Derby Festival miniMarathon Race Report

I finished the Derby Festival miniMarathon in 2:17:40. While this was slower than I had hoped, I am still happy with my time. I was hoping to finish somewhere between 2:00 and 2:15, but the 85 degree weather really slowed me down.

The race weekend started when we headed to Louisville on Friday afternoon. Our friend Amberly came with us to Louisville to provide race support and moral support - I was so glad she was able to come with us!

Our first stop in Louisville was at Bucca di Beppo. We had a great dinner of bruschetta, ceaser salad, gnocchi, and spaghetti with meatballs. I really put some food away. Next we went to the expo to pick up our race packets. The Derby festival expo is usually pretty small, but well organized. We got out packets, our t-shirts, and our posters. I also found some inexpensive cycling sunglasses at one of the vendor booths, which was a bonus.

Then we went to the hotel, where we got our timing tags (they didn't use chips this year, which was really nice at the finish area) and arranged our race day stuff. Baby Mama was on HBO, so we watched that for about an hour before calling it a night.

We were up and going at 5:00am, aiming to head to the shuttle area at 5:45am. We were all suprisingly chipper. excited about the day ahead. I took a shower, ate my breakfast, and was ready to go.

We made our way to the Kentucky International Convention Center to catch a shuttle out to the starting line, as it is a point to point course. We parted ways with Amberly, who was headed into Einstein Brothers bagel shop to pass the morning before assuming her post at mile 12.

The weather was perfect - it was warm and breezy and I was perfectly comfortable in just shorts and t-shirt. We made it out to the starting area, waited in the porta-potty line for 30 minutes and then headed to the starting line. The gun went off and the crowd of 12,000 began moving, but it took us about 10 minutes to cross the line.

I started off strong and powered through the hills of Iroquis Park. Miles 2-6 provide a very hilly climb through Iroquis Park, but this is always my favorite part of the race. The area that I train in is extremely hilly, which always proves helpful in this race. The other good part about being in the park is that we were shaded by a canopy of trees for four miles. When I came out of the park I felt good because I knew I was half-way to the finish, but it was also kind of daunting to know that I had 6.5 more miles to go, basking in the rays from the cloudless sky. I kept telling myself "at least I'll get a good tan from this."

I noticed that a lot of people were walking - the heat was really starting to take its toll on the field. My feet were bothering me, so I tried walking a little. It was just as uncomfortable to walk as it was to run, so I started running again. I think the problem with my feet was that my shoes were tied too tightly.

I continued on through the course, made my way up, down and all around Churchhill Downs and then back out onto the road towards downtown Louisville. I walked for 1 minute through the water stops at miles 8 and 10 so that I could take in as much of the water and Powerade as possible. This helped with my hydration, and also gave me something to look forward to. All in all, I saw four people collapse on the course. The EMS support was really great and it looked like everyone was getting the help that they needed. I even saw one guy do an Ironman finish-like wobble and collapse, which was kind of interesting.

At mile 12, I saw Amberly and got some water, so that was the last boost I needed to finish the final mile. I crossed the finish line in 2:17:40 and was pretty exhausted. My quadriceps were extremely sore, but I was just really happy to be finished. I got my finisher's medal and then grabbed two small bottles of Powerade, a small cup of water (this was new this year...they've always had bottles of water available), and a bagel. I took one bite of the bagel and spit it out - there was no way I was going to be able to eat that thing. I sat down on a curb and loosened up my shoe laces. My feet immediatley felt 100% better, so that was good.

I drank some of the Powerade and then doubled back to mile 12, where I met up with our friends Jason and Hannah and their two little girls, and Alan (Sarah's husband) and their little girl Lucy. Amberly was still holding down the fort at mile 12, on the lookout for Sarah. Hannah and I walked down to get some water and meet up with Amberly at mile 12, and we were just in time to see Sarah go running by. Sarah finished her first half-marathon in a great time - you can read her race report on her blog: here.

We all met up at the finish area and headed home. We stopped at McAlister's Deli for lunch, where I had a glorious reunion with two of my old friends: a turkey melt and a large sweet tea.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Bucca di Beppo provided lots of bruschetta, salad, and pasta.

Sarah and Amberly - excited about the weekend!

