Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon 2017 Race Recap

I ran my 3rd Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon this morning. It was a little different this year, because I missed about 3 weeks of training due to various illnesses.

I was smart for a change, and decided not to have a time goal. It's been a while since I didn't have some time at the back of my mind during a race, and I have to say, it was almost relaxing.

Earlier this week I stubbed/skinned a toe on a dog toy, and yesterday I hit my achilles tendon with enough force that it was pretty instantly purple.

Excellent timing.

Fortunately, the toe was fine, and the achilles only complained on the hills. It's pretty sore now, but I'm glad it let me run.

I hate worrying about parking at races, so I arrived freakishly early.

I probably could have left a little later.

After hanging out in my car for a while, I went down to pick up my bib and visit with people. Sleepy Hollow is always a fun race, because it's put on by my weekend running group, Rivertown Runners.

It was supposed to be fairly warm today, but the weather missed that memo and we had a decent amount of wind and some rain. It sprinkled on and off throughout the race.

I don't really have any exciting mile-by-mile stories from today. I mostly enjoyed the people watching and listening to my new race playlist.

I did not enjoy the hills. It's not the hilliest race I have run, but since I haven't been running many hills lately, they were pretty tough today. I kill it on the downhill though. I'm always surprised by how many people I pass on downhills. Take advantage of gravity people!

The worst hill is the last one. Every race in Sleepy Hollow ends at the top of this hill, and it's brutal. It is relatively short, but it makes a strong finish a little difficult.

So, not my fastest race, but I did it. Considering how much training I missed, I'm happy with how it turned out. My chip time was 2:06:02.

Sometimes I forget that it's an accomplishment every time I cross a finish line. 

Marathon Training Week 17

I've pretty much gone off my training plan at this point. I switched things around, missed runs, and threw in a 5k race for good measure. I guess we'll see next week if that was a good idea or not!

Monday - Cross Training

Nope.

Tuesday - 4 miles

I have no notes about this run. I'm so not in a focused blogging mindset lately. I did have a decent last mile though, 8:26!

4.01 miles @ 9:38 pace

Wednesday - 6 miles

Nothing ended up happening running-wise on Wednesday because it was Tom's birthday and I was busy doing things like bake a key lime pie.

Priorities.

Thursday - 4 miles

This run felt great while it was happening, but was a little disappointed by my pace when I got home. Last mile was an 8:20 though, which I was happy with.

4.01 miles @ 9:21 pace

Friday - Rest Day

Yep.

Saturday - 4 miles

I decided last week to sign up for a 5k that was being held pretty close to the house (20 minutes away, everything is 20 minutes away). It didn't start until 10:30 which felt really weird - I'm used to super early starts for races!

The race was small (about 60 finishers) and pretty flat. It was a cool, misty morning and I was feeling pretty good. It is weird to run such a short race, and I had strange splits (my second mile was my slowest), but it was a fun race.

I ended up getting first in my age group, which never happens, and getting a new 5k PR! 24:45!

This is the first trophy I have ever gotten for running. I have to say, I'm a fan!

Now I have to figure out where to put it...

3.1 miles @ 7:59 pace

Sunday - 8 miles

I was tired from the race so I took it easy and just got it done. Not my best run, but my last "long" run before Steamtown next weekend.

8.02 miles @ 10:41 pace

Weekly Mileage - 19.14

I just have a couple of short runs on the plan this week, and then on Sunday it's time to run and run and run.

We'll see how it goes.

I Love/Hate Running

I have not been behaving like a person who is running a half marathon this weekend - but I am. I'm running the Hook Mountain Half Marathon on Sunday.

On one hand, I have been trying to take it a little easier to let whatever is happening with my calf/shin totally heal, but I could definitely be running more than I have been.

It's not like I have been just sitting around on the couch - I have been doing a lot of work around the house, and I'm still doing yoga and some random youtube videos. But I have definitely been using more excuses than usual to skip out on runs.

This is how Buddy lets me know that it's his dinner time:

I bought a kettle bell the other day. I've used it once, so that's something. I'm really trying to do more strength training, because I know it's good for me. Consistency is not my strong suit.

Tom's mom came up and helped us paint again today. It's good that she came up because it got us to actually paint. We powered through and finished all the primer in the addition. Now we can actually start painting the new master bedroom and the new bathrooms.

