Three Things Thursday (The Race Preparation Edition)

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Coco

My final preparations for the GW Parkway Classic included buying these three things at the grocery store.

  1. While we have lots of Gatorade in the house for my son, I only like the red Fruit Punch flavor, so I always pick up a bottle of that to put in my sports bottle on race days.
  2. The Pepto Bismol was an attempt to avoid the post-race GI issues that seem to hit harder and harder with each race. I downed a dose in the car on the way home and again about an hour later. While it didn’t work like magic, I didn’t have to spend the day close to a bathroom.
  3. When the weather forecast called for cold rain I set my sights on a post-race epsom salt bath. I may go back to ice baths in the summer, but the hot epsom salt bath in our whirlpool soaking tub was divine.

What things do you need to have on hand for race day?

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(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (The Senior Day Edition)

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Coco

Yesterday was “Senior Day” for my son’s lacrosse team.


(If you are not familiar with “senior day” in the world of high school sports,
you should watch this episode of “The Middle.”)

Before the game, each mom was given a corsage, and each senior was recognized and escorted across the field by his parents while the announcer read a short profile with his favorite subject, favorite sports player, college plans, etc.

I did not cry, but I was so caught up in the moment
that I have no idea what the announcer said about my son.
(I had to check the progam afterwards.)

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Setting A Realistic Race Goal

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Coco

Although I have a hard time setting specific goal times for my races, I usually end up picking some number to chase after as I run the course. Sometimes the number is a nice round number that sounds good, like the 2:00 goal my friend set for us for the Rock’N”Roll USA Half Marathon. Sometimes the number is based the pace I think I can keep, like the 1:25 goal I had for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. But there are several reasons why it can be difficult to meet a goal based on your estimated race pace.

Setting A Race Goal
1. A crowded start. If I get caught up with a group of faster runners, my first mile may be really fast. On the other hand, if it is a crowded race or a narrow course, I may spend much of the first mile trying to break away from the pack and find my groove. It’s hard to factor this in ahead of time unless you are familiar with the race, but lining up towards the front of your pace group and near the outside can help minimize the impact of a crowded start.
Continue reading →

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Race Recap: GW Parkway Classic 2012 (Strong & Proud)

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Coco

Despite my worries and the gloomy weather forecast


the weather turned out not to be the story of this race. Actually, the weather was nearly perfect for me–cool with a light drizzle. I’d much rather run under those conditions than on a bright, sunny day.

Nevertheless, my husband made sure I was prepared for rain at the start. He was very proud of the perfectly-sized neck hole he cut for me in one of our pretty blue yard trashbags!


As you can tell, I decided not to wear my lightweight jacket. I figured I was more likely to regret having it than not having it, and it was the right decision. I was never cold or even very wet.

The real story of this race was my mental attitude. Maybe because this was my third race in six weeks, or maybe because my friends had bailed once again, but I just wasn’t very excited about it. I did all the right things to prepare for race day, but as my husband was driving me to the race, I commented on my lack of enthusiasm.  Even when I was lined up at the start I felt more calm and relaxed than pumped up. Maybe that’s not a bad way to start a race, but it’s unusual for me.

I had just read David’s post about his experience at the Blue Ridge Half Marathon and was struck by his comment that approaching a race without a goal didn’t really work for him, so I set myself a goal of maintaining an 8:30-ish pace. I had no idea what finish time that would translate to, but I figured it was a reasonable goal given my recent times in the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and the Rock’n’Roll USA Half Marathon.

I made a last-minute decision to hit the porta-potty and then lined up in the 8:00-8:30 pace group just a few minutes before the start time.

The start was a bit crowded, but the first mile is mostly downhill, so my first mile split was where I wanted it to be (8:16). The first five miles include some rolling hills, and they were as challenging as I thought they would be. I kept thinking that we had reached the last hill before the long downhill and flat stretch that would take us into Old Town, but then I would see one more rise up ahead. I was pleased when I reached the mile 5 split at about 42 minutes, and glad that that really was the last hill for a while.

