Race Recaps

My ultimate running goal is to run Boston with a number I’ve earned myself…here are the races I’ve run/planning to run in order to reach that goal!

Marathons

1. Boston Marathon 2006: This was the first marathon I ever ran. I went to Boston College and it seemed fitting that I run the Marathon the spring of my senior year. My friends Courtney and I bandit ran (ran without a number). My finishing time was 4:30.
2. Grandma’s Marathon 2007: This race is located in Duluth, MN. Absolutely beautiful. I trained for this race during my first year in Baton Rouge, LA. It was rough getting adjusted to the heat! But it must have paid off because I ran a 3:45. I have no idea how I ran that because I didn’t do any speed workouts or have a clue about pacing. I guess I just wanted to finish?!
3. Pensacola Marathon 2008: I ran this marathon with my graduate school program, ACE. We raised money for one of our ACE schools which was located in Mobile, AL. I was really hoping to Boston Qualify (BQ) but I wasn’t the smartest about pre-race nutrition. Instead of eating balanced meals the day before the race I ate an entire box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares and totally pigged out at dinner. My stomach was killing me by mile 5. I was on track until about Mile 13…then it was all downhill. I still managed an ok time of 3:51 (or 3:50…I can’t remember).
4. Boston Marathon 2008: Just a few months later I was back in Boston, this time with a number! I was running for a school affiliated with ACE, and got my number through them. I went into the race with no expectations, just have fun and finish! I ran with two guys who were also from ACE and this really pushed me to run fast. I dropped back a bit right before Heartbreak Hill. But I stayed strong. As I ran by BC I saw some old friends/family and they really motivated me to keep going. At about Mile 23 I looked at my clock and saw that I just MIGHT be able to BQ. But my legs were shot and I just missed it. My official time was 3:41:30. So close!
5. Twin Cities Marathon 2008: I moved back to MN in the summer of 2008 and had to run the TCM. My parents live right along the course and I grew up watching my dad run it every year. Since I started running marathons TCM has been at the top of my list. I trained hard all summer but once school started (I was still teaching) and coaching (I was coaching high school girls Cross Country) my running slacked a bit and I developed a knee injury which made me run even less). When the actual marathon date approached (October 5) I hadn’t run in about a month. I was still going to run, but I was nervous. Per the recommendation of my dad, I wrote all my splits on the back of my number. Well, race day came and it was a torrential downpour. But this didn’t stop me! I was right on track to BQ but at Mile 18 (the infamous “Wall”) I lost it. My legs felt like concrete and I had to slow down. I also wasn’t shot-blocking or goo-ing or any of that because I didn’t train doing it. I learned my lesson. I ended up finishing in 3:53 minutes.
6. Chicago Marathon 2010: I took most of 2008-2009 off from running. I wanted to heal and I was also getting into triathlons. However, in the winter of my first year of law school a bunch of my friends and I decided to tackle Chicago. We registered and I was stoked. I trained with a running club at my gym (best decision ever) but only ran about 3 days a week because I was also training for two triathlons. Thus, on the days I didn’t run I was either biking or swimming or both. Race day finally came (10-10-10) and I was super excited to run such a flat course (Chicago is known for its flatness, minus the hill at Mile 26). My brother Michael and I set a goal time of under 4:00. We started with the 3:55 pace group. I was doing great and keeping up with Michael…but once again Mile 18 got the best of me. I started to slip back and had to run slower because it was SO FREAKIN’ HOT! The alert level reached “red” by the time I finished. I was not used to running in the heat (most of my long training runs were started at 5:00 am). Needless to say, the heat got the best of me. Michael finished in 3:59 and I followed at 4:07. I’m not going to complain because it was so hot..but it was definitely those last 7-8 miles that got me.

I still have my sights on qualifying for Boston. Maybe 2012 is my year! I am in the lottery for the New York Marathon (October 2011). The drawing is in March!

Other Races

1. 13.1 Minneapolis: August 22, 2010. Minneapolis, MN. Distance: 13.1 miles. Time: 1:55:22. Average Pace: 8:48. Conditions: HOTTTTTTT. Ohmygod SO HOT. I was a sweaty mess after. I ran this race with my friend, Katherine, and she was booking it! If it hadn’t been for her I definitely would have had a slower time. We both were trying for under 2:00. And we did it!
2. Drumstick Dash: November 25, 2010. Minneapolis, MN. Read my full race recap here. Distance=10k. Time=57:19. Average Pace: 9:13. Conditions: COLD. COLD. COLD! And super windy! I think it was about 9-11 degrees. Brrrrrr! Overall feeling: I decreased my mile time each mile and seeing that it was SUPER snowy and icy–I’ll take 9:13 min/mile. I hope to get under 9:00 at my next 10k (Polar Dash)
   

Upcoming Races

1. 10k Polar Dash: January 1, 2011. Minneapolis, MN.
2. Austin 1/2 Marathon: February 20, 2011. Austin, TX.
3. Get Lucky! 1/2 Marathon: March 19, 2011. Minneapolis, MN.