Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 Race Report

It's funny how you look back on a big race once it's completed and think how fast it came and went. My whole year or at least summer for that matter was focused on one big task - taking on ironman distance race #2. After Rev3 Cedar Point last year I was disappointed. Sure, I was a finisher but I knew I had a bad day and was disappointed in my time. This left me wanting redemption so in December of 2014 I signed up for Beach 2 Battleship in sunny Wilmington, NC. I had heard wonderful things about the race so I figured it would be a good experience.

Countless hours of training and racing went into the biggest race of my season. An Iron distance race requires commitment and focus to be successful. I am pretty happy with how my training progressed but of course there are variables that one cannot control...such as getting very sick a few weeks out from race day. Several doctors visits and procedures left me wondering if I would even be able to race let alone meet my goal of a big PR. I battled with myself because at first I did too much and was not getting better and then I had to be honest with myself and rest and allow my body to heal. That is not an easy task for me but after a couple weeks I was feeling much better albeit not 100% and really just needed my doctor's approval to race pending some test results. I pretty much had decided I wanted to at least attempt the race. I had worked hard for months and it would have been depressing to sit out the biggest race of my year. I figured if worse came to worse I could do as much as possible and DNF. Fortunately my day went better than expected!

Prerace Thursday:

View from our condo on Water Street

Steve and I packed up the car and started the drive to Wilmington around 6am. With a few stops along the way and after hitting the expo we arrived at our condo downtown around 5:30pm. The place we rented from Trip Advisor was perfect. We had a full apartment right on Water Street overlooking the Cape Fear River and conveniently located a couple of blocks down from the expo. After unpacking we headed over to a local Brewery to have a pint and then later we met our friend Elisa for dinner at a local place downtown called Fat Tony's, which the locals rave about. After getting back to our condo Steve and I took on the big task of getting our race bags (transition, post race and special needs bags ready). After that it was time to call it a night.

Prerace Friday (Race Eve):

There is a certain energy you wake up with the day before you take on an Iron distance race. So we were up to have a coffee, eat and get everything organized for the day. We did a shakeout run and bike. We checked in our T2 bag and special needs bags at the convention center. We checked our bikes and T1 bag in at the beach transition area. Beach 2 Battleship has two transition areas because it is a point to point race. This makes the logistics a little more challenging but doable as long as you are organized.

After we checked the bikes in Steve and I headed to Wrightsville Beach for a little while to enjoy the sun and sand. We had a nice relaxing walk on the beach and then headed back to town to the condo to get cleaned up for dinner. We ended up eating at Fat Tony's again and it was a very nice low-key prerace dinner with lots of carbs including a dessert! One must eat well before 140.6 miles! After dinner we walked back to the condo and headed to bed. I slept reasonably well for the night before a big race.

Race Morning:

The alarm went off at 4:15am, which was actually not that bad. I woke up right away and so did Steve. After a cup of coffee, some food and a shower it was time to get dressed and put on the race tattoos. Our plan was to meet our friend at the Hilton where the race shuttle would drop us off at T1 by the beach. We were right on schedule for the shuttle, which was a trolly. I was in a very chatty mood and feeling pretty excited that I had made it this far despite the challenges over the last few weeks. This was happening! We arrived at T1 to finish setting up and then we had to catch a second shuttle over to the swim start a few miles away since this was a point to point swim. When we arrived at the swim start it was dark and chilly and there were not many athletes there yet. We hung out and stayed warm with some throw away sweats and shoes. After about an hour or so later it was time to chug some beet juice, eat one last snack, ditch the throw away clothes and walk over to the beach.

The Swim: 2.4 Miles - 1:05:01 clock time (1:01 watch time)

As we positioned ourselves for the start at 7:30 the race director played "Lose Yourself" by Eminem

Swim start photo by race photographer

and this got us incredibly pumped up. I was jumping and dancing and ready to get this thing started! Steve and I lined up close together and walked up to the water. It was go time. I ran in as long as possible and then started into a freestyle stroke right away. With it being a mass start of about 800 people there were no shortage of bodies around me throughout the whole swim. In fact it got a little physical a couple of times but I quickly repositioned as needed. It was a fast swim with the current in our favor especially for the first 2000-2500 meters. Once we made the first big left turn though the wind was not in our favor and the water was choppier. This wasn't too big of a deal since we had been practicing in good old Lake Erie a fair amount over the summer. My goal was to try to finish the swim in about an hour. At the end of the swim you have to climb a ladder up to the dock. I glanced at my watch time and it said 1:01 so I was almost exactly on pace. After the swim you have to get your wetsuit off and run through the showers to rinse the salt water off then you run a couple hundred meters across the street before you hit the timing mat. This added a few minutes to my time but no big deal.

T1: 9:29

This was a little longer than I planned but T1 is a pain. You are soaking wet and a little discombobulated from a long swim so it takes longer to change, get a snack, etc. Then you go grab your bike and wait a few seconds for the people in front of you so that you can mount your bike.

The Bike: 112 Miles - 6:26:23 clock time (6:12 watch time)

On the bike fighting the wind!

The start of the bike was slow as there was a good bit of weaving in and around roads and people until we finally made our way onto a straight-away when I was able to focus on hitting my pace and getting in some nutrition and fluids. My goal was to average around 18 mph for the race.

The first 60-70 miles were mostly flat and into the wind. I thought that flat would be easy but in all actuality you never really get a break to coast. If you let up on the cadence you lose power and slow down. I was pretty much on pace as we hit the first aid station at mile 25 or so. Unfortunately my aerobar mounted drink holder cracked and broke so I had to lose one of my two bottles. This was not ideal but I refilled my bottle and then chugged some water before I was on my way. I probably only lost a minute or two here.

At the next aid station around 45 miles I had to use the porta john. Unfortunately there was a line so I racked my bike and took care of my drink refill and then waited a couple of minutes to go. I maybe lost a few minutes here because the clock doesn't stop for you to pee.

Around mile 60 we got the special needs bags. I had a vanilla iced coffee in mine and some gummy lifesavers. Weird combo perhaps but it got the job done with a sugar burst. Then I used the bathroom again. So here I lost maybe 3-4 minutes as well but worth it.

I ended up hitting one more aid station for a third potty break so at least I was hydrated and this was around mile 75 or 80 and was my last stop. The wind had become more of a tailwind at this point so that was a good thing but of course I was ready to be done.

My last hour was my fastest hour I think. We were on a flat highway with a tailwind so I was averaging 19+ mph in that section. I was stoked to see the bridge at mile 111 and coast into the convention center for T2.

