Securian Winter Carnival 10K Race Report

Um, hi. Is this thing on?

So I've been MIA lately, as in VERY MIA. Typing up a big update blog post has been on my to do list for over a month, but it quickly falls to the bottom of my list when I start to prioritize. I promise to write a more robust update soon, but here's the long and short of it:
* I love being a mom. Henry is such a ham, but he is still a very high maintenance baby.
* He also hates food and has decided that at 7 1/2 months, he'd still rather just subsist on boob juice. I'm not worried yet. The dude still has some major adorable chubs.
* I'm still gluten/dairy/soy free. Sometimes I can cheat and sneak in a little cheese, but Henry's tummy will definitely let us know if I go overboard. Occasionally it wears on me, mostly I'm fine with it. I've been craving a giant piece of chocolate cake for over 4 months. Gluten free food is okay, but it's rarely good, and it's definitely not the same. I am so fortunate that this is a temporary thing.
* Breastfeeding is still going really well. Everyone told me it would take time to finally click, and honestly, it didn't start to feel effortless until he was 5 months old.
* Fitting in workouts has been hella hard. I let myself take a break after the marathon and cut back to just a few days a week. Now that I want to start working on my base again, I'm having a hard time figuring out where that time will come from.
* Despite eating my weight in sugar and chocolate (which,thank God, does not upset Henry's tummy) and working out less than I have in the past, the pregnancy weight was gone at the 6 month mark - poof! The 42 pounds fell off without any effort. I've been able to fit into my normal clothes for a long time and have been in my extra skinny clothes for a few weeks. I'm not sure if it's muscle atrophy from not working out or actual sustainable weight loss, but it has been nice that this is not a source of stress for me. I still have some stubborn love handles to work on, though.

Alright, back to the title of this post... my 10K race report.

I did my first stand alone 10K EVER last year on Jan 1 when I was 17 weeks pregnant. I did this race a few weeks later at 21 or 22 weeks in 1:09:26 - my official 10K PR. Like I said above, training has been SEVERELY lacking lately. I had initially hoped to be able to do the half, but halfway through December, I realized that I'm not in that kind of shape right now. I was just hoping that this year I'd at least be faster than last year. I thought there would be a good chance that I could finish sub-60, and sub 55 sounded like a good round number to make my "ideal" goal, though I have no real reason why that would be attainable right now. My long runs pushing the stroller have generally been at 10+ minute miles, and my "all out" 600 M intervals at the metrodome have been at a sub 7:30 pace. Beyond that, I have no idea what my pace is these days. My plan was just to go out at a comfortably fast pace and play it by ear.

My sister Steph said she'd take Henry for a few hours, so Steve and I dropped him off at her house before driving to the race start. It was a 9:00 start, and we were there by 8:20 - plenty of time. I think I was downright giddy that Steve and I were on a "date," even though we would be running separate races at very different speeds.

Steve and me shortly just after getting to the race site

Steve's half started at 9, and my 10K went out at 9:05.

I took off at a pace that I thought was sustainably comfortably fast. I heard someone say around 3/4 through the first mile that we were doing 8:26. I was a little leary given the inaccuracy of Garmin's instant pace data, and when I hit the 1 mile mark, it was a 9:15. Not bad. Right where I'd hoped I would be. We weaved all around downtown St. Paul and saw the ice sculptures in Rice Park. They also shot off a couple of fireworks while we were circling the park. Fun! I missed Mile 2, and I was hoping that I was keeping on pace. I was starting to catch up to the back of the half marathoner pack, and I made it my goal to pick off as many packs as I could before my turn around. I hit miles 2&3 in 18:29. Those are some consistent splits! Soon after, we separated from the half marathoners, and I had to start picking off people in my own race. I was feeling pretty good and thought that I may be able to pick up the pace. I chose a lady in a blue jacket to chase down. I caught her and chose my next target. I hit mile 4 in 8:58. I was passing a lot of people, but then I hit a quiet point in the race, but I tried to continue picking up the pace. Mile 5's split was 8:45. Awesome. I was chasing a guy in orange, but it took me forever to catch him. I finally passed him on a hill. Come on, you can do this, it's just like sprinting up the hill at home. Around 5:45 into my last 1.2 miles, I told myself it was time to leave it all out there. It's just like an interval at the Dome. Pick it up... The last part of that race has us weaving back through downtown, and I can never remember which turn will be our last, but I was still passing people left and right. I passed some 5K walkers and more runners in my race. One woman did pass me back with about 100 M to go, and despite a decent kick on my part, I couldn't get her. My last 1.2: 10:22. Official time: 55:50 - exactly 9 min/mile. Given my recent lack of training and my shortage of confidence going into this race, I was pretty happy with that.

