NYC MARATHON RACE REPORT

Sorry it took so long to write my race report, but sitting at the computer is not so leg friendly right now. Haha. And lots of thinking/emotions going through my head (all good though!!!). And trying to post this LONG report with photos, was no easy task. Thank God Beachy/hubby, knows what he's doing. I'm not the writer in the family, he is, but here goes:

On Sunday, November 1st, I ran my first marathon, the NYC marathon, which runs through the 5 boroughs of NYC; from Staten Island, over the Verrazano Bridge, through Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and finally into Manhattan. I'm doing well, sore, but I'm a marathoner & actually thrilled with my 4:39:21 finish:)!! Wasn't the plan, but at one point didn't think I'd finish, and then was just hoping to come in before 5:30, so, to cross at 4:39:21 made my day.)!!

My Hubby took this pic on train ride home!!

I didn't blog about my last long run (before the marathon) on Saturday, October 17th, which was supposed to be a very slow 18miler. It turned into a 13.9 mile run because at mile 10 I tweaked my right calf. I tried to run through it (I thought it was a cramp, as I was running slowly & how could I pull something 2 weeks out from the marathon), but finally it got to the point where it hurt & I knew the run had to stop. In hindsight I should have stopped immediately when I felt it at 10 miles, but thought it was a cramp. After running NYC, I now know that during this last long run it was a pull/strain, not a cramp, because I now know what cramps feel like!! haha) I called my husband to pick me up (1st run in 22mths that I couldn't finish & that he had to pick me up). The only upside was training for NYC was complete. Race was in 2 weeks, and I was now in taper. Didn't realize my taper would mean no running at all for 14 days on account of injury, but I wanted to make sure the calf, specifically the soleus muscle, located between the Achilles & the calf would heal. I knew these 2 weeks didn't matter much, and I knew that as long as it healed, I would show up on race day, fresh and ready to go, instead of having tired legs.

All went well, calf/soleus was getting stronger/healing by the day, and before I knew it, it was Friday before race day (Sunday), and I was taking the train into NYC to go to the Expo to pick up my Bib# and shirt. This was amazing. I trained for 22 months and when they placed that bib# in my hand I can't explain to you how happy/thrilled I was to run on Sunday. The journey I had worked so hard over the last 22 months was finally here. I was running NYC in 2 days!!!

Saturday we drove to Staten Island to my brother’s place (he lives about a mile from where the marathon starts), had a great dinner (pasta with marinara sauce and chicken, with a 20 oz bottle of gatorade), were asleep by 9:30, and woke at 6am. Even got an extra hour of sleep due to daylight savings time, sweet. I woke feeling well rested, had my oatmeal and banana, and then we left for the start at 7:30. I packed a bagel with peanut butter & honey and a banana to have while waiting. Got to the race start around 7:45am, surprised it wasn't raining & the temps were pretty reasonable: windy and low 50’s I think. The day before, I hit a thrift shop and purchased sweat shirts and sweat pants to wear before the start & throw away. I looked pretty funny, as the clothes were extra large, but they kept me warm, and that’s all that mattered. Someone took a picture of us before the race. Here we are

Me (with my white head band) in my extra-large pre-race gear

As a member of the Richmond Rockets Running Club, I had the opportunity to join the NYPD running club. They had a tent, so we hung out there till it was time to head over to the start. About an hour before the race I ate the bagel and about a half hour before I ate the banana. Drank plenty of Gatorade, water and coconut water, that when it was time to head over to the start, I felt ready!!! Plan was to run with my brother John, friends John B and John C, all training indicated that we could run together, and come in somewhere around 4 hours. My goals for today were 1. Finish; 2. Beat 4 hours; and 3. If all the stars were aligned and I felt good, aim to break sub 3:50:00.