T2: 5:02

At T2 they had bike catchers, which was nice and then there was a decent 200 meter or so run to the bags. From there I hit the changing tent and changed from my Powerbar bike jersey into my Powerbar run singlet. I also took in a Powerbar energy blend gel and hit the restroom quickly before starting the run.

The Run: 26.2 Miles - 4:31:16 clock time

Starting 2nd lap of run

I felt pretty good for the first hour of the run. Maybe too good. My GPS watch died right around then which may have been a curse or a blessing - not sure yet which it was. I had felt pretty good on the run through mile 13 and then I kindof bonked. I walked a little to the special needs bag and was very happy that I had put a redbull and some Aleve in there as I needed both. My left achilles had started bothering me around mile 8 or 9 so the Aleve definitely helped. I also rubbed on some Biofreeze as well. That stuff is magic.

I got back on track for a little bit but started to feel the pain again around mile 18 from some pretty gnarly blisters on both of my pinky toes. My Hoka Cliftons were not kind to me late in the race. Luckily the aid stations had vaseline so I was able to stop a couple of times to coat my toes.

I made sure to take in a lot of salt from Base as well as the chicken broth and water. This definitely helped keep me from cramping. I tried to keep my walking to the aid stations or very short little 30 second breaks a few times in the later miles. I had hopes of being closer to 4 or 4:15 but it just was not happening this time. While running is definitely my best sport it is also the hardest thing to do when you are sick and I was still not 100% so this did not work in my favor.

One thing that was great about the run was that I got to see Steve and all my Cleve Tri Club friends that were racing several times, which was a real boost.

The Finish & Post Race:

CTC 140.6 Racers & fans!

My last mile of the run was a good one and emotional. I went from not even knowing if I would be able to race, to not knowing if I could finish to a PR! I was pretty close to my goal of hitting 12 hours. I ended up with a 12:17 and if it was not for the bike stops I would have been 12:03 or so. I ended up 6th in my AG out of 18. This was a big improvement over the mess that was my first 140.6. And I was recovering from being ill. I will take it. I was teary-eyed at the finish so Steve was worried and I just explained that I was happy. Happy to be done with the race. Happy to be done with this big goal. Happy to be strong enough to do this.

Steve had brought me some warm clothes to put on and a Fatheads Trailhead beer. I downed some pizza and a hot chocolate and then walked back to the condo to get showered. Shortly after we headed back to the finish to meet up with our Cleveland Tri Club friends and celebrate and wait for our friend Elisa to finish her first 140.6! She had a tough day but she finished and I was ready to call it a night when we got back to our condo at 12:30 or so in the am.

Unfortunately I was very sick after the race. I was in bed most of the next 36 hours but did make it out for one celebratory beer and food with the CTC/Bicycle Hub folks. Then it was back to Cleveland the next day. Then back to work the day after. How quickly it came and went.

Final Thoughts:

On the Race:

The race was awesome! It is very well organized. The swim is fast and I like the point to point swim layout versus the old double loop. The bike course is windy and flat at around 1400 ft of gain. Flat and windy hurts. The run is a nice course albeit hilly in some sections, was a little warm in heat of the day at around 70s. The aid stations were fantastic. Setup Events and the volunteers make this a great race. The town is scenic and fun with lots to do. The beach was nice too. I wish we had more time before or after the race to enjoy it!

On Racing my 2nd 140.6

Your health is more important than anything. I probably pushed myself beyond what I should have but my Dr. gave me the go ahead because even he knew how hard we train to complete an ironman distance race. I had debated sitting it out and playing it safe but that's just not who I am. I definitely paid the price after for a few days. I am now well into my recovery and want to thank my husband Steve for all his love and care, my friends who raced with me for the cheers, my friends I raced and trained with all year, my mom for her support and encouragement and also to Powerbar for being a top-notch sponsor once again this season.

After some thinking I will not be competing in a 140.6 next season. I need to give my body and mind a little break. There is a good chance I will do another in 2017 or beyond but for next season I am looking forward to some long run races, olympic and 70.3 triathlons, and some new stuff like bike time trials and cyclocross. This old girl needs some variety and more recovery. I plan to space my big races out at least 4-6 wks apart next season because taking on a BQ marathon, 70.3 and Ironman in five weeks time frame was just a little too aggressive for me. Lesson Leaned. Now it's time to enjoy the off season! Finally! Horray!

Deer Creek 70.3 Race Report

I'm a little late with this race report for the Deer Creek Fall Challenge triathlon but wanted to give a quick recap of the event before I write my race report for Beach 2 Battleship. Overall I thought HFP did a nice job with the event. There were a variety of distances from mini-70.3. Steve and I planned to make the 70.3 a hard training effort for our upcoming IM race at Beach 2 Battleship a few weeks later.

After a short bike and run shakeout workout, we headed down to Mt. Sterling, OH, which is a little outside of Columbus. It was maybe a 3-hour drive so not too bad. We headed over to the Beach to pick up our packets and then over to the Deer Creek Lodge to check in. A number of our friends from Cleveland were doing the race as well so we got a fun group together for dinner and drinks and then headed back to the room to get our race stuff ready for the morning. 

Prerace with friends

Race morning was smooth. We got up to eat breakfast and get ready to head back over to the beach to transition. We checked in our bikes, setup transition, grabbed our timing chips and then hung out with our friends Frank and Karen who were both racing the half too. We all got in a quick swim warm up. The weather and water temps were perfect!

The Swim - 1.2 miles - 33:41

The swim was quick and easy. There were a lot of people in the water but it went pretty smooth. It was a two lap swim course. After completing the second lap, there was a bit of a run maybe 200-400 meters over to T1. My time of 33:41 was prob more like 32 with the run.

T1 - 2:32

I had a long T1 perhaps but I like to sit down and put my socks and shoes on and eat something before heading out on the bike.

The Bike - 56 Miles - 2:59:46

Bike results were kindof flat for me. I was hoping to average between 19-20 and ended up around 18.8. I think fighting the wind just slowed me down some. It was a three loop bike course with some flat although windy terrain and the last 5 miles or so of the loop consisting of rollers. By the third lap I was ready to be done.

T2 - 1:34

T2 is always a little faster since there's no wetsuit involved. Quick change of shoes and headgear, a quick bite to eat and then off to the run.