Tom pulled the recessed lights down so we wouldn't paint them, they're not some fancy/weird spotlights.

I can't wait until this bathroom is finished - that 6 foot bathtub is calling my name. 

Progress is exciting :)

Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon 2016 Race Recap

I was up at 5:45 on Saturday morning, drank a couple cups of coffee and ate my usual English muffin with peanut butter. I left earlier than I needed to because I would rather be early than late and stressed out.

The race didn't start until 9:30, so I had oodles of time to pick up my number and race shirt. I actually ended up sitting in my car for about 20 minutes after packet pickup to stay warm while I waited.

The Sleepy Hollow Half is run by my weekend running group, Rivertown Runners, so it was fun to have a bunch of runner friends there with me. There was a whole group of us together at the starting line.

My two best running friends and I before the start. It's impossible to get a good picture of all of us.

Photo Credit to Joe Golden

The course was different from the last time I ran it. A couple of years ago we still had snow on the ground, so a lot of the trails were not included.

The first half mile or so is mostly uphill on the road. After that we hit the aqueduct trails which are packed dirt. It was pretty crowded for the first few miles, especially once we were off the road and on the narrower trails. I think some people were a little nervous on the trails, but since I run them every weekend I passed a bunch of people by running on the edge of the trail.

It was mostly rolling hills until just before mile 5, where we were serenaded by a bagpiper as we dragged ourselves up a long, steep hill. My friend kept telling me to pump my arms, but I was not moving very quickly. From mile 5.5 on we were back on the roads.

There's a bit of a stretch out and back on a highway that really seems to drag. The way out was a gentle, but endless uphill, which at least made the way back a long downhill. It's about a mile and a half each way.

Around mile 9.5 is a really stupid hill in a hospital parking lot. It's just so unnecessary.

After running through some neighborhoods, the course runs along the Hudson until the final mile. The last mile is mostly flat until the last .2, which is up the worst hill of the entire race. It's known as the Pocantico Punisher, though I know a few runners with more colorful names for it.

Photo credit to Jared Johnson

My race plan was to just run. I set my watch to show the clock time and didn't look at any of my mile splits. I ended up running the entire race within about 20 feet of one of my weekend running buddies. Our trio all had the goal of just being under 2 hours at the finish line. We naturally alternated who was in the lead and ran side by side from time to time. Sometimes talking, sometimes alone with our music. He told me around mile 9 that we definitely were on track to come in under two hours, and later asked me what my PR time was.

In the last couple of miles he told me it was only going to be a question of how much I would beat my PR by. I was definitely getting tired by the last mile, but nothing really hurt, I was just tired. The last hill took a lot out of me, but I saw 1:56:xx on the clock and broke into a smile and a sprint and finished just behind my friend. We actually ended up with the exact same chip time, my new PR - 1:56:35!

It ended up being a great race day - perfect weather (though I did end up with a bit of a sunburn), zero pain, a fun run with friends and a new PR! Can't ask for much more than that!

Being Smart and My Race Plan

So, first things first:

We'll see what happens on the 31st and then I'll figure out the plan for the fall.

I have been sticking to my extra stretching and taking it easy and my calf/shin situation seems to be much happier. I had a really good (though pretty slow) run on Thursday. I wore the shoes I wear for speed work and races because I know they don't bother my legs. It was a beautiful day and gave me a little mental boost. 

It was one of those runs that remind you why you run in the first place. It just made me happy!

It also made me feel like I'm not going to DNF at the race tomorrow, so there's that. 

I decided I am not going to worry about pace tomorrow. I'm going to run whatever pace feels good and see what happens. It's a race with a bunch of my friends and the weather is supposed to be great - I just want to enjoy it. Plus, it is too soon after an almost injury to kill myself at this race. I have other races coming up, and aggravating this mild injury could get in the way of the next few. 

See how smart I can be sometimes? 

The key word is sometimes. 

Now I have to find my tin of safety pins, figure out what I'm wearing and what time I need to set my alarm for.

Are you racing this weekend?

I Ran The Farm

Blogging consistency is not my strong point right now.

I ran a really fun trail race called Run the Farm on Sunday. I mostly didn't want to go anywhere, but I had already paid my registration fee and two of my old weekend running buddies were going to be there, so I couldn't back out.

