Las Vegas RnR race report...

First let me start by saying...I AM BOSTON bound...I got that taken care of! Woo Hoo!

Saturday December 5th...Board the plane to Vegas! MY last race of 2009...NEED to make it count. NEED to PR! On the plane I make the perfect play list and look forward to hooking up with all my peeps at the airport in Vegas when I land!

packed 7 peeps in a 5 seater...FUNNY!

Arrive early into Vegas..MY sister & her friend Karen, Monica, my cousin John and his buddies all connect! AND off to the MGM we go! Check in...2 rooms between the 7 of us race night...ONLY 1 room ready! We all head up to the 1 ready room and walk in to find maintenance caulking the sink in the bathroom...NEW room assignment...throw all our bags in the room! Head to Mandalay Bay to the expo!

Monica and I with our free Wynn Beanies on! DORKS!

More.....dork!

Cold walk to the expo....check in get our bibs, etc....met up with some cool twitter people..and then headed for a little lunch! More cool twitter people...back to the hotel...get gear ready..laid out..YOU know the geeky stuff us runners do!Dinner for 16 at Fammia in the MGM...YES...all the cool twitter people, my sis, Mon, the John's and George...GOOD times...Dinner for me CHICKEN and salad...NOT enough chicken. NEEDED a whole chicken...a few stellas and then back to the room to go NIGHT NIGHT!

Alarm goes off at 4:15AM...UGH! I hate 6:15AM start times..throw our gear on...choke down half a bagel and big starbucks coffee...AND off to the start me and my crew head!

HERE's the deal..IT was 30 out and it felt like 25 to me. I planned for the cold so I was OK....walking over to the start helped get us warmed up...My sister and her friend Karen's first half marathon so she had to take pictures of all of us, etc...They were walking it...realizing we only had 25 mins til race start Monica and I headed to corral #2 with the 3 boys who were in corral #1! My cousin John wanted to PR the course and Q for Boston again...the boys lined up with the 3:10 pace group and Monica and I hung back a little in the front of corral #2!

A fake Celine Deon sang the national anthem...countdown...

wheelchairs were off!

Then corral 1...then Monica and I were off!

I had a race plan...I sharpied it on my arm...I knew exactly how I was supposed to race Vegas...BUT of course at mile one when I looked down at my watch and realized I just ran a 6:40 mile...and lost Monica...I needed to regroup and slow the heck down...I finally got back on pace and my first 10k was right on pace....made the turn out to mile 13 and was still feeling pretty good...hit the first half exactly on pace...and then something happened...

I hit a wall...wasn't feeling it...and wasn't loving what I was doing...wished at one point I quit with the half runners...wanted to DNF for the first time in my life...WTF? Mentally I wasn't where I needed to be to push thru for a PR...the mind games started...miles 16 to 20 were complete CRAP! My calves cramped and also a steady incline that made me question this sport...Mile 18'ish I saw my cousin John who was ahead of the 3:10 pace group...at that moment I prayed that he would get the PR, BQ and take any MOJO I had in me...

I knew I was Boston bound anyway....

Mile 20 I got my race back..and I was still pacing for a sub 3:28...my body was tired..my quads not loving me...I picked up some speed on the gradual descent...hit mile 24, an overpass that was a hill...and I walked...NOT to mention from mile 20 on I walked every aid station..NO lie. I needed the recovery for my legs. Mile 25 winded around the back side of Mandalay Bay...

which was ugly and I walked a little...

hit mile 26 and decided to get my crap together and get the race done! HAHA!

Finished at a 3:37 and some change! Didn't care about not PR'ing...still a good race time. COULD have been faster...for sure. Placed 16th in my AG and 129th female finisher overall!

Here is what I learned in Vegas...13 marathons in one year is retarded...

you can't PR every race when you are running that many in a year.

I also learned that if you are NOT mentally in the race you are screwed...

and I learned that what is happening in your personal life affects how you train and race...

sometimes it's better to back off, regroup and make a new plan.

