She Runs the Wasatch

Hospital Hill Half Marathon Race Recap

There was one word to describe the Hospital Hill Run: Hilly. Oh boy was it hilly. I can confidently say that this race was the hardest one that I’ve done.

No, I did not PR. In fact, this was my slowest half marathon that I’ve run… and that is totally okay. In fact, I am sure that if someone PR’s on this course, they have a much faster PR in them on a flatter one. Even though I didn’t run this race as fast as I wanted, I still did my best and ran a pretty good race.

The Hospital Hill Run was in Kansas City, MO, which is about two hours away from Manhattan, KS. Frank and I left town after work on Friday to pick up my packet and check out the expo. There was a 5k on the Hospital Hill course that night, so we watched the winners cross the finish line. The winning woman finished around 21 minutes and looked unbelievably spent. That was when I knew I’d be in trouble on those hills.

Frank and I at the start line. I was pretty nervous.

I woke up in the morning at 5:30 am, ate some food, had some coffee, and quickly made it to the start line. I love how runners are the only group of people that have their biggest parties at 6 am. The music was blasting and there were people EVERYWHERE. Hospital Hill is a pretty big race with about 5000 people who run the course (there is a 10k and a half marathon).

I lined up right next to the 1:55 pacers and talked a little to some of the runners around me. The race began and we were off. The first three miles feature Hospital Hill, the biggest and longest hill of the race. I just ran comfortably with the pacer and felt surprisingly good. I was surprised at how well my body felt at this pace climbing these big rolling hills. At the top of the hill, we took off on a quick and rather fun downhill.

Normally, when I run with a pacer, I just trust them and try not to even look at my watch. So that’s what I did… I felt good, but a little too good. So around mile 5, I sneaked a look at my watch. We were about 30 seconds off pace, and I started to get worried. I had heard that the last hill at mile 10 would be a crawl and that I would need extra time for that mile. But, I decided to trust the pacer and figured we’d make up those seconds later.

The miles went on, and the pacer looked a little tired. I looked at my watch and we were now almost a minute off. Then, another pacer came up from behind us and took over our group. He stepped up the pace, told us we’d have to shave off 10 seconds every mile, and that was when I knew my 1:55 hopes were not going to happen. He took off with the group and I just couldn’t keep up.

This was when things took a bit of a rough turn for me. Suddenly, I was running alone. I no longer had the pace group to talk to and there were not very many spectators to keep me grounded. I was watching the people around me and they were TIRED. People kept stopping to walk on the uphills. To add insult to injury, a pretty scary storm swept through around mile 9. It rained pretty hard for the rest of the race and there was lightening all around me. In fact, I was pretty surprised that they didn’t pull me off the course.

Mile 10 was the start of Broadway Hill. This was by far the roughest part of the race. I was already on tired legs and this hill seemed to go on forever. I stopped to walk through one of the water stations and texted my mom to tell her how hard this race was. I don’t like to walk, but Broadway Hill was killing me. Then the 2-hour pacer caught up and I knew I was in trouble. I think the thought of having a “2” in front of my time gave me the final push I needed to kick me into gear. I gave it my all and tried to put some distance between me and the pace group.

Um... are these the worst splits ever? Possibly. — Um… are these the worst splits ever? Possibly.

At the top of the hill, someone was holding a sign that said “it’s all downhill from here”, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was so tired that I practically threw myself down the last hill towards the finish line. I had about a mile left, but I found the determination to eek out a mile at 8:28.

After I crossed the finish line a wave of nausea came over me but someone handed me a cold wet sponge. I’m pretty sure this was the best idea anyone has ever had. I put the sponge on the back of my neck and instantly felt better.

My final time was 1:58:25… pretty far off my insane goal of under 1:50 and still off from my second goal of 1:55. Honestly, that is totally ok. Hospital Hill is a hard course with close to 800 feet in elevation gain. I know that I have it in me to run a faster time, but not on Hospital Hill. This is a race where you have to adjust your expectations and be happy with just having a strong and happy finish. Maybe I’ll run it again next year and go for a course record… but I’ll never come to this race with a PR in mind.

Well, this race is done and now the real work begins. Today officially starts my training for the Chicago Marathon. I’ll post about that soon, but I am glad to have gotten through Hospital Hill.

Help! This taper is killing me!

I have the taper crazies… So bare with this crazy person post.

