April Showers Bring PR's

I’m determined to get my March/April events cataloged before May but before I dive into my recap of events 16, 17, and 18, I have some race announcements to share. First, as a lot of you saw I signed up for the Honolulu Marathon in December! This will be my final race, the grand finale, the big kahuna… you get the idea. But, what a lot of you don’t know is that before the marathon in December, I’ll be participating in the Indian Creek 51K in October. It’s a 30-somethingish mile trail race through the South Platte Ranger District of Pike National Forest. I’m expecting it to be beautiful and amazing and also hard.

After taking some time off after my Ironman in 2013, I’m ready to have a real goal again and to have some structure around my training. And I’m really excited to do some great trail runs this summer! The only downside is that as my race draws closer, I’ll probably have a harder time fitting in other races. I learned my lesson in Moab and will be taking this training seriously. Because of that, I’m going to focus on getting some races done in the next month or two so get ready for some “May Madness” (come on, it can be a think, okay?). There are some really good events coming up and I’m looking forward to having you guys along for the ride!

With that said, here’s what I’ve been up to in the last month:

15.5

#16 – CrossFit Open 15.5

Date: March 28

Type: CrossFit   

“Distance”: 27-21-15-9 reps for time of: Row (calories) and Thrusters

I feel like the Open ended just as I was getting used to it. Unfortunately, I missed 15.4 because of Canyonlands. No matter how much of a badass I want to think that I am, running an under-trained half marathon and then doing a crazy CrossFit workout two days later didn’t seem like a good idea, especially not with some mountain biking in between. 

I lost a little bit of momentum from skipping 15.4. In years past, I would have let that affect me and probably would have skipped 15.5 as well. But the older I get, the better I get so I got myself together on a Saturday and headed into the gym. Even though I had been through this a few times before, I was still a little nervous. I texted my friend Ali in the parking lot and told her I was scared. She wrote back and said, “You’re an ironwoman, you can do this!” My response was, “an Ironman is easier!” because sometimes it feels that way.  

I had signed up for the second heat of the day but got there a little early to warm up and cheer on the heat before me. In retrospect, I’m not sure that was the best idea because I saw just how much suffering I was in for. While the workout doesn’t appear that terrible on paper, it was brutal. I’m not sure anyone finished it and didn’t have to lie on the ground for at least five minutes.  

They say that sometimes when you experience great pain, you block out those memories and I think that’s what happened to me because the whole experience is a blur. I only remember bits and pieces but here’s what I remember:

•  As I was working through the set of 21 thrusters I thought, “When I only have to do a set of nine, that’s going to go by so fast.” Yeah, it didn’t.  
• My judge, Amy A., was the best coach and cheerleader. I’m not sure I would have gotten through it without her.
• I remember someone calling out my name and yelling “you can do it!” I think that was Anne G? Whoever it was, I heard you and appreciate it!
• 45 lbs gots really heavy after a while, and I was really struggling to lift the barbell over my head towards the end. I remember thinking about how Elmer weighs over 90 lbs. and I have a long way to go before I’ll be able to comfortably lift him over my head. Why would I ever need to lift my dog over my head? Who knows. I was obviously under duress.  
• When things got tough, I thought back to Ali’s pep-talk text, gritted my teeth, and kept going. You may not think that something that small will make much of a difference but it will. Send an encouraging text to someone this weekend if you can.
• Somehow, I got it done but I don't really remember finishing so much as I remember lying on the ground for a significant amount of time. A few people high-fived me while I was lying there. I can’t remember who they were.   
• After I picked myself up off the floor, I realized I needed to compose myself a little more before I was ready to drive home.

I felt pukey for a long time after this one but I also felt deeply satisfied.Even though the workout was a rough one, the community and support of the gym made it better. Yes, I’m still obsessed with my CrossFit gym and I’m not sorry! It’s really the most wonderfully encouraging and supportive environment I’ve been a part of. Ever. It’s helped push me beyond my comfort zone, both mentally and physically and I can’t remember the last time that’s happened.  Oh, and…

I'm a sucker for a sandwich

#17 - Thunderchief 5K

Date: April 11

Type: Run

Distance: 5K

Shwag: I think I was supposed to get a t-shirt but things were a little disorganized at registration so that didn’t happen. However, I got a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich when I picked up my Bolder Boulder packet after the race so here’s a picture of that.

