Denver Marathon Race Report

I'm not even sure that I'm ready to write this race report. I'm not sure that I've had enough time to let the experience set in. I know that there are a few people who might be interested in what my race was like - so mostly I'm writing this to share the details...

We (my hubby and I) headed to Denver early Saturday morning. We checked into the hotel, met up with my mom (who came from OH to see me run), and headed over to the Convention Center. We got to the expo around 1:00 to pick up my number and chip. I also decided to buy a new skirt to run in rather than the shorts I bought on Friday night. I broke cardinal rule number one - "don't try anything new on race day". Well, the skirt was just so cute I couldn't pass it up! Plus it had POCKETS! None of the shorts I own have pockets so I had no where to store my Honey Zingers. Anyway...back to the story.

While we were in Denver we were also able to meet up with the best man from our wedding (Matt). After visiting with Matt for a couple of hours we went to dinner at Vine Street Pub. We ended up eating a little bit later than I would have preferred. Got back to the hotel at a respectable hour and tried to get some "sleep". I had the alarm, my phone, and a wake-up call set for 4:45. Basically, I was up every 30 minutes looking at the clock waiting to get up. Thank goodness I did get some good sleep on Friday night.

When 4:45 finally rolled around I set out for the Starbucks across the street from the hotel. I was a little stressed about where I would get my oatmeal from on race morning, but good ol' SBX came through for me!

I had arranged to meet a friend of mine from Silt, who was also doing the full marathon, in the lobby at 6:15. So, after eating breakfast, I had plenty of time to don the race gear. Skirt, tech shirt, shoes, etc. Everything felt "just right"!

As we got to Civic Center Park the porta-potty line was very easy to find - because it was so long!!! Finished up that task with about 15 minutes to spare. Just enough time to check my bag and make my way to the corral.

I figured I'd start somewhere between the 4:00 and 4:30 pace groups. That's where my training would put my finish time. The corrals were VERY crowded and it was tough to find a spot, but eventually I made it across the start line - about 7 minutes behind the gun.

As I started off - I was near tears for the first mile. I'm sure that was for lots of different reasons - excitement, fear, etc. As I settled into my pace and found my own space I was so happy! I was excited to finally be in this moment, proud of myself for all of the hard work I put into this, and just having a good time taking in the sites of the city of Denver during a beautiful morning.

The first half of the race was pretty uneventful. I felt great! Legs were fresh, nothing was hurting. I had to stop around mile 8 (I think) for a potty break and some refueling. Up to this point I had been drinking water at every aid station.

I did start to second guess myself around mile 9. I wasn't sticking to my plan of running a mile, walking a minute. I had done this on all of my long runs and my splits were pretty consistent. My splits were consistent during the race, but I was about 15 seconds per mile faster than I should've been. Rookie mistake, right?? "Don't go out too fast, aim for negative splits." Oops. More on that later.

As I approached mile 13 I was very envious of the people who were running the 1/2...I was wishing I was one of them. I pushed on down 7th Street (I believe) and was still feeling pretty good. After the turn around I started getting hungry and parts of my body started screaming. When I got to Washington Park things started going downhill pretty quickly - and not in a good way.

Mile 19 was tough...I really wanted to quit, had a few tears and a few words with myself and pulled it back together. I wonder if Washington Park was more of a mental challenge or a physical challenge? I knew I had fallen off my pace for a 4:15 finish and was looking at a 4:30 finish - a far cry from the 4:00 I was hoping for. The way the park is configured you can see all of the runners who are about 30-45 minutes ahead of you looping towards the exit. It was very frustrating to see how far ahead they were and knowing I had a long way to go, just to get through the park! I had used up all of my Zingers long before mile 20, so I took a Shot Block from the cute little cheerleaders at the aid station just in case.

I finally made it out of Wash Park and was determined to finish this thing. The 4:30 pace group passed me somewhere near mile 22 and I didn't want to let that fading dream get too far away, but then, my AWESOME husband appeared out of no where. He caught me at the perfect moment! I was in tears (yes, again) and walking. I had just turned on to 1st Avenue and in to mile 23. There he was ready to snap some pictures...perfect timing! He gave me a good pep talk, walked with me a bit, and left me smiling. I told him to jog ahead a bit and I would start running so he could get a "good" picture of me. You be the judge...