SO...my plan for 2010 is Boston for a PR! Ironman to finish under 12 hours...

and some tri's and 13.1's in there too.

SOME GREAT races by my peeps in VEGAS:

Cousin John... 3:09:49 Boston Q! PR!

George...3:09:50 Boston! He only trained for 7 weeks BTW!

Jared...3:07 Boston Bound and a PR!

Monica....2:00 for the half...NO training! LOL

Teresa, my sis and her pal Karen...3:24 walking the half! First 1/2 marathon ever!

Getting it DONE..Big Sur..race report…

The plan was to run the Malibu Marathon…BUT a silly thing called LIFE got in the way…dealing with personal stuff and knowing that I needed to stay close to home in RWC…SO…. I backed out of Malibu…it was a sad BUT right decision.

Big Sur just happened…I got a last minute entry and I took it happily. I had heard a lot about the courses beauty…. so I was pretty excited to race.

Headed to Monterey Saturday afternoon to pick up my race stuff…met up with my PAL for some chicken nachos and a few beers! http://www.peppersmexicalicafe.com/

Checked into a crappy hotel…and then got the news that my application wasn’t accepted for Boston…PISSED off I fell asleep around 11PM…. woke up at 5:45AM equally pissed.

Sunday RACE morning was cold…the sky was clear BUT it was cold…I layered up in a base layer, long sleeve dry fit, tights, a vest and gloves…. headed to the race start…and hung out just watching and listening to the people. So many people running their first race…that is always fun to see the excitement in their eyes!

Lined up in the corral…decided to hang with the B crowd…still layered…still cold…A corral took of at 7:05 and 1 minute later the B corral was OUT!

I made the mistake of NOT even looking at the course…or even coming up with a race strategy…I also made the mistake of not bringing my own GU…

The first part of the course winds through downtown Monterey….then out thru Cannery Row and into Pacific Grove…pretty rolling first 6 miles..My calves weren’t working properly for some reason…and I was pacing a little under 8 min miles…NOT fast and NOT feeling the race.. I knew I could go faster and FINALLY at mile 8’ish decided to get my race on. Hit the turn around and it was downhill for about a mile…I kicked it into gear and started pacing around 7:10 min miles from there out…The entire second half of the Big Sur course is along the ocean….the air felt crisp and good on my face…BUT my body was so hot from all the layers that I was mad at myself for not checking my stuff…I was also still pissed about the Boston screw up and mentally I was disconnected from my race.

Finally hit the 11-mile mark and started pushing a little harder. MENTALLY I got myself IN CHECK…NEEDED to be done the entire race….the final push was on a bike trail…it was pretty flat and fast…I looked at my watch and realized that if I pushed a little harder I could PR…with a 1:40 and change…picked up a little speed and saw the finish line ahead of me…the clock said 1:41:48…wooo hooo! PR’d by 1 minute! Remember the staggered corral starts?

Post race beers and deep fried pickles at the Mucky Duck with @g_monee...GOOD times! http://www.muckyduckmonterey.com/index.html

WHAT I do know is that I can run a half faster then I did in Big Sur…what I learned is that every race needs a strategy…even the little ones. I also learned that your body heats up pretty fast and that’s why they have sweat checks!

Overall BIG SUR Half is a gorgeous course…and the race is very organized. Stuck around for the race awards…never do that…and was motivated by all the top finishers and the speed that was out on that course. This race was NOT a top 10 for me in my age group…I was 13^th and ???? overall female finisher. I KNOW that I have to up my game so I can run with the fast chicks. I also KNOW now that YOU can’t let the stuff in your head affect your race…

Next up…VEGAS Rock and Roll Marathon…see ya there!

I’m in corral 2 and I’m #2369!

Getting MARATHON #16 & #17 done... in 7 days!

Yeah, I've done 3 in 13 days...so I thought 2 marathons in 7 days piece of cake...When I did Boston to Big Sur in 6 days...NO BIG..I ran a great race in Boston, NO PR, BUT I battled...In Big Sur I went with the motto HAVE some FUN...did just that! NO PR in Big Sur...wasn't my intention. SO When I did PR on the 3rd marathon in 13 days in Eugene...

