TC 10 mile Race Report: October 6, 2013

Waiting for the start.  All the photos in this post are credit of my running buddy, Rose.

Pre-race smiles in the middle of the pack.

Morning sunlight pouring down Summit Ave.

Another late race report following another satisfying race!  To my good fortune, I was selected to run in the TC 10 mile, the little sister race to the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.  Runners are chosen through a lottery system for the TC 10 mile so I always feel pretty lucky when my number gets pulled!
This year, I started the race with a speedy running buddy of mine (and talented photographer as you can see from this photos!).  After a summer of hardcore hiking and training, Rose was ready to PR.  I didn't know what to expect although I hoped to beat my time from Women Run The Cities 10 mile race without overdoing it.  (I still had a half marathon trail race and the Monster Dash Half marathon ahead of me!)
Some of the most memorable moments of this race were before we even arrived at the start line.  The TC 10 mile starts at a very early 7 am in order to clear the line and set up for the marathon's 8 am start.  This is pretty early for a road race, and too early to expect a ride from my dear husband (especially with a six month old to tote along!).  So, Rose (who is an avid biker and major fan of public transportation) encouraged me to rent a "Nice Ride" and bike with her to the Metrodome (which I mistakenly call the "metronome" almost exclusively).  Even though I had never rode a "Nice Ride" before, I thought, "Well, why not!?  It's a good warm up!"
So, with the sky still full of stars, I headed to the nearest nice ride station.  Trouble was...the station wasn't where I remembered.  After a little run up and down Lake Street, I finally found a station, hopped on a bike, and headed to the greenway to meet my buddy.  I could see her light flashing in the distance so I started singing the flying monkey song from Wizard of Oz as I headed towards her.  It felt very surreal!
We arrived at the start line with plenty of time to spare (and just enough time to make it through port-a-pot line...the setting of a second funny pre-race moment...a huge suburban attempted to get out of a parking structure blocked by runners waiting for the port-a-pot...and those runners weren't moving for fear of losing their place in line!  I don't think the driver was prepared for such a hold up!)

At last, the horn sounded, and Rose and I cruised through the first few miles together.  At around mile three, we spotted her husband on the top of the Franklin Bridge.  We waved and yelled at him but he missed us.  Luckily, we ran up the ramp to the bridge itself and caught his attention thanks to Rose's impressive amplification of his last name.  He waved at us and then headed (according to Rose) back to bed.  After crossing Franklin Bridge, I checked in with myself and decided I better pick up the pace if I wanted to PR.  I knew I had more speed in me than I was exerting so I might as well give it a try.  I wished Rose luck and powered on.

The next few miles, I listened to music, tried to catch fit women, and focused on the next mile marker.  Strong.  Steady.  Relaxed.  I told myself.  I breathed, and moved between phases of feeling tired and heavy legged to phases of relaxed strength.  That's the thing with running distance races- I find that the tired phases don't necessarily last the whole race; I just need to hold tight and the tiredness cycles into a steady run again.  Refusing to look at my Garmin, I ran by effort, a strategy that's worked well for me in the past.

As I passed the Cathedral and headed downhill to the Capitol, I saw Mike and Misha waving from the sidelines!  I crossed the finish line and immediately checked my watch- a new 10 mile PR! Mike, Misha and I found each other and headed to the capitol steps to meet Rose.  Not long after, she strolled our direction with a big smile on her face- a PR too!  We were happy campers!

YWCA Triathlon Finish!

YWCA Women's Triathlon Race Report- 8/18/13

Preface: I wanted to write this race report while it was all still fresh, but with a four month old and my return to work, this post quickly dropped its priority status.  Luckily, I jotted down some key memories immediately after the race to stimulate my writing later.  Those anecdotes are included here!

***

Almost two weeks ago, I crossed the YWCA Women's Sprint Triathlon finish line for third year in a row.  As I raised my hands in the air, the announcer cheered me on, "Molly of Minneapolis- This is her first triathlon post baby Misha!  She just had a baby and triathlon!"

