Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon Race Report...Did she PR again?

Hi everyone! Before I get into my half marathon race report I would like to share that I drove up to St. Cloud on Saturday to run with my running group.
I knew that I wanted to go up and run with them because it has been three weeks since my last group run. Knowing that I had a half marathon today I decided to keep my run short.

Shortly after I parked my van I saw that Denny was also running:) Denny is my St. Cloud River Runner dad...I sort of adopted him...he had no choice:)
These next pictures are just random pics that I took before our run.
This was about 30 seconds to a minute into our run.
There were different distance groups and I ran my first two miles with Deb and Joni. After mile two I looked back because I was looking for John who also was planning on keeping his miles short too. John and I spoke before the run and both wanted to run about four miles. I met with John and Kurt...we ran an additional two miles. John and I walked the fifth mile... we were both fine with this as the wind was kicking our butts:) After the run we all met back at Brigitte's to have a little breakfast.
Here I am with Deb:)
This is Arvid, Denny and John. I enjoyed chatting with all of them:)
This is Kalli and Valerie:) The group run was great and I am glad that I kept it short. I needed to save energy for today's Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.
My alarm went off at 5AM and I got ready for my race. I had my bib, timing chip and pacer goal wrist band setting out on my table. I still was not sure at this point what I was going to do about today's run. Would I run it as a training run or attempt to PR and get a faster time? My PR from the Earth Day Half Marathon was 1:56:35 and I was thinking of shooting for 1:55:)
Yes, I know I look like crap I and am looking a little tired too! My bib number is 2301....I am not sure what to think about this one...it is missing a lucky number seven.
I pulled into the Bay Center parking lot at 6:45 AM! I love making it to a race early and scoring a great parking spot. I walked into the shopping center and used the indoor restroom. I also walked over to the Minnesota Pacers table:) I call them the pacer dudes!! I chatted with them a bit and one of the girl pacers remembered me from Earth Day. Funny thing, she was not my pacer:)
This picture of me shows you that it was a little windy this morning.

About 30 minutes before the race this is what the Biffy line looked like...very long and slow going:)
There was about twenty minutes before the start and I made my way to the starting area. I located my pacer dudes....we shared a photo moment:) This is Allan, me and Steve. I decided that I was going to try to beat Earth Day's PR. I was a little nervous and told them not to let me choke. They were both super nice and told me that I was going to do great. I was very nervous about the wind and the crazy hills that I was hearing horror stories about!
Today's race had three waves and I was placed at the beginning of wave two. This is a picture of wave one about 15 minutes before start time.
This is a picture of the people behind me. Right before the start I decided to take off my jacket and tie it around my waist. This was a smart move as I warmed up fast:)
This picture is the tail end of wave one hitting the mats. We eventually made our way up and started a few minutes later.
Pacer Allan:)

This picture was taken about one minute into our race. My pacer boys were making fun of me because I was taking pictures during the run:) They were worried that I was going to drop my camera. I laughed and told them that I was a pro at taking pictures when running:)

