My plans for the 2015 Running & Triathlon Season

I am excited about the 2015 racing season and being part of the new Challenge Family Triathlon Team (formerly Rev3 Triathlon), Powerbar Team Elite as well as being an Official Ambassador of the Cleveland Marathon!

I plan to continue to focus on endurance running and triathlon with some shorter stuff thrown in as tune ups and for fun.

My main goals for 2015 are as follows:

• Complete my first 50K running race at the Green Jewel in March
• Try again for the elusive BQ (Boston Qualifying time) and at minimum PR the marathon
• Set a new PR in the 70.3 triathlon distance
• Complete my second 140.6 and set a new PR

You can check out my tentative race calendar below. The races that are bolded are key races for the season that much of my training will be focused on.

• Jan 31  - Run for Regis Trail 1/2 Marathon - Peninsula, OH
• Feb 7 - Holloway XC Half Marathon - Lakeland, FL
• Mar 7 - Green Jewel 50K - Rocky River, OH
• Mar 14 - St Malachi 5 Miler - Cleveland, OH
• Mar 29 - Fools 25K - Peninsula, OH
• April 12 - 10 Mile Drop - Concord Township, OH
• April 26 - Toledo Marathon - Toledo, OH
• May 9 - Nordonia Duathlon - Nordonia, OH
• May 17 - Cleveland Marathon - Cleveland, OH
• May 25 - Blossomtime Run - Chagrin Falls, OH
• May 31 - Twinsburg Duathlon - Twinsburg, OH
• June 14 - Challenge Williamsburg 70.3 Triathlon - Williamsburg, VA
• June 28 - Milton Man Olympic Triathlon - Lake Milton, OH
• July 4 - Bay Days 5 Miler - Bay Village, OH
• July 12 - Johnnycake Jog 5 Miler - Mentor, OH
• Aug 2 - Greater Cleveland Triathlon Olympic - Mentor, OH
• Aug 15 - Challenge Poconos Olympic or 70.3 Triathlon - Poconos, PA
• Sept 13 - Challenge Cedar Point 70.3 Triathlon - Sandusky, OH
• Oct 4 - Lakeland Clocktower 5K - Kirtland, OH
• Oct 17 Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 - Wilmington, NC
• TBD

So far the training for Regis and Green Jewel are going well thanks to a strong base from 2014 and a little guidance from my coach Chris Martino of New Level Coaching. I look forward to giving it my best this year! 

Blood, Sweat & Beers Relay to End the Season

It's official...the last race of 2014 is in the books! I had debated racing the last Ohio Outside trail race again as well as the Run Santa Run 5K in Mentor but decided to have some fun with things and make my last race of the season a relay! Northeast Running Club (NERC) hosts an interclub relay race at the end of the season and I've always wanted to run it so this year I got a team together for the co-ed division consisting of my speedy husband Steve and my speedy friend Jillian.

The race, which is free to run simply requires you to sign up and show up that day ready to run with your team and maybe to help make some chili for the chili cookoff. The race takes place at the West woods park in Russell Township/Newbury. It's a gorgeous park with some challenging and fun terrain.

Me, Steve and Jillian prerace

Steve and I got in a little mile warm up on what I thought was the start of the course, which was a good little climb up a hill. Fortunately the start wasn't uphill! We met up with Jillian for a quick team pic as the hubby had designed some fun shirts for us to run in.

The relay consists of an 8-mile leg, 5 mile leg and 3 mile leg for a team total of 16 miles. The starts are staggered with 3 minutes between each group so the 8-milers go first, followed by the 5 milers followed by the 3s. Steve volunteered to do the 8 mile leg, which I hear is pretty brutal! I did the 5 mile leg and Jillian did the 3 mile leg.

My race didn't go as well as I hoped but it went okay. I woke up battling GI issues and just loaded up on the pepto and tums and made the best of it. According to my Garmin I did 5.11 miles in 42:15 so about an average pace of 8:17. That's not bad for the trails but I was shooting to come in around 8 minutes flat.

Fortunately Steve and Jillian both did better! Steve came in just over 56 minutes in 2nd place for the 8 miler (fortunately for us some of the speedy men got lost!). And Jillian did around a 21:50 for the 3 miles.

post race team pic w/ our award!

Our team goal was to break 2 hours and we sure came close at 2:00:07! This was good for 2nd place in the co-ed and we won a custom award made out of wood. After the race we enjoyed some hot cocoa and chili and hung out among friends.

It was a nice way to end the season and I will definitely plan to do this again either as a co-ed relay or female relay! Thanks to NERC, especially Guy Gadomski and all the volunteers including my good friends Melanie Lynn and Christopher Miller!

Not a Tough Mudder...but a Tough, Muddy Race at the Fools 25K/50K Trail Race

When people hear that I'm an endurance athlete they usually ask me certain questions like have you ever done Ironman Hawaii. To which I must sadly reply "no" or "not yet". A lot of people also ask if I've done a Tough Mudder race. In all actuality I have not done a Tough Mudder or any of the related mud races. With so many options out there for racing I just don't have the ability to do everything I see or hear about. Ironically the Fools 25K race, which was my longest trail race to date was in some ways a Tough Mudder because it was tough and muddy for much of the race!

