2017 Scottsdale Half Marathon–PR!!

Posted by hellyontherun in Half Marathon, Marathon Training, Uncategorized and tagged with Half Marathon, Marathon Training, PR, Race Recap, Scottsdale Half Marathon December 11, 2017

I love this course. I really do. It’s been sooo good to me and Ben and we’ve always done well here. It’s a pretty much a *flat*, fast, loop in Scottsdale, AZ–nothing majorly scenic, but it’s pretty in Scottsdale and even though you’re passing through businesses and residential areas, the landscaping is well maintained and pretty to look at, lol!

My goal was to sub 1:40. I hadn’t really been vocal about that goal (except here), but my marathon training has me doing tempo miles at that pace and I figured it was a good time to give it a go.

And I got close….

So close.

I wore my Shalane F*CK YES! Momentum bracelet because I was on a mission for a sub 1:40 Eff Yes moment . When I crossed the finish line, it was more just like, F******CK. Lol!!!

Turning the corner and looking at the clock tell me I didn’t make it.

And because I’m honest, my immediate reaction crossing the finish line was disappointment– and I wanted to cry. But because my team’s tent was at the finish line, I was immediately met with hugs and congrats and I couldn’t cry. I mean, I PR’d, how could I be upset? I didn’t want to cry and be a baby with everyone so happy for me. So, I put a smile on my face and rejoiced, even though deep down I was sad.

We ❤ Scottsdale Half Marathon

My brother ran it, too!

My MRTT/AZTNT crew

I know PRs are going to get harder now. So after I pity-partied a bit, I truly began to celebrate my accomplishment. I’m pretty damn happy. Sincerely.

I ran fast, and I ran fast from the very start. I went in with a goal and I wasn’t afraid to fight for it from the get-go. From beginning to end, I raced.

That is so freaking awesome to me. I’ve come such a long way in the mental aspect of running. I remember telling my husband after I first ran a sub 1:50, that I didn’t think I could top that. That I would be perfectly okay without bettering that 1:48. Well, here I am, a 1:42 and a 1:40 later!

I’m wanting to get faster. I’m not afraid of running fast anymore. I mean, I still sometimes get freaked out when I see myself running sub 8s, but I’m getting used to seeing them more often and getting used to making it my “new normal”.

It’s insane. I never thought I would run the way I’m running now.

4th in Age Group, what?!?

And to think that I want to run faster! That my race day mantra now is: Make It Hurt.

It indeed was a F*CK YES! moment. Who was I kidding! A 2+ minute PR!!!

Turn and burn!

Love ya, Scottsdale!

The road to Boston continues! And that’s the real goal 😉

–Do you have a favorite local race?

–Do you like running fast?

–When was your last F*ck Yes! moment?

2017 RnR Vegas!!!!

Posted by hellyontherun in Half Marathon, Race and tagged with Half Marathon, Party on the Strip, Race Recap, RnR Vegas, Rock n Blog, Rock n Roll Las Vegas, Vegas Strong November 14, 2017

FINALLY!!!

I’ve been wanting to do this race for LONG TIME!! It always just seemed like a good time and while I’d been to Vegas before, for bachelorette parties, I’d wanted to go as just a solo vacation. So, because I’m a Rock ‘n Blog Ambassador, I was able to pick a few races to run and there was no hesitation choosing RnR Vegas!!

Some backstory–you know me and my crazy ideas, lol!!!! I had this GREAT PLAN to run the inaugural Revel Mt. Lemmon (in Tucson) Sunday morning and then drive to Las Vegas to run Rock ‘n Roll Vegas! Two half marathons in two states in ONE day! Doesn’t that sound awesome!!!?? I somehow convinced my husband and I got us all registered.

Then, he broke his toe on Monday.

Yup, completely random injury–his toe was swollen blue and purple and after x-rays confirmed what we already knew, we decided to nix Tucson and instead, I would run Vegas on Sunday solo.

Except my husband is a stubborn man (he’s also a runner soo…..) and said he felt good enough to run with me at my pace. My goal was 1:45 which would be 13.1 miles at MGP (8:00). I told him that if at any point he didn’t feel good, to walk and he promised he would.

He’s such a champ. ❤ him

The Expo was huge and we stood in line for our traditional race coffee mug and got out of there. The race shirts were super cute and I was glad I went with the Medium (they ran small). I didn’t hang out at all but knew I’d see some #WeRunSocial peeps the next day before the race.

I was able to snag a quick pic with Carlee and Brian–I’ve seen them the past couple of years at Phoenix Marathon and a few other races. I finally got to me Slacker Runner too!!!

And then we were off!!

As I’d mentioned, I wanted to keep at goal marathon pace. The first mile was insanely crowded so I wasn’t worried when we saw a 9 something minute sound off. The second mile was 8:20something and by the third mile, we settled in at 8 or just under.