The Run - 13.1 Miles - 1:56:50

Out on the run 

The run was okay for me. I had wanted to be a few minutes faster but it was hot and I was having some bladder pain the second half. Turned out to be a UTI I was treated for post race (not fun). I walked it off a few times but kept the breaks short as I wanted to have a decent run. I ending up averaging about an 8:55 pace versus the 8:45 I was shooting for. 

The Finish - 5:34:20

I was happy to see the finish and was excited to learn I was 2nd place female! It was hard to tell what place I was in as the run was a two loop course and there were a decent amount of people out there. This finish was very close to my goal time of 5:30 so I was happy with the effort and feeling good about my upcoming 140.6.

Post Race - 

After the race we headed over to the lodge to take a quick shower and then we drove to Polaris area in Columbus for a dinner at Matt the Millers Tavern with our friend Karen. We celebrated a good race with a good meal and a Bodhi IPA!

Erie Marathon Race Report...I Just Registered for My First Boston Marathon!

I just registered for my first Boston Marathon! Holy cow! Now I have to wait for my acceptance email but with a 3:35:14 qualifying time in Erie and my standard being 3:40 everyone that I have talked to has assured me I am "in".

The Erie Marathon at Presque Isle was an incredible course to qualify on. It is flat, shaded and fast albeit a little windy in some spots. I was a little nervous going into the race as it rained all day Saturday and I had visions of running 26.2 soaking wet miles. Fortunately the rain stopped around 2 or 3 am Sunday morning and held out for the whole race. The temperature was around 60 degrees at most, which made for a nice, cool day. That definitely helped my chances!

Race Morning:

Everything with the race went smooth but parking was a challenge and apparently it was from the main parking lot being closed due to flooding from the heavy rains. It took us about 45 minutes to park as we arrived at 5:45 and parked around 6:30. After a restroom break and some drills to warm up it was time to line up. There were pacing groups out there so I lined up near the 3:35 group since that was my goal. The start was jam packed with people from all over the country. I had a couple of women next to me from Texas and a guy behind me from Florida. Erie they say is one of the best qualifying races in the country with over 30% of the field qualifying. I was there like many people with that goal in mind. As I stood at the start and waited for the cue to start I was filled with a lot of emotion. This was my last chance to qualify for the 2016 Boston race. I HAD to get it done no matter what or I would be on the sidelines again next year cheering for my husband and friends.

The first half:

I would love to say that I had a  perfect race but the truth is I did not. I actually felt pretty crappy during much of the first loop, which was a surprise. I had tapered but with training for an ironman concurrently I was worried I had done too much. I tried to just brush those thoughts aside as my left knee locked up and my right hip was aching and I pressed on. I thought about making it a training run for Beach 2 Battleship and just cutting it short but I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't give it my all. So around mile 12 or so I finally started to settle in. Yes, I settled in at mile 12 as odd as that is. I then decided that this was MY race. I gave up a lot for this race. I changed my schedule around this year and made this race my A race. I could not throw all that training away. I would simply make myself BQ. At the halfway point you literally go over a timing mat with the finish on the other side. That was hard. I was at 1:47 at the 13.1 mark - right on schedule for my 3:35.

The second half:

I finally ran a big girl marathon! My splits were close to perfect - all between 8:05-8:15 with only one or two miles at an 8:15-8:20 pace - one being my first mile where it was hard to generate speed due to the crowd and the other at mile 24. I really feel like I got into a meditative state in this second loop. I enjoyed my playlist and taking in the surroundings and every mile I checked my watch to make sure I was on schedule. Miles 20, 21, 22, 23 ticked by and I never hit that dreaded wall! 24 I slowed down just a hair and picked it back up for 25 and 26. As the finish line drew close I felt the emotion welling up inside. I had worked so hard for this day. This was my 4th BQ attempt this season with 3 consecutive marathons in April, May and June a little break for tri season and then this one a few months later.

The Finish:

Finisher shot courtesy of Kirsten!

That finish line sure was sweet! Coming in at a 3:35:14 was just about on goal. In fact I beat the 3:35 pace group. I am not sure when they finished as I was ahead of them the whole race after mile 4 or 5. Steve came up and gave me a big hug and I filled up my post race bag with as much food as possible and headed over to photographer for a post race pic with Steve and to the med tent for some post race stretching.

Post Race Celebration:

Steve ran to the car to get the "gift" he had made for me, which was a shirt that said "Cheers! I BQ'd Today! So then of course he had me put the shirt on and a nice woman took our photo so we could post it and share the good news with our friends!

Post race with the shirt!

The drive from Erie to Mentor was pretty short and we decided to stop at Willoughby Brewing to have some food and a couple pints to celebrate my BQ. We celebrated the next day too because why not? Big goals mean big rewards!

Closing Thoughts:

So much of my day was mental. Sure you have to be physically trained to run a marathon but the mind is a powerful weapon that can work for you or against you. Even though I had a rough start I was able to send the pain below and focus on the task at hand. And it was So Worth It! Always remember that even if things are not going your way in a race you can take control of the situation. That is a valuable lesson  I learned that I plan to take with me on my journey to other racing goals.

A special thanks to my husband Steve who believes in me and did everything he could to help me achieve this goal including running with me for many painful miles, to all of my caring friends and family members that believed in me and cheered for me - you guys are the best especially my friend Kirsten who took tons of race pics including the finisher shot above! I could not have done it without the support of all of you. And finally to Powerbar for being an amazing sponsor and fueling countless workouts and races - thank you!

What's Next:

I will be racing the HFP Deer Creek 70.3 this weekend as a tuneup for Beach 2 Battleship 140.6, which is three weeks later! After that I am taking a hard-earned break until next season!

Erie Marathon Race Weekend - Lucky #7

It's finally race weekend for the Erie Marathon...lucky #7 for me! Or at least I hope it will be lucky! There are so many ways to shave a few minutes off a marathon. I'm hoping to do that this Sunday and finally realize my goal of a BQ time!

Marathons #4, 5 & 6 happened for me this year in April, May and June consecutively. While that was never my plan it just evolved into the year of the "Marathon Maniac".

• Glass City Marathon in Toledo (#4) was a nice PR for me at 3:46 and change. Looking back I had lost a little too much weight and don't think I was properly fueled to BQ. I also ran too fast the first 10 miles or so. I still managed to take off 5 minutes of time from my previous PR in Cleveland in 2014. 
• Cleveland Marathon (#5) was three weeks later. I ran with the 3:35 pace group for the first 1/2. It just got too hot for me. I pushed as hard as I could that day to the point of throwing up but with a 3:52 a BQ was not in reach that day. No problem will just try again in late June then! 
• Charlevoix Marathon (#6) in Northwest Michigan was a fun road trip and little long weekend vacation. I loved this area! I was ready here I think to get it done but I had two things working against me: first, I ran the first 1/2 a little too fast and had some uneven splits. Plus the last hour of the race was hotter than I hoped in the mid 70s. I don't do as well in the heat as I would like. I tried my best but came up a little short with a 3:42:45. Two minutes & change away from the 3:40 qualifying time. 

