Last weekend, I ran Emerald City Half Marathon in Dublin, Ohio! I had already decided to run this race as a training run with a medal at the end, since it fit perfectly into my training plan but I didn't want to be too tired for my long run this weekend. This race has seriously the most beautiful course, with some nice rolling hills (nothing compared to Nashville!). I felt amazing the whole race! My splits were pretty much perfect, and I didn't go out too fast. I also ran every single mile in under 11 minutes, which was my goal after running a single 11:03 mile during my last half. My official time was 2:18:42, a 10:36 pace! I was six minutes away from my PR, but I was really amazed that this pace didn't feel too difficult, especially compared to running my first half a year and a half ago. It was also the first half marathon where I felt mentally strong the whole time. I guess 13.1 miles doesn't feel very long to me anymore after running a marathon :) My legs were a little bit tired the day after the race, so I took it easy this week to make sure I wouldn't miss my long run this weekend. I was up bright and early yesterday morning to run 15 miles! My pace yesterday was a little bit slower than my long runs have been, but still faster than my long runs before my first marathon. I'm really hopeful to run a sub 4:45 26.2 in 49 days!!
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Yesterday, I ran the inaugural Shawshank Hustle in Mansfield, Ohio. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to drive there, so I was up super early in the morning! I left Columbus around 6, knowing that I would be cutting it close. I parked my car at 7:15 and had to wait 30 minutes for a bus to get to the starting line. I made it to pick up my packet with just a few minutes to spare, then met up with my friends who were also running. Then they announced that the start time was being delayed from 8:30 to 9 since so many people were still waiting for a bus from the parking lot! It was super hot and humid at this point, but there was obviously nothing I could do. I decided to take this race easy because of the heat and hills. We finally started right at 9. There were no corrals or pace groups, so with 3,000 runners it was a little chaotic trying to weave through the people walking the race. I am all for walkers, but the race would have been more organized if the walkers had started in the back. The course started out with a sharp left turn where it immediately narrowed - I think this is something that should be changed next year. Other than that, I completely loved the course! It was very challenging with two huge hills (one at the end and one at the halfway point). We got to run past a lot of the places where the movie Shawshank Redemption was filmed, which was super fun! My splits: Mile 1 - 9:38 Mile 2 - 10:00 Mile 3 - 10:48 Mile 4 - 10:25 .66 on Garmin - 10:57 pace My watch had 4.66 miles in 48:03, an average pace of 10:19. My official time was 47:56! I finished 17/62 in my age group, and 580/3,000 overall! I walked twice, toward the end of both hills. My average heart rate was 186, which is higher than I usually train at! I definitely worked hard on this race, and I am very happy with how well I did! Overall, it was a great race with a few minor first year issues. I love the t-shirt and the medal - they both glow in the dark! The course and location were definitely spectacular as well, and I loved the theme of the race. I think something needs to be changed so cars and buses can leave during the race; we had to wait for enough space between the runners right before the finish line to get through, so that was a mess! I don't think the race being delayed because no one showed up on time was the fault of the race organizers, and they did their best to fix that situation once they realized how long the line for the bus was.
Last month, I ran the Santa Race 5k in Gahanna with a few of my friends. It was definitely the worst weather I've ever experienced during a race; it was cold, rainy, and windy. We still managed to have a lot of fun! :) Splits - Mile 1: 8:41 Mile 2: 8:56 Mile 3: 8:58 .03 on Garmin: 0:27 Official Time 26:46, an average pace of 8:41 This race was a new 5k PR for me! I was so excited!! I won a gift certificate for my adorable outfit (ugly Christmas sweater and sparkle skirt... always a good combination). I also won first place in my age group -- they announced my name for the award but looking at the results now, I actually came in second place. The other girl must have left before they gave out the awards. Anyway, I'm not telling the last part of that story, and my first place plaque is hung proudly on the wall. :) On Sunday, I ran the Buckeye Classic 10k! I ran this race last year, so I knew what I was getting myself into. It's a trail race with lots and lots of hills. I was very hopeful to get under an hour - the last 10k of Columbus Half Marathon was about 58 minutes - but unfortunately this course was not the place to PR. I was doing well until I made it to The Biggest Hill I've Ever Seen/Staircase of Death which leads to the beginning of mile 3. All of the hills were really tough for me and I ended up walking 3 times (which, on the bright side, was less than the 827726361525262 times I walked last year!). Overall, I didn't do as well as I had hoped. My official time was 1:05:24, a 10:32 pace. I'm not sure why I only had 6.05 miles on my Garmin - I'm thinking maybe the trees blocked the gps signal at some points? Luckily, I've learned from this race that I will need to do plenty of hill work before Country Music Marathon. I've added that into my training plan at least every other week for now but might start doing it weekly once the race gets closer! :)
Two weekends ago, I completed my fourth half marathon! This very was the very first one I didn't travel to, so I was happy getting to rest the days leading up to the race. Since I work a few blocks from the start/finish line, I knew exactly how to get there and where to park, and I had access to real bathrooms before I started! I made it to Corral B with plenty of time, and started off nice and slow. I really didn't think I would be able to finish as quickly as I did! I beat my old PR of 2:30:26 by over eighteen minutes. Overall I was thrilled with how fast I was, but I wish I could have cut 3 seconds off of mile two! Oh well, next time, every single split will be under 11 minutes. I really loved the course and loved giving high fives to all the Patient Champions. I cried through all of mile 11 (The Angel Mile - in memory of all the kiddos that didn't finish their race). The medals weren't there yet when I crossed the finish line, but after reading all about The Medal Mishap, I have forgiven the poor race director. I ended up having to push my way through the crowd at the PR gong to get my medal (and unwrap it myself and put it over my own stinkin' head).
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Hello, my name is Alyssa!I'm a momma to Emerson Lilly and two fur babies, a distance runner, and just a girl full of sparkle and quirks. I love traveling to races and exploring new places to run! I started this blog in 2014 as more of a journal to keep track of training for my first marathon, and I've continued to post about training, races, and other things happening in my life. Also, I'd like to be your best friend. :) Categories
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