My NYPD running singlet & NYC Bib#29232

We got to our corral in our wave start, and soon realized we were in the wrong wave; we were in the last wave (#3) instead of wave #2. It was so crowded we did our best to walk up to the front of the wave, but in the end it really didn't matter as we had chips on and it would signal when we crossed the start & finish. I did call my friend Josh, to let him know that I would be starting later. He was getting ready to meet me at mile 14 or so, so he could run with me till mile 23.
The only difference was I started at 10:24 instead of 10:00, but I was thinking, no biggie as it gave my husband & children more time to get from Penn Station over to 63rd & First Ave, where I would see them around mile 16, as I came off the Queensboro Bridge. Let me tell you, knowing they were there was HUGE. Many times just thinking about them caused me to choke up, and kept me running when things didn’t seem so good.

Well, the cannons went off and the weather was perfect for running, and off we went in the mass of people. I have never run with so many people before. They say 43,000 people ran NYC this year. They separated everyone into either the Blue, Orange or Green groups, and then broke it down into Wave #1, Wave #2 or Wave #3, and then by letter corrals. We were in the Orange so we crossed the bridge on the upper level of the Verrazano Bridge, to the left. The site going over the bridge was breath taking. We tried to stay at about a 9:15 pace, but with the crowd that was hard to do, I didn't want to zigzag and waste energy at this point. It was very windy. I kept the throw away sweatshirt on till I was about half way across the bridge, and then threw it to the side. People were doing the same at this point, and you really had to watch your step as clothes were flying everywhere.

The mass of people running was amazing, and my calf that had been sore 2 weeks ago seemed to be holding up. Mile by mile we were over the bridge and into Brooklyn. It was really amazing to see the different neighborhoods. All was great until someone kicked my leg at mile 8.7 (still have the bruise on my left calf with their foot print). Here's a pic I took of it about 3 days after the marathon, of the bruise I had. Should have taken it that night, but you get the idea:)

sorry I took this myself, and it was the best I could do!

The kick in the calf caused me to fall head over heels to the pavement. Landed on my hands & thankfully went into a tuck & roll, so though I was bruised up, I survived & got right back up with runners' help & kept running. Thankfully no one fell on me, and the man that tripped me stopped and helped keep people from falling on me, then helped me up. Till that point I was feeling great. Afterwards was thankful the fall wasn't as bad as it could have been. Only thing that hurt at the time were the scrapes on my hands. But yesterday & today the pain of the bruises are now hurting. Josh found me about the 14 mile mark, I told him the legs felt ok, not great, and we plugged on. John C was still with me, and we worked our way around the crowds. We approached the 59th street Bridge, it was dark, but I still felt ok. Running over the bridge, I rolled my right ankle; it hurt, but didn’t think it was that bad. The next day, showed this:

Pic of my ankle the next day

Anyway, I kept running and was keeping about a 9:08 pace into mile 16 where I saw my husband and two girls cheering for me on First Avenue. What a thrill, it was, though it was very brief, because I was afraid to stop, for fear the legs wouldn't keep going, so I waved & continued on knowing I would see them again around Central Park. Unfortunately, my oldest, Rebecca was distracted and jostling for position in the huge crowd and did not see me run past. I tried to yell and get her attention to no avail, but she did say she heard me and I knew I would see her again at the finish.

But then the cramps started about a half mile later @16.5 in both calves. I tried running but by 17 (right around 1st & 72nd), I had to stop and walk. It killed me to stop, but I thought I could walk through it. So, from 17 - 23 miles I spent every mile getting a calf massage by my friend Josh who ran with me from mile 14.5 to 23 (without him I know I would not have finished THANK YOU!!!). I knew if I could just keep a 10 minute pace from here on out I could maybe finish in 4:00 or around there, but that was not to happen as the the massages allowed me to get a foot cadence going again at about a 10min pace, but it would only last for about a half mile, and then I'd have to walk again, pull over to the side and Josh would massage both calves again. And this would repeat till mile 23 where Josh had to bid me farewell/good luck as he didn't have a bib for this year's marathon & didn’t want to chance being thrown out of NYRRs club. He gave me my last massage at mile 23 and said do your best to keep running/stay in cadence, cause if you stop, the legs won't go and you'll really cramp. Well, I proceeded at about an 11:30 pace trying to keep my legs running and eventually entered Central Park. The only thought in my mind was keep going, you've come to far to quit now, my husband & kids are waiting for me just before mile 26 in front of the Plaza Hotel on Central Park West, so I plugged along. It hurt, but the thought of not finishing, or my family seeing me walking would hurt more. Finally I got to the point where I came back out of the Park and onto Central Park west & 59th street. Knowing that my husband & the girls were somewhere to the left in front of the Plaza. I kept running, scanning the crowd. Finally I saw them, hit with the most emotion ever (maybe matched by the birth of my children) I ran over to them, tears flowing down my face, I could hardly breathe. I went to Rebecca first, as she missed seeing me at 63rd & 1st, then Allie, then my husband. The emotions were wild; the crowd was incredible (I learned later that the whole group of people standing around my family all cried with emotion when they saw me hugging my kids. A spectator/ stranger even took a picture of me hugging Rebecca & emailed it to my husband the next day. If you by chance are reading this, THANK YOU for sending the picture, I truly appreciate it!!!).