I have prepared more intently for Erie by including more speedwork, faster long runs and a cleaner diet. I have also obviously been cross training with the bike and swim as I prepare to take on some long course tris in the weeks to come.

This last week and a half has been pretty easy physically for me as I taper. I know my body needs to be rested to push as hard as I can. I feel more rested than when I went into Charlevoix. I have been carb loading all week and sleeping well. The weather forecast looks to be cool (high 50s - mid 60s), which is ideal for me. It may rain but rain is not a reason to ruin my day. I have worked long and hard for this BQ this year! The plan is to shoot for a 3:35. If it ends up being a 3:37 or 3:38 I will take it! I will slow myself down the first half and try to run consistent splits. I will push harder the last miles. I will give everything I have. I am ready! No matter what happens I will know that I gave it my best.

Special thanks to Powerbar for keeping me fueled for all these races and countless workouts and to Steve for letting me drag him all over to run marathons this season. He has sacrificed as much as I have for my goal. Nothing to it now but to go chase that unicorn! Stay tuned for the race report next week.

Rock Hall Half Marathon Race Report

I've been delayed in writing this post about the inaugural Rock Hall Half Marathon held downtown at the Rock Hall August 23. The event itself was done very well. Packet picket the day before was ideal because it made race morning a little smoother. It was very easy to park for the expo as well. The race shirt was a high quality Nike women's fit tee, which is nice. Also, the medal was awesome! Race day logistics went smooth, Greater Cleveland XC did a nice job with the timing and there was plenty of food afterwards.

Pre race at the start line

Race morning went pretty smooth as well. Steve was racing too so we left our house around 6am to get downtown by 6:45 and give ourselves plenty of time to warm up. We found street parking not too far from the start. We jogged about a mile to warm up and found some indoor restrooms to use before lining up at the start line in front of the Rock Hall. It was nice to see some of our friends before the race and chat. The race started at 7:30am and it was a fast start. I tried to hold back the pace not going out any faster than a 7:25-7:30 mile.

To be honest I didn't really rest for this race because I just didn't have the time in my schedule with a few other key races coming up. I had biked more than 100 miles and had about 30 miles of running and a couple of swims in at the start line so I wasn't sure how it would go. I hoped I would run about my average 1:40 time given my strength this season if nothing else. I also did no real race specific training for the half. I had raced some 5Ks and 5 milers this summer as speedwork for my marathon but never did any speed over 5-6 miles outside of marathon pace.

Fighting through the pain cave

This lack of focused training was evident as I hit the halfway mark and started to labor more than I anticipated. The weather was also warming up and this probably contributed to my feelings of malaise as well.  I had a second burst around miles 7-10 running through the MLK area, which was nice and shaded and had some rolling hills. That was my favorite part of the race. I felt good and I thought I might have a chance to PR but that quickly evaporated as we hit Marginal. The last 5K of this course wiped me out. I watched my average pace drop from 7:30s to 8:15s. I also got passed by four or five women in the last 5K and that was deflating. Normally I have more of a fight in me but this day I did not. I just let them pass and prayed that it would be over soon.

I finished in 1:41:49 about two minutes under my goal of 1:39-1:40. After the race I got in a cooldown mile with Steve and then another 3 marathon pace miles solo to round out the day and my last long training run for Erie with 18 miles. Although it didn't go as well as I wanted I didn't blow up. It ended up being a great training run for Erie I think and I was 4/80 in my age group so maybe next time I will crack the top 3. I do have a competitive age group so I guess I will have to do my homework and put in some longer speed sessions and rest up a little bit more to place in this one!

Steve had a great race and placed 1st in his AG! And his legs were just as tired from many bike miles and some run miles. I am glad that he did well and we were able to celebrate a successful race for him. After the awards we headed to Winking Lizard for food and a post race hoppy beer. Then we headed home for some pool time.

Thanks to Powerbar for fueling me through countless workouts this summer. Thanks to Second Sole Mentor for putting on this great event, to Greater Cleveland XC for timing the event and to all of the volunteers who worked the event. Definitely add this one to your list of half marathons to run!

This was my last race until the Erie Marathon on September 13! I am trying once more this year for the BQ. I need to take off 3-4 minutes from my time in Charlevoix and I am there. I am feeling good and just hoping for good conditions that day. Stay tuned for the race report!

Here's a shot of the hard earned finishers medal below!

Miller Marut 5K Race Report & Training Update for Erie Marathon & Beach 2 Battleship 140.6

This past Saturday was my birthday and I could think of no better to celebrate it then with a race! It was five years ago on my birthday when my husband Steve and I had our first date at the Perfect 10 Miler race. In addition to my birthday, running the Miller Marut 5K this past weekend in Concord Township (where we live) was kindof a celebration of our fifth year as a couple as well!

The race started a little later at 8:30 am and was close to home so we were able to sleep in until 6:30, which was nice! We left the house around 7:30 to get to packet pickup and get in a little warm up beforehand. We ran about 2 miles at an easy pace and I was already dripping with sweat as it was a warm and humid August morning. I opted to leave my singlet in the car and race in my sportsbra, which proved to be a good decision. The first half of the course is downhill so there was a fast start. My first mile was at a 6:35 pace and it felt pretty good but as we hit the turn around it was all uphill from there! I was very close at that time to Savannah Dennison who was in second place but she took off as I faded. The last mile was hard physically and mentally tough for me and I lost a lot more ground than I should have but I do not do as well in the heat as some. I was able to hang onto third place female with my time of 21:47 but I really think I should have been a little faster. With the tired legs and heat I will take it. The real purpose of these short races for me is to force myself to get in the speed work for the upcoming Erie Marathon!

post race with my love!

After the race Steve and I got in another two miles of easy running and then headed over to the awards. Steve ended up placing 4th male and 1st in his AG so he had a pretty good race too. After the race we treated ourselves to  Starbucks non-fat, unsweetened Green Tea Lattes! Then I headed home to ride my bike for an hour and fifteen minutes followed up with a short 500 meter swim. I wanted to make sure that I got in all three sports on my special day! The rest of the day was filled with family.

