Fayetteville Half Marathon Recap

Last weekend I ran the Fayetteville Half Marathon with a goal to set a massive personal record. Seeing how I was the poster child for this race, I knew I wanted to do well.

Why yes, I love this very flattering picture of me, so of course you can plaster it all around Fayetteville.  You're welcome. 

Let's back track a little here. The first months of my training were awesome. I was consistent with my tempo, speed, hill and long runs and was hitting ideal paces for my 2:00.00 goal. Then November came around, as did some IT band issues, parties, holiday gatherings, and other lame excuses that affected my training. By the time December was here, it had been weeks since I had a quality run, much less the amount of weekly mileage I needed.

Story of my life: Dish out some awesome training, then screw it up a month before the race. Why even do the work if I'm going to throw it all out the window. I suck.

Flash back to March 2012, when I spent months training for 26.2 miles only to back out weeks prior to the race and only run the half. Again, story of my life.

As race day crawled closer, I altered my plans. I decided 2:10 was a more realistic time goal, but still seemed like a dream. Worst case scenario, I was hoping for anything under 2:17 (which would give me a PR).

SPOILER ALERT: I wanted to drop out by mile 8. Worst. Case. Scenario.

You would thinking, living in Fayetteville, I wouldn't be surprised by the hills. And you would think, looking at the elevation chart, that the hills wouldn't be too unbearable. But my friends, for this flat-road loving girl, you would be wrong. The hills kicked by sweet booty, and I cursed each one.

Half mile hill at 1.5-I got this.
1.5mile climb at miles 6 and 10- I hate you.

Looking at my splits, you can see the exact correlation between a hill and my dropping pace (i.e.: miles 2, 7, 8, and 12). 

Mile 1- 10:07
Mile 2- 10:51
Mile 3- 9:25
Mile 4- 10:04
Mile 5- 9:33
Mile 6- 9:47
Mile 7-11:04
Mile 8- 11:26 *Seriously wanted to quit.
Mile 9- 10:19
Mile 10- 10:10
Mile 11- 10:29
Mile 12- 11:37
Mile 13- 9:31
.13- 10:00

I really think I should win the award for most consistent splits ever. NOT!

I was never able to get in a rhythm during this race (obviously). Each hill totally screwed up my breathing and left me mentally defeated; by the time I got settled into a good stride, the next hill came and did the exact same thing. I knew Josh was waiting for me at mile 8, so I put every effort into just making it to him. If I wanted to quit at that point, then I would.

When I finally saw him, he could tell I was struggling. I told him I wanted to quit; I was miserable, I hated my training and my goals were out the window. He let me vent a little, then kindly encouraged me to keep going for "only five more miles."

That's when I remember that my husband basically walked this course last year because of an injury, and that didn't cause him to quit. If he could finish, I could too. I was going to cross that dadgum finish line, even if I had to crawl!

Fayetteville Half 2011
aka: Clark Walk-a-thon

While I went slower the second half, I hunkered down and finished. After seeing Josh, at every mile marker, I tried to do the math to find out what pace I needed to maintain to get me there under 2:17.

..."If I'm at mile 9.25 with x total time of running, how fast do I need to run to get there under 2:17." Yea, impossible for me, even with a calculator.

But I must have done some kind of calculations right, because as I rounded onto the John McDonnell Track I knew I'd be crossing the finish line with 2:15:xx on the board.

Alex Clark

2:15:34

10:21 pace

F25-29: 15/40

Overall: 343/520

Look, a blurry picture of my medal.
Please ignore the unwrapped presents under our tree. 

A new shiny PR, and hopefully, a lesson learned: If you don't give 100% in training, then you can't give 100% on race day.

Happy Racing,
A.

Ozark Valley Triathlon Recap

Yesterday I crossed something off my bucket list: Complete an outdoor triathlon! 

