New Half PR! Tobacco Road Half Marathon

I had heard great things about the Tobacco Road Marathon. I signed up for the half marathon before it sold out. I wanted to prove to myself that I could run another sub 2 hour half marathon. This sounded like the perfect course to do it on. They promote it as  "Flat, Fast, and Fun". I would not call it flat, but it was a pretty fast course with some great downhill sections.

I was excited to be running it with one of best racing buddies, Brittany. I was a little nervous as we had not run together as much lately, so I was not sure how fast her race pace would be. So I was a little worried I would not be able to keep up. I knew it did not really matter because we both are each others cheerleaders, and we highly encourage the other to do their best. -- Running friends are the best!

My day started at an ungodly hour of 3 am.  I got up and got ready to leave at 3:40 am so I could get to the hotel Brittany and her boyfriend, Jason were staying at in Cary for 5 am. I had purchased parking for the race but they said you needed to be there by 5:30 am to guarantee a parking spot. We just chilled in the car for an hour keeping warm before the race. The race started at 7 am. Having to get their so early was my only real big complaint, but it is a very popular race so I guess I just have to suck it up. I know people who had to get up at 2 am for Disney races.

Going into the race I was not sure what my plan was. I really wanted to race it. I am currently training for a 25k (RunnerDude's 25k) for April 4th. I kept thinking that I would race this half and then see how I felt for the 25k as far as actually racing it.

My training runs have been going really well. I have seen a good increase in my speed. So I felt pretty good going into the race. I wasn't really nervous. My plan was just to go by effort and go from there.

The start was very congested. Brittany and I had already talked about starting out slower and not trying to weave in and out of the crowd. Typically you end up just wearing yourself out before you even truly get started. Our first mile was 9:27. We had planned to run near the 2 hour pacer but the crowd was pretty big around them and after the first mile they took off like bats out of hell. I think they were making up for the first mile but it was a little crazy how fast they were going. A group of us were complaining / talking about it.

Eventually we caught back up with the 2 hour pacer and passed them. They finally seemed to be back on track. At that point we were clocking all our miles in under 9 minutes. My secret goal was to try to keep every mile under 9. We only had 3 over 9 minutes and the slowest mile was the first mile.

Most of the course runs on the American Tobacco Trail in Cary, NC. It is a really nice shaded wooded trail, that is mostly compact dirt. It had rained the day before, so I though it felt nice and spongy. Only a few parts were muddy. Also, I like out and back courses. I like knowing what to expect on the way back. Plus I love watching people run by, it makes the time fly by. I'm a people watcher.

Typically when I run with Brittany, we talk the whole time. During this race we barley spoke. We were working hard ;)

When we hit the turnaround point,we had seen the 1:50 pacer pass not too far ahead of us. Then saw the 2 hour pacer behind us. At that point I knew we were near a 1:55 finish. I tried not to get too excited since I knew we had a pretty long gradual hill coming that had the potential to slow us up.

I had a Blueberry Huma Chia Energy Gel around mile 8. Brittany and I had ran 14 miles the weekend before with a 30 minute fast finish. I had not taken in any nutrition during the run, and remembered that I wish I had during those last 30 minutes struggling with my energy level. -- I was having a hard time trying to eat it on the go, going up the gradual incline, and my nose was stuffy so I was having a hard time breathing. I kept laughing to myself, thinking how ridiculous I must look to the people coming the opposite direction. I also wondered if any photographers caught me with gel dribbling out the corner of my mouth, hehe. But I got it done, and it really helped me with the last half.

Toward the end of the race the loudest breather I have ever heard was just behind me to my left. He was driving me crazy. Sometimes just hearing other people struggle can make you tired. Finally he passed us and I was so thankful. He had headphones on, probably so he didn't have to hear himself.

Crossing the finish line together

As we got to the last 5k mark, we started picking local landmarks to compare how far we had left. Brittany would say "we have from the studio to Battleground parking lot". Then "CVS to the studio". It really helped get through those last miles. The best is when we could start to hear the crowd, then you turn the corner and there is the ginormous American flag hanging above the finish. Brittany and I crossed the finish line at 1:55:04. I even got to ring the PR bell. It was all very exciting.

Later we found out Brittany won first place for females in the military for the half. She won $350!

Overall it was an awesome race. I got to PR and do it with one of my best running friends. We are now talking about doing the full next year.

I highly recommend this race. It is a beautiful course.


Here are the stats:

Next up: RunnerDude's 25K!!!

Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon!

I started this blog last year while I was training for my first half marathon. I thought it would be fun to document my journey. Little did I know that I would fall in love with running in the process.

When I set out to complete my first half marathon, I had no intentions of ever doing one again. As I neared the end of my training, I had the itch to do the Raleigh Rock n'Roll Half. Once I completed my first half marathon race, I set the goal of doing Raleigh in under two hours. To accomplish this I would have to shave almost 7 minutes off my time.

You can read about my Raleigh Rock n'Roll Half race. I did not get a sub 2 hour. I still PR'd at 2:04. Then I tried again at the Race 13.1 Greensboro. This time I came up short by 29 seconds!!!

Jeez, this was turning out to be harder than I thought.

Yesterday I completed my 4th Half Marathon and FINALLY got a sub 2 hour! 

Here is my recap.

I traveled to Fayetteville, NC to run the Race 13.1 Fayettville. I had been warned that it is super hot and humid there. I was excited that it was supposed to be a flat and fast course.

I met up with some of my running buddies and we had an awesome girls night out. We stayed in a hotel from Saturday until Sunday. The race was on Sunday and the hotel was less than a mile from the start line, which worked out great.

The crew before the race.

Weather according to Garmin

Luckily the temperature was in the high 70's on race day and it was cloudy. The humidity was the worst part by far. We were already sweating before we even started. The course had no shade, so the cloudy day was a necessity. I'm not sure I would have been able to complete the race if it had been clear and sunny. There is nothing worse than running on the road with no shade with hot humid temps. Plus I sunburn really easy...

The vast majority of the course took place on the All-American Expressway. That was my first time racing on a highway, so that was interesting. Although, I would also add it was very boring. Not to mention the event staff failed to remove a poor dead dog from the shoulder. They should have at least covered it, as we had to pass it twice. I almost cried, it was so sad. 

I'm in the blue shirt and white hat

I had decided to run with the 2 hour pacer to try and go for my sub 2. He was a nice guy with a lot of energy. As time went by I felt like he was running a little fast and around mile 5 I fell a little behind. My goal was just to keep him in my sight, so if at any point I felt really good, I could catch back up to the group. 

I definitely would not say I felt great during this race. The humidity sucked, and the course was boring, with lots of terrible gradual inclines. Sometimes, I hate those more than hills. It's funny to even look at the elevation map because the course felt a lot hillier. I also did not like the fact that I could see for miles ahead of me, which made the distance more daunting.

Elevation Course Map

I don't think I have ever drank so much water and Gatorade during a race. I could not replenish fast enough. Everything was sweating right out of me. I managed to catch back up to the 2 hour pacer around mile 8 and noticed they were walking through the water stations. So I decided to follow their lead. I even had time to refill my water bottles by doing this. Normally I just roll on right by them because I carry my own water and Gatorade.

Around mile 9 to 10 my wheels started falling off. I just wanted to be done. I can't really say what exactly was going on, as nothing was bothering me. I was just tired and my shoes were starting to get wet from my sweat, which I cannot stand. This is also when I saw the dead dog and right near that an ambulance and fire truck were taking care of an injured runner. There was also a yucky long incline up over an overpass that was concrete. My legs really felt the impact of the concrete.

I again fell behind the pacer and had just decided this was not my day. So I plodded along just hoping to finish soon. I walked through the last water station kinda sulking about missing my goal again. When I came across the mile 11 marker, and looked at my Garmin to realize I could still get in under 2 hours! I was so excited. I willed myself to go faster. I forced my legs to move even though they felt like bricks.

Around mile 12, I caught up to a runner that was running with a full sized American Flag. His friends started lagging behind him and he was trying to get them to go. I ran up beside him and said I'd run in with him. So we killed that last mile. It was such a welcomed way to end the race. He brought in a lot of crowd support which really helped me finish stronger than I felt.

I was excited to see that I crossed the finish line in 1:58:36. My chip time was 1:58:09. Finally!!!

Honestly, it is still a little surreal. It was a strange race. It was not terrible but it was not great either. It definitely was not a race where I felt like I had it. If anything I felt the opposite. I'm so glad I pushed through all those thoughts to finally do it.

Official Results

My Garmin came up short on distance but it was a USATF Certified Course so I'll take it :)

Splits according to my Garmin

I have 2 more half marathons and a ten miler race left before my full in November. Those will all be training run races leading up to the full, so I'm glad I was able to PR this race. Now I can just focus on marathon training.

Race 13.1 Greensboro Recap

Half Marathon #3 in the books!

Start of Race

 Today I ran the inaugural Race 13.1 Greensboro. I had driven the course a couple times and was concerned that it would be hilly. So I was not sure if I would run it or race it. I decided to just see how I felt the morning of the race. Then about a week out I started getting really excited about the race and had the itch to try to PR it.

First I have to mention that the weather was AMAZING! It was 52° and cloudy. A far cry from the muggy sunny +80° days we had been getting. It was perfect racing weather for sure!

Blowing kisses to my family

The race was relatively small and there were no corrals. This made for a very congested 1st mile. Once the group started spreading out it was really nice. The course was an out and back course. The first half went by super fast. There were a lot more downhills which made the uphills not so bad. I kept reminding myself that these awesome downhills would be terrible uphills on the way back.

I loved running on the Bicentennial Greenway that I run on all the time. I loved that the course was local and out and back as I got to see so many familiar faces. I even had some friends come out and cheer me on. I felt good pretty much the whole time.

Running towards the finish

I loved that I got to see my husband and daughter  throughout the course. I loved having Hannah wave at me and say "I love you mama" when she saw me. It was also nice to have my husband taking some pictures. All in all it was a great day!

I had started off with the 2 hour pacing group in the first mile. However, there were just too many people and I was not happy with the pace they were doing. So I decided to try to stay just ahead of them. They ended up finishing just behind me.

I was really hoping to finally get my goal of a sub 2 hour half. I came so close! I was off by only 29 freaking seconds. I finished it in 2:00:28! Still a brand new shiny PR :) I'll take it!

Coming back was pretty brutal with all the hills. So I am very proud of my performance. My next race is in September and it will be the Race 13.1 Fayetteville .It is supposed to be a flat course. Hopefully it just won't be a hot day. I will sub 2 hour it though! You heard it here first ;)

Race stats below.

Crossing the finish line

Showing Hannah my bling

#3 Done!

Official Results

Elevation Map

My splits and gap times

NEW PR Baby!

Raleigh Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2

The big day finally came for the Inaugural Raleigh Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2 (4/13/2014). I had been training since the beginning of January with RunnerDude's Fitness. This was to be my second half marathon race and I wanted to do it in under 2 hours.

I loved training with a group and a coach this time around. It pushed me to do more speed work, which to my surprise I enjoyed. I also really loved meeting and getting to know other runners. Non-runners will only listen to you talk about running for so long before they glaze over.

As the race approached I started getting nervous about the elevation profile. Raleigh is a very hilly city. The Greensboro Half Marathon that I had done last year was also very hilly and I had been told this course would be about the same. I am going to state here that Raleigh was WAY worse! The hills just kept coming and they were not all rolling hills like I had been told, haha. The elevation gain for the half course was about 595 ft!

Elevation Profile from my Strava readout after the race

I had to get up super early to make sure to get parked and to meet up for a group picture before heading to my designated corral. We had stayed with friends in Raleigh, which worked out really well. I was lucky to have no issues getting into the city and parked.

RunnerDude's RNR Training Group 2014

Our  RunnerDude's Fitness training group met at 6 am for our group picture. Unfortunately our coach got stuck in traffic and did not make the picture.

I was assigned to run in corral 10. I had kept playing with the idea of running with the 2 hour pacer to help keep me on track. One of my fellow runners was also in corral 10. She told me she knows the 2 hour pacer and that she is really good. So she introduced me to Amanda and I moved up to corral 8 to run with her pacing group.

I loved running with the pacing group. It was really fun listening to their stories and feeding off their energy. We also ran with the marathon 4 hour pacers while they still ran the half course before branching off to do the marathon course. I was able to stay with the group until around mile 10.

The course was not bad at first. It had some rolling hills that were fine. Then from about mile 10 to the finish it was just one hill after another. I had done so well pacing to a 2 hour finish until then. The hills just started winning. It was sad to watch the pacing group getting farther and farther ahead but I made peace with it and knew at this point I had to just pace myself to finish the race. I still had a small hope that I would catch back up and somehow still manage at least a 2 hour finish.

The last 3 miles were the most epic miles I have ever ran. I was getting so tired and kept thinking after this hill we gotta be going downhill for a bit. But every corner we turned we met another massive hill. At one point I just wanted to cry but focused on all the months I had trained so hard for this. I passed runners that had started walking and were crying. The course hills were starting to break people. It was really heart breaking.

I just kept chipping away at the miles. I was getting slower and slower. Then an awesome thing happened. I noticed one of my sole sisters running ahead of me. I went over and said hi. We barley talked because at that point I was lucky to still even be running. But just seeing a familiar face helped keep me going.

A very sad moment was seeing the 2 hour mark rollover on my Garmin. My new goal was to beat my last half marathon finish of 2:06:44 to set a new race PR.

The last mile was the longest mile I have ever ran. I felt like everyone was passing me but I just did not have enough in me to go any faster. I finally reached the finish-line and my official time was 2:04:00. Wohoo! Still a PR! Not the sub 2 hour I was looking for, but damn I had done it. No regrets!

Here are my splits for the race:

I was on pace until mile 11.

As you can see by my GAP (Grade Adjusted Pace) it was a hilly one. -- According to Strava, Grade Adjusted Pace estimates an equivalent pace when running on flat land, allowing the runner to compare hilly and flat runs more easily. Because running uphill requires extra effort, the Grade Adjusted Pace will be faster than the actual pace run. When running downhill, the Grade Adjusted Pace will be slower than the actual pace.

I had some personal bests on this race according to Strava:

My best half marathon time was during training with a break at the halfway point.
So this really was my fastest Half Marathon run.

I learned that I am tougher than I ever knew. I'm so glad I had ran with the pacing group as I believe it really helped me make a better time than what I probably would have done on my own. I am so glad that I trained with Thad and  RunnerDude's Fitness. I met so many incredibly nice people that I hope to remain friends with and run with again.

In closing, I'm so glad I did the Inaugural Raleigh Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2. I don't think I will ever do it again as Raleigh hills can kiss it! Haha... I definitely plan to train with RunnerDude's Fitness again. My heart is filled with pride for my journey and for those that I trained with.

I know I will get that sub 2 hour. It's just a matter of time. I have 4 more tries this year!

Half Marathon #2 in the books!