Category Archives: half marathon

Running randoms

Posted by JessSutera in Chicago Marathon, Cox Rhode Race half marathon, half marathon, rundate, runner's high, running

My brain is all over the place today so I thought I’d jot down just a few of the things I’m thinking about. Since they all basically revolve around running, let’s call this:

Running randoms

…I really like when I’m right (trust me, this doesn’t happen all too often, hehe). Avoiding miles for miles sake on Saturday has resulted in three (yes THREE) really awesome runs this week. 7 miles on Sunday; 6 miles on Monday and 5 miles (hilly intervals) today. Sweatastic. Runner’s high-worthy. And all done on the treadmill. Who am I? Let’s hope I can keep this running streak going with another goodie on Saturday – but outside this time and with my favorite running partner with me. He and I haven’t run together in weeks, sad face!

…I just looked at my calendar on my iPhone last night. Noticed a reminder for 1pm ET next Wednesday. It was a reminder to register for the Chicago Marathon.  In just one week. Am I really signing on to run 26.2 miles?? Yes. I. Am. <—wheee!

…which reminds me: I’m wicked excited about my training plans. Both for the Providence half in May and, just a few weeks later: marathon training begins. Essentially, starting in March, I’ll be in training for ohhhh 6 months or so, give or take. Whoa. (note to self: share these self-made training plans with ya’ll sooner rather than later…)

…have I mentioned lately how much I love my bloggy friends? Last night’s tweet exchange was just another example of that:

@runcupcake Hey…if plans go right…I’ll be up in MA with @jessfit654 and @jobo_determined by my side. Could happen! #fitblog
@LiveLoveNRun WAIT WHAT? SHUT UP! I’ll so be there if that’s the case! #fitblog @jessfit654 @jobo_determined
@runcupcake @jessfit654 @jobo_determined Yep! I told them I wanted to share it with them. I have fam up there now. ;) #fitblog
@LiveLoveNRun I am totally JUMPING out of my skin excited about this! @jessfit654 @jobo_determined #fitblog
@runcupcake @jessfit654 @jobo_determined Yay!!! The four of us will rock a half together…best way to spend my first! #fitblog
hriacobacci

 Totally jealous! RT @jessfit654: @runcupcake @LiveLoveNRun @jobo_determined I LOVE THIS!! Can we pick a race date soon?? Must discus via…
This little exchange lasted another round of tweets until we agreed it was time to discuss dates and other fun logistics via email. What I love about this (besides how awesome these ladies are *and* that they so readily jumped on board) is that this will be Melissa’s first half marathon. And she wants to share it with us. Love, love, LOVE. Can’t wait to cross that finish line together, my dear! <3

…sooo, I guess it’s time to figure out which race we’ll all be running together, huh ladies? Wheels. Are. Spinning. on that one. Race details to follow. ;-)

Minor tweaks

Posted by JessSutera in balance, breathe, Cox Rhode Race half marathon, half marathon, running

Minor tweaks.

That’s the name of the game lately, especially for this week and next. This is me learning to roll with the punches just a little bit more in 2012 – Type A and all.

A few examples…

Big plans to nail the remainder of my workouts this week, including a killer double session at barre n9ne I had on the schedule for last night. That is, until about halfway through the day on Thursday when my neck started to ache. Hello late-breaking pains from the car accident on Monday night, where did you come from? Please kindly go away.
Minor tweak: skip the latter half of my planned double at barre n9ne – the fusion class which includes a fair amount of upper body work – in favor of just taking the legs class followed by an impromptu (and much-needed) date night-in with the hubs.

“Scheduling” into my calendar for next week – while in Cali – my workouts, to make sure I fit them in despite a very hectic week planned. They include:

- a final barre n9ne method class on Sunday;
- an early-AM run on the ‘mill on Monday before my flight; and a possible PM workout with co-workers (Details TBD, but lemme just say, it’ll take me WAY WAY WAY out of my comfort zone!)
- an early-AM date with the treadmill on Tuesday at my hotel followed by stretching
- an early-AM date with the treadmill on Wednesday at my hotel, hopefully a Core Fusion DVD in my room that night (or after I run if I’m up early given the time difference!)
- either a quick run on the treadmill at my hotel OR a Core Fusion DVD in my room before spending a few hours in the office on Thursday prior to heading to the airport

Once I’m home? It’ll be back to barre n9ne I go, and VERY happily so. I’m going to miss it a TON while I’m gone.

