ashleyd /

Poland Springs Marathon Kick-Off Race Recap

 

Marathon week has arrived! NYC is already dressed in orange for the occasion!

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This morning Bo, Rebecca, and I celebrated the season by participating in the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff 5 miler. This race is a great race due to the energy and spirit. It is a perfect way to kick off marathon week. This year there was an added bonus of costumes since it’s Halloween! IMG_6646

The race sold out this year which meant the park was packed this morning!

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Due to the crowds, they started ordering us into the corrals earlier than normal. We didn’t mind because our time in the corral was spent catching up, seeing other friends, stretching, and snapping pictures.

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We were all smiles before the race. We’d already aligned that we would spend the race catching up since I didn’t want to push my pace one week before the marathon and Bo’s calf is still giving him issues.

A few minutes after the national anthem we crossed the start, ready for a great race. The fall leaves welcomed us with open arms!

Today’s course was one of my favorites as it was a reverse loop around the park. This means we were able to run DOWN Cat Hill instead of conquering the gradual incline.

 image Bo, Rebecca, and I had an absolute blast during the race. We talked about work, school, the upcoming marathon, training, and Bo’s injury. The great conversation and beautiful Fall weather kept us occupied until my short breathing gave me a reason to check my Garmin.  I couldn’t believe my eyes, our pace for mile 2 was 9:10! Our splits were putting me on pace to set a new PR. My fastest pace in a NYRR race, longer than 3 miles, before today was 9:51.

We did our best to slow down after mile 2 but the three of us were all feeling way too great! Our breathing was definitely short and the sweat was dripping but our legs wanted to sprint. Bo volunteered to pace us and did his best to keep us around a 9:30. He had to tell us multiple times not to pass him if we wanted to keep a slower pace. We were running so quickly at the end that I barely noticed Jessica along the sidelines.

Five miles later a new PR had been set and we were still all smiles!

IMG_6648 Poland Springs Marathon Kickoff 5 miler

Final Net Time: 48:12

Avg Pace: 9:38

Mile 1: 10:05

Mile 2: 9:10

Mile 3: 9:32

Mile 4: 9:33

Mile 5: 9:17

We gulped some water, stretched our legs, and then enjoyed an easy 3 mile jog home which rounded out my last long run of marathon training!

I can’t wait for next Sunday’s marathon!

If you are interested, I’m looking for readers interested in contributing week of and day of marathon tips. If you’ve run a marathon then I want readers to learn from your experience. Please email them to healthyhappierbear at gmail dot com this week! I’ll feature them this week!

Have a great Sunday!

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ashleyd /

Staten Island Half Marathon: Someone Else’s Legs

 

I think I borrowed someone else’s legs today!

The morning started out like any other race morning!

Our race necessities were laid out, ready for action.

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We each had the pre-race breakfast which has quickly become a ritual. Breakfast is always a cup of coffee with a peanut butter and banana sandwich on light wheat bread. I’ve started adding Crofter’s Jam instead of honey for a little natural sugar.

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We quickly headed downtown to catch the 7:30am ferry to Staten Island. The half marathon began at 8:30, therefore the NYRR suggested no one take a ferry later than 7:30. I’m glad we listened!  We have been on more ferries in the past month than ever before! (Governor’s Island and Bainbridge Island)

The ferry was packed!

I ran into Sara before the race. I love how small the NYC running community really becomes after a few races! She warned me about the hills but also told me that this was her half marathon PR last year. (Great job Sara on your awesome race today!!)

After a quick 15 minute ferry ride, our course came into view.

Staten Island looked flat and friendly from afar.

After a quick sprint to the ferry terminal bathroom for a last minute stop, we headed down to the corral. Due to the constant calf pain Bo has been dealing with since his speedy run in Portland, we decided to start the race together. I knew I wanted to keep my goal marathon pace (11:20) today in preparation for the marathon.

We were ready to get this run started! The weather was perfect, the wind wasn’t blowing too badly, and we were towards the front of my corral (aqua).

The course was an out and back route, including a few rolling hills and one steep incline from mile 7.5 to 8. Overall, it reminded me a lot of the Philadelphia Half course in that it had some great views and was a relatively easy course compared to multiple loops in Central Park or Prospect Park.

I felt wonderfully throughout the race. In fact, I felt as if I’d borrowed someone else’s legs! I was smiling ear to ear, talking with Bo, and taking in the sites.  I thought we were starting out slow until Bo told me to slow down as he was sure we were going faster than planned. I looked down at my Garmin only to see that we ran our first three miles at an average pace of 9:47. We decided to stick together for the rest of the race due to my fast pace.

After the first three miles, we kept our pace at a 10:05 until we climbed the hill at mile 7.5. That hill irritated Bo’s calf and reduced him to a limp until we stopped for a quick stretch a few strides later. He spent 2 minutes stretching and massaging his calf. We started again and continued another three miles until 10.5 when it started to tighten again. This time we stopped for 2 minutes for more stretching and a quick debate. Bo realized at this point that 20 wouldn’t be possible for him and that finishing the half would be lucky.

