I can officially check off qualifying for Boston off my 30 Before 30 list! I had checked it off with a disclaimer back in 2011. Since Boston changed their qualifying standards after I came up my list (and after mentally preparing to get 3:40, not break 3:35), I counted it, but it didn't really count if you know what I mean. I ran a 3:39:04 in Amsterdam, which would have counted in 2010, but not in 2011.
Last year, I tried again, but failed. I know fail is a strong word, but I was disappointed. I didn't even PR, which was unfortunate given the much better training program I stuck to and almost ideal running conditions in Chicago. But again, Boston eluded me.
I guess 5th time's a charm. After 2 New Yorks, 1 Amsterdam, and 1 Chicago, I had to essentially 'go home' to make it to Boston. After the terrible events in Boston back in April, I was going to give qualifying another chance, even though I had planned to take a year off to give myself a break and try again next year. One marathon that I kept hearing that had a good flat, fast course was the Wineglass Marathon in upstate New York, not far from where I grew up. Not only did it have a lot of Boston qualifiers, it had some good schwag. And what runner doesn't love their schwag?
First step—sign up for Wineglass. Second step—train. And train I did. I had a good solid base this past spring, but summer came and it was time to ramp it up. Earlier in the year, I joined a local running team, Central Park Track Club. These runners are amazing. Some are faster than I'll ever dream of and I'm fortunate to be on the same team as them. And it was a shoo-in since my sisters were already on the team.
My plan was to do my typical marathon training plan, but try to incorporate as many of the team track and tempo workouts that I could. If I could make it to one workout a week, I thought that would be a great start. I felt the track workout was the more important workout to get to, since it was more complicated to do logistically. I could do the tempos on my own, but running with the team would be ideal. I think those track workouts made me faster and I'm happy for my teammates who pushed me without even realizing it. I just tried to keep up with all those speedy people.
I built up my mileage, ran the track, did tempos around the bridle path, and got some key races in this summer/fall, including a 5k and 1/2 marathon PR. All good setup for a marathon PR.
Until this past Thursday night. I was in full taper mode and trying to relax the days leading up the marathon (in the midst of client needs). But no, my body had other things on its mind. Instead of sleeping through the night, I woke up repeatedly and actually got sick. Not cool. Friday I felt like total crap. I wore my company's oversized fleece all day since I had the chills (and it was in the 80s outside), and dealt with a lingering headache. Exactly what you want to deal with 2 days before running a marathon. Oh and add a weather forecast of showers/thunderstorms and 93% humidity. Not in the plan. Not even a little bit.
After hydrating and carbo-loading on Saturday (and one last easy run in the Statelands), there was nothing more to do. Fortunately, I woke up Sunday morning feeling much better. I was glad to feel like my normal self and tried to not let the overcast and warmer than normal October, 63 degree weather discourage me. Although, I did hope that the storms would stay away.
Everyone knows that I ran to BQ, but what was my real goal. Up to 3 weeks ago, it was to break 3:35. But then I PR'd at the RNR Philly 1/2 marathon by almost 3 minutes, which gave me a time of 1:40:22. Putting that into a race predictor, it put my marathon time at 3:30. Now what to do? Be conservative and aim for my original goal of breaking 3:35 or screw it and see if I can do 3:30? I spent last week analyzing my previous marathon times and assessing if 3:30 was realistic. I decided it was and wanted to go for it. By the way, 3:30 would have been a PR of 9 minutes, which did seem ambitious.
Of course, given the weather, I mentally adjusted my goal slightly. Which meant I was still shooting for 3:30, but I would be ok if I was a minute or 2 off. Although, I did not want to be off by 5 minutes. At the start I inserted myself between the 3:25 and 3:35 pace groups. I wanted to stay behind one and in front of the other.
