Great Hill? Ha!

New York has NOTHING when it comes to hills! Especially when you are comparing to Cincinnati.

Saturday I got to run with my old training group while I was in Cincy. It was fun, especially since my old running buddy, Sarah, was there. They were scheduled for an 18 mile run, but according to my plan I was supposed to do my big 20 miles. So I got to the Running Spot extra early (yuck) and ran 2 miles before the group workout. The first thing I noticed was how DIFFERENT the hills were. I mean, in Central Park there are lots of hills, but they are also separated by flat land. In Cincinnati, it is hill after hill after hill. And Great Hill in Central Park? Maybe it is the size of a small hill in Cincy. Maybe. I could feel it in my knees immediately. But I still maintained my <9:00 minute mile pace on those first two, so I was happy.

I was glad to see that the course we were running did follow the Pig course...including the new changes. But we also added on Millionaire's Mile in the beginning , which has some brutal hills. Sarah and I started out our run at a sub 9:00 minute mile and it was very apparent that we wouldn't be able to do that for long. The hills were just too killer. So we slowed down a bit (reminding each other that if one of us was holding the other back that the other should just go ahead).

The first 9 miles was cake for me. It was after that, that I was really feeling it. I even had to take some Tylenol 8-hour at the truck (thank goodness for the truck). I'm sure Sarah was thinking I had a huge potty mouth around the second half of the run. I just could not get over the hills.

As we started up to Eden Park I was really dying. We only had 5 more miles left but they were all of the killer hills on the course. Sarah needed to walk, and I needed to as well, so I am SO GLAD that she did. I was only pushing through the pain because I was running with her (which is a stupid thing to do). We walked up the hill leading into Eden Park and started running again at Mirror Lake, where we did a few laps to add on (the course was only 16.5 miles so we decided to add on 2 there). Up the killer, most humongous hill on the course we passed another runner who was honking like a goose (???). And then, of course another hill on the way back to Victory Parkway.

That one we had to walk again. And of course, who should come up behind us, but Coach Joe. (They always see you when you are slacking!). He walked with us up the hill and we talked about how we were really feeling it. He made me feel better though, because he said this was a REALLY REALLY hard 16.5 mile course because of all the hills (including some killer ones that are not actually on the course) and the placement of the hills (the worst ones at the end). He said the difficulty made it more like a 19 or even 20 mile run.

We finished and I logged a 3:20.28 for my 20 miles. Gone were my hopes in the back of my head that for some miracle reason my 8:45 pace last week was close to my marathon goal pace (I didn't really have THAT much hope for that anyway). But my 20 mile runs are usually pretty darn accurate in predicting how my marathons will go...so I am VERY pleased with a 10 minute pace on that killer course. ESPECIALLY since we walked twice.

Thank goodness for Sarah too! Not only did she make my run much more enjoyable (we talked the WHOLE time) but she pushed me to run well on that course! If you're interested, you can read her account of the run here.

I think next week I have a 14-miler, so I am just going to bask in this lovely , lovely taper!

GRRRRR...Foiled Again!

Of COURSE I am travelling again tomorrow, which means that I will have to miss our running group happy hour! I am so bummed, because I felt like this was a really great way to say goodbye to everyone. :(

This training group has been the most fun for me.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that this was my third training group. Believe it or not, I don't tend to be very outgoing until I feel really really comfortable with things. Since this was my third group I kind of knew how things ran (ha ha) and was able to introduce myself to people without feeling like a freak. :)
As a result, I of course, met more friends. And NOW I don't even get to say goodbye to those friends!!! Arghh.

Plus, I just want to hear everyone's Columbus stories. I looked up my running friends' times and it looks like they both did great! Hurrah! I'm so proud of them!

It's hard to believe that at this time last year I thought training for a 10k was some serious mileage. A marathon had not even crossed my mind until late December!!!
NOW I consider myself a marathoner (which is still a little funny to me. I mean, would you consider yourself an artist if you had only done 2 paintings?). Don't get me wrong, I AM a marathoner. Especially since I am (at least mentally) preparing for my third. Crazy.

Hurrah for Me!

I did it! I ran the entire 20 miles!
I felt like I wanted to wear a sticker the whole day that said "be nice to me, I ran 20 miles today"...you know, sort of like the ones they give you when you give blood.
The thing that was bad is that it was raining the ENTIRE time. I don't usually mind, but when my running clothes were soaked it started to make me cold. But not until mile 11, so I guess that is good.
I pretty much felt great the whole time. The first 11 was cake! We saw the runners from the Fleet Feet group, who I also think were doing their twenty (although I have heard that they have already done a few 20s). I smiled at all of them and said good job to some of them because I heard through the grapevine that they think the Roncker group is too serious and not nice. :) It is kind of like the Sharks and Jets of running. I am just joking of course. :)
Anyway, I stopped at the restrooms at the 11 mile, forgetting that pulling soaking wet running tights back on is kind of hard to do. That is when I started to get freezing. It probably didn't help that my soaking wet shirt that was under my jacket kept rolling up as well. I put my gloves back on, which I hardly ever use.
By mile 14 I was DEAD. I just kept thinking "all I have left is Eastern, and I am done".
I HATE Eastern. It is the longest, flattest street ever. I just kept thinking I would be faster if I walked. My legs were KILLING me. I did it though. I finished. Now I KNOW that I can do the 26.2. Hurrah!