I was using my Garmin to monitor my pace, and noticed that even on the downhill and flat sections I was falling into a comfortable pace instead of pushing myself to keep a race pace. Soon after mile 5 I found myself running side-by-side with a woman who was going just a bit faster than I was, so I made it a point to keep up with her, and eventually passed her (although I’m pretty sure she passed me at the end). That mental challenge lifted my spirits and helped me pick up my pace.

Afer mile 6, I kept seeing higher numbers on my Garmin than I wanted to. I noticed that I was getting discouraged and gave myself a pep talk. I knew that I was on track for a decent finish as long as I didn’t throw in the towel. I don’t usually use mantras to keep me going, but I decided that I needed to focus on finishing “strong and proud,” so I made that my mantra.  

That helped me get to mile 8, but it was hard knowing that I was being passed by lots of people. As we turned into Old Town and went up the final hill, I felt strong, but I reminded myself that we still had a mile to go. I tried to push my pace a bit, but was afraid of using up whatever energy I had left too soon.

I had convinced myself that the finish line was going to be farther off than I expected, so I actually was surprised when I could see the finish banner up ahead. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had nothing left for a sprint to the end, but I did my best to keep pushing. The finish clock was ticking to 1:25 and I really wanted to beat that number!

(Hah! I crossed that finish line at 1:24:59 on the race clock!)

When I crossed the finish mats and stopped my Garmin, I was proud to see my time:

1:24:30

Going into this race, my vague goal was to finish in 1:25-ish, and I had nailed that goal.

I called my husband to let him know where I was (he saw me finish, but I hadn’t see him), and then we made our way to the car. The seat warmer never felt so good, but my hot epsom salt bath felt even better!

Garmin Data
Totat Distance: 10.05 miles
Total Time: 1:24: 30 (avg 8:24 pace)
Split Times: 8:12, 8:08, 8:16, 8:23, 8:36, 8:16, 8:25, 8:33, 8:47, 8:30

How do you handle the mental challenges of a race?

Do you have a mantra you draw on?

Posted in Fitness, Race Recaps | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Racing Rain or Shine?!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Coco

So here we are on the eve of the GW Parkway Classic and the meteorologists are telling us that today is the nice day of the weekend, because the forecast for tomorrow calls for heavy rain. I am trying to psych myself up for a 90 minute run in the rain, trying to convince myself that it will be fun, trying to keep in mind how much better that post-race grande bold Starbucks will taste, and reminding myself to get some more Epsom salt for a nice hot bath afterwards. I’m not sure it’s working yet, but I still have about 23 hours to convince myself.

This past week seems like a blur because I had so many after-work activities and meetings, but I did a pretty good job of sticking with my morning workout plans.

Monday (Weights)
Walking: 1.5 mile morning dog walk
Weights: 30 min mostly arms and abs

Tuesday (Treadmill Speed Intervals)
5 min walking warm-up @ 3.7 mph
5 min running warm-up @ 5.7, 6.0 and 6.3 mph
30 min of 5 min cycles with 2 min @ 6.5 mph, 2 min @ 6.7 mph, 1 min @ 6.3 mph,
     with 2 min @ 7.0 mph tossed in at the end
2 min running cool-down @ 6.0 mph
3 min walking cool-down @ 3.7 mph

Wednesday (Weights)
Elliptical: 15 min random program
Weights: 30 min mostly arms and abs
Walking: 1 mile afternoon dog walk

Thursday (Rest)
I woke up with a headache and a slightly sore throat and decided to snooze.  I think it was just allergies but the extra hour of sleep did not hurt.

Friday (Weights)
Walking: 1.5  mile morning dog walk
Weights: 30 min mostly arms and abs

Saturday (Walking)
Walking: 1 mile morning dog walk

Last night I picked up my race bib and t-shirt.


(I think it’s silly that they chose the monuments for their logo
because the course isn’t anywhere near them, but it’s a pretty logo!)

My plans for today are to hydrate, eat right, and find a big garbage bag to keep me dry at the starting area.

Have you ever had to race in the pouring rain?

Have you decided not to race because of a rainy weather forecast?

Posted in Fitness, Training Log | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments