Somehow, The Marathon Returned - comments welcome!

[nancipants]

The cold never bothered me anyway?

 

[GollyGadget]

You got this!

 

[RuntheMouse]

Have a great race tomorrow!

 

[garneska]

Good luck. Channel your northern friends who do this all the time.

 

[marty3d]

Good luck!

 

[The Expert]

Go Nanci Go!

 

[Herding_Cats]

CONGRATS NANCI!!!

 

[nancipants]

C goal achieved.

 

[marty3d]

C goal achieved.

Congratulations!

How was the temperature? That looks cold!

 

[RuntheMouse]

C goal achieved.

Congratulations on your C goal! great PR!
You’re such a trooper for racing in those conditions as a Floridian! I was sending all my northern vibes your way.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Awesome PR! Congrats!

 

[nancipants]

Congratulations!

How was the temperature? That looks cold!

Thank you! The temperature was honestly fine once I started running. But the wind was brutal. I would have shed a lot more layers but every time I got the urge, we’d have another gust.

 

[avondale]

Terrific job! Congratulations!!!!

 

[nancipants]

So, that was a race.

Saturday morning we went to Homecomin' at Disney Springs with some friends who were in town. I had the chicken and waffles and it was delicious. I left right from Disney Springs and made the 2.5 hour-ish drive to Jacksonville. The expo was at the Hilton at the Mayo Clinic, so I stopped there first. I grabbed my bib and t-shirt and did a circuit around the vendors, but there wasn't a lot there and nothing caught my eye. (Funny to see some of the same vendors as at Disney!) I did keep my eye out for cold weather gear, but I grabbed enough on Amazon so I didn't really need anything else. I was only there about 15 minutes total. Then I made the short drive to Jacksonville Beach and checked into my hotel. By then the temperature was starting to plummet and the winds were kicking up. It was a bummer because my hotel was right on the beach and it would have been nice to walk around. And, you know, thinking about how I'd have to run in that weather the following day. The Donna race weekend also has an 110 mile ultramarathon that starts on Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to get to the hotel they were using as base camp. But if you know Heather Cohen through Rise and Run, she was the first wheelchair athlete to complete the ultra!

I went to dinner with a few folks from Customized training who were also in town for the race. It was nice to meet them in person. They'd all done Donna before and talked about what a nice race it is. I got back to my hotel around 7 and reveled in the quiet. It was very weird staying by myself! I organized all my gear for the following day and got in bed by 9:30. It felt positively luxurious to set my first alarm for 5:45! My hotel was two blocks from the start line (and right along the course) so I didn't need to leave that early. My room had a small balcony that you could step out onto and I opened the door just to see what the temperature was like, and I contemplated just sleeping in the next morning.

I did not sleep very well (as usual before a race) but I was up at 5:45. I lounged in bed for a big before turning on the news and listening to the weather reports (and reports from the race) while making a cringing face. While I run better in the cold, I am NOT a fan of all the layers I had to put on to protect from the wind. I felt like Randy from A Christmas Story. I also had an old bathrobe (pink, to match the theme!) to wear to the start line. I waited as long as possible to leave my hotel, but I didn't want to get there too late since I wanted to check a bag. The walk to the starting area was as much of a warm up as I was willing to do. Checked my bag and got into the corrals and for once in my life was grateful for a mass of humanity. Thankfully I only had to wait about five minutes until we started. I had to stop on the side before crossing the start line because I forgot to cue up my music. D'oh! It was so hard managing that and my watch with all the damn layers.

I outlined my interval plan earlier, but basically I was planning to do 30/30 for the first two miles to get warmed up, and that worked out well, especially with crowding at the beginning of the course. There were a lot more people there than I expected! I don't know why I expected a smaller race. It wasn't bad, though, and I was grateful to be forced to go slow especially with ICE on the course. And not the type of ice in the news lately, but actual frozen water ice. In Jacksonville, Florida. Runners were calling out warnings, as well as spectators and cops directing traffic. It was nice to see everyone looking out for each other.

Mile 1 - 11:43
Mile 2 - 12:01

First two miles were slower than I wanted but I kept telling myself I could make that up. Once I started the third mile I started adding 60/30 intervals in. I felt really good temperature wise and took off my outer layer. Good-bye, Disney 5k shirt, I hope your huge applique finds a good home. The wind was an issue, though. I would have taken off my jacket but every time I got the urge, the wind picked up. So I pulled back the tops of my mittens to expose my fingers and that helped me not overheat. I also eventually took off my bottom layer of arm sleeves, I think around mile 9 or 10. The middle part of the race went well and I was right around the paces I wanted to be, but my avg pace was still slower than it needed to be for 2:30. Again, I tried not to get in my head and reminded myself I could speed up later.

Mile 3 - 11:27
Mile 4 - 11:38
Mile 5 - 11:29
Mile 6 - 11:31
Mile 7 - 11:51

Another annoying thing - I was much further off the mile markers than I expected. So I knew that would hurt my overall pace, too.

