Monday, March 7, 2011

Black Cat 10 Miler


Yesterday I ran the Black Cat 10 Miler with some friends.

Specifically, these awesome girls: Lauren, Becky, Bekah & Corey.  I'm still amazed that we all met through our blogs!

I actually won my registration through Active.Com.
I knew Becky and Lauren were running the race so when I got an email from Active encouraging me to sign up for the race giveaway, I thought "Why not?!"  I barely ever win anything so I was shocked when I had won! When I got this email, I was completely shocked:
Hi Liz, Congratulations! You were one of the lucky 3 ActiveAdvantage members to claim a free entry for 10 Miler portion of the Black Cat 10/20 Miler on March 6, 2011. Here are the instructions to redeem your free entry-- please keep in mind, each code is a one-time use coupon code and can only be redeemed via online registration. 


Pretty cool right?  Unfortunately, I never looked what TIME the race started.  8am.  Salem is an hour away from me. 8am, is early... but at least it would be over early! Let's just say it was a restless night.  I didn't fall asleep until past 11:30 and my alarm went off at 4:30.  Thats not a lot of sleep for a girl who requires 8 +.

The race is an out and back course that the 20 milers had to loop twice. It was a gorgeous day.  Mid 50s, light rain.  A big difference from what we ran in last week! I love New England.  One week its snowing the next its shorts weather. Makes complete sense.

The plan was for me to run with Bekah.  I secretly wanted to run 8:30s but I had no idea what to expect. I just knew I wanted to run by feel.  Which is something I did last week at Hyannis.  Sometimes I allow my Garmin (watch) to hold me back and make me worry.  I didn't want to look at that thing.  I didn't want to beat myself up if I was running slow or running fast.  So I just went out!
Apparently, I went out like a crazy person and tried to go around all the slower runners at the beginning. Here's me, running on the sidewalk, yelling back at my running friends to follow me!  After a mile or so, Corey and I settled into a nice pace.  And then it was decided... Corey was going to help pace for me for the first ten and reserve her energy to rock out the second ten.  It was a fun plan that totally worked.
We ended up running side by side for the entire ten miles.  Much like last week with Becky, we shared stories, talked about jobs, school, future, families and the time went by so fast.  And the best part was Corey was totally pushing me, especially towards the end.  Thank you Corey for helping me beat my best time by 3 minutes!!!  The one thing that Corey kept saying to me when I was struggling was "You are faster than you think."  And maybe that is true.  I ended up finishing the 10 miles at a 8:26 pace which makes me think that my sub 1:54 (and maybe sub 1:50) half time COULD be attainable.  Thanks COREY for letting me see the light : )
10 Miles
1:24:24/8:26 pace
Mile 1: 8:29
Mile 2: 8:23
Mile 3: 8:39 
(was this the hill??)
Mile 4: 8:16
Mile 5: 8:15
Mile 6: 8:43 
(did we go up again here?)
Mile 7: 8:21
Mile 8: 8:33
Mile 9: 8:35
Mile 10: 8:10

After the race, I watched with Mom-on-the-run, Bekah and Lauren's bf as our other running friends finished.  First came speedy Lauren then Corey (who ran negative splits for the remaining 10) and Becky.  Each girl ran so well.  20 miles is hard.  I don't miss it.  (Okay, maybe I do... maybe a little!)

It was a really really fun day.  After the race, we went to brunch and then I headed to visit my friend Caitlin and her new baby and then I went to dinner at the in-laws.  (Don't worry, I eventually showered).

I really feel lucky to have met Lauren, BeckyBekah & Corey.  It's been fun running races together.  Almost feels like I'm back on my track team!
And... now on to my Weekly Recap.  Lets just say, I didn't work out as much as I should have.  You know that work thing got in the way : )

 Weekly Recap of Workouts:
Monday 2/28: 
25 minutes eliptical, abs, stretching
Tuesday 3/1:
Off, really sore!
Wednesday 3/2: 
1 mile warmup   First Set: 1200 (.75) at 5:54 (7.5mph - 8:00 min pace) 2 min rest
1200 at 5:51 (7.5-7.6mph 8-7:53 min pace) 4 min rest, 
Second Set: 1200 (.75) at 5:44 (7.7-7.8mph), 2 min rest, 1200 at 5:38 (7.8-7.9mph), 4 min rest
Third Set: 1200 (.75) at 5:32 (7.9-8.0mph), 2 min rest, 1200 at 5:26 (8.0-8.2mph)
1 mile cooldown
7 miles 65:46
Thursday 3/3:
Off
Friday 3/4: 
Off
Saturday 3/5:
Ran 5 miles outside with Dave (47:30)
Sunday 3/6:
Black Cat 10 Miler 1:24:24 (8:26 pace)