I stayed out on the course for another 25 minutes or so before heading inside for a little warmth. My plan was to be back out in time to see Steve finish, but I heard them call his name right as I hit the doors to go back outside. He had set a winter half marathon PR and had a blast dueling it out with some friends!

We shared uninterrupted race stories as we made drove back to my sister's house. Henry was fast asleep there (after a little bit of fighting it per Auntie's report). He had fun with his aunt and uncle, though!

Trying to feel the baby kick!

Hamming it up with uncle Jon

Henry fell asleep on the drive home, and he even gave us a few extra minutes to eat lunch...

I warmed up by the fire. The cats warmed up by me.

It's a little late for me, but I still haven't finalized my 2012 race calender. Hopefully that'll come soon!

Eleven Days

... is how long you have left to apply to be Evotri's 2012 member!

When I finally decided to apply to be on the Evotri team in 2010, I had less than 2 weeks before their deadline. I had wavered back and forth on whether I should throw my hat in. I had applied a couple of times in the past but hadn't made it very far in the elimination process. Plus, Steve and I were starting to talk about starting a family, and I was sure they wouldn't want someone who was hoping to be knocked up soon. My desire to be on the team got the best of me, though, and I decided the only things I had to lose were a couple of hours of my time and a small piece of my pride if they decided to pass over me again.

I had known of Evotri from WIBA weekends in the past (I was one of the "original" members of WIBA back in 2006 before Evotri had been started). I had gotten the opportunity to race alongside some of the members at Ironman Wisconsin and Steelhead 70.3 and had realized what a great group of people they are. They are so down-to-earth and fun at the same time. There never seemed to be a shortage of laughs around them! I was worried that they wouldn't want to pick me. There are some crazy speedsters on the team. The current count is that JP, Michelle, and Chris have all done Kona - all since joining the team. I'll likely never earn a slot to Kona. Sara seems to get faster after each kid she's had. Rob often beats pros out of the water. Stu has posted some pretty wicked times and is now announcing for the Rev3 Series - how cool is that? Oh, and Charlie BQ'd shortly after joining the team. I told them about my passion for the sport. I told them that I wouldn't be the fastest one on the team by any stretch of the imagination, but I would LOVE to find out what the amazing gear that the sponsors were offering could do for me. In my first summer on the team, my Power Tap, my Zipp wheels, and 3 months of coaching helped me to realize a 70.3 PR. I finally broke 6 hours, and for me, that's huge. Now that I have my new QR bike and wetsuit, I am ready to GO for this summer's race season.

In the process of applying, I told the team about my plans to start a family. I wanted to make sure they knew what they'd be getting in me. They told me they were looking for somebody that wanted to make a long-term commitment to the team and that balancing triathlon and the rest of life is something that they all strive to do. Now I look to them as role models as I learn to continue triathlon in my new life as a mom.

I love Evotri's mission. I have been trying to give back to this sport since I found it in 2004 and have coaxed many friends and former strangers to all sorts of finish lines. I thought that this would be a perfect way for me to continue to give back. When they called to tell me that they'd chosen me to be the newest member of Evotri, I was so excited that I couldn't stop shaking! I had a smile on my face for weeks. It has been a true blessing to get to know my teammates better, and the sponsorship really can't be beat.

