Her Tern Half-Marathon Recap 2015

It's almost been a week and I'm finally getting around to writing up a race recap for the Her Tern Half-Marathon. It's kind of crazy to me that it's already been that long, and that the whole race weekend went by so fast.

It was my first half-marathon and it's an accomplishment that I'm pretty proud of. During the race I kind of thought about why an official half-marathon race is so special since most people run that distance and even longer sometimes during training, but I couldn't quite figure out an answer, other than that it just is. Ask almost anyone who has run in an event of any distance, and they'll tell you, there's something so exciting, so electrifying about participating in a race. The Her Tern Half took all of this excitement to a whole new level.

The Her Tern Half and Quarter are advertised as 'boutique' races that pamper participants in nearly every way possible, and I've heard from so many people that it's their favorite race of the year. They even offer a training program weeks in advance of the race to help runners of every level prepare, which I think is so cool. I definitely would have signed up if I lived in Anchorage. 

I went camping in Seward (post to come soon!) Friday night and then drove directly to the race 'expotique' in downtown on Saturday after packing up our campsite. It was a beautiful sunny day, which made the outdoor expo even more enjoyable. They had the entire road blocked off between Skinny Raven and Her Tern with tents set up including the most amazing fitting rooms ever. Every staff member we encountered was extremely friendly and helpful, and acted like they were genuinely happy to be there answering any questions and handing out bibs and goodie bags.

I used the amazing coupons included the event packets to purchase a Her Tern Half labeled Nathan water bottle (I love the narrow silicone spout!), a HTH labeled Brooks Running tank (which I LOVE), and some Nuun hydration products. I had both kids with me, which wasn't a problem at all, as it was an extremely kid friendly event. There was even a sign decorating station for kids (and adults) to decorate signs to hold while cheering on their moms. Genius! And Riggs was served popcorn by a very friendly staff-member, which made trying out some of the Moving Comfort sports bras (see my favorite, here) even easier. I was a little bit obsessed with the fitting rooms and kind of wanted to grab some snacks and lounge around in them for a while, haha. 

On race day I got up a little early to eat a little bit of yogurt but didn't end up eating like I should have because my stomach just felt a little off and I was trying to pack the kids up to head in to Anchorage. I met my sister downtown and she stayed with me to cheer me on at the start line, then took my kids to church with her for the morning, which was so nice.

I used the bag drop at the race since I would be alone at the finish, and it went very smoothly (it was my first time using a bag drop and I was a little nervous about it for some reason). I actually didn't do any running warm-ups before the race because of the length of the race. I did do some light stretching and a few dynamic stretches in the five minutes before the start, but that was it. Maybe TMI, but I was able to successfully use the restrooms right before the race, and that was a huge bonus. I never ended up having to use an outhouse at any of the aid stations during the race, which I was a little worried about. And I didn't pee in my shorts, so that's awesome (am I the only one who struggles with this for races? I know I'm not so don't be shocked haha). All good things!

My goals for this race were to have fun and not get injured, and also to finish under 2 hours, which was an easily attainable goal since that was at a pace well below my usually training pace. But I didn't want to give myself any extra pressure, because I really really wanted to enjoy my first half and not be sore the rest of the week from pushing myself too hard. I'm very competitive when it comes to sports and have a hard to forcing myself to slow down, so I knew this was going to be a challenge.  

At the starting line I just felt so at ease and didn't really have the usual pre-race jitters, which I thought was a good sign that I would be able to take it slow and easy like I wanted to. Once the race started I just settled into an easy pace and sort of pretended I was just doing a nice and slow weekend long run. I needed to run around 9 min miles on average for the whole race, and ended up running about 8.15 m/m's for nearly the whole way. 

For me getting passed is really mentally challenging further on in the race and I had a little guilt complex while running because I kept passing the participants who had signed up for the walking version of the race. I was really inspired because a lot of them were running and were putting all their effort into completing the race and I felt that connection, that common bond that comes from suffering/working through something hard together. 