Me kissing Rebecca (in the purple hat) on Central Park West and my hubby (in the black cap) waving his arm in the air.

I knew with their energy, I had enough to go .2 more and off I went. It was the longest .2 in my life (Vic you were SO right!!), but cramps and all, I crossed the finish line & showed my girls what determination & perseverance are all about. That, my friends/family/supporters was what this race was about for me. Not beating a time (though it would have been cool to Boston Qualify. There's always next time, and mark my words, I will run another marathon!!), but showing my little girls that when things get hard, you stick to your guns, and persevere!!!

I made my way through the crowd, and because I was wearing the NYPD running singlet, they pulled me out of the crowd, and over towards the NYPD tent. I was given a goodie bag with water, a protein bar (that tasted SOOOOO good), an apple, and soon found all my friends, and we made our way to the street, to the NYPD shuttle/van, that brought us to the hotel, where family, refreshments and a shower were waiting for me. In hindsight, I should have walked to the hotel. The 15 minutes or so that it took the van to drive us, just sitting there, my legs completely went dead/stiff. I could barely get out of the van, thank you to whoever it was that helped me off, I walked over to the bus to get my bag, and made my way into the hotel. The party was located on the mezzanine, which was about 16 steps up a stairway. OUCH OUCH OUCH. I found my family, got them settled in the eating area, and went upstairs to take a shower. It felt awesome! I should have taken the time to soak in an ice bath, but time was limited, and I wanted to see my family. Got back to them, ate, and hung out, then said our goodbyes, and we made our way to the subway, to get a subway to Penn Station, to catch the train back home. Overall, it was an amazing experience that I do intend to repeat some time in the future (maybe NYC in 20011)!!!

And here are some pics that NYRR so graciously took of me while I was running. Not pretty, but hey, they show the pain and triumph, I went through, while running this marathon!

I believe this was taken around the 13.1 mile mark, still feelin' pretty good!

Not sure where this was taken, but definitely taken near the end, maybe at the 20?

This one was taken as I shuffled across CPW before mile 26

Instead of a mile by mile time submission, I'm going to note the marathon splits that NYRR supplied. Here they are:

5 K 00:29:43.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:33.08


10K 00:58:15.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:22.68


15K 01:25:38.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:11.21


20K 01:53:18.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:06.84


Half-Marathon: 01:59:36.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:07.73


25K 02:21:57.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:08.37

30K 02:54:43.00 Pace/mile: 00:09:22.35 (Going into about 18miles I still had about a (9:08pace), but that time soon dwindled, as I hit the last 10K and was completely and utterly humbled by NYC. No training could have prepared me for what I experienced that day), but too persevere through the pain, made finishing that much more special!!