We've had so many great applications already, and I can't tell you how pumped I am to meet our newest member. If you're still thinking about applying, it's not too late! Putting together a video and envisioning next year's racing season may be the perfect way to work off your Holiday food coma.

The Beginning

As part of Evotri, we were all asked to write how we got into this sport. It's a great look back to where we've each come from and to hopefully encourage any potential team members that we've all started somewhere, even JP, who recently WON an iron distance triathlon, and Rural Girl, who recently crushed her 3:30 marathon goal. My story starts with a boy...

I had been dating Steve for 2 years by the time we went off to college. We were high school sweethearts but had decided to go to seperate colleges. He was going to a small art school, and I was at a different university. As luck would have it, those schools were just under 4 miles apart. I had run cross country and track my last 2 years of high school and had loved it. Though I was definitely a middle-of-the-road runner, I loved that the more work I put into it, the more I would get out of it. They were sports where "favortism" didn't really come into play. The numbers spoke for themselves. If you could post them, you were on the roster. I loved the objectivity of it. I still ran when I went off to college, but I had decided that science majors and college sports didn't mix. I really missed the team enviornment, but I kept running for fun. On Fridays, Steve worked in the art gallery at his school. I used these days as my long run days. I would run the 4 miles down to see him and the 4 miles back. One day, I added a couple of miles. The next week, I added one more. The day I ran 16 miles, I decided I would sign up for my first marathon.

By the summer of 2003, I had run 3 and was training for my 4th marathon. I was sitting in my house and just happened to turn on the TV one Sunday. They were airing the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon on TV, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Though I had been running, I hadn’t given triathlons much thought. After watching the program, I vowed that I would be there in 2004 to race the Olympic distance race. I signed up a couple of months later and started training. It wasn’t exactly easy. I had never met anyone who had done a triathlon, so I basically learned all I could from books (I had quite the library of tri books by then). Wouldn’t you know…after all that training, my timing chip fell off my ankle during the swim. I managed to screw up my watch’s lap function during T1, so I don’t really have any idea what any of my splits were. I also lost all of my nutrition during the bike, which resulted in me almost losing my cookies at the end of the race. During that first tri, I thought about Ironman. Oddly enough, it was the M dot tatoo on a woman's right thigh that planted that seed. I saw it when I was on the run, and I thought to myself, I could do that someday. After that first race, I was hooked. I knew that more races were in my future, and in 2006, I realized my Ironman dream for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history!

Evotri Making the Team 2012

Now entering its sixth year, the members of Team Evotri continue to challenge themselves and others to live a healthy and active lifestyle through endurance sports. They have been given an extraordinary opportunity to train and race with the same equipment and coaching as the pros. They continue to dedicate themselves to maximizing their potential, to sharing what they learn from their experiences, and to making a positive contribution to the endurance sport community.

Team Evotri is again ready to welcome a new member to the family. For 2012, Team Evotri and its sponsors have pulled together a one-of-a-kind package to provide an age group athlete the opportunity to train and race like a PRO, while giving back to the triathlon and endurance community. The current team members will be looking for an individual who embraces the spirit of triathlon: a positive attitude, enthusiasm for the sport, desire to improve, and dedication to give back to the endurance community. Years of triathlon experience and good race results are not deciding factors in choosing a winner, but passion is.

The next team member will benefit by receiving an excellent package courtesy of the team's sponsors:

• QuintanaRoo will provide a top-of-the-line CD0.1  frameset with innovative shift technology that will undoubtedly take your bike splits to a new level.


• Zipp Speed Weaponry knows just how to outfit a frame like the CD0.1 with a 404 front and 808 rear wheel set.


• SRAM will add to the bike with its latest cockpit and drivetrain components.


• CycleOps finishes the bike off with its cutting edge SL+ wireless PowerTap hub and Joule 2.0 computer.


• HUB Endurance puts it all together providing a full year of expert triathlon coaching to deliver the newest Evotri athlete to the top of their potential in 2012.