This was such a beautiful course and gorgeous day! It was windy in some spots but it was doable.
These next few pictures are just shots from the first four miles.
Here is the shot of the down hill to the first water stop. I found the first mile challenging...it always takes me a few minutes to get into the groove:) My pacer dudes were chatting and asking me how I was. I ran between Allan and Steve for most of the race. There were a few times when we were running on an active road and we ran bottle neck style.
This is pacer Steve:)
A picture of beautiful Lake Minnetonka! I told myself even before I started that I was sticking like glue to my pacer dudes. I really wanted to take at least one minute and thirty seconds off of my time! I really don't remember the details of every mile. I did not look at my Garmin once:) I just told myself to stay with the pacers and to keep moving even when I felt like slowing down. There were several rolling hills and a few of them were challenging. There were at least three of them where I really wanted to slow down. I did not....I stayed with my pacers. My pacers were wonderful but did not chat as much as Deb:) Well, they did but it was different because they were guys! Deb, if you are reading this...I missed you and our girl chats...I could of used you during all of the hills:) I had several really good running sections where I felt fantastic and running seemed easy. My pacers kept on telling me that I was doing great and that I appeared to be running strong:) In addition to struggling with a few of the hills there were some open areas where the sun was shining...I was feeling very warm:( At mile nine I really felt like slowing down.....I toughed it out and eventually it got easier. Allen and Steve were always letting us know where we were for time. We were consistently 20 to 27 seconds ahead of pace:) This made me feel good! At mile ten they said, we just have a 5K left....we are almost done. Usually this is the hardest part mentally for me...the last three miles. I just kept moving and thought about something that Meg had posted in her blog. She wrote about how we always have about 30% of energy on reserve:) I used two Strawberry Banana PowerBar Gels for this race. I love how they taste and they really seem to do the trick!! Steve announced when we had one mile left...he encouraged anyone to move ahead. He said, "Julie, are you going to start to make your move?" I thought about it and made the choice to wait until the last 400 meters. I started to pull ahead and I could hear my pacers talking about me and how fast I was running:) LOL, I was going up a hill:) Julie and hill does not make going fast! I smiled when I heard this:) I ran up a hill and continued making a few turns until I could see the finish line!! I started sprinting and passed several people again:) I know that I had the biggest smile on my face.....I did it!! I finished this half marathon in 1:54 something!! Woo hoo!! What a great feeling!! I was so proud of myself because this was weekend four of racing and I was pretty tired. I found that last 30% of energy to finish strong and flipping take time off of my race again:) I would really like to be at 1:50 to 1:45 by the end of the season. I am hopeful and will keep the faith!
Here I am with my personal pacers Allan and Steve!! I say this like they didn't have anyone else in our group:) We had the second largest pacing group! Thank you guys!! If anyone reading this lives a Minnesota and you have a chance to run a marathon or half marathon and the Minnesota Pacers are there.......I encourage you to use them:) Every time I have used these pacers I have had an excellent experience:) They are all professional, fun, encouraging and they are experienced runners!! They will help you to stay on task and keep you smiling along the way:)
This last picture is of me after the race...that is gorgeous Lake Minnetonka in the background. I sat there just looking out onto the water for a few minutes....I rested and cooled off:) Today was a great day! I was able to pull it together when I put my mind to it:)
I found my official results....here are my my stats.
I placed 870 out of 2,466.
I placed 314 out of 1,384 for women.
I placed 65 out of 241 for my age group.
Final time 1:54:34 at a 8:46 minute mile pace!! This is almost a two minute PR from my race two weeks ago:)
I hope that everyone has a great week! Happy running, biking, swimming and lifting!! Cheers:)
I will post everyone's giveaways shortly! Also, I know that I am so far behind on blogging and catching up on everyone's posts:( I will try very hard to catch up on Monday!!
MissZippy is hosting aRunning Chicks running tops giveaway!
Angie is hosting The Barefoot Running Book giveaway!
Psyche is hosting a Blackhawk T-shirt giveaway!
Rad Runner is hosting a Bradford Tonic giveaway!
Angie is hosting a Whooha gear giveaway!
Erica is hosting a Banana Blossoms Press card and t-shirt giveaway!
Molly is hosting a I Can't Believe It's Not Butter giveaway!

58 comments:

  1. Great job on another PR! Way to dig deep and find that bit of extra!

    I've noticed you wear your number on your shorts. Does it bother you at all? Just curious as I'll be wearing my fuel belt at the marathon and it's a PITA to deal with that with my number on my shirt.

    Also, I'll be in WI (near Madison) for two weeks in August. Maybe we could figure out a way to meet up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dang, girl!!! Where do you get all this energy??? =)

    You're so awesome...

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're an animal! Way to rock it and PR (again). I just love your race reports, thanks for taking the time to put all the photos in and write such a great narrative.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great job on the PR Julie! You look great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Racing every weekend is working for you, ha? Awesome job, Julie! You look great, too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow wow wow, another PR?? You're awesome!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. You are amazing!!! Wow! You are tough. You will reach that new half marathon goal. I am impressed with you! I get tired and slow down. You keep on going. Beautiful pictures!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Woo! Great job!