I was feeling great during miles 10-11 and then just sort of started to feel out of it during the last two miles. I kept thinking I just wanted to stop and lay down on the side of the trail, even thought my legs weren't feeling that tired and my breathing was just fine. Also the last half mile was uphill nearly the whole way, and that was really really tough for me. I slowed down A LOT the last mile. 

I did not pack any sort of nutritional supplements and took about two sips of the electrolyte drinks they offered at the turnaround point (about mile 7) which in retrospect I think was a big mistake. In addition to not eating breakfast, I think not fueling during the race really contributed to my feelings of fogginess and fatigue during the last two miles. 

probably the happiest I've been at a finish line
(even happier than at the Twilight 12k)

Despite the slip-up with not fueling and with slowing down the last couple of miles, I'm really happy with how the race went and thoroughly enjoyed myself during most of the run. The 'post-race pamper party' was amazing and I wish I could have stayed longer, but I was also excited to get back to the kids. There were gourmet cupcakes and mimosas and photobooths and more and the atmosphere was just so fun and encouraging, it's definitely a race I recommend doing with a friend or group of friends. 

My next race will be the Skinny Rave Half-Marathon on August 16 in Anchorage, which is a part of the Big Wild Life Runs put on by the city. My sister is doing it too and that makes it even more exciting. I ran three days this week so far, taking it super easy the first two after the race and running very slow and easy then did a typical training day on Wednesday of 5.5 miles at easy pace (8:30) with a tempo mile in the middle (7:30) and some striders at the end. Went camping again Thursday so took that day and Friday off, which actually felt just about right. 

1) post race happy smiles 2) participants received bracelets with coordinates of the finish line instead of a medal 3) My own personal little foam-rolling station on the sidewalk after the race 4) results - you can see how much my pace slowed (to 9:35 for last mile) reflected here.

Anyone have any big races coming up or plans/goals/dreams to do a half or full marathon in the future?

Homer Spit Run 10k to the Bay recap 2015

Since about Tuesday of last week I have been having some issues with tightness and soreness in my left leg. Mostly centered in my glut and lateral knee, I realized it was probably my IT band and started doing some area specific stretches a few times a day to help. I had planned on doing a 7 mile run Wednesday but cut it short at just over 6 miles because it was still feeling pretty tight, and decided to take Thursday and Friday off to try and loosen up that leg before the race Saturday. 

Sitting in the car for five hours on the drive down to Homer on Thursday did not help the healing process but instead caused even more tightness and and my leg was just constantly aching over the course of Thursday and Friday. I stretched thoroughly Friday night and Saturday morning before the race, but still felt a general tightness running along the outside edge of the leg while running. 

I ran the first mile a little faster than I had planned but was still feeling great through miles two and three. From mile four on I started to feel a lot of fatigue in my legs and the last mile it was pretty tough to keep my pace under 7:45 m/mile. My goal has been to stay under 7:30 the entire race and to finish in under 45 minutes. My time was 45:39 so not too far off but I'm excited to try and beat that time in my next 10k sometime in the future. 

Overall it was a fun experience and I'm so glad I made it down for the race! I'll mostly be focusing on training for the Her Tern Half Marathon, which is three weeks from today. I'm not trying to do anything other than finish the race while enjoying myself and enjoying my first half-marathon experience; hopefully I'll remember that when race day comes around.

According to my Garmin watch I beat my previous 5k PR (from the Heart Run), which is pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to racing a 5k at some point soon to see if I can get cut off even more time. 

Alaska Run for Women Race Recap

Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day for a morning race, it was already about 65 degrees when I got to the Sullivan Arena to pick up my bib at about 8:00am. I finally decided to do the Run for Women on the Wednesday before the race, but didn't get around to registering until about 8pm on Thursday night, and the registration for the timed 5 mile race had already closed. I decided to go ahead and register for the untimed race.

I spent the night at my parents in Anchorage Friday night and left the kids with my mom in the morning. It was my first race I've ever done just completely by myself, and it was kind of weird. I was glad it was a warm morning because I didn't need to bring a sweatshirt or anything to warm up in. I just brought my car key, phone/headphones and ID in my little belt. I walked over to the stadium where all the tents were set up and where the finish line was for the race. I grabbed my bib for the untimed race, and talked to a few friends. Then I decided to head back over and ask if there were any timed race bibs left (with a chip) and there were! I was so glad I thought of asking, because I ended up having a great race, with both a 5k PR (cut over three minutes off my previous PR - that feels pretty dang amazing!) and a PR for the five mile as well.

