Georgia Peach Jam Half Marathon 2019 Race Recap

I'm not sure I should have run this half marathon. But I ran it last year, and had fun so I wanted to run it this year. And I had this lofty goal of finishing 5 minutes faster than last year. Without really training. (I've been feeling good lately.) I had some good long runs—last week's tempo and the 12 mile before that.

But Matt got sick a week before this race. And I tried EVERYTHING not to get sick. I washed my hands all the time. I kept away from him. But on Thursday, I started coughing and had a massive asthma attack at work.

I went to urgent care and got a steroid shot and z-pack. On Friday and Saturday, I was really sick. Sunday, I felt like I was feeling better. But not quite 100%.

I ran this race sucking on cough drops and with Vick's Vapor Rub on my chest and neck. I figured I could tough it out. I think I underestimated how sick I'd been.

The race

The race started off well enough. I felt good. My first mile was too fast, but it felt easy. Miles 2-4 were dead on pace. (I stopped at one water stop and had a volunteer pour water in my hand bottle. I was too sweaty to unscrew the lid.)

At mile 5, I wanted to quit. I think I walked a few steps to open a cough drop here. I had 8 miles left and I was tired. I didn't think I could finish the race. I told myself to just to to the half way. Mile 6 was okay, I almost got back on pace.

Mile 7, I slowed way down. I saw Matt at some point in mile 6 or 7. I had actually considered calling him to tell him I wanted to quit. Then I saw him and said it's not going well. He said to slow way down and finish. (This is the closest to not finishing I think I've ever come.)

Then I decided to just stop. I told him I needed water, my bottle was almost out. He didn't have any water.

Who crews for their sick wife and doesn't pack water or gatorade? He said last year I refused water. It was 10 degrees hotter this year.

Some nice man poured some in my hand bottle. I asked Matt to open my gels, since I was too sweaty. It took him 60 seconds to open my gels. You just bite and rip. It was the slowest gel opening in the history of the world. I'm just going to say that maybe Matt was still really sick.

And I was back on my way.

The rest helped. I walked on this course occasionally and then I'd feel better. So mile 8 was under 9 minute pace again. Yay.

And then mile 9 was slow. I started feeling like garbage. There really needed to be more water stops on this course. I thought there would be a water stop at 10. There wasn't. Catherine Shinholser caught up to me and asked me if I was okay. I said MEH. And ran about a mile with her. This helped. She had so much energy. And then I lost her. (My bottle was on it's last dregs and it was heating up.)

After 10, my calves started feeling crampy and I knew I needed electrolytes, but there was only one gatorade stop on the course.

I walked again here and there. When I got to 12, I knew I was close enough that I could finish. LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE WALKING. There was one last water stop and this one had ice. This was the best water stop ever. CUPS WITH ICE IN THEM—AMAZING.

I saw Matt before I got to mile 13 and threw him my hand bottle. There was nothing in it and I was tired of carrying it.

I cried at the exact same point I did last year. It's bright glaring daylight and straight up a concrete hill, right before the track. And I just cried and said I couldn't. I walked for about 30 seconds. (Matt walked ahead of me.) Eventually I ran it in. And finished. I got a spinny medal.

I asked Matt to have water, gatorade and a fan at the finish. After I finished, I saw Matt.

"Please tell me you have water," I said.

He didn't. He had to walk to the car. I went and found my own water. (I did not do the dramatic collapse on the ground finish I wanted to.)

Finishing the race was HARDER than running any of my half marathons. It was harder than my PR two months ago. Even hours later, my body is tired. my legs hurt. I'm drained.

My race prep: Zoom Flys, glide, socks, hand bottle,
gels, shorts, headphones, hat on the cooling towel. 

