Sunday, April 25, 2010

Good, Bad, Ugly & "Other"

The Good

37 KM / 23 mi
3:31:47
5:43/KM = 9:12/mi

Compared to 37 KM in August '09:

3:53:59
6:19/KM = 10:10/mi


The Bad




The non-stop hills took their toll by the end of the run. All of our long runs incorporate several big climbs, but I was feeling it today. Slowed down and walked more than I would have liked during the last 10K, but I held on the best I could and didn't let it ruin my run. The hard ones make us stronger.

The Ugly

For some reason, I was so dehydrated today! It was cool but muggy (supposed to rain, but it didn't... I was wishing it would!) and I noticed that I was sweating more than normal. I was coated in salt and felt like my legs wanted to cramp up, despite drinking water like a champ all week, 60+ oz during the run (I even asked someone for a refill from their hose!) plus a bottle of gatorade plus my electrolyte capsules plus my usual gels. I was hurting by the end and still feel like I can't replenish. Not sure what's up with that...

Edited to add: Not enough Body Glide! :/ Of course I didn't discover this until I got in the shower. Ouchie!

The "Other"

A local half marathon was taking place today and we found ourselves on the course. It was an out-and-back and we ended up on the "back" portion for a short stretch, appearing as front runners (we have impeccable timing)! Many runners cheered for us, thinking we were leading the race. We did not correct them. :) (The first and second place runners did eventually pass us. Don't worry, we kept out of their way.) It was a fun distraction in the middle of our run, and I got to high-five Sarah's hubby who was out running a great race.


[ before ]



[ after ] (my hair is soaked!)



I'm glad that's done! Bring on taper.

37 comments:

Jamie said...

Wow what a great pace on a tough course! And such an improvement from last time!!! AWESOME job!!!

MCM Mama said...

Wow! You have shown some serious improvement! Amazing!

Hope you can get rehydrated soon!

Anonymous said...

were u and all ur running buddies wearing red? where u guys running around 9 ish? if so, i might have seen u! ahahhahah. there was a group of people wearing red up ahead of me and i kept thinking 'wow they r fast'. hahhaha
good job on the 37 k. time for some water and rest and a big meal!

Unknown said...

You just keep getting faster and faster.

Dyhydration isn't fun.

ajh said...

Very impressive pace. Funny about leading the race for awhile!

Laura said...

Wow..yet another great job. I felt the same way hydration wise during out 35km...must be in the air.

Megan L. Killian said...

That is one crazy ass elevation map. nice work out there!

joyRuN said...

The minute off your pace for a 23 miler isn't just good, it's INCREDIBLE!!!

Stacey said...

Wow, Impressive on the time improvement! That is awesome!

teacherwoman said...

WOW! You shaved quite a bit of time off that distance! Nice work, girl!

Jill said...

Tough course, for sure! Way to work it and get 'er done. I think it takes some time to acclimate to the humidity and warmer temps after winter running. Welcome to taper :).

Teamarcia said...

WTG getting a really tough run done! Hooray for the taper!

Anonymous said...

Crazy elevation changes! Yowza! Great job!

Denise said...

a 9:12 for 23 miles and that elevation??? impressive!!

based on how you feel, take it easy tmrw and drink up!

Jess said...

Wow, what a great job! That's a lot of improvement in less than a year's time!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

That was great improvement! And a killer course. Congrats!

Great pace over 23 miles. Enjoy your taper!

RunToTheFinish said...

dang look at that improvmenet and with the hills!! way to go

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

Amazing improvement! Congrats!

Sarah said...

Good job sweetheart! Colin said it was nice to see you on course!

Heather said...

Awesome job on the run - what a speedy run on that hilly course. I may have mentioned it before, but you are so going to rock your marathon!

Badgergirl said...

Nice improvement! Those hills would absolutely kill me. Great job!

Unknown said...

Nice improvement on your time and pace and SUPER cute pictures of you, I always feel so soggy after a run and it doesn't look good when you have long hair!

Nicole said...

Awesome awesome job! What a great improvement!! :)

H Love said...

WOW~ I am so impressed. GREAT JOB!

EndorphinBuzz said...

Good work! I know it's weird but I love it when I am crusty with salt after a long run :-)

J said...

Looks like it was a wet run!! It rained and rained here yesterday!! Great job on the pace - stinks you didn't feel good for the run but you still did better even with the dehydration! Great job!

Gotta Run..... said...

You are just getting faster and stronger by the week. Great job!

Love that you were on the course for a brief time. LOL! You have to just go with it sometimes. :))

No Longer Using said...

first of all i LOVE your hat!!! how do you keep it so white?! :)

GREAT RUN. i totally agree- the hard ones make us stronger. mentally and physically. way to attack the hills. do you read kletco's blog??? she made me laugh with her description "Vertical Assault" re: hills :) you totally rocked your run, beat your previous time, AND jumped into a half marathon. lol about that. :) get some cheering mid long run :) FIST PUMP! :) happy monday!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

You are one SWEATY chick. LOVE it!! Wow major improvement and with big HILLS!! Hmmmmm I am thinking sub 4 hour in the bag for sure..

Weird about the dehydration... Hope you figure that out. Happy MOnday!!

Let the Taper madness begin..

Anonymous said...

First of all, LOVE the comparison to last year :) You're improving like whoa! Also, love the before/after pics - ha, the humidity does wonders for our hair, no?

Way to tough it out! It does sound like you took all the right measures to hydrate yourself, but I guess the body always demands a little more...

taper already?! race day coming SOON!

Anonymous said...

OMG, I've had so many runs like that where I come home and my hair is dripping wet. How do you hydrate throughout the day? I find that makes a huge difference in my runs. Right now I'm not drinking enough and when that persists over weeks it definitely takes it's toll on the body. I'd say drink some extra gatorade over the next few days along with your water and see what happens. Do you ever take salt tablets?

Anonymous said...

Loved the before and after pics! You did a great job - and super improvement from your prior times! You rock!!

Emz said...

crazy - crazy map. My legs hurt looking at it!

YAY for wet/soaked hair!!

ShirleyPerly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I Run for Fun said...

Whew! That is one heck of a course. You totally nailed it. And nice little distration too.

Ali said...

you are in the zone! tough course.

Enjoy the taper.

Lindsay said...

ok... 1min/mile on a hilly course = like 3min/mile in real life :)

congrats marlene! taper (and the upcoming race) has nothing on you :)