I suggested we slow down for the last 2.5 miles so we could finish together. He would never leave me in a race while in pain and therefore I wanted to stick by his side. We finished the next 2.5 miles in a 10:45 pace. Even with this slow finishing pace, I still ran my fastest half marathon since December 2007!

Time: 2:16:47

Avg Pace: 10:27

I couldn’t stop smiling. I wanted to keep running since my goal today wasn’t the half marathon, but instead my first 20 miler!

I completed a 2 mile loop while Bo stretched and rested his leg. After the quick 2 miles we headed towards the ferry in hopes of catching the 11:30 ferry back to NYC. Bo had to be back home for a conference call and I knew that running 5 miles along the Hudson River would be the perfect ending for my 20 miler.

Less than an hour after parting ways at the Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan I was back home giddy with excitement!

20 miles 3:29:20

10:27 avg pace

 

It was the perfect run and exactly what I needed before the marathon!

Congratulations to everyone who ran today!

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ashleyd /

With a Little Help From My Friends: NYRR Fitness Mind Body Spirit 4 Miler

This morning when my alarm went off this morning at 8:15 I was more than a little disoriented.  Why did I set an alarm for a Saturday morning after Friday’s 17 mile long run and a fun Friday night filled with Fashion Night Out festivities and dinner with my in-laws at Park Avenue Autumn?

Oh yes, I was running the NYRR Fitness Mind Body Spirit 4 miler with Rebecca. My eyes were heavy, the cold bed was screaming my name, and Bo’s late night had resulted in a less than stellar rest. But then I saw the bright sun and blue sky through my small bedroom window. The fall temperatures have graced NYC for at least this weekend and that alone is reason to run!

I quickly assesed my pain, threw on my running clothes, and texted Rebecca since we were trying to head uptown together. Fail. After a few unanswered calls and texts I assumed her festivities meant a late night and decided to head uptown on my own. I thought of today’s run as a way to loosen up my tight muscles, similar to last week’s 5k.

Central Park was alive with with women of all shapes and sizes gearing up for the race.

Gorgeous Central Park morning

I quickly checked in, grabbed my swag bag, and took advantage of the porta potty suprlus.

Why is it that NYRR has SO many bathrooms for small races and never enough for large races? I really hope the marathon has plenty! 🙂

After using the bathroom my muscles were starting to scream and the realization that I was about to run 4 miles after yesterday’s long run set in. Just as I headed towards the start I saw a familiar face, Sara! Sara had a NYC blog previously and we’ve connected during a few different blogger events and MANY google chat conversations. However, it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other. She had left a sweet comment on my post yesterday letting me know it provided her needed inspiration for her solo 17  mile run. Luckily, we decided that I’d accompany her for miles 11-15 via the race. I was excited to have a friend and catch up with her!

We lined up in the corrals ready for a fun race. The race didn’t sell out so the crowds weren’t horrible which was a refreshing change.

At 10am the race started and we actually crossed the starting line at 10:01!  We both started our Garmins but comitted to having fun and keeping a steady pace versus trying to race. Her legs were hurting after her 10 miles and my IT band wasn’t very happy.

We had a blast! We talked about her upcoming wedding, living in NYC, our finance men, and marathon training while heading through the winding Central Park path. The course was different than most as it didn’t loop back until 102nd street. This meant we had a few added hills.

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 We even ran into Melissa who was running this as one of her NYRR 9+1 qualifiers!

I was surprised how strong our pace was considering the elements. My 4 mile PR is a 9:54 and until the final mile we were keeping a 9:45 pace. Unfortunately, the last mile was when we both started hurting and decided to take it easy versus straining ourselves since Sara had two more miles after the race and I was about to rack up 21 miles in 24 hours which is definitely a record.  We made the final curve together and ran through at 39:48, under 40:00 which was my personal goal. We were both pleased as we’d never stopped to walk, conquered a few tough hills, and kept a steady conversation. More importantly, we’d helped each other get through our runs. Sometimes, we need help from our friends to finish a tough run, long or short.

Do you enjoy running or working out with friends?

Sara took off to finish her two miles before an afternoon of wedding planning while I meandered through the park aimlessly reflecting on the past two days of running and checking out the Fitness Magazine area. I was disappointed by the booths but managed to find a familiar smile!

I love seeing familiar faces in NYC! It makes it seem like a smaller city! I haven’t seen Karla since BlogHer!

@karla522 Loved the Garnier wipes!! Ill buy them soom! :)

I was happy to be done but I don’t think this smile is going anywhere soon!

 

I still can’t get over that in a 24 hour period my legs carried me 22 miles!! (I ended up running a mile home after the race before giving in and getting a cab..what was I thinking??)

Sweaty happiness!

I’m celebrating this mileage with college football, a cold beer, and relaxing until tomorrow’s yoga session! 🙂

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