My usual pre-race breakfast: Clif Bar (Oatmeal Raisin) banana, water, DoubleShot. The hotel fridge was so cold that my DoubleShot was slushy - it was delicious!

Me and Sarah, ready to race! I decided to wear a homeade World Wide Festival of Races t-shirt.

Amberly snapped this picture at mile 12 - I was so happy to be almost done. Notice all of the sweat around my armpits...sick!

Sarah was booking it at mile 12!

Lucy (Alan and Sarah's precious little girl) at lunch after the race.

A very supportive bunch! From left to right: Jason, Hannah, Eloise (in baby carrier), Alan, Margot, Amberly, and Lucy

I want to say a special thank you to all who made the weekend so special: Sarah, Amberly, Jason, Hannah, Eloise, Margot, Alan, and Lucy.

And a big thank you to Chad - who wasn't able to come to Louisville, but was with me in spirit. He has always been so supportive of my running and my races and crazy training schedule and I really appreciate him for that. He also mentioned to me this weekend that he is thinking about doing a 5k in July and possibly getting into trail running...that would be awesome! Hopefully one day soon I will be posting links here to his race reports!

Half-Marathon Race Prep

In just three days I'll be running my 3rd Derby Festival MiniMarathon, and my OCD is in full swing. I've got my manila folder labeled and filled with maps, registration confirmations, packing lists, and driving directions. Do I need all of these things? Probably not. I've made lists, plans, Word documents, and an Excel sheet or two. I know this is not all necessary, but my mind is at ease knowing that I am prepared. Here's a small collection of my current lists:

I've got my Friday night dinner planned at Bucca di Beppo:

• Potato gnocchi
  
• Salad
• Bread
• Dessert: peanut M&M's
  

I've got my breakfast planned and packed:

• Starbucks DoubleShot
• 32oz Gatorade
• Oatmeal Raisin Clif Bar
• Banana

I've got my race day outfit picked out and packed:

• Sporthill Pack Rat shorts
• Gray t-shirt
• Flying Pig hat
• Mizuno WaveCreations

And yes, bullet points and lists do seem to set my mind at ease and my heart aflutter.

But pushing all of my neuroses aside, I really am very excited about the race and getting to spend the weekend with friends. My dream goal is to finish in under 2 hours. The first time I did the Derby mini I did it in 2:22. Last year, my time was 2:02. I think that a sub 2:00 finish is definitely possible, but I will be happy to come in anywhere between 2:00 and 2:15.

I am really excited to spend the weekend with friends and to cheer Sarah on in her first half-marathon. I will put a post up on Sunday with my results and some pictures from the weekend. Good luck to all you other runners who are racing this weekend!

Training Update

I just wrapped up my Saturday morning routine of taking Emma for a long walk, going for a long run, getting a latte from Main & Maple, and running errands. I am definitely a creature of habit, and I like having a weekday routine, as well as a weekend routine. I have really enjoyed running and working out Monday-Thursday and Saturday mornings. Here is how my training has played out so far, for my running readers who may be interested:

Mon 2/9: 2 miles (19:40); arm workout
Tues 2/10: 2 miles (19:23); leg workout
Wed 2/11: 2.5 miles (24:00); arm workout
Thurs 2/12: Run 1.5 miles, bike 15 minutes; leg workout
Fri 2/13: Rest
Sat 2/14: 6.2 miles (1:05:00)
Sun 2/15: Rest
Total: 14.2 miles for the week

Mon 2/16: 3 miles (29:00); arm workout
Tues 2/17: 2 miles (18:50); leg workout
Wed 2/18: 2.5 miles (24:00); arm workout
Thurs 2/19: Run 1.5 miles, elliptical machine for 15 minutes; leg workout
Fri 2/20: Rest
Sat 2/21: 4 miles (40:00)
Total: 13 miles

I was supposed to do 6 miles this morning, but I cut it short at 4. I was really overdressed and got overheated early on, which ruined me for the rest of the run. When I took Emma for a walk this morning it was 30 degrees. When I left to go for my run 45 minutes later, it was almost 50 degrees! I was dressed for running in 30 degrees, which was way too much for 50 degrees. I thought about shedding some layers and continuing on, but my energy was sapped and I was able to quickly talk myself out of continuing on. I plan on running another 4 tomorrow to make up for it.