Since I only had 3 miles to go my spirits were up. I was so excited about finishing this endeavor that I honestly don't remember any pain. The folks who were running near me were definitely feeling the pain I was. We must've all been a little bit punchy because we were awfully chatty. That was a good change. Twenty-some-odd miles of running in silence is BORING!!!

As I caught a glimpse of the Capital Building I started to pick up my pace, even though there was a slight uphill. I felt as though I was sprinting but um, no, not so much...I think my split was about 10:30 on that one. :)

I saw my hubby and Matt right before the finish line and gave them a quick high-five. As I crossed the line I threw my hands up in the air and let out a great big "woo hoo!" I'm sure I looked like an absolute dork, but I earned it!!!

I received my two bottles of water and then my MEDAL!! Such an awesome feeling! My hubby joined me in the post-race area. I think he was surprised by how much energy I had left - I think he was expecting me to collapse.

We met up with my mom and headed back to the hotel, after a stop by Subway. As soon as I inhaled that sandwich, I took a short, luke warm shower (ick), and then lowered myself to the tub for an ice bath. Not fun, but so worth it. I stretched for a bit and took a short nap. Sunday evening I was feeling pretty tight but not terrible. We went to a great restaurant for dinner (Irish Snug on Colfax). When we returned to the hotel B and I went for a short walk on The Mall to find some ice cream.

I was a little afraid to go to sleep because I was afraid of how sore and tight I would get over night. But, surprisingly I felt great today! It's a little rough getting up out of a seated position but I can make it up and down steps under my own power. Pretty good for a first timer.

Now on to the numbers...
Mile 1: 9:32
Mile 2: 9:12
Mile 3: 9:31
Mile 4: 9:14
Mile 5: 9:27
Mile 6: 9:20
Mile 7: 9:14
Mile 8: 11:10
Mile 9: 9:21
Mile 10: 9:31
Mile 11: 9:50
Mile 12: 9:14
Mile 13: 10:08
Mile 14: 9:55
Mile 15: 9:15
Mile 16: 10:44
Mile 17: 11:00
Mile 18: 10:45
Mile 19: 10:46
Mile 20: 11:22
Mile 21: 11:24
Mile 22: 10:23
Mile 23: 11:26
Mile 24: 11:19
Mile 25: 12:01
Mile 26: 10:47
.2: 10:01

Garmin Time: 4:30:08
Chip Time: 4:33:20
Gun Time: 4:38:25


Thoughts for the next marathon...
I'm definitely going to change my training plan. Not sure to what, but whatever it is I will definitely run more long runs. Due to weather and injury I was only able to get one 20+ miler in. I believe I ran 2 16's, 2 18's (early on in the training cycle), and 1 20+ miler. Obviously this was one of my problems.

I'm also questioning the likelihood of qualifying for Boston in my next attempt. I was hoping to do that this Spring (April 2009) in Salt Lake City. I really don't think I can shave off 50 minutes between my first and second marathon. I don't know what the "learning curve" is in this situation, but I'm pretty sure it isn't possible without quitting my job and training full time. Hmmm...the idea has merit!


Before I end this report I want to say thank you to all of the people who have supported me through this endeavor. First of all my hubby - he has put up with a LOT of crap from me and helped me to keep everything in perspective. I also owe a big thanks to all of my work friends who've had such kind words for me, although, I know they all think I'm crazy! Thanks also to the WL Forum of RWOL - you gals are the best! Especially LA Runner - you are such an inspiration! Thanks also to the BF folks who also suffered through the trials and tribulations of training for a first marathon. I think the second marathon should be considered a "THE first". Concur? Finally, thanks to my other "local" runners - deltarose and Kazz. I look forward to all sorts of fun with you gals in the future.

In the event that I have some major epiphany regarding my experience I will update this diatribe. Thanks so much for spending your time reading.

Some pictures from the race...














"Break Down at Mile 23"



















Post Race

September 15 - October 9

Yup. I've been a slacker again. Oh well...the important part is I'm updating now, so just be happy with that. :)

I won't bore anybody with the details of my last month of marathon training. I'll do a quick synopsis of the highlights.