What went right.
1. Carrying a hand-held was the right call. I would have been so much sicker without carrying water. I wish I would have had a second actually.
2. I ate breakfast and fueled right for this one. (I would have liked more gatorade on the course.)
3. I wore new shorts and didn't chafe. Yay.
4. I didn't totally overheat. We're in a heat wave so I was worried. It started out cooler than expected. And a good part of the race was in the shade. It probably made it up to 80 and super humid by the time I finished.
5. I remembered to dump water on my head. Which helped.
6. The race started out well actually.
7. Carrying cough drops was actually a good call too. I think I wouldn't have been able to finish had I been coughing.
8. I did the first two water stops exactly right. So progress. I know how to do them now!
9. I didn't do a cool down, but I walked for maybe 10 minutes after finishing so that helps.

Fellow Athens runners. 

What went wrong.
1. I was just tired. My legs felt fine. I wasn't super overheated. I was just tired. The kind of tired you are after a long workout after around 6 miles. I guess this is from germs and being sick. I didn't feel the endurance I usually have.
2. I did have a cooling towel and couldn't get it wet enough to actually cool. The towel is a good idea, but it was new and I need to figure out how to use it.
3. The course needed more water and gatorade. Also Matt not bringing water for me was disappointing. There probably should have been 3 more water stops for as hot as it was.
4. The greenway wasn't closed, so there were a lot of walkers and cyclists out. At one point, the lead cyclist was leading the top runner in on one side, two large men were walking side by side and I was trying to get by them. (The course is an out and back). I think I nudged between them. But there were a lot of cyclists and walkers on the greenway. Some were courteous. Most were oblivious and in the way. And some were downright rude. It was raining last year so people weren't out and about. Just lots of obstacles to go around. (Note if you find yourself out and about and a race comes by, maybe be nice and encouraging and try to not get in people's way.) I did like seeing the dogs.

I don't actually know how I finished this race. I was so tired the rest of the day. It wasn't as bad as my long Fort Yargo race or my first 5k, but it was tough. I wouldn't say it was a bad race. I was 2 minutes slower than last year and still well under 2 hours. Am I disappointed in myself? No. Only that I didn't recognize this race would be this hard. I did wonder if I should do this race.

As for mental toughness—was I mentally tough? My body was screaming at me to stop. Louder than it usually does. I would tell myself how lucky I was to be out and running on a pretty greenway. I would tell myself to smile. I would tell myself just to get to the next mile marker. I don't know if mental toughness counts when you're this sick.

Also, thank you for running a few miles me: Virginia Brooks and Catherine Shinholser.

Post race food

What's next? I think I'll take a half marathon break. I would like to do rogue runs this summer. But maybe I'll get my mile time down this summer.

Workouts this week May 6-12

Monday: Off

Tuesday: Speed work

Lunch: sweet potatoes and grilled chicken tacos

One mile warmup
3 mile repeats
7:24, 7:21, 7:21
Mile cool down.
These mile repeats felt so much better than two weeks ago. It made me feel like I was getting my speed back. The cool down mile wasn't that bad either.

Wednesday
I did 4 easy miles and my legs felt a little tired. The heat was also wearing on me some.

Thursday: 30 minute bike ride
Stopped to help a kid catch their super speedy dog. The dog won, but was corralled back into its house.

Friday: Morning run
I got in a morning run today because I was working late. So I came in late. (I LOVE being able to come in late and get my morning run in.) I had hoped to start running around 6:30 a.m., but I slept and felt like absolute garbage when I woke up. I started running around 8 a.m. and did 6 miles. I felt better after my run. I worked all day and ended up taking 27,000 that day. I was exhausted. I worked until 10 p.m.

Saturday: Off
I usually run 5 days a week. But—I also watch my mileage. I ran 25 miles last week, so I was trying to run 27 miles this week. 5+4+6+12 = 27
I had planned on a long bike ride, but it was raining. I did some core work at home.

Sunday: Long run
12 miles done. I did 2 faster miles at the end. 8:31 and 7:37. It felt good actually.
The first half, it drizzled most of the time. My shoes were so wet! The forecast showed that it might rain. But morning of, it said thunderstorms possible at 8:30 a.m. I figured my 7 a.m. run would be mostly done by then, but it rained most of the first half. I wrung out my shirt a few times.

