I was so excited that I ran two miles when I got home. I was tired. I was exhausted. There was snow on the ground. I barely cracked 8:00 pace. I didn't care. I was back.
I ran 2,3, and 4 mile runs for two weeks. Then I ran six miles. It was hard. I was breathing hard, but it did not feel like how I felt last fall. I felt out of shape (which I was) but not like I could not breathe. I pushed forward. After weeks of 15 and 25 miles, I hit 40 in week 3 with a 10 mile run @ 7:00 pace. There were no signs to slow down so I bumped up to 50 miles the next week. I brought back light workouts. By the end of February, I had built my mileage up to 60, with a long run of 15, and got through a 5 x 1600 workout @ 5:45 pace. I had been signed up for the NYC Half Marathon in mid-March so flew out to see family/friends and do the race. I was scared, but I told myself not to be. I loved running and was able to do what I loved again.
3/17 NYC Half Marathon: I thought I could run anything from 1:21-1:24. I purposefully started slow. I hit mile 1 in maybe a few seconds under 6:20. I felt good. I checked my watch at mile two and was sub-6:10. By mile 4, I had just dipped below 6:00. Surely there was a mistake. Surely I could not be hitting these splits. My best "tempo" had been 3 miles at the end of a long run around 6:00 pace. Now I was doing that early in a half marathon. Mile 5 climbed up and over the Manhattan Bridge. This is where things fall apart. I split just under 6:30, which was pretty good considering the incline. I took a deep breath at the top, looked at the city in front of me, and smiled. I felt good. I was having fun. I made a decision to see what I was capable of on the day. I put my head down and split a mile in the 5:30s/40s down the bridge. By mile 8, I was doing math and thought I could dip under 1:20:00. By 10 miles, I was thinking 1:19:00 might be in play. After some hills at the end of the race, I crossed the finish line in 1:19:06 (6:02/mile). 5k splits: 19:14, 18:58, 18:28 (1st 10k in 38:12 = 6:08 pace), 18:36 (37:04 from 10k to 20k = 5:57 pace), 3:50- 5:38 pace to the finish. I was emotional. I was shocked. This race cemented to me that I could get back to my old self. It would take some time but I was not done yet.
3/24 Shamrock Shuffle 8k: I was in the "elite" field based on my past times. I figured with a half marathon in my legs, running 5:45-5:50 pace for 5 miles sounded about right. Shamrock is a huge Chicago race. The gun went off and I tried to run slow and let people get out in front of me. I still was a touch under 5:40 at mile 1. Too fast. Mile 2 was a little faster. I hit 5k in 17:20ish. I hit 4 miles in 22:20ish = 5:35/mile. I closed the last .97 miles @ 5:24 pace with a fantastic last 400m. I ran 27:35. This was a PR. I could have run faster than this in the past but have not run many 8k's. I have yet to put a good 10k together so I never hit anything faster en route. After the race, I scrapped my idea about running the 25k Champs in May and opted for a half marathon in Indianapolis instead. I did not think I would be able to get into half marathon pr shape by May but this race made me think twice about that. I signed up for the 500 Festival Half, with the thought that I could run faster than 1:16:40.
4/7 Good Life Race 5k: 16:44 -- 5:13, 5:26-5:35-:30 (5:23 pace). I went to a Bulls game the night before, ate junk, drank beer, stayed out too late. Temps were a little warm after getting through my first Chicago winter. I got out a little too hot but was in a solid pack of runners. I hung with four others through 2 miles but then fell off. I was having, erm, digestive issues by that point and was just trying to get to the finish without, erm, you get the point. I ended up out kicking one other runner from that group. We were spread out from 16:30-16:45. I would have liked to have been closer to 16:30 but know with better (or different- balance is important, I had a good time at the game) choices that I could have been there. I hadn't really done a lot of speed work so this result was the third surprising race result in a row. I've run 16:36 on the track so this is my road PR. I threatened my track PR and I know, with more training & with specific training, that I can go a lot faster.
4/13 Lakefront 10 Miler: 57:57 (5:47 pace). I got 57:50ish on my watch, not sure what happened there. I did a big workout mid-week (8x800m in 2:43 + 4 x 400m in 76) so just wanted to show up and run hard for 10 miles. The weather was okay -- it was in the 40s which is good for me but there were 15mph gusts. Miles 2-5 and then parts of 9 & 10 were into the wind. I ran in a big pack of maybe a dozen runners for a good portion of the race. I thought breaking 57:00 might be in the cards but with no taper and the weather I knew that wasn't going to happen at the turnaround. There was someone pacing our little group who announced they would be adding in a couple of faster miles and took off just before 8 miles. I found myself in the lead and decided to test my fitness. Our predicted finish time was a shade over 58:00. I knew if I put in a couple of good miles I could come in under that. I went to the front of the group and split a 5:39 mile to pull away. I was in 8th overall and starting to close the gap on 7th who had always been well in front of our group. By 9.25, however, I had been caught by three people. I really hit a wall for a quarter mile when I turned back into the wind by myself. I had gone too early. 9.25-9.75 you navigate a grass hill and then head towards a 1 lap of the track finish. We climbed the hill as a group of 4. I managed to pass back 2 out of the 3. I had a strong finish on the track but my legs felt like bricks, and had felt that way since the earlier miles. My legs weren't fresh. I didn't taper. I'm all in on a May 4th Half so I knew that going in. I finished 9th overall, with one runner 3 seconds up on me and another 7. 6th place was 56-low. On a better day, 57-low or 56-high would have been about right. 7th would have been the ceiling but I was nonetheless optimistic. 57:57 comes out to just under 1:16 half marathon pace. On tired legs! With a couple of good, intentional weeks, I thought I could add some more fitness and maybe put sub-1:15 in play.4/17- 3 miles @ 5:35, 3:00 jog, 6 x 2:00 @ 5:12 pace, 2:00 easy, 3 miles @ 5:42 pace
4/20- 1600m in 5:16, 8 x 300m (55 >>> 52), 200m in 33
4/21- 18 miles @ 6:45 pace
4/24- 3 x (3200m, 400m) w./ 400 jogs: 11:15 (5:38, 5:37), 75, 11:15 (5:40, 5:35), 76, 11:12 (5:40, 5:32), 72
I really hit the two big workouts on 4/17 and 4/24. 1:15:00 for a half marathon is 11:22 for 3200m or 5:43 per mile. I did my quality all under those times in those workouts. I have now started an actual taper and hope to come out on the other side feeling fresh. As they say, the hay is in the barn. I've made my fitness deposits and can only hope that my body responds and that we get good weather. I'll be in Indy on Saturday and will be trying to update my half marathon PR that I set in 2017 six months after having a blood clot. The doctor that I'm working with now thinks I might have had a repeat clot last fall. This race will come six months after my most recent hospital state. Coincidence? I think not but I would really like to stop this cycle of going to the hospital at all!! All I can say is that I have been so grateful to just be able to train the last few months. I have smiled more often in everyday life. I enjoyed the ride for sure. Now I want to see it pay off. I believe that I can crack 1:15:00 or come very close. A good day is seeing 1:14 on the clock or 1:15-mid. A day I'll still feel good about is seeing a PR even if it is by a couple of seconds. I am still a little nervous about racing with so many unknowns surrounding my medical history. All I can tell myself is that I feel good and that I am prepared. Fear is something that can be turned into energy, into opportunity. I'm going to use that to tackle this half marathon and hopefully see a result indicative of what I have been working towards for years.
#StopTheClot