Minor tweaks: Since this is my first trip to Cali for work, I will not be venturing far from my hotel/office quite yet. I want to immerse myself into the company, get to know my coworkers, etc. so I won’t be heading off to try out a new barre studio or anything until the next trip. I want to keep my nights free for socializing with co-workers, a must-do item on my list, even if it may take me out of my comfort zone now and then (like the aforementioned “workout with coworkers” above).

And finally, another minor tweak worth mentioning: my race calendar. I laid it out all nice and perty for you here. And then I revised it again and laid it out for real this time, here.
Minor tweaks: Racing with friends is much more fun. And this time around will include racing with super crazy, super awesome running friends like Sam and “Coachy” (who I am pretty sure I’m gonna love when I meet him, crazy guy and all). So rather than run the Race to Remember in May, Scott and I have opted to run the Cox Rhode Race Half Marathon on May 6 in Providence. It’s supposed to be a super fast course. And there *may* be a PR goal lurking in my mind…but I’m not giving that one up quite  yet. For now I’m just excited to race with friends…and to officially kick off half marathon (#4!) training in March (is it time yet)??

Embracing un-routine

Posted by JessSutera in balance, career, challenge, change, Core Fusion, Gym, half marathon, healthy eating, marathon, un-routine

With just days left before I close one door and open another, career-wise, I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of change….particularly when it comes to routine, something I gravitate towards, crave, even.

With my new job will come some work travel, not a ton, but enough that it’ll get me out of my comfort zone a bit, and well, WAY out of my routine.

My normal response to lack of routine is to get anxious and annoyed that my nice little happy routine is flying out the door. But instead of going that route – and in the name of my no limits mantra for 2012 – I’m going to embrace un-routine.

…which is a huge about-face for me – a self-professed Type-A die hard and someone who loves structure and schedules and plans.

So what’s a girl to do when faced with un-routine? 

Well, you guessed it: I’m going to create an un-routine that will become my go-to when I’m traveling for work. So I’m kind of *still* being my usual Type A/plan-y self, but I’m doing it in a new place, with very few familiar faces, and no boundaries.

What I’m digging about this new job is that it’ll force me to go into uncomfortable situations and just go for it, as fearlessly as I can. So to me that means trying new things, avoiding reverting back to comfortable habits and meeting new people.

And, here are a few ways I plan to do just that, un-routine style:

Stick to my running ways, but in a different format – Maybe I’ll use the gym at the office in CA after I’m done with work for the day vs. hiding out at the gym at my hotel. Might be a great way to interact with my new co-workers in more casual environment, and it’ll give me a chance to try out what I hear are some pretty swank gym digs at that office! Plus, this coming year will be huge for me in terms of keeping up my run-durance, even when traveling. I’ll be in half marathon, and soon, marathon training mode and can’t let work travel interfere with that…at least as much as I can avoid it. So that may mean more treadmill running than I’d like, and maybe even exploring some running routes in a foreign (to me) city…which scares the pants off me…but, again – this is me embracing un-routine, right?

Explore the studios in the area – Sure, I can feed my barre obsession with Core Fusion DVDs in my room, or self-made barre n9ne workouts, but they don’t compare at ALL to the in-studio experience, let’s be honest. But why not explore a few area studios to see what they’re about? There’s a Pure Barre and Dailey Method studio nearby the office – I’ve never tried either…but when in Rome, right? Plus, it’ll give me an excuse to make dates at the barre with blog friend Naomi (the one familiar face I know I’ll see a lot of when I visit the area!!) – bonus!!