The Ozark Valley Triathlon was simply amazing. From the course, to the volunteers, to the after-race drawing and prizes (I won a box of Powerbars and a coffee mug!), I couldn't have picked a better first outdoor triathlon! While my performance will never be in the record books, I had an absolute blast and I am officially in love with triathlons!

This past week a friend reminded me with a wonderful verse from scripture that kept me mentally tough during this entire race. 

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31. (<--DGR represent!)

I repeated this verse over and over again, which gave me a sense of peace and strength during tough moments. What could be a better mantra than God's own words?! I wonder what took me so long to figure this out?

The morning started early with a 5:30 alarm. I always thought I needed a lot of stuff for half marathons, but my goodness have I been enlightened. Here is everything I needed:

• Tri shirt, shorts, and shorts bra
• Swim Cap
• Goggles
• Swimming watch
• Towel
• Hand towel
• Bike
• Helmet
• Running shoes
• Socks
• Sunglasses
• Headband
• Garmin
• 2 bottles of water + 2 bottles of Gatorade
• 3 Gu packets for fuel
• Change of clothes/shoes for afterwards

Whew, thats a lot!

The race was held at Lake Weddington, a state park 20 minutes from my front door. We got to the park at 6:45, just enough time to get body marked, set up, take a Gu, use the rest room (again), and attend the pre-race meeting before we headed to the start line. The transition area was a little overwhelming for me and I kept looking around to make sure I was setting things up right. As far as I know, I didn't do anything faux pas. 

After setting up the transition, I tried to keep my nervous down. Don't I look relaxed?

As the countdown began, I watched the first two waves go ahead. Females age 39 and under were in the third and final wave, 10 minutes after the official gun went off. See, still nice and relaxed:

My fellow female competitors were incredibly nice and encouraging. A few women I was wading next to found out this was my first outdoor triathlon and they gave me plenty of tips for the swim. Such a great camaraderie among runners and triathletes! My main focus on the swim was to start in the back so I wouldn't get tackled at the start. See me waving? Yep, way in the back!

The hardest part of the swim was staying on course. I kept veering every which way but straight, which left me frustrated and using way too much energy searching around for the right direction. I definitely chugged some tasty lake water more than once. Open water swims are seriously legit and completely different than pool swims. I'm glad I did at least one open water swim during training so I wasn't totally naive, but I wasn't prepared for this.

Nevertheless, I still ended up with a great time (for me)!

1000 yard swim: 00:22:15.4

We then had to run 200 meters uphill to the transition area where I was completely under prepared and became flustered. It went by too slow and I had way too much to think about: Gu, hydrate, fix my hair, clean my feet, put on socks/shoes, helmet, start the Garmin, etc. Then I had to go back for my racing bib and had to repin it because it kept falling off. I definitely need to work on my transitions!

T1: 00:05:01.0

I absolutely loved the bike course! We road along country roads with beautiful northwest Arkansas scenery: big ranch houses, cows, beautiful rolling hills. Well, the hills were nice to look at, not climb. This course had a major hill and consistent rollers which left me exhausted. My goal was to keep about a 16.5mph pace and that is exactly what I did.

19 miles bike: 01:06:26.5

My second transition went by much more efficiently even though I could barely rack my bike because I was so fatigued. All I had to do was take off my helmet and down another Gu + water and I was off, with legs that felt like lead.

T2: 00:01:58.6

{via Jessi}

Surprisingly, the run was my biggest struggle. Before the race I felt confident tackling the four miles, but by the time my body had swam and biked for 88 minutes I was spent. I think the biggest mistake I made during training was not making my workouts long enough; my body was not prepared to be pushed for that long.

That being said, I am really proud of the running leg. The weather was HOT and the course was brutal! It was a two-loop course with a long, steep hill I had to climb twice. Each time I got to the hill, I willed myself to run but my body couldn't do it. I resorted to walking the hill both times, and was completely out of breath by the time I reached the top. I could have easily puked if I let myself.

The one good thing about hills is that you get to run down them, which is where I made up my time. The last quarter mile was downhill to the finish and I pushed it to the very end, reaching a 6:09 pace at one point.