I'm thinking of doing a half marathon Memorial Day. It wouldn't be a PR race, but just a fun run.

Recovery:

Rolling.

Miso Fast Greens and miso salmon from "Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow"

Miles this week: 27
Runs: 4
1 bike ride, 1 yoga session, 2 core sessions

Workouts this week: April 22-28

Monday: Off
30-minute bike ride

Tuesday: Speed work
This was my first speed session in forever. 
The goal was the workout was 5k pace. I thought I could do some mile repeats at 7 minute miles. But hitting 7:30s was hard. Super hard. But I didn't quit. I finished the workout. My legs were really heavy in that last mile (7:41.) 

It was slower than I wanted. But still getting my body used to running faster again. Seeing that I haven't done that workout in 2 months makes sense. I looked and my half marathon prep had a lot of tempos towards the end. So I'm just out of practice for shorter repeats. 

 Who knows what else was going on? I certainly didn't feel as great as hoped. 

Wednesday: Trail run
I led a group trail run. I ran 3 miles. So I could prep the snacks before most people got back. 3 miles has been such a nice distance for my body lately. I finish the run before exhaustion. 

I thought the trail run was going to be hot, but the humidity was so low, it was pleasant out. 

Thursday: Off
I had a Lululemon event after work. They had a try-on event for local runners.  They said they're really focusing on run gear this year and wanted local run group leaders to try out some run products. I think the point was to try new clothing and I have most of their run gear already. 

I tried on some Time to Sweat Crops. They were too long.
I tried on some In the Movement Crops. They felt like aligns and wen't as compressive. And didn't have enough pockets.
I have the Pace Rival. But they were too long. 
I tried on a cropped top that I liked. But they didn't have my size. (It was also out of stock online.) 
I ended up getting a new Swiftly tank top, because those are nice to run in. They breathe better than the Cool Racerback.

I wish I would have gotten some more pieces, but I really just want more Fast & Free crops. 

Friday: Morning miles
I ran 5 miles in the morning. It was fine. Perfect weather really. It was cool. My favorite weather to run in. Low 60s. 

(I spent the rest of the day helping with my brother's wedding. I got home around midnight.) 

Saturday: Easy 3
Today was the lightest I've felt in awhile. My brain just felt free of the usual anxiety and stress. It's been awhile since I've felt this way. I kept the miles easy since I'll try running long tomorrow. (And my body seems to like the shorter runs lately. The 30 mile weeks are hard, and just leave me feeling drained.) 

Why did I feel so much freer? I wasn't in the office yesterday, which helped. Yesterday was exhausting. It was non-stop and I didn't get home until midnight. I had to be up early to help with Twilight at 7 a.m. So I should be exhausted. But I ALWAYS feel better about volunteering. I love being at races. Maybe it was the combination of working hard, feeling appreciated and feeling like I made a difference. 

I stopped the run at 3 miles. Lately, that's been a nice distance that doesn't leave me too tired. 

Sunday: Long run
I was going to do Renee's long run with her. I thought we were doing 10, but she was in a hurry, so we did 8 at a faster pace than I anticipated: 8:44 pace, which is in my wheelhouse, but not as easy as I'd planned. (Our first mile was 9 minutes and then the rest were around 8:30.) We finished and I considered doing another 2 on my own. I got my second wind in that last mile. But Renee drove off and I stopped. I didn't want to be tired the rest of the day. 

Later that day, I was feeling great. I did some yoga. I went on a 3 mile bike ride. And then because I had 24 miles for the week, did one more mile to make it 25 miles.

Miles this week: 25 (which is back to normal. I'm feeling much better after going easy last week.)
Totals: 5 runs, 2 bike rides, 1 yoga session 

Two years into my running journey

Two years and one week ago I did my first real race as an adult.

The race had pacers. And it was the race that inspired me to do more with running.

