Holly's Blog: Racing Recaps & Runner Thoughts (Oh, and Hello, Fall! )

I can't believe it's already mid-November. I love this running weather in Alabama this time of year...not too cold but not unbearably hot. It's been a fun past month of training and racing! I will make each recap short & sweet...

4 Bridges Half Marathon

This was my first time to ever be an official race pacer with MRuns Pacing; I had such a great time pacing the 2:45 half marathon group with Amy! I remember being a little nervous at first, but once the nerves were gone, I was able to enjoy the race along with meeting great runners & helping them make their goal race time. This half was BEAUTIFUL; the scenery was amazing, and it wasn't too hilly (it had its share of inclines though). I remember me and Amy being super happy near the end and saying "wow, we are doing a great job staying on pace" (we were checking our pace on our watches constantly) and then, at 12.5ish miles, there was the finish line. Huh? We were freaking out for a few seconds because we thought we missed a turn, but in reality, the course was accidentally cut short. I know people were upset about not getting a "true" 13.1, but the volunteers, the atmosphere, and the scenery were so great, I would do it again in a heartbeat! They are even offering a discount: this offer ends on January 15th! Get discount here. And I LOVED pacing; I enjoyed it so much, I went ahead and signed up to pace the 2:30 half marathon group at the Bridgestreet Half Marathon! The half marathon is my FAVORITE distance!

Monte Sano 15k

This was a shockingly strong and great race for me, considering the issues that I was having with my knee throughout the race. I think I was feeling the aches and pains due to the fact that it was a chillier day to begin with, and then not doing as much trails and/or hillwork at this point. I stopped and walked A LOT to bend my knee and stretch it out as I walked. Even with the slowing down to do this, I was able to keep under a 9:30 pace and PR from my previous Monte Sano 15k times. It was a great day for a run! :-D

Huntsville Half Marathon

Wow! What a great local race for a great cause: our Veterans! This was my third time to run this race, and I was able to shave off over 2 minutes from my previous Huntsville Half time, so I was pretty happy about that! I finished in 2:07:29...my PR is a 2:05:35. I'll be honest, after mile 8, I hit a WALL...and I felt somewhat out of it the rest of the race, I'm thinking I ran too fast in the beginning due to the excitement and being cold...haha! One day, I want to run a sub 2 hour half marathon, but with my Grand Slam training with three 50ks, I have to slow down my pace to complete those comfortably.

Again, this race was so great. I saw so many pals from the running community that were racing or volunteering, and it made it such a great day! Our We Run Huntsville group out of Madison even set up their own aid station for us...we felt the love! :) :) :) Thanks, Panera Pounders!

BY THE WAY, IT'S SEVEN DAYS UNTIL DIZZY! I'M RUNNING A 50K ON SATURDAY!

Yep, it hit me as I was getting ready for church this a.m....you know, those race jitters. Those "oh my gosh, it's this week!" jitters, the "I'm really doing this!" jitters, and the "you can't be serious about doing this?!" jitters! LOL! Yep...over 31 miles of trails on Monte Sano on Saturday. I did this race last year, and I felt great most of the race and really enjoyed it (here is Dizzy 50k recap/review from last year). I hope I feel as strong and as great as I did last year.

It's funny how when things are going so well in your life how the devil tries to throw obstacles, distractions, and/or illness in your way. I had my bloodwork done this past week, and what I thought was low B12 levels turned out to my low thyroid levels....WAY lower than it has been in over three years. No wonder I have had no energy and have felt so sluggish...there were even days that I felt depressed, and it all makes since now...BOO YOU HYPOTHYROID! I had it under control for the most part except for one false alarm in February, and now this. I started my new medication a few days ago, so I am praying to feel & see a difference on Saturday. God is good and I know He is the ultimate healer that can make me well!

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! Even with this past month of not feeling top notch, I have still trained and followed my training plan the best I could. I know on Saturday there will be others running with me and encouraging me, and just like last year, it will be an amazing experience...I will cross that finish line! That "crossing the finish line" feeling is the best...you are reminded how your hard work, preparation, and training pays off! I am going to do my best to "Grand Slam" this year!

Thanks for reading! Go for a run; it just might change your life! :-D

-Holly