MY expectations of myself got a little HIGHER!

Santa Rosa! PR!

The BIG PR in Santa Rosa sets my BAR a little high...HAPPY as heck to be a sub 3:30 marathoner...I KNOW I can get better and faster...I know I made mistakes...STILL need to learn few lessons. 3:28 in SR was a cool accomplishment for me! FOR most maybe....

MAUI...KILLED my MOJO...Psychological crap to deal with...NEXT race COWTOWN...NOT too BAD no PR a top 5 finish and a top 10 overall finish...MISSED a PR by 1 MIN...SO that I can call a wash..DID I mention that was 1 week before Long Beach????? 10/4....Swag!

Here's where it gets tricky...GET to Long Beach...check the course...FLAT and fast with a downhill finish..hmmmm....thinking I can PR...NO problem...ALSO not remembering what I have been advised...DO NOT RACE Long Beach...it's a LONG training run...DO my pre-race thing...Ya know chicken nachos and beer w/@runner03....

Roberto and I!

Meet up with the the twitter clan for some more pre-race "get your mojo on" kind of fun...HEAD back to my room and get my gear ready....You know...the norm. GO to sleep thinking 1 thing...PR this COURSE!

Alarm goes off at 5:15AM on 10/11....I get up (WAS the hardest time I've ever had getting up for a race)...hit the coffee..get my stuff together...race gear on & packed my belt... @runner03 called from the lobby and 6AM we hit the road to the start! GET there with 15 mins to spare...stand in the bathroom line...YEH, that wasn't moving...DECIDED to head to the start....

COULDN'T get in with wave 1....WHERE I was supposed to be...

SO we ended up in wave 2...RIGHT behind the 3:40 group...

THIS is where the mind games begin for me....

I check my watch...Start time for me is like 3+ minutes after the clock time...SO of course I am NOW pissed I'm not with wave and I break out...WAY ahead of the 3:40 group now...pacing a 3:25 most of the first half...til 16 miles maybe...

CUZ I know I am better then a 3:40 pace.

DUMB attitude...

Lets just say...I started to REALLY listen to my body at mile 18...ITB's a little rough...and I couldn't seem to get enough nutrients into my body. YEH...I was drinking a ton of fluid...

BUT the GU was hard to choke down...BY mile 16 I had only taken a GU and a half and 2 salt tabs...JUST wasn't feeling it! Decided I would NOT aid station til 20, (MISTAKE #28) and would then do a little GallowayING. If I could just finish under 3:45 I would be happy....AND truly ALL I was shooting for on this SUPPOSED to be LONG Run was a 3:45 max! MILE 21 came and went and GUESS what? SO did the 3:40 pace dude..Stuck with them til 23....HERE's where the nutrition ISSUE kicked in...calves started to hurt a little...dehydration perhaps...took 2 more salt tabs...GOT sprayed with some cool down spray on my legs...

ITBands were killing me..NOT just one BUT 2...NO Ibuprofen pre-race either...MISTAKE #29...SO I sucked it up GallowayING to mile 24...YES..I walked between 23-24..LOSER!

MY RACE JUST started...MANY people were fading at the 22-24 mark...I got a second wind around 24 and picked it up. ALL the powerade kicked in perhaps...MAYBE the line up of fans...WHO Knows...LOOKED at my watch and realized based on my start time I would still sub 3:45 and of course BQ ANYWAY! Mile 25 to the finish was a complete downhill...FAST last mile..MY pace was around a 7 min mile...WAS picking off lots of chicks and dudes...that felt pretty good...

ME! AT Mile 24!

Moral of the story...GO into the race with a strategy (amateur mistake)...NO flip flopping...AND I did that all the way from the expo to mile 16'ish...THE other mistakes...fueling my body is necessary in endurance racing even if my MIND is saying something else....CHOKE IT DOWN!

THE other lesson I learned...

A Blackberry cannot absorb 26.2 miles of sweat

and keep working...