Anniversary

Exactly one year ago... the Thursday after I ran the RRCA Club Challenge... I set out for a short little tempo run.  I dropped Susanna off at school at 8am on the dot so I could get in four miles before I had to be at an 8:40 meeting.  I was feeling fatigued and hadn't done any speed work since the race, and felt no pain on this run (or any previous runs) but could not get my pace below an 8 minute mile.  Defeated, I went to my meeting.  When I stood up, I was limping.  And thus began my epic injury that consumed thousands of dollars in doctors appointments, PT, and of course, lost race fees.

I had planned on a 12 mile run before work this morning, but my calf has been cranky, my right achilles has been tight, and my neighbor Holly who usually does these way-too-early runs with me is skiing in Utah.  When my alarm went off at 5:07am, I checked the weather -- 17 degrees with a windchill of 5 -- and rolled over to go back to sleep.  Running alone in those conditions was just not appealing...

At noon, I started to get phantom pains in my left hip.  Could they be real?  Every time I sat down, I was sure that when I stood up I'd be limping.  I decided that maybe I should take a rest day, even though last week was a recovery week and this week I'm supposed to be at peak mileage. Aside from the calf that seems to be getting better every day, I didn't really have a reason to skip the run.  Except then I'd feel another twinge... my right ankle this time.  Or maybe it was my left hip.  Or maybe my right foot.  Come to think of it, my knees kind of hurt.  And maybe my shin?

At lunch I googled "warning signs of a stress fracture."  And basically it said they come on without warning.  That would be right -- there was NO warning for either of the fractures I've sustained. They came on suddenly, the first during a marathon (far left metatarsel on the left foot, and only an 8 week layoff from running, during a time I would have been recovering from a marathon, so really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things -- plus it got me hooked on swimming and biking and led me to my first tri season) and the second when I wasn't even running (that being the injury I never, ever, ever want to relive..)

I spent the majority of my lunch break reading Camille Herron's blog on stress fractures.  She advised serious runners to take it easy most of the time... she said she had the most stress fractures when she was doing all high intensity runs on lower mileage, and the least on high mileage (averaging 120-30 per week!) when she did about 80% of her runs about 2 minutes per mile slower than her 5K pace.  My 5K pace is probably a little under 7 minutes per mile, and I have no issues at all with running 9s or even closer to 10s.  So I decided I would go ahead and try to get my mileage in -- slowly -- today.  I did the middle six miles with the Lululemon Run Club, and got in almost 12 total.  Walked in, ate dinner with my family....  I wasn't limping after dinner.  So I've officially made it one year post injury without another stress fracture.

I'm still flipping out.  This whole "stress fractures come on without warning" thing is a little more than scary.  Poor Paula Radcliffe, the marathon record holder, can't even jog more than a few miles at a time due to a stress fracture on her foot that never healed.  I read a recent article where she said that she just wants to be able to run for pleasure at this point.  She said she can't even run after her two children.

I've spent so much time in the past 2 years trying to better myself as a runner.  I want to push myself to the breaking point.. but not break.  I guess all of us out there who are trying to set PRs and get the most out of our "running years" deal with this.  How far can we push our bodies before they cry "Uncle!"

I want to reach the start line of the Boston Marathon.  Unbroken.  But ready.  It's hard to know where that magic line is.

RRCA Ten Mile Club Challenge -- Take TWO! (Race Report)

I’m pretty sure the RRCA Club Challenge 10 Miler was the last straw in my overtraining last year… the straw that broke the camel’s back my pelvis.  Four days after that race, which I ran on untapered legs and finished up with not one but eight cool down miles for a total of 20, I began to limp.  All that marathon training went down the drain, as well as any hope of running for the next four and a half months.  A pubic rami stress fracture is not an injury I would wish upon anyone – but it healed, and that experience is far behind me.

So why did I sign up for this race again?  Because it’s a great training course for Boston full of challenging hills and a well-organized event with a super fast field consisting of the RRCA groups in MD and DC.  Oh, and it was on a Sunday (a must for races this season, since I coach on Saturdays) and, well, the entry was paid for by DC Road Runners.  I shuffled around my recovery weeks so that this time around I would not be hitting peak mileage the days preceding the event.  Course redemption here we come. 