The weekend after the Lead King Loop I was signed up for the Buena Vista Autumn Colors Half Marathon. Up to that point I had been ignoring some knee pain for about a month. I didn't know what was going on in there and it didn't really hurt too bad when I ran. When I tried to stretch, however, that was a different story. I could hardly straighten my left leg. The Thursday before the 1/2 marathon I did an easy 3 mile run on a treadmill. The next day, I could barely walk. It wasn't my knee that was bothering me (well, yeah, that hurt too) but the bottom of my left foot right on the ball. Seeing as I could barely walk on Friday night I had no idea how I planned on running a half marathon the next day. I iced and rested and decided to at least start the race. I would've been so mad at myself if I didn't TRY to run it. The 1/2 started at Cottonwood Lake at around 10,500 feet. The first 7 miles or so were a steady down hill. My splits were about 8:10-8:15 for the first three miles. Not too bad, but I knew I needed to slow down if I had any chance of finishing. So I latched on to a guy who was running the pace I should've been running. He was great. We stuck together through mile 12. I had a slight breakdown there - I was just tired. But, I sucked it up and finished strong. It wasn't my best time, but it wasn't my worst either. I took a couple days off after that to figure out what was up with my knee. The best I could figure was that I had a slight tear in my MCL. I M.E.A.T.ed it. That made all the difference. Now my knee is in pretty good shape. I just need to remember to keep it loose and stretch.

Moving on. The weekend after BV I raced in a local 5K, which was actually the sight of my first 1/2 marathon just a year ago. I didn't have any huge expectations for this one, I was hoping for a possible age group place or win. I ran with a new friend of mine who is a great runner. She's running the Denver Marathon too. Anyway...I was very surprised with my finish on this run. My time wasn't particularly great, 24:06, about 2:30 slower than my fastest 5K, but it was good enough for 3rd place (women), and 10th place overall.

This past weekend I went to Denver with some friends from work to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure 5K. No racing, no timing - yes, I wore the Garmin, but nothing official. My splits were decent after I got out of the crowd. The most exciting part of this trip wasn't the 5K but the chance to do my last long run on part of the marathon course. I printed out a map and everything. Problem was - I lost it in the first mile. I sort of had an idea of where I was going but only did about 7 miles on the actual course. I did get to see the "hill" and found my way around two of the parks. I ended up doing 13.5 miles in Denver on Saturday. It was reassuring to run the distance and see some landmarks. I am a little worried that I didn't do enough long runs toward the end of my training. In the past month I've only done a 16 and 2 13's.

Oh, well - whatever happens, happens. I have just 10 days until the magic moment is actually here. I can't say that I'm too nervous, excited, worried, or anything. I did watch 'Spirit of the Marathon' last night and that did get me a little excited, but I know it'll be about 100x the emotion when I'm actually in that position.

I have a couple more runs left to do. I was supposed to do some speedwork today, but didn't get home early enough. I'm planning on doing it tomorrow and throwing out a 4 mile recovery run. It's impossible to "make it up" at this point and I don't think 4 miles will make or break me on October 19th.

September 8 - 14, 2008

This week served as a bit of a cut-back week. It was sort of hard to think of it that way as I ran a trail race today, but the mileage wasn't nearly as high as it has been. So, here's the synopsis of my week:

M 9/8: 5.5 mile bike and lift
T 9/9: 6.25 mile progressive speed work
W 9/10: yoga and a 2 mile hike with the dog
R 9/11: 5 mile trail run
F 9/12: rest day
S 9/13: 7.5 slow miles
S 9/14: 8 mile trail race - Marble Quarry Hill Climb

I've been a bit lazy with my lifting lately. This week was pretty packed with school stuff, but that's still no excuse. My goal for next week is to lift three times.

I've also been trying to incorporate some new training scheduling into my current routine. The plan I'm following to train for the Denver Marathon is a combination of Smart Coach from Runner's World and Hal Higdon's Intermediate program. I've used Higdon's progression of weekly runs and distances for my training but I've used the suggested paces from Smart Coach. The component of the Higdon plan that I like the best is doing a tempo or speedwork run the day before a long run. The idea is to start the long run on fatigued legs to simulate the feeling your legs will have later in the actual marathon.

The new plan I'm trying to ease into is a 21-day cycle with 8 key runs during that time. The remainder of the days are a combination of recovery runs and cross training. Of the 8 key runs there are 3 long runs (one of them being a "race-simulator" run with negative splits), 2 hill runs (one is a steady climb, the other is repeats), 2 speed work sessions, and 1 tempo run. I still need to work through some of the details regarding the speed work and tempo runs. I hope to use this type of strategy during training for my next marathon in the Spring.

