Yuengling Shamrock Weekend in VA Beach: Part 1 of 3

I know I planned on taking this blog further and posting on more than just race reports, but that has yet to happen.  I'm terrible at commitment, I know.  But nonetheless, here's another race report.  I'll break it down into three parts to avoid one obnoxiously long post: the overall weekend report, 8K, and Half Marathon.

Shamrock was our first full marathon last year, and boy, did I crash and burn during that one.  Finished about 1/2 hour slower than I intended, in fact.  However, after Steamtown (my redemption) I came to the realization that I needed to keep it to one marathon a year.  So I'm signed up for Wineglass in October, but I didn't want to miss the fun of Shamrock weekend.  Also, I really love being part of Team LiveSTRONG, which is the premier charity of J&A Racing.  So Doug, his bro (Nick), and I decided to do the Dolphin Challenge--8K Saturday and Half Marathon Sunday.  Still felt a little crazy, but think of all the race swag: two shirts, two medals, two after-parties, and a Dolphin challenge pin to boot!

I'll post the race details in the next two posts, but I have to share a few things first:

1. If you've never done a J&A Race in Virginia Beach (they also have the Wicked 10K, Surf-N-Santa 10 Miler, Virginia is for Lovers 14K, and Crawlin Crab race), you absolutely must.  These folks really know how to put on a race, and Virginia Beach is so welcoming to racers.  Both years that I've been there, Shamrock is incredibly well organized.  I don't have a bad thing to say about the organization, except maybe that they won't hire me and relocate me to VA. :)
2. I, like many others, was incredibly disappointed when the news broke about Lance Armstrong.  I've seen him as a hero for a long time, and it broke my heart that he's been lying all these years.  However, I was still very, very proud to represent Team LiveSTRONG for the 2nd year.  Regardless of what Lance did on the bike, the organization he founded is still an amazing way to help those affected by cancer and their families. 
3. I'm really glad we've made this a family event.  In addition to Doug, Nick and I doing the Dolphin Challenge, my mom ran the half (and got a new PR to boot!), and Doug's Cousin (Terri), his other brother (Shawn), and his parents did the 8K.  I have to say, Doug's parents used to--and sometimes, still do--laugh at us with all this running.  However, I'm so happy they're taking a proactive approach to their health by joining us.  They run/walk it, and considering that Doug's dad has had surgery on BOTH knees, I think that's a great accomplishment.  Of all my running milestones, getting so many friends and family members to join the fun is my favorite one.

Now, having said all that, a few details on the weekend.

The Expo
   Most race reports don't discuss the expo, but I love me a good expo--by good, I mean lots of fun/free stuff.  This one definitely improved over last year.  Packet pickup went fast and it was super efficient, and I really liked the shirts.  They seem like they're better quality than last year's, too.  It was a decent sized expo with lots to buy (somehow, I got out of there without spending any money), and had some samples from Nuun (yuck), an avocado company (pineapple guac--YUM!), and McDonald's.  As for the latter, the irony is not lost on me.  We made our rounds and left for the hotel.

Nick being Nick at the expo :)

 

Hotel
   We stayed at the Hilton Oceanfront this year, which is right at the finish line.  While the Hilton is a bit more expensive (although it was way cheaper than their regular rates), it was totally worth it.  After the half, Doug and I were able to run up to our room and quickly shower and make it back downstairs to see my mom finish.  The hotel staff all wore Shamrock Marathon shirts and were extremely welcoming.  They gave us Red Bull at check in--it was nice that they gave you something, but I definitely think Gatorade might have been more appropriate for the race.  Nonetheless, I'm always grateful for little touches of hospitality, even if  I don't partake.

View of the finish line (and beach) from our balcony



LiveSTRONG Dinner
  The family attended the Team LiveSTRONG dinner Friday night in the VIP tent (right behind our hotel--also convenient).  It was a great dinner--kudos to the Bakers' Crust for excellent catering.  Two women who became young widows last year due to this horrible disease spoke, and I was in tears.  Their resolve to be strong for their young kids amazed me.  They were truly inspirational women. 



