speedvegan

Time 23:25 | Pace 7:32 | Age Group 18/277

Splits
Mile 1: 7:36
Mile 2: 7:52
Mile 3: 7:25

Geoffrey had to visit a client in Toronto this week so we decided to head over there for the long weekend. Coincidentally, it happened to be Toronto’s pride fest the same weekend which included a 5k to raise money for sexual diversity studies, support for people living with HIV/AIDS and many other charities that benefit the LGBT community.

It was a beautiful day for a run. I suppose it was a bit warm by Canadian standards, but it was a very welcomed break from the insane FL heat and humidity for us. I didn’t push myself too hard in the beginning because I wanted to have enough for the end, which I did. In fact, I had too much left so clearly I could have pushed a little harder early on. I’m still trying to figure out what works best for me during 5k races, so from that point of view it was a good run and it was a lot of fun !

Time 23:22 | Pace 7:32 | Age Group 2/?

Splits
Mile 1: 7:16
Mile 2: 7:27
Mile 3: 7:42

I was very relaxed during my run today. I almost felt like I wasn’t trying hard enough during the first mile. Around the second mile mark, I started to get my routine side stitch. I still haven’t figured out what causes that, but someday I will !

Geoffrey broke set a new PR today with a 22:45 finish ! Go Geoffrey go !

Time 1:10:58 | Overall 257/649 | Gender 47/180 | Age Group 5/14

The first tri of the season is always the hardest for me. It’s difficult to “get my feet wet” after a few months away from the race scene, but once I jump in, I remember why I love this sport so much and get psyched about the rest of the season.

SWIM | .25mi | 10:01

It’s surprising that, despite not having spent any time in the pool recently, I didn’t feel an ounce of anxiety before the swim this morning. It was actually one of the better swims I’ve had. I managed to cling on to the back of the pack, which is not typical. My time was still one of the worst, but I’m happy to be making progress in the “staying calm” department.

Happy to be done with the swim !

T1 + BIKE | 10mi | 35:12

The bike portion was the big disappointment of the day – another surprise since this is usually where I excel. The actual bike times are not available because something went wrong with the “bike out” sensor, but I know mine couldn’t have been very impressive. My legs just didn’t feel up to the task today. There was a very strong tailwind on the way out which I didn’t take full advantage of and I struggled on the way back in. I need to spend more time on the bike. I also need to get my bike properly adjusted. I feel incredibly uncomfortable and inefficient on it.

Finishing the bike leg

T2 | 1:18

RUN | 3.1mi | 24:27

The run was amazing. No shocker there since that’s where I’ve been spending most of my energy recently. After healing from the marathon earlier this year, I’ve been concentrating on shorter quality runs following the FIRST program. It’s definitely been improving my runs overall. I actually felt like I could have pushed even harder today which is good to know for the next event in the Trilogy.

Crossing the finish line

I can’t say I am thrilled with my performance today, but it was a good start to the season.

Time 23:47 | Pace 7:40 | Age Group 1/?

Splits
Mile 1: 7:20
Mile 2: 7:35
Mile 3: 8:01

Geoffrey and I ran this race the day after my birthday. What a great way to start a new year !!

Time 26:31 | Pace 8:33 | Age Group 6/?

Splits
Mile 1: 8:29
Mile 2: 8:21
Mile 3: 8:40

I ran this race with a co-worker who recently got back into running. He did extremely well !

Time 1:58:01 | Pace 9:01 | Age Group 35/148

Flat out to the finish !

Splits
Mile 1: 9:09
Mile 2: 8:59
Mile 3: 9:01
Mile 4: 9:12
Mile 5: 9:09
Mile 6: 9:25
Mile 7: 9:20
Mile 8: 8:46
Mile 9: 8:52
Mile 10: 8:48
Mile 11: 9:03
Mile 12: 8:59
Mile 13: 8:13

Naturally, after reading my last race report, you’re probably wondering how this race “snuck in.” Truth be told, I had registered for this race quite a while ago. For just $10 more, I was able to add it to my 13.1 Ft Lauderdale registration. It seemed a bargain at the time. Little did I know what it would cost in the end. I made a subtle mention of the race when I saw my doctor last week. In my mind, I had scrapped it, but he wanted to scan my foot before deciding whether to veto the race. Or not.