Prerace:

Prerace shot with the hubby!

Word had it that the trails in Peninsula were gonna be muddy. But then it snowed Saturday and I don't just mean a little bit! We got at least 4-6 inches throughout the Northeast. That would make for an interesting variety of conditions on the trails of the valley! The 25K'ers were to start at 9am - an hour after the 50K runners. Steve and I got up and ate a high-carb breakfast and headed out around 7 to arrive a little before 8. We were able to catch the start of the 50K race as we picked up our bibs and goodies. It was a chilly morning at 29 degrees and the field where we would start was covered in a blanket of fresh white snow. We got in a little warm up, used the bathroom and lined up for the 9am start.

The Start & First Couple:

The start was a slippery and snowy wet mess in the fields heading toward the trails of Pine Hollow. The terrain quickly shifted into a mixture of snow and mud. Lots and lots of mud. I tried to keep my feet dry as long as I could but it was a useless battle. By mile 2 my feet were soaked and would remain that way for pretty much the entire race.

The next 6 or so Miles:

Running through the ledges!

The trails were muddy but the scenery was beautiful - especially running through the ledges of Virginia Kendall. They were snow covered and slippery but breathetaking and actually they were my favorite part of the run. At least the first time we ran through them. You can see on the picture here that I was smiling and enjoying this portion of the race. A truly magical part of the trail!

The Back Half:

This was my longest trail race and trail run ever with my longest trail run before this being 13. I definitely struggled with the last 3-4 miles that went through Salt Run, which is a hard section of the race with lots of hills! I just tried to pace myself and walk some of the hills. I wasn't expecting to hit the podium at this race - just wanted to push myself and enjoy the experience and use it as a great training run for Cleveland.

The Finish:

Coming out of the woods and up the hill to the finish line at Pine Hollow, I was elated. Elated to be done but also elated for pushing myself through a tough day and a tough race! My first 25K trail race wasn't pretty but it was done! I finished slower than I expected at 3:02 but with the walking the last few miles it just slowed down my average pace. I was 8th female and 2nd in the 35-39AG so I still did okay all things considered.

Steve had a great race and finished in 2:23 and won second place overall so it was great to see him do so well!

Final Thoughts:

I definitely love trail running and much prefer it to grinding it out on the roads. I think it makes you a tougher runner for sure and you can learn to appreciate the raw beauty of nature no matter what the conditions are. Western Reserve Racing does an excellent job with their events and I highly recommend their races!

Next up is the Lake Health 20 Mile Drop, which is a road race that has an elevation loss of almost 800 feet. Looking forward to seeing how I do going downhill versus so much uphill!

That's a Wrap, Last Race of 2013...Good Thing We Brought the Yaktrax!

It's official - no more races until February of 2014! Last Saturday I wrapped up the last race of the season, which was a 5 mile trail race in Munroe Falls, Ohio. It was very cold morning on the Indian Springs Trail complete with snow and ice, which made for a tough race!

Shot of the field where the race started, brrr!

Steve and I had both planned on ending the season with a trail race so Ohio Outside's last race of the year seemed like a good one. We got up early & drove the hour or so to Munroe Falls, picked up our packets and did our usual prerace warmup. Good thing we brought the yaktraks! On our warmup mile it was icy, snowy and slippery and the yaktrax really were needed for safety and speed.

Feeling good on the 1st trail loop

The race start was at 8:30am and we were anxious to get going and get warmed up! The course is actually a little less than 5 miles and consists of little jaunt through a field and then a 2-loop (2.2 course on the trails). My first mile was 7:48 - just about where I wanted to be. Miles 2, 3 & 4 all came in around 8:20-8:30 pace so my pace had slowed (probably due to the cold, slippery conditions and running in cleats) and my final .7 mile wrapped up faster around a 7:30 pace for a final time of around 39 minutes - good for 3rd overall female. I had been in 1st for the whole first loop but was passed when I stopped to tie my shoe. Later I was passed again and then a third woman had passed me but I was able to regain my ground there.

It was a tough day physically and mentally for me. My body just didn't want to race in the cold and I felt like I started to come apart a little around mile 3-4 but I hung in there and ended the season in a good place. Steve had a tough day as well and twisted his ankle at the beginning of the 2nd loop. Despite the pain he was able to stick it out for 2nd in the 45-49AG.

Enjoying a post race beer with lunch in the race glasses!

After the race hot coffee and apple cider were provided along with cookies and hot soup as the athletes hung around for the awards. Ohio Outside gave us the option to choose an award or choose to donate to the Akron/Canton Foodbank so both Steve and I chose the latter. We got cool beer glasses as our race souvenir! Now what can be better than that...besides the beer we had after the race!