  After dinner, we basically made our way up to the rooms and called it a night since we had a long two days ahead of us, with the 8K starting things out Saturday morning.

Race Report: Steamtown Marathon

Yesterday was Marathon #2 and my second in under six months (which makes me think I'm crazy).  They say you have to forget the pain of one marathon before you can move on to the next, so I thought it best to post a race report while everything is still fresh, before I move on to the next... which will be more than six months away this time.  I promise.

I chose Steamtown because I've lived in Central PA all my life (about 1-1 1/2 hours from Scranton) and I've heard nothing but good things about it, and a mostly downhill marathon sounded like a great idea to me.  Boy, did it live up to my expectations (except the downhill expectations--more on that later).

First, rewind to Thursday: Doug and I were down at the Conewago Rail-Trail for an easy 6 miles (with maybe 2 at MP) when, just over a mile and a half in, Doug went down hard.  He rolled his ankle on a walnut.  This might sound weird, but if you've never seen a walnut fresh out of a tree, here's what it looks like:

Source: PracticalPrimitive.com

Doug's ankle was pretty swollen and it never went down.  By Saturday morning, we figured out that I'd be running this race by myself.  Doug was (rightfully) upset because of all the work he had put in, and I was upset because I didn't want to do this big race without my running partner.  This is OUR thing, not just mine.  Nonetheless, it would have been a waste for me to back out because he was hurt... that thought never really even crossed my mind.

 Saturday

Doug, my parents, and I got to Scranton a little before 2 on Saturday, went to the expo and got our shirts/numbers (Doug was definitely still getting his shirt--what a nice $85 shirt it was!), and I sat in on the end of a panel of people discussing the course.  The expo was small, but for once, I didn't spend money on stuff I didn't need!  After the expo, we checked in at our hotel, the Sleep Inn in Dunmore.  What a great, race-friendly place.  When I booked, only smoking rooms were available, but I made a note requesting a non-smoking room, and they accommodated that.  They also had a sign up sheet for a free shuttle to the bus pickup on race morning and started the continental breakfast early (4:30 a.m.).  The room was pretty cheap (about $100 with taxes) but was clean and still available when I booked it about a month and a half ago, and about 30 minutes after checking in, the front desk called to make sure we were happy with the room.  Those little things make me so happy.  We went to a little Italian place called Sibio's (recommended by my friend Alex, who's from Scranton), which was delicious.  After getting back to the hotel, Doug and I sat in the hot tub for a little while to relax and I was laying in bed by 8:30.  I took St. John's Wort to help keep my mind from racing, and it worked pretty well.  I was up every few hours but slept better than I have for any big race in the last year.

Sunday - Before the Race

I woke up at 4:30 so I could take my time getting ready, ate my normal breakfast (plain ol' Quaker oats with honey and a banana), got ready and was down at the shuttle van by 6:00.  The shuttle took us close to the finish line where two blocks worth of school buses--seriously, no less than 30 buses--were waiting to transport us to Forest City.  I think I was still a deer in headlights at this point, not having Doug with me.   The drive took around 30-40 minutes, and when we got to Forest City High School, we were greeted by the cheerleading squad and dozens of other teenagers who led us to the gym and cafeteria, where we could wait in the warmth until it was time to start.  I give these kids SO much credit, being up so early on a Sunday morning to help us all out--I don't think you could have paid me to be up that early as a teenager!  There were loads of porta-potties, too, which is a blessing for anyone who has ever waited in a 10 minute line when they've really had to pee (raises hand).  They certainly make you feel like a rockstar in Forest City!  Around 7:50, we headed out to the starting line.  There were no official corrals, but people holding signs that said 8:00 min/mile, 9:00 min/mile, etc.  Since I was shooting for somewhere between 3:50 and 4:00, I headed to the front of the 9:00 min/mile pack.  They had a Civil War reenactment group take care of the start, so the race started not with a gun, but with a CANNON.  AWESOME... and we were off!

The Race!