Saturday is my big race and I am not ready, like at all. I hope that is just the taper crazies talking, but my running has been TERRIBLE lately. I struggle to finish runs, my long runs feel like a battle, and I just don’t feel right. Since moving to Kansas, I have had the worst allergies and I simply can’t breath. Not getting good, full breaths really messes up my running. I’ve tried several different medications (Claritin, Allegra, etc), but they all made me very drowsy… and a little high. I spoke to a pharmacist about it and he suggested Flonase, since it is a nasal spray and likely won’t give me the drowsy effects, so I am hoping that will work. I just don’t know if it will kick in before Saturday (I am still sneezing like every 10 minutes). It’s amazing how bad an easy paced run can feel when you can’t get a full breath.

So I guess I am adjusting my goals a little. I am going to run with the 1:55 pace group, which would be a PR for me… just not the one I wanted. I think given the hills and my allergies, even 1:55 will be a stretch. In fact, I am afraid that just finishing the race will be a problem. Paces that once felt easy are hard, and I don’t know how I am going to deal with those hills.

The hills are going to kill me... — The hills are going to kill me…

I can’t tell if this is an actual problem, like I am not ready, or if I am just scared (and crazy) because it is race week. My confidence is wavering and I am not trusting my training anymore.

Hospital Hill Half is not the only thing on my mind these days. Next week I officially begin training for my first marathon. On Saturday, after Hospital Hill, Frank and I are headed to Boston for his job. I’ll just be tagging along for the ride (and to get some much needed work done). However, this means that my first week of training for the Chicago Marathon can be on the Boston Marathon course. Couldn’t be more cosmic, right?

I don’t feel ready to start training for Chicago either. I’m scared of the long runs, especially since just finishing an 8 mile run has been a struggle these days. If this is just the allergies, I need to get it under control.

Tomorrow, I am going to the expo to pick up my packet, and I’ll try to write a quick post then. Keep some good vibes coming my way this weekend, as I think my lungs will need them. 🙂

Do you lose confidence before a big race? Do you have any good allergy remedies?

Running Favorites

Thanks Lizzy for tagging me in your running favorites! It’s been fun reading everyone’s posts.

Favorite:

Running Places

Now that I am in a new place, I get to have new places to run. I’ve made an effort to go to new places each day and check out the areas of town that I like. And I gotta say, I like it all. However, one place really stands out as the best. I’m going to go ahead and say the Konza Prairie is my favorite place. Just check out its beauty.

The beautiful Konza Prairie. Who wouldn't love running here? — The beautiful Konza Prairie. Who wouldn’t love running here?

The Konza is a biological field station owned by Kansas State University. It has a storied history in ecology research and is a generally awesome place. It also is some challenging trails. I love the rolling hills and wide open views… oh and there is a lot of wildlife to come by too… and prairie chickens!!!

This is a Prairie Chicken... I love them! — This is a Prairie Chicken… I love them!

Time of Day:

I wish I were a morning runner. One day, I’ll make the switch. But for now, I like to run in the evenings. There are always people around and lots of things going on, and I like to just people watch while I run. However, I do my long runs in the late morning (like 10am), since they are a little more substantial. I also don’t think I have the energy at like 6 to punch out much more than 6-8 miles.

Weather:

NOT WINTER! Oh man. I hate running in the cold. Actually, I generally like it warm, like 70 degrees. I lived in South Bend, where it is like the arctic for most of the year. I would dread going out in that. I’m definitely a native Floridian at heart, and I am cold all the time. Running in the warm never really bothers me, although it does slow me down a bit. I’d rather be slowed down than cold.

This is too much snow for running... — This is too much snow for running…

Fuel:

I have a pretty bad stomach. I get issues from a lot of different gels, and I have to be mindful on longer runs to eat throughout the run. I generally like Honey Stinger Chews. I down maybe one or two every few miles when I’m going 12 or more. Otherwise my stomach gets really messed up as soon as I stop running. I have not experimented much with gels (I like the salted watermelon, but I generally don’t need it on my runs, since they are not long enough). I’ll probably know more as I take on my marathon training for Chicago.

Rewards:

Hm… This is a hard one. I do love food, but I was a foodie even before I was a runner. I guess I’d have to say the races. I love the adrenaline I get and how happy everyone is at a race, and well, if you don’t train, racing is not so enjoyable. I think a lot about upcoming races while I run, and how I’ll feel at the starting line. I like to feel confident in the amount of training I did before walking up to that line and that is certainly a reward.

