Just curious if there’s a reason for this (I also usually walk hills). Do bridges have a more forgiving grade generally?
Thank you!! I needed all the luck that I could get!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate the well wishes and congratulations.
I was kind of in the zone trying not to fall during the downhill and then when I finally looked up I felt so out of place.
"The reason is that I live downtown and the only hills we have are for bridges. Before we moved, I ran almost exclusively on hills because that was what was out my front door.
Aww, thanks. The turtle was the first short animal that came to mind but I do like the idea of a cheetah... Maybe at least aAwesome job!!! You are so fast, so you should probably choose a diff emoji than a turtle. Maybe a short cheetah?
Much appreciated! I'm very happy with how it all turned out.
1:48:03!?! That's freaking amazing! You should be damn proud of yourself!!! Congratulations.Drake Road Race Recap (aka <1:50 or bust)
Pre Race
I woke up 10 min before my alarm which was delightful. It gave me plenty of time to make some tea and toast a couple of pop tarts. I know pop tarts aren't the healthiest choice, but they've never done me wrong and if I forget to buy them they're easy to find.
After brekkie it was time for the morning dog walk. During our quick lap around the neighborhood, I noticed my right knee felt a little twinge. Nothing painful, just a gentle reminder that it was there and I needed to do my dynamic warm up.
We arrived at the race 30 min before the start and snagged one of the last parking spots in the parking lot. It was a bit chilly walking to the start (feels like <40) but since my husband was running, I didn't have the luxury to bundle up until the last minute. We ducked into the stadium and to my surprise the potty line was only 10 women deep so I decided that was my best opportunity.I did a few stretches while waiting in line and then finished my routine outside. By that time it was only 10 min to go so I headed for the corral. This race is centered around a big track meet and attracts a lot of speedsters so I found a spot in the middle.
Miles 1-4
The race starts right outside Drake Stadium and the weather was perfect. As with most races, it was a tad crowded at the start. I kept reminding myself to just settle in and not swerve too much. The pr hopes were somewhat of a pipe dream and I was going to need all the energy I could manage. No reason to waste extra steps in the first quarter mile jockeying for position!
View attachment 664608
New this year were a bunch of student groups out cheering. Bless their hearts for waking up at 7a on a Sunday.I didn't get a good look at any particular group but there were lots of costumes and signs. They definitely helped create a fun race atmosphere.
I did my best to find a comfortable pace without worrying too much if I was hitting the desired pace exactly. This portion of the race was net downhill so I was expecting to "bank" a few seconds for the uphills to come. The course stayed fairly crowded even as we passed the turn offs for the 5K and 10K. Fortunately it was wide enough that it wasn't difficult to settle in for the ride. Mile 4 included 150 ft of descent and at one point my lap time was 7:35. That made me worried that I was letting gravity take me a bit too fast. 🏎
Mile 5-8
At the start of mile 5 I realized I was surrounded by 6ft tall white guys which I found a bit unsettling.Don't get me wrong, I love 6ft tall white guys so much that I married one, but it did make me feel out of place. Where were my shorties at?
After the glorious downhill that was mile 4, miles 5 & 6 would be spent climbing back up that elevation. None of the hills were daunting by themselves but I don't typically run any hills unless it's to cross a bridge. I gave myself permission to take them slow and not push. I still had half the race left after all!
I could feel the effort in my legs after the uphill but I was still chugging along. At this point a fellow runner came up for a chat and asked my goal. I was honest with him that I was trying to break 1:50 and even though I was on pace to do so, didn't have a lot of confidence that it would happen. I knew the back half of the race was flatter but I did not know how long I could hang on.
Miles 9-12
Around mile 9 I was met by a surprise downhill. Sadly, it was quickly followed by another climb. Not near as extreme as earlier in the race and I was thankful that we didn't run the course backwards.