    I did this one back in 2005 and rather enjoyed it (I remember running by some of the gaudy houses more than I remember the lake). I don't remember pacers back then, though. Improvement!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great job! You have had a great string of races. You ran this one so smart and it paid off with a PR! It was a beautiful day out there and I'm sorry I didn't see you, but I was much further back. :) I really liked this race and will for sure do it again.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are amazing!! Congratulations!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are the PR queen! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yee-haw! Way to go, Julie! Another PR...I'm happy you had fun and I loved your name on your bib! You look so happy and cute, of course, that's important too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very exciting racing season so far. Keep it up! Great pics!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You are on fire!
    Great running Julie! way to stick to those pacers for the PR.
    -Derek

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yeahhh!!! Congrats on your PR (just had a deja vu moment there ..hehe) The scenery is beautiful in your pictures, just a gorgeous lake. It has been a long time since I have been up your way and I forget how nice it is. Thanks for sharing the pics!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great job on the PR! Especially with those hills!! I loved the pictures too, the lake looks gorgeous :-)

    Your running group looks fun too, I've been thinking of joining one since we met one on one of our runs, if it's like yours I think I'll be happy!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Holy cow! Back to back PR's... that is AWESOME Julie. I am so inspired after reading your post. I am also blown away how you can take pictures and run for a PR.

    Sounds like your "personal" pacers were top notch.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That is super! Congratulations! You'll definitely go under 1:45 soon. Lovely pics.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congratulations! I am amazing at all the racing you do! You rock!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Congratulations on that great PR Julie!!!! I loved your race report. Awesome photos too.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Way to go Big Sis! Keep knocking those PR's outa the park!

    ReplyDelete
  22. You are on a PR ROLL!!! Love how you dug in at the end and finished with a smile! From the pictures it looked like a gorgeous day....and btw, you never look crap in any of your pics!

    have a great week, and thanks for your thoughtful comment on my race report. : )

    ReplyDelete
  23. Great race near the beautiful Lake Minnetonka and a wonderful landscape! Congratulations, you placed in the first quarter of all runners (870 out of 2,466) :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. You are amazing! What a great race, AGAIN. So happy for you. Are you going to take some nice recovery time now?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Congrats on the PR! Awesome after having run back to back races for the past 4 weeks!! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Congrats on a great race girlie- you just keep getting better and better!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nice work. Congrats on the great run and the PR!

    ReplyDelete
  28. You are kicking ass with the PR's!!! Love it! And I love that bib too!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Great job, Julie! You will bet your 1:45 wish by the end of the season, I know it! Looks like you had a beautiful day - blue skies and sunshine - plus you got to wear shorts! Neat how your name was printed on your bib. Loved all the pics, too. And no, you did not look like crap - you looked as lovely as ever!
    Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  30. Of course you PR'd, Congrats, impressive as always

    ReplyDelete
  31. You are doing amazing!!! I loved all the pictures. It does look gorgeous there :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Julie - congrats on the PR! You will hit your goal before the summer is finished.

    ReplyDelete
  33. WOW You did awesome! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Wow! Fantastic race! I am now OFFICIALLY jealous, 'cause you're improving SO FAST!! I can only hope to out-do you in the 100 Push Up Challenge...However, I am on Day 2, already thinking..FAIL! Ha ha!

    Great race, Julie!

    ReplyDelete
  35. You look great after that race! GREAT JOB! and awesome pics, so thorough I felt like I was practically apart of it! P.S. HELLO amazing weather!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. congrats on a great race. Way to go.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Damn woman - you are a running machine! Congrats on the PR.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Woohoo! Congrats on another PR! You did so awesome...yay! :) I love the pacer idea, but every race I've been in never has pacers. Hopefully there will be pacers for my marathon in the fall!