Jamie fell on the ice about three weeks ago and cracked a rib, so his training hasn’t been stellar but he told me last week that he still wanted to do the race.  We had the babysitter coming overnight since we were leaving before 6am.  So Saturday night I say to Jamie “We need to set up the guest room since Hillary will be here at 8.”  Jamie says “For what?”  I say “For the race tomorrow?”  He says “WHAT RACE TOMORROW?  I thought that was next weekend!”   I say “Um, no, it’s tomorrow.  Did you run this morning?”  He says “Yes, and hard.”  Well, at least one of us looked at our training plan.  Hey, maybe I’d actually beat him in a race for the first time ever.

We got to the race and I was still unsure of what shirt to wear, long or short sleeved. We did our warm up mile in the long sleeves,  and then headed to the gymnasium until 10 minutes before the start.    It was 42 degrees … figured I’d ditch the long sleeves.   I threw it in the car and jogged to the start.

Jamie and I stood there chatting and then got in place for the race (he up a little closer to the timing mat.)  Wait… TIMING MAT!!!!  CRUD!!!!  My bib…. and my timing strip….  was still attached to my long sleeved shirt… IN THE CAR!  You have got to be kidding me.  No time to go back and get it.  I figured I would just time it for my own sake.  Oh, I was so mad at myself!

This race is all up or down.  There is no flat in Columbia, MD.  So I had no idea how to pace myself.  Last year I ran a 1:16 and this year I hoped to break 1:15.  My goal was to hit 7:20s, but the first mile had a lot of downhill and I felt like I was barely working when it clicked off at 6:58.  That scared me a little, but this course was impossible to keep an even pace.  My Garmin consistently read under 7 for the descents, and would click all the way up to 8 or even a bit higher for the climbs.  They were relentless.  Up, down, up, down, up, down.  I am not used to the terrain and could feel it in my calves (especially the right one) by the third mile.  By the 8^th mile (which I think was my slowest mile at 7:40…  it was mostly up and I was ready to clobber whomever came up with this course) the right calf was really aching, and it hurt the rest of the race.  

My Garmin had been spot on with the mile markers and so exhausted as I was, knew after I hit 9 that I had just a few more minutes to go.  I concentrated hard to keep pace, and thought how nice it was that unlike a marathon, when you see the last mile marker, that really is it – one more mile.  No “point two” to mess with your head.  Except then my Garmin hit 10 and the finish line was still a good 100 yards away.  AURGH!  Darn you!  I did see the clock still was in the 1:14 realm so I sprinted hard.  Ended up with 10.08 by my Garmin, and 1:14:23.  The timing people were right there at the clock, so I immediately went up and asked them if they could record my time.  He said “Yeah, it’s okay, we had a guy come in a few minutes ago who also didn’t have his bib, but we saw when he crossed.  What’s your last name?”  I said “Lynch.”  He said “Interesting, so was that other guy’s.” 

Of course it was.  Of course my husband would be the only other person in the race to forget his bib. And of course, even with a broken rib, he still beat me.

It’s now  Monday, I tried to run 6 recovery miles at a snail’s pace, and I officially am sure I have a calf strain.  This race hates me.  Looks like I’ll be taking it easy for awhile…

TOTALLY Flattering Race Photography 

Jamie looks a little less pained.  And he's the one with the broken rib.

Finally smiling, because I don't have to think about that course until next February.

MESOCYCLE 1 - Done Done Done!

1/3 of the way through my Boston training plan!  I can't believe it there are just 12 weeks to go!  The first six weeks of the plan I'm following are endurance building, and has hardly any speed.  Aside from some strides thrown in the second half of weekday run, and the occasional 30 minute tempo, most of the miles are easy.  This is to get my body used to the high mileage before stressing it with intense workouts so I can AVOID INJURY!  Brilliant concept, eh? So far so good.

I am also making a valiant effort to keep the strength training going at least 2 times a week if not three.  I am going to do my best to make it to the Boston starting line in tip top shape, and with no pulled muscles or fractured bones.