Yes. The CT scan results indicated that the unbearable pain in my left foot might be caused by the onset of a stress fracture, not an existing one. With that, the doctor felt comfortable with letting me race, as long as I took it easy.

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably just as confused as I was by this juxtaposition. What’s the point of racing a distance I’ve done so many times before without trying to PR ? My confusion quickly became muddled with the sudden clearance to run. Sure, I’d take it easy. I’ll sign the dotted line. Anything to slip back into my running shoes. Let’s go !

The event offered a 5k distance as well, which Geoffrey signed up for. We ventured down to South Beach for packet pickup on Saturday and had a fantastic time with Luka. We even found a dog-friendly restaurant with vegan options and outdoor seating. Score ! We had a quiet dinner at home and went to bed early. OK, early-ish. I woke up at 3:30am and felt momentarily sick as I thought of the South Beach party crowds, still going while I prepared to start my Sunday with a 13.1 mile run no less. It hasn’t been very long time since I was part of “those crowds,” but in some ways, it’s been ages.

Geoffrey, by the way, PR’d his 5k AND placed 1st in his age group ! Who’s a rockstar ??

Summary of the race itself, mile by mile.

1. Cold. The ACTUAL temperature was somewhere between 50 and 60, but I was freezing.
2. Mentally, I struggle to find the right pace: fast enough for me, easy enough for my foot ? Physically, I feel like I’m crawling.
3. Miami hill (aka bridge). Fun level is a big, fat ZERO.
4. First sip of water. Still frozen.
5. Guy almost gets run over by a taxi.
6. I start to feel my toes as we turn around and I chug a gel. Yum.
7. The sun shows up. My fingers come to life and so does my pace. Thank you, sun. You saved the day.
8. Up another bridge. I feel like I’m flying this time.
9. Second sip of water. Fun level is almost a TEN.
10. Hello pain. Foot says “F you and your stupid hobby. Where’s the finish line ?”
11. Gatorade.
12. Assess pain and reserves.
13. Pedal to the medal.

Overall, it wasn’t my best race, but certainly not the worst. I’m glad I did it. Now I’m looking forward to some bike time.

The medal matches my shirt, which is obviously very exciting.

Time 4:12:30 | Pace 9:40 | Age Group 13/34

I did it !

This day has haunted me for the past 5 years. Around this time in 2005, I was training for the San Diego marathon, a race I never managed to start due to a multitude of injuries I will not discuss again. It’s been blogged a dozen times and I’d like to focus on positives today because that’s what got me through all the miles this morning.

The days leading up to the race were intense. I was a wreck. This was my first marathon. I’d never run this far before. But wait, there’s more. I had a fantastic 18 mile run. I then decided to wear my Newtons during a shorter run the following week. Big mistake. I hadn’t tweaked the laces properly and the left shoe was on a bit too tight. By the time I finished, my foot was a bit swollen and hurting but not enough for me to postpone my next long run. I slipped into my regular shoes two days later and went out for a 20 miler. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. At one point during that run, I wanted something to run over my foot, to put me out of my misery. I was hurting bad. It hurt to walk for the next few days. This is probably why my taper weeks looked more like “rest” weeks. It was a shame because the rest of my body felt great.

My foot started to heal, slowly, and I managed to get about 3 runs in before the race. My foot didn’t feel 100% better, but nothing was broken or fractured, so I decided to register for the full marathon. At the expo. Yea, I’m optimistic, but I wasn’t going to lose another $90 to some stupid injury. No way.

