Alternate titles: My Feet Hurt Because I Kicked So Much Ass - or - I Am Pretty Much A Rock Star - or - Do You Need A Light? Because I'm On Fire!
I ran 20 miles this morning.
Set a PR.
Oh wait. This was my first 20-mile race. PR by default.
But I totally rocked it.
When I laid down my goals a few weeks ago, I was nervous to say I wanted to run a 9:45 pace. I wasn't sure it was actually attainable...I mean c'mon. My marathon pace from 3 months ago was 11:02. That's 75 seconds faster per mile. Which seems like, well, a lot.
But after running a ridiculous 10k on Monday, I plugged my race time into a race pace calculator and it spit out that I could run a 9:34 pace for a 20-mile and a 9:44 pace for a marathon.
But I have this theory that those calculators are full of shit. But at least I knew that 9:45 was attainable in someone's book.
Anyway.
Race morning. Usual race morning jitters. Did my usual race morning rituals and blah blah blah.
Annnnd the running? Was pretty uneventful. I ran into runner friend Tiffany at the start...In my mind, she's a faster runner than me. The gun went off, and *poof*. She Actually Completely Disappeared. Within seconds, she was out of my sights. Damn.
Right away, I noticed that I had to pee (Hello, oversharing!!). Which was odd, because I used the Biffy approximately 17 seconds before the gun went off. Note to self: Don't Drink So Much Water Before A Race.
The first 6 miles were around the city. Right as the path started around the lake, which the 20-milers would loop twice, the 10kers turned off and headed to the finish.
So we ran around the lake and I kept my eyes peeled for Biffys. There Was No Love. Well, there was one...but it had a line. I got burned with a 7-minute wait time at Grandma's Marathon...so I decided to hold it.
Until I spotted a heavily wooded area about a mile later. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination, but I emerged from the woods feeling like a different runner.
It was a lovely course, but for being touted as "fast and flat"? Uhhh, no. There were definitely some hills thrown in there!
I hit a "rough patch" at mile 11. My body was tired. My legs were heavy. I just felt Ugggggghhhh. About 20 seconds after thinking how much the rest of the run was going to suck, the course went into a downhill stretch and began the next loop. A cheery police officer was helping with traffic control and I passed a total hottie. And the next thing I knew, I was smiling and laughing at my inner monologue (what can I say...I'm witty when talking to myself) and joking with the volunteers. That "rough patch" sure passed quickly.
As I was running the second lap of the lake, I ran into Tiffany. It was nice to see a friendly face, and even nicer to pass someone that I feel is faster than me. :) She was running with some walk breaks, so as soon as she started running, she passed me again. Blast! BUT. The next time she walked, I passed her...and didn't see her again.
So I just kept running. Enjoying the gorgeous day. Enjoying the perfect weather. Enjoying the light breeze and the beautiful view of the lake. It was a great day - perfect for a long run.
And before I knew it, I was heading down the finishing chute. I crossed the finish line and the clock read 3:14:36.
I BEAT MY GOAL TIME. By 24 seconds.
And I looked down at Carmen the Garmin. She agreed - 3:14:36...but with a distance of 19.91.
She must be off. Right?? RIGHT?? Although she always seems to tell me that I ran farther than the race distance (you mean marathons aren't actually 26.5 miles?? a 10k isn't 6.29 miles??). Whatever. Someone measured this course...I will assume that it was accurate. :)
And now that I've proven to myself that I can run a 9:45 pace for 20 miles...I think I might have to set a marathon goal of 4:15 (9:45 pace). Which, yikes, would be a 37 minute PR. Is it possible??? Am I crazy??
9/6/08
Mile 1: 9:39
Mile 2: 9:45
Mile 3: 9:40
Mile 4: 9:52
Mile 5: 9:52
Mile 6: 9:45
Mile 7: 10:22 (bathroom break)
Mile 8: 9:47
Mile 9: 9:25
Mile 10: 9:39
Mile 11: 9:49
Mile 12: 9:48
Mile 13: 9:37
Mile 14: 9:47
Mile 15: 9:54
Mile 16: 9:52
Mile 17: 9:50
Mile 18: 9:56
Mile 19: 9:52
Mile 20: 8:14 (9:04 pace - .91 miles)
Average pace: 9:46 Garmin - 9:44 Official Time
Total time: 3:14:36
Average HR: 165
Three words to describe this run: Gorgeous-Day, Comfortable, Reassuring
I ran 20 miles this morning.
Set a PR.
Oh wait. This was my first 20-mile race. PR by default.
But I totally rocked it.
When I laid down my goals a few weeks ago, I was nervous to say I wanted to run a 9:45 pace. I wasn't sure it was actually attainable...I mean c'mon. My marathon pace from 3 months ago was 11:02. That's 75 seconds faster per mile. Which seems like, well, a lot.
But after running a ridiculous 10k on Monday, I plugged my race time into a race pace calculator and it spit out that I could run a 9:34 pace for a 20-mile and a 9:44 pace for a marathon.