Mileage build up has been:  54, 57, 59, 61, 65, and 69.  Next week is a "recovery week" -- ONLY 59 miles.  ONLY!

For the most part I've enjoyed my runs, and have been glad to find some great ladies in the area to do morning runs with.  Running really is my social life -- since I choose to put so much effort into endurance sports, that needs to be my social outlet as well.  It's nice to arrive home at 6:45 a.m. with my workout finished as well as some great girl gabbing.

This polar vortex things has got to go, however.  Seriously.  I know I don't live in Canada or Michigan or whatever, where they've had windchills of something insane like -65 and real air temperatures of -30.  Not even close, and I don't want to think about it.  And yeah, I grew up in Indiana but don't give me that "You're from the midwest" bull.  I've always hated winter.  I can handle running in 30 degrees, but once temperatures dip into the single digits, I can honestly say it's miserable.

Never before have I gone on a run where afterwards my thought was "I wish I hadn't done that."  Until Friday.  My regular Friday running buddy had 18 miles in her schedule, and  I had 8.  Our usual running route was covered in ice so we decided to instead run on Pickett St, a 1.6 mile stretch of road with well plowed sidewalks and good lighting.  I had done 11 miles there the day before in the sunny mid morning.  I figured it would be a little cooler so I bundled up with two pairs of wool socks, two pairs of running pants, two long sleeved tech shirts, a windbreaker, winter cycling gloves, a face mask, and a winter hat.  We began our run, and realized that the plowed part of the sidewalk was too narrow for us to run two abreast, so this made speaking to each other difficult.  A half mile in my lips were frozen despite my face mask, so I guess that didn't really matter.  At two miles I had to go to the bathroom and I realized I couldn't feel my nose or my wrist, which was slightly exposed, so I ran into the Cross fit studio owned by another lady in our running club.  Seriously, had we only gone two miles?  It had to be more than two miles.  Ugh.  Outside again, another loop which seemed to take at least an hour (although apparently only about 30 minutes) and I again couldn't feel my hands.  I ran inside Einsteins Bagels to warm up a little bit.  I made sure every square inch of flesh was covered up, and then continued outside for my final loop.  It was still dark out, the traffic was picking up and cars were blinding me with their head lights (I swear everyone had their brights on), and unfortunately there is a filling station for Semis on the streets so we were constantly getting passed by massive noisy trucks with stinky exhaust fumes.  The sun was rising by the time we got to the end of this loop, and my GPS was at 7 miles.  I still had one to go, but when my running companion told me she was done with her run (this being someone I swear can find beauty on ANY run.... except apparently this one) we both declared it the worst run ever and headed to our cars instead.  7.15 miles.  Not 8.  That's okay.  I can live with that.  I couldn't feel my fingers at all, so unlocking the car became an unexpected challenge.  Once I managed to turn on the ignition, I realized my numb hands couldn't maneuver the steering wheel, so I had to sit there with my hands on the heating grates until I could safely drive home.  After I was thawed out I checked the CURRENT temperature.  It was 6 degrees at 8 a.m. with a ReelFeel of -10.  So who knows what it was at 5:45 a.m. when we started.  I don't know how these people in Chicago train through winter because that seriously had me dreaming lovingly of the treadmill.

Today was a little warmer -- ReelFeel of 1 degree, actual temperature of 20.  I ran my first 14 miles with one of the runners in the group I'm assistant coaching, but after she left I had a really hard time finding any motivation, especially since as a coach in the program I can't use headphones.  There were still people out on the course, so I kept running until they all finished (at this point I was up to 19 miles) and then called it quits and got in the car.  After I'd thawed out a bit, I forced myself to head out the door and run the last two miles on my icy, frozen neighborhood streets.  21.  Done.

Ready. For. Spring.  And we're not even a month into winter....

20 Miles. #Megsmiles

On Tuesday evening, I dropped Susanna off at her dance lessons and headed out for 14 miles total, including an hour with =PR= at the track.  I'm so used to running near the Vienna metro, which is very runner friendly with plenty of light even at 5 a.m., wide sidewalks, and pedestrian crossings at all intersections.