What is your favorite animal to see on a run? Do you have a favorite reward?

Some moving, some training, and lots of pictures!

Guess what! I have a furnished apartment! I have a desk, a table, futon, bed… I am a real person with a real place and I love it! I live in a historic building that was a hotel in the 1920’s. My apartment is pretty tiny, but it suits Frank and I (and our two fuzzy animals pretty well).

So what does having an apartment mean? Well, it means that I am going to get back to being a person again, who writes on here more than once a week. I’ve been struggling trying to even fit in time to run, no less blog, so things have been kinda tricky.

This week went pretty well, and I really enjoyed running in lots of new places. I must say, the hills here are a bit of a change, and will help my running immensely. However, it does have me rethinking my goals a bit for my next half marathon on June 6.

Monday: Ran 4 miles at 8:55 + morning yoga

This was a slow and sluggish run. We had moved in our stuff the day before, and I was exhausted from all the driving. Frank had his first day at work, so I figured that I HAD to get out the door to go for a run. I only went 4 miles and my legs felt tired. It was a pretty run and I was excited by all the new scenery. I took a yoga class in the morning, which was awesome.

Tuesday: 3.2 with running group + morning yoga

They have a running club here in town, so I went out with them for their weekly run. There are three routes that they cycle through, and this week was the “hilly” route. I am sure to all of you from more mountainous areas, this would have been a piece of cake, but for me and my Indiana/Florida legs, this was a pretty substantial task. I managed to keep an 8:40 min/mi overall pace, but I felt pretty beat at the top of the hill. I guess this will get me ready for Hospital Hill.

So, that's a hill there. Us Floridians never see those... neither do the people from Indiana. — So, that’s a hill there. Us Floridians never see those… neither do the people from Indiana.

Wednesday: 4.5 at Konza Prairie + morning yoga

This run was probably the highlight of my week. I drove down to a preserve just south of town and expected it to be a pretty leisurely run. It was not. The prairie is in the heart of the Flint Hills, and they were pretty crazy. I had about 350 ft of elevation gain and I ended up taking a few breaks to take in the scenery and to text/complain to Lizzy about the hills (she didn’t know that I was in the middle of a run while I was texting her). Anyways, I was pretty spent afterwards, but it was a pretty awesome run.

Thursday: Morning Yoga

I did yoga. It was awesome, as yoga always is.

Friday: More morning yoga

I did more yoga. I was supposed to run, but a thunderstorm rolled in and I pushed it back, since I don’t have anywhere to run inside.

Saturday: Hiked 6 miles + Ran 4 miles

I made some new friends and we went hiking! It was super fun. We went to a state park just north of town and hiked about 6 miles along a network of hilly and forested trails. After I got home I slipped on my running shoes and went out for what I was hoping would be a 5-mile run. However, towards the end of mile 2, I saw lightening strike pretty close and decided to cut my run short. I haven’t quite gotten used to the unpredictability of the weather here.

Sunday: Biked 16 miles + hiked 6 miles + ran 8 pathetic miles

So I did too much and paid for it on my long run. Frank and I woke up early to bike out to the prairie about 8 miles from town. We hiked a 6-mile loop (and saw a bunch of wildlife) and then biked the 8 miles back. I was pretty tired, but we went to check out the Flint Hills Discovery Center for a talk about Prairie Chickens, an endangered bird found in this region. A few hours later I went on my long run. This was hands-down the absolute worst long run I’ve ever done. My legs felt like lead, I was sunburned from the bike ride earlier, so I felt a little dehydrated, and I just generally felt unmotivated. I was supposed to go 10 miles, but at 8 miles, I felt like my legs could go no further. I kept a 9:20 pace, but had to walk a few times. It was just bad…

Pretty new running trails. Too bad I felt too unmotivated to enjoy them.

I think I may have over trained a little this week. I did a ton of yoga and hiking, and I just think my body wasn’t quite ready for that much activity. Unfortunately, next week probably wont be much better because I am going to Rocky Mountain National Park for Memorial Day. I am going to try to get better sleep, and now that I’m all moved in, I wont be spending my free time moving stuff to a third floor apartment. The good news is that I feel totally injury free, no aches or pains, just general tiredness.

How was your week? Have you ever just had a TERRIBLE run?

Moving to Kansas!

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post. To be honest, my life has been absolutely insane with the move. Last week I hardly got any time to run, but even with all the craziness, I managed to get a 5k watch PR on my last run with the Fleet Feet running group.