4 mile run: 00:40:25.6

Total time: 2:16:05.9

Crossing the finish line is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating feelings. So overwhelmed!

After I cooled down (by pouring ice water over my head) and caught my breath (90 degree heat with humidity is brutal!) I was finally able to relish in the joy of finishing this triathlon. While there are things I can work on, I am so proud of myself and feel so blessed God has given me a body capable of this. With three long months of training, my body was ready to be challenged and I accomplished my time goal of a sub 2:17:00. Success!

{via Jessi}

And major credit to the amazing support crew who kept my spirits up the entire race. My dad drove up from Little Rock and the Leonards woke up early to cheer me on. Also, so many of you texted, tweeted, and facebook'ed me to tell me good luck and sent prayers my way.

I can't forget my awesome Ironman boss who helped me train, cheered me on, and pushed me hard! Thanks Andy- you rocked this race!

{via Jessi}

And of course I had my wonderful, amazing and handsome husband who never complains of these early mornings, is my official race photographer, and is proud of me no matter the finish time. Truly blessed I tell you.

Ladies and gentlemen, tri season has just begun. I can't wait for my next one! 

Holy Hills 5K

Holy Hills 5K- Not the name of the race I ran this weekend, but one they should definitely consider for next year. 

On Saturday I ran the Harding Bison Stampede 5K in Rogers, Arkansas around Lake Atalanta. I had lofty goals for this 5K. With my triathlon training going surprisingly well, my "speedy" legs were hoping for a sub-26:00 5K. That equates to approximately a 8:26 pace.

I figured that would be a completely bearable pace for 3.1 miles since I've been easily completing longer workouts at a 8:45 pace. That was until I discovered what the course actually consisted of:

Not drawn to scale. Obviously.

Yes. You are interpreting that amazing drawing correctly. That is a dirt/gravel road on crazy (for me) hills. 

Um, excuse me Harding University, I love being able to give back to my Alma Mater by running this race, but how about you cut me some slack and go easy on the hills. Capish? 

This race was the smallest I've ever run. By my rough counting in the picture below, looks like about 25 people toed the start line. Can you spot me? I was unknowing going for a patriotic theme.

A little after 8 o'clock, we had a briefing of the course (very important for a few miles later...), a prayer, then we were off.

I smoked that big-haired boy to my left and that little girl to my right. Suckers.

Josh won the best-husband award and came along to take photos cheer me on. He was stationed at the start and finish spots along the course, hence not much variation of scenery in the pics. 

Thumbs up for smelly trash cans and heel strikes!

We first looped around the park for a couple of laps before we headed around the lake- aka: where the dirt/gravel road started. I've got to say, I've never ran on trails before, but if it was anything like this course then I never want to do it again. I was constantly having to watch my footing and on the downhills I couldn't gain too much speed in fear of tripping on my face. 

Despite being out of my comfort zone, my first mile was right on pace. Mile 1- 8:23

After the crazy climb at Mile 1 (please refer to amazing drawing above) I was exhausted! {Insert whiney excuse of how terrible hills are and how much I suck at them} My legs were already feeling the beating and my pace was slowing up a bit. Mile 2- 8:53

Although my pace wasn't ideal during mile two I knew if I could pick it up I would still be able to reach my time goal. Then began the quick, but steep climb after the two mile mark. I did not dominate that hill. While I didn't walk, I was trucking along at a snails pace. And to make matters worse, at the top of the hill two volunteers were sending runners the wrong way! After some breathless conversations and me recalling the course briefing before the start, I finally headed down the correct path. 

At this point I was starting to feel mentally defeated knowing I wasn't going to reach a sub 26. The hills were sucky. The road was sucky. The direction-givers were sucky. Complain, complain, complain! I allowed myself to walk for 30 seconds then looked down at something I had written on my hand. 