Well, Reston isn't like that.  There was absolutely no sidewalk on Sunset Hills Road, which I have to run on in order to reach the track.  My headlamp wasn't bright enough to see the ground, and once I hit South Lakes Drive, I had the choice to run on a pitch black trail in the woods, or on a road without any sidewalk.  I chose the road, thanked the Lord I was wearing reflective clothing, and was quite thankful to get to the stadium lighting at the track.  I don't love running in circles, but it was better than the roads in Reston.  When track ended, I had exactly 25 minutes to get back to Susanna's class, almost three miles away.  I ran along the road, some parts without a shoulder, and prayed the cars would see me.

That night, I sat down to check email and Facebook and saw something someone posted about running in memory of a woman named Meg, a runner killed by a drunk driver.  I hadn't heard of this, so I clicked on the link.  And then I couldn't look away.

She was 34, just a year younger than me.  She lived in Ashland, VA, just 80 miles away.  Like me, she was training for the Boston Marathon.  I put her name into the "search" box, and her profile popped up.  She had a daughter about the same age as Susanna.  Her wall, like mine, was full of pictures of a recent trip to Florida, pictures of her children on Santa's lap, comments from friends just days prior.

On Monday morning she set off on a 13 mile run after her children were in school.  She only made it about one mile from her home before a driver, a doctor on his way to work and still apparently intoxicated from the night prior, swerved off the road and hit her as she ran along the shoulder.

I couldn't stop thinking about her.  Her children.  Her husband. How in one moment, everything - EVERYTHING - about their lives was altered.

I couldn't stop thinking about how that could have been me, just hours before.  There are plenty of people who have too much to drink at Reston Town Center, think they are okay to get behind the wheel, and drive home.  I had just been out running on roads with no sidewalks or shoulders, during Happy Hour for crying out loud, with a headlamp that wasn't really working.  I was at home with my family.  She was out in broad daylight at 8 a.m., and she will never go home to her family.

My thoughts turned to August 2012 when I learned of Heather Boyum, the teacher and mother of two whose life also tragically ended too soon when she was hit by two intoxicated drivers during a Sunday morning training ride.   We had raced together two weeks prior.  We were both out on training rides that Sunday.

I never met these women, and I don't claim to know them.  All I know is that like me, they were runners who had children to whom they were THE ENTIRE WORLD.

On Saturday runners around the world came out and dedicated miles to Meg to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.  On Saturday I ran my first 20 miler since my injury.  On Saturday I thought of Meg, and of Heather, and of all the runners and cyclists whose unarmored bodies were no match for a vehicle operated by a drunk or distracted driver.

Meg, we are all thinking of you.  Rest In Peace.

#Megsmiles

BOSTON TRAINING BEGINS!

Somehow, I'm already in week 4 of my Boston training program!  After last winter's "choose-your-own-adventure" training plan ended in the worst injury of my running life, I've decided to stick to the tried and true Pete Pfizinger "up to 70 miles a week"  program I used for California International.  I guess the average is about 62 miles a week over 18 weeks if you count the buildup and taper, though the middle months are all at or close to 70.  This is the first week I'll hit 60.

Runs were pretty easy to get in over the holidays, especially during our Christmas in Saint Augustine, FL. The beach, coupled with perfect morning running temperatures of 55 degrees, were pretty motivating.  Our last day finally had clear skies and I got in the most beautiful sunrise run.

Now I'm back in Northern Virignia, and it's, well, not 55 degrees.  I have a really hard time getting up to run solo in the freezing cold.  I'm even worse in the ice.  However, I've really got no excuses.  I have great winter running gear.  And check out my shoes:

On Saturday my long run was on the ice covered W&OD rail trail.  While most people were slipping and sliding, I was able to run comfortably.  I have YakTrax, but this seems to work better, especially when the surface terrain changes.  Plus you don't need to worry about walking up your ice covered townhouse steps into your tile entryway, forgetting to take the Yaks off, and falling flat on your face.  (Of course, I'm not speaking from personal experience.  On three separate occasions.)  Total cost of sheet metal screws in a pair of old shoes?  About $4, cheaper if you share the 100 pack with a friend.  

