Race Recap: Chilly 1/2 Marathon

Yesterday was my first race/long run since my injury in August.  I had the best intentions to train for this race (as noted in the post a few weeks ago) but since then life sort of happened.  I ended up getting in a few 4-5 mile runs each week before the race but I wasn’t able to get in a 10 miler like I had hoped.  Given the lack of training I didn’t have high expectations for my performance and instead focused on having fun and enjoying Anne Marie’s company.

Race:

Anne Marie and I had a solid plan going in to the race, We were hoping to finish under 2 hours (9:15 ish average pace) but wanted to make sure we took it out slow.  The Chilly 1/2 course is pretty hilly through the middle miles (6-12) so we wanted to make sure we had enough energy to make it through that section.  We started slow, around 10 min/mile and slowly sped up through the first 6 miles to about 9:30.  I was feeling great at mile 6 so I kept going and ended up hitting splits of 8:38-8:40 through the back half of the race to finish in just under 2 hours, 1:58.  I was a few minutes off my PR (1:55) but was very happy with the finish.  I also got a chance to see my friend Allie who was watching at mile 10, it was so great to see a friendly face during a difficult portion of the race!

I felt like I ran a smart race overall, though I wish I had taken my second GU around mile 10.  I took the first one right around mile 6 and felt great but at mile 10 my stomach wasn’t feeling another GU and I hit a little wall through the last mile of the race.  Next time, I will try to take a second GU even if I only get to eat 1/2 of it around mile 10 to help feel strong through the last three miles.

Overall we had a great day!  The race was really well organized: started on time, plenty of bathrooms and tons of volunteers at the aid stations.  I will definitely be coming back next year!  Congrats to all the finishers yesterday!

My Day in Pictures:

Pre-Race Nerves

Bathroom Lines

Start!

 

 

 

Finished in 1:58

Really looking forward to a few rest days before I start training for the Frosty 1/2 Marathon on December 14th.

Boston Update:

I got my first few emails from the LLS coaches and am very excited that our first TNT meeting is less than 1 month away!  I have been making progress in my fundraising efforts, thanks to everyone who has donated!  I’m hoping to get 1/2 way to my goal by Christmas.  If you haven’t already, please consider donating at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston15/dclowes

Thanks 🙂

The Road to Boston Begins

For those of you who know me, you know that running the Boston Marathon has been my dream since I saw my mom run when I was 10 years old.  And while I am not yet fast enough to qualify for the race, which I hope to do one day, I have the pleasure of being selected to be a member of Team in Training (TNT) for the 2015 Boston Marathon.

As a part of Team in Training I will be working to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), this funding will help fund treatments that save lives every day; like immnuotherapies that use a person’s own immune system to kill cancer. You may not know it, but every single donation helps save a life with breakthrough therapies such as these.

I am very excited to begin training for the Boston Marathon and plan on keeping this blog to track my training progress and my thoughts along the way.

Please consider making a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help get us all closer to a world without blood cancers.  You can make a donation by following this link: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston15/dclowes or clicking on the TNT logo on the right side of my blog.

Thank you!