This shot truly captures the thrill of the finish line.  

Last year, Misha completed the race with me and my mom in the "buddy heat."  Only a few weeks pregnant, I kept my mom company as she worked her way through her first 500 yard open water swim, 15 mile bike ride, and 5k run.  This year, we signed up as a "mother-daughter team" with each of us competing in our own age group.

Posing for a post race mother-daughter team photo...with grandson/son Misha Man!  Still in his pajamas...

After a summer of moderate training to regain fitness postpartum, I approached this tri with a range of goals.  First, I hoped my overall time matched or approached my 2011 finishing time. Second, I wanted to beat my times in each of the events including the transitions.  And third, I hoped to place in the top ten of the women of my age group.  These seem like big goals even in hindsight, but I also told myself that if it wasn't my day, no big deal.  I would just go with the flow and blame a slow race on a recovering post-baby body.  For some, this kind of self talk might have provided an excuse for wimping out on race day.  But during my years of training, I've discovered that giving myself permission to "go with the flow" works well as a pre-race calming mechanism. Then, most of the time, my competitiveness kicks in when I need it to.  This is part of the mental game.

The morning of the tri, my whole family woke up in darkness- Mike, Misha, mom, dad, and me.  Misha didn't really know what was going on and fell back asleep in the midst of the excitement.  The rest of us ate bagels with peanut butter and bananas and I chugged a cup of coffee before hitting the road.

Misha waiting for his mom to cross the finish line.

Before I get into the race details, I must acknowledge my SUPPORT CREW!  I could not have done the tri without my husband and my dad!  They were such troopers!  Not only did I see (and hear) them on the course three times, but they positioned Misha so he could see his mama cruise by.  They were willing to deal with the hassle of a giant orange stroller and bottles of milk so they cheer me on with Misha Man.  I don't think many husbands and dads (grandpas!) are so accommodating.  I am one lucky triathlete.

So, the race.  As I gathered myself in the hour before my start, I selected specific inspiration for each leg.  During the swim, I decided to picture my dad watching for me from the shore.  The same guy who  taught me to swim and yelled my name every time I took a breath during my swim team days.  I also thought about river otters as they are, decidedly, one of my spirit animals.  (What's the other one, you ask?  Perhaps a reveal for the future, my friend.)

Swim: From a physical standpoint, I positioned myself to the right and front of my heat.  I wanted to get out there fast so that I could avoid the swimmers who start fast but quickly peter out.  I also wanted to be as close to the booeys as possible so to avoid adding distance to my swim.  The first 100 yards were ridiculous- lots of flaying arms and legs.  By the first turn, however, I was free from the pack and able to relax into a suitable pace.  Looking around, there didn't seem to be many pink caps around (age group marker)- a good sign!  By the second turn, I noticed that someone was drafting me- in a pink cap, no less!  I tried my best to free myself but I have no open water training so I wasn't successful.  The two of us ran out of the water and into the transition area.

I am in the blue one piece bathing suit in the middle of the photo...adjusting my goggles.  I am pretty sure that the girl who beat me is in the black and turquoise tri suit in the far right of the photo.

Transition 1: My drafter came in handy because it was clear she had a mental map of the fastest route to our bikes (they are organized by age heat).  I followed her lead.  Transition 1 took me forever because I wasted more than a minute putting on tri shorts and t-shirt over my one piece bathing suit. A tri suit or outfit is essential for my next race.

Bike: During the bike, I thought about Misha.  I often think about him when I am training.  Sometimes, I picture him as a teenager, training for his own sports and encouraging me to keep up with him.  The first mile was a bit of a mind game as I changed gears (rah rah) from swimming to biking.  Once I got some gatorade and half a luna bar in my system, I felt reenergized and concentrated on passing people.  I watched out for women in my age group (our ages were written on the back of our calves) and aimed to keep a fast but manageable pace.  There was one age grouper that caught me around 7 miles and we switched back and forth until I out-biked her in the last mile.  As I headed towards the transition area, I saw my mom heading out on her bike!  She yelled my name in passing and I sent her good vibes!