Anyone who has run Steamtown knows that the biggest piece of advice someone will give you about this race is to start SLOW.  It's almost entirely downhill for the first 13-plus miles and going out too fast can kill your quads.  So I decided I was going to start off slow and pick it up later.  You'll see how well that went:

Mile 1: 8:47  This isn't bad, but slow down just a little, Ashley. 

Mile 2: 8:24  No, really, slow down!

Mile 3: 8:16  WTF

Mile 4: 8:23   Still going too fast...

Mile 5: 8:20   You're going to regret this, Ashley.

Miles 6-8: 25:45 Got all caught up in seeing some people I know over these miles, as well as the people of the awesome city of Carbondale, and forgot about my watch.  Oops.  But those people were so much fun! Lots of high fives and the entire main street was packed with people.

Mile 9: 8:34   OK, that's a little better.  Maybe plan on slowing down from Miles 10-20, then picking back up for the last 10K if you're up for it.

Mile 10: 8:39   Just a little slower.

Mile 11: 8:45  Good.  This isn't so bad considering the downhill. 

Mile 12-13: 17:51  Still doing pretty well.

Mile 14: 8:53  ...

Mile 15: 8:53  Here starts the time on the rail trail.  It was pretty good to start, and a welcome change for my legs and feet.  Beautiful scenery, too.

Mile 16: 9:06  The trail gets a little uneven and I slow down out of fear of running into a tree root (I'm constantly tripping over those) or, God forbid, a walnut. 

Mile 17: 8:52 Still on the trail (I think--at least for the most part).  At this point, I realize that I could push harder, but I'm definitely not getting a BQ and, unless I get hurt, I'm going to break 4 hours.  I decided to keep a comfortable pace from here on out for the sake of being able to walk after the race.  So from here on out, I played it pretty safe.

Mile 18: 9:06 We came out of the trail to see a crowd of people at the viewpoint... what an enthusiastic crowd!

Mile 19: 9:19  Through a park and then some more trail... this was the point where (1) my legs were starting to feel tired and chilly, and (2) I realized just how much that trail slowed me down, especially this part of the trail, because it was mulch.  While the mulch was packed, it was almost like running through mud.

Mile 20: 9:14  My parents and Doug were waiting in Olyphant for me... just the boost I needed! 

Mile 21: 9:11  Heading into Dickson City and things are starting to look familiar.  I realized how chilly I was feeling when I couldn't open my Gu since my hands were freezing, so I put my gloves back on... amazing how much better a pair of gloves can make your whole body feel!

Mile 22-23: 18:01 Forgot to hit the split button again.  Mile 23 was definitely faster than 22.  Running through Throop and things are looking familiar.  I know I'm in the home stretch, because 4 miles or so is nothing! Mile 22 was where I hit the wall HARD in my last marathon, so I felt much better after I passed the Mile 22 marker without cramping up.

Mile 24-25: 19:00 Early in Mile 24, we hit the dreaded Electric Street hill!  It's tough and longer than I remembered from our drive the day before.  However, all the residents are out cheering us along.  Going around a turn, the St. Joseph's Center folks are out supporting us.  I get emotional and I'm in tears.  Around that turn, we started heading down a hill for a bit.

Mile 26: 8:56  I thought they said there were two blocks of uphill?!?  These are a LONG two blocks!  Not to mention, most of that whole mile was uphill--it was gradual, but that late in the game, any uphill was tough.  We crested the hill by Coopers and, at that point, I just let my legs carry me as fast as they wanted.  The street is packed with people cheering us on.

.2: 1:33: Not sprinting (I'm hesitant to do that at the end of a marathon), but I'm cooking along.  I crossed the finish line and nearly cried, because....

3:51:56!!!

That was a 37 minute PR! While I was thrilled with that, as I sit here and write, I wonder if I should have pushed harder.  I know I definitely could have broken 3:50--should I have gone for that?  Regardless, I'm happy with my time.  I went through the chute, got wrapped in a space blanket, got a water, received my medal, and went into the food tent (volunteers were handing out bags to stash your food and such, which was a great idea, so our hands weren't too full).  I went into the courthouse where U of Scranton PT students were doing massages on our sore legs, which was wonderful.  I was still standing and not in too much pain.  Even today, my knees are a little sore/tired, but nothing more.  