Put my food logging ways to the test – This will be a tough one for me. Work travel invariably means far less control over your food – but it can still be in my control if I plan for it. For the plane rides to/from – I’ll be packing lots of healthy snack options (think: 1 oz baggies of almonds, apples with packets of single-serve PB, homemade trail mix, etc.). For the hotel,  I’ll hit the grocery store once I’m settled for lots of water, fruit, quick breakfast options (I’m not usually a fan of protein bars but in this situation,  it works), etc. It would be a dream come true if the hotel room had a fridge in it so I could buy yogurt and stuff, but I’m not holding my breath on that one. Lunch and dinner will be more difficult to plan for, but again, not impossible. The office café will no doubt have a salad bar where I can create a healthy and yummy lunch and I’ve already google mapped my hotel to see how far Whole Foods and/or Trader Joes is, as an option for lunch or dinner too. ;-) And I’ll be damned, there will be one night per trip where I’ll order a glass of wine for the room – or even be a rebel and drink a glass all alone at the hotel bar…that would be a huge step for me, so this one may take baby steps.

Of course – I will do my best not to be antisocial when traveling to the office in Cali – if co-workers want to go out to dinner while I’m there, I won’t turn down the offer. I want to get to know these people as much as I can especially since much of our interaction when I’m remote will be on the phone or via email. But, there’s also something to be said for a quiet night in my hotel room with my homemade dinner from Whole Foods, a glass of wine, and my laptop for blogging fun, right?

And yes, all of these un-routine tips, tricks and ideas largely stem from what my sis has learned and experienced while she’s been at this work travel thing in a much bigger way than me this past year. She has some awesome tips I know I’ll be referring to OFTEN in the next few months. I hope she doesn’t mind. ;-)

But all in all? Despite the lack of routine that comes with travel, I’m oddly really excited for this change of pace (aside from the sad goodbyes with Scott at the airport…I can’t help it, I love him so!!). I know I need this stage of “discomfort” to grow and change and evolve. And, given that this is my year of no limits, I may as well put it to the test as often as possible, in as many scenarios as possible. So this is me, hanging on for dear life, for what will be a wild ride, but one that I am more than ready for, embracing un-routine and all.

Race musings, the 2012 edition

Posted by JessSutera in Chicago Marathon, half marathon, Newburyport Half Marathon, running

Race musings…that’s what I like to call these…vs. calling this my 2012 race ‘schedule’ or something. Mostly because this list may change…and very likely will. I mean, just look at my last attempt at a race ‘schedule’ for 2012 – it’s already changed since I wrote that post just a couple of months ago!

However, I will say that these musings for 2012 races feels very doable, approachable, very “me.”  Sure – there are other races and things I’d like to tack onto this list (hello, Cleveland half marathon with these fab ladies; or the Little Rock half marathon…purely to race with blog bestie Heather!), but I’m trying to be realistic with this list. Not just physically realistic, but financially realistic too, hehe. Plus, I’m not the type of runner that likes to race constantly. I race for a purpose. I run because I love it. Big difference in my book.

So, without further ado – my 2012 race musings: 

Black Cat 10/20 miler (March 4): This is the race I alluded to in my previous post. I’m using this as a “reach” race. A race that I can tuck away in the back of my mind as one I’d like to go for this winter if I can keep that run-durance up where I’d like it to be.  It would feel damn good to kill 10 miles in March. To know that I can still hit those double-digits despite lots of treadmill runs and chilly rundates this winter. So, we shall see. It’s practically in my back yard, so barring a major snow/ice storm, I’d like to nail this one.

Boston’s Run to Remember (May 27): This half marathon is just one week before I officially start training for my first full marathon (whoa). My strategy is to start full marathon training with a 13 mile base under me. This race will give me that base. Plus, it’ll give me (and Scott, my running partner in crime!) a chance to race in Boston, something I’ve always wanted to do. Total bucket list item…

Wicked Half - a return (Sept 22): This race holds such sentimental value to me. It was my first half marathon. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It tested me physically but way more so mentally. I’d love nothing more than to return to this race a stronger, happier, more confident runner. The one iffy factor? This race is just three weeks before the Chicago marathon. That doesn’t take it off the table entirely, it just might require me to take a different approach to this race – as in running this race vs. racing this race.  We shall see.