I still ended up on the treadmill yesterday.  I prefer to do my speedwork on it, since I can control the pace.  I also use it as one of the few times in the week I can watch mindless movies on Netflix. I am going to try to limit myself to two days a week on the mill, maximum... my running injuries have only ever occurred in the winter, and I've read some articles lately that point to high mileage on the treadmill leading to hip flexor issues... hmmm..... 

Today the ice has melted and the temperatures are in the single digits.  Although my childhood in the midwest saw many winter days like this, I live in Virginia (the south?), and they have cancelled school.  I don't really understand why, but I'm going to take advantage of the daylight and get my 14 miles in this afternoon.  

So the general schedule is:

Monday - Speed/ Tempo.  Treadmill.  I so far have failed every time at getting up early enough to get in the full mileage and get back to my house in time for Jamie to leave for work, and end up running laps around my townhouse to finish up.

Tuesday - Mid-Long Run (12-15 miles) OUTSIDE in the evening.  I can't say enough about the new DROP OFF KIDS ACADEMY OPTION at Lifetime Fitness in Reston.  Susanna can play in the child center or enroll in classes and I can run outside!  She takes tap dance from 6-7, so I can drop her off between 5:15-5:45, get in my mileage (partly with the =PRR= Reston Distance Training Program), and then grab dinner with her after her class before heading home.  

Wednesday- Easy recovery miles before work.  Strength training during Susanna's swim class.

Thursday- Longish (9-11) run OUTSIDE in the morning.  I am hoping to find regular company for these!  I usually get in 8-9 before Jamie leaves for work, then run laps around the townhouse until 7:15.  That might sound a little tedious/ crazy but it is preferable to a treadmill and/ or getting up any earlier than 5am.

Friday- Easy recovery miles before work, or on the treadmill while Susanna has Zumba class.  I am guessing that if I don't have some pre-arranged company, I'll end up on the treadmill.  This Friday, I do have some buddies to make me accountable!  And that means I can get in strength session #2 during her dance class.

Saturday- Long runs with =PRR= Reston Distance Training Program.  I'm in my first season with them as an assistant coach, so I am running with the participants.  I'm having a great time meeting new people, all of whom have different goal races, and there are a few ladies training for Boston that are on the same mileage schedule as me, so it's been good to have some company.  

As far as tune-up races, they need to be on Sundays since my Saturdays are now with DTP.  I think I did too many tune-up races last year and it lead to my injury, so at this point I'm just planning to do one half marathon or ten-miler and possibly a shorter race in March. 

2013

A year ago, I sat down and posted about what an amazing running year 2012 had been.  About how I'd accomplished all of my goals, set new PRs, run 2000+ miles, and was excited about what 2013 had to bring.  I jumped right into a high mileage, high intensity training plan with the intention of breaking the 3:30 barrier at the Shamrock Marathon, and admittedly, running consumed me.

And then I couldn't run at all.

It has been 10 months since February 28, 2013, when I began to limp after finishing up a tempo run.  In that time, I spent 2 months without any answers and questioned if I'd ever run again, then another two months knowing I had suffered a pelvic stress fracture and doing all I could to stay sane.  Today I got onto Daily Mile to look what I'd done these past 12 months.

January and February - I ran every single day, with the goal of running every day in 2013.  No rest days, high intensity runs at least 3 times a week.  I slept very little in order to get in most of these miles before my kids woke up. 

March - Obviously injured, I kept attempting to run but stopping after the pain became excruciating.  I had my first ever DNF at the Shamrock marathon.  Aside from these 15 random test miles, I gave my legs a break from the pounding and started swimming again after the marathon that wasn't.  Started physical therapy at the end of the month, 3 times a week.

April - 1 mile test runs on the treadmill at PT every couple weeks indicated that I wasn't even close to healed.  Lots of PT, lots of swimming.  Started cycling on the trainer.  Insisted on an MRI at the end of the month, which showed a clear stress fracture of the lower pelvis.

May- NO running, but lots of swimming and cycling!  I figured I could do a triathlon at the end of the summer, skipping the run if I had to.

