Week in Review

74 Miles
10M MLR
13 miles with 4x400m, 1M, 4x400m, 1M, 4x400m
Tobacco Road Half Marathon Race in 1:16:27, 2nd place, $600

This week marked my first race of 2015! As exciting as that may be, starting it off with a half marathon is a daunting task.  After taking a week off in late January, I had no idea what my fitness would translate into in a race, so after seeing the result, I'm very excited about this year.  Despite having a crazy travel schedule for school, I'm able to put in the miles and hard work to still find success in my running.  It's been a really positive experience all around! It just proves that just because you have a busy life, you can still find time to do the number one thing you love!

I started off the week with a solid workout solo on the Dilworth Speed Loop in Charlotte. I definitely miss doing the road loop because it is just so much easier mentally for me to focus.  I hit all the times and even though it felt pretty hard, I came away feeling ready for the half.

In the half marathon, I ran about 75 seconds faster than I did here last year.  This is because I raced smarter (read: ran slower in the first half) and because I had Michelle Lillienthal for some enjoyable company.  Long story short, Michelle and I raced together through about 8 miles side-by-side and then she took off and ended up beating me by about 40 seconds over the last 5 miles.  I wasn't actually that far behind her until we hit around 11 miles, and the legs started to feel really fatigued.  By mile 12, on a slight uphill, I questioned whether my legs would even be able to make it up the hill.  It felt like I was very close to hitting the wall, where my legs just would not go any more.  My glutes and upper hamstring were tightening up FAST and I had nowhere to go but to that finish line.  Fortunately I made it without walking or collapsing.  I spent the rest of the time cooling down with Michelle and hanging out with her until the awards. I hope I can get fit enough to run the Trials next to her because she's a really positive presence and a smart racer.