So, why do I love CrossFit so much? Because I PR-ed a 5K for the first time in four years! And, to be completely honest, my previous 5K PR happened at a triathlon where, rumor has it, the course was a little short. And by rumor, I mean the GPS devices of several hundred data-obsessed triathletes who crossed the finish line and then said, with a hint of annoyance in their voices, “That run was short!”

The Thunderchief was one of the more interesting race experiences I’ve had so far this year. It’s put on by the Air Force ROTC at CU-Boulder and when I showed up for the race, I was one of the only people who wasn’t a student or a parent of a student. I felt like I was crashing some sort of school function and I have to say, is it just me or are college kids getting younger? Or is it that I refuse to believe those kids are, literally, half my age? Let’s not answer that. 

Luckily more people showed up but overall I would say the demographics were: 75% students, 15% parents of students, and 10% randoms like me. 

The race takes place on campus and it’s not a closed course so we ran a 5K on sidewalks, amidst hung-over students, tour groups, an ultimate frisbee tournament, drum circles, you name it. I think it probably wouldn’t have been too bad on a normal Saturday. After all, how many college students are generally up at 9:00 am? However, it was Admitted Students Weekend, so the place was crawling with prospective students and their families. The crowds definitely added a sense of excitement to things! Normal races are so boring. It’s much more interesting, and surreal, when you’re running through an environment where people are just trying to go about their normal day, oblivious to the fact that a race is happening.   

Leann Banrore's Race Bib

I went into the race with no performance expectations. My goal was to work on pacing and try to negative split the miles. Did I achieve my goal? Well, there were no mile markers on the course so I have no idea. That means I had no idea I was on track for a PR until I saw the finish line, looked down at my watch and realize that I had a chance to run a 5K in under 25 minutes for the first time ever. I knew it was going to be close but I gave it everything that I had and crossed the finish line at 24:54. I was barely under 25 minutes but I was a minute faster than my previous PR and I’m pretty darn happy about that.

Unfortunately, they entered my name wrong in the results so, technically, Leann Banrore PR-ed the race, not me. I guess that means I’m just going to have to run another fast 5K to have it be officially official.

Race #18 – Dash and Dine #2

Date: April 14

Type: Run

Distance: 5K

The Tuesday after my triumphant PR I decided to do the Dash and Dine at the Boulder Res. This is a great race series for a number of reasons: it’s really affordable, it has a great vibe and, most importantly, they feed you at the end. 

We had perfect spring weather and it was a lovely evening for a little jaunt. Fast Forward was also doing the race that evening so there were lots of amazing peeps with me for this one, including Therese who has been a training and racing partner (and great friend) of mine for a long time now. And, since you’re allowed to have dogs at the Res for a few more weeks, in addition to the F4 crew, Elmer joined me! 

I knew this wasn’t going to be a fast race for me. For starters, I made the mistake of doing CrossFit in the morning and if that wasn’t bad enough, I did the endurance class, which was especially tough that day. I can’t remember what we did but I know that it took me over 24 minutes and I had to lie on the ground for a while when we were done. Also, Elmer is incredibly athletic and fit but he’s not an endurance kind of guy. In fact, I feel like he would be great at CrossFit. He has a lot of power and is fast in short bursts. But when it comes to grinding it out at a steady pace, that’s just not his thing. He was also really excited and overstimulated and I was a little worried about how that would translate in the run. Also, I was 90% sure he would stop and poop along the way.  

Taking all of those factors into consideration, Elmy and I started in the back and let pretty much everyone go before we took off. Elmer runs with me a lot and so I know that he generally doesn’t like to go faster than 9:00 minutes a mile. I figured we would take it slow and enjoy the evening. However, I didn’t consider the fact that Therese was in front of us and Elmer loves Therese. He was on a mission to catch up to her and we cooked along at a pretty good clip until we caught up with her right before the turnaround at the halfway point.