Last run was a good one! This was the first time I've seen my overall pace at 7:something! — Last run was a good one! This was the first time I’ve seen my overall pace at 7:something!

On Friday afternoon, Frank and I gathered our stuff, the cats, and hit the road. We drove through most of the night until we got to Booneville, Missouri, where some close friends live.

I don't think Elly and Sydney were very happy with the ride. — I don’t think Elly and Sydney were very happy with the ride.

On Saturday, our friends took us to some pretty parks and into Columbia, home of the Mizzou. We got some good food, chilled out and spent the night at their place.

The next day wasn’t exactly ideal. It rained ALL DAY LONG. We got to Manhattan, KS around noon and had to move our stuff in during a thunderstorm. I also did some damage to my back moving the bed, but we still managed to get some pretty good pizza walking distance from our place!

So, this was the view driving into Kansas...It's moving weather!! — So, this was the view driving into Kansas…It’s moving weather!!

I woke up Monday morning and hit up a yoga class, which helped my back a lot. Despite my pain, I couldn’t help but go out for a run. I did 4 easy miles along the river. It turns out that Kansas is really beautiful!

My new run group meets up on Tuesday nights, so I went 3.2 miles with them. They picked a really hilly route. Now, people think Kansas is flat. Apparently, it’s not. Like… not at all. The route included what felt like a mountain to my poor Indiana legs. I think I have some work cut out for me.

Elly is making herself right at home here in Manhattan, KS. I’m pretty sure this is the cutest cat in the world.

Tomorrow I am going to check out some trails. I’ll let you know how it goes!

How has your week been? Have you conquered any new routes lately?

A Perfect Recovery Run

It’s moving week! I am trying to get some runs in at my favorite spots, since I won’t be in these parts again for a while. Tonight, Frank (the hubby) and I went for a night run. He doesn’t like to run much, but I managed to convince him to go out for an easy 3 miles. I needed a good recovery run since my legs were a little sore from my 14 miler on Sunday.

It was so beautiful! The Notre Dame dome was lit and it was a perfect 75 degrees. Plus, we pretty much had the roads to ourselves.

The golden dome is always kept well lit.

Frank managed to keep the conversation light by discussing the physics of farting in space. He suggested that this was the best way to determine the force of forward momentum of a fart.

This is what you find if you google "farting in space". — This is what you find if you google “farting in space”.

The main issue that he found with this is that you’d probably die after be exposed in space too soon to actually measure your fart’s force.

Easy runs are pretty fun. What a perfect night!

What's a run without a selfie? Also, I think Frank's smile is the fakest one I've ever seen. — What’s a run without a selfie? Also, I think Frank’s smile is the fakest one I’ve ever seen.

Are you a night or morning runner? Is your partner also your running buddy?

Training Update: Running Longer!

My training has been all over the place this week! I skipped a run on Tuesday because I had a weird strain in my quad (likely due to sitting for over eight hours EVER SINGLE DAY). However, I really redeemed myself by the end of the week. I was excited about signing up for the Chicago Marathon and did a great job on my long run. Overall, things are looking good for the Hospital Hill Half.

Monday: Rest
This is usually my rest day. Felt good, but I had a weird feeling in my quad so I was a little worried.

Tuesday: Yoga
I still had a weird feeling in my quad so I took another day off from running. I did some hot yoga and felt pretty good by the end!

Wednesday: 3.1 Miles at 8:58 min/mi
This was the usual Wednesday Fleet Feet run, but I decided to do a fast finish run. My mile splits were 9:24, 9:13, and 8:12. I was feeling great by the end! We then stayed for a bit at the bar to drink and eat nachos. Overall, great day!

Thursday: Hot Yoga
I went to my friend’s place to do the Bikram series in her heated yoga room. It was awesome and we spent the whole time laughing and making fun of ourselves. The Bikram series is always great to work out any kinks and I felt great afterwards and into the next day.

Friday: 5 miles at 8:32 min/mi
I went down to campus and ran around the lakes there. I saw a few people I knew from my department running and it was a PERFECT day to be out. I took it at a pretty good pace and felt great. I had great runner’s high and was so glad to be out and about. My going away party was that night and I got the chance to say goodbye to all of my friends.

Saturday: Biked 1.5 hours
I’m not really sure how far I went; I just know that I was out about 1.5 hours. It was a pretty beautiful day!