35K 03:39:09.00 Pace/mile: 00:10:04.51

40K 04:22:02.00 Pace/mile: 00:10:32.64

Finish Time: 04:39:21.00 Pace/mile: 00:10:39.74

All my training, I thought prepared me for this race. My runs were spot on, my nutrition and hydration has drastically improved over the past few months. Experts say you never know how a race will pan out until race day and when you cross the finish line. I don't think I was cocky thinking I could finish in under 3:50 for my first ever marathon. All my training, and even my races this year, all indicated sub 3:50 was within my reach. I do believe if I didn't cramp, I would have accomplished my sub 3:50 goal, but that is now behind me, and I must try to learn from this race, why did I cramp? And now humbled, must do everything in my power, so when I run marathon #2, history does not repeat itself. As, I said in the beginning, I am THRILLED with the time I finished in, and so happy to be a marathoner!!!!!!!

I must thank all my family/blog buddies/everyone, because you all were such an inspiration to me in finishing the marathon. I thought of you all often when I didn't think I could go on and remembered all your stories of marathon courage, your advice over the last 22 months, and just your unconditional "virtual" support and friendship. I did pace myself; I took endurolytes; 3 capsules every hour, drank water and Gatorade; rotating at every mile, not sure why I still cramped, but I MADE it, and will definitely do another marathon. I'm seriously thinking next year's New Jersey on May 2, 2010, (if I'm ready), or most likely Philadelphia 0n November 21, 2010 (where Beachy is thinking he'll run the Half).

Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't post a finishers photo. Well, I didn't know at the time, but in talking with someone this week, I realized I didn’t stop after the finish for a Finisher’s Photo. Hahaha, I hurt so bad and didn’t want to stop walking. I had no idea what they were doing, just thought it was the parade of masses walking to collect their baggage and family members. Well, I know now for the next time to stop and smile for the camera. Though, I was smiling from ear to ear, cause I had just accomplished running/hobbling 26.2 miles, which 22 months ago, was just a far out, crazy wild dream!!!

YESTERDAY I RAN THE STATEN ISLAND HALF & HAD A HUGE PR FROM LAST YEAR, ONLY 3 WEEKS TIL NYC!!!

Yesterday, I ran the Staten Island Half Marathon. I traveled the day before to my brother’s apt (like I did last year), as not to have to wake at the crack of dawn to drive the morning of the race. Haha, but still woke at 5:15 the morning of the race. But it was so nice not having to worry about driving, parking and so on. I ate a salt bagel with peanut butter and honey around 5:45am, with my standard coconut water to wash it down. Was planning to bring another salt bagel for the ride to the start, but forgot it. Oh well. We caught the 7:05 train up to the start, and then walked the half mile or so to the start. And it was cold. The sun was coming up, but the walk was in the shade. I didn’t bring pants, as I wanted to acclimate to the cooler temperatures for the race, but in hindsight that was a mistake. I was freezing, and didn’t really warm up until about mile 4-5. Oh well, live and learn. And my zenzah running arm/calf sleeves should be arriving this week. So can't wait!! Thankfully when we got there the porto-potties were basically empty. Did my thing and then joined up with my friends. My friend John, is a member of the Richmond Rockets running club. After listening to him talk about how great they are, I finally had the chance to meet them (though I had met Amy, Nancy and John C., at the Bronx Half Marathon back in February). They were all awesome. We stashed our bags in the ‘van’, and headed to the start.

My goal for today was to beat 1:51:00. I ran this race last year in 1:57:36, and with my training this year I felt the 1:51:00 goal was doable. My friend Josh, felt I could do better than that, and gave me a plan that would have me crossing the finish at 1:47:11. I felt confident from training that I could do this, but I was concerned about a hill on the course at M8, so I ran the course a bit conservative, to make sure all went well at M8. I was able to really run that mile, and then kick it in for the second half, and really sprint to the finish. Knowing I had so much left at the end, makes me believe I could have run the race more solid/faster, but I am thrilled with my finish time. I crossed the finish at 1:49:05, I whole 8 minutes and 35 seconds faster than last year.

I took a gel 10min before the start and again at mile 7. I rotated water and gatorade from mile 4 on, but then no fluids after mile 11.