The Run for Women is a fun race promoting awareness about/fundraising for the fight against breast cancer.
Clearly, pink is a big theme, as well as anything related to boobs. I loved all the amazingly creative bras they had for
women to try on and get their pictures in, so much fun. My friend (and survivor) Jackie and I chatted for a bit and then she
got a photo of me in the amazing floral bra. Oh and even the outhouses are pink!

I was feeling so great and ran just behind my ski coach from high school who I knew usually ran about a 7.20 mile pace. I have been training five days a week pushing the stroller 95% of the time, even during my speed workouts, so I felt like I could try and keep up with that pace, despite running the last couple of races at more of a 7.45' mile pace. I'm so glad I did, because like I said I felt really really good and like I was really able to give it my all for the entire race. I was really feeling tired, but in a good way, during the last half mile, but I made myself stay with Sara and tried to push myself to run as fast as I could around the track and to the finish.

It was kind of funny not to have any family to meet me at the finish, but I still had a great race and I know the kids were actually probably happy to have a quiet morning playing at Grandma's - they get a lot of stroller time during my runs each week.

This isn't the most flattering finish line picture, but I actually LOVE it. I love it because you can see
that I gave the race everything I had and pushed myself to my limits. I don't think there's a better feeling
than putting your all into something and accomplishing something great as a result.

I will never be the fastest but I love seeing the progress I've made. Getting 32nd out of such a huge group of women and seeing my name in the paper was pretty exciting for me. 

I also got to meet a blog friend, Michelle, whose blog, The Runner's Plate, has been really motivational for me over the last couple of years and especially this last year as I've gotten back into running after having Raina. She had her first baby this last year and is running better than ever just over six months post-partum - so inspiring! It was great to finally meet her in person. 

Overall it was a great race and I'm so glad I made the decision last-minute to do the race. Next up is the Homer Spit Run on June 27th. It's a 10k that's basically all downhill - pretty much the perfect race if you ask me! Hoping to beat my last 10k time of 48 minutes and to have fun seeing Steve's family while I'm at it. 

2015 Twilight 12k race recap

The Twilight 12k is probably my favorite race of the year, and this year I was extra excited because it was a chance to PR after all the training I've been doing lately. 

Steve's been in-between work calls so Wednesday we went camping (I'll post about that later on this week) and of course, Thursday morning he got a work call so we had to pack up quick and head to Anchorage for him to take the call and run some errands for the new job. It's a great call and Steve is really happy about the job he'll be doing, so I'm happy of course too. But Steve had also just sold his commuter vehicle and we were planning on checking out another over the weekend, so we were down to one vehicle right when we needed to be in a lot of places in a short amount of time. 

Steve had to show up at his new call Friday morning, so we were up at 4:45am to get packed for our long day in Anchorage, then loaded both sleepy eyed kids up in the pjs and were on the road by 5:45. After we dropped him off around 6:45am, we went straight to Starbucks (of course) then ran some errands in the morning and hung out with my mom at her house for the rest of the day until it was time to pick Steve up at 5:30pm and head straight downtown for the race. I'm so thankful he didn't mind hanging out after his first day on a new job while I ran, it was so nice to have him and the kids there to cheer me on at the end.

picked up my tshirt and bib Thursday afternoon

at the starting line in front of Skinny Raven about half an hour before the race started

Me and Sarah before the race, just like two years ago

There are two events at this race, the 6k and the 12k. I was doing the 12k, which was supposed to start at 7:05 (five minutes after the 6k). Anyone who's been to a big race knows that the port-a-potty lines can be crazy right before the race starts. So I warmed up on the park strip one block over and used the port-a-potty there about 5 minutes before the race was supposed to start. I was starting to feel a little nervous about being back in time so I hurried over to the start line, getting there right at 7:05. I had my headphones in but could hear the announcer and saw other people with the blue bibs to signify the 12k, so when he said go about 20 seconds after I arrived, I went.

