Get-In-Gear 2011

Can a runner get a weather break, seriously? Every single race I have participated in, the weather conditions have been less than desirable. Grandma's Marathon? A sauna! A bunch of 5K's? Windy as all get out! Both 1/2's? Windy AND rainy! Just wait until I get a race in under great conditions. Oh yeah. Sub-4 marathon. For sure. Ha!

It has rained for that past four Get-In-Gear races. Not sure why I was expecting something other than rain. It is Minnesota's Right Of Spring Race. This race was a little different, however. The hubby was also racing! Finally! He used to run cross-country in high school and was fairly good at it. He just thinks running is boring and he would much rather play a sport. Something more 'interactive' he claims. Anyway, he finished his 10K in 47:24, 7:30 minute miles. He basically rocked it. I only wish I could be that fast AND run 6.2 miles AND keep that pace.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I wanted to PR this race. My fastest 1/2 had been 1:58:07. Still decent, but I felt better training this time around. I had been training for the Get-In-Gear with my good friend Stacey. We both teach at the Y, so getting both schedules arranged to run together was quite difficult. We would usually try to get out Tuesday and/or Thursday mornings together. The longest run we got in was 9 miles. So, no wonder by mile 10-11 of the 1/2, I started to really feel it.

The first 8 miles were a breeze. We were cruising right around 8:45 pace the entire way. Around what I thought was mile 9, I looked at my watch and got depressed. There was no way I could fit in another 4 miles at this pace. I look at Stacey and mentioned that we were slowing down for some reason. She looked at me like I was nuts. Then, she realized that I thought we were a mile behind. She then told me we were actually just past mile 10!

So, mile 10 was great, because I was so excited about being back on pace for a 1:50:00-1:55:00 finish. Then, I had to pee. And the rest is a bummer. :) I stopped at the mile 11 marker. The chick in the porta-potty took FOREVER and I was getting upset. I knew I would have to book it to catch back up with Stacey, and that my breathing pattern and heart rate would be all messed up. Finally I was back on the road, trying my hardest to catch up with her. I knew the rest was going to be a mess, even though I only had 2.1 miles left. So I finally caught up to her, and my side started to cramp up. Bad. I wasn't breathing right and getting enough carbon dioxide out of my system. This upper lung cramp has happened to me towards the end of every long distance race I have participated in. The hubby thinks it's a bad breathing technique that leads to my cramping, so I will have to do a little research on the idea. The cramp gets so bad that every time I breath in, it feels like someone is stabbing me with a knife. It makes me lean forward because I can't stand up straight {probably why my quads hurt so bad}. I would have LOVED to push through and book it for the last 2.1 miles, but I just couldn't. I had to stay on pace and slow Stacey up. :( However, I am glad I didn't stop or slow down too much because I crossed that finish line at 1:54:57 (the timing company e-mailed that the posted chip times were about 10 seconds fast. So, since my goal was to come in under 1:55:00 and my posted chip time was 1:55:07, I will be more than happy to shave 10 seconds off my chip time! :) They were using a new system for the first time to time the race, a foam chip stuck to the back of each bib number. It's a neat feature, especially if you make 10 seconds at the end of the race!

My {incredibly detailed and more information that you ever need to know} stats are posted here:

http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=10202&race=240

All in all, it was a great first race for 2011. Now, what's next?