June- Started running on the antigravity treadmill.  Woot woot!

July- X-ray on my birthday clears me to run, almost four and a half months after the initial injury.  SUPER SLOW, but I ran 104 miles in July and decided to sign up for the Skipjack Triathlon.

August - Lots of cycling, swimming and running!  150 miles of running, still not up to speed, but just thankful to be out there!  I also did the Reston Century Ride.

September - First race since February!  My run was definitely slower than it would have been with more months of training, but I was thrilled to complete a half-iron-ish distance triathlon.  After that I put my bike and goggles away and set my sights on a half marathon PR.  

Ocober - Averaged 50 miles a week!   I also ended up running the Ragnar Relay at the very last minute (I found out the team I had originally planned on running with had an injured runner and made the decision to join them the day before the race!) which turned out to be one of the best running experiences of my year.  I met some great ladies who were serious about running but also a ton of fun.  We ended up winning the women's division as well as the team spirit award.  I think I could become addicted to relay races!
November - My goal was to break 1:40 in the half marathon.  I ended up with 1:40:36, which got me second place overall, a nifty age group win plaque, and 37 seconds to get rid of for my next goal. After that, I spent the rest of the month running with no real purpose other than running.  Jumped on long runs with my marathon training friends (18 miles when you aren't training for anything?  Why?  Just because!)
December - Took one down week (only 30 miles) and started to go a little crazy -- insomnia and restlessness -- how did I ever go four months without running at all?!?  Halfway through the month I started my BOSTON TRAINING PLAN!  I'm following the same program I did when I PRed at California International.  I think the rest day and mostly easy days were key to me staying injury-free, even though the mileage is high.  Hopefully this will prove true!

Total miles run in 2013:  1541.

Challenges:  Pelvic Stress Fracture.  'Nuff said.

Highlights:  PRs in in the 10 mile and the Half Marathon.  Ragnar Relay!  Skipjack Triathlon.  Registering for the Boston Marathon.

Goals for 2014:  I'm not making any, since you never know what life or your body is going to throw at you.  I'm just going to work hard, train smart, and take it as it comes.

Race Report - Chseapeakeman Endurance Festival - Skipjack "75.2 more like close to 77.5"

All in all, I was very impressed with the race.  This was my first  with TriColumbia, and they put on a great event.  The race director was fantastic when I emailed her back in April about being unsure if I'd be cleared to run in time to train for this, and was willing to let me choose to either Aquabike or do a tri distance the week of the event (which I finally decided on for sure, oh, last Tuesday.... )  Everything was very well organized, the volunteers were outstanding, the expo was easy, the on course support was great, wonderful post race food... and they even had showers at the finish!  Score -- got to go home clean!  

The ONLY complaint I have was that the course was long. It was advertised as a 64 mile bike, and at the pre-race meeting some guy pipes up and says "Is the bike course the same as it has been the past two years?"  The race director says "Yes it is."  Some Guy:  "So it's really 66 miles."  RD:  "What?"  Some Guy:  "66 miles.  As verified on my GPS the past two years."  I didn't really believe him, until my GPS registered over 66 miles.  So... yeah.

THE SWIM was in the brackish water where the Choptank River feeds into the Chesapeake.  AND that means... jellyfish.  Little sea nettles.  Apparently this was a light year.  If this was a light year, I'd hate to see a bad year.  I had on a full wet suit, and was wearing Sea Safe Jellyfish lotion all over my face, neck, hands, and feet, but I think it had mostly worn off about 30 minutes into the swim because I then got stung on my nose, lips, neck, and wrist.  The first half of the swim went pretty well, but the second half we turned towards the sun and I had lots of trouble spotting so my form got all screwy. My final time was 43:23 which was ten seconds slower than last year.  As I was getting out of the water, I remember thinking that I was so glad I didn't do the Aquavelo, because that would have involved another loop in the water, and there was no freaking way I was doing that.

T1: Went in the changing tent and ripped off my wet suit, put on my helmet, socks and shoes, and biked out.  Somehow it was three minutes, which seriously, again, why I am so slow?  