Chicago Marathon (October 7): 26.2. My first. ‘nuf said.

Green Strides half marathon (October TBD): This is by far my favorite half marathon. My proudest moment of 2011. I’d love to return to Newburyport to run this one again. But, it all depends on when this race is. If it’s the week after Chicago? Probably a no-go. So let’s hope it’s late-October next year, mmk? Plus, then I can run this one with my sis, officially or unofficially, whatever she wants. ;-)

Wild Turkey Run (5th time running! Nov 22): My favorite race of the year. Even if it’s freezing out. It brings back so many running memories…it’s a race that usually ends up being just Scott and I. And I love that. <3

(Remembering) a proud moment

Posted by JessSutera in confidence, half marathon, journey, marathon, Newburyport Half Marathon, pride, running

I had an opportunity to take a drive down memory lane yesterday – and it brought back a flood of emotions.

…of Pride.

You see, I was back in the same area that the Green Strides half marathon was held earlier this fall and as soon as I drove down the street that made up the last 3 miles of that race, my heart skipped a beat.

I was right back in that moment.

…of pushing my body to go, go, GO.
…of feeling my legs just move, moving faster than I’ve ever felt them move.
…of seeing Scott’s beaming smile and watching him arm pump everytime he looked back at me.
…of whizzing by runners left and right, the wind hitting my face, my eyes blurry from the wind whipping into my eyes.
…of turning the final corner and seeing how close we were to finishing and thinking “this is it. just GO.”
…of crossing that finish line and seeing 2:05:32.
…and thinking “holy hell, I had no idea I had that in me.”

And now? Just revisiting that area, seeing that route again, re-living the final 3 miles of that 13.1 and I am feeling even more proud than I did on that day.

It was that day, that race, that gave me the confidence in my running ability that I never had in me before. That I didn’t think even existed.

Most of all, it gave me the confidence to commit to 26.2. The minute I crossed that finish line, I knew. I want to be a marathoner. Just once. I want that.

As we near the end of 2011, I can’t help but think about how this year has shaped up for me. It’s been one helluva good year, I can’t lie. And in thinking of a way to recap the year, I thought about doing a “memories” style post or a “resolutions/goals” post for 2012.

But really? I’d rather think back on this year and honor proud moments. So that’s what I intend to do in a mini-series I’m calling “proud moments of 2011.” (so original, I know)

…and for starters, I’m definitely calling the Green Strides half my proudest moment of 2011. Without a doubt. 

**********
I’ll be back with more “proud moments” in the next couple of weeks leading into Christmas and the end of the year. But for now – I urge you: think back on your year and pinpoint your own moments of pride.  And once you do, bottle them up, harness them into continued pride, strength and confidence as we start a brand-new year.

2012: I have a feeling you’re going to be a goodie…


Reason #5,000 why I heart my blog friends

Posted by JessSutera in blogging, half marathon, marathon, runner's high, running

Reason #5,000 why I heart my blog friends: 
You get me like nobody else does.  

Case in point #1: while contemplating the whole knee issue earlier this week, I tweeted about a devil on one shoulder (run, run!) and an angel on the other “rest! rest!” to which I got an immediate DM from my blog bestie, Heather:

How could I *not* obey her after that order? And she was totally right (who cares that it took about ten emails back and forth before I finally agreed with her…minor detail!). The point is – she “gets” me, how my brain works, why I am the way that I am. She rocks. ‘nuf said.

And then last night…I was sitting here contemplating (doing lots of contemplating this week!) the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon that opened today for registration. My husband is trying to get me to think practically about this race but all I want is instant gratification – I want it NOW. I want that race checked OFF my race bucket list! But my husband? He’s much more patient than I am. So we’ll see who wins this little battle. To be continued…

<but I digress, whoops. I was on a sushi high when I wrote this last night, sorry about that>

Case in point #2: While thinking about races for 2012, I got involved in an awesome twitter convo with my sis and some of our runner friends in CLE (Alicia, Heather) and down south (Lee). The topic? My sister’s awesome idea for a 6 month “challenge” for running, that takes after the barre n9ne challenge, in spirit. And gathering up various runner friends to join her (and us) “virtually” for the next six months.