Doug and I after the race

 

I'm so grateful to the residents of the NEPA towns we ran through.  There were so many people out handing out bottles of water, bananas, orange slices, etc., in front of their houses and cheering us on.  I don't know if they realize just how much that means to us runners, but it was amazing.  They were absolutely wonderful. 

So marathon #2 is in the books and I really have the itch again already!  I honestly want to switch to the full marathon for Shamrock in March, but I think I'll still stick with the Dolphin Challenge and plan for a fall marathon.  All in all, I'm really happy with this marathon experience and I felt like I came out of this one much better than the first!

 

Race Report: Philly Rock 'N' Roll Half

First of all, I never understand why people knock on the Rock 'N' Roll races.  This was my 2nd Philly RNR Half, and I've really enjoyed it both times.  I guess I understand that for several cities, RNR took over another, smaller race and commercialized it, so I can see the complaints there.  But otherwise, I think they're a great time.

I also have to comment on the expo.  I know some people don't like the crowds at race expos, but I don't mind it, especially at Philly RNR, because there was so much free stuff!  I know, I'm a dork, but I came home with lots of LARAbars, energy supplements, and other stuff I picked up at the expo.  Once again, RNR is easily the best expo I've been to.

Now for the race.  I was back and forth the entire week leading up to the race as to what sort of pace I wanted to run.  Steamtown Marathon was only 3 weeks from race day, so I was nervous about going all out at HM pace (and I should note that HM pace, in my mind, was about an 8:30 mile), which I thought would put me around a 1:53 HM.  Part of me thought I should do the race at marathon pace to gauge where I stand, which would mean a time of about 1:57.  Even as late as walking to the starting line, I told my husband we should probably start at marathon pace, and if we were feeling good at the halfway point, maybe kick it up a notch.  We also had Nick to worry about--it was his first half (first race, actually), and we didn't think he'd be able to keep up with our pace throughout, so we had to decide whether to stick with him or not.  However, he told us that if he had to drop back, just go.  Little did I know, we wouldn't have to worry about that anyway.  Bastard.  So that was (sort of) the plan.

Our group before the race in Love Park

The corral start went pretty smoothly.  However, I will voice my one complaint about this race: it was way too packed!  On top of that, people from corrals much further back hopped up into our corral, and (without sounding like too much of a jerk) they were slowing us down.  It's understandable to corral hop if you're going to do better than the time set for your corral, but this was just a pain.  Doug, my brother-in-law Nick, and myself, were all weaving like crazy trying to get around people for the first mile and a half, and our 5K split time definitely shows that.  I think this problem could be partially fixed by blocking off all 4 lanes of JFK Boulevard, but what do I know?  Nonetheless, we were off and running.  Our first mile was a 9:10, and my goal marathon pace is 9:05, so considering all the weaving, I felt pretty good about it.  We were gradually picking up speed as the crowd thinned out, too.  We made it to the 5K point in just a little over 27 minutes, so we were around an 8:45 mile.  I felt pretty good, and the guys did as well--we were still holding a conversation at that point, so we didn't even concern ourselves with slowing down.

We worked our way through Chinatown and back up JFK toward the art museum and hit mile 5.  I thought it would be around 45 minutes, but Doug was keeping time and we were at 43.  I was still feeling good and, again, still talking.  Nick was feeling a bit tight but he didn't think it was much of a problem.  So we kept pushing.  We worked our way down along the river, which was one of the things I love most about this course.  Running along the Schuylkill is beautiful, and we were there for about 3 miles.  There were a lot of quiet areas, but since it was an RNR race, there were cheerleading squads (which Nick got a kick out of) and bands every so often to offer crowd support.  I may be wrong, but I think we made it as far as almost getting to Manayunk before crossing a bridge and heading back down the river toward the art museum.  There was some really great crowd support there, and I was still feeling good.  There was Gu a little after mile 8 before we crossed the bridge, and I took one, but never ate it (so now it's in my stash).  The alternating Gatorade and water plan seemed to be doing well for me.

