I named this blog Running With Knitting Needles because running and knitting are two of my favorite things to do, so why not combine them, right?  Lately I've been doing a whole lot more knitting than I have running.  But over the past few months, I actually have run in some races, and since March I've been trying out a different exercise program called cross-fit (more on that later, I promise). 

Rehoboth Beach 1/2 Marathon (November 21, 2009)

On November 21, I ran the Rehoboth Beach 1/2 marathon.  I left work early the day before to drive down to Rehoboth Beach in time to pick up my packet and rest up, because the race started obscenely early at 7am.  My hotel was only about a block away from the start, so at least I didn’t have to leave my room until 6:45. It was cool at the start - 43 degrees according to a bank thermometer I saw - perfect weather for a race.  It was also small, which was great at the beginning because there was no fighting with crowds.  The first few miles ran parallel to the ocean, which was beautiful in the early morning, then we took a 180 turn at about the 3-mile point and headed inland through the town of Rehoboth, and then out on Breakwater Junction trail, a graveled trail running through woods.  Shortly before the 9 mile point, the 1/2 marathon racers took another 180 degree turn and headed back down the trail towards Rehoboth, while the marathoners continued on.

I had a time goal of breaking 1:50, and I didn’t make it, but I feel like I had a pretty good race anyway. My time was 1:52:50-something.  Heartbreaking, because I finished 4 (out of 41) in my age group, and if I had hit my goal I would have had a chance at first.  My other goal was to go out slowly, which I managed to do. I tend to get very caught up in the excitement of the race and go out too fast.  I trained with a heart rate monitor this time, and I wore it during the race so I could keep track of how hard I was working and make sure not to overdo it.  My max heart rate is high, so running at 160 bpm is an easy jog for me.  I started out easy at 165 bpm, then gradually pushed myself so that I ran the last three miles at around 185 bpm.  The result was that I always felt like I was working hard, and for the last portion I was going about as fast as I could go.  I think I ran a pretty steady race - after the first few miles, I just picked people off, and nobody passed me until about the 11 mile point, when these two women in their 40s blew by me like they were just out for an easy jog. I have no idea where they got that energy!  I was panting by that point, but they were breathing easy and light on their feet.

I really liked the smaller race, especially at the beginning.  The only time I thought it was too crowded was on the trail portion after I had turned around and I was running against people who hadn’t turned yet.  The trail is really only wide enough for about 4 people to run abreast, so at points it was hard to pass people.  Also, I think people are friendlier in a smaller race. I fell in step with a guy after about 4 miles, and we chatted and stayed together until mile 8.  And at the beginning of the race, I accidentally clipped a guy on his elbow.  In the Philly Distance Run that would have gotten me a dirty look and a few pointed words, but in this race when I said I was sorry he just smiled and made a joke.

There were a few things I didn’t like about the race - mainly that the mile markers were inconsistent.  I had very definite time goals for each mile, but the only miles that were marked were miles 3, 5, 8 and 9, so even though I was running with a watch I had no clue what pace I was running.  I don’t understand why they didn’t have more mile markers!  I might send them an email asking if they could set them up for next year - I can’t imagine it would be that hard, someone could go out just before the race on a bike and figure it out with a Garmin.  Also, the water stops were inconsistent.  At times it seemed like the water stops were only a mile apart, but then there was a long stretch on the trail without anything.  I don’t know what they could do about it, though, there’s really not room on the trail to have a water stop.  For the half marathon it wasn’t a big deal, but I could see that if I were to do the full marathon next year, I might want to carry my own water.  Finally, they did not do a great job of closing the course to traffic.  The first 3 miles or so were on a pretty narrow road, made more crowded by the fact that there’s a 180-degree turn at one end, so there are runners on both sides.  Somehow this road was not closed to traffic, even for the 50-ish minutes that it took for the entire field to finish that portion.  So as I was running along, behind me comes an ornery old guy in a jeep with a bunch of fishing poles hanging out the back.  Instead of waiting patiently for the area to clear, he surged into the crowd, forcing everyone to hug the shoulder or be run down.  It was horribly annoying and dangerous - every time he saw an opening he would slam the accelerator and jump into it, then slam the brakes when the crowd got too thick.  So for a mile and a half I played a potentially deadly game of leap frog. Grrrr!

Apart from these complaints, I loooooved the course.  It was flat, cool, and protected from wind.  Even where the trail got a little congested, it was still fun to see all the other runners.  I felt great - my IT band, which usually bothers me during longer runs, didn’t hurt until after I had finished.  During the first few miles, I felt one of my toe nails rubbing up against the toe next to it.  It stopped hurting, though, so I didn’t think anything of it until I pulled off my sock and saw that it was bloody - yuck! 

Turkey Trot (November 26, 2009)

I ran a 10K Turkey Trot on November 26 (Thanksgiving) with my friend Sheri from work. Sheri had run the Philadelphia Marathon the previous Sunday - her first - where she qualified for Boston (!!), and I had run a fast (for me) half at the Rehoboth 1/2 the previous Saturday, so neither of us was really rested, but I like to use the Thanksgiving 10K to give myself an excuse to eat whatever I want at Thanksgiving dinner, so I ran it anyway, not expecting much.  We ended up going a lot faster than I expected.  I had planned to do the same thing I did in my half - run according to my heart rate.  In my half, I started out with my heart rate at about 165 bpm, then gradually increased my effort to run the last 3 or so miles at 185 bpm.  In the 10k, I ran maybe the first mile at 165 bpm, then spent the rest of the race struggling at 185 bpm or higher.  For reference, 185 bpm is where I run my sprint intervals (usually 200-300m) - so it was really hard to run 5 1/2 miles at that intensity.  I was definitely pushing myself the whole race, especially through a few nasty hills in miles 2-4, and Sheri (who runs with a Garmin) clocked us at 7:22/mile at one point on a downhill.  I finished in 51:38 - a PR by about 3 minutes from the previous year, and just like in my half marathon, I was 4th in my age group.  Another heartbreak - just like in my half marathon, only the top 3 in each age group got awards . 

Sadly, I realized on the Friday after Thanksgiving that I had done something to my ankle and foot during the Turkey Trot race.  During December and most of January, I had pain in my foot that made it difficult at times to walk.  I want to avoid orthotics if possible, so instead of seeing a podiatrist, I went to Philadelphia Community Acupuncture for a few sessions.  That, and rest, made a big difference, and by the end of February I was healed completely. 

Cherry Blossom 10 Miles (April 11, 2010)

In March, I started going to cross-fit classes with Val Whiting and Jay Raymond at Game Shape.  I have not been running regularly, but I had signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race months earlier, when my ankle was healthy.  I didn't want to bail, so I decided to run it on no training.  I had done that once before for the Broad Street 10-mile run in May 2009.  It's doable, but not very fun - after Broad Street, I was sore for days afterward, and I had irritated my IT band, making it hard to walk.  I was expecting the same kind of experience at the Cherry Blossom run this morning - but it was entirely different.  I went out at a 10-minute pace, kept it up easily for about 5 miles, then started speeding up.  I think I did my final miles in less than 9 minutes per mile.  I feel great now - tired, because no matter what I will never find it easy to wake up at 5:30am, but not sore at all.  I have to attribute this to cross-fit.  I wonder what kind of times I'll be capable of once I add running back into my workouts!