Here’s how it started:

Alicia Hansen
@JessFit654 @jobo_determined @inmytummylee I could be talked into this. The @clevemarathon half is 6 months away, almost exactly to the date
Heather Mursch

heatha262

@jobo_determined @poiseinparma @JessFit654 @inmytummylee@clevemarathon Don’t mind me butting in, but are you girls going to run CLE?????
<Can you sense where this is heading??>
Alicia Hansen
@heatha262 I was just going to suggest that to them!@jobo_determined @jessfit654 @inmytummylee
Heather Mursch
@jobo_determined @poiseinparma @JessFit654 U and Jess should run this! It’s a great flat course – and it’s in CLE! Whooooooo! #overexcited
jobo

@heatha262 @poiseinparma @JessFit654 well…maybe I could be convinced ;-) CLE…really flat? Promise??
Alicia Hansen
@JessFit654 @heatha262 @jobo_determined we’re pretty similar to Boston all year round. & I host one mean pasta dinner the night before
Heather Mursch

@JessFit654 @poiseinparma @jobo_determined I’m a damn good out of towner hostess, too. And I make a great cocktail! :)
jobo
@JessFit654, @heatha262, @poiseinparma you guys are the best! I’m keeping it high as a possibility :) high is good!
Heather Mursch

@jobo_determined @jessfit654 @poiseinparma Don’t worry, I’ll follow up. Many times. X100
Lee

@jobo_determined @jessfit654 @heatha262 @poiseinparma it would be fun to find a race that we could all do. i’m the oddball in the south.
Lee

@jobo_determined @jessfit654 @heatha262 @poiseinparma ooh, the website says flatest and fastest courses in the country!
jobo

@inmytummylee @jessfit654 @heatha262 @poiseinparma flattest in the country? That is well, awesome.
Sooo….now I’m hooked.
…on awesome blog friends who “get” me.
…on the idea of not just running with friends, but racing with them, too.
…virtually…and in-person.
Wheels. Are. Turning. 
PS. Have I mentioned how much I heart my blog friends, lately (yes, YOU)? Because I do, I really, really do. <3

Racing towards 26.2

Posted by JessSutera in challenge, Chicago Marathon, half marathon, marathon, Newburyport Half Marathon, running

After following along while so many fantastic runners took to the NYC streets yesterday for the ING NYC marathon, thoughts of my own 26.2 plans were not far from my mind. I’m already starting to mull over how I want to approach this ginormous goal of mine — and finding a way to make this marathon training my own.

…making it (26.2) mine is so important to me. 

I fully realize that this is going to be both an incredibly rewarding experience but also an incredibly hard road towards 26.2. The “hard” part I’m totally ready for, but I also want this to be fun. It’s also something my husband feels pretty strongly about — making sure we’re having fun along the way, and not getting too caught up in running and racing and nothing else. <Expect a few more posts on how we plan to approach training for 26.2… there’s just so much I want to say…!>

One way I think we’ll make this whole thing more “fun” is by picking a few really great races to weave into our training plans for next year.

So far, these are just a couple of the ones we’re mulling over — and in some cases, we’re going to have to decide pretty quickly given when registrations open for a few of these! (nothing like planning ahead, right??).

May 27, 2012:  Boston’s Run to Remember — I’ve always wanted to run in Boston and this might be our best shot of doing just that. Plus, this would help us both ‘stay honest’ with our running endurance over the winter months…knowing a half marathon is on the schedule for early-spring and all. And, this would be a great way to officially kick off our marathon training — by running a killer 13.1 (no pressure or anything?!) and starting full training with a nice base to go on.

