Apr 30 2012
Flower City Half Recap (1:29.39)

So about Flower City half marathon.  I needed a day to let this race simmer-in fact I didn’t even write a race recap until now (12:30pm).  I’m not really sure why the race itself bothered me so much, but it did.  I don’t even know what I was expecting to do but whatever it was-I didn’t do it. 

So anyways, about the race.  I went down to Rochester, NY the Saturday before.  Picked up my race packet…all the jazz and was in bed by 10pm.  I ended up driving down with Justin (awesome 50ker), Shannon (a cross country teammate of mine…her first half!) and Justin’s friend Evan.  It was such a fun car ride (all crammed into my car…with gas station coffee of course).

The morning of the race, I was feeling good (not great) but a bit tired and groggy.  We got to the race around 7 am (and it started at 7:30).  Somehow the rest of my party (ie: the boys…ran off past Shannon and I and we never even saw them till after the race).

The race started and I threw off some shirt and began.  It was quite cold, so I had to bring my first ever throw away article of clothing.  It ended up being yellow so I looked like a giant lemon between my yellow shorts and shirt (poor wardrobe choice)  I felt pretty good for the first mile (a bit stiff) but I hit mile 1 at 6:40.  Immediately, my thought process spiraled downhill and I mentally checked out of the race…at mile 1. 

I knew the hills at this race were going to push some of miles ABOVE 8 minutes (and they did).  I knew it wasn’t a PRing race (and it wasn’t).  I also knew there was another female very close to me and it just put me in a state of anxiousness (if I’m being honest…).

So with that, I hit the second mile in exactly 13:00.  Then I kept a rough 6:30 pace until mile 7.  At mile 4, they told the other girl and I we were number 9 and 10.  (I literally could not see any other females AT ALL…and I could see about 2-3 min up).  (Come to find out-an elite running group came and the first 6 females finished below 1:24)

So with that, we entered Highland Park.  A brutal couple of hills.  It climbs about 200 feet within less then half a mile…then flats and turns around and climbs an equally as painful hill.  It hurts but I am a hill runner and I like to drop people on hills.

And I did.  I didn’t see that girl again and my mind was put into ease.  At mile 9, the 1:30 pacer paced me and it was honestly devastating.   I didn’t even think I was going above a 1:30 pace, but it just put me more mentally down.

(Come to find out they finished the race in 1:27.5X!)

The rest of the race was a bit of a blur actually, I couldn’t get my gel open and it legit exploded on my face.   I was just focused on finishing and getting this race done with.  It wasn’t a race that I wanted to last forever (like last week).  It was just a race that I wanted done and over with.
When I could see the end of the race, I picked it up as best as I could and ended up finishing in a 1:29.39.  For the hills, this is a good time.  For racing last week, this is a good time.  I’m not thrilled with it but I’m willing to accept it and move on.  Not every race can be your favorite.  *I don’t need anyone to tell me to be ecstatic with my time or something along those lines and please don’t.

But on a side note my (brother’s that I stole) flats developed a hole on the side.  lolz.  

Questions for you:

Do you like hills? 

How many miles do you put on your running shoes? 

Hollie 23 Comments
Mar 23 2012
Annual Campus 5k

I was debating if I would write a race recap for this particular 5k because I  strictly did it for sentimental reasons. Then I got tagged in a bunch of photos and when I have photos to share, we all know it’s blogging time.  Partly, because I am constantly forgetting to take photos or I just don’t….

 My college hosts an annual 5k (which ends up being 3.2 miles) and I would be dammned if I would miss it.   

Even when I ran a half marathon three days before.

Even when it was 80 degrees in Potsdam.

Even when I felt like utter crap.

But I would still go and at least jog or run…whatever.  I was going to run the miles anyways-might as well run it with friends.

My ultra marathoning runner bffer Justin. Please enjoy the brightness of the sun.

Anywho-it’s nice that the race fell on a day when it was hot (so I can tan).  It’s also nice to see my college so active and it’s just me running around like my head cut off.

The 5k itself was long (closer to 3.25 miles) but I mean it’s casual.   I wasn’t too concerned.  

I don’t have too much to say about the race itself.  It hurt like a beyotch because I’m recovery from my half.  The time itself was 22:10 and for the race distance equals a 6:51 pace.  Not sure how I pulled that out and I’m pretty sure I won’t be running anything less than a 9 minute pace for the next few days.  I’m 100% okay with that. 

Look at us go.

Anyways-back to the race.  I’ve run these loops countless times.  When you can run a 7 mile loop around your entire town (and that is pushing it), road races in my area on home ground.

 I’m pretty sure I took the first mile out in around 6:30 then straight up died, but I looked fast because everyone died (per usual for people who don’t normally run 5ks).  Actually I am 95% sure I finished the race at perhaps an 8 minute pace.  Oh well. 

I never really have much to say about 5ks because it’s about 20 minutes of mindless running.  I either think a. I feel so good or b.  This is painful and sucks.  This race was a b choice.   I like to stay postive though and smile my way through races…maybe it’s because I’m a weirdo or always smiling.  God knows.  I normally throw some peace signs up at every photo op.  It’s not like I’ll take good race photos.

Anyways after finishing, I chilled for a bit and ran back home.  (Mostly along the same race course that I had just run…) and went to class.

Like I said-I love running with my friends and classmates.  It jazzes me to see other people so active.

Question for you:  Have you ever done a fun race, paced someone else in a race, or anything that does not involve racing as hard as you possibly could? 