Except it was actually the start of the 6k, things were just running a little late. The blue bib people had only been in the back, waiting for the red bib 6k people to go so that they could move up to start. And it took me half a mile to notice. At which point I had to frantically turn around and run back towards the start. It was mortifying, like a run of shame, going back against the crowd like that. Such a stupid mistake. I was feeling a whole lot of things at during those moments, including the urge to just run to my truck crying. Even though I'm not ever going to be a super-fast runner I take races seriously as a chance to challenge myself and do the best that I can, so adding an extra mile to the race and messing up my chip time was extremely frustrating for me.

Luckily I made it back just in time to watch all the fastest runners going by and get into the pack that was running at my pace. And somehow my chip results are accurate, at least according to what my running app said. I just added about a mile onto my race at race pace in addition to the mile warmup I had already done, so ended up running 9.5 instead of the races 7.45. I guess it ended up being fine, because I beat my goal time by nearly two minutes and felt great the entire race, other than being more tired than I expected during the last mile, which was probably due to the crazy sprint at the beginning to get back to the start.

about to start the last couple of hills that lead to the finish.
don't let my smile fool you, I was feeling rough at this point, just
didn't want to be grimacing for the picture, haha.

done! yahoo!
I think you can tell from my face how happy I was to be crossing the finish.

Despite my completely idiotic mistake, it was a great race and I'm really happy with my results, and with how I felt during the race. I shaved off 8.5 minutes from my 2013 time, so that was great (read my 2013 race recap, here). Can't wait to add some more mileage over the next couple of weeks in preparation for the Her Tern Half Marathon (my first) in mid-July. 

Alaska Heart Run recap

My first race of the 2015 running season was the Alaska Heart Run, which took place last Saturday. My sister and her two boys ran too, and our mom came to cheer us on. This was my first time participating in the Heart Run. The first time I registered and planned to run, the race was cancelled because of snow.

This race signals that spring is really here in south-central Alaska and is the 'season-opener' if you will for the summer road-race season. Ever since being on the cross-country running and skiing teams in high school, I've loved to be apart of the running/skiing community. Races are a great way to stay motivated and on a running/training schedule, as well as a great way to stay active in the running community. They are so much fun, and if you've every participated in one, you know that you just can't beat the energy at a community race. 

You don't have to be an elite athlete or even a runner at all to participate, and that's the true beauty of these races. People of all fitness levels can come out and be active together. And even though there can only be one winner, there are many other reasons to feel excited and motivated to do your personal best in a race. Beating a prior PR can feel nearly as exhilarating as winning the entire race (not that I've ever won, haha). 

It was a little chilly as we arrived but it really turned out to be a beautiful day. It was my sisters first race and I was so proud of her and my nephews for how well they did! My oldest nephew even ran the entire 5k, when he had only been planning on running the 3k. I've been back to running three times a week for the last month, and ran with the intention of trying to give the race my all. I finished with a gun time of 25:06 (I was a bit back in the crowd at the start) and a chip time of 24:52, which means I ran at roughly a 8:01 min/mi pace, which I'm really happy with at this point in my 'training'. 

The fastest 5k I ran in high school was 24:36, so I'm looking to beat that time at some point this summer. The older I get the more I love running, and the longer distances I enjoy running. With two kids who don't always nap at the same time, running can be the only time I get to myself during the day to reflect and just sort of zone out. I run 98% of the time with the kids in the stroller, and find myself running longer distances when I'm running with them, mostly because if I'm going to the trouble of loading them up and getting out with them, I want to enjoy my time to myself as much as possible!

I registered for the Her Tern Half Marathon in mid-July, so I'll be running four days a week from here on out and increasing my mileage every week from the 11-12 miles I've been doing a week for the last month. I'll also be doing the Twilight 12k in June, and I'm looking forward to it. I've done it a few times in the past couple of years and should be going into it this year with the most training, so it will be exciting to see if I can increase my pace enough to get a PR. 

Riggs and Noah goofing around at lunch after the race