"You only have this one chance to do this"

This was it. This was my one chance to give it all I got. So I lit a figurative fire under my booty and started to high tail it for one last lap around the park and then onto the finish. Mile 3- 9:26

I'm sure I was saying corny running mantras at this point.

Mile .20- 7:55 (<--A little extra mileage due to some course confusion)

Total (unofficial/Garmin) time: 27:38

A new PR! And 2:57 off my old 5K time! Considering the conditions, I'll take it! 

My goal now is to start training on some dadgum hills and stomp being such a wimp. And also to find a flat, fast course so I can kick some booty.

New Orleans Rock N Roll Half Marathon Recap

I don't know what has been my problem, but it has been so hard to get motivated to write this post. First, I was all whiney: "Boo hoo, I didn't meet my goal time." Then I was in denial: "If I don't write the recap, then it didn't happen." And then I just got busy: "I have no time for blogging! I've got to spend every waking hour training for the next one!"

But I forced myself to do it tonight. Let the story begin... 

On Saturday, Josh, my mom, stepdad, and I woke up bright and early to travel the 6.5 hours to New Orleans (yes, that is a really fast time from Little Rock...but that is because my stepdad can't go under 90 miles per hour). We made it to the Expo in plenty of time to spare before it closed; Josh bought himself a Spibelt and I got a cute new running headband. Priorities people.

Josh and I at the NOLA RNR Expo

My mom is amazing, but a good photo taker she is not.

Love ya mom!

We then made our way to our cute hotel. Seriously, I am love with the New Orleans architecture! We stayed at the Frenchman Hotel, which was a short walk from the French Quarter and our starting line. 

We ended the night walking around and eating our way through New Orleans- when we weren't running, this was basically what we did the entire 3 days. Fabulous!

Sunday Josh and I woke up bright and early, and dragged our support crew along with us.

Mom and me at the start line. 

Oh yes, those are my ROCKING new arm warmers.

Josh and I quickly split from my mom and step-dad to hit the port-a-potties then find our corral. I was really excited to be with Josh during his first big race. (Because lets be honest, he doesn't even count his first attempt at 13.1 miles). I hadn't given much thought to my own personal goals for this race. Setting a personal record has always been my goal at any race, but at the last minute I decided I not only wanted to run negative splits but also finish by 2:15. 

Once the gun went off, it took us over 30 minutes to reach the start.

Over 20,000 runners! 

I knew the first few miles were an out-and-back, but I didn't realize it was 7.5- mentally exhausting! But luckily, it was along the beautiful street of St. Charles Ave which is lined with trolly cars and beautiful, historic homes.

 (Source)

(Source)

The scenery made the 7.5 miles totally worth it. A little before the 7 mile mark, I began playing some pretty serious mind games. I kept trying to calculate the pace I needed to keep if I wanted to reach the finish by 2:15. I found myself re-playing the 10K from the previous weekend and knew I could push myself further than I thought. But the moment I started to think confidently, I began to sabotage myself.

The mental games kinda went like this: "Alex, you can totally do this! You've got over 6 miles. Ha! You think you can keep that pace all by yourself!? Your legs are already shot and there really is no way you can do it."

Here I am, trying to be all confident because my arm warmers are awesome. Seriously. Arm warmers are awesome. Saucony, I expect to hear from you soon. Yes I am willing to be a sponsor.

Can you find Josh?

See, I'm so fast in my arm-warmers my mom couldn't even catch a photo of me. Vroom!

So, if mind-games were bad at 6.5 miles, then they were purely demonic at mile 10. The mental bashing went something like this: "Why the heck are you even doing this race?! You don't deserve these awesome arm warmers. You already backed out of the full marathon because you're such a loser! You are so dumb!"

Now if that doesn't knock you down, I don't know what will. At the pace I was going, I needed to keep a 10:00 pace for the next 3.1 miles to make it to the finish in 2:15. I told myself I couldn't do it. I convinced myself I couldn't do it. And I didn't do it.