By then, he and I had settled into a good pace and so we kept it up to the finish line. I had been worried about Elmer at the beginning of the race but he did a great job running right next to me, staying out of the way of other runners and not peeing on things. There was also no pooping, for either of us, which was a nice bonus. All of those factors contributed to us averaging a pace of 8:54 a mile, which is a PR for Elmer! He also came in first place in the canine division. (He was actually the only dog but does that matter?)

There's always room for ice cream!
Wait... I don't think that's how that goes.

I spent some time after the race catching up with friends and enjoying one of the most amazing burritos I’ve ever had. I’m not  being insincerely enthusiastic – that thing was exceptionally good, or I was exceptionally hungry, or both. I’m serious when I say I’ll probably do another Dash and Dine just so I can have another one of those burritos.  

As an added bonus, it was Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s so Therese, Sarah B. and I all headed to Pearl Street after the race to snag a free cone. It was a lovely way to end a great night!

Race #15: Canyonlands!

I’m long overdue for a blog post and I apologize about that. Life has been a bit busy lately and I’ve had less free time on my hands. I’m happy to report that I haven’t stopped racing. However, I haven’t had as much time to keep up my blog. I’ve done four events since my last post, one of which was the Canyonlands half-marathon in March. Even though I owe posts for the last four races, this was such an epic race/weekend, it deserves to stand alone.

Shwag

Date: March 21st
Type: Run

Distance: 13.1

Shwag: Race shirt, medal, sticker, poster

I should start by mentioning that this year was the 40th anniversary of Canyonlands Half Marathon. When I heard that, I knew that I had to do it. The race itself wasn’t stellar. In fact, it was probably one of my most poorly executed races of all time. I had no race strategy, no nutrition plan, and I was under trained to boot. I felt crummy for the last third of the race and in the last mile alone, I had some pretty interesting conversations taking place between the three year-old and the adult inside my head.

Three Year-Old Me: I don’t wanna run anymore! This isn’t fun! I don’t feel good. Let’s just stop now. Stop now! Stop right now! STOP RUNNING RIGHT NOW!

Adult Me: I know. I’m sorry I did this to you. But you can see the finish line. You only have to run for a few more minutes. Just keep moving forward.

Three Year-Old Me: But I don’t want toooooooooooooo!

Adult Me: It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. You can do this.  

 Etc., etc. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who goes through this sort of thing.) 

But regardless of my poor performance and mental breakdown in the final mile, the weekend itself was fantastic, probably one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time. This was a big race for me, not physically but emotionally. Canyonlands is the first half marathon I ever did so it holds a special place in my heart. This is a special race for me because it was the start of a new chapter of my life.  To make a long story short, and to save some of the more juicy details for my memoir, I’ll just say that four years ago, I drove out to the race with my then fiancé and when we drove home at the end of the weekend, I knew that he would never be my husband. (Doesn’t a line like that make you want to read my memoir?)

Running my first half marathon every was overshadowed by the general funk that surrounded me that weekend and I didn’t have the sense of accomplishment that I wanted or thought that I had earned. Overall, it was a bummer.

But not this time. Instead of driving out with a soon-to-be-ex, I drove out with Szabo and Scott G., two of the most wonderful people I know. The drive out was a mix of goofiness, down-to-earth discussions, trivia, serious and deep debates about apple varieties, and amazing snacks.  

Once in Moab, we were united with the rest of our F4 family, including Kaitlyn and Jen Ski. who were our roommates for the weekend. We made a quick trip into town to pick up our packets and then it was off to the pre-race pasta dinner where I ate more than one reasonably needs to eat before a half marathon, or even a marathon, for that matter. 