Sunday I did my long ride for the week. I had planned on a century but it was so hot that I only ended up doing 85 in the 5 hours I was out. Steve did the first 50 with me and then I did the 35 on my own. This wrapped up a big week of marathon and ironman training with 50 miles of running, 150 miles of biking and some swimming although not as much as I would have liked! My long run of 18 miles on Wednesday evening went great as I was able to average an 8:40 pace even with the last 4 miles being mostly on trail. All in all it was a solid week and I am happy with where I am.

This week I am focusing more on the swim. I have done three 2500 meter swims including a double on Monday (one in the pool and one in the open water at Mentor Headlands Beach). I will also get in about 45 miles of running including racing at the inaugural Rock Hall Half Marathon this Sunday in Cleveland and 130 miles of biking. So it's a little easier of a week than last with the exception of the race.

Next week I begin to taper the run down a little more to 39 miles but have close to 200 miles of biking on the schedule including another long one. This will be my biggest bike week for a while since Erie will be two weeks out from Sunday! I will also get in a couple of 3000+ meter swims and some bikram yoga.

The following week will be lighter on the running and biking with a couple good, long swims and then the week after that I will be on a very light marathon taper with only one swim and no biking. The idea of not biking for that long is not making me happy but it is necessary so that I will have fresh legs for Erie. I know that the next 24 days are going to go very quickly! Then it is time to recover and do one more short build for the Deer Creek 70.3 Tri and Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 tri!

Stay tuned for the Rock Hall race report! My plan is to race it as hard as I can assuming I feel okay otherwise I will run it as a marathon tempo run for Erie. Gotta keep my eyes on the prize for that BQ!

My First Multisport Win at the Greater Cleveland Triathlon

Sunday I raced the Greater Cleveland Olympic Triathlon at Mentor Headlands. This race is literally in my backyard and the race director Mickey is a friend so it makes sense to race it. After another hard week of marathon/ironman training last week I was not sure how things would turn out. I just knew that I would give it my best effort. I had been practicing OWS swims at Headlands for a few weeks as well as riding the bike course so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect Sunday.

Steve was racing too so we got up around 5:30, which is late for a triathlon but with it being so close we could sleep in. After getting dressed in my new SL3 Triathlon kit we ate a couple bowls of cereal, loaded up the car and we were off to Headlands Beach. I was in an especially chipper mood singing along to some tunes on the radio and about 10 minutes later we were parking. After entering the transition area we learned that the swim was cancelled due to poor water quality and potentially unsafe waves. I was disappointed like many other triathletes because I was ready to tackle that swim and besides who wants to sprint a 5K before the bike and then again after the bike?! Ouch! Duathlon hurts. I give them a lot of credit for killing their legs like that!

Prerace

I was able to rack with Steve and some of our friends and we knew lots of people racing so it was fun to catch up with everyone before and after the race. After setting up transition with just my bike stuff it was time for the prerace meeting and then my wave was first to start run #1.We would be doing a 5K run, 24 mile bike and a second 5K run for the olympic distance.

Run # 1 - 5K - 20:58 - (6:46 pace)

I lined up near the front with the guys and did not really know many people in my wave so I just tried to stay loose and go hard but not all out for the first 5K. I was first woman into T1 with a time of 20:58 (6:46 pace) although I think the course was a little short. I saw my husband in transition as I was leaving he was coming in but it was nice to be able to say hi.

Bike - 24 Miles - 1:12:31 (19.9mph)

on the bike!

Leaving the park I just tried to hammer the first part of the bike on 44 knowing the first 3-5 miles were pretty flat. I felt good. There are a couple of climbs on Heisley but other than that it's pretty flat and fast. Jackson was just bumpy and then Hopkins has a long gradual climb before crossing over to Chillicothe. Chillicothe is fast and there's a downhill with a very sharp left turn at the bottom so I had to slow down there taking the turn onto Baldwin Rd. Baldwin is pretty fast and scenic. From there we went left onto Hart Rd which has a nice climb coming up to Little Mountain. It flattens out for a minute and then there is a long, crushing climb up Little Mountain to Morley. I made sure to take in some nutrition here and really took advantage of the downhill on Morley Rd. Much of Morley is downhill and then there are a couple of rollers at the end as you cross over 44 to Newell Rd. The course then is very flat but bumpy and has some bad train tracks. From there we took Blackbrook up to 44. This was all very flat and windy. I started laboring a little but knew the bike was almost done. Another female Pam Semanik who was racing in the duathlon division passed me on 44. She is a great cyclist so I just made myself stay close to her. We came into transition at the same time but I knew she had started a few minutes after me.

Run #2 - 5K - 22:28 (7:15 pace)

Pam and I started the run together and she looked strong. I was not able to pass her until the very end. Even then it didn't matter since we were in different races. I was just happy to have someone pushing me for those last miles.

Finish & Post Race 

winner winner chicken dinner!

I ended up finishing in 1:58:01, good for the win in the "triathlon" olympic division. The next closest female was 2:08:39 so even with my swim not being my strongest I still would have had the win most likely. After 5 years in multisport it was nice to add a win to my list of accomplishments. I can see that the hard work I have put in this year and last have paid off.

Steve ended up coming in 8th male and 3rd in his age group with some tough competition from Nate Loman and Mark Durno. After the race awards we headed over to Winking Lizard Mentor for post race food and beverages. It was a fun day and I definitely pushed myself. I am looking forward to racing more short tris next season but this was my last one now until Beach 2 Battleship 140.6, which will be a long one. I do have another 5K, The Rock Hall half marathon and then the Erie Marathon before that so I will be focused on running and long rides and swims for the rest of the season.

Closing Thoughts

Special thanks to Powerbar for fueling countless workouts and races this season and to Cleveland Triathlon Club for some terrific training opportunities this season including the inaugural Emeraldman! I am lucky to be part of such a terrific local tri community!

Mayfield Wildcat 5K Race Report & Training Update

Last weekend's Mayfield Wildcat 5K was fun...in a painful sort of way! I have not done many 5K races in the last few years. The only one I did last season was the Lakeland Clocktower run, which was a 5K PR for me at 21:17. That one was about a month after my first 140.6 triathlon.