Anyway...all of that aside...I really want to share my experience from today's race!

The Lead King Loop 25K/Marble Quarry Hill Climb 12.5K was my first trail race. I entered at the suggestion of my husband. He is definitely a purist when it comes to sports and thought I was spending too much time on the roads. I should be in a more "natural" environment. So, I started running more hills and trails during the past month. Luckily, one of our local hills - Red Mountain - is virtually a twin to the course I ran today. That definitely helped build my confidence.

I woke up this morning around 6:00 a.m. Ate my usual breakfast of oatmeal with cinnamon, half a peach, and brown sugar, some yogurt and Kashi, and of course some coffee! I started gathering my "race gear", packed my post-race snacks, and dragged my hubby out of bed. We were on the road by 7:45. I was hoping we'd be headed out by 7:30, but that wasn't to be.

We arrived in Marble around 9:00. We parked near the Beaver Lake Lodge (race HQ) and I picked up my race packet. For some reason they had me registered twice - never did get that sorted out, but I was runner 309 today.

With about 30 minutes to assess the weather, get warmed up, and make a "costume" change I made my way to the starting line. I originally planned on racing in pants but it was about 60 degrees when the race started so I opted for shorts instead. I got my Garmin set - I was a little worried it wouldn't pick up the signals because of the surrounding mountains, but no trouble.

The course started off through the town of Marble with a few rolling hills (very little hills, mind you). After about 1/2 mile we hit the Jeep road that lead to the quarry. The first mile was at a pretty mild grade. The split for my first mile was 9:32. Pretty respectable for me on a flat course, much less one with hills. In this mile, I managed to get out to an early lead on most of the other women running the course. I was running with the eventual winner at this point following her pace.

The second mile was a bit more challenging and I took my first walk break at 1.25 miles. The rest of this mile was much steeper than the beginning of the course - my split was 13:16. Ouch! The race director did say that this was the steepest part of the course so I was definitely looking forward to mile 3! Jeanne (the women's winner) got a big lead on me during this stretch!

Thank goodness the course flatened out at this point. I think I ran the majority of this mile. I was leap frogging with a younger runner and an older runner (maybe a father-son duo?). I kept looking over my shoulder as well because there was another woman closing in. Yikes! I made it through mile 3 in 12:03.

Mile 4 lead right into the quarry. This was definitely the most scenic section of the course. We made our way up through the aspen and pine. The road followed the flow of Yule Creek. At the apex we crossed a couple of wooden bridges and ended our climb at a marble cave. I really wish I had my camera with me so I could share that view with you. I completed mile 4 in 12:07.

The path down the hill was much more enjoyable - thank you gravity! I was also able to enjoy the view of aspen beginning to change into their bright yellow hue. Somewhere during mile 6 I was passed by the woman who had been "stalking" me during the uphill. She was running really strong and there was absolutely no way I was going to catch her. I was just hoping that no one else would pass me! Even though I didn't want to use this race as a competition there was still a little part of me that wanted to place. The splits for the downhill were great - mile 5 - 8:14, mile 6 - 8:11, mile 7 - 7:46, and mile 8 - 8:29.

I was able to maintain my speed and ended up placing 3rd over all (women's division), and 1st in my age group! Not too shabby for my first trail race!

The post race food was absolutely amazing! A local smokehouse catered the main course - BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, and the local community provided the side dishes and desserts! Whoever made the lemon bars is an absolute saint! There were also great door prizes and almost everyone who participated in the 12.5K and 25K walked away with something! I got a free night's stay at a hotel in Redstone. We'll probably use it next year - the night before the race!
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As I look forward to this week's schedule it looks like another cut-back week, but I am planning to do a half marathon in Buena Vista next Saturday. I'm hoping to use this as a gauge for the marathon. It'll be nice to see what pace I can actually hold during a race. Plus, the colors will be gorgeous up there!

Week ?: September 1 - 8

It's been forever since I've updated this blog. I have a bad habit of being ambitious and never following through, then trying to play catch up.

Here's the Cliff's Notes of what's been going on with the running lately...

We took a week long vacation to MN to visit family. The running went VERY well while I was there. Did my 18 mile long run and a bunch of other shorter runs and a tempo. I really like running at a lower altitude. It really does make quite a difference!

When we came back school started. It's been a bit of an adjustment but I've been able to get most of my runs in. I had some troubles with allergies and a tight knee but nothing too serious.

