Monster "Splash" Half Marathon

Truth be told, after some encouragement from a friend and a few Moscow mules, I signed up for three half marathons and a duathlon on New Year's Eve. Now that these events are over, I can admit that I did not train sufficiently for the half marathon distance. My longest training run was eight miles, and not surprisingly the suffer fest started around mile nine during every single race. I never struggled with my cardiovascular fitness; however, my screaming hamstrings, quadricep and calf muscles communicated my poor conditioning quite vociferously.

I undertrained. That is on me. I missed too many run workouts especially the long ones that were crucial to building endurance. I pushed my physical limits this year, and these half marathons changed my mindset. Mentally, a 5K and 10K seem easier, and I'm more determined to achieve a faster pace and compete at a reasonable body weight.

2014-15 Half Marathon Results

10/31/15         Team Ortho Monster Dash                   2:49:23 chip finish/12:56 per mile

8/28/2015       Team Ortho Women Rock                   2:49:10 chip finish/12:55 per mile

5/31/2015       Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon     2:48:59 chip finish/12:54 per mile

10/25/2014     Team Ortho Monster Dash                   2:42:10 chip finish/12:23 per mile

Monster Dash Half Marathon 2015 - Erika, Angela and Ironman Theresa

Last Saturday, I ran the Monster Dash Half Marathon. I carpooled with a couple of friends that I train with at Tri Fitness. Because it was raining steadily, I wore my waterproof bike jacket. I knew it would be miserable waiting for the gun to go off especially if I was soaked to the skin. As we waited, I used my extra body fat to keep Theresa warm. Having recently finished 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running during Ironman Louisville, 13.1 miles of just running would be a nice change of pace for her. Theresa continually inspires me with her dedication and commitment to her training. Her improved race times and fitness over the past season prove that hard work is the key to success. 

Bang! We were off. At mile two, I wondered how I missed the first mile marker. Hmm... maybe there wasn't a marker at mile one. At any rate, I was glad it was mile two otherwise that was the slowest mile of my life. My friend Erika was having a great race, and we ran next to each other off and on. I really don't like to run with other people because I either feel like I am working too hard to keep up or not hard enough. Although I am finding that Erika is a good running partner because we are close in pace and give each other the freedom to separate.

By mile six, I began to question why I run. I was not having cardio issues, but my legs were starting to hurt. I thought about my training schedule and how I skipped runs, and by mile eight I promised myself I would trust Coach Jeremy and truly commit myself to the personalized training plan he writes for me every week from now on. By mile ten, I fell into run/walk mode. I began with three minutes of running and one minute of walking.

Erika veered off minutes prior and crossed the finish line for her ten miler and hit a PR. She deserves it after fighting injuries during the past couple seasons. Dang it! I should have signed up for ten not 13.1. What was I thinking? Why didn't I train harder? Should I quit? That's stupid. I can just walk the last three miles. It's a 5K. I can do a 5K.

At mile 11, I cursed all the hyperextensions and hamstring curls I did that week during training for WABDL Worlds in November. At least my legs were now numb and the burn had subsided. By the time I hit mile 12, I wondered if my trainer Jason, who agreed to do Muncie 70.3 in July with me, would unfriend me after all the running and biking ahead of us. A half marathon is hard! How am I ever going to build up to a full marathon? Do I even want to do a marathon? I hit the lap button on my Garmin so I could get an accurate time for the last 1.1 miles and picked up the pace. I crossed the finish line just :13 seconds longer than the Women Rock Half Marathon I did in August. I may be the slowest runner on the planet, but at least I'm consistent.

So, yeah... I made it. I am not happy or satisfied with my performance. Honestly, it pretty much sucked. Theresa and Erika were waiting for me at the finish line. Both agreed my stride looked great. I love them for always being so supportive! I am still mad at myself for not training harder, worried about the half marathon of Ironman 70.3 Muncie next July and frustrated with my stalled weight loss.

I need to somehow turn this seemingly impossible journey to POSSIBLE.