Just after the uphill we headed west. We were less than half a mile from the finish line but started heading the opposite direction. Obviously I knew I had a few miles to go but it was still disheartening to be going geographically further away.
It was around mile 10 when I realized that as long as I could keep moving forward at a decent pace, I would be darn near close to that big scary goal. Of course, this is also when I started noticing some pain in my right hip and glute.
Mile 11 was mostly unnotable which is generally how I prefer mile 11 to go. At mile 12, I was greeted again by the student groups. They seemed to have a lot more energy than they did when I had passed them early on in the race and once again I was thankful for their energy.
The Big Finish
I was just a few turns away from a new PR and I was stoked to be approaching the famous trackside finish line. I made sure to smile for a few cameras during my victory lap but once I got to that final 100m, it was all eyes on the prize.
View attachment 664688
I'm incredibly pleased with how the race went. I couldn't have asked for better conditions or results. I'm still recovering from my runner's high nearly 12 hours later. More thoughts on what's to come once I'm thinking clearly again
View attachment 664690
Oh yeah, I almost forgot... Official time of1:48:03
Thank you! Your reaction brought a smile to my face
.
Loftier goals....like a BQ qualifier? You can do it in time!Drake Road Race by the Numbers
Below are my mile splits throughout the race. I did a pretty good job of pacing and taking the elevation changes into account with the exception of miles 11 & 12. It definitely was not a negative split and I may have started a tad fast, but since my mindset was "1:50 or bust" I wouldn't change a thing about the race strategy.
View attachment 664851
Could I have run faster if I had done all the training? Maybe a smidge. However, the results are still a 2% improvement since my 10 miler in November. Plus, I bested my previous half PR (from 2016) by over 2.5 minutes!
Had you asked me this time last year about my goals for 2022, I never would have imagined to have regained so much fitness. I'm very happy with where I am and immediately started assessing how far away I am from some of my loftier running goals. They're all still a ways in the future but feel light-years closer now.
Stay tuned to see how this all shakes out.
Happy running!
Drake Road Race Recap (aka <1:50 or bust)
Pre Race
I woke up 10 min before my alarm which was delightful. It gave me plenty of time to make some tea and toast a couple of pop tarts. I know pop tarts aren't the healthiest choice, but they've never done me wrong and if I forget to buy them they're easy to find.
After brekkie it was time for the morning dog walk. During our quick lap around the neighborhood, I noticed my right knee felt a little twinge. Nothing painful, just a gentle reminder that it was there and I needed to do my dynamic warm up.
We arrived at the race 30 min before the start and snagged one of the last parking spots in the parking lot. It was a bit chilly walking to the start (feels like <40) but since my husband was running, I didn't have the luxury to bundle up until the last minute. We ducked into the stadium and to my surprise the potty line was only 10 women deep so I decided that was my best opportunity.
Miles 1-4
The race starts right outside Drake Stadium and the weather was perfect. As with most races, it was a tad crowded at the start. I kept reminding myself to just settle in and not swerve too much. The pr hopes were somewhat of a pipe dream and I was going to need all the energy I could manage. No reason to waste extra steps in the first quarter mile jockeying for position!
View attachment 664608
New this year were a bunch of student groups out cheering. Bless their hearts for waking up at 7a on a Sunday.
I did my best to find a comfortable pace without worrying too much if I was hitting the desired pace exactly. This portion of the race was net downhill so I was expecting to "bank" a few seconds for the uphills to come. The course stayed fairly crowded even as we passed the turn offs for the 5K and 10K. Fortunately it was wide enough that it wasn't difficult to settle in for the ride. Mile 4 included 150 ft of descent and at one point my lap time was 7:35. That made me worried that I was letting gravity take me a bit too fast. 🏎
Mile 5-8
At the start of mile 5 I realized I was surrounded by 6ft tall white guys which I found a bit unsettling.