It was the Chick-Fil-A half. I'd known about the race for a few years, mostly because it impacted traffic around town for years. And I wanted to do it, but 13.1 seemed like too many miles. So when there was an option to run HALF of that, I signed up. And since I'd never run 6.5 miles before I followed a training plan, and gradually increased my mileage. (First time following a training plan.) I remember the first time I completed 6 miles or 8 miles. I remember finding my easy pace—where I felt like I could run forever.

And I ran the race—and surprised myself with a faster than expected finish.

I am such a different runner than I was then.

Running that race—and finishing as second place woman (for half the half), nudged me to join the Athens Road Runners. And it helped me start training and learning so much about running.

How I'm a different runner than I was 2 years ago

• I'm a more serious runner than I was then. I just take it more seriously: tracking weekly mileage, podcasts group runs, morning workouts everything.
• Back then I ran 12 mile weeks. Now, I usually run 10+ miles as my long run on the weekend. I run about 30 miles a week, give or take. I also log my miles. (I'd barely started to use Strava before that race. Now I'm addicted.)
• I hadn't heard of gels or fueling on the run now. Now, I always have a giant stash of fuel for long runs on me.
• I take hydration more seriously. I'm always thinking about water and if I'm drinking enough (I'm usually not.)
• I do speed work regularly.
• I have different paces. (Back then, I had one speed. A tempo. No easy or all out.)
• I listen to podcasts now. Which I didn't even do a year ago.

How I'm the same
• I'm still very particular about gear. Love to run in Lululemon.
• I still always carry my phone with me.
• While I do more group runs, I still do most of my runs alone and on the trails.
• I'm still the same size. I haven't gained any weight. I'm still not an ultra skinny runner.
• I'm still working on mental toughness. I have some natural speed, but am not the toughest. Work in progress.

Accidental 5k PR: Outrun Parkinson's 5K

I've wanted to run a sub 22 5k since 2017.  It hasn't happened. I've been training for half marathons and just haven't had the right race. I've run 22:30 a few times and I think Strava gave me a 22:11 once.

This morning I decided to run a 5k.

I'm 2 weeks off a half marathon, and after my 13 recovery days I was more than ready for a workout. I thought my legs were as rested as they'd ever be, so I told my sleeping husband I was going to do some speed work and went to a race. (I didn't want to get expectations up in case I blew up.)

I thought maybe I'd get some 7:30 pace work in and I'd be happy with a time under 23 minutes. I was really worrying about blowing up. About being tired and having to walk on the course. I have done NO speed work in almost 3 weeks. I haven't done any 5k specific work since last year. And I wasn't trained at all. I thought this would be a tempo run with other people. I had no expectations for this race. Hence I told no one.

I also had Chick-Fil-A for my pre-race dinner. I had waffle fries and Chick-Fil-A sauce. (Bad day and I was eating my feelings). This really could have been a disaster.

I show up and pay my $25 for the race.

And the course is different than normal. It's finishing in a parking lot instead of the normal downhill by the beach finish.

I line up by the front. It's a small race. I figure even on a bad day I'll be close to the front. And then it's race time.

Mile 1: 7:05. I feel great. I'm flying. I'm worried I'm going too fast so I throw on the brakes.
Mile 2: 7:32. Which is super cool that I can find this pace so easily. This is what I thought I'd run. I did a check in. And my legs felt fine. My breathing was the only thing that wasn't great. I focused on it and calmed it down.
Mile 3: 7:16 pace. I told myself to speed up. I hit the halfway mark on PR pace and I was feeling good. So I sped up.
I should add here that the course was short.
I hit the first mile and my watch said .96. And then I hit the race's 3 mile mark and my watch was at 2.8 or 2.9. But I could see the finish and I was so glad.
I crossed the line and my watch said 2.99
21:50

Which I didn't expect to see that at all.
I ran another .1 at about 7:40 pace just for my Strava account.
And I think that's a PR. It's an official course. Watches measure differently. I've had so many races that measure long.
And even if it was short, I was on PR pace. I averaged 7:18 pace when I think 7:20 pace is my PR.

