National Half Marathon

I was geared up for the National half marathon on Saturday, March 20. I ran it two years ago and loved it--it ran right by our house. It's a wonderful race because it's all through DC, and through a lot of fun neighborhoods. It incorporates a lot of our regular running routes.

On Friday, I picked up my race number and Mark and I perused the expo. I was still feeling a little under the weather but figured it was allergies....it was almost 80 degrees and the flowers were starting to come up.

The morning of the run I did not feel good about the race. I was just exhausted and didn't feel tip top. I got ready though and Mark was kind enough to drop me off close to RFK stadium. At 7:00 a.m. the start gun went off. It's grown quite a bit in the few years that race has taken place--12,000 people were there at the start line with me. It took me almost 10 minutes to get to the start line.

I was having fun running but I didn't feel so fluid. I just felt like I was plugging along. My splits were 9:00/mile--not bad, but it felt like too much effort for the crisp morning.



I saw Mark at mile 4.5---it was great to see him on his bike. I always love seeing him along the course!



Mark popped up again at miles 6 and then 8...

Mile 9 was right by our house...it was at that point that I decided to call it quits. I wonder if I would have if the race didn't go by our house. But it did and I stopped.



I don't like stopping during races--in fact I haven't in more than ten years. But the fact of the matter is that I didn't feel good. The previous two weekends races felt like they had caught up with me. I don't think it was a good idea to keep running and I'm glad I stopped for that reason.

St. Patrick's Day 8K

My second race of the month was the St. Patrick's Day 8K on Sunday, March 14, 2010. Mark and I ran it together and I'm so glad we did.

The packet pick up was all the way out in Falls Church and I wasn't so keen on going out there. But it turned out to be great. The running store was fantastic (once we found a parking spot)...and anything green was 20% off. Mark and I stocked up.

The race started at 9 am at Freedom's Plaza. It was a perfect running morning---cloudy and 50 degrees.

The race was a good course---and a different one than we're used to running.

Along the way we also saw our friend Sue!!! :) We saw her twice as the course double backed on itself. Go Sue! :)

We finished in just under 45 minutes--and together! :)

Race #4 completed!

Results:

Bib

FName

LName

City

State

Div

Age

Sex

ChipTime

ClockTime

Overall

SexPl

DivPl

AgeGrade

Pace

726

AMY

TRENKLE

WASHINGTON

DC

F3034

34

F

44:57

46:41

1563

543

111

53.9%

Bib

FName

LName

City

State

Div

Age

Sex

ChipTime

ClockTime

Overall

SexPl

DivPl

AgeGrade

Pace

5515

MARK

HANNUM

WASHINGTON

DC

M3034

34

M

44:57

46:41

1562

1019

202

47.9%

B&A Half Marathon

The weather finally cooperated on Sunday, March 7, for me to participate in my 3rd race of 2010! It was the B&A Half Marathon--B&A is short for Baltimore and Annapolis.


One of the coolest parts was that it literally started about two miles from my parents' house. So, not only did I have nice weather, I got to spend time with my parents! Mom made a fantastic dinner the night before--a mushroom pate, iceberg lettuce wedge, caramelized onion and red pepper pierogies, and a fresh berry crisp.

This great proximity also lent itself to wonderful spectator participation! Mom, Dad, Mark and Soba were AMAZING! I think I saw them roughly eight times along the course! I told them that I was going to start racing them and see who go to the next viewing spot first! :) It was so much fun to see them along the way!







The race was pretty flat and ran on the bike trail. It was nice to be in the sun and to be warm, but not hot.



I think my only regret is that I didn't have my iPod. The rules said that any listening devices were strictly prohibited since it was on a trail. Sometimes race directors mean this and other times they don't. During my race in January, I took my iPod and within the first mile was told by another runner that they were serious about the rule and that I should remove the headphones. With that trail experience behind me I decided to heed the warning and I did not take my tunes with me. I think if I had I would have felt a little faster. If I run this race again I will definitely take music with me.



Overall I was happy with the race and with my performance. I finished in just under two hours. Even though the clock in the picture below says 1:59:15, it took me a full minute to cross the start line so my real time was 1:58:04, with an average of 9:01 per mile. I was 292nd over all out of 601 finishers (men and women) and 14th in my age group out of 41. :)


It was a really nice morning and I appreciated so much seeing Mom, Dad and Mark along the trail! Thanks! :) There's nothing like having your own personal cheering section on the trail!



Thanks to Mark and Dad for taking the photos that are on this blog!

Canceled Race :(

The effects of the snow strike again!

George Washington Birthday Marathon Canceled We regret to announce that the 2010 George Washington Birthday Marathon has been canceled. The Race Directors are in the process of working out a refund strategy and will communicate soon with all registered entrants.

The Snow Strikes Again!

If you haven't heard yet, we have been in a week long snow storm---actually it's been two storms, but it has just DUMPED snow on the area.