Then, all the monsters in my attic came to life. Here I was on the eve of a monumental day, signed up and knowing I’d make it to the start line. But then what ? Would I finish ? My 16 and 18 mile runs had been better than I could have wished for and I had powered my way through the longest and most painful run of my life only 2 weeks before. What was I worried about ? For starters, I didn’t know what would await me after mile 20. I’ve heard horror stories from marathoners. What if it was all true ? I didn’t want to hit the proverbial wall. And so on and so forth.

I opted for a simple pre-race dinner, something tried and true: Vegan Dad’s Creamy Mac and Cheez. I put it in a baking dish, smothered it with Follow Your Heart vegan cheese and baked it. It was perfect. Eventually, I was able to quiet the voices in my head and get some sleep- a whole 6 hours. I had two pieces of toast with peanut butter for breakfast and some gatorade. My stomach felt a bit queasy from all the nervousness. I didn’t want to push my luck, so I decided to skip my usual pre-race gel.

Geoffrey and Luka dropped me off at the start line 5 minutes before the race. It was way more crowded than last year which helped keep me warm. It was 60F degrees, with a forecasted high of 75F and not a cloud in the sky. Not even San Diego could deliver such perfection. Before I had the chance to become impatient, we were off.

Miles 1-6 ~ 9:34 | 9:08 | 9:26 | 9:14 | 9:17 | 9:21
It took me 6 miles to settle into my race pace. I either ran too fast or too slowly. I had to constantly check my GPS which is rare for me. Also, a few terrible things happened, not to me personally, but around me. There was an unmarked pothole just after the first mile. Fortunately, I saw it, but the girl behind me didn’t and well, you can imagine the rest. I feel horrible saying this, but I couldn’t even bring myself to look back. This is very uncharacteristic of me and surely I will pay the karmic consequences of my decision, but I was in a very emotional state at the time this happened and I just couldn’t deal with seeing someone injured. There was a cop nearby who ran over to help. I hope she was able to continue or that her injuries weren’t major. Just a few minutes after that, another guy fell down, taking a few people with him. This happened next to me and didn’t sound as bad as the first accident. From that moment on, I focused carefully on what was in front of me, lest I became the next incident.

Miles 7-10 ~ 9:19 | 9:16 | 9:09 | 9:19
Mentally, I started to feel better as I settled into my groove. My upper body relaxed and my legs felt great. My left foot, however, started to hurt more with each mile I left behind. I decided to apply smile patches every time I thought about the pain which seemed to work on some psychological level. Then, just before mile 9, the half marathoners turned around.

And there was silence. Suddenly I found myself alone. I could finally hear the buzz from the speckled Sunday morning traffic, my effortless breathing and the sound of my feet treading lightly on the asphalt. I enjoyed this moment of peace for the next mile, until we came across some more spectators.

Miles 11-16 ~ 9:23 | 9:20 | 9:18 | 9:27 | 9:02 | 9:18
That’s when I saw Geoffrey, holding a big sign, with Luka. I was floored. I wasn’t expecting to see them so early and nobody had ever made a sign for ME. I wish I’d had a camera to get a photo of them. I stopped for a brief moment to pet Luka and give Geoffrey a kiss. It was such a nice surprise.

I kept applying smile patches for the next few miles which some of the spectators commented on. If only they knew the pain hidden behind that braced smile. I was still keeping a good pace. Then we turned around…

Miles 17-20 ~ 9:37 | 9:47 | 9:46 | 9:25
Into the wind. The smile patches weren’t enough to conceal the pain while running into the wind, but I still managed to maintain a pace I was happy with. I could kiss a 4 hour finish goodbye, but maybe 4:05 was still doable. I focused on this new goal for the next few miles, but then, I lost it.

As I passed a guy who looked like he’d run out of steam, he attempted to keep up with me. This is one of my pet peeves. I am not a pacer. Do not follow me. Do not try to keep up unless we are running together. It annoys me and throws off my rhythm. Nothing personal. I backed off and let him pass me. Of course, he slowed down. We played that game for a few minutes until I became impatient and decided I had to lose this guy. I increased the pace which made my foot hurt beyond my tolerable zone. This was a HUGE mistake and probably my only regret about this race.