Before getting into my actual race, I wanted to give a topline review of the course. The race started in Bath and finished in Corning. I ran on country roads and through small towns. A hill here and there were thrown in, but there were some decent downhills. It was overcast and a bit foggy, which looked cool with the fall foliage peeping through. Even though blue skies would have been prettier. But I didn't want the sun to come out. At least not until the afternoon.
Since it's a small race (2500 registrants and 1682 finishers), and went small towns, there wasn't an overwhelming number of spectators. You got to see the same cheerers over and over, and I'm happy to say my dad and brother were among them. My sisters were waiting for me further along on the course. Some of my favorite scenes (besides the cows), were the couples who pulled up their chairs at the end of their driveway to watch and a practically naked toddler who tried to run onto the course somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I liked it since it reminded me of home, but without the Finger Lake hills and valleys.
Back to the running part of the race. Sporting my CPTC orange, I started out on the downhill and began my 26.2 mile journey. My first mile clocked in around 8:04. Slightly faster than I wanted, but not terrible. Now I don't have a Garmin, so my times are totally what I remember with my foggy marathon brain and what my results tell me. After this, I was ranging around the 8:10-8:15 range. Which I was good with and wanted to maintain at least until the halfway point. I focused and completed the first 10 miles with no issue. Except for the 3:35 pacer who kept talking about his Lasik surgery that was happening the next day. After I got caught in the pace group for a bit and them sneaking up on me a couple of times, I finally got rid of them for good. I just can't remember at what mile, but it was relatively early on so they didn't bother me too much longer. I caught up to a few other women running, who soon realized they were going way faster than their goal. I lost them at a certain point and kept focusing on ahead. I saw my dad and Levi at two points in the first half, where my brother got a few good action shots and gave me a constant energy.
After I saw them at mile 10, I focused on the next 10 miles, where I knew I'd see my sisters after the halfway point. However, after I didn't see them at miles 13, 14, and 15, I assumed they must have been delayed (didn't think this happened) or got lost somewhere between Corning and where I was running. Turns out the latter was the case. Not surprised since it's pretty rural. When Alysia joined me between miles 15 and 16, she gave me a quick update and mentioned that everyone told them they were running the wrong way. Ambreleah then joined us at around mile 17 (I think it was here but can't remember). At this point, my pace went down and I was running in the 7:50 range. I couldn't do math at this point, but I was informed by the twin's Garmins.
I got to mile 20 (which isn't too memorable, but I know I made it) and focused on the last 10k of the race. I was still feeling good and wanted to get to mile 21, where I heard there was a steady decline to the finish. They didn't tell me there would be one last hill included for good measure. But I felt strong and passed by the folks walking up the hill. I kept moving along and picking people off. I focused on one runner (or 2) ahead of me and closed the gap. I kept at it. I focused on each mile and continued to do math in my head to assess finish times. That .2 always throws me off though and my estimation is always faster than it should be. I had a few miles to go and powered through with thoughts on Boston, running it in 2015 and all those affected by the bombing. I counted to 100 (my MO) many times. Too many to count. I did get a pleasant surprise when a group of strangers called out my name around mile 25. The twins had run ahead to take pics and inform these nice spectators of my impending arrival.
I finally turned onto Market Street and passed mile 26. I saw my family cheering me on and with one last burst of energy, ran through the finish line. I was tired. But a good tired. I was so happy I accomplished my goal. I felt strong for the entire race, even though that last mile was a little tougher than the rest (mile 25 always sucks). I was given my hand-pressed glass medal. I downed some chocolate milk, and collected beverages to last me a week. Once the fam found me, we took some photos, and made our way to Market Street Brewing Co. to celebrate and replenish with more fluids (aka beer sampler). I celebrated further last night after I got back to NYC and drank my New York champagne out of my new wine glass as I relaxed on the couch. Yummy. Like I said, good schwag.
Today, I'm feeling a bit sore. Throughout the day, I've been rolling my quads and slowly walking around the office. But it hasn't been terrible. Each marathon I run, it gets a little easier to recover. Or maybe I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning. We'll see.