Here are my splits from last year, what Josh thought I could do, and what I did this year:

2008: Josh’s plan: 2009 results:

1:57:36 1:47:11 1:49:05

M1 - 8:56 M1 - 8:50 M1 - 8:42
M2 - 8:38 M2 - 8:50 M2 - 8:37
M3 - 8:29 M3 - 8:50 M3 - 8:31
M4 - 8:45 M4 - 8:10 M4 - 8:25
M5 - 9:01 M5 - 8:10 M5 - 8:20
M6 - 8:49 M6 - 8:10 M6 - 8:07
M7 - 8:50 M7 - 8:10 M7 - 8:16
M8 - 9:53 M8 - 8:10 M8 - 8:28
M9 - 8:59 M9 - 8:10 M9 - 7:59
M10 - 9:00 M10 - 8:10 M10 - 8:04
M11 - 9:11 M11 - 7:45 M11 - 7:59
M12 - 9:26 M12 - 7:45 M12 - 8:01
M13 - 8:43 M13 - 7:45 M13 - 7:47
.1 - :50(7:38pace) .1 - 7:45 .1-1:45 (6:49 pace).


When I ran the race last year, I went out too fast, so when I hit the hill at M8, I was completely spent and died. I was able to bounce back and maintain 9’s or so to the end, but when I crossed the finish (because a runner next to me told me I’ve come too far to quit now), I had nothing left, and was completely exhausted. I truly believe if this runner didn't help me, I would not have finished.

Ironically, I took the first 3 miles about the same this year as I did last year, I did run the next 4 miles a tad conservatively, compared to what Josh predicted, but that was because I was still concerned about the hill at M8 (I know Josh, I trained hard, and should have known/believed in the system, my bad), but I attacked the hill this year strongly, and was able to get the legs going to be more close to your predictions to the end (or I should say my mind, because my legs felt strong throughout). Guess I was concerned I’d crash and burn (when will that feeling ever not be there? I do believe and trust in the system, or at least I think I do. Because based on todays results, that belief didn't show up til after the hill at M8). But, I had so much left at the end, which makes me feel like I could have pushed harder during, and probably met your predicted paces. I do trust you, but I guess my lack of experience kicked in and took things a tad too conservatively. I’m still super pumped as I crushed my times from last year, and felt soooo strong at the end. I felt like I could have kept running. You have been a huge help and an awesome coach. I could never have prepared myself for NYC without your help/experience & guidance. THANK YOU 100 times over!!

Also, a HUGE shoutout to my hubby, aka BeachRunner411, for allowing me to take this journey and always being SO supportive of my long hours of training, which as time went on got longer and longer. I love you beachy!!!

Wow, NYC is in 2 weeks, 6 days. I started this blog/journey back on January 1st, 2008 (tho running started on Jan 2nd), it has now been 21+ months later, 295 runs, and over 1600 miles later. It has been an amazing journey, and though I’m extremely excited for Marathon day, it will be sad to see this journey end (and hopefully my next journey to Boston, as I aim to qualify for Boston on Nov 1st @ NYC). I am very prepared for this day. I have trained hard and to date have seen amazing results. Stay tuned for the final chapter, Nov 1st : the NYC Marathon!! The day, I will be starting my next blog: my journey to the Boston Marathon.

Sorry folks, tried to put the table above together, but it squished when i posted. Don't know how to fix it, hope it's not too confusing. Just wanted to compare last year to this year, and my final results this year to what Josh thought I could achieve. Next year I will achieve that time and better it, cause I won't be afraid of that hill at mile 8. Still not sure why I was this year, but have to leave some room for improvement for next year!!

STILL HERE, TRAINING GOING STRONG, HARD TO BELIEVE NYC IS IN 4 WEEKS.