Miles 21-26.2 ~ 9:58 | 9:51 | 10:14 | 10:21 | 10:33 | 10:12
Immediately, I felt my pace slowing. Smile patches no longer worked, not even a little bit. This was not good. This last section of the race was uncharted territory. I didn’t want to start it this way. Before I had time to go into full panic mode, I saw Geoffrey and Luka again. Perfect timing. I greeted them cheerfully, again, and carried on.

The last few miles were brutal. Mentally, I felt strong. I was even questioning the whole “proverbial wall” thing. Is it a myth ? A self fulfilling prophecy ? Physically, the rest of my body felt great. So, I kept trying to control my pace but, eventually, I just gave up. Finishing was always my main goal and I’d already come this far. I had this one in the bag. I wasn’t going to let anything keep me from the finish line. I’d hop if I had to. So, I finally relaxed.

As I came around the bend with .2 miles left to go, I welled up. I thought about all the hurdles I’ve had to cross and all the struggles I’ve had to face to get this opportunity which so many take for granted. And, ironically, the reward wasn’t even an easy one. Fortunately, whatever I am made of, is quite powerful.

Overall, I am happy with my time. It’s rare that I am this easy on myself, I know. But I have to admit, I could not have delivered a better performance today.

We did it !!

Time 2:12:37 | Pace 10:08 | Age Group 325/1068

Splits
Mile 1: 10:07
Mile 2: 9:33
Mile 3: 9:40
Mile 4: 9:42
Mile 5: 9:41
Mile 6: 9:56
Mile 7: 9:37
Mile 8: 9:45
Mile 9: 9:54
Mile 10: 9:53
Mile 11: 9:46
Mile 12: 9:49
Mile 13: 9:33

This was a very special race because it was Geoffrey’s first Half Marathon ! I am incredibly proud of him. It’s a huge accomplishment ! I knew he could do it, but it was still very impressive to witness.

If you clicked on the “Garmin Data” link above, you may have noticed that it displays the details for an 18 mile run. As some of you may know, I am currently training for my first marathon. I was supposed to run 18 miles the previous week, a couple of days after returning from New Zealand. I wasn’t feeling too great when I arrived, though, and had to postpone my run. I thought of doing it during the week, but things were crazy at work and, before I knew it, the weekend had arrived. I thought about skipping it altogether, but knew that missing such a key training run would annoy me psychologically. At the same time, I wanted this to be “Geoffrey’s run” and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his success. In the end, I decided that running 5 miles before the race would be the way to go and, somehow, it worked out.

To avoid the crowds and confusion that Geoff encountered upon dropping me off last year, we opted to stay in a hotel close to the start for the night. We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon after picking up our races packets and having a delicious vegan meal in at Book & Books in South Beach. Geoffrey’s status got us a room upgrade with a gorgeous view of the start line.

We met some local friends for dinner at Escopazzo, a hidden vegan-friendly gem we found through HappyCow. Although the restaurant itself is not even remotely vegetarian, the chef is passionate about raw food and prepares some of the best raw dishes I’ve ever had. The staff is very knowledgeable about veganism which was quite refreshing. I opted for pasta, which they threw together after I told them what I liked. Everyone else ordered raw items and I was thankful because I got to try a few of them. As if I didn’t already feel like I was in heaven, our waiter informed us that there was a raw vegan dessert available: chocolate mousse. Geoffrey shared one serving which was perfect.

Unfortunately, we lost track of time and didn’t make it back to the hotel until after midnight. Surprisingly, I woke up on time and was out of the room before 5am. Our hotel was conveniently one block away from a very scenic causeway which was perfect for my run. There were people on the causeway setting up the aid stations I’d later pass during the race. I had an OK run despite the few hours of sleep the night before.