Of course, I'm really glad I went, because it was a lot of fun!

The race was only 5 miles, but that was plenty because it was a serious trail race. There were a lot of single track sections where I kept getting stuck behind people, there were fallen trees and tree roots to jump over, and tons of rocks (the better to twist your ankle with, my dear). It was a really challenging race, partly because I have been running on the roads all summer (nevermind the hills), but it was a beautiful course.

I unintentionally make the best faces in race photos.

They have a farmer's market at the farm every weekend, and race finishers got 5 farm bucks to spend at the market. Mostly I think all the runners were enjoying all the free samples - runners love free food. We did pick up a couple of sausages, and my running buddies went home with a few containers of pickles.

I think we may have convinced Tom to run with us next year.

It was so much fun to run with my people again! I really need to make the drive down for our Saturday run again one of these days.

Steamtown Marathon 2015 Race Recap

I ran a marathon!

I still can't quite wrap my head around it, but my body is quick to remind me that something extreme happened yesterday. Stairs and I are not friends today.

This recap got long, sorry!

Saturday morning we dropped Buddy off to be boarded for the night and hit the road. Scranton, Pennsylvania is only two hours from our house, so it was an easy drive to the expo. The expo itself was fairly small but really well organized. Packet pickup was a breeze, and they had a spot to check your bib to make sure your timing chip was working correctly.

I used my birthday money from my grandma to get a snazzy marathon jacket and pint glass. I only get one first marathon, so I definitely wanted some extra goodies to commemorate the event.

They had a panel with the race director Bill King, and runners Jon Sinclair and Kim Jones (who are both crazy fast!). They talked about race strategy for the course and answered questions. The course advice boiled down to this: hold back and take it easy for the first half of the race. The first half, especially the first 6 miles, is mostly downhill, and it will absolutely kill your legs if you go out too fast. They all recommended running an even split rather than trying to bank time in the first half.

Tom came up with the catch phrase, "It's better to have gas in the tank than time in the bank." It popped into my head several times on Sunday, and brought a smile to my face while I was counting down the miles.

We tried to go to a pub for dinner, but they were having some big fall festival thing and had a cover charge just to get in. Since I wasn't planning on even having beer with dinner, it didn't make sense to spend extra money just so we could get something to eat.

The second place we tried was closed (seriously?).

By this point I just wanted to eat something, and since we had already paid to park, we found a pizza place that was in walking distance. Then it was off to the hotel to get organized and get to sleep. We somehow both forgot to pack our phone chargers, so we took a field trip to CVS to pick a couple of cords up. On the bright side, that was the only thing I forgot to pack, and it was easily fixed.

On Sunday morning we woke up bright dark and early and made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and a bagel. Then we were off to the start at Forest City High School. The starting area was great! They had the high school open so we had a warm place to hang out until the start (which was nice because it was 38 degrees out), handed out water to the runners, and had a totally reasonable number of porta potties.

I don't have a mile-by-mile recap for you, because that's not how my mind was working on Sunday, but here are things I do remember:

The race starts with a civil war cannon! They warn you several times that the cannon is real, and it will be loud. Apparently it has startled people in the past.

There are a lot more rolling hills in the beginning of the race than the elevation chart would have you believe. We set off through the first of many little towns, and already there were tons of people out to cheer the runners on. The high school band was playing Thriller as we ran through Forest City.

I had GUs all over, creating really attractive lumps.

I did a really good job of keeping my pace reasonable at the beginning of the race. Even as early as mile 4 there were people breathing really heavy around me, while my breathing was even and I was feeling strong.

There were a couple of viewpoints where I got to see Tom. The first was around mile 8, he jogged along side me a little ways and told me I was doing a good job at not going out too fast.

Spectators were plentiful on the course, especially considering the size of some of the towns we ran through. Their signs were hilarious, and had me smiling and laughing, even into the later miles. There were a lot of unofficial aid stations set up too, offering everything from water and sugar to ice pops, gummi bears, orange slices, and even beer! There's a bit of a hill around mile 23, but you hardly notice because there is a huge block party going on! They had a hose misting over the street (heaven!), water, snacks and music - they were having a great time and it was a nice boost toward the end when we were struggling.

