Monday miles

Nice, easy, "getting back into it" week.

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Miles last week:
11.5

Miles in 2016:
951

Grand Rapids Marathon Race Pics

A photo I'll cherish forever!

Race Re-Cap: Grand Rapids Marathon

Well, it's done! My time was four minutes slower than last year's marathon (a time I was really, really hoping to improve on), however, I felt so strong throughout the entire race. The last two miles were tough, as is to be expected, but I never hit a wall. Never thought "Why on earth am I doing this?" Even though my finish time was slower than I'd hoped, I'm so happy with myself. I feel like training by heart rate prepared me to start slow, keep it steady, and finish strong. I had a race plan, I stuck to it.  Plus…I ran a negative split!

Miles 1–7 @ 12:23/mile
I kept my heart rate at 155bpm. This was tough. I felt like I had more to give, but kept telling myself that energy I gave now would be better spent at the end. I fueled for the first time at the 5 mile mark.

Miles 8–13 @12:17/mile
Still feeling great. Upped my heart rate to 160bpm. Lots of hills in this part of the race. Fueled for the second time at the half marathon mark.

Miles 14-20 @ 12:14/mile
Miles 14 through 18 were my fastest of the entire race 11:35–12:05/mile. There was a 7 mile out and back stretch that seemed never ending. But despite the mental boredom, I kept telling myself how strong I felt, even though my legs were starting to complain a bit by mile 20. Two fueling bonuses this section were the most delicious banana half I've ever eaten at mile 15, and pickle juice (holy cow did that hit the spot) around mile 18.

Miles 21–26 @ 12:12/mile
That slow pace I started with in the first half paid off in these last five miles. By mile 22 I allowed myself a 1 minute walk/water break at each mile marker. My quads were on fire, but I'd keep pushing until I saw the next mile flag. This stage of the race I passed at least 6-10 people per mile – so good for my mental strength! At mile 23 I started running with an older gentleman that had run the marathon before. We chatted and kept each other moving forward until I stopped for water at mile 25 (I know…only 1.2 miles to go, but I needed to walk for a minute.)

Mile .2 @11:15/mile
Kyle and the girls were waiting for me at the 26 mile mark. I was struggling to keep it together when I saw them at the corner, cheering for me. Then, the girls grabbed my hands and said they were going to run to the finish line with me. If I thought it was difficult before, try running the last .2 mile while holding your daughters' hands and trying your best not to hyperventilate while crying. :) Challenging, but beautiful! I can't wait to see the finish line photos with my babies.

So…that's it. Marathon #2 is in the books. Sunday night when I crawled (literally) into bed, I told Kyle I was pretty sure that was my last marathon. Today, despite two days of the sorest quads I've ever had, and a 48-hour fear of stairs, I'm thinking I'd like to give the Grand Rapids Marathon another try next year. I've signed up for a Heart Rate 102 – Bag 'O Speed plan through the Train Like a Mother Club and will use it to train for the Sergeant Preston Yukon King 10K on January 1st. I truly feel that heart rate training is for me. I ran five days a week, slow and easy, injury free, and finished a marathon with nothing more than terribly sore quads for the next couple of days. Oh…and a great sense of accomplishment. Can't forget about that.

Monday miles

Slowest pace of the week:
12:10

Fastest pace of the week:
11:54

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Miles last week:
36.5

Miles in 2016:
939.5

Tomorrow's the day!

Last run of the training plan selfie

As I type this, I'm enjoying a quiet cup of coffee and thinking about where I'll be in a smidge more than twenty-four hours…THE STARTING LINE! I'm 95% excited, 5% nervous. 

A few notes on weeks 18–24…

My pace at 140bpm has significantly improved with the cooler air temps and lower humidity. My average is a 10:50–11:00min/mile on those <140 training runs. I ran a "Give it all you've got" 6-miler a couple of weeks ago (NOT on the training plan, but I forgot my heart rate monitor, it was 45˚F when I went out for my run, and I really, really wanted to see what I could do.) My pace? 9:50m/mile. Made me smile. Oh…and it made me hurt!! My hips (always a problem last year after my long runs) were so sore. I kind of regretted it, and decided to save the pain for the marathon. Lesson learned.

95% Excited:

• I'm excited to spend a few hours (4-5!) running through the city of Grand Rapids. I enjoyed last week's taper week, but, this week was stressful and not being able to run off of some of that tension has left me a little cranky.
• I know that this marathon experience is going to be completely different than my first. This time there are more than 4,000 runners (vs. less than 70 marathoners at last year's Oktoberfest Marathon.) With the city of Grand Rapids to soak in, as well as the company of thousands of other runners, my mind is going to have so much to keep it occupied when the running gets tough.
• The weather is going to be perfect! A crisp 40˚F at the start, around 60˚F when I finish sometime between 12:00pm and 1:0pm.
• I have a very specific race plan. The first nine miles I'll keep my heart rate below 155bmp, over the next few hours I'll allow it to creep up at 5bpm intervals until the last mile when I'll give it everything. I know exactly when I'll fuel, how much water to drink and when. I feel very, very prepared.
• Last year I ran four long runs over 16 miles. This time…there were seven. Two 20 milers on the schedule.
• I want to see what I can do this time around. I've spent the past 24 weeks training for tomorrow. That was the hard part. This, this is the fun party at the end!

5% Nervous:

• I've spend the past 24 weeks training for tomorrow. That's 6 months!
• My expectations are high – I want to do so much better than I did in my first race. However, the outcome is unknown, and I like to know what's in store. No surprises. (Yeah, right!)
• Even though I've spent a lot more time running during this training plan, unlike last year, I never actually ran a 20-miler. My long runs were given time limits, and the longest I've spent on my feet is 4:20 minutes. I capped out at 18 miles. My long runs were capped at time AND 140bpm, I'll be racing at a much high heart rate, but still…NERVOUS!

So…that's it. Tomorrow is the day. I'll be sure to find time later next week for a full race report. My first marathon with Heart Rate Training as my guide. Wish me luck!

Monday miles

Slowest pace of the week:
13:05

Fastest pace of the week:
9:50

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Miles last week:
29

Miles in 2016:
903

Monday miles

Slowest pace of the week:
11:21

Fastest pace of the week:
12:25

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Miles last week:
29

Miles in 2016:
874.5