I honestly think there is more to running every race to PR.  Sure it would be nice but it doesn’t happen.  Sometimes just going with the flow is so much more fun!  (or most of the time ;))

Hollie 12 Comments
Dec 18 2011
Weekend Fun

I hear that it is like snowing in Northern New York.

On the way to the gym.

Reasons why I love not going to a school in the same state as I go to school.  

I digress.

I suppose you might want to know about my weekend?  Or if you don’t, well I’ll still ramble away because I’m highly fascinating.

Let’s see here as I mentioned in my last blog, Justin came down to visit and run a 50k.  So we drove (by we, I mean me) drove Lorraine down from college to home (a 12 hour drive).

Along the way we got some salmon that was cooked in guiness!  Yeah…we stopped at an Irish Pub while lost in Pennsylvania.  It was like I was destined to get lost there (if you know me I like one and one beer only…take a guess ;))

I swear I'll stop taking photos with my phone...well uh no I don't.

We stopped along the beach and went for a lovely run (I guess there isn’t those in Upstate New York).  In easy runs sometimes we stop and take photos.  Duh.  Justin wore his garmin and we trucked along at roughly at 8:30 pace.  Not too shabby for stopping and taking photos and wondering a beach.

Wild hair...I don't care. After 11 miles of joy.

Like I said yesterday, Just did really well for his ultra debut.  4:07 in a 50k which is fantastic.  This was a real kick off to his new training so he is super happy.

 

After a year long nap (um..I was more tired from my 18 miles than Justin was from his 31), we went to go look at Christmas lights along VA Beach boardwalk.  You drive along the beach boardwalk with festive lights.  Please enjoy my terrible photos.  True story.

The neverending lights.
antitan camera flash.

Question for you:

  1. 1.       What did you do this weekend?
  2. 2.       Have you ever had friends come visit you from school? 
Hollie 11 Comments
Oct 18 2011
16 Miles of Doom

No I did not bike 16 miles.

Wouldn’t that really be doom?

But.

I ran 16.25 miles on Sunday for my long run.  That is a new length distance record for me by 2.5 miles.  Assured-I did it extremely smartly too.  As I could have run Monday because my legs don’t hurt.

Also something I didn’t do.  (I am learning this whole running thing slowly).

I ran today too and felt awesome, but anyways.

Don’t worry, I am just as shocked as you are.  I have no doubt spent countless 2 hour practices of swimming, but never ever in my wildest dreams would I imagine I would spent over 2 hours running on trails, on hills, and on the side of the road like I was running from the police.  Just kidding.  I spent it running with one of my closest friends at school.  The man who taught me that there are more races than 5ks (thank the high heavens).  Who has run most of my half marathons with.  Basically Justin is fantastic.

He runs marathons often.

He jogs marathons often.

He mostly just spends time on the Arctrainer in the gym though.

I would be lying to you if I said Justin probably could knit pick my brain better than 99% of people I know.  I could call him and be like Justin, I don’t want to go out to the bars tonight because I want to jog at 6 am and he would always respond with okay pick you up at 5:55. Similarly, he says Hollie I’m staying at your house over winter break so I can run a 50k race near your house.

Fine with me.  My parents might think I have real life friends.

It’s just how we roll.

—————

Right then.  So I had to choose the perfect oufit to do my long run in.  By had to choose, I mean I need to choose to do laundry and this was the only one I had left.  I had lovely photos of it, but this one just shows how technology stupid I am.

And yes I wear my hair like that when I run and no it doesn't get in my face (it's too nappy for that).

 

So anyways, we were off to the neighboring town (because I’ve logged way to many miles up in this town for a long run).  By neighboring, it was 10 minutes away.

We had originally decided that we would run for roughly an hour and a half.  I have a weird mental block against running by myself longer.  I don’t know why-but I get super nervous like I’ll drop dead or something if I run for over 1:30 in a training run. We all have mental fears mine is running for long times, birds, and getting so lost that you never make it home.

But we got to life talking and chatting.   And talking…and chatting…and running…and talking…and chatting…and still running.  See where I’m going with this?

It was at 1:31.  I was alive and we kept running.  I took a momentary stop and talked about how cool we were.  Justin is the type of fella that does not stop running.  He doesn’t take stretching breaks, stop light breaks, or you know…nap breaks.  I needed to take this moment to congratulate myself (what..you don’t do that?)

Around 1:50, I began to become cracked out.  Like I had the creepiest smile on my face, I had bulging eyes, I was running through the woods (passerbyers seemed to run further and further on the other side of the trail).  But I finished.

During this time, I thought to myself one day I’ll be capable of running a full marathon.  It made me excited.  I made my goal to conquer the half first (ie: run a sub 1:30) then move on up to train for a full.  I seemed reasonable (in my mind at least).

And I haven’t been this proud of a run in a long time. 

So Justin and I went to my favorite place ever afterwords.  The Balgary!

Where I put down a cookie bigger than my head in all of five minutes (maybe..but I’ll go with 3 minutes).

What...you don't take photos of yourself with hugh jass cookies?

So after my not so pleasent running experience on Saturday, I had the best running experience on Sunday.  Funny how life works like that.  It should stop living my life in my own world…oh wait.

Never.

Enjoy this photo of our last race. I seem to somehow miss the "sexy pose" every single time.

Question for you:

What mental blocks have you gotten over recently?

Hollie 23 Comments
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