Geoffrey was waiting downstairs when I got back to the hotel. Together, we walked to the start line and waited. It was very exciting to stand there with him, like nothing I’d ever felt before. There was a lot of commotion, but eventually, we were off. The first mile came quickly. I neglected to use the port-o-lets before the race so I was forced to stop for the first time ever during a race. Fortunately, Geoffrey needed to stop as well so I didn’t feel too guilty about slowing him down. That was somewhere around miles 5 and 6. We ran straight through the rest of the way.

It was very humid in the morning. I felt really hot, especially after mile 9. I was carrying water with me, but stopped for gatorade at a few of the aid stations. I had one gel at the start and three during the race. My stomach felt funny most of the time. I think it was due to the long gap between the two runs. Hopefully there won’t be a need to repeat that again in the future.

The best moment of the race was crossing the finish line with Geoffrey. I’ve seen Geoffrey go from running around the block to running a Half Marathon in just over two years. In the meantime, he ran his first 5k. He slowly, but consistently, increased his weekly mileage. He fought his way through the darkness of an injury and came out a stronger runner. He soldiered through his first 10 mile run and marked off a major goal. I know the confidence these accomplishments instill in us and I’ve seen how they’ve transformed him. I really couldn’t be happier.

I hope there will be more events like this one. We’ve already signed up for next year’s race, so I know there will be at least one more.

Strong to the finish !

Chip Time: 1:52:51
Average Pace: 8:37
Overall Place: 469 out of 2030
Age Group Place: 20 out of 201

Splits (Garmin Data)
Mile 1: 8:39
Mile 2: 8:16
Mile 3: 9:13
Mile 4: 8:39
Mile 5: 8:46
Mile 6: 8:23
Mile 7: 8:33
Mile 8: 8:32
Mile 9: 8:30
Mile 10: 8:30
Mile 11: 8:32
Mile 12: 8:25
Mile 13: 8:27

Some days, the stars align and everything just works. These are the days that help me forget about days like last Sunday and keep me racing. Today was one of those days.

I picked up my race packet on Tuesday, only two days after last weekend’s Half Ironman. My feelings about the HIM hadn’t finished sinking in yet, but I felt the need to move on. I’ve been accused of “filing things away until I am able to deal with them properly.” I should have remembered that before rushing to write my HIM race report as I left a lot unsaid. Maybe someday I’ll write a good rant about that. Or not.

I was nervous about today’s race. After running my worst Half Marathon last weekend, the thought of slipping into those same shoes for another 13 miler only 7 days later seemed like a very bad idea. I’d been looking forward to today’s Half Marathon because it would be the last race of the year for me and quite frankly, I am burned out and looking forward to a few weeks of rest. However, the thought of ending the year with another bad race made me anxious.

I took it easy yesterday, did all the typical race prep stuff and tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour. I woke up around 4:45am, had breakfast (toast with peanut butter) and drank plenty of water. The race was nearby. Geoff dropped me off 20 or so minutes before the gun went off. I stood in my usual pace corral wondering what pace my legs were actually going to run today. I lost a bit of confidence last weekend.

Some of my friends were racing as well, but I wasn’t feeling particularly social. I was actually looking forward to having 13 miles alone with my thoughts. We set off and immediately my heart sank. I felt like I was running a decent pace, but people were passing me left and right. I glanced at my Garmin, 8:16, and breathed a sigh of relief. I wanted to stick to an 8:30 pace, so I was fine.

Along the route I saw some familiar faces which I acknowledged enthusiastically. I felt good. Somewhere between miles 4 and 5, two drunk girls were on their way back from what seemed like an all night of drinking around the beach. One of them seemed cold in her tank top and asked one of the runners if he was cold. The runner responded “no, but I’m not drunk either.” Things like this happen out there. I wish I could remember more of them. Sometimes it’s the comic relief that keeps you going.