After mile 7, the plan was to alternate 60/30 and 30/30 intervals. But my heart rate was already so high and I didn't feel like I could push more than I already was. I had a better mile 8, but by then I knew I wasn't going to hit my A goal. The B goal (my magic mile prediction) was still in reach, but I'd have to push faster for the last five miles, and I just did not know how that was possible. I did more 30/30s than I wanted and could feel it get harder and harder to move my legs. I took some tylenol and that helped, but not enough.

Mile 8 - 11:38
Mile 9 - 11:51
Mile 10 - 11:59
Mile 11 - 12:00
Mile 12 - 12:08

My plan called for me to do all 60/30s for the last mile and change. That did not happen. I stuck to 30/30s and pushed as much as I could. I was bummed about not reaching my goal but I knew that unless something really awful happened, I was going to PR and by a good amount. I could also still hit my C goal. "What It Sounds Like" from KPop Demon Hunters came on and it gave me the inspiration I needed to stick to my intervals and push as hard as I could without giving up. I apologize to everyone around me because I sang at the top of my lungs (not a good idea when my heart rate was pushing 160) and almost cried. My watch passed 2:30, then 2:32:30, but I refused to give up even though my legs were DEAD and I just wanted to get all those stupid layers off my body. The finish line came in sight and I sprinted to the finish. Crossed the finish line and went to stop my watch and the photographer said "put your arms up!" NO, DUDE, I NEED MY PR ENSHRINED IN GARMIN!

Mile 13 - 12:10
Mile 13.31 - 3:28

Total time: 2:36:54
Official avg pace: 11:58
Garmin distance: 13.31
Garmin avg pace: 11:47

I'm so glad I pushed myself because my C goal was an avg pace under 12 minutes and I barely made it.

My official splits:
5k - 37:04
10k - 1:13:40 (I also unofficially PRed my 10k.
15k - 1:50:33
Finish - 2:36:54

So, obviously, the last 6k+ of the race didn't go as planned. But I held pace longer than I have in previous races. At one point I said to myself, "I don't like racing! I don't like purposefully pushing myself to run fast! This isn't fun!" And tbh, I wasn't just saying that because I was hurting. I enjoy running, I enjoy doing races, but not pushing for an aggressive goal. So, while I still want to try for a POT (with a 10k this time), I know I have to set more reasonable goals for myself, so I don't lose the joy in running.

All that said, it was a really nice race. There were spectators all over the course. People set up their own aid stations. A church even had mobile communion! My favorite part was the table a table that had fireball shots. I could hear someone on a bullhorn yelling "Firebaaaaall!" and thought it was someone at the table, or maybe a runner. NOPE, it was the cop who was blocking off the street at that turn. I told my friend that story and she said "Welcome to Jax."

That same friend met me at the finish line and brought me a coke and a big loaf of bread. I grabbed my gear bag, put on a hoodie, and waddled back to my hotel. My hip hurt SO much and my calves felt on the verge of cramping. All I wanted was a hot shower. My friend went to move her car while I took a very long shower and got into warmer but less annoying clothes. (I really don't like layers!!!) I went back to the athlete's village but didn't see anyone I knew, so I met my friend at her car and she took me to lunch. I had lasagna and it was delicious. Then I got my car and started the long drive back home. Thankfully I didn't hit any traffic and was home by 4:30. I soaked my feet, took another warm shower, and spent the evening watching KPop Demon Hunters and eating pizza.

My legs are sore today and I feel like I banged my knee on something. Also, I have huge blisters again (including a blood blister on my left toe), but weirdly they don't hurt that much. I really need to see a podiatrist for help with my feet. I have bunions so I think the shape of my feet makes me get blisters all the time. I've tried a bunch of different socks, different lube, taping my toes, toe socks, etc. (Despite getting blisters, I want to shout out the Feetures Merino 10 socks I bought for the race, because all my socks were no-show style and I needed crew socks for the cold! My feet didn't feel cold at all!) I'm wondering if I need insoles, or to try a different type of shoe. But that's a question for another day.

All in all, I'm happy about the race, despite not hitting my A or B goals. It's hard to be disappointed in getting a 9 minute PR! I'm not sure if I'll do this race again, though. It was nice to get away by myself, but it would have been nicer to stay with friends. And going away to races takes away from money I can spend at runDisney.

Speaking of - I'm doing the Princess half next month and Springtime 10 miler in April. Both will be party pace fun runs. I need to talk to my coach about possibly doing a 10k in April and try for a POT. I'm 4 minutes of the time I'd need, which feels like a lot in two months. But, I haven't really been training for shorter races, so maybe I have it in me. I also want to ramp up my strength training again. I'm considering doing the new year challenge from Thomas Stokes Fit, but still debating if I want something structured or just to work on my own. Either way, I plan on taking the next week off running.