There is one quiet stretch of paved trail that a lot of people were complaining about ("here's the boring part," I heard one girl say), but it made up for the lack of spectators with absolutely gorgeous scenery. We ran alongside a stream and were surrounded by some serious fall foliage. I really enjoyed it! We hit the halfway point out on the trail a little after the 2 hour mark. I had not so secretly hoped to finish around the 4 hours mark, but at that point (with the hills ahead of me) I figured that wasn't going to happen.

I could not remember where the second viewpoint was. Mile 9? 15? I kept waiting for a large group of people, because I knew Tom would be there. It was mile 17. I was still feeling good (though obviously tired) and it was a nice boost to have my own personal cheering section tell me I was looking strong and keeping a good pace.

I kept some of the most even splits I have ever run until about mile 19. There was a gravel trail that I didn't know was coming, and everyone around me slowed down. It seemed to throw everyone off.

I completely forgot to stop my watch until long after I finished.

My left big toe started hurting somewhere around mile 20, and my right hip flexor started cramping up shortly after. Both were manageable, but annoying.

The hills really aren't that bad, it's just that they're at the end of the race. I had a huge grin on my face when I read "last turn" spray painted on the road. Unfortunately, the biggest and longest hill is around that turn. The first half is steep, but even when you get past the steep part, you're still going uphill. The spectators are amazing on that hill - they definitely kept me going! That, and the knowledge that once you get to the top of the hill there's a quarter mile of downhill, and then: the finish line.

As much as I was exhausted, I wanted to finish strong, so I picked up the pace on the downhill and finished with a smile on my face. I excitedly received my space blanket (I was weirdly excited about getting one of these because I've never gotten one before) and told the woman who put my medal over my head, "I've been looking for you all day!"

I finished with a chip time of 4:11:23!

I tried really hard not to curse at the runners in the food tent who had come to a complete stop. Couldn't they feel their muscles locking up? All I wanted was to get through the tent so I could keep walking. Tom met me outside the food tent and we walked around a bit before heading back to the car. I was tired and done with the crowds around the finish.

We drove home, picked up the pooch, had Chinese food for dinner, and I fell asleep on the couch around 9:45.

I didn't open it until lunch today, but this was seriously my fortune. No joke!

Tom was the best marathon buddy ever this weekend. He drove all over the place to see me at the viewpoints and at the finish, and put up with my moody nervousness like a champ. He even sat through the expo panel with me and hung out in a cafeteria full of runners doing strange pre-race things at the start. Plus he met me at the finish with this magnet:

He's kind of the best.

I'm a Marathoner!

I will work on getting a race recap up for you guys soon, but for now I just want to say - I'm a MARATHONER!

For tonight, I'm eating, relaxing on the couch (and getting up for walk breaks so all my muscles don't seize up on me), and probably falling asleep while we watch football. Fortunately I don't have to teach any classes tomorrow!

It's Only 13 Miles

So, I'm running a half marathon (The Putnam County Fall Classic) tomorrow. It's weird, because it sort of feels like a non-event after my 20 miler last weekend. I mean, obviously I am planning on pushing and seeing what I can do, but it's only 13 miles.

It's all relative.

I'm so disorganized that I almost ran out of GU and had to go in search of a local store that would have it. Luckily, I remembered that I had one stashed in my car and I found one in the bottom of a box, so I'm good to go. Now I just need to get some before next weekend's long run.

I also realized that it will be my 10th half marathon, and my 4th for the year. This is definitely my biggest running year so far.

I had a pretty terrible run today. On the plan it was supposed to be an 8 mile pace run, but I was going to take it easy because of the race tomorrow. Then I didn't leave the house forever, it was humid, and I felt like I was running through water. I was moving pretty slowly and my heart rate was through the roof.

It was dumb.

I ended up running 5 miles, and I was grumpy the entire time.

Now I'm charging all my electronics, updating my playlist, and deciding which shoes to wear.

The  nice thing about tomorrow's race is that it's only about 20 minutes from our house, so I don't have to wake up insanely early to drive anywhere.

Buddy has been enjoying the break in construction activity and catching up on his sleep today. He's not a big fan of all the change.