After dinner, Kaitlyn, Jen Ski, and I got ready for the next day’s race. Watching the two of them prep their stuff, it became clear to me that I wasn’t prepared at all, mentally, physically or logistically. It’s not that I hadn’t been training, I just hadn’t been training that much. And my training had generally been limited to running, not to planning, pacing, nutrition, or any of the other numerous components that go into having a successful race. I had a brief rush of nervousness and then I decided not to worry about it. It was too late to do anything anyway.

The next morning when the alarm went off the first words out of my mouth were “I really don’t want to run a half marathon today.” But you can’t always get what you want. I got myself ready and headed over to the shuttles with Jen Ski, where we met up with Andy T and Amy T. We hopped on the next shuttle but had to sit in the way back, with no seats or seat belts. A little dangerous? Perhaps, but that’s just how we roll.

It was a chilly standing around at the start but it wasn’t nearly as cold as it normally is and, most importantly, it wasn’t windy. Apparently it was so windy a few years ago that port-a-potties were blowing over at the start. Luckily, we didn’t have to deal with that! In fact, I don’t think we could have possibly had better weather for the race. I got to the start about an hour before the start and spent time catching up with good friends I hadn’t seen in a while. It was great to see so many familiar faces and to feel so supported. I almost wish we could have just hung out and skipped the running part. But we couldn’t.

Susan M.

Fellow Monkeys!

Jennifer P.

Jen Ski

When the race started, I tried not to get swept up in the excitement. I started off at a pace that felt comfortable and hoped that, despite my lack of long runs, I’d be able to keep it up for the entire race. Spoiler alert, I couldn’t. The short version of the story is this: I felt great for about the first 1:20 and then I didn’t. If I were looking for a cop-out, I would blame it on the beer that I drank around mile six but I know it that wasn’t it. Plus, I only took a few good swigs so it’s not like I drank the whole thing. (Note: If someone is handing out beer on the course, I will pretty much always drink it. Why not? It’s not like I’m going to win so what’s a minute or two off my time? Plus, I appreciate the effort it takes to set up a beer station. And these non-runner looking dudes in their camo just looked so thrilled to be out there. Plus, they also had bourbon and tequila. Now that’s what I call an aid station.)

Luckily, Scott G. and Szabo were at the top of the hill at mile nine, right when I was feeling my worst. Those two were cheering people on in the most amazing way and I needed every amount of amazing that I could get. They gave me exactly what I needed: the perfect mix of encouragement, tough love, and a butt slap. I hit the top of the hill with a little more pep in my step and a whole lot of love and gratitude in my heart. I guess that’s why, out of nowhere, I started to cry. I know, I know, I know. I’m such a girl but  I just couldn’t help it, and believe me, I wanted to. Crying in the middle of the race, for no ostensible reason is, well, weird. Plus, I was probably already a little dehydrated. This wasn’t helping! 

But what can I say? I was overwhelmed by how good life is and how lucky I am. I have so many amazing people in my life. And I get to do so many amazing things, like, all the time. Simply put, my life is so full in a way that it was four years ago. Really, it’s more full than it’s ever been. I have no idea what I did to deserve it, but I am so very grateful for it, and for all of you who share it with me. 

After blubbering a bit, I pulled myself together and stumbled my way into town, then to the important Denny’s landmark, and finally to the finish. I felt pretty crummy at the end so I’m taking that as a lesson learned and will make sure I’m better trained and better prepared for the next race.

Once the race was done and we had basked in the spring sun, we returned back to the lodge so we could ice our legs in the Colorado River. Plopping your butt down in an icy river isn’t for the faint of heart but it helps with recovery, or so they say. I think it was mostly a nice way to spend even more time with good friends. After that, we got cleaned up and headed back to town for some food and a little shopping before ending the day with a bonfire.

And if all of that wasn’t enough on its own, Scott G., Szabo and I capped off the weekend with a little mountain biking on Sunday. I haven’t really been mountain biking in years so those two took it easy on me, which I appreciated. And, we also hiked up to see some pretty cool dinosaur tracks.

So I had a rough race, but I didn't let that stop me from having a  great weekend. And so nice to see how far I’ve come in the last four years. It will be interesting to see where I'm at in four more.