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted to my blog (sorry!!!). The good news is training is going well, and I am right on schedule for finishing NYC with a pretty good competitive time. The downside is I missed a few workouts a couple of weeks ago, but all is fine, I’m HEALTHY and that is all that matters!!!! Back on 9/10, at my yearly mammogram, they discovered another lump on my right breast. I went back on 9/16, for a needle biopsy which eventually revealed the lump was benign, thankfully!! My mom is a 1x survivor, so for years I have been getting checked yearly, and now every six months, so, though it was alarming, I took comfort in the fact that if it was something, they caught it early, and it would be dealt with. Though, at times, to convince my brain of this was hard. Hence, not having the strength sometimes to get out the door and complete a run. (It’s amazing the mind games your head plays at times) I never missed a long run, but getting out the door during that week, wasn’t always easy. So, I could have done without this drama before my favorite race of all time, the Cow Harbor 10K. Up until all of this happened, I hadn’t missed a run, and was feeling really strong. With the missed runs, not having my head in the game, and the needle biopsy, though I had built a huge base/strength in my training, I felt I wasn’t quite prepared for the 10K when the date approached.

The good news is I did run the Cow Harbor 10K race on September 26th, and raced to a new PR. Last years PR for this course was 52:41 (prior was 1:01:30), and with my marathon training, I believed I could break 50:00 this year. I crossed the finish line at 47:44 (7:41 overall pace), crushing last years time, shaving off 4minutes and 57seconds. To say the least I was thrilled with my time!! Woo Hoo!! And the best part is my head is definitely back in the game!!!!!

What else has been happening? I’ve run one 16 miler, one 17 miler, two 18 milers, a 19 miler and this past weekend I ran 21.4 miles over the George Washington Bridge, and up the hilly Palisades and back. This run was fantastic. Though I was a little disappointed, as it was supposed to be a 23 mile run, and I wanted that distance under my belt. But the group I was running with decided, due to the weather (it never did rain, but the skies were threatening rain storms), and in order to add the extra 2 miles to the Palisades course, I was told you have to run on the busy 9W highway that doesn’t have a guardrail separating the cars from the runners. I conceded to the group’s decision and plugged away at the 21.4 course at hand. I took the 1st half (10.7miles) very conservatively, and ran it in 1:44:32 (overall pace of 9:46), and then really pushed the 2nd half and finished in 1:32:33 (overall pace of 8:38). The best part is I ran the last 3 miles at a consistent 8:30 pace and felt when I finished that I could have kept going for more miles. I still would have liked to have run 23, but I learned that I could have done it if it was the mission of the day.

I took a gel 5 minutes before the run, and then again at M7, M12, M17 and M20. I drank Gatorade Endurance every other mile after mile 4. I also took 2 Endurolyte capsules before my run, and then every hour during my run. I still have not trained with water. Not sure why, maybe cause I don’t have the room to carry it, but during this run, I was thinking I should have run the first half with water, and then the 2nd half rotating water and Gatorade Endurance. Which is the plan I have for the NYC marathon, as the fluids will be on the course, and I don’t have to carry it. Not sure why I felt I should have run with water, except when the run was over, all I wanted was water. Could I have had too much salt/endurolytes in me?? Wondering if anyone out there has thoughts to share on this????

But, I am very pleased with my solid run. No pain, no cramps, stuck to the schedule and finished. I was told that if you run this hilly Palisades course in a decent time, that the NYC marathon will seem easy. Well, time will tell about that, but the Palisades run was a huge success in my book.

Oh and my legs yesterday and today are fine!! Hubby/BR411, gave me a deep massage on the legs the nite of the run and again on Sunday morning. No stiffness, and stairs were my friend. That was a huge boost in motivation for me. I'm still amazed my legs didn't hurt. Lets see how they feel after todays run. LOL

Next up for me is the Staten Island half this Sunday, October 11th. I ran it last year in 1:57:30 (which at the time was a PR). My goal for Sunday is to break 1:51:00. I believe I can do this, as I have accomplished this in my training runs. This will be my last race before the NYC marathon.

Again, sorry I haven’t blogged for so long. Back when I last blogged I was getting achy knee ITB pains in my knees (NOT when I ran, but when I was driving or sitting at my computer blogging). I found that when I stopped blogging, and sitting upright at my computer, that the discomfort in my knees went away, so blogging stopped, but I wanted to update everyone where I am at, and that all is still going strong for NYC Marathon. I can’t promise to blog consistently again, but I will do my best to keep my blog current.