Mile 1-10:31

Mile 2-10:28

Mile 3-10:29

Mile 4-10:34

Mile 5-10:35

Mile 6-10:37 <--The mind games are working

Mile 7-10:26

Mile 8-10:09

Mile 9-10:28

Mile 10-10:10

Mile 11-10:03 <--"See Alex, you can't do it." 

Mile 12-10:35<-- Officially gave up.

Mile 13-10:19

.1-8:51

Total-13.21, average pace- 10:23

A new personal record, but 70 seconds short of my true goal. Curse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sort of had some negative splits, but should I have kicked it up a little more toward the beginning? I definitely shouldn't have walked those few water stops....and the mind game continues.

But despite my blah performance, this seriously was one of the best races I've ever ran. The weather was amazing, the course was perfect, and support was wonderful. I want to run New Orleans again, and again, and again. 

And the fact that Josh had a successful race made it that much better! He rocked it! So proud of him.

While I didn't reach my ultimate goal, I sucked it up because this race was amazing!! The race itself couldn't have been more perfect, I set an new PR, and my hubby dominated. 

Move It Memphis 10K Recap

I traveled to Memphis to spend this past weekend eating and running with the best friends a girl could ask for. Seriously these girls are amazing.

With bellies full of yummy food from the night before, we woke up Saturday morning to rock the Move It Memphis 10K! Our pre-race game faces: Kara was ready to crawl through her 5K, I was channeling my favorite one-armed runner, and Nora planned on high-fiving everyone.

I am one lucky girl to be friends with a speed demon like Nora. I'm not just bragging- she actually won 1st place in her age division last year! She so kindly offered to pace me during this race, and I nervously agreed. I also agreed to run "naked", aka- no Garmin or watch to track my pace or time. Eek!

The weather could not been more perfect- cool and sunny with a slight breeze. Nora lives just a few blocks from the starting line so we ran to the start to pick up our race packets and circled back to pick up Kara and eat a quick breakfast. With a start time of 10:00, we had plenty of time to relax!

At the start, I told Nora that I would be happy to average a 10:00 minute pace, but she could push me a little towards the end. We bid Kara good luck on her 5K and lined up at the start. We started off strong with a slight conversational pace- Nora later told me the first mile was approximately a 9:30, and miles two and three were slightly over a 9:00 minute pace.

I remember at mile three I felt tired but knew I could keep the pace. My legs felt fresh and Nora's stories kept my mind occupied (She seriously talked non-stop for 6.2 miles and I loved every minute of it). Nora told me that, if I could keep this pace, I would be really happy with my time. She also said that she was going to keep pushing the pace, especially the last few miles. I was tired, but I trusted her.

Miles 4 and 5 were kind of a blur. Nora's stories are a little hazy at this point and I was just thankful for a fairly flat course.

The last half mile was horrible. The pace was hard but it was the constant turns the got me. I seriously feel like we turned 5 times before the finish line finally came into sight. Nothing is more mentally exhausting than thinking the finish line was around the corner, just to find another turn.

But when we crossed the finish line I was shocked by the time. Official time: 57:38! A new PR!
This picture cracks me up! I'm literally gasping for air while Nora is leisurely checking our time.

(Thanks Donna Manley Photography for letting me display my official finish)

 57:38 people!

That's a 9:17 pace!!

While it definitely wasn't a fast race for Nora, I set a PR! Kara rocked her 5K as well!

Our interpretation of the race: Nora cheering while I grin and bear it! Totally worth the pain in the end!

What I learned this weekend:

1. Having friends who share your passion is the best. Also having friends who share the same bedtime of 9:30 is pretty amazing too.

2. Running with fast friends make you run faster. This only makes me wonder how fast I would be if I could run with Nora all the time.

3. Ice cream is not always the best pre-race meal. 

4. Running "naked" is awesome. I will definitely start doing this more. While it would be nice to look back on my spits, it was freeing to run solely on feeling.  

Best Girls Memphis Weekend ever!