Here's how you can be the next Team Evotri member:

Create a video that's no longer than three (3) minutes. The video should answer the following three questions:

1. Why Evotri?


2. Why You?


3. Can you Evotri?

Guidelines:

• Videos must be posted to Team Evotri's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/evotri.


• Videos must be posted by December 31, 2011, at 11:59 PM CST.


• Videos not within the time constraints will not be considered.

Process:

• The current team members will select finalists from the video submissions.


• The finalists will be notified by January 15, 2012 and will be invited to be interviewed via teleconference by current team members.


• The winner will be announced on February 1, 2012.

Important Notes:

• By posting a video to Evotri's Facebook page, candidates grant contest affiliates permission to use said video for promotional purposes affiliated with Team Evotri and the 2012 contest.


• The winner of the team slot forfeits all awards if he/she is unable to continue as a team member for any reason for a period within two years of joining the team.


• The winner of the team slot agrees to contribute to the Team Evotri web site for as long as he/she is a member of Team Evotri.


• The winner agrees to race in an Evotri team uniform for all multisport events. Winner to purchase choice of uniform apparel upon final selection.


• The winner of the team slot must participate in the yearly Team Evotri event. The 2012 event is a training camp in Chattanooga, TN from April 12-15, 2012. You must be present for the entire time.


• No reimbursement will be made by Team Evotri or its sponsors for the creation, submission or any other expenses associated with the video entry.


• No reimbursement will be made by Team Evotri or its sponsors for any travel, lodging, race entry fees, or other associated expenses in attending Team Evotri activities.

An Awesome Letter in the Mail This Week

There will be races when you show up to the start line and know you're not in for a PR. Usually this is from being undertrained - life or injury/illness got in your way. Whatever the reason, at that point you need to finalize your race strategy. Do you aim for a PR anyway and risk falling on your face? Do you assess your training and aim for a more appropriate finish time, or do you throw time out the window and decide to enjoy yourself? For my 12th consecutive Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon earlier this month, I chose that last strategy. At 16 weeks postpartum, I wasn't anywhere close to PR shape. I had squeezed in training that would get me to the finish line, but I knew my time would not be spectacular.

In my last post, I told you how I met Shelley and how we ran almost the entire marathon together. Steve saved me a screen shot of Shelley and me hugging at the finish line:

This week, I checked my mailbox at work and found this:

A closeup of her thoughtful letter

It totally made my week! Shelley, if you ever find this, it was an honor to be your "Race Angel." I hope to see you at the start line next year!

I had a great weekend of running and in the next couple of days will hopefully get together a post for the race I snuck in yesterday.

A Dozen - Twin Cities Marathon Race Report

I did this race for the first time in 2000. I was a sophomore in undergrad and had no idea what I was doing, but I was well-trained for it - posting the highest mileage I've ever put in for a marathon. I've done it every year since then - sometimes faster, and sometimes I've been much slower. It's become a yearly tradition for me, and for the last 5 years or so, it's become a tradition that my family joins in on. My mom, dad, and siblings all come up to cheer and sometimes run the 10 mile or marathon too. My birthday always falls sometime around the race (it was yesterday), so after the marathon, we all come back to Steve's and my house for a grill out, to share stories, and eat birthday cake before heading our separate ways again. This year, Steve and my brothers Matt and Mike were doing the 10 mile before changing into their crazy animal costumes and cheering like maniacs at mile 25.5.

Honestly, for the last 2 years I've wondered if it was really worth it to keep up the streak. I like having something to look forward to after tri season is over, but the feel of the race has changed. It's no secret that I'm anti iPod for races. I remember writing after last year's race that everyone around me seemed to be tuned out in their own little worlds. I'm a very social runner. I've only truly raced this marathon a couple of times. Mostly I just do it to celebrate what my body can do, soak in the scenery, and enjoy the camaraderie around me. This year's race restored my love for it.