THE BIKE was mostly pancake flat with an out and back on a highway and then a loop that went through some nice marsh land.  I felt fairly comfortable holding a 19-21 mph pace until we got slammed with headwinds.  I couldn't get much above 17-18 mph at that point, but I felt pretty good overall. Parts of the ride were beautiful, in a wildlife refuge with lovely marsh views.  The last 15 miles or so were completely out of the wind, and I was able to make up some time with a solid 22-23mph pace.  My GPS hit 64 miles and T2 was no where in site. Guess the guy was right.  It hit 66 and we STILL weren't there.  I GMapped the coursemap and this is what it says:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6091011
Yes, that would be 66.2 miles.  So although the race results claim I biked an 18.4 mile per hour pace, it was in fact 19, like my trusty Garmin reported.  (They also had the wrong distance on The Bugeye Classic  -- the 25 mile bike, according to GMAP, was 22.5 miles.  So I guess if you take away our two and a half miles and add them to the Bugeye, you'd have the correct distance for both?)

T2:  1:40.  That is definitely a record for me.  Go me.  And go my awesome volunteer who handed me the run bag in 2 seconds flat.

THE RUN... oh the run.  I took off too fast, and realized a half a mile in that I was running a 7:40 pace... okay, I probably am not going to be able to hold close to my PR 10 mile pace after swimming 1.2 and biking 66.  I slowed it down and the first mile came in at 8:15.  The second and third mile went pretty well, but then it all started to fall apart.  My legs just weren't having it.  My pace slowed to about 8:40 for miles 4 and 5, and then I got passed by a girl in my age group. I was pretty sure I had been winning my age group up until that point, since I hadn't seen anyone else pass me the other way on the out and back course, and I think once she flew on by at an 8 minute pace that I had no hope of holding, I just mentally gave up.  Well, I tried to catch her for awhile during mile 6, but gave up halfway through (that clocked in at 8:35), and then I was really hating life from basically mile 7-9.8.  7 was 8:57, then I stopped and walked for a minute, poured about three cups of water on my head (it was 80 degrees with no shade, which isn't terrible, but I still felt pretty hot), and started counting to 100 over and over.  Mentally I just couldn't think of anything else to do.  Each tenth of a mile felt like eternity.  I couldn't see anyone ahead of me or behind me.  Finally Mile 8 clicked off at 9:15, and I then I got a side stitch. "YOU LOVE RUNNING!"  I told mysezlf. "YOU DIDN'T RUN FOR ALMOST 5 MONTHS AND YOU HATED EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T RUN.  YOU ARE RUNNING NOW, AND YOUR BODY FEELS AWESOME (sides stitch excluded)! "  Then my dark side said "This is ridiculous.  Why do you do these races?  They feel awful.  This is torture.  You are an idiot."  Mile 9 clicked off at 8:55 and some lady heading out on mile 1 told me I was almost done as we passed each other.  Yeah, I guess I was. So I tried to convince myself I was just doing mile repeats, and this was my last one.... tried to get some kick. Finally I saw the finish.  I turned in and made my way to the track.  I thought I just had to go over the timing mat, but oh no!  The volunteer told me I had to run around that track.  I happen to know that they are 400 meters and I really didn't want to run 400 more meters.  I was the only person on the track.  As I made my way to the straight away, I heard "GO GRETCHEN!"  What?  Oh, it was Brittany (who, by the way, did the Bugeye won her age group in her first ever triathlon!)  And Stephanie!  People actually were cheering me on!  Mile 10 was 8:35.  So overall, the run wasn't too bad, even though it felt awful.  Overall pace was about 8:40, which is probably about right for where my run fitness is right now.  Last summer, when I could hold a 7:40 pace for a standalone 10 miles, my Half Iron run pace was 8:27.  I have no idea how fast I could run ten miles (without the whole swim/ bike thing) right now, but I am sure it wouldn't be anywhere near 7:40s.

Great weekend and race, gorgeous weather, and now... I think my triathlon season has come to a close.  As much as I love the it, the double workout thing just doesn't work for me during the school year.  And so, Dora the Explorer will go back on the basement bike rack (but may emerge for some fall group rides) and the goggles and swim cap will probably not get much use until late spring.