Rhinebeck Hudson Valley Half Marathon Recap

I ran the Rhinebeck Hudson Valley Half Marathon this morning! It's the first year for this race, and it was tiny - like, less than 100 people ran the half, tiny. There was also a marathon (which was pretty much just running the half course twice - no thank you) which less than 30 people ran.

Tom was super nice and drove me up to the race early this morning. It rained most of the drive, but let up before we got there. Packet pickup was a breeze, and for the first time ever at a race, there were no lines for the restrooms.

The marathon started at 8, and the half followed around 8:30 to help keep some separation between the hordes of people running - ha!

It was a really pretty course, and it was mostly rolling hills, nothing major.

I started out feeling good, which lasted until about mile 7, when I started to cycle through feelings ranging from "I got this" to "I'd like to stop now." I was shooting to stay at/under 9:00 miles, but that was just not happening. At around mile 11 I started to drag, which was aided by the fact that I realized there was no way I was going to PR. By the last mile, I was really pushing for some speed, but I just couldn't get my legs to move any faster. I didn't even do my usual sprint to the finish. I definitely let my mind get the best of me on this one.

If I didn't spend the last half mile of the race throwing myself a pity party, I would have broken 2 hours. Don't let the clock confuse you, it was started at 8 when the marathon started.

I finished in 2:00:03, a 9:10 pace.

Once I finally got over my pity party/tantrum and checked my time, I saw that I placed 3rd in my age group!

Ignore the fact that there were only 7 or 8 people in my age group. That's what I'm doing :)

It's also my second best half marathon time, so I really shouldn't complain. I've got another half in 27 days, maybe that will be my PR day!

Trail Race Recap

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to head to the Blue Mountain Reservation for a trail race.

 I rode up with one of my weekend running buddies and we got there with more than enough time to check in and pick up our bibs. The race was so small, we probably would have been fine showing up about 15 minutes before the start.

I don't know the official number of runners, but there was a 5k and a 10k that were capped at 150 between them. I would guess the actual number was somewhere closer to 75 or 80 runners.

We spent a good 10 minutes watching a guy try to fix the start/finish line banner after the wind snapped one of the zip ties that was holding it up. It was a very complicated fix that involved a picnic table, two sticks and some rope. It was pretty entertaining.

The race started a few minutes late to allow some stragglers to get their bibs, and then we were off through the muddy start line. The trails were really beautiful, but definitely more trail-like than most of us are used to. There were loose rocks, tree roots, a couple of very steep climbs (and descents), and lots of mud and water. The man in charge declared that it was "the cheapest mud run you'll ever find."

The course was a 5k loop, so those of us running the 10k ran the loop twice. I'm not a huge fan of running the same hills more than once, but it was generally a fun course.

There were plenty of post-race snacks and drinks, though the promised REI branded swag turned out to be a pair of shoe laces and some lip balm. I don't know that I would call that swag, but with a registration fee of $15, I guess I can't complain.

I started my watch at our official "everyone count down from 10" start and stopped it a few yards after the finish line. It came up with 5.85 miles in 58:00. The clock at the finish was right about at 1:00:00, so I'm not really sure what time to claim. It wasn't chip timed, and who knows how accurate their course measurement was (and there weren't mile markers).

It's ok though, the point was to run a fun race someplace new. You can't really compare trail race times to normal race times anyway, we were all running a minute and a half to two minutes slower than our usual pace.

My shoes may be dry by now, but they could definitely use a run through the rain to clean up a bit.

I spent Saturday night babysitting. The three year old I was watching told me I was bad at puzzles. Thanks kid.

Today was amazing weather. It was sunny and warm! We finally brought the cushions up for the patio furniture, and Buddy and I had a nice morning lounging on the back deck.

I just finished reading Wild. It was pretty good, though I never had a hard time putting it down. I want to see how the movie turned out, I've heard mixed reviews.

------
The above post contains affiliate links.

West Point Half Marathon Recap

I survived the hills of West Point!

I somehow managed to get through the whole race without taking any pictures, before, during, or after. We didn't even get a group shot of me and my weekend running peoples. Blogger fail.

It's a shame, because West Point is beautiful!

Packet pickup was a breeze (we were early), but the race ended up starting 20 minutes late. A lot of other people weren't early and tons of people were still getting their bibs when the race was supposed to start. It was chip timed anyway, so the rest of us felt like we should have just started. But then, we were also really cold and just wanted to start running.