Plan for today is a 9mile run: 2 mile w/u, followed by 5 miles @ a 7:50 pace, then a 2 mile c/d.

18 MILE LONG RUN @8:55 AVG PACE

Plan for today was 18 Miles:
3 @9:00
12 @8:30
3 @8:10 or faster

Brought 32oz of gatorade fuel belt & carried 20oz of gatorade w Nuun (I know, a big no no, but didn't have time to place it on the course). Didn't get on road til 10:35. Temp said 73F and 43% humidity. Just perfect conditions for a long run. Ok, a tad hot at times, but loved NOT running in humidity.

Before the run I had 1/2 an egg & cheese sandwich & a banana, and coconut water. About 20min before the run I took a Gel. I took fluids and gel at the times you told me too. Btw, by the end I wanted to puke from injesting that 4th gel. Was really hard to get that one down. HAHA

Legs felt strong throughout, but as you'll see, I didn't hit your recommended paces. I didn't get great sleep last nite. Kids woke me again. GRRR.... So my plan for today was just get in a grove and FINISH under a 9min pace (wanted to beat last weeks 16mile avg pace of 9:05) So, tho I didn't hit the faster paces, I'm thrilled with the overall time I finished in, as I've never run 18miles before:)!! and I broke the 9min avg pace I wanted to:)!!

18 miles in 2:40:38 (avg pace 8:55) Avg HR 148 Cardiac Drift: 163

Garmin showed these as my splits:
M1-9:00 Avg HR 144 Cardiac Drift: 154
M2-9:03 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 157
M3-8:53 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M4-8:59 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 163
M5-8:44 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 160
M6-8:50 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 157
M7-8:47 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 155
M8-8:49 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 157
M9-9:01 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 156
M10-9:02 Avg HR 148 Cardiac Drift: 151
M11-8:59 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 155
M12-9:01 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M13-8:58 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 154
M14-9:03 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M15-8:56 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M16-8:50 Avg HR 145 Cardiac Drift: 152
M17-8:52 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 156
M18-8:51 Avg HR 148 Cardiac Drift: 156

TEMPO RUN: ROUND 2; 6 MILES IN UNDER 51:00, OH SO CLOSE, BUT BETTER THAN LAST WEEKS(ROUND1) WOO HOO!!

Today's Plan:
Tempo Run- Your mission ... Round 2: complete this 6 miles in under 51-minutes!

Well, I didn't hit under 51:00, but I did better than last weeks Round 1 (51:49) Hahaha, granted I only beat it by 8 seconds, but I'll take it!! It was hot as hell out there today, Temp said 80% w 72% humidity.

45 min before the run I ate 1/2 an egg & cheese sandwich, with coconut water, and then 15 min before the run, I took a Gel.

Legs felt heavy again for the first few miles, but then opened up. I'm pleased with this run because when I wanted to push the last 2 miles, my legs responded. FINALLY, and by the last mile I was sprinting for darn close to the whole mile. Woo Hoo:)!! So, I'd say in this heat/humidity, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:)!!

6 miles in 51:41 (avg pace 8:36 ) Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 168

M1-8:53 Avg HR 145 Cardiac Drift: 153
M2-8:55 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 157
M3-8:41 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 154
M4-8:55 Avg HR 150 Cardiac Drift: 155
M5-8:32 Avg HR 153 Cardiac Drift: 160
M6-7:45 Avg HR 161 Cardiac Drift: 168

My HR avg/max for M5 was 153/160 My HR avg/max for M6 was 161/168
Finally, I pushed at the end and my legs responded. Haha, Josh, I heard you whispering in my ear, push, push, push:)!!

6 MILE RECOVERY RUN @ 10:08 PACE

Plan: 6 miles @ Maintenance & Recovery

Legs felt OK, not great in the beginning, kind of like clearing out the cob webs, but by mile 3 things were all good and overall great run. Nothing hurt, just heavy.