I'm really enjoying training for this half-marathon. It is not nearly as overwhelming as training for a marathon. I don't know if I will ever run a full marathon again. I would like to think that some day I will, but my desire to do one in the near future seems to wane more and more each day. I would like to continue competing in 5ks, 10ks, and half-marathons - focusing on speed more than distance - and incorporating sprint and Olympic distance triathlons into the mix.

Stay tuned for future (separate) posts on public nudity and the Lenten season.

Mini Marathon Pictures

Sarah, Kelly, Kat, me, and Amber - just before heading off to Louisville















Preparing for the run - Sarah looks intense!















Stuffed after a good pasta dinner at Bucca di Beppo















Kelly and me - smiling at our husbands and trucking through at mile 12















Post race - happy to show off our medals















We finished strong!

Derby Festival Mini Marathon Report

I am happy to report that I finished my 2nd Derby Festival Mini Marathon in 2:03:03 - my fastest half-marathon time ever. The last time I ran this course, I completed it in 2:22. I was very pleased to beat my time by 19 minutes, and improve my average pace from 10:5/mile to 9:20/mile. I feel strong, ready, and poised for a marathon PR next weekend.

The girls that ran with me did an absolutely amazing job. There is no way I could have maintained that pace without them. From the moment we left Wilmore on Friday afternoon, I felt so encouraged and ready for the race. We had a great, and very large, pasta dinner at Bucca di Beppo in Louisville. Then we went to the expo, picked up our packets, got lost and then stuck in traffic in downtown Louisville - but we finally were able to make it to the hotel. We got to bed by about 10:00, and I think we all slept pretty well, but I could tell that we were all anxious about the race in the morning.

The alarm went off at 5:00, and we all began getting ready and eating our various bars and fruits for breakfast. My nemesis has struck again, and unfortunatley I've found that one of the best pre-race early morning beverages is the loathsome Starbucks Doubleshot. I hate to give in to this beast again, but it puts that extra pep in my step and helps to clear my head. We headed to the Kentucky International Convention Center, where the buses were loading to take the runners to the starting line. We waited in line for the bus for what seemed to be forever, each of us ducking out periodically to go to the restroom just one more time. Once we got the starting area, we jumped in line for another porta potty stop. When we all got out of our respective porta potties and to the starting line, we realized that the race had started 15 minutes earlier! We started our watches as we crossed the starting line, and we were off.

Amber, Kelly and I were all hoping for a near 2 hour finish, so we crossed the line and got to work - trying to pass the walkers and joggers at the back of the pack. We were careful not to exert too much energy bobbing and weaving through the crowd, and we settled into a nice 9:20 pace. Within the first few miles - I believe starting at mile 3 or so - you enter Iroquis Park in Louisville. This park is know for it's brutal hills - but it really wasn't much compared to the hills we had trained on in Wilmore. We powered through this section, and came out feeling strong. We kept a pretty good clip until about mile 8 when Amber started pulling ahead. We tried to catch up, but Kelly and I knew that we were going along at our max pace, and we didn't want to over do it early on in the race. We told Amber to cut us loose - we knew that she could maintain a faster pace on her own. She zoomed ahead (finishing in an amazing 1:59:30!), and Kelly and I focused on maintaining our pace and staying strong. I was amazed at how different I felt this year compared to last year - I could remember certain points along the course where I was dying and walking during the 2007 race, but this year I was able to move along and keep going. I'm not saying that I wasn't hurting - I was definitley hurting starting about mile 9 - but I was able to mentally push past the pain and not give into the desire to slow down. We saw our husbands at mile 12 cheering us on - this really, really made a big difference for all of us. Thank you guys for coming out to support us! We finished out mile 13, and turned the corner off of 7th Street onto Market Street to cross the finish line. We gave it our all, pushing at a dead sprint, for the last .01 mile - crossing the finish line in 2:03:03. Sarah and Kat were not far behind us - finishing in fantastic times.

I know that I trained harder for this race this year, but I think the absolute biggest difference was that I was training with a great group of friends. They all had a blast and finished in amazing times - I can't wait for our next training season and big race to complete together! I am so so proud of them, and I am so grateful for our time together over the past four months. My secret ploy is to convince some of them to do a full marathon in the Fall, and to get more people training for a half-marathon next Spring. (Sarah M- this means you!!)