I have decided to take next year off from the marathon and focus on smaller races. I'll register for Boston next September and finally run in 2015!
Last year, I tried again, but failed. I know fail is a strong word, but I was disappointed. I didn't even PR, which was unfortunate given the much better training program I stuck to and almost ideal running conditions in Chicago. But again, Boston eluded me.
I guess 5th time's a charm. After 2 New Yorks, 1 Amsterdam, and 1 Chicago, I had to essentially 'go home' to make it to Boston. After the terrible events in Boston back in April, I was going to give qualifying another chance, even though I had planned to take a year off to give myself a break and try again next year. One marathon that I kept hearing that had a good flat, fast course was the Wineglass Marathon in upstate New York, not far from where I grew up. Not only did it have a lot of Boston qualifiers, it had some good schwag. And what runner doesn't love their schwag?
First step—sign up for Wineglass. Second step—train. And train I did. I had a good solid base this past spring, but summer came and it was time to ramp it up. Earlier in the year, I joined a local running team, Central Park Track Club. These runners are amazing. Some are faster than I'll ever dream of and I'm fortunate to be on the same team as them. And it was a shoo-in since my sisters were already on the team.
My plan was to do my typical marathon training plan, but try to incorporate as many of the team track and tempo workouts that I could. If I could make it to one workout a week, I thought that would be a great start. I felt the track workout was the more important workout to get to, since it was more complicated to do logistically. I could do the tempos on my own, but running with the team would be ideal. I think those track workouts made me faster and I'm happy for my teammates who pushed me without even realizing it. I just tried to keep up with all those speedy people.
I built up my mileage, ran the track, did tempos around the bridle path, and got some key races in this summer/fall, including a 5k and 1/2 marathon PR. All good setup for a marathon PR.
Until this past Thursday night. I was in full taper mode and trying to relax the days leading up the marathon (in the midst of client needs). But no, my body had other things on its mind. Instead of sleeping through the night, I woke up repeatedly and actually got sick. Not cool. Friday I felt like total crap. I wore my company's oversized fleece all day since I had the chills (and it was in the 80s outside), and dealt with a lingering headache. Exactly what you want to deal with 2 days before running a marathon. Oh and add a weather forecast of showers/thunderstorms and 93% humidity. Not in the plan. Not even a little bit.
After hydrating and carbo-loading on Saturday (and one last easy run in the Statelands), there was nothing more to do. Fortunately, I woke up Sunday morning feeling much better. I was glad to feel like my normal self and tried to not let the overcast and warmer than normal October, 63 degree weather discourage me. Although, I did hope that the storms would stay away.
Everyone knows that I ran to BQ, but what was my real goal. Up to 3 weeks ago, it was to break 3:35. But then I PR'd at the RNR Philly 1/2 marathon by almost 3 minutes, which gave me a time of 1:40:22. Putting that into a race predictor, it put my marathon time at 3:30. Now what to do? Be conservative and aim for my original goal of breaking 3:35 or screw it and see if I can do 3:30? I spent last week analyzing my previous marathon times and assessing if 3:30 was realistic. I decided it was and wanted to go for it. By the way, 3:30 would have been a PR of 9 minutes, which did seem ambitious.
Of course, given the weather, I mentally adjusted my goal slightly. Which meant I was still shooting for 3:30, but I would be ok if I was a minute or 2 off. Although, I did not want to be off by 5 minutes. At the start I inserted myself between the 3:25 and 3:35 pace groups. I wanted to stay behind one and in front of the other.
Before getting into my actual race, I wanted to give a topline review of the course. The race started in Bath and finished in Corning. I ran on country roads and through small towns. A hill here and there were thrown in, but there were some decent downhills. It was overcast and a bit foggy, which looked cool with the fall foliage peeping through. Even though blue skies would have been prettier. But I didn't want the sun to come out. At least not until the afternoon.