I've been wondering how this would affect our upcoming race on Sunday.
Today I received my answer:

Washington Birthday Marathon Canceled/Postponed

The George Washington Birthday Marathon will not take place
this Sunday, February 14th, due to expected unsafe road
conditions in the Greenbelt/Beltsville area.  The Race
Directors are researching whether it is possible to
reschedule the race, tentatively for Sunday, March 28th.



I have to say I'm pretty sad, but understand completely.  I
can't find my driveway right now let alone a sidewalk or path
to run on.  And after all of this sitting I think it will be
nice to have a period of easing into running again---and
not a race.

Once this blizzard passes I will look forward to running
outdoors...in the meantime I am just dreaming of warmer days
and clean roads!

One Small Step for [this] Man.......

Well.... It's official. I have signed up for my first Olympic distance triathlon. I will be doing the inaugural Washington DC Triathlon on June 20th, 2010. I have been hesitant to sign up for a race for a couple of reasons - one, it is an imposing distance for me to race, and two, registration fees for these big city triathlons are a bit (ok a lot) more than I thought they would be. I'm used to the $25 10k road race registration fees, this triathlon is a bit more than that. Amy has been asking me which races I have signed up for, and I kept putting her off saying I was still looking for one. The other night I was showing her the website for this race, and wham.... she was signing me up. It was what I needed, an internet kick in the ass to get moving and commit to a race.

So now what do I do? I have been running and swimming fairly consistently, but now that I have a race I need to step it up a bit. Of course I am saying this on the day we get two feet of snow in DC. Olympic distance triathlons are a big step up in distance from the little sprint tri I did last September. This DC race is 1.5K of swimming (in the Potomac), 40K of biking (two laps of course that takes me through Georgetown and up the Rock Creek Park and around the Lincoln), and then a 10K run down the mall (with a finish up Capitol Hill). It should be a good race for spectators with the looping bike course and the run down the

Mall.

I'm still not so sure about swimming in the Potomac - its a long way from my nice crystal clear, and chlorinated pool. No matter what the air temperature is on race day I

think I will be wearing a wetsuit if only to ward off chemical burns.

So right now my biggest concern is training for the bike. I love the bike that I have (Thanks Scott!). But I just haven't had the time, opportunity, or motivation to go on a multi hour ride. I

guess I have some time before June to work on that. I'm sure many people training for triathlons have this problem, its easy to get a good workout in doing an hour of running or an hour of swimming, but an hour of biking for some reason is just harder for me to do. Maybe its just that it is winter, maybe its the two feet of snow on the ground, maybe I just don't like the bike aspect. Well in any case, I don't have a choice now, I have committed myself to a race, and that is the first big step.

A Snowapoclypse

Around Mark's birthday I received an email about a Run for Haiti....not a race, but rather a gathering of runners who would show both monetary support and mass support for the people of Haiti. The race was scheduled for Saturday, February 6.

RUN HAITI

Run for a cause of great importance and help raise money to assist the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. The Chevy Chase Running Company is leading a fundraiser run on Saturday, February 6th at 9am. The run will be a 6 mile run(not race). The run will start at the Chevy Chase store at 4461 Willard Ave, one block away from the Friendship Heights Metro. Each participant will be asked to contribute $5 or more. The funds will be donated to the American Red cross. The run is for all abilities and all paces and will take place on the Capital Crescent Trail. Bagels and juice will be served post run. On Saturdays there is plenty of free parking in the surrounding neighborhood. Furthermore, there is a parking lot directly behind the store and all parking stubs will be validated. For further information call 301.215.6355

I debated whether it could count as one of my 20 races since it's technically not a race, but then reasoned that yes, it could. The idea of my New Year's Resolution was to get out there and participate in running events, this definitely counted and had a better cause than most of the races I have signed up for.

But, along came (shark music here): THE SNOW! Not just any snow, but what people are calling the Snowapoclypse.... It's 7:57 am as I write this and we're already at 15 or 18 inches, with up 24 inches predicted by 10 pm tonight.

It was no surprise then to wake up this morning to find this email in my inbox:

RUN FOR HAITI IS POSTPONED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING WEEK

The RUN FOR HAITI, originally planned for February the 6th, has been postponed due to the snow strom. The Run will take place the following week, the Saturday the 13th, at the same time and same location. The run is a 6 mile fun run that leaves from the Chevy Chase Running Company at 9am. The store is located at 4461 Willard Ave in Chevy Chase, MD. It is approximatley one block from the Friendship Heights Metro and located between Panera and Chipotle. There is no registration required. Please come and donate to the earthquake victims. Please call 301.215.6355 or email ChevyChase@therunningcompany.net with questions. The RunCo

I will look froward to running it next weekend--a double header. A "run" for Haiti on Saturday and a marathon relay on Sunday. Stay tuned for next week's posts!

As for now, I'm looking forward to eventually seeing a road to run on again or a gym with a working treadmill! We'll have to ride out this storm! :)