    ReplyDelete
  39. good lord who pr's week after week?!? crazy! and awesome :)

    congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  40. You are amazing!!! This is awesome, I'm so proud of you!! I enjoyed reading your race report very much and will definitely run with pacers in my next race! Sounds like a great time :) You go girl!!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Strawberry-Banana power gels are my weapon of choice :-) Congratulations on a most excellently paced race. Say that real fast :-) You need to do a marathon this weekend...

    ReplyDelete
  42. Dang girl, you just keep pouring out those awesome race time, no matter what you race - I am truly in awe of your incredible-ness :). I have no doubts you'll be cranking out sub 1:50's by the end of the year, no doubt! Looking at your very fun, sleeveless shirt reminded me of that half you did in the middle of the winter when you were bundled in mega layers and how cold it was. Yea for warmth, huh??? HUGS to you, Julie!!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Wow, you are on a roll girl! Way to go on another awesome PR. :)

    ReplyDelete
  44. So did the wind slow down at all? I hate running in wind!

    What a great race and time! Way to go Julie!

    This whole pacer idea is new to me. Do they carry those signs the whole time? I'd love to have pacers when I race. I always just try to find someone who seems to be able to keep a steady pace and follow slightly behind! :) So how do you know if a race has pacers?

    Have a great week Julie!

    ReplyDelete
  45. nice freakin' job!!! 2 min off your pr pace? dang!

    you're gettin fast girl. looking forward to seeing you run in the Napa to Sonoma half! i'll be your official photographer;-)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Good job! What a great race report :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. I've done the river boat tour on Lake Minnetonka! Reading your blog makes me miss Minnesota. A LOT. Even though I only worked there for 4 months it will forever hold a special place in my heart.

    It looks like a beautiful course. And CONGRATS to you on your PR! 4 race weekends in a row is not only demanding physically, I would think it starts to drain on you mentally too. All the pictures you took are really fun! Is some relaxing ahead for you now? At least one weekend ;)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Way to go Julie! Sure looks like a great day for a race. Spring is such a great tim of year in the upper midwest.

    Congrats on the PR!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Great effort again Julie. I like how you joined up with your running group the day before. You have lots of energy! Nice pix. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  50. I'm not too sure you will get to the bottom of these 50-some comments but I will try.
    Congrats on your race. Four weekends in a row. Time for some rest...
    I sure looks like you will achieve your goal of 1:45-1:50 by seasons end. Look at all the time you have peeled off! Super!
    Get some good rest and good luck with the chase.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Your energy is truly inspirational! Great job on the race. I love how you just stuck with the pacer's and had them help you the whole way. I don't know how you can take pictures like that while running. You must be good at multitasking.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Way to go Julie!! You are an inspiration and nice work on the time!! I love, love, love pacers!! I should have an end of season goal!! :P

    ReplyDelete
  53. So first, I love all of the pictures! I'm a sucker for pictures in a race report. Second, nice work on the PR!! you're sort of a PR machine now. :)

    I LOVE pacers. I use them at about every chance that I can get.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Wow! You are amazing...congrats on another PR!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Once again, great job.

    Man you have a lot of followers. I don't even think I know that many people.

    Keep up the good work

    ReplyDelete
  56. Wow, you are a mad racer!! Congrats on another PR and what a beautiful run! I looked into this doing this race after you mentioned it on my blog, but registration was closed. :(

    Isn't it funny running with a camera?! I usually don't think twice about it, but most people think I'm weird. :P

    Great work on ANOTHER PR and thanks for all of your support and encouragement!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Women's Minnetonka Hi Top Back Zip Boot brings incredible comfort to the fashion fringe. Go figure, the fringed moc "look" is hot right now in fashion circles. Of course, you've known all about the comfort and rugged good looks of Minnetonka Mocs for years a far cry from the pointy, hard shoes those fashionistas had insisted on wearing. Imagine their surprise when they sunk their feet into these suede mocs. Great looks and outstanding comfort from the biggest name in mocs! State Color and Size. Medium width. Order Women's Minnetonka Hi Top Back Zip Boot. Women's Ankle Hi Back Zipper Boot features smooth leather and decorative fringe. Minnetonka

    ReplyDelete

 
Free Hit Counter