I was hoping to break 21 for this weekend's race but it was a little harder than I anticipated. Of course the pace of the first mile in a 5K is FAST. I resisted the urge to push so hard I would pay for it later in the race. So I went out around a 6:30-6:40 pace. That didn't feel so bad. At the halfway point we turned around in a cul-de-sac within the neighborhood we were running in (close to Highland Heights Community Park). I saw three women in front of me and wasn't sure if I would have enough to overtake anyone. I stayed on my goal pace and tried to just focus on that. A tad short of mile two, the woman in third stopped and I passed her. It was definitely hot and I was laboring a bit myself but with a short race like this there is no time to stop and walk. I quickly chugged a water and poured some on my head as I hit the gas.

Post race with our plaques

The last mile was hot and slightly up hill and it was my slowest mile coming in over 7. I tried to hold steady and think of how close the finish was. And there it was...a grassy finish too, which I love! So I pushed on through feeling like I was going to puke. Mission accomplished I guess. 5K races hurt but they are over fast! My time of 21:35 was not the PR I had hoped for but not too shabby as I managed a 6:56 average and placed third female. The prizes for a smaller local race were very generous too as I received a $30 gift certificate to Achilles Running Shop in Mentor and a plaque. They also gave AG awards out. Steve placed 3rd in the 40-49AG and our friend Brandon won his AG in the 25-29 group so it was a good race for all three of us.

There was plenty of food afterwards and lots of door prizes and we ran into some running friends, who also did well in the race.Afterwards Steve and I headed over to Headlands Beach in Mentor for a 40-minute open water swim. On such a hot day, it was the perfect day to be out there swimming. The following day we did an 80 mile bike ride out to Ashtabula Harbor and back. We managed to squeeze in some pool time and a beer tasting over the weekend to after a successful week of training.

We also got in a trail run Tuesday night, which was a nice change of pace. The rest of the week my training went well including my 16 mile solo run on Wednesday night so I am happy with my training for the week and my speedwork at the 5K race. Next up this weekend is the Greater Cleveland Olympic Triathlon at Headlands Beach. We got in another 45 minute practice swim out there last night and rode some of the bike course this morning so I am looking forward to the race Sunday. Hopefully my legs will treat me well since I do have an awful lot of training to get in this week!

Sunrise 5 Miler Race Report

My plan to race shorter things as much as possible this summer as my speedwork leading up to the Erie Marathon is well underway. With the Johnnycake Jog two weekends back and the Painesville Sunrise 5 Miler this past weekend, I have been out of my comfort zone. This is good since I have focused on endurance all season. I am hoping these shorter, harder efforts combined with my long runs and solid base will net me those precious few minutes I need to line up in Boston next year!

The Sunrise race started in downtown Painesville at Veterans Park so this was a short, easy drive for us. We arrived around 7 to pick up our bibs and get in a quick warm up. It was already close to 80 degrees that early in the morning so I knew this would be a sufferfest! After a mile warm up Steve and I lined up. It was a smaller race but some fast runners from NERC were out there to make it competitive.

My first mile was about 7:15 so a little slower than my Johnnycake race but I knew this course was going to have some hills and with the heat and tired cycling legs I didn't expect to set a PR. I settled in to a good, challenging pace and kept moving forward. There were some good hills and the course was scenic. The last mile of the race winds you through a little park down in the valley so coming back to the finish you've got to climb out of the park and then up the street a good ways. With the heat and being late in the race this made me feel fatigued so I was very happy to see Steve screaming for me at the finish.

Greater Cleveland XC did the race timing so I was able to check my live results right away and see that I had placed 3rd female. My time was about 2-1/2 minutes slower than the Johnnycake at 38:13 versus the 35:56 but this was a more challenging course and it was hot and humid. Overall I am happy with the effort especially after doing a faster 50-mile bike ride the day before! Steve placed in his AG and 10th overall as there were some very fast guys out there running. He too was about 2 or so minutes slower than the Johnnycake.

Post race, happy with my 3rd place!

For coming in third I will get a small gift certificate in the mail for Second Sole Mentor, so that is good because I always need new stuff like socks. Next up is the Mayfield Wildcat 5K this weekend. This will be my first 5K since last October when I ran the Lakeland Clocktower run in 21:17. I would like to break 21 if I can but since this is speedwork moreso than racing I will be happy with anything between 21-22ish.

Johnnycake Jog Race Report for 2015

This was my second year running the Johnnycake Jog 5 Mile race in Mentor, Ohio. This one is right in my backyard and brings out a good amount of local talent. Last year I raced and ended up placing 3rd in my AG. This year I am happy to say that it went even better! It probably helps that I am running more, but I was also coming off of a marathon two weeks ago so I wasn't sure if the speed would be there yet.

Prerace w/ Steve

Since I signed up to run Erie in September I am planning to run a number of shorter local races like the Johnnycake as my speed work for the week. Before the race Steve and I got in a couple of warm up miles and then headed over to the start to line up. This is flat, fast course that starts on Mentor Avenue in front of the Lake County Fairgrounds. It's a fast start. My first mile was a 6:54. Then of course I slowed down some as my plan was to try to run about a 7:15 pace for the race. There is an incline as you near the top of Fairground Rd. This is probably the only incline on the course. I didn't labor as much here as I did last year but I was still happy to take the right onto 84 (Johnnycake Rd) and hit the first aid station for some water. From there it's a right turn on Mentor Avenue and then straight all the way down to the finish.

getting my award!

I ended up finishing in 35:54 (7:11 pace). Not a PR but a solid time for me right now so I was happy. It was good enough to win my age group this year as well so that was a big bonus. In addition to the award plaque I was given I also had my picture taken for the News Herald so that was fun!

My husband Steve ended up winning his age group again this year as well so that was great. We enjoyed talking with some of our running friends after the race and then treated ourselves to a smoothie at Pulp!

I am planning to run this one each year if I can because they do a nice job with the event all around including the course volunteers, food, awards and timing. Next up is the Sunrise 5 Miler in Painesville this weekend. That course will have some hills so it will be interesting to see where my time ends up but I am looking forward to pushing myself again. I really enjoy the 5 mile distance because it is a good test of fitness but there is no real recovery time needed so I can get right back to training!

Special thanks to Powerbar for fueling me through countless workouts and races including this one!

GWRT Race Report - Good Start to the 2015 Tri Season

Yesterday I raced the Great Western Reserve Olympic Tri put on by Champ Racing. I will admit that I was nervous going into this race. I am always a little worked up about the first OWS of the season and I was not really sure that I was tri-ready with so much focus on the run this season and not as much focus on the bike. I have been pretty good about my swimming and gotten in as many bike miles as I can around a very run-heavy schedule. I just had to give it my best and see where I am right now.

