31 competitors, I was 8th. A respectable performance, but just like I expected not anywhere close to the podium. The great thing about the results is that they rank you on every split, including transitions. These are the stats that make me happy. My age group teammate Tiffany (who scored 2nd place with a 1:06), was the only one faster than me in T1. I was 10th on the swim, 8th on the bike and run, and 12th in T2. Out of 31 competitors, I'll take it! 61 out of 263 females, 187 out of 554 total competitors.

Me and Tiffany

I am not registered for another event until Kerrville Quarter Ironman in 9 weeks. In the next two months my focus will be on adding distance and strength to my cycling workouts, continuing to be comfortable in open water, and heat acclimation on my runs. I'm not sure what my goals will be, but I do know I'm going to enjoy the journey and I'm going to have faith in myself.

Six triathlons done, countless more to go.

Relay Reflections

I'll likely do a Texas Independence Relay race recap in another post, but for now I have a few thoughts I want to share.

1. This race, without a doubt, is my favorite, despite the sleep deprivation, agony of running in the heat, pressure to kick ass, and general delirium. I forget about my stress for 48 hours.

2. I can't believe my friends can put up with my bullshit. I'm not easy to deal with sometimes. I'm a bitch when I run in the heat, I'm generally a rule follower (not always a good thing), and I'm way too detail oriented sometimes. But nobody kills me while on the relay, year after year.

3. I'm way too consistent with my pace. Someday I'll blow it wide open and shock the crap out of people.

4. I appreciate each and every one of my teammates for different reasons...

- Thanks Tony for wanting me to be your navigator and keeping me laughing for 6 relays. We might argue too much but we get shit done.

- Thanks Geissinger for taking over the navigation when I couldn't read the map anymore Sunday morning, and for letting me treat you like a piece of meat.

- Thanks, Red, for being the coolest, hardest working, most caring teammate, and for talking about yourself in the third person.

- Thanks Katie, for being so amazing and talented, and for your concern about how mean Tony is to me ;)

- Thanks Matt for seriously being the most joyful runner I've ever met. Your positive attitude was contagious and I could learn a lot from you.

- Thanks Erica for convincing John to join us and for doing your best to control Danimal. We've missed you being on the team.

- Thanks John for being willing to endure one more relay and for not killing us. The one liners were truly epic.

- Thanks Emily for bringing such perfect humor and sarcasm to the team. Hot redheads are the best.

- Thanks Danimal for not drinking so much you couldn't still run like a badass, and for sticking with the team and giving your all when you weren't confident you could.

- Thanks Kalynn for being strong and fun and cute and darling and a really great friend...and the 7:20's don't hurt either.

- Thanks Cary for bringing it home at San Jacinto. And for being a size small.

- Thanks Team Mom Ginne for making us feel like we're all your kids, for being our rock. We love you!!

Who's giving me a massage??