But then before we reached mile 5 mile, my watched beeped 7:22!!! and a.) I knew we hadn’t hit the mile marker and b.) I knew I was running well, but NOT that well.

I was bummed that my watch was now skewed but decided to just keep running. I felt at each mile I was holding on to my pace even though I didn’t have the watch splits to prove it. The way I gauged it was that I WAS PASSING PEOPLE THE ENTIRE TIME and having so. much. fun.

I can count on one hand the races I’ve done where from beginning to end, I passed people. I just felt good (or maybe people were slowing as the race progressed, lol!) and just held on. At mile 10 we had to do a little u-turn to head back towards the finish and it was then I felt the pace become, still doable, but a tad uncomfortable. I held on, still breathing fine, but feeling the legs a little heavy.

As we reached the finish, a girl I’d been keeping pace with said, “Let’s run it in together!” except she clearly had energy left in her and I was dying trying to keep up

I finished right on target at 1:44:36 with an average of 7:59/mile!! 😀

I was so ridiculously happy for running the race so well. I didn’t get caught up with the crowd or try anything ambitious like trying to PR (which I think the world did at Revel Mt. Lemmon earlier that day). Instead, I ran my race, at my pace and still kicked ass! It was such a confidence booster as I continue on my journey to Boston. I don’t know when I’ll get there, BUT I WILL GET THERE ❤

Thank you, Vegas! ❤

–Have you done RnR Vegas? If not, consider it! 😀

–Do you use races as training runs?

Update: A Trophy, Missing the Century Mark, and a Humbling Half

Posted by hellyontherun in Award, Half Marathon, Running and tagged with Recap, She Power Half May 8, 2017

As you may or may not have noticed, I took a blogging break/mini social media break. It was a rough month’s end (April) and I needed some recoup time. I’m feeling a lot better, but I do want to catch you all up to speed.

A Trophy

In early April I snagged my new 5k Pr (and broke 22 minutes!). I ended up placing 2nd in my Age group which was a complete surprise to me, especially since it was 30-39, a wider spread than the usual 30-34. I received an e-mail that I would be awarded at an Arizona Diamondbacks! Free tickets in addition to the award!

My husband and I decided to make it a date night and it was just so much fun!

Cheesin’ real hard 😀

The trophy was really fancy and I got to go down to the field and everything! (And even make a jumbotron appearance 😀 )

Missing the Century Mark

I finished April with 99.64 miles. I did not care about being .36 off 100.

A Humbling Half

The last day of April had me running a much anticipated half marathon. The She Power Half is an inaugural race that happened to take place in my city. I was really looking forward to this race since I first signed up for it last year. I thought maybe it could be a PR race. But after Phoenix Marathon, I didn’t feel as up for it as I had hoped. I also felt tired, which isn’t a surprise considering the year I’ve had. When I talked to my coach about She Power, she agreed that it wasn’t an ideal race for me to attempt a half PR and instead, gave me a race plan that was still challenging enough to make it fun for me (because I like making my life difficult).

But from the get-go I knew my coach’s plan wasn’t happening. The first mile was fine, a little fast. My husband and kids surprised me right before the mile mark and it was my best mile of the race.

My favorite cheerleaders ❤

It was all downhill from there (and not in the good race downhill way). My BQ training buddy Ashley was with me and I told her at mile 4 that things were not looking good for me and to go on on her own. The rest of the way had me trying in vain to keep her in my sight.

At mile 10, the cramps came as well as defeat. I knew my family would be at our neighborhood entrance after the mile marker and when I saw them, I came to a complete stop. I was done. I chatted with my husband for a bit and thought about waiting a little longer for some friends before I decided to just finish the race. It was about a 4-5 minute stop.

Exactly what I needed at that moment ❤

I saw a girl around the last mile of the race who looked like she was on a mission. I asked her what her goal was and she said 1:55. I told her that we had it and to “Let’s go!”

After the race I felt like I’d been hit by a train. My entire body was so sore and I knew that I was battling some dehydration. I hung out with friends for a while afterward (which really made this race into a WIN) and when I went home, I immediately went to bed.

The race did not go at all according to plan and instead, it left me in more pain than my last two marathons combined. There’s an ache specifically in my right foot that I’m getting checked out this afternoon. With official BQ training approaching, I want to make sure I can start on the right foot (see what I did there?).

Even though She Power wasn’t a race to remember time-wise, I can’t help but think how far I’ve come in my running when a 1:55 isn’t a “good” race. I remember training for that time. Now looking back, I’m glad the race went the way it did, because it has really helped me reflect on my journey and appreciate every race for what it is. Of course I know that not every race can be a PR, this one wasn’t even meant to be, but sometimes you need a reminder that there are waaaay more things that make a race “good”. My friends are what made this race and it’s those memories that I’ll look back on the most.