April 2013 – Zenaida Arroyo

30
Apr
2013

April 2013 in Review

This month I ran 71.64 miles compared to 85.68 last month.

I ran two half marathons: Run Raleigh and Rock ‘n’ Roll Country Music Half Marathon. Raleigh was warm and sunny and Nashville was cold and it rained all throughout the race. Very different!

My races in May are the Rock ‘n’ Roll Portland Half Marathon on May 19th and Boston’s Run to Remember on May 26th. Both races should be fun and I am looking forward to both of them!

Today was my last run with my Brooks PureConnect. I bought these in the beginning of January but began running in them either mid January or beginning of February. Regardless, I think I’ve put in about 200 or so miles. On Sunday I went to Fleet Feet Chicago and bought the Mizuno Wave Elixir. Love the colors!

I have not taken a bikram yoga class yet. I am very disappointed in myself but plan to start soon. To date I’ve ran four Rock ‘n’ Roll races so these medals should be in my possession soon.

Source: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/heavy-medals

April in Review — Source: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/heavy-medals

29
Apr
2013

Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Rock 'n' Roll Race, Running

Done, state #17.

I got in Nashville after 4pm. I wasn’t sure whether to call for a shuttle or take a cab to the hotel but my new friend Laura told me that a friend of a friend (Jeff) was at the airport with a car and could give me a ride to the hotel. Sweet! Perfect timing too!

He was going first to the expo so I went with him. I did not wait long for my bib which was nice. Check out the cool bracelet I received!

I love Rock ‘n’ Roll expos but I’ve been to a few of them and didn’t need/want anything. We walked around and saw Frank Shorter. I had to take a picture with him.

Later that night Laura and I went out for dinner. We stopped at The Old Spaghetti Factory but the wait was 45 minutes. We left our name on the wait list but left to check out other restaurants and possibly get a beer. We ended up at Rock Bottom Brewery and ate dinner there and drank beer.

Wake up time on race day was 5:15 am. The hotel was nice enough to offer race participants a ride to the start line. We went down a little after 6 and waited in line for about an hour. I was a little annoyed because I don’t like waiting but was glad I did because at least I waited indoors and not at the start line since it was raining.

The rain damped my mood. It rained all through the race. I wore shorts, short sleeve shirt, light jacket, and a plastic bag. I made a mental note that I had to purchase a water resistant jacket (I bought one on Sunday). I chafed in many places and was in pain when I took a shower.

My goal was to finish in less than 2:30. Finish time was 2:29:39!!! And yes another hilly course. Obviously if it hadn’t rain that much then the race experience would have been so much better!

My mile splits were:
Miles 1 through 4-10:12, 10:39, 12:10, 12:39
Miles 5 through 8-11:43, 10:24, 10:48, 12:16
Miles 9 through 12-11:18, 10:41, 11:28, 11:18
Mile 13-12:38

The best part of this race/trip was meeting Laura. She is such a sweet and amazing person! She ran the full marathon and finished in 3:55:26.

28
Apr
2013

Weekly Workouts, April 22-28, 2013

categories: Half Marathon Training

Workouts this week:

Tuesday – 5 x 1000 (400 RI)
Done. Love these repeats!

Thursday – Yoga
My plan was to go to Bikram Yoga River North. I even checked the schedule and there is a class scheduled at 4:30pm. I get off work at 3 so I knew I would make it on time. However, on Thursday the negotiation team met after school. The teacher contract we put together earlier this month was voted down. The plan now is to come up with a new/revised contract. It is a lot of work but also rewarding.

Saturday – Half Marathon
I ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Half Marathon. It rained all through the race. I was miserable.

Total miles ran this week is 19.45.

21
Apr
2013

Weekly Workouts, April 15-21, 2013

categories: Half Marathon Training

Workouts this week:

Tuesday – 2 x 1200 (2 min RI) and 4 x 800 (2 min RI)
Done. I ran these on the treadmill at 7.5 which equals to an 8:00 mile. I struggled with the 1200s but did good with the 800s.

Thursday – 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid tempo, 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ mid tempo, 1 mile easy
Done. Ran these on the treadmill at 6.8 which equals to an 8:49 mile. I was soaking wet when I was done! Also, I ran in a new pair of Brooks shorts.

Saturday – 8 miles at HMP, 10 minutes walking
Done. Ran these at 6.6 which equals to an 9:05 mile. My legs were still sore from this week so I took a few walking breaks.

Total miles ran this week is 20.91.

18
Apr
2013

Run Raleigh Half Marathon

categories: Race all 50 states, Race Recap, Running

Done, state #16. Read the post about the packet pick up here.

My official finish time is still to be determined. I’ve been back and forth with someone from the race and he has informed me that my finish time is 2:25:48 but yet on the website it is listed as 2:26:40. I know it is just a minute but the former is close to the time on my Garmin watch too.

On Sunday morning my alarm went off at 6am and I cursed the 7am start time. Of course I got over that once I was dressed and drank coffee. I was thankful too because by the time I was done it was sunny and very warm.

Run Raleigh was a small race. I lined up in the middle because I wanted to be as close as possible to the 2:15 pace group. Of course the race was hilly! I decided to just deal with them. Why get all worked up and frustrated about them? They’re challenging and make the races a little bit more exciting. I have to embrace them and love them too. OK, maybe not love but at least like them right?

I need to learn to pace myself. I always start off too fast and then end up paying for it at the end. My mile splits are:

Miles 1 through 4-9:57, 10:06, 10:32, 10:22 Not too bad here.
Miles 5 though 8-10:03, 11:07, 10:17, 10:34 Pretty good here except mile 6.
Miles 9 through 12-12:02, 12:19, 11:42, 12:43 Tired and am running slow.
Mile 13 through 13.18-12:36, 1:32

The course was a combination of running along the streets of Raleigh and through various trails. I did like the trails because it provided shade but it was not even pretty or exciting to look at. Thank goodness I had my music to distract me.

There was no GU at all. Not even candy, oranges, or some other kind of sweets. There was water and Gatorade at various stops along the way. The volunteers were great!

I knew I was close to the finish line when I passed my hotel which was about 4 blocks away. Then it was mostly going up and down various times. Towards the end it was a long stretch slightly downhill. Loved it! I felt like I was flying!!

I was so happy to cross the finish line. I was hot, sore and tired. I then walked back to my hotel but had to sit on the steps for a few minutes to rest. As for the medal? I think it is OK. Nothing great or fancy.

Next race is Rock ‘n Roll Nashville on April 26 where I will finally meet Laura from Absolut(ly) Fit.

Just Keep Running!

Month: April 2013