July 15, 2012: Napa to Sonoma wine country half marathon…remember my “half marathon bucket list” race in Healdsburg I have been dying to run? Well, that one isn’t until late-October which is *after* the Chicago marathon, but this one? It fits *way* too perfectly into our training schedule to not at least consider it. Plus, this would quasi-qualify to me as a bucket list item checked off the list. And it would kind of make up for missing out on the wine country three-peat this past fall. A colleague of mine has run this one twice and LOVED it. C’mon, any race with wine at the hydration stops the last few miles is an *awesome* race in my book. **This one fills up fast (shocker) and registration opens on Nov 15…I’m thinking we just HAVE to do this one, can I get an amen on that??

Hmmm…that’s two “training” races which feels about right. *But* I loved the Green Strides half marathon so much this year that I definitely plan to run it again. The 2012 date hasn’t been announced yet but I’m hoping it’s either earlier this year so I can run it before Chicago…or that it’s later in October so we can run it *after* we run Chicago. Either way, it’s on my 2012 race list ‘fo sho!

Other than that, though, I’m not sure if we’ll sign up for many other races — I sort of want to run a 10k at some point, mostly because I’ve never run that distance in a race before and like the concept of breaking down 26.2 miles into two 10ks and one 5k. So that’s lurking in the back of my mind, too.

But what’s really lurking in the back of my mind? Just how excited I am to run the Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2012 — with my best friend by my side. Racing towards 26.2, having as much fun along the way as we can. We got this babe, yes we do. :-)

So, 26.2.

Posted by JessSutera in half marathon, marathon, motivation, Newburyport Half Marathon, runner's high, running

Yes, I’m* still* riding runner’s high from Sunday.
(hope you don’t mind…) 

And no, I haven’t run since then and don’t plan to until Saturday.
…just like I promised. (running smart, my new mantra…)

But, I have to get something off my chest.

I can’t stop thinking about 26.2.

Sunday’s race showed me that my body *is* capable of much more than I ever thought or ever trusted it to do.

Before Sunday the sheer thought of 26.2 miles sent my heart racing and my palms sweaty.

Now the thought of it excites me and energizes me, drives me.
…to continue strengthening my body.
…to continue to build my endurance.
…to continue to run smartly, proudly, happily.
I’m ready to conquer 26.2.

But now the question becomes – which 26.2?

I’ll be honest and say that there is one race that’s on my shortlist right now.
And it’s Chicago.

And here’s why.
…it’s the weekend of Columbus Day (so the hubs won’t have to worry about time off from teaching).
…it’s the day after my 33rd birthday (whoa).
…it’s nearly a year away, plenty of time to train (in the summer especially).
…and my mom has already agreed to RV it to Chicago to cheer us on, act as race day photog, *and* provide me with my own personal bathroom on the course. (HUGE bonus!)

It’s destiny, no?
(I can think of at least one, two, ok – three people who are probably really excited that Chicago is on the shortlist).

So now what?
Do I call Chicago “it” and start preparing (i.e. “training”…my way)?
Or do I really have to wait until February when sign-ups open to throw the gauntlet down on 26.2?

Hm.
I’m thinking the former….whatcha say? ;-)

…347 days and counting.

Snapshots and snippets from 13.1

Posted by JessSutera in confidence, half marathon, marathon, Newburyport Half Marathon, runner's high, running, sweat

Well. I’m *still* grinning like a fool (as my blog bestie Heather would say!) over Sunday’s race day PR.

I *still* can’t quite believe we ran 13.1 in 2:05:32. 
*OR* that we ran it at a 9:35 average pace according to the official race results.
…does that mean I am speedier than I thought?!

Who knew. Apparently my body was waiting to surprise the sh*t out of me on race day, and surprise me it did.

Now that I’ve had a bit of time to digest this fact, I’ve been reliving portions of the race in my mind (which makes for quite a distracting Monday, lemme tell ya!).

So I figured I’d share some snapshots and snippets from the race on Sunday since it’s basically the only thing I can think about right now!