Transition 2: Something ridiculous like 27 seconds.  I was out of there!

Run: As for the run leg, I turned to two of my favorite mantras: "smooth and strong," and "I am here now" (from Another Mother Runner blog).  I didn't have my garmin watch on so I didn't know what pace I was going.  The thing about the bike to run transition is that it is hard to tell how fast I'm going because my legs just feel so weird.  However, as I headed out of the transition area and onto the run course, I heard my dad say, "She's so fast."  This gave me confidence.  If I looked fast, I must be starting at a solid pace.  During the first mile, I reminded myself "I am here now."  Forget about the swim and the bike, and just be present in the moment, in this case a 3.1 mile run- a distance that I usually view as a warm up.  I shook off the bike by the end of the first mile.  With two miles left, I repeated "smooth and strong" in my head and looked to pass people.  There were some girls who looked about my age less than a quarter mile ahead.  When I approached, I realized that they were from an earlier heat (thus, not my age group) but it felt good to pass the youngsters anyway.  Folks cheered me on as I headed towards the finish line.  There weren't many racers around me but I still wasn't certain about my pace, time, or place.  I was pretty tired as I headed into the finishing zone but I heard Mike and my dad once more.  They told me to pick it up!  So I did!  (Even though I didn't want to!)


I was pretty excited when I saw these results:

It was hard for me to believe that I actually got second place in my age group, but there it was!  I beat all of my times from two years ago except for the swim.  Perhaps most exciting was my run time- 7:14 pace!  My best 5k in college was 21:00 minutes and that was without swimming or biking before the race! This just goes to show that sometimes not knowing my pace can be a blessing.  If I knew I was running a 7 minute pace in the first mile, I might have backed down.  I will definitely do more runs/races by feel instead of by pace in the future.

Next year, I will be in a different and more competitive age group.  One of the great things about triathlons is that women usually get better as they get older.  As I reflect on my race and training, there are so many things that I could do differently to help improve my time, but I will save this reflection for a future post.  For now, I want to celebrate this victory and take in this moment!!!!

With the first and third place winners AND OLYMPIAN MARATHONER- Carrie Tollefson!  

Weekly Menu Volumes 4 & 5: Feb. 23rd to March 8th

I didn't post last week's dinner menu, so this is a double feature post.  (As a side note- SAT question of the day is a routine warm up in my English class.  The subject of week's grammar question was a 1930's ploy to attract more moviegoers by offering a double feature- two films for the price of one.  I asked my students if they ever went to a "double feature."  They giggled and looked around.  I told them not to worry as my mom was a real supporter of "double feature"- one of her more rebellious habits along with McDonald's ice cream for lunch.)

Anywayssss- to the menus!

February 23rd-Friday, March 1st
Saturday- "Homemade" pizza...although there really isn't anything homemade about this pizza...store bought crust, mozzarella log, italian sausage, basil, and pizza sauce.
Sunday-Salmon, Israeli couscous, and steamed green beans.
Monday- Brocoli and cheese soup (cooking light- thanks mom!) with baked potatoes (microwave...so easy).
Tuesday- Veggie stir fry (we still have not finished a humongous bag of cosco frozen vegetables) with brown rice.
Wednesday- Pulled Pork Sandwiches (slow cooker!  cooking light!  easiest recipe ever!) with coleslaw
Thursday- Parent/Teacher conferences....
Friday-Dinner with friends- take-out style!  Our friends have a one-year old.  They invited us over for a low-key evening and to our delight, suggested take-out!  And, to our utter delight, Quang take-out!  Quang is our favorite Vietnamese spot in the cities if you ask us.  Mike gets the 301 and I get the 307.  I think take-out dinner with friends will catch on big time once baby Vasich is born!


