Tromptown Half Marathon Review

A night 13.1 mile run with a few of your close friends? Why not?

I signed up for the Tromptown Race a few weeks ago as it was a relatively cheap half marathon. For $15.00 you get to run 13.1 on the most scenic roads, with water stops. Why wouldn't you?

"Tromptown is a loop course beginning and finishing in a small country village. A scenic run, taking in rural sights and smells. As you approach the halfway point you are running along side of the DeRuyter Lake (Tioughnioga Reservoir). You cross the dam at the end of the lake at about 7 miles and start your journey back towards the village and the fairgrounds. The course is undulating with the elevation at the dam the same as at the village four corners and the fairground, about 1280 feet. The course starts just before the cemetery, heads north toward the school and by the fairgrounds and through the village four corners. It then turns westerly and eventually northerly through the shelter of one of the hills for about 4 miles. This will be a welcome relief if it is a warm and humid evening. The return begins as you turn off the dam and progress along the East Lake Road. You will leave the lake at about the 10 mile point and return to the village on Middle Lake Road. The finish, friends and family await you at the Firemen's Fair."

I met my Friend MR at her house to take the hour long drive to the venue. We had a lot of catching up since we haven't seen each other that much since D was born.

We ended up chatting so much we missed our exit off the highway!

We arrive within 20 minutes of the starting time. Enough to grab our bib and take a quick pit stop.

I met up with some of my running group friends for an evening of fun.

Going into the race I had told myself this will be a training run. Just for fun. No pressure. Well, that shit went out the window as soon as I lined up to the start. I was situated in the back of the crowd. When we all started running a fire lit inside me and I wanted to see how long I could hold a good pace for.

The weather was Ideal Conditions. Nice 70s with a breeze. Perfect. It did help the race started at 5:45pm as well.

The first few miles ticked by at a 8 min pace. I thought, wow I could keep this pace. Feels like a good effort, but not that I am pushing into the red zone.

I managed to meet up with some of my faster running friends around mile 5. Which I was totally stoked about

I kept trailing along, keeping them in my site as long as I could. I managed until about mile 7.

After that, My legs started to feel dead, My left hip was hurting for some odd strange reason and my leg turnover sucked!

I tried to focus on nutrition and just keep pushing through

Mile 9-11 Was when 4-5 people passed me, which I was not happy About.

I sucked it up and tried to reel in the guy ahead of me, then the girl, then the other girl. Even with a Left foot that was curling/cramping up in my shoe!

I ran past the last girl into the finish shoot, glad to be done with this race. I was a salty mess even though I had 1 gel at the beginning of the race, 2 gels in the race and my hydration. My stomach felt very sloshy the last 4 miles and I knew I couldn't take any more hydration in.

Time: 1:53:01
5/12 in AG 30-34
25/95 Females
92/200 Participants
2 MINUTE HALF MARATHON PR!!!!!

I was told the Medals would go 5 deep in AG. I was happy that I would finally get a medal in a all out running race! Come to find out it was based on a percentage of how many people were in the age group so they only went 3 deep in mine. WTF?!! I was a little upset, but can't with the price I paid for the entry. I sucked it up.

On the drive home, I started to feel HORRIBLE. I had MR pull into the McDonalds so that I could vomit and all that good stuff. Same thing happened when I went home. I think the Gels didn't sit right, night race, not well rested had a lot to do with this!!
http://bobbrockimages.photoshelter.com/image/I0000k5oplifd5KQ

Onto the next race, Tour De Loop!!! So Excited!!!!!

Swimming thoughts

Yesterday I had a 2K swim. I looked at my planned workout with confusion. What the heck is a 2K swim? Endurance swim? How fast do I need to go? How many miles is that?

Then it dawned on me...oh...a 2000 Yard Swim!! Genius I am these days!

I Thought this will be easy. Nice long strokes, think about pulling that hand back through the full stroke.

Got it.

Heres how the swim went:

0-200yds:  Wow I feel like I'm Flying! I'm going to rock this Swim

200-400yds.: Pull, pull, pull

400-600 yds: Is the lifeguard judging my stroke?? Aw, who cares anyways.

600-800 yds: Gosh I feel dead.. Just keep swimming..

800-1000yds: I wonder if I can grab the line at Lake Placid and never have to sight!

1000-1200 yds: Ok Start kicking or you are going to sink!!! Ok, Why do My legs feel like weights?!

1200-1400yds: Let me look at my Garmin. I must be almost done...What?? Ok, keep swimming

1400-1600 yds: I am swimming pretty smooth. no one else in the pool, the Lifeguard is staring at me! Why is he getting off his chair? I am not drowning!! Do I look like I am?!!

1600-1800 yds: " Honestly, I wanna see you be brave!!" (Songs starting to drift into mind)

1800-2000yds: I wonder if work is going to be busy today. Maybe not, its going to be a beautiful day. Who really wants to go to the doctors on a Saturday anyways??

2050yds: Oh!! I'm Done!!! Wooo hooo!! I can totally Survive Lake Placid!! ;-)

Hot and Humid with a touch of weirdness.

Today was supposed to be a long run from my house, meet my friend at the parkway, run home.

Well, lets just say someone forgot to set their alarm right.

I woke up to 2 text messages from my friend, KM. "You did say 6 right?" OMFG!! Yes I did!

Well lets just throw that plan out the window and come up with Plan B!

I met her at the parkway about 20 min after I rummaged through the house trying to find what I needed. And why didn't I get it out the night before?! We won't even go there

There is something you need to know about my friend. She is like 80 Feet tall 5'11 and can talk while running a 7:30 min mile like nobody's business. I have tried to slow her down multiple times in our runs together but it never happens! Ha ha!

So out we went for at least an hour together. Chat chat chat, feel like shit, hot and muggy, chat some more, chug on water, gel, Feel like shit, hot and muggy. Get the picture on how the run went?

Needless to say we managed 7.2 miles in that hour time. In 94% Humidity! Ouch!

I came home to my honey. He told me to go out and do more of what I could before he left me had to go to work and leave out of town for the next 2 days. Gosh I am such a lucky woman!!!!

So off I went for another 4 miles. And crappy I felt. I started out fine, but 2 miles in I swear I had this out of body experience and felt like I was there running but couldn't feel my legs or arms doing the work. Does that sound crazy?! I looked at my pacing. Still was 8 min/mi so I wasn't backing off. I kept looking forward and just concentrating on the feeling of foot fall. I was worried and wondering why I felt so light as air! Is this the runners high everyone talks about? Have I really not experienced it before and this is what it feels like?! I kept pushing on. Stopped and walked a minute and kept on thinking, I don't feel bad, pacing is ok, but what the hell?!

I decided to keep trucking on focusing on form. Then like a light switch, I could feel everything again.

Weird.

Maybe it was hydration, maybe I was low on glucose. No idea!

Anyone have any thoughts on this?!

I managed a little over 11 miles in 1:32!!!

On to run the treadmill when little DD goes to bed for a quick nap for another 3. The marathon is going to be terrible if I don't start getting more mileage in!!

Happy Training!!!!