And I'm elated. I finished second place woman. And don't know where that came from. I thought a minute slower would have been great.

So when people talk about race with no expectations—I've never believed them. But maybe now I do? There was no pressure on this race and I flew. I felt great. My legs are fine. Maybe it was a tad hard the last .6 or so.

It was the race I needed. Yesterday I was thinking of quitting running. It's just such a huge time commitment. I miss free time. But this made me so happy. Hard work is paying off. I'm actually getting fast. So happy with this.

So thank you for this race. And for doing something on a whim and it working out!!

Also this race photo is so bad is's hilarious. I was really happy the race was over. And I don't remember feeling THAT bad but that's what the end of a race feels like.

Photo credit: Classic Race Services

Why I'm not running Ragnar this year

Last year my husband ran Ragnar and I not so secretly wanted to start my own women's team, so we could beat the boys team. (I know a lot of fast ladies.)

And then, to my surprise, I was invited to a women's Ragnar team. My running reputation had gotten around and I, apparently made the cut.

I was thrilled and very honored.

I love trail running and I love relay races.

But then, I ended up saying no.

Money
The first reason was the cost. Ragnar is about $200. I just had a destination race in Savannah and that wasn't cheap. But the team I was invited to also wanted to do glamping, which raised the price to about $360 per person. Which is a lot of money. Especially when a 5k is normally $25 and a half marathon around $80. I couldn't justify that much money.

Risk of injury
Had I gotten a free entry would I do it? Still no. I really wanted to. But I was terrified of the idea of running trails at night. Those trails are perilous. I really worried about twisting an ankle. It just seemed dangerous. I've run trails slightly before dawn and after sunset—trails I know. I still try to avoid it. I've run on the road when dark, and I still don't like to do it.

Camping
I don't like camping and port-a-potties. It's not something I enjoy. There is a hotel near the campsite, but it was full. I checked several times.

Over-nights
I cherish my sleep. And I have NEVER been able to pull an all-nighter. I need naps. So I really wonder how bad I'd do in the overnight portion of this race.

So I'm not running Ragnar. I don't want to spend that much money and really don't want to get hurt. It still sounds super cool. I hope the guys have fun. And best of luck to anyone running. I'll visit and cheer you on!

Skidaway Half Marathon Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the Skidaway Island Half Marathon. It was half marathon No. 3. My first since Seawheeze. The goal was a 1:45 half. That's 8 minute miles. I've been training forever for this race. And the training cycle went pretty well. A missed week or two here or there, but no dramatic months off or serious injuries.

The training plan went up to 15 miles (ouch!) and had some hard tempos. I did a 10 mile tempo two weeks before the race. I thought the training went as well as it could have. I probably could have done a few more miles. But pretty well.

I tapered the week of the race. And didn't have any taper tantrums. I honestly love 30 minute runs. It's perfect. I loved having the extra time. 

I was pretty nervous going into this race. The plan was to start out 8:10/8:15 and drop down to an 8 minute pace and make up the time at the end.

We showed up race day and it was still dark. But I got in a quick warmup, rolled my leg and stretched. The weather was 50 degrees and pretty perfect. The race started at 7:11, rather than 7 a.m. but okay. For fuel, I did one pack of caffeinated Cliff Blocs and one packet of caffeinated honey stingers. 

The race

I started off faster than planned. I really tried to stay back from the 1:45 group. I wanted to start slow, but there I was.

Mile 1: 7:59

Mile 2: 7:58

I was feeling good, I wasn't working too hard. My hands were cold. But they warmed up by about 20 minutes in. 

Mile 3: 8:06. Because of a water stop. I had to grab the water. Stop. Drink. Throw. That's the 6 seconds on my very practiced pace. 

Mile 4: 8:02. Back on pretty much pace. Easy enough pace to kind of chat. Going well. 

Mile 5: 8:12. Another water stop. 