Sunday, March 3rd-Friday March 8th

Sunday-  Dinner at our neighbor's with the Longfellow crew.
Monday- Turkey sloppy joe's with sweet potato fries.
Tuesday- Leftovers...
Wednesday-Tilapia with asparagus and couscous w/red pepper.
Thursday- Spaghetti with marinara and turkey meatballs.
Friday- Noodles takeout?  We get to babysit Otis!

Small Wonders

On our honeymoon two years ago, Mike and I christened our handheld video camera "small wonder."  We took it with us on our adventures along the Pacific Coastal Trail to the local bakery to the backyard to capture our wild turkey and bobcat sitings.  Documenting daily wonders truly reminds me that there rests an orb of deep joy within every moment.  

Today I want to document a wondrous moment.  This moment is not even close to the most wondrous moment as of late, but a small wonder of its own right.  Months ago, I signed up for one of my favorite trail races, a half marathon race called the Surly Trail Loppet.  I have run this race a few times, each time breaking last year's record.  This year, I was not expecting to break any records since I decided to run the 5k instead of my usual half marathon.  For good reason- I am going to be a mama!  (The most wondrous of wondrous small wonder!)   

I actually only started running again a few weeks ago after a 2 months hiatus.  Each day, I ask myself: How you doing?  Up for a little fresh air and movement?  And everyday that my body says "YES!", I head out to run with pure gratitude.  

That's how I felt this morning.  I entered the race with no plan.  I told myself that I am allowed to stop, walk, jump, leap over trees, whatever felt good.  I warmed up with an easy 2 mile jog and then waited for the race to begin.  

Well, by some weird trick of nature, I won my age group.  A new record for me!  A small wonder.  

So what have I learned?  Well, everyday I've been learning so much.  I feel different.  Motherhood is going to change me.  I've learned that I won't always be able to do the things that I want to do.  There is  a little one who already needs me to slow down and I am learning that I might be okay with that.  But, today, I also learned that slowing down can bring surprises.  

A few days ago, I was reading through old journals.  Here's an entry from high school: "My mom said that these next ten years are ging to be a fast, huge, unstoppable decision-making time...an exciting time until I reach the biggest decision of all, who I should marry and whether or not we should have kids.  Then things will slow dow" (8/12/00).  

And here I am, a little over ten years later, married to the man of my dreams and a baby on the way.  Mom's right; things are slowing down but I am as happy and filled with wonder as ever.

Monster Dash Half Marathon: Race Report

Go Big.  It was the perfect morning for a PR- dad was visiting, the weather was cool and sunny, and I felt energized and capable.  Dad remarked how relaxed I seemed in comparison to other early morning pre-race preparations he'd witnessed.  Running a handful of marathons does tend to put other races into perspective.  That said, I hadn't really built up this race in terms of any consistent training plan.  My fall workout schedule was basically a few short/easy runs, a fast run with my high school runners, and a long run on the weekends.  My weekly mileage was around 30 miles on average.  This isn't very much for me.  Yet, I ran the TC 10 mile a few weekends before the Monster Dash and my time was only a couple minutes slower than last year.  So, I knew I could PR if I was ready to accept a little pain at the end.  I also knew that it was my last chance before snowfall to hit a half marathon PR.  So...why not, right?

Miles 1-3

Mike cheering for me in front of our alma mater!

Easy, fast.  I had on my ipod shuffle and I was loving the tunes.  This was my first race listening to music; it definitely won't be my last.  Running west down Summit is like a reward after running up it during the Twin Cities marathon.  This photo is waving to Mike and Dad cheering at Macalester!!!!
My first split was in the vicinity of 8:40.  Then, my garmin turned off somehow.  I restarted it at the 3 mile mark in case I might want to check my pace later in the race. 

Two block shots please??!

Miles 3-6
The familiar part of River Road heading towards the Ford Plant.  I felt good.  My music died (wah).  I didn't check my Garmin for the rest of the race.  I knew I was running faster than my usual pace on long runs, so there was no point of freaking myself out (if my pace was slower than expected, I would feel bad...if it was faster, I might slow).  I decided to focus on my form, my breathing, and keep up my pace.  I saw Dad and Mike cheering on the parkway right after mile 6! 