As for long runs since school started I've done a 10, 14, 16, and this past Saturday 21.5.

So, I'll hop right back into this...here's what I accomplished during the past week.

Monday 9/1: lift and core
Tuesday 9/2: 4.5 miles [easy pace]
Wednesday 9/3: yoga
Thursday 9/4: 5.5 mile bike ride
Friday 9/5: 5.25 miles [easy pace/hills]
Saturday 9/6: 21.5 miles [long run]
Sunday 9/7: 4.5 miles [recovery run]

Recently I met with my trainer. She's not working at the club anymore, but she's still training privately. So she set up a program I can do at home with a few weights, a ball, and a BOSU. I absolutely love the program! Plus, it's such a relief to know that I don't HAVE to go to the club in addition to all of the other stuff going on in my life. She has also helped me realize that I'm a runner, not a weight lifter, so I don't NEED to do four workouts a week. Two or three sessions should do the trick. I'm also adding in one yoga class per week, bonus is that it's at work!

I've also been looking ahead to my next marathon. It may be a little naive to think about a second one before running my first, but unfortunately I have to plan ahead to accommodate the other aspects of my life.

I've developed a list of criteria for my second marathon in hopes of qualifying for Boston 2010. I'm looking for a relatively "flat" course, at lower elevation, in late April or early May, and in a location that is relatively easy to travel to. There are a few options I'm considering: Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Flying Pig (Cincinnati), Tacoma, Eugene, and Salt Lake City. Right now I'm leaning towards OKC. We'll see.

With all of that being said I'd also like to develop and more intense but manageable training program for that marathon. I'm looking at doing a 10 or 14 day cycle rather than a 7 day. It would give me more flexibility with my runs rather than having to do the same thing over and over and over, week to week. Hopefully something will workout as I look into it more closely.

As though this post isn't already long enough...I thought I'd mention some of my upcoming races...
Saturday 9/13: Lead King Loop 12.5K = This is a relatively local event up towards Carbondale. I'm mostly running it just for the experience of a trail race. The course is very comparable to a trail I run weekly so I'm pretty confident that I'll run strong but I'm sure I'll pale in comparison to the other runners there. They have a pretty good lunch afterwards too. I'm really looking forward to that. Plus, it's in the mountains and the colors should be pretty nice by then.

Wednesday 9/17: GWSHS 5K = This is just a little fundraiser 5K for one of the local high schools. Last year was it was a benefit for a local runner who was hit by a car and left for dead on the side of the road. Luckily, he recovered and is running and racing again. Oh, did I mention that he's in his 70's! I saw him during my last long run and he is so inspiring!!

Saturday 9/20: Buena Vista 1/2 Marathon = I ran the 10K of this race last year. It was my first 10K race. Amazing how far I've come in one year, as this will be my 5th half marathon since that 10K. Anyway...again, the colors should be beautiful up there! I keep telling myself that I'm using this as a training run, but I also have a PR goal in the back of my head. We'll see how I feel on race day.

Saturday 9/27: Canyon Shuffle 5K = Last year I ran the 1/2 marathon at this race and it was my first. Good memories and nostalgia on that trail, but this year I'm looking forward to the abbreviated version.

Sunday 10/5: Komen Race for the Cure, Denver = This is becoming an annual pilgrimage for the gals at work. A weekend in the big city for a great cause. Really looking forward to doing this one.

Saturday 10/11: Zen Run 10K = As part of the "Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon" I will be joining runners around the world to "think global, run local". This will be my last "long" run before the marathon. This should be a good chance to reflect on my training and look forward to the big pay off.

Sunday 10/19: Denver Marathon = Enough said. I ABSOLUTELY can't wait for this opportunity!!!

I thought I'd throw a couple of pictures in from MN.
Sunset on Lake Miltona...














Me and the in-laws...














Roan, taking a dip in the lake...














Me and Roan relaxing at the cabin...














Bret and me hanging out at the beach...

Week 4: Already?

I can't believe I've been "training" for a month already! That's hard to believe. This was a "recovery" (cut back) week. I must say that I really enjoyed it! Here are the details...

7/20: scheduled rest day
7/21: 5 miles and core
7/22: 5 mile bike ride and upper and lower body lifting
7/23: 7.25 miles
7/24: 7.5 miles
7/25: 9.5 mile bike ride
7/26: 6.75 miles and core

This coming week includes another l-o-n-g run...16 miles. I'm not sure where I'm going to do this one but I'm anxious to see if my lessons learned from last time will pay off.