It wasn't until about mile 10 that I was a little less easy talking, but I was still doing it occassionally.  I could see Nick starting to show signs of wear, but he was doing pretty well over all.  I'm pretty certain that from Mile 11-on, each one of us refused to slow down because they others weren't, and we all just kept going.  I stopped asking Doug what our time was, because I just didn't care at that point.  I didn't want to force myself to push any harder.  Doug and I evidently really kicked it up at mile 12, from what Nick said.  I think I just wanted to be done at that point.  So we pushed on and got to the base of the hill leading up to the art museum (which killed me last year, but after all the hill training I've been doing this year, was nothing) and I pushed as hard as I could until we got to the finish line. That's when I finally asked to see Doug's watch, for the first time since mile 8, I think.  1:48:09!!!

My time splits!



Holy crap!! I didn't think I could possibly run that fast, for that long.  What made it really awesome was realizing that I can easily shave a minute off that, given the crowds at the beginning, then keep that pace up for a full marathon and I'll have my BQ!  It seems totally doable now, and that's what makes me really happy.

After the race at Love Park



What's even more impressive, though, is that Nick kept up with us for the entire race.  Again, bastard.  Doug even said around mile 11, "don't you hate him just a little?"  ABSOLUTELY.  :)  In all reality-I'm very proud of Nick.  Those Park boys seem to pick things up athletically pretty easy, and even though I'm jealous, it makes me very happy.

 



With Nick after the race... typical.

 



Overall, I'm super happy with this race, with how I did, and with how everything went.  Everyone in my group had PR's.  On a side note, I really like the distance of the half, and training doesn't take up as much of my life.  I was also able to enjoy the rest of the day after the race.  It definitely solidified my decision that after Steamtown, I'm going to take time off from marathons for a while and run as far as I want to, not as far as Pfitz tells me to. 



Race Report: Broad Street Run

I really wanted to do the Broad Street Run before I could even run a mile without dying... several friends of mine have been doing it for years, so I've heard about how much fun it is and have been dying to do it.  Last year, I had a final the day before and another two days after, so it didn't happen.  I was so excited to finally do it this year.
First things first: Registering for the race when it opened back in March was a nightmare.  The server couldn't handle the sheer volume of people who wanted to sign up, and the site was either taking forever to load or not loading at all.  I finally got it to work and managed to register about an hour before all 30,000 spots sold out.  Thankfully, my friend Christie managed to get in, as well.

Christie and I met in Philly around lunch time on Saturday and headed to Lincoln Financial Field for the expo.  When we got there, the line seemed forever long and wrapped around the ramps of the stadium for several levels.  However, the line went pretty fast--we waited maybe 20 minutes before we got in.  Number and t-shirt pickups were quick and easy.  The expo itself was so-so, with just the typical vendors there (I loved RNR Philly and all the free stuff that the expo had, and that was my first big expo, so I was spoiled).  We didn't spend long in Link, which was just as well, considering we'd be on our feet for a good part of the day and running early Sunday morning.

After tossing and turning all night and ultimately getting about 2 1/2 hours of sleep, Christie and I woke up at 6 a.m. and were out the door by 6:30.  We picked up the subway at the Walnut-Locust station, and the train was empty--clearly sent just for our stop.  It was a pretty easy train ride up to the Olney station, where the run started.  We were there in plenty of time to grab a bagel at Dunkin' Donuts, down some water and Gatorade, and wait in line for the porta potties twice (there definitely weren't nearly enough, even with about 100 of them).  We were in the gray corral because we pegged our expected finish time as 1:30.  I wasn't feeling too sure of myself with that goal, since my longest run since the marathon had been 6 1/2 miles and I was sick most of last week, so I didn't get out much.  Luckily, the gray corral was for the 1:30-1:40 finishers, and I figured I could easily pull off a 10-minute mile.

Excitement on 2.5 hours of sleep!

