1st race back in Michigan, Ann Arbor Half Marathon

When I found out I was moving back to Michigan, one of the first things I did was look for a race! I figured why not, might be able to meet some new people and it would keep me motivated to keep running! So the first race that I signed up for was the Ann Arbor half marathon. It was in the inaugural year for this full and half marathon event. Which didn't bother me, it was a race being ran through Ann Arbor one of my favorite cities. 
Over the past few weeks I had kept my running up, and I had been feeling great! When I ran as part of the Dixie 200 relay race I had some of my best runs! I felt ready, I was aiming to make a PR, I wanted a 1:50, and I had felt ready for it! But then race day occured.....


Let's first start with the night before...
         Usually the night before I try to have a nice peacefully relaxing evening. And it had started out that way, my husband I spent the afternoon looking at houses after I got back from helping out at the expo for the race. We were about to decided on dinner, I was looking forward to having a small meal and then going to bed. 

Brady after surgery

Bo & Brady on a normal walk

That all changed when I took my 2 Boston's outside after their dinner. For some reason our walk did not go as planned....a fight between brothers occured and a trip to the Emergency Vet and then onto the  Michigan State Vet School. Some how during the fight, eye trauma occured and Brady is now a one eyed wonder dog. So needless to say my night was filled with a lot more stress then I typically would like the night before a race. It wasn't till after 10pm did I hear that he was out of surgery. But he is all better now, and Bo and Brady are slowly getting back to normal. I think once the e-collar goes away that will make life easier!

Brady telling Bo he forgive's him. 

So onto the actually race....after 6 hours of sleep I got up with only needing one of my three alarms I had set just in case! Onto Ann Arbor I went at 5:15am. I was able to easily find a parking spot, just across from the Big House!! If only it was Football Saturday...aww but that will be here soon enough.

When I got there, I had driven though some rain showers on the way, but on radar it looked like it was going to miss Ann Arbor! But the humidity did not miss Ann Arbor! It was a lot more humid then predicited! But I still felt ok. As I lined up, I had the usually pre-race nerves, the same ones I would get when I used to swim in college and highschool. I felt ready! And off I went at 7:05am. I felt great....i kept looking at my garmin and the avg.pace was just where I wanted it to be (8:20min/mile). And then the Hills that I kept hearing about came and kept coming. I was not worried about the hills at all, I had been running in Birmingham, AL, where I couldn't get away from hills. But since I have been in Okemos, for the past 3 weeks it is flat as can be. And after 7miles or so of hills, and still more in sight, they took their toll! I was just over it! And then I got tired. The hills started to piss me off, and the humidity didn't help and stressful night from the night before and lack of sleep all caught up to me at mile 9 or so. I now truley believe that running is just mental as physical, because I checked out! I hate that I did it, i was on track to do great and I had felt great. But I mentally checked out.  

Even though it was not the race I had wanted I still finished, it was my 4th marathon, and my second one under 2 hours (1:59:29). So I have to stop beating myself up about it. I have to remember the day when I said I would never run a marathon and here I just finished number 4 in just over a year! 

Finish of Half Marathon #4

Did you race this weekend? how did it go?

Have You ever checked out of a race?

to Run with Music or Not?!

To run with music or not, that is such a big question some days! And most everyone has their own opinion on it
I personally enjoy running with music! I feel that with what ever type of music I have on will help the tempo of the run. If I am out for an easy run, I make sure to have a playlist with slower paced songs, if I am out for speed work or tempo run I make sure to have a fast beat, faster music on the playlist. 
There are even websites out there that can recommend songs for what pace you are trying to set: http:Songs for 8:15min/mile pace 
There are many Studies showing the benefits of music and activity, whether it be running or cycling. 
In the current study, published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 30 subjects synchronised their pace to the tempo of the music which was 125 bpm. Before the experiment, a pool of music was rated using a questionnaire tool (the Brunel Music Rating Inventory) which then selected the most motivational pieces for the treadmill test. The subjects were given a choice of either pop or rock music.

When compared to a no-music control, the motivational synchronised music led to a 15 percent improvement in endurance.

"The synchronous application of music resulted in much higher endurance while the motivational qualities of the music impacted significantly on the interpretation of fatigue symptoms right up to the point of voluntary exhaustion," Karageorghis reported.

When I am out running with a group or a running partner, I do not feel the need for music, because the conversation is usually better then music! But now that I am back running most of my runs alone, I will enjoy my iPod and Yurbuds!

In 2 days I am running at The Ann Arbor half marathon and my goal for this race is to get a PR!! And this will be my 2nd race that I will be running where I will not be with a running partner, so headphones will be on!! And seeing that the race will be starting at the Big House I think it would only be fitting that the first song on the playlist is The Victors! Go Blue!!




Do you run with or with out headphones?


What is your "powersong" that makes you dig deep?