Race Report - 3rd 1/2 Marathon of the year - Season Wrap Up

 I want to share this great card my husband and kids gave me after my 1/2 Ironman race in September.  They are pretty amazing and my secret spot is formulating some dreams for next year, but until then here is my last race report for 2016. 

Card my husband and kids gave me
after my 1/2 Ironman in September

Card my husband and kids gave me
after my 1/2 Ironman in September

Well, another season is officially in the books.  I have a couple of fun runs left yet this fall but last weekend was my last A race with the IMT Des Moines half marathon.  This was the third time I have run this race and I had a plan.  In 2011 this was my third race in my first year of doing them.  I finished it with a PR and a serious runners high.  It was amazing.  2012 -13 seasons had me laid up with injury issues and a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.  2014 was a test the waters year with five triathlons racing with the Kyle’s Bike triathlon team.  I did this half last year as a test to see if I could build back up to ½ Ironman distance racing again and was pleased with my results even if I wasn’t back up to the speed I was hoping for.  I did Dam to Dam ½ marathon this June but wan’t happy with how the run felt and was determined to have a good wrap up run.

Since march I have been training with John Mongar getting “strongar with Mongar” he says.  John is an experienced runner and triathlete and I worked with him last year as I built up my racing abilities again.  He helped me have some strong late season finishes at the Hy-Vee and Cyman triathlons and I was determined to dream big for 2015.  I knew I could hit my mark with his help keeping me on track.  John and I managed my workouts with assistance of Google docs to track my monthly workout plan and actual workouts accomplished.  Most weeks I had a strength building session and we would take a minute at the end to see if I hit my primary workouts for the prior week and set some focus areas for the coming week.  John’s positive encouragement kept me going when I felt like I couldn’t train another mile.

At the start of the season these were my goals:

1. Finish another 1/2 Ironman - done
2. Get my run at distance at a 9 minute mile - see my two des 1/2 marathon blog write ups for my two best halves with splits. - average 9.30 for the half but have been doing 8:30 ave for 2-4 mile runs so getting closer
3. Get to a 20-22 mph average on the bike - I've been all over the place on this in past years but a strong ride for me last year was in the 18-19 mph range. I need to do the miles in the saddle and that is where I fell short in 2011 training for my last half.  Still stuck in the 18-19 mph range so lots of room for improvement.
4. Have an age group top 3 in a race or two and not because I am the only one in my age group. - had a second place finish in my ½ ironman
5. Figure out the mental override for my run on hot/humid days so my training overcomes my MS - had a lot more early morning training sessions to avoid the heat … but not the humidity
6. Trim down a bit - guess I like to eat too much.  :)

My A races were the 1/2 Ironman in September where the run got the best of me, and this race.  I’ve been having some really great training runs leading into this race with 2-4 mile runs with 8:30 minute miles so I was optimistic going into this race.  I wasn’t sure I would hit a PR but I thought I could get pretty close.

Yes!

The morning of the race it was around 35 at the start but I love the cooler temps so that works for me.  Joe and I drove down with plenty of time park, use the restroom and find just the right start spot.  I was determined to hit a time somewhere between 2:05 and 2:10 so we lined up about 50 feet in front of the 2:10 pace sign.  We got things started and I knew I needed to hit mile times that were under 10 minutes.  Once we got out of the first mile of traffic our next three miles were under 9:30 (8:52, 8:59, 9:14) and part of me was ecstatic and part of me was worried we went out a little too strong.  Around mile five on the backside of Water Works Park I was trying to mentally pull things back together and had what was supposed to be my first of two honey stinger gels.  This gave me a boost from a 9:46 minute fifth mile to the next three being 9:11, 9:19, 9:20.  The irony here is I was just running but not feeling like I was running fast. These miles also had a bit of a head wind so I am surprised they were faster.  I had been taking on water every other stop the first six or seven miles.  Around mile 8 I decided to take on Gatorade instead of waiting until I got to Grey’s Lake to take another gel.

The run around Grey’s Lake felt a bit slower with miles that ranged from 9:29 to 9:47.  I was definitely slowing down and having to talk to myself a bit to keep the wheels on the bus.  I don’t think I was physically laboring or feeling bad, just in a weird place mentally which was holding me back a bit.  This lack of focus is where I lost my shot as matching my best time although I wasn’t paying close enough attention to get myself back on track.  I started taking on water at most of the stops seems like mostly to have an excuse to walk for a second and took on another Gatorade just out of the park.

Joe and I at the finish line.

We got to the little ½ marathon out and back and I saw the guy with the 2:10 sign coming and picked up the pace a little bit.  I didn’t realize how close we were to the finish once we got into downtown so turned up the pace later than I should have but managed a strong last three block finish anyway.  I am happy with the outcome of this race and have high hopes I can get below my PR next year.

Here is the breakdown between 2011 and 2015:

2011 - 6.5 mile time 1:07:46 / ave 10:26 min mile - final time 2:06:27 / ave 9:40 min mile /  final place 191 in division (this race had me negative splitting as I went)

2015 - 6.5 mile time 1:05:08 / ave 9:41 min mile - final time 2:08:12 /ave 9:48 min mile / final place 113 in division (this race had me maintaining a nearly constant split but slightly slower second half)

Milo and Ash our new kittens

Flowers after my 1/2 Ironman
race in September because
my family is awesome.

I feel good about how the year went and am looking forward to even bigger goals for next year that include another ½ Ironman and maybe even a marathon (testing the waters for doing an Ironman distance in 2017 or 18).  I want to say a huge thanks to my family who supported me in my racing training efforts this year.   Thanks to the people who picked me up when I was harder on myself than I needed to be.  Thanks to my coach and my training buddies who gave me something to look forward to each week, kept me on track and helped me achieve my goals. And now I am going to play with my two new little buddies. Too cute!