Before the race... aren't those compression socks sexy?



I have to say, for as packed as the starting area was, and for having 40,000 runners, it was pretty easy to figure out where we were supposed to go, and it was pretty well organized.  It was a wave start, so we got to work our way up to the start line, pause, and take off to the horn.  We started about 20 minutes after the elites, which always throws me off with the clock timing.  Anyway, around 8:50 a.m., we were off!

I stayed with Christie for about the first mile and decided I should drop back, because she's been running a lot longer than me and has always been a good bit faster.  I had no idea exactly where I stood when we got to the first mile marker and the clock said 28 minutes and some seconds (I think 48).  I did figure out pretty quickly that this meant I wanted to be at the second mile marker somewhere in the 37 range, and when I got there in the 36 minute range, I was a little nervous that I might have taken off too fast, but I didn't try very hard to make myself slow down.  The crowd support as we ran through North Philly was decent--there was a few members of a church congregation out cheering us along; part of the Temple marching band, cheerleaders, and football players were supporting us, as well.  My favorite group in North Philly had to be the group of guys playing traditional African drums and instruments, though.  Pretty awesome.

I had my MapMyRun app going, and I'm not sure if it was interference from all the tall buildings or all the other people using the same app, but the mapper-lady came on at about Mile 4.75 and said I had made it 5 miles in a 7:34 pace... I knew that definitely wasn't right, so I wasn't going to be able to rely on that.  However, based on the clock, I was going faster than I thought I should, and I kept telling myself to slow down, but never did.  Mile 5 came right before City Hall, and once we went around City Hall, the entire street was lined with people cheering for us for the rest of the route.  I noticed a girl with a really well-behaved golden retriever-looking dog and thought how nice that must be, because Alby would try to catch/beat everyone (he always has to be the leader of the pack).  I passed our family friends, the Dandreas and their assistant Allan, outside the Residences at the Ritz, and even though we didn't make eye contact, knowing they were out there cheering for me meant a lot.  The area around City Hall was also the only place where I really had to do much weaving to get past people; otherwise, the road was pretty wide open and passing wasn't too hard.

I was still keeping a fast pace and wasn't winded, but thought I should be slowing down.  I kept going though, and kept picking points in the distance to make it to--a pizza billboard on a tall building, the sports complex, and finally, the naval yard.  MapMyRun told me I had made it 10 miles when we had just passed the sign that said "1/2 mile to go," so that was useless.  When we came into the naval yard, I knew there was still 1/4 mile to go, and I told myself not to, but I took off and ran as hard as I thought I could/should. I was SO proud of myself when I crossed the finish line, even though I didn't know my exact time, because I knew I beat a goal that I thought was going to be a stretch.  About a minute and a half after crossing, I finally thought to look at my phone, because the app would at least have the right time!  It said 1:27:03, and I was ecstatic.  After you cross the finish line, the race volunteers instruct you to keep moving until you get to one of two areas where you're given your medal, water, gatorade, and your food.  All the food was already in a bag, which I thought was brilliant--why don't more races do this?  The food was reflective of Philly, too, which I loved: a soft pretzel, Tastykake snack bars... no cheesesteak, though.  Bummer.  It was a bit of a mess trying to find Christie, especially because our cell phone signals were on the fritz with 20,000+people trying to find their friends and families, too.  Side note: I met a lady with a bright green, zebra-printed flag that she said she always uses to find her family at races when they finish--what a great idea! I'm making my mom one for my races.

Christie (left) and I after the race



All in all, I was super happy with my time, when I finally got it (race results were posted around 1 p.m. that day).  For a race of 40,000 people, I thought things went pretty smoothly.  And more than anything, it's clear that Broad Street is one of those races that you do for the sake of saying you've done it.  I mean, there's a buzz in the city for the week leading up to this race.  If you don't like large crowds, you'll hate it.  However, I give a lot of credit to the RD's and the City itself for how organized this event was.  Even with the size of the race growing, I'll probably do it again next year just because the even was truly so much fun.

Screen shot of results from my phone