Mile 6: 8:05. Close-Ish. I was having trouble finding the pace at this point. At halfway point I was on track for a 1:46, which was fine. I knew I needed to keep pushing.

Mile 7: 8:00. Found the pace. Had to work for it a little.

Mile 8: 8:02. This is when I left my friend, who I had been running with. The pace was slowing down and I felt good so I went for it. 

Mile 9: 8:03. I honestly thought I had more 8 minute miles. Looking back at my splits I was running slow for the second half. I couldn't find someone to run with. I was running solo.

Mile 10: 8:11: This water stop. They were all holding cups of gatorade. I wanted water. I had to double back and get a cup from the table. 

Mile 11: 8:06. I'm sure I was grimacing at this point. It wasn't fun. 

Mile 12: 8:11. I tried to run through this water stop and ending up coughing for 30 seconds. It was awful. 

Mile 13: 7:48. Well at least I did what I was supposed to on this mile. 

Last .18. 7:17 pace. As I tried to pass a 22-year-old guy. He matched my speed and on the results he beat me, but I swear I finished first. 

The clock was on the high end of 1:45 as I came through and I was trying to make it in under 1:46. Final results were 1:45:59

After the race:

I was fine. I wasn't spent. Or tired. My legs didn't hurt. And I knew I should have pushed myself harder. I drank some water. I grabbed a granola bar. I went and found my friend who was running.

I ate the granola bar and got some gatorade. I did a .5 mile cool down and stretched. A gnat bit me in the shoulder, so I changed into long sleeves and put some bug spray on. 

Accurate. Glad to be done

Then I walked the last 2.2 miles of the course, found Matt finishing his marathon and ran the last 2.2 with him. I tried to chat with him, but he asked met be quiet so we ran in silence. He kept telling me it hurt. (And my knee wasn't happy with all the extra miles.) He'd ask me how much further and I would guess. So I ran him in, and he finished his first marathon in 4:11:20. I thought running him in was a nice supportive thing to do. 

All in all, I did about 40,000 steps that day. I ran about 16.4 miles that day and walked another 2.2. Those last 2 miles might not have been the wisest. 

What went well

• Pre race prep. I ate healthy for 10 days up to the race and hydrated really went.

• The course was beautiful. Flat. Well marked. And the weather was perfect. (I'd do this race again). The medal was big and TONS OF RACE PHOTOS!!! 

• My pacing was pretty consistent. A 10 second swing in mile times is pretty dead-on.

• I didn't give up. I never thought I couldn't do this. I have enough fight to keep going. 

• I had a 2 minute PR. Which is awesome. 

What I might go back and change

• The whole reason I wanted to wear the pack was to avoid water stops. So possibly wear the pack. (I'm mad at myself because I WANTED to wear the vest. I trained with it. Did tempos with it. Then I wouldn't have to stop. But I didn't wear it.)

• I wish I had been better on those water stops. Stop. Run through and cough? I need more practice in this. Matt said I didn't need water stops. But my calves didn't cramp like they did my last half. Running in South Georgia, I'd rather have water. 

• I wish I had raced a little harder and pushed myself. I wished I had pushed myself those extra 3 seconds a mile. I wished I had stuck with some of those people who ran ahead of me. I could have kicked it harder.  (Maybe more tempos at 7:57 pace for next time?) 

I should be happy with this race, but it was a little slower than I wanted. And I'm just mad at myself for not pushing a tiny bit harder. 59 seconds. That's how much I was off my goal. I did have trouble finding the pace. Matt thought maybe I should do more longer tempos. 

What next?

I'm considering running the Twilight 5k in a month. I have no 5k speed at the moment. But it's a good local race maybe a rust buster?

Am I done with half marathons? Do I want to try for that one more minute? There's a downhill half in a month. (Seems too soon). And the Georgia Peach Jam that at the end of May that I ran last year. But half marathons take so much time and effort to train for. I don't get to run enough races when I'm training for a half. 

I guess we'll see.