As the miles added up, my legs started to feel tired though nothing was hurting or feeling uncomfortable. I ate when I needed to, drank regularly and thoroughly enjoyed the perfect weather. It was in the 60s, sunny and just breezy enough. Oh what I would have given for this kind of weather last weekend, but I digress. As my legs grew more and more tired, it was hard to push the tempo. Still, I kept it around 8:30 and finished strong. I walked over to meet Geoffrey after crossing the finish line and still had a bit of spring in my step. I’ve never felt so good after a race. One of the first things that Geoffrey said to me when he saw me was “you don’t look like you just ran 13 miles.” I certainly didn’t feel like I had.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end an exhausting year of racing. There were some good times along with some bad, but overall, a lot of valuable lessons learned. I haven’t finalized my schedule for next year. I want to first take some time off and give my mind and body and chance to recharge. But I can tell you this, next year will probably involve fewer races, some PR attempts, and perhaps a new challenge.

Bling, bling !

1.2 mile swim – 56 mile bike – 13.1 mile run

Tired half iron girl

Total Time: 6:36:09
Swim: 1:03:50
T1: 3:58
Bike: 3:09:55
T2: 2:40
Run: 2:15:46 (Garmin Data)
Overall Place: 444 out of 677
Gender Place: 99 out of 189
Category Place: 17 out of 28

Where to start ? It’s been quite a journey. I feel surreal sitting here, sore, but elated about my most recent victory. It is certainly not one of my typical victories. Physically, I walked away with a finisher’s medal and nothing more, but emotionally, a feeling of accomplishment that is immeasurable.

Although this was the longest event I’ve ever done, it was certainly not the hardest. I’ve been in deep, dark places before, but only experienced patches of gray yesterday. The reason, I think, is because I didn’t push the envelope. For me, not finishing is not an option. The thought of a sugar crash or hitting the proverbial wall terrifies me, so I tend to take precaution during endurance events. That kind of attitude will never secure optimum performance, but it will always get me to the finish line.

The last few months have been trying, but a good learning experience for me. I’ve learned a lot about what not to do when training for a big race. Scheduling so many races so close together was a huge mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking. It really hit me when I started coming down with a cold last Sunday. I took more vitamin C this week than in my entire life combined. I slowly started to feel better, but even on the eve of the race, my head was foggy and my throat felt raspy and sore.

The race was about 50 miles from where we live, so we decided to stay in a nearby hotel the night before. I went for a ride early in the morning and got a preview of what the wind situation would be like on race day. Nothing we can do about that, so I didn’t dwell on it much. Then we loaded up the car and drove down to packet pickup, where I dropped off my bike and went for a quick dip in the lake. It was gross, but not as gross as the previous lake I swam in. Later that day I went for a short run and had a nice Thai dinner with some great friends.

I woke up around 4:30 on race morning, got ready and ate breakfast: banana, peanut butter cereal with almond milk and half a bagel with peanut butter. I also drank lots of water.

Unfortunately, I made it to transition about half an hour before it closed. Things happened, other things were forgotten. It was a frantic, not fun, very unsettling time. Here’re a tip. We’ll call it Liz’s HIM Tip #1: take whatever amount of time you think you will need to set up your transition area and multiply it by two. Give yourselves enough time. Trust me.

The Swim

My wave taking off

I actually had some friends doing this event which was exciting. I took one gel about 20 minutes before my start time and chatted with them while we waited for our waves. It was a nice way to pass the time, rather than obsessing nervously like I normally do.

And seriously, there’s no reason to obsess nervously. I learned that yesterday. So, here’s Liz’s HIM Tip #2: don’t obsess about your weaknesses. It is a waste of time ! Do your best and learn from your results. For example, I realized just how pathetic of a swimmer I am. I can’t swim a straight line to save my life and I am embarrassingly slow, but now I know what I need to improve and will work on it for my next event. I’ve already come a long way by learning to conserve energy instead of spazzing out in the water.

The swim was two laps. Fortunately for my ego, I forgot to start my watch when I got into the lake. So, naively hopeful, I started it as I went in for my second lap. I came out 33 minutes later, felt crushed for half a minute, but quickly got over myself. I’ve let bad swims cripple my races before and I wasn’t going to let that happen this time. I had a long day ahead of me.