I should back up to the days leading up to the race. Henry was up 5 times Thursday night and 6 times Friday night. By the end of that night, I was honestly ready to lock him in our basement with our cats for a couple of hours. Of course I'd never actually do that, but I have to admit that the thought went through my head at 4 AM. I had the day off of work Friday so Steve and I could get ready for Henry's Baptism on Saturday. We also had an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist that day. The doctor basically reaffirmed that it's likely an allergy to a food protein that I'm eating and recommended that I stay off all dairy, wheat, and soy since it does seem to be helping. The alternative is switching him to formula. I would rather keep breastfeeding if possible, so a restrictive diet it is. I'm not sure if it's a sheer coincidence or if it is the diet change, but his demeanor has been COMPLETELY different in the last 2 weeks. He's been a very happy guy who loves to smile, coo, and giggle, and the crying has nearly stopped. He's even been content to play with toys by himself for a few minutes here and there. The clinic and the race expo were just a few blocks from each other, so Steve and I picked up our race packets afterward.

Saturday was a flurry of excitement getting all of the food ready, putting a few last minute touches on cleaning our house, and welcoming our family. Steve's sister and my sisters were SO much help. We are blessed to have such great families. After being up those 6 times overnight, Henry didn't sleep all morning, and just when I thought he'd pass out, we put his baptismal gown on him, and he was wide awake taking the whole experience in. Here's a picture of the 3 of us. Henry's in a gown that my mom sewed for him out of pieces of her wedding dress:

Henry in the baptism gown my mom made him

Henry slept for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but not nearly as much as normal, so I thought he'd pass out at 7 and be good to go for the night. We made some pasta for my family who was staying the night (I had quinoa pasta. You know what? It's really pretty good!). Henry had plans of his own. We tried for hours to get him down, and every time we thought we'd been successful, he'd wake up again.

At 11:30 PM, after more than 4 hours of trying to get my baby to sleep. I was getting desperate. I thought about backing out of the race the next day. I was tired and frustrated from so many nights in a row with no sleep. I handed a crying Henry to my mom and collapsed as a blubbering pile into my dad's arms - asking how the heck I was supposed to continue doing this every night while working full time at a job that requires my brain to be in top-shape. My parents sent me to bed and promised to take care of Henry. I finally passed out. I woke up an hour and a half later to him crying, and for a moment, I panicked that he'd been crying the whole time. It turned out that he just thought it was his job to entertain the company, though. He'd been up laughing, talking, and playing with my parents the whole time. I fed him briefly, and he finally passed out at 1 AM. We then slept for 4 glorious uninterrupted hours until my 5 AM alarm went off.

I got dressed, pumped, and woke up the rest of the house. My mom took Steve, Matt, Mike and me to the start line. I saw them off for the 10 mile start and put the rest of me together. I smothered myself in body glide, ate a mint chocolate Gu, and got in line for Corral 3. When they sang the National Anthem, I said a quick prayer thanking God for the opportunity to be out there running, for my health, and for my VERY supportive family. They played "Everybody Looks Good at the Starting Line," and we were off! My plan was just to go at a comfortable pace, have fun, and hang out at the back of the pack.

At around mile 0.5, I complimented a woman on her shirt. It had the tracings of her 2 kids' feet and said something to the effect of, "We're behind you mom!" With that, I met Shelley. She was running her first marathon ever. We talked about our families. I told her some of the fun parts of the course to look forward to and where the hills would be. Sometimes we talked, sometimes we just ran together. We were very matched in pace, so we just stayed together. Around mile 12, John joined us. He had been running near us for most of the race. It was also his first marathon. His son was born on the exact same day as Henry but had had some initial complications, so his training wasn't what he'd hoped. Twelve miles was his longest run. I invited him to run with us, so he did. We ran along the river together telling stories and jokes and enjoying the gorgeous day. Normally, I would have thought it was much too hot, but this year I was glad it was a little warm so Henry wouldn't be cold while he was out cheering. I was so happy to be running, and though the typical aches and pains of a marathon snuck up on me earlier this year, I was having a lot of fun. I said in my last post that my goal would be to hang out with people at the back of the pack and to enjoy myself. If I could find a newbie to cheer on, that would be an added bonus.