Miles 7-9

Looking for me after mile 9.

I could feel my body getting a little bit worn down, but I tried to not let my mind go there.  I kept my pace and focused on not letting this particular heavy footed/heavy breathing woman get too far ahead of me.  She was breathing harder than me so I knew I should be running at least as fast as her.  Dad and Mike cheered me on a little after mile 9!!!!

Mile 10

Got my shot blocks!  Heavy footed lady right next to me.  hee.

It was a real crush to the soul when we passed the 10 mile finish line.  I tried not to look.  I also avoided looking at the pacers and their pace signs.  I tried this strategy after feeling really let down at the Madison Marathon when I fell behind my pacer.


Mile 11-11 1/2
Big uphill in the more unfamiliar part of river/shepard road.  Also there was horrible angsty singer at the top of the hill.  I made a mental note to write a thank you to Team Ortho for the great race minus the 11 1/2 mile band.  Oh my lord.  I wanted to run faster so I didn't have to listen to the depressing music.  I guess maybe that was their intent?

off to finish the race!

Mile 12 to finish.
Slowed down a bit after the big hill but then started to pass people as we headed into the last mile.  I didn't pass heavy breather, but I closed the gap and I wasn't far behind her at the finish line.  I saw Mike immediately after I crossed the finish.  The clock time was 1:51, so I knew I ran a personal record.  When we checked the results at home, I was totally ecstatic to see that I ran a 1:48!!!    I felt like I really hung in there at the end and gave it my all.  I was so excited that my dad was there to see me race! 

Finish line!

Race Recap: TC 10 mile

Finishing Time: 1:21:19
Average Pace: 8:08/mi
overall finishing place:1262/7019
gender place: 106/1028
age group place: 382/4313

Yay! This was absolutely an awesome race. I am still smiling as I remember the brisk morning run through downtown Minneapolis to the capital in St. Paul. I was so excited because Carol and Milt Vasich were there to cheer for me along with Mike. They got up so early to drop me off at the Metrodome at 6:30am (the race started at 7!) It was still dark out as they wished me luck!


Over the years, I have learned that a slow start is the best way for me to ease into a race. When I start out too hard, things tend to go downhill (uphill is more like it) about halfway through the race. This summer I have eased into each of my races, and I have ended up feeling great and averaging faster paces overall. So, I have learned to let myself feel it out and hold steady on each incline.

By the time I hit the Guthrie Theater along the west bank, I was in cruise control. The views along the river were mystical, something out of Lord of The Rings. The fog was lifting as the sun was rising.




I saw Mike and family at Franklin Bridge and East River Parkway. It's always pretty fun when you catch sight of your fans before they see you. They were squinting into the sunlight trying to see me, and I basically high-fived them and headed south onto East River Parkway before they even knew what was happening! Mike is actually a super running fan. Seriously, when I describe to my running buddies how many times my husband manages to cheer for me during the course of the race, they are astounded. What can I say? He's a pro, and a truly devoted husband too, I might add.


That's Mike (with my new fancy smartphone) trying to use the tracking device to see where I am on the course.


I was shooting for under 1:30, but I thought it would be cool if I could maintain a speedier pace...faster than my 8:30/mi during the last road half on Aug. 30th. Feeling strong as I headed up Summit Ave, I decided to go for it. Here are my splits for the last five miles:

mile 6: 8:35/mi
mile 7: 8:24/mi
mile 8: 7:50/mi
mile 9: 7:47/mi
mile 10: 7:39/mi

Mile 6 was the steep-ish hill up East River Road onto Summit, and the rest of the miles were just a steady incline up Summit until the last mile downhill to the capital. I don't know what the heck got into me during those last three. Maybe I should have run faster in the middle of the race, but to be perfectly honest, I love having some "juice" at the end. It helps me to hold it together and feel light and easy as I go.

I was super excited at the finish line, and pretty ready to be done for the morning. I am thrilled with the time, and I know this race is just the beginning...