But I have this theory that those calculators are full of shit. But at least I knew that 9:45 was attainable in someone's book.
Anyway.
Race morning. Usual race morning jitters. Did my usual race morning rituals and blah blah blah.
Annnnd the running? Was pretty uneventful. I ran into runner friend Tiffany at the start...In my mind, she's a faster runner than me. The gun went off, and *poof*. She Actually Completely Disappeared. Within seconds, she was out of my sights. Damn.
Right away, I noticed that I had to pee (Hello, oversharing!!). Which was odd, because I used the Biffy approximately 17 seconds before the gun went off. Note to self: Don't Drink So Much Water Before A Race.
The first 6 miles were around the city. Right as the path started around the lake, which the 20-milers would loop twice, the 10kers turned off and headed to the finish.
So we ran around the lake and I kept my eyes peeled for Biffys. There Was No Love. Well, there was one...but it had a line. I got burned with a 7-minute wait time at Grandma's Marathon...so I decided to hold it.
Until I spotted a heavily wooded area about a mile later. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination, but I emerged from the woods feeling like a different runner.
It was a lovely course, but for being touted as "fast and flat"? Uhhh, no. There were definitely some hills thrown in there!
I hit a "rough patch" at mile 11. My body was tired. My legs were heavy. I just felt Ugggggghhhh. About 20 seconds after thinking how much the rest of the run was going to suck, the course went into a downhill stretch and began the next loop. A cheery police officer was helping with traffic control and I passed a total hottie. And the next thing I knew, I was smiling and laughing at my inner monologue (what can I say...I'm witty when talking to myself) and joking with the volunteers. That "rough patch" sure passed quickly.
As I was running the second lap of the lake, I ran into Tiffany. It was nice to see a friendly face, and even nicer to pass someone that I feel is faster than me. :) She was running with some walk breaks, so as soon as she started running, she passed me again. Blast! BUT. The next time she walked, I passed her...and didn't see her again.
So I just kept running. Enjoying the gorgeous day. Enjoying the perfect weather. Enjoying the light breeze and the beautiful view of the lake. It was a great day - perfect for a long run.
And before I knew it, I was heading down the finishing chute. I crossed the finish line and the clock read 3:14:36.
I BEAT MY GOAL TIME. By 24 seconds.
And I looked down at Carmen the Garmin. She agreed - 3:14:36...but with a distance of 19.91.
She must be off. Right?? RIGHT?? Although she always seems to tell me that I ran farther than the race distance (you mean marathons aren't actually 26.5 miles?? a 10k isn't 6.29 miles??). Whatever. Someone measured this course...I will assume that it was accurate. :)
And now that I've proven to myself that I can run a 9:45 pace for 20 miles...I think I might have to set a marathon goal of 4:15 (9:45 pace). Which, yikes, would be a 37 minute PR. Is it possible??? Am I crazy??
9/6/08
Mile 1: 9:39
Mile 2: 9:45
Mile 3: 9:40
Mile 4: 9:52
Mile 5: 9:52
Mile 6: 9:45
Mile 7: 10:22 (bathroom break)
Mile 8: 9:47
Mile 9: 9:25
Mile 10: 9:39
Mile 11: 9:49
Mile 12: 9:48
Mile 13: 9:37
Mile 14: 9:47
Mile 15: 9:54
Mile 16: 9:52
Mile 17: 9:50
Mile 18: 9:56
Mile 19: 9:52
Mile 20: 8:14 (9:04 pace - .91 miles)
Average pace: 9:46 Garmin - 9:44 Official Time
Total time: 3:14:36
Average HR: 165
Three words to describe this run: Gorgeous-Day, Comfortable, Reassuring
Labels: Notes To Self, Race Reports, Running
12 Comments:
Great job! Congrats! You rocked!
Fantastic job! I aspire to have race times like yours one day. Hope you are living it up this weekend in celebration!
You ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, do we need to talk to you about doping? ;)
You kick ass!
Hey, Miss A. Haven't stopped by your blog for a bit so it was nice to read about your excellent run. I had to laugh about the "flat and fast" description ... the phrase is used so much these days, it seems to have become almost meaningless.
Congratulations on an excellent run!
WAY TO GO!! Nice run! And sweet job shaving off all that time from your marathon!
And really sweet job peeing in the woods!
Thanks for letting Karen know to keep and eye out for me today (in my outfit)! She totally caught me off guard at the finish!
you are so awesome!!! congrats on totally rocking that race!
We knew you could do it!
Great Job Allison!
Any woman that knows how to take care of business in the woods rates high on my list!
Damn, girl! Great job!! Can't wait to read how you beat your 'thon goal. :)
Congratulations. Hell, no, you ain't crazy. If you can do 20 at that pace...you can shoot for 26.2. Go for it!
Congratulations!!!!!!! You are totally on fire!
Now that your done with the 20-mile good karma, mind sending it to me for my 20-mile training run this weekend? Thanks!
Great job! Totally wish I could pull that much time off my 5k splits.
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