Week 3: Under the Belt

7/13: 5 miles - easy pace
7/14: 4.5 miles - easy pace, core workout, and rafting
7/15: rest day
7/16: 5.5 miles - tempo run (3.75 m @ 8:00)
7/17: 14.25 miles
7/18: 2.25 easy miles and upper and lower body lifting
7/19: yoga class, core workout and rafting

This week went pretty smoothly. The only major glitch was the long run which I wrote all about in my last post. I'm already thinking about adjustments to make during my next long run.

I'm really looking forward to Week 4. It's a recovery week, so there will be a major cut back in mileage. My long run will only be 6 miles - woo hoo!

The cutback coincides nicely with a visit from my mom. She'll be arriving on Friday. It'll be good to focus on her visit rather than be worried about when I'll be able to get all of my running in. The week after this, however, is a different story. We're heading to Minnesota for vacation with my hubby's family. I'm really looking forward to it, but it'll be tough to train and do the family thing at the same time. I'm going to really have to get my booty out of bed early so I can get my runs done and over with and not cut in to family time.

In unrelated running news...we've been spending a lot of time on the boat the past couple of weeks. The fishing is really heating up, which is exciting. Here's a picture of yesterday's best fish...















And one more for shits and giggles...poor Roan was so tired after a day on the river.

Longest Run - EVER

I got started a little bit later than I wanted to today, but I wasn't too worried about it. My main reason for trying to start early is the weather but since it actually rained here yesterday and was overcast this morning - no biggie, right? Well, as luck would have it, the sky opened up and let all of that "glorious" sunshine beat down on the street. Argh. I started off around 7:45 (I think). I was a little worried that I actually felt hungry even before I started running. That's never happened to me before considering I ate, what I thought, was a pretty good breakfast.

The first mile or two were pretty uneventful. I thought I was on the right trail, but when I ended up looping around to where I started I was a little miffed. I decided I'd just blaze my own course. Somehow I ended up on the right road after another couple of miles. My only concern was that I'd end up way over or way under in mileage. Either way I had the option of turning around. Up until mile 10 I felt really good. Great pace and everything. I had to ask for directions from the golf course maintenance guys but it was all good. After I cut across the golf course (on the cart paths) my vision started getting weird. It was like I had a translucent hair in my eye. I remember feeling that before...the start of a migraine. I knew I was dehydrated. I had absolutely no options except to push on. Mile 11 and 12 were grueling and I chugged the rest of my Gatorade. That seemed to help and the vision thing cleared up, but my head was still throbbing. Oh, and remember how I mentioned I was hungry when I started? Yeah, by this point I was starving!!!

I finally made it back to my car at exactly 14.01 miles. I felt happy that I actually ran the miles, my pace was pretty good, but I felt like absolute CRAP. I inhaled a banana and a Z Bar and some electrolyte drink. I was a complete salty, sweaty mess. I thought all of this would help. Wrong.

Since I had driven to Carbondale to kill two birds with one stone - do the run and try out some new shoes - I headed over to the running store. I ended up buying a pair of really great Mizunos. Anyone else ever try these? I can't wait to run in them! I usually wear Brooks (just bought a pair two weeks ago) but I wanted to try something different. So I'm going to rotate them.

Anyway...the head was pounding and the banana I'd eaten had plans of its own. I thought I'd feel better if I ate some bread. So, I went to the grocery store. Before I could search for the much needed ibuprofen and some bread I ended up tossing my cookies (aka banana). Ugh. Plus, I had about a 30 minute drive home.

When I got home I immediately made some toast and ate it while I took a long hot bath. Then took an hour long nap with the pooch. I feel MUCH better now!

If this is what it's going to be like after every long run I'm gonna' be hurtin' for certain!! I think my main problem was (like Southern Yankee) eating too early yesterday and too light. I think I also need to get another fuel belt. Mine only has two flasks and that's not nearly enough! Plus it's too big - it actually fell off TWICE today.

On a bright note...I sure did look cute in my skirt! My legs feel great right now, it's just my head and stomach that are having issues. Thank goodness next week is a recovery week, only a 6 miler for my long run. Overall I'm happy with today's run, I just wish I didn't feel like crap during the last part and afterwards.