Sunday: 14 miles at 9:26 min/mi
This was the longest run I’ve ever done! I was so excited to start getting longer runs in, especially now that I’m running Chicago in October. I always get really nervous about running half marathons, so I think running further really helped me get a little more ready mentally for the Hospital Hill Half. Frank rode his bike with me while I ran so I’d have someone to talk to. I think he thinks I’m nuts for running so much. I did yoga after and stretched out, although I am feeling a little sore.

I’m really gearing up to leave soon. I said goodbye to Lizzy today, who left to go back to Los Angeles. She has been a great running buddy and really helped encourage me to run further. I hope to see her again soon!

Lizzy and I at the finish of the Holy Half with our medals!

I’ll be doing my last few runs in South Bend over the next few days. This week will be a tough one, but once I make it to Friday, Frank, our two kitties and me are heading to Kansas!

Do you have any big life events coming up? What are you excited for this week?

Pose of the Month: Some deep hip opening!

So, I kinda fell off the bandwagon in April for Pose of the Month. I figured in celebration of my marathon training, I would start it up again.

I picked out a pose for May that I think everyone could benefit from. I have been plagued with unbelievably tight hips. This can lead to pain in my lower back and even leave me open to some pretty nasty injuries (ITBS, runner’s knee, etc.). As runner’s I know a lot of us suffer from tightness in these areas.

This month’s posture: Fire Log Pose!

I never look that happy in this posture.

To get into this posture, start in a seated position facing the front of your mat. Take your right shin and draw it parallel with the front of your mat (your right foot is by your left knee) and then stack your left shin on top of your right so that your left ankle is on top of your right knee. Now, if your knees are up by your ears, STOP! There are a few modifications you can do to fix that (this is also a good resource for modifications in this posture).

Sit on a block or stack of books to elevate the hips
Take your left foot in front of the right knee and place it on a block or stack of books
Place a block, pillow, or stack of books under each knee to stop hyper-extension

If you have a bit more mobility in your hips you can begin to hinge forward at the hips into a forward fold.

When you are done, switch sides!

So how do I look in this posture?

Yeah, I am not exactly picture perfect here, but THAT’S OK! I teach this posture all the time in my classes and without shame, even though I am typically the least flexible in the room.

So, practice with me for this month. Let’s do this posture every day and see where we are at in a few weeks. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Do you have tight hips? Do you have any other areas of the body that you struggle with flexibility?

The Chicago Marathon: I’m in!

It’s official. In 164 days, I’ll be running the Chicago Marathon.

I'm running the Chicago Marathon!!! — I’m running the Chicago Marathon!!!

What’s in front of me are months of upping my mileage, stretching like crazy, a few 20 miler training runs, and well, crossing that finish line. I think if it hadn’t been for the support of my friends here (especially Kristina’s #peerpressure post), and my family, who are going to be there in Chicago with me, I probably wouldn’t be doing this. I’m nervous, excited, happy, a little shocked, and well, hopeful that I’m not a complete moron for signing up.

I'll be crossing that start line soon enough!! 162 days, to be exact. — I’ll be crossing that start line soon enough!! 164 days, to be exact.

I guess some really long runs will give me a chance to learn my way around my new town! I’m pretty excited about that.

My new apartment is that tall brown building. I'm gonna be living downtown!! — My new apartment is that tall brown building. I’m gonna be living downtown!!

I’m also going to use this as an opportunity to really get back to my yoga practice. Now that I got the cyst on my hand removed, I’ll have full range of motion in my wrist again. That means I’ll soon be back to handstands and arm balances! Oh, and I’m sure some leg and core strengthening won’t hurt my marathon training.

Do you have any big races in the fall? What’s your favorite distance to run?

A BIG few days

My last two days have been pretty crazy. Yesterday, I went to the doctor to have them look at a cyst in my right wrist, and they were just like… “yeah, we’re gonna take that thing out”. After a bit of a traumatic procedure (there were lots of needles involved), they removed it and sent me on my way. Hopefully the swelling will go down and I can get back to my yoga practice soon.

Today was rather exciting too:

I haven’t signed up yet, and I have a few days to think about it. My family is super excited and really wants to come and cheer me on. I think it would be a great first marathon for me, since I do love the crowds at races. It would also be a nice way to say “good-bye” to area that I’ve called home for the last five years. I’ve been going back and forth all day.

Well, given the state of my hand, I’m gonna keep things short. Good luck to anyone still waiting to hear on their lottery application!