West Branch State Park was the venue for the race. I really liked this venue. The swim was in a calm and warm inland lake and for the most part the bike roads were good and the run course was a nice setup. In addition to the olympic race, there is a sprint, a half and a half aquabike option so that brought out some good people to race. It was nice to see so many friends and fellow Cleveland Tri Club members at the race. Many of which had a great day at the races!

Steve and I both raced the olympic and we are racing an olympic again this weekend at Challenge Williamsburg (formerly Revolution 3 Williamsburg). I love the course there and it's my first team race of the year so that's pretty exciting. Racing GWRT was a great way to test my fitness before Williamsburg.  I am pleased with how things turned out yesterday and looking forward to giving it another go Sunday!

Prerace: We arrived at West Branch around 6:30am to pick up our packets and setup our transition areas. The olympic was scheduled to go off around 8am. The start was delayed about 30 minutes due to the other waves starting later. This was actually not a bad thing for me because I had time to relax and chat with friends as well as get in a nice warm up swim. The water temperature was 71 and my sleeveless Blueseventy wetsuit was very comfortable.

Swim (1500 meters):

Start of one of the swim waves

The olympic men's wave went off and then olympic women were 5 minutes later. We were the last wave. This again was okay with me. I like a relaxing swim where I am not crowded with people. It was a double loop course and the second loop really felt like it went quick. I looked at my watch leaving the water and I was around 26 minutes and change. Once crossing over the timing mat I was at 27:31 (about a 1:50 pace), which is not bad for me in open water. I am working on my sighting as I have a tendency to get off course.

T1:
I felt wobbly in T1 but got the wetsuit off pretty fast, dried off a bit, put on my gear and got in a Powerbar energy blend gel before heading for the bike mount. My 1:52 was a little slow but I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

Bike (26 miles):
I liked the bike course. It was mainly flat with a couple sections of rollers. It was a straight forward course so not too technical. The best part I think was riding along the dam. It felt like flying through that section and I got to see Steve and some friends here. My goal for the bike was to average between 19-20mph. I knew that my bike fitness was not as good yet as it was during some of last year's races where I was close to averaging 21 for this distance. I felt pretty strong on the first 13 mile loop and through the first half of the second loop but started to labor toward the end of the ride and had some pesky low back pain as well. I haven't spent too much time in the aero bars yet this season so I am sure that I will build up my tolerance to this again. My new Lazer aero helmet worked great. It was light and comfortable and well ventilated. My bike time ended up at 1:20:16 (19.4 mph average) so for where I am right now this was decent. I will be switching my focus to the bike in early July after I recover from the Charlevoix Marathon.

T2: 
Again I felt a little slow here with a 1:23 but as the season goes on hopefully I will be quicker with my transitions. The one thing that annoyed me in T2 is that my GPS signal for my run watch did not come on right away so I just had to start the run without it.

Run (6.2 Miles): 
The run was pretty straight forward and flat. Leaving the park was hot but most of the olympic run was shaded, which was nice on a hot day like yesterday. It was an out and back, 2 loop 5K course with 2 aid stations on each loop. It was nice to see so many friends on the course and I got to see Steve a couple of times as well, which was a nice boost of motivation. I ended up running a negative split for the second loop, which allowed me to move up at least a handful of spots in the race. I ended up running a 46:08 10K (7:41 average).  I was glad to have my run working for me with all the miles I have been logging training for my marathon June 27.

Post race with my hubby

Finish & Post Race:
It was nice to have Steve cheering as I finished. I am happy with my time of 2:37:12. It was good enough to win my age group and place 6th female. In looking at the results the swim is really what killed me for this race along with not having my bike legs at 100% yet. I am okay with that. I will get stronger as I change my focus to multisport! Steve had a solid race too and placed 3rd in his AG. We stuck around to hang out with friends and eat. Champ does a great job with the post-race food especially the pizza! Mmm! Many of our friends set PRs and placed so it was a good day at the races!

Closing Thoughts:
I liked this race and will plan to do it again - possibly the half too. Champ did a nice job with the course, volunteers, food, and I loved the race shirt! Today is a recovery day and then I get back into a hard week of training followed by the Challenge Williamsburg olympic tri this Sunday!

Cool shirt & my AG medal

Surviving not Thriving at The Cleveland Marathon This Year

Marathon # 5 is in the books! This year the Cleveland weather threw a lot of craziness at us brave runners including pouring rain, serious humidity and some hot temps late into the race but overall the whole marathon weekend experience for me was awesome thanks to the support of my husband, friends, Challenge Family teammates and marathon ambassadors.

Friday Evening:

Cleve Marathon Ambassadors

This year I was lucky enough to be selected as one of the Official Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors. In addition to a free race entry and swag, I met the nicest group of people ever! I already had a couple of friends in the group but am happy to say that I made a bunch of new, amazing friends as well. I really can't say enough how much fun we had and the incredible amount of support that I received from this group! I look forward to following these folks as they go on to take on their next challenges. Friday our group was invited to the Marathon VIP Reception at the Hyatt Arcade. It was a first class event all around with excellent food, beverages and company! Special thanks to Jack Staph, owner of the Cleveland Marathon race for his generosity. A few of us ambassadors also attended the pre-race happy hour with Great Lakes Brewing at Flannery's Pub. I want to send a big shout out to Great Lakes for sponsoring the marathon this year. It was wonderful to have a local craft beer after my race!

Saturday:

Green screen fun at the Expo

Saturday my husband Steve and I had a relaxing morning including some practice golf at the Blackbrook Driving Range followed up with a short 25 minute shakeout run. It was a very humid, sweaty run so I had a feeling we would be battling some tough race conditions. After lunch we headed downtown to the Convention Center for the marathon expo. We met up with my friend Jillian there and after the expo headed over to Barrio for a prerace IPA and some amazing chips and guac! Steve and I made a conservative prerace dinner and had another prerace beer with a lot of water and turned in early to watch a funny movie before bed. I slept pretty well waking up once to use the bathroom and have a little Powerbar snack.

Race Day:

The alarm went off at 4:30 and we were up right away to get dressed, eat a hearty breakfast and head out by 5:20. We arrived at the Penton parking garage around 6am and by the time we got ready and met up with my friend Jillian and walked over to the start area it was 6:30. I was supposed to meet my ambassador group but Jillian and I both had to use the bathroom before the race so we headed off to search for the ladies room. We met back up with Steve and chatted with some friends a couple minutes before heading into our corrals for the start. I lined up with the 3:35 pace group with friends Jessica and my new friend Jen who came in from Charleston, SC for the race. As we were waiting for the start, it poured down rain for about 5 minutes before it died down. It was tough just standing there but the rain probably helped cool us down as it was a very humid morning!