6 miles in 1:00:52 (avg pace 10:08) Avg HR 129 Cardiac Drift: 147
M1-10:21 Avg HR 120 Cardiac Drift: 138
M2-10:02 Avg HR 130 Cardiac Drift: 140
M3-10:04 Avg HR 130 Cardiac Drift: 140
M4-10:02 Avg HR 133 Cardiac Drift: 147
M5-10:18(up a hill) Avg HR 131 Cardiac Drift: 143
M6-10:05 Avg HR 129 Cardiac Drift: 140

INTERVAL WORKOUT

My youngest woke with pinkeye, and a subsequent doctor's visit revealed she had a double ear infection on top of the pinkeye, hence no camp, and no babysitter, so my run had to wait til hubby got home. No biggie, kids always come first!

So after hubby got home and I got everyone fed, I hit the road. 7PM, and hot but the sun was already going down, so instead of doing this workout at the track I chose to do it by the pond route over the bridge. It was delightful running at this hour. Never ran at dusk before. Got lots of funny looks, as I repeated this workout over and over the bridge 8 times LOL But legs felt strong and I nailed it!! All my sets were at 7:45 or faster!!! I also wore my fuel belt as it was hot and I didn't want to have to deal with stopping to get my fluids. I believe I drank after the 2 mile w/u, then after the 3, 5, 7th sets, then after the 2mile c/d. and then pounded the remaining gatorade. In all drank 32oz.

Oh yeah, because I was tired, and was running late, at 5:30 after my kids karate class, I had a cup of coffee (I know, a no no before a run, but I was exhausted), and I had a peanut butter on whole wheat bagel with honey. This was about 1 & 1/2 hours before my run. No issues at all during the run.

Today's plan:
2-Mile w/u
8 x 3-minutes @ 7:45/pace w/ 2-minute jogging recovery
2-Mile c/d

8.69 miles in 1:18:55 avg pace 9:05 HR avg 149; Cardiac Drift: 169

Here is the info that uploaded to my computer when I got home:

2.01 Mile w/u- time 20:12 avg pace 10:02 (6.0-7.0mph) (HR avg139; Cardiac Drift: 156)

.39M - 3:00 avg pace 7:45 (7.7-8.9mph) (HR avg159; Cardiac Drift: 163)
.18M - 2:00 avg pace 10:56 (5.5-8.3mph) (HR avg146; Cardiac Drift: 160)

.39M - 3:00 avg pace 7:45 (7.7-9.8mph) (HR avg154; Cardiac Drift: 159)
.20M - 2:00 avg pace 9:53 (6.1-8.7mph) (HR avg150; Cardiac Drift: 159)

.39M - 3:00 avg pace 7:41 (7.8-9.9mph) (HR avg159; Cardiac Drift: 167)
.18M - 2:00 avg pace 10:53 (5.5-7.3mph) (HR avg150; Cardiac Drift: 161)

.39M - 3:00 avg pace 7:45 (7.7-9.7mph) (HR avg157; Cardiac Drift: 160)
.20M - 2:00 avg pace 9:52 (6.1-7.9mph) (HR avg154; Cardiac Drift: 164)

.39M - 3:00 avg pace 7:40 (7.8-8.6mph) (HR avg160; Cardiac Drift: 165)
.19M - 2:00 avg pace 10:46 (5.6-7.9mph) (HR avg153; Cardiac Drift: 164)

.40M - 3:00 avg pace 7:30 (8.0-11.4mph) (HR avg160; Cardiac Drift: 163)
.20M - 2:00 avg pace 10:03 (6.0-7.1mph) (HR avg148; Cardiac Drift: 159)

.39M - 3:00 avg pace 7:45 (7.7-8.7mph) (HR avg159; Cardiac Drift: 163)
.19M - 2:00 avg pace 10:47 (5.6-7.7mph) (HR avg149; Cardiac Drift: 160)

.40M - 3:00 avg pace 7:25 (8.3-9.7mph) (HR avg160; Cardiac Drift: 163)
.20M - 2:00 avg pace 10:01 (6.0-8.4mph) (HR avg148; Cardiac Drift: 159)

Then 2 mile cooldown 18:43 avg pace 9:20 (6.4-7.4mph) (HR avg148; Cardiac Drift: 155)