Running back to transition after the swim

As far as the swim itself, it was nice. The water temperature was perfect and apart from the times when I was being blinded by the sun or swimming in circles, I actually enjoyed myself. Those guys on kayaks helped steer me back on course, bless their hearts. If not for them, I may still be swimming in that lake, trying to find the exit. Sigh…

The Bike

Starting the bike

Despite the crazy winds, I was excited to get on the bike. The bike course went out for 13 miles and did two 15 mile loops before returning to transition. I did the first 20 miles in under an hour. I wasn’t taking full advantage of the tail wind, though, and I’d come to regret that later. Just after the first hour, we turned into 25-30mph winds, though closer to 25. It was torture. Some people couldn’t push past 10mph and they were angry about it. I kept a steady speed but it wasn’t very impressive. I met “closer to 30″ when I came around the bend the second time and it was painful. The winds had picked up which sucked for the slower swimmers (me !).

The last 10 miles back to transition were sheer agony. I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Nasty thoughts crossed my mind and I could tell everyone around me was in the same mood. I guess we sometimes remember things differently after we’ve finished a race or just forget the bad parts. Funny how the mind works. If someone had given me a free entry to next year’s race during those last 10 miles, not only would I have insulted such a person, I may have even threatened to hurt them.

Finishing the bike

Liz’s HIM Tip #3 is simple. Train alone. Not all the time, but make sure you do some hard rides by yourself. They will help build the strength you need to fight those nasty demons that creep up during individual events like triathlons and time trials.

My nutrition plan worked for the first two hours. I alternated between gels and Lara Bars every 30-45 minutes. After the second Lara Bar, however, my stomach started cramping up and I had to figure out why. I opted for the worse of two possible reasons – I was eating too much. Fortunately, I was right. I waited until the last 15 minutes on the bike to have my last gel.

The Run

Starting the run

Despite fearing that my legs wouldn’t hold up for 13 miles, off I went. I actually stood around my transition area for a few seconds, making sure I had everything I needed. Suddenly I felt so light.

As soon as I took off, I knew it would be a slow run. My legs felt like bricks and my stomach was still feeling a bit queasy. I waited until the second mile to have my first gel. By then my stomach felt better. I saw many people struggling during the run, much more so than during the bike. I also saw a lot of people quitting while others shouted “don’t give up !” I saw a woman on the ground, semi-unconscious, my worst fear. Fortunately, that didn’t happen to me and it won’t happen to you if you follow Liz’s HIM Tip #4: eat and drink even when you are not hungry or thirsty. I burned 4000 calories yesterday and I am not a big person. Proper nutrition is important. I had a total of 3 gels during the run as well as Gatorade and plenty of water.

Starting the second lap

The run didn’t actually feel like a Half Marathon. It just felt like a really long run. I’m not sure if that is because I was running so slowly or because the last Half Marathon I did was so horrific, but even today my legs don’t feel half as sore as they did after the Atlanta mess. Whatever the case, I really didn’t expect great things from my legs during the run. I haven’t been able to train properly due to injuries and it showed.

Some of my friends come out to cheer for us. It was great to see them on the run course, the hardest part of the race. Some of them had brought their kids who were also cheering us on and holding up signs. It was really amazing. I was also happy to see Geoff each time I came through or around transition. After the race, he mentioned I’d never looked so happy during an event. Each time I passed by, I had a big smile on my face. Perhaps that is the best tip I can give you, Liz’s HIM Tip #5: when in doubt, smile. No matter how you feel inside, having a smile on your face makes you feel like a million bucks, or at least makes you look like you do and throws off the competition. You’re welcome.

So overall, there were good bits and bad bits and then there was the finish line – still the best bit of all. I know what you’re wondering. Will I do another ? Well, of course. And I’ll even pay for it.

Crossing the finish line

But before I rush off and sign up for anything else, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all who have helped, supported and believed in me. I am forever thankful for your positive thoughts, tips and well wishes. They mean the world to me and truly helped me throughout this journey. Most of all, I want to thank Geoffrey for being the most understanding and supportive partner anyone could ever have.