John ran with us until mile 22 or so. He was stronger up the hill. I saw him look back a couple of times while he was ahead of us, but by that time, we were on Summit - the home stretch. I hoped he'd go on without us if he was feeling good, and he did. Shelley and I ran Summit together. We never had to stop and walk, though our pace was slowing down. I was just so happy to still be running and to still be feeling relatively OK. We looked for her family around mile 24 and then looked for mine at mile 25.5. I beamed when I spotted the farm animals! I high-fived my family and smooched my baby.

Spotting my family

Shelley and me at mile 25.5

High Fives for my family, running to smooch my baby

A high five for my bud Maddy. She was out there a couple of times to cheer!

I spotted the giant flag near the finish line as I crested the hill by the Cathedral. Shelly and I picked up the pace and ran to the finish line together. When we crossed, I congratulated her and asked if I could give her a hug. "I wish you would!" she exclaimed. We hugged twice, I congratulated her again, and I made my way up to find my family. Here are my splits just in case you're interested, but they weren't important. This was my second slowest marathon ever, but honestly, it was one of my most fun.

Miles 1&2: 22:50
Mile 3: 11:40
Mile 4: 11:26
Mile 5: 11:32
Mile 6: 11:53
Mile 7: 12:14
Mile 8: 11:16
Mile 9: 11:44
Mile 10: 11:48
Mile 11 & 12: 23:32
Mile 13: 12:07
Mile 14: 12:16
Mile 15: 11:25
Mile 16: 12:13
Mile 17: 12:03
Mile 18: 12:21
Mile 19: 12:32
Mile 20: 12:36
Mile 21: 13:14
Mile 22: 14:11
Mile 23: 13:45
Mile 24: 14:05
Mile 25 & 26: 27:25
Last 0.2: 2:46

Total time: 5:23:15

We all came back to Steve's and my place, grilled some delicious food, and said our goodbyes after a busy, fun-filled weekend. I snuggled my baby, and the two of us took a nap together.

Resting with Mama

That night, Henry slept through the night for the first time EVER. I'm not sure if the weekend wore him out or if running a marathon on an 80 degree day gave me a super concentrated milk supply - maybe a combination of both.

Final thoughts:

* We did end up making that sign for Henry's stroller:

* Running a marathon while nursing makes you HUNGRY!!! I normally eat around 400-500 calories over the course of a marathon, but this year, I ate over 800 and still had trouble keeping up. I had 4 gels, a pack of Powerbar chewies, a pack of Sharkies, and more than a full banana. I ran with a 6 oz bottle and managed to consume 10 bottles (5 tablets) of NUUN and another 5-10 bottles of water. I did a good job of keeping up with my hydration given the heat and was only down 2 pounds after the race.

* Speaking of nursing, everyone asks if I was OK going that long without, ahem, "relieving" myself. When I first signed up, I thought I'd have to spot a pump somewhere given my expected finish time, but I was fine. I can normally go 6-8 hours without too much trouble, and I think the dehydration factor worked in my favor.

* The NUUN and my slow pace made a HUGE difference in my cramping during and recovery after the race, which was good since I still had to safely carry a baby up and down our stairs.

* The sleeping through the night was a one-time deal. He woke up 5 times the next night but was only up 1-3 times the rest of the week, so I'm calling it progress.

* I wore my sacro-illiac support belt for all of my long runs and for the race. I still ended up with some SI pain, but I do think it helped. I'm hoping to be able to wean myself off of it now that runs of that distance are done for a few months.

* I don't have any races on the calendar yet but am definitely looking forward to being back next year. My focus this winter will be getting my speed back.

* Speaking of winter, I think I'm using my birthday money to buy the weather shield for the BOB. Obviously I'm not going to take Henry out in crazy temps, but he LOVES being outside, so on milder days, we can still get out for some fresh air.

And with that, I'll leave you with one last picture of Henry from this week:

Happy little guy wearing his "Born 2 Farm" onesie :)

Have a great week everybody!