Thanks to Ohio Outside for a great race! If you haven't done one of their races I highly recommend giving it a go next season!

Cheers!

2013 Race Schedule...Finally

It's the beginning of March and I think I've finally nailed down my race schedule for the 2013 season. It was difficult this year for a few reasons. First, starting a new job limits the amount of travel I can do. Not that I'm complaining because I love my new job! Second, I signed up for the Cleveland Full marathon again and this kindof makes triathlon training extra hard since I need to log more run miles than anything else.

Why did I sign up to run a full marathon at the beginning of tri season you ask? I really want to do the full in support of my dear friend Jill who will be making her second attempt as a first time marathoner. Last year she was sidelined with a stress fracture and I was injured too with the whole stress reaction thing (not fun).

Second I am also very excited to be running the marathon as part of Girls With Soles' Team Lula. I am a fundraiser for Girls With Sole because I believe what Liz and the team do is amazing! Please be sure to check them out. And if you can spare a buck or two please help by clicking on the link below: http://www.imathlete.com/donate/PamelaMcGowan?z=1360700962967

Finally it's always difficult creating a race schedule until I see how my spring is shaping up. I have a tendency to be injured at this time of the year. I have taken a lot of steps to ensure that does not happen this season so I am cautiously optimistic that things will turn out as I am planning.

What's different about the schedule this year is that I am throwing some trail running into the mix. I really enjoy it - in fact I started the season off with a trail race, which was a blast! So as of now here is the schedule I hope to follow should the running and triathlon gods bestow their grace on me this season:

• February 10 - Dirty Love 10K - Willoughby Hills, OH 
• March 16 - St Malachi 5 miler - Cleveland, OH 
• April 20 - On My Own Two Feet 1/2 Marathon - Kent, OH
• May 5 - Rev3 Knoxville Olympic Tri - Knoxville, TN
• May 19 - Cleveland Marathon - Cleveland, OH
• June 23 - Rev3 Williamsburg Oly Tri - Willamsburg, VA
• July 7 - Milton Man Olympic Tri - Lake Milton, OH
• July 20 - Dog Days Century Ride -
• July 28 - Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Sprint Tri - Fairport Harbor, OH
• August 11 - The Perfect 10 Miler - Lyndhurt, OH
• September 8 - Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 Tri - Sandusky, OH
• September 28 - Akron Marathon Relay - Akron, OH
• September 29 - Girls With Sole Believe & Achieve Trail 5 or 10K - Kirtland, OH
• October 13 -  Lake Health Full Marathon - Fairport Harbor, OH
• November 2 - For the Shirt Ultra (6 or 12 hr run TBD) - Warren, OH
• November 24 - Fall Classic Half Marathon - Strongsville, OH - maybe
• November 28 - Painesville Turkey Trot 5K, Painesville, OH
• December 15 - Santa Shuffle Half Marathon - Sandusky, OH - maybe

So there it is folks. As you can see I will be a busy girl this year! No 140.6 planned at the moment but a good amount of triathlons in there and some trail running too! Of course I am most excited about my Team Rev3 races! I'm hoping my legs hold up well in the fall and if they do I will run a fall marathon with the intent to run my first ultra marathon in December. No 100 miler or anything crazy like that but at least a 50K. Sounds like fun doesn't it?! Here we go 2013!!

Turkey Trots, Jingle Bells and New Years Resolutions

It’s been a while since I last updated the blog. I know…I’m a slacker. Some people may wonder if I fell off the face of the earth. Nope, I’ve been doing stuff – just not blogging about it. After this post you’ll be up to speed and I’ll vow to write more frequently!

After the Rev3 Cedar Point Half in September, I started to enjoy the off season. And by “off” I mean working out because I love it not because I am competing. That entailed some biking, trail running, yoga and even a couple races for fun. It also includes some formalized swim training with local triathlon pro A.J. Baucco.

Post race at Believe & Achieve Race

The week after Rev3 Cedar Point in September we ran the Girl's With Sole Believe & Achieve Trail 5K. Steve won first overall and I placed 2nd overall female. We had a blast and it is beautiful running at Penitentiary Glenn!

Post race at Twinsburg Turkey Trot

In November Steve and I ran the Twinsburg Turkey Trot 5-miler, which is a pretty challenging race mixed with roads and trail. We both did decent. Steve won 2^nd in his age group and I was third in my age group. Not long after we followed that up with a Thanksgiving Day race at the Painesville Turkey Trot 5K. It was a chilly but clear day and a fast course. Again we both did well. Steve placed 3^rd in his age group and I just missed placing 4^th out of 80. 

In December I started doing yoga consistently again and have been loving that as well as winter trail running. I can be spotted at Girdled Rd Reservation almost any weekend now. On New Years Eve I took a very good yoga class at Harmony Yoga in Concord and on New Years Day Steve and I did a trail run at Girdled to welcome the New Year!

Some of my New Years resolutions are to stick with yoga every week, run more trails, continue to work on my swim and most of all remember to have fun and appreciate the gift of being healthy and active.