After the glorious downhill that was mile 4, miles 5 & 6 would be spent climbing back up that elevation. None of the hills were daunting by themselves but I don't typically run any hills unless it's to cross a bridge. I gave myself permission to take them slow and not push. I still had half the race left after all!
I could feel the effort in my legs after the uphill but I was still chugging along. At this point a fellow runner came up for a chat and asked my goal. I was honest with him that I was trying to break 1:50 and even though I was on pace to do so, didn't have a lot of confidence that it would happen. I knew the back half of the race was flatter but I did not know how long I could hang on.
Miles 9-12
Around mile 9 I was met by a surprise downhill. Sadly, it was quickly followed by another climb. Not near as extreme as earlier in the race and I was thankful that we didn't run the course backwards.
Just after the uphill we headed west. We were less than half a mile from the finish line but started heading the opposite direction
It was around mile 10 when I realized that as long as I could keep moving forward at a decent pace, I would be darn near close to that big scary goal. Of course, this is also when I started noticing some pain in my right hip and glute.
Mile 11 was mostly unnotable which is generally how I prefer mile 11 to go. At mile 12, I was greeted again by the student groups. They seemed to have a lot more energy than they did when I had passed them early on in the race and once again I was thankful for their energy.
The Big Finish
I was just a few turns away from a new PR and I was stoked to be approaching the famous trackside finish line. I made sure to smile for a few cameras during my victory lap but once I got to that final 100m, it was all eyes on the prize.
View attachment 664688
I'm incredibly pleased with how the race went. I couldn't have asked for better conditions or results. I'm still recovering from my runner's high nearly 12 hours later. More thoughts on what's to come once I'm thinking clearly again
View attachment 664690
Oh yeah, I almost forgot... Official time of
If you don't mind me asking, how long did it take to get to your current level? I am sincerely impressed with your 1:48!Thank you! Your reaction brought a smile to my face
I was wearing my medal around the house this morning in celebration. I took it off to go to the dentist but may put it back on before my afternoon meetings
Thank you! I love the bananas!Wow! That is a terrific race and PR! Congratulations!
I ran my first half in 2010 (2:01:47). I've run at least one a year except for 2020 & 2021. My dedication to training has varied throughout the years and I did take a considerable break from 2019-2020. I didn't see any notable improvements until I started doing some speedwork in 2016. I've also learned the importance of not focusing on the same distance time and time again. It's both good for me mentally and physically to switch things up.
I got burnt out in 2019 and then injured so I definitely know what it's like to start over. I may not be exactly where I was in 2017/18 but it's darn close and I'm wiser now.
Thank you! I enjoy writing about my experience since no one in my regular life cares all that much about my running. They'll humor me but they don't get it.Wow! Great job!!! Loved the recap!
. I didn't really come to any conclusions. The race organizers indicate to register for the competitive division if you'll run <8 min mile. However, the top finisher was around 5:30 which is way faster than I ever anticipate that I could run a mile. The recreational division had finishers of all times, sub 6 to over 20. The biggest difference is the number of runners. I could see the recreational division being frustrating if I were stuck behind some of the 20min milers. However, there were only like 20 women in the competitive division so much more difficult to hide myself in the crowd. 
I'm just taking advantage of the recovery weeks while I can. Things are about to get serious around here again.
. Now onto the training!
Walked 2 miles at GOTR and decided that was enough. Strength session #3 finally completed. We were going to ride bikes to a local brewery but one of the bikes had a flat and we neither had the supplies nor the skills to replace the tube. This is why I will always prefer running. It's just easier to get out the door. We ended up walking instead so no big loss.
I guess that strength training is working. ). This was nearly my downfall as I never really got energized for the day. Debated not running at all or postponing until Monday before i finally decided I could make it 5 or so miles. Psyching myself up for an hour run is much easier than an hour and a half. Ended up at 7.5. Nearly went to the full 9 once I got out there but my hip/knee we're starting to talk. Let this be a reminder to everyone, but mostly myself, that sometimes you just need to give it a try.