Mile 1: 8:29, 
Mile 2: 8:23, 
Mile 3: 8:39, 
Mile 4: 8:16
Mile 5: 8:15, 
Mile 6: 8:43 , 
Mile 7: 8:21
Mile 8: 8:33, 
Mile 9: 8:35, 
Mile 10: 8:10
Total: 3 days running, 22 miles, 1 days cross train, 1 day lifting, 3 Days off

23 comments:

  1. Wow congrats on your run!! You're a speedster in my book!

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  2. I didn't know you could win race entries on Active. That is awesome.
    And you are definitely on par to beat your half marathon goals. I mean look at that last mile pace! I hope we end up running together at National!

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  3. Congrats on your race, with such an awesome pace, too!

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  4. That sounds like such a fun race! I would love to do a 10 miler. 13.1 seems daunting 10 is something I've done before and would love to do it in a race! Congrats on your time you really kicked some butt!

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  5. Lizzy I had SO much fun running with you!! I definitely think you helped me more than I helped you - those first 10 miles went so fast for me which helped so much in the second half of the run. You ARE faster than you think, and you definitely need to stop letting your Garmin freak you out with your pace. If you feel good, who cares what it is? All your speed work is paying off!
    That was such a fun race and perfect weather - can't wait to do another one with you girls, maybe this summer!

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  6. YAYYYY LIZZY! I am sooo pumped for you :) Such a great race. When are we running together sometime soon?! I need your speeeeed :)I need to come join you ladies on a race sometime soon!

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  7. Liz, you are definitely faster than you think! And, a 1:50 half is 110% doable for you. Like you said, you just have to learn to stop worrying during races and just run for fun!

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  8. you won a race?! that is awesome. your running friends sound like great ladies. yay blog friends.

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  9. Wow. You are amazing. You might not think you're fast, but you're an amazing runner. I bow down to you!

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  10. Congrats on such a great race, Lizzy! I can't wait until we can run some shorter races together. I totally know what you mean about the Garmin. It's hard not to look, but it can have a negative effect. I tried to avoid it yesterday and just stuck to my comfortable pace. It made the run a much more relaxing experience.

    It's so hard to believe that we only met recently. It's so much fun to be with my awesome blog friends at these races!!

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  11. Wooohooo! PR!! That is way awesome Liz! The more confidence you get the better you are going to do. Stay strong and think positively and you'll be sub 1:50 in the half in no time!

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  12. Great job on your run. Very cool to run it with friends - especially ones you have met through the blog world.

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  13. What a great blog!! I love all the recipes and you are very inspiring for a beginner like me!

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  14. Great race!!!
    I love going to races with friends! It makes it less stressful and more exciting!!!

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  15. Super job during the race. You maintained a great pace thoughout with a little kick at the finish line.

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  16. I am so honored to have meet you and the girls. I enjoy our group races and hope we have many many more. Next time I will try to stick with you, Speedy. LOL!

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  17. Yay!! Congratulations on your huge PR!! Corey is a smart cookie - you are faster than you think!! :) I'm glad you had her to push you along/keep you company, and I hope this gives you confidence for a PR at National.

    I still think it's pretty awesome that you won your registration. I need to start looking out for these sorts of giveaways -- all these races are making me broke!

    And I really love the picture of Becky yelling at you at the start as you zoom by everyone on the sidewalk, haha I find that most pictures of Becky look like she's yelling something (she's just excited..?)...and your race start strategy is just like mine typically is. I know you're not supposed to waste the energy bobbing and weaving, but sometimes it's just so hard NOT to!

    It's been a lot of fun running with all you girls these past couple of weeks. I think our blogging running team needs to take on a lot more races this summer! (Oh - and according to the elevation chart on my watch, miles 3 and 6 were uphill :))

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  18. GREAT JOB LIZZY!!! YOU are fast girl!! These are great pictures, displaying what a fun group of friends you have!

    I love the under armor capris--looking hawt!!

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  19. Congrats on an awesome run! That's a great pace and you can totally sub 1:54 a half. Love the pics too

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  20. super congrats on a great race!!!!

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  21. awesome race, Lizzy! You ARE faster than you think - your half goal is totally attainable :) Congrats - looks like you guys had a lot of fun!

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  22. Great job! I sometimes let my Garmin hold me back too. I often run without it because I feel like I'm constantly looking at my pace when I use it.

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