We took off after a quick 10-sec countdown and the first few miles went by super fast as I chatted with friends and our pacer. Things went smooth with my nutrition and water from the start. I made sure to get water early on as I knew I would need it later in the run. I felt on track but really had to use the bathroom so I stopped at the porta-johns at mile 13. Unforunately I had to wait a bit and then after my stop for water the pace group was too far ahead of me to catch up. I decided to just try and pace myself around 3:35. My goal for the race was 3:35-3:38. My BQ time is 3:40 but it's usually necessary to have a cushion to get into the race.

I paced pretty well until before the turn around in Rocky River. I was super excited to see my husband pass and see that he was on pace for his BQ! The 3:40 group ended up passing me and I figured I could maybe get back on track so I pushed on. Somewhere around mile 18 or 19 it started pouring rain again. It was bitter sweet because it cooled me off but it was also soaking my clothes and feet. My shoes rubbed and I knew I was in trouble with blisters. I also started to labor a bit around mile 21 or 22 and the rain didn't make it easier. Then the sun came out full blast as we headed to the shoreway. I baked and baked some more and I got very nauseated and stopped to throw up. I wanted to quit but that wasn't an option. I wanted to PR but that was a long shot. So I ran and I puked and I walked. I was happy to see my friend Jillian on the course. With a hug and a sip of water from her as well as good news that Steve had a BQ race, I drudged on reluctantly. The last mile was bittersweet as I fought to try to at least run the same time as I had done last year for this race. My thoughts went to beer. I just want a beer and my husband! I was pretty elated to see the finish to say the least!

Post race with my hubby!

Unfortunately I was about a minute slower than last year with a 3:52:30. Not a time to celebrate but certainly an accomplishment for just surviving the day. Instead of celebrating right away I threw up several times. I ran into my friend Jen who had a rough day too and had actually pulled out of the race early (poor thing).

Finally after about 30-40 minutes of relaxing and icing my neck I was cooled off enough  to get a post finish picture with Steve and then walk over to the beer tent for my Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale. Beer after a race that hard is amazing!

We walked to the parking garage and got cleaned up and changed into dry clothes before heading to the Winking Lizard to meet up with some of our Cleveland Tri Club friends and my friend Jillian. I enjoyed another beer and a burger and some great conversation. After heading home I was just hungry all day basically and ready for bed at 8:30! Aside from a throbbing toenail and a little overall fatigue, I feel good. I will take it easy for 2-3 days then ease back into my training. I have a duathlon and a couple tris approaching but I may try one more marathon in late June to see if I can BQ before the serious Half & Full Iron training starts this summer. But for now it's rest and recover!

Steve and CTC friends Jim, Frode, Dan & Jason post race!

2015 Glass City Marathon Race Report

Yesterday I ran the Glass City Marathon in Toledo. This was my fourth full marathon and once again I am humbled by this distance. To push yourself as hard as you can for 26.2 miles is no easy feat - in fact it's one of the hardest things you can do in my opinion. It challenges you and it changes you. It is the ultimate test of physical fitness for runners and it is equally demanding mentally. It is easy to run well when you are feeling good. It's later in the race when you ache and feel sick to your stomach or extremely tired that you have to try like hell to keep it together! That is when the real race starts. When that little obnoxious voice in your head says "hey you, why don't you just walk a little?" Someday I will be strong enough to quiet that voice entirely...but for now I am working my hardest to ignore it as much as possible!

Prerace Smiles!

All in all I am happy with the whole experience in Toledo. We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express close to downtown in nearby Oregon. We met up with my friend Jillian (who also ran the full) the night before for dinner along with her husband and friend at Maumee Bay Brewing. The food, beer and atmosphere were outstanding.

Race morning I did a little warm up with my husband Steve then tried to stay warm in the convention center for as long as possible. I met up with Jillian at the start as we were both in the same Corral. There was a great crowd and a lot of excitement and it was nice to have Steve on the sidelines cheering! I was fortunate later in the race to have him pace me for some miles before the finish also.

Enjoying mile 3!

The course was flat, fast and scenic. The weather was ideal. The crowd support and volunteers were terrific. The post race food and beer were well above average. And I am happy with my performance. I pushed myself as hard as I could and came up a little short of my "A" goal, which was to BQ but I fought like hell on a tough second half to walk away with a personal best, which was my "B" goal. I am happy to walk away with a shiny new PR of 3:46:24, a five minute PR over my third marathon in Cleveland last spring. How can I whine or complain about forward momentum? I am truly fortunate and appreciative of my ability to love running and push myself to my own personal limits. At times I am smiling from ear to ear because I am excited and feel amazing and at other times I am fighting back tears of frustration and pain because that voice inside my head is telling me to back off the pace or to take a little break. I am getting better at telling that voice to let me be.

I love the marathon because it is you against yourself. I don't get caught up on where I land on the podium. Sure, I hope one day to place in my AG in a marathon, but for now I am excited to have cracked the top 25% of the women's field. It is a race that demands so much of you and a race where you must give everything you have to see results. I look forward to seeing how I will progress in this distance in the years to come.

post race celebrating with Jillian!

The race finish is pretty fast as there is some downhill heading to the stadium and then the actual finish is in the stadium so it's pretty cool. I managed to sprint some of the finish and I think it was just the excitement and energy of the moment. After the finish I quickly downed a water and then found Steve. I was excited to see how Jillian had done and she had PR'd as well as qualifying for Boston so she had a great race! We met up for a beer at the beer tent and I was happy that they had some craft beer at the finish so we celebrated with a Mission Pale Ale! I also ate some pizza, garlic bread and pasta as well as some cookies.

After changing into dry clothes, Steve and I made the short trek back to Mentor (about 2-1/2 hours) and stopped for snacks along the way. We went to dinner later at Winking Lizard to celebrate my new PR.

Since I'll be running the Cleveland Marathon in a few short weeks, I hope to celebrate again with another PR and maybe even that elusive BQ! For now I will be focused on recovery and cross training for tri season, which is just around the corner after Cleveland!

Special thanks to my husband Steve for the support all weekend and especially on race day! I also want to thank my family, friends and teammates for the encouragement and cheers leading up to the race. Finally thank you to my coach Chris and sponsors Challenge Family and Powerbar for everything they do to keep me going!

Prerace at the expo with my sweet husband Steve!