Since it's a small race (2500 registrants and 1682 finishers), and went small towns, there wasn't an overwhelming number of spectators. You got to see the same cheerers over and over, and I'm happy to say my dad and brother were among them. My sisters were waiting for me further along on the course. Some of my favorite scenes (besides the cows), were the couples who pulled up their chairs at the end of their driveway to watch and a practically naked toddler who tried to run onto the course somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I liked it since it reminded me of home, but without the Finger Lake hills and valleys.
Back to the running part of the race. Sporting my CPTC orange, I started out on the downhill and began my 26.2 mile journey. My first mile clocked in around 8:04. Slightly faster than I wanted, but not terrible. Now I don't have a Garmin, so my times are totally what I remember with my foggy marathon brain and what my results tell me. After this, I was ranging around the 8:10-8:15 range. Which I was good with and wanted to maintain at least until the halfway point. I focused and completed the first 10 miles with no issue. Except for the 3:35 pacer who kept talking about his Lasik surgery that was happening the next day. After I got caught in the pace group for a bit and them sneaking up on me a couple of times, I finally got rid of them for good. I just can't remember at what mile, but it was relatively early on so they didn't bother me too much longer. I caught up to a few other women running, who soon realized they were going way faster than their goal. I lost them at a certain point and kept focusing on ahead. I saw my dad and Levi at two points in the first half, where my brother got a few good action shots and gave me a constant energy.
After I saw them at mile 10, I focused on the next 10 miles, where I knew I'd see my sisters after the halfway point. However, after I didn't see them at miles 13, 14, and 15, I assumed they must have been delayed (didn't think this happened) or got lost somewhere between Corning and where I was running. Turns out the latter was the case. Not surprised since it's pretty rural. When Alysia joined me between miles 15 and 16, she gave me a quick update and mentioned that everyone told them they were running the wrong way. Ambreleah then joined us at around mile 17 (I think it was here but can't remember). At this point, my pace went down and I was running in the 7:50 range. I couldn't do math at this point, but I was informed by the twin's Garmins.
I got to mile 20 (which isn't too memorable, but I know I made it) and focused on the last 10k of the race. I was still feeling good and wanted to get to mile 21, where I heard there was a steady decline to the finish. They didn't tell me there would be one last hill included for good measure. But I felt strong and passed by the folks walking up the hill. I kept moving along and picking people off. I focused on one runner (or 2) ahead of me and closed the gap. I kept at it. I focused on each mile and continued to do math in my head to assess finish times. That .2 always throws me off though and my estimation is always faster than it should be. I had a few miles to go and powered through with thoughts on Boston, running it in 2015 and all those affected by the bombing. I counted to 100 (my MO) many times. Too many to count. I did get a pleasant surprise when a group of strangers called out my name around mile 25. The twins had run ahead to take pics and inform these nice spectators of my impending arrival.
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| Closing in on a BQ. |
I finally turned onto Market Street and passed mile 26. I saw my family cheering me on and with one last burst of energy, ran through the finish line. I was tired. But a good tired. I was so happy I accomplished my goal. I felt strong for the entire race, even though that last mile was a little tougher than the rest (mile 25 always sucks). I was given my hand-pressed glass medal. I downed some chocolate milk, and collected beverages to last me a week. Once the fam found me, we took some photos, and made our way to Market Street Brewing Co. to celebrate and replenish with more fluids (aka beer sampler). I celebrated further last night after I got back to NYC and drank my New York champagne out of my new wine glass as I relaxed on the couch. Yummy. Like I said, good schwag.
Today, I'm feeling a bit sore. Throughout the day, I've been rolling my quads and slowly walking around the office. But it hasn't been terrible. Each marathon I run, it gets a little easier to recover. Or maybe I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning. We'll see.
I have decided to take next year off from the marathon and focus on smaller races. I'll register for Boston next September and finally run in 2015!
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| My support crew. |