It was around 27 degrees at the start of the race, and it wasn't much warmer by the time I finished. It's the first time I've raced with a jacket and gloves on.

Before the race started, the West Point Parachute Team jumped into Michie Stadium (the West Point football stadium), which was really cool. They have amazing control of their speed and direction, very impressive!

We all started the race way too fast, most of the first 4 miles were downhill. And then, the hills started. There were some rolling hills, which weren't terrible, and a few very long, very steep ones, which were. The worst hill was at mile 12.5 (a cruel place for a hill) - almost everyone I saw walked at least part of it.

I don't really have an awesome mile-by-mile recap for you this time around. I cycled through feeling awful and wondering why on earth I thought running this race was a good idea, and being impressed with my pace (on the less hilly miles). I got to see Tom around mile 9.5 and at the end of the terrible hill near the end, which was a fun morale boost. :)

The race finished on the field at the stadium, and I passed 4 or 5 guys on my way to the finish line - apparently they don't know how fun it is to sprint after running 13 miles.

I wasn't sure what time to expect when I got to the finish line. I only checked my pace from time to time during the race. I never looked at the running time, so I was pretty happy to see 2:00:xx as I was approaching the line.

My official chip time was 2:00:55 - that's only 2:50 slower than my PR, and my second best half marathon time ever! If it weren't for all those hills, I probably could have set a new PR, which is pretty cool.

They give out what they call a "finishers coin" instead of medals, though I was a little bummed that it was more of a dog tag style than a coin. I'll probably put it on a ribbon so it can hang with the rest of my medals.

Running this race was a really fun way to get to see West Point, and even though I am seriously sore today, I would definitely think about running it again.

Oops

I missed my final run before the race.

I was supposed to have one last short mile repeat session on Thursday, but I ended up taking a nap instead. Kicking this cold seemed more important than getting that last run in. I decided that I wasn't going to make any huge gains with one more run anyway, but now I feel a little off. I haven't run since Wednesday, and I'm not going to run until tomorrow morning at the race. We'll see how that goes.

I can't even begin to set a time goal for tomorrow. It's the hilliest race I've ever run, and I haven't raced since October.

Our hope (a couple of my much faster weekend running buddies are also running) was that we wouldn't have to wear jackets for the race, but it's looking like it will be in the upper 20s when the gun goes off. Jackets and gloves it is.

Buddy loves when I sit on the floor.

Please ignore my half-closed eyes and focus on how cute this dog face is.

He's pretty sure he's a tiny little lap dog.

And some cool fog from the other day.

Now I'm off to finish some laundry, figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow and keep myself busy so I don't just sit here and think about the terrible, terrible hills.

Race Sign Up and Running Again!

I was amazingly lazy on Sunday. We had freezing rain pretty much all day long, and I spent most of my day researching races, reading blogs and watching tv.

Freezing rain is dumb.

Buddy was terrified while Tom cooked dinner, so I threw his blanket on him. He stayed like this for about an hour.

He has such a rough life.

The result of all my race research is that I'm now officially signed up for 3 half marathons!

West Point Half Marathon - March 29th
Rhinebeck Hudson Valley Half Marathon - May 16th
Walkway Half Marathon - June 13th

The Rhinebeck and Walkway races are new, it's the first year for both of them. I think I have run more races in their first year than I have run established races. I have never been signed up for more than one half marathon at a time, it's weird for me to be planning my entire year of racing at once.

I'm almost 100% decided on a marathon, but registration doesn't open up for most fall marathons until April, so we'll see if I'm still stuck on the same one come April.

I ran today!

I haven't run since my painful, aborted tempo run last Thursday. My ankle has been feeling a lot better, and I took it slow. I did a legitimate warmup (which I don't always do) and stopped to stretch (and do some mountain climbers for the #NoExcuses challenge) every mile. I ended up running 3.13 miles in 30 minutes. I'm just happy that I got to run!

And yes, I iced after I was finished.

Hopefully this means I can get back to my training plan this week.

Buddy did as much adventuring as his leash would allow this afternoon. I think he was just happy the temperature was above freezing.

Do you plan your race schedule for the year all at once or do you like to play it by ear?