Jordan on the Run

I have a real knack for posting things a month later.  

A Run for Boston was organized by the local Fleet Feet store on April 22nd. Over 700 runners attended to show their support (pretty amazing).  There was a 1, 2, 3, and 5 mile option.

It was a beautiful evening for a run, one to reflect on the power of the running community.

I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.

Wow.  I can’t believe it’s taken me a month to post my recap.  Honestly, there was nothing spectacular about this race.  My heart just wasn’t in it.  I had been training since the beginning of September for the marathon and two half marathons.  I was ready for a break and that’s all I could think about during this run.

Stats:

Yup.  Pretty much ALL over the place.  I was taking care of business as the race was starting (poor planning on my part) so I missed finding the two hour pace group.  I spent the first mile weaving in and out of people (stupid), and the next few miles trying to catch up to a group I never even saw (again, stupid).  I was actually feeling pretty good until I reached the hill at mile 7ish.  It was brutal and definitely killed my mojo.  I can’t even imagine what I looked like trucking up the hill, I bet it was definitely not pretty.  

Holy hills:

If you look at my Garmin stats without looking at the elevation chart, you can for sure tell where the hills were.  

Moral of this race:  

• Include hill work in training
• Learn how to keep a consistent pace

Stadium finish:

Shuffling up the last hill before entering Neyland Stadium.

Happy to be finished.

Other fun to stuff to analyze:

Half marathon #6 in the books.  

Spoiler:

Boomshakalaka.  Hello sub-2, so nice to finally meet you.

Let’s back this party up from the beginning.

Headed to the Virginia Beach Convention Center to pick up my bib on Saturday afternoon.  While we were walking around, I stopped at “The Stick” booth and tried it out - hook, line, and sinker.  Come home to mama.  

I stopped to chat with the 2-hour pacer to see if a pace group would be something I wanted to try.  He had a ton of energy and was already very motivating - so I figured why not.  

Saturday night, I laid out my outfit + gear to make for a seamless early morning.  My pre-race dinner is pizza 99% of the time so that’s what I went with - and it was tasty.  After watching the MMA fights, this girl headed to bed with sub-2 dreams in her head.  

It’s race morning!  Took care of business and geared up.  Obligatory pre-race selfie:

Rockin’ the green CEP compression socks for St. Patrick’s Day.  That’s about as festive as I was going to get.

I left my Dad’s house around 6:40 and was in my corral by 6:50.  Unfortunately, the race was delayed by a few minutes and while that may seem like no big deal, it sucks when it’s cold and windy.  I just wanted to get moving to warm my body up!

I found the 2-hour pacers with no problem - they were all decked out and ready to go.  My strategy was to stick with them until I either couldn’t keep up or when I felt strong enough to pull ahead.  

I stayed with the group until we passed the 10 mile marker and bid adieu.  They served their purpose for me and I can’t thank the group enough but it was time for me kick it in high gear.  I was having such an awesome race that I knew I could finish stronger.  And if you look at miles 10 - 13, that’s exactly what I did.  Negative splits, what what?!

Honestly, the miles flew by and before I knew it, I was on the boardwalk running towards the finish.  The Shamrock race weekend gets two thumbs up from me - I will definitely be back!  Dolphin challenge next year?  We shall see! :)  

On another note, if you are thinking about using a pace group but haven’t used one yet, go ahead and give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised by the experience and hope future ones are just as positive.

I can’t wait for new goals and challenges - after this weekend I know that I’m capable of much more.

One last thing - I’m pretty sure I “shamrocked it!”

Can we say MIA much?  Life has been absolutely crazy so my rundowns have disappeared over the last couple of weeks.  Here’s a quick recap of what I’ve been up to:

Week 8:

Week 9:

Yup.  Not my strongest two weeks but that’s par for the course as I learn to navigate through my “new normal.” 

Today, I leave for Virginia Beach and the Shamrock Half Marathon.  Oddly enough I feel adequately prepared.  Will I go sub-2?  That’s still up for debate.  My speed work has been lacking over the last few weeks but I know I have it in me.  

Time to pack and hit the road.  See you from the beach :)