…it’s mile 10! Right around the time that my body totally took over and my mind let go. I have never run the last 3 miles of 13.1 that strongly. Unreal.

…giving mom the thumbs-up, feeling good, feeling strong, feeling proud!

…and now it’s back to business, game face on, about to round the bend towards mile 11.

…around the bend we go (um, wtf is up with the guy in the orange vest? Just noticed that..haha)

…my sis and M, running strong. GO YOU!! Love the unofficial racers, running strong. Proud sister alert ;-)

…and DONE! 13.1 strong! (if you look really close, you can see the wiped look in my eyes, beneath all that pride, of course ;-) )

Just looking back at these pictures from yesterday makes my heart soar with pride. And…it makes me want to run another half, and another and another…and then 26.2. Which is now really weighing on my mind (in a good way)…but that’s a blog conversation for another day. For now? I’m basking in runner’s high/PR glory for as long as I can. I hope you don’t mind. ;-)

…but before I go, I’ll leave you with a few funny snippets of things overheard while running 13.1…

“I heart sweat! Keep going, you’re not sweating enough!” (says the guy practically taunting me to run harder after he saw my super cute “I heart Sweat” shirt ala Ali).

“I heart sweat! Now you’re sweating! Keep going!” (says the same dude at mile 10, guess I proved that I was indeed sweating hard enough for him!)

“Remember that time, we were driving with Bob…and he was totally tripping on acid…but didn’t realize it, so we kept asking him if he was ‘feeling it yet’ and he kept saying no, and then we asked him again and he finally started laughing when we asked him if he was tripping…” (says some random woman re-living her Dead Head days…um what? acid?? seriously? Is this really race day fodder??)

“5k to go! 5k to go! 5k to go! 5k to go!” (says the woman at the mile 10 marker who made me smile SO BIG knowing that we’d gotten to that ever-elusive final 5k of the half)

“Just 300 more yards, looking good!!” (says the guy 300 yards from the finish line…this is when it hit me that whoa, we’re thisclose to being done, PUSH IT!!)

The day I worked for that PR

Posted by JessSutera in faith, half marathon, Newburyport Half Marathon, runner's high, running

Holy crap.

I just PR’d my third half marathon by 8 minutes. 
This after PR’ing my last half marathon by 10 minutes.

But this PR? It feels quite different.

Today, I worked for that PR.
…really worked for it.

Sure. I went into this race with the same goal I had for the last half marathon - to run happy, to run proud, to finish strong. No PR time lurking in the back of my mind.

…well, not *really* anyway.

I knew I wanted to run this half faster than the last, but I didn’t have a number in mind, I just wanted to run strong. I knew the weather conditions were going to cooperate and the course would be much flatter and less hellacious hill-wise. Which gave me a confidence boost – I could remove those two barriers from my mind and just run. Run strong, run hard, run proud.

I repeated those three things in my head throughout this race.  Almost like a chant. Just to keep my mind from running wild on me – which it threatened to do quite a few times for the first half of the race. I told Scott I was struggling around mile 5 or 6 and he looked at his watch and told me, “no, you’re not – you’ve just run your best miles yet.”

And then it hit me: I wasn’t struggling, I was working for those miles.

It was in that moment that a switch flipped — as soon as I realized what was happening, that my body was working for those miles – and ultimately for that PR – that I started to trust it more. To let my body do what my mind kept trying to tell me wasn’t possible.  

And what my body was trying to tell me was this:
That I could run faster. That I could run stronger. That I could run prouder.
…that I could run 13.1 miles in 2:05:32. 

And for that? I am so proud.
…proud that I let my body do the work.
…proud that I learned to shutter those self-doubt thoughts lurking, those “struggle” thoughts.
…proud that I finished what I started.
And ran a race to be proud of.  

The day that I worked for that PR. Today was that day. 
13.1 all done.

*********
Editor’s note: pictures to come tomorrow thanks to my mom, official race day photographer. And special thanks to my sis and M for not just showing up to support us but to run a portion of the course “with” us (9.5 miles, they might as well have run the whole thing! Next time?…). <3