THOU SHALT BE A COMEBACK

Tanganyika Tiger Trot 15k

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Location:

Wichita,KS,

Member Since:

Sep 14, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

marathon pr:  2:59:49.  Saint George 2011

Praire Spirit 50 mile winner 7:36:30 2013

I accidentally ran 100 miles in November 2013.  it was hard.  I threw up a lot.  decided to do a better job next time

I did it again on purpose October 2014--Heartland 100 winner and CR 17:38:37

Heartland 50 winner May 2014

Psycho Wyco 50k winner February 2012

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

Run enough to hold off the middle-age spread

 

 

 

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

 

Sub 3 hour marathon--SOMEDAY!  Done!

 

New long term goal:  ....run enough to feel kinda like I did when I was fit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal:

I was a single mom.  Two times over.  We all survived, despite the fact that I make atrocious decisions.  Then, I met a man I didn't deserve.  And he loves me so much.  And I love him. We lived in sin and bought a house for two years then hired a judge and officially got married(to our great delight and also the delight of our mothers), then a month later he was diagnosed with cancer.  Well we survived all that and he's 100% fine now.  But, we're really out of shape and really busy with kids and jobs and running just isn't my priority and there's so many other layers to all of it, but I'm running anyway.  This is my failure blog now.  Just to log that one run a week if I snag it.  
Somehow that matters and I want that run recorded.

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Mizuno Waverider 12 Lifetime Miles: 333.61
Nike Air Pegasus Lifetime Miles: 507.20
Pink Pegs Lifetime Miles: 595.58
Pink Nike Avant Lifetime Miles: 624.04
Crappy Asics Lifetime Miles: 146.72
Adidas Adizero Mana Lifetime Miles: 113.32
Blue Avants Lifetime Miles: 653.33
Crocs Lifetime Miles: 18.08
Lunarfly Lifetime Miles: 468.47
Race: Tanganyika Tiger Trot 15k (9.3 Miles) 01:05:21, Place overall: 2, Place in age division: 2
Total Distance
14.08

I was little tired going into this but decided to go according to plan, longish warm up and solid tempo run.  I got up, ate a piece of peanut butter toast, drank some coffee, then drove to Goddard.  The race had a way bigger turnout than expected!  It was pretty warm and muggy, and the South wind was beginning to pick up.  About and hour before the race me and Eddy  met up and slowly jogged 4.75 miles.  I then choked down half a gu and some water and then went to the starting line.  By now the south wind was significant and I knew it would cause troubles with my times but was determined to at least run a good effort and not cross the line with a bunch of gas in the tank.  The race ended up starting about 20 minutes late, which was too much time for me to look around and start getting psyched out.  Eddy was having the same problem.  The first place girl(fastest girl in Wichita) was there with her friends and she looked so amazingly in shape, 6-pack and all.  Eddy said he could feel the energy coming off of them.  I tried to be brave and told Eddy it was okay, that WE were fast too and could give them a run for their money.  Anyways I saw all these skinny, muscular girls that looked serious and ugly thoughts reared in my head about looking like a marshmellow next to them but I finally squelched the thoughts and got my head straight.  My Garmin freaked out and didn't split the miles or show my pace or anything, just elapsed time so I don't have splits.  I glanced at it at a few of the mile markers. 

Okay so the race finally starts and I try really hard not to go out too fast and just relax into a good rythm.  The first place woman just tears out of there and she is gone.  I looked at my watch and first mile was 6:45.  Perfect.  I just try and keep a good rythm and concentrate.  The next two miles I pass a few men but am definitely second place woman.  At the 3 mile marker my watch says 20:42 so still clipping off sub 7s.  At 3 miles we turn north onto a straightway with the tailwind and a little rolling so I try to relax into my pace and keep a good turnover.  Somewhere in here I swallow a little water and dump the rest on my head because I feel hot.  As I near the turnaround I see the first place guy, and then not too far behind there is the first place woman.   WOW she is flying and looking to chick the rest of the field(she did).  I hit the turnaround heading south and here it is, the evil south wind, and it is stout today.  I tried to relax and not struggle with it too much, just keep the same effort and turnover.  I could glance at the people coming and got a handle on third place--she looked to be about 1-2 minutes back so I had a fairly comfortable gap.  I knew I was losing time in a big way through here, though.  The guy that has been running ahead of me about the entire race is losing ground and as I pull up next to him he laughingly says something about me breaking wind for him.  I surge past him and he stays on my tail for quite a while.  I wonder if my windbreaking was any good.  I told myself as soon as we turned east out of the wind I needed to make up some time so we turned and I started to push my pace.  At this point I was running all alone.  Windbreaker guy had fallen back and I couldn't see anyone ahead of me.  There was a lot of curving around through the neighborhood and I ran the entire rest of the race with nobody in sight.  A few times I nervously thought I was lost and almost made a wrong turn but was stopped by a lonely volunteer on a corner(thanks!).  When I came through the 9 mile mark in 1:03 something I knew I had lost my sub-7 average and pushed the last part of the race to try and get it back but was unsuccessful.

Although I had truly hoped for a better time, I felt like my effort was decent today.  I don't feel like I dogged it and gave up.  I was very tired at the end and had to lean over and catch my breath.  I kept my rythm in the wind and did not let it mentally defeat me.  I was never passed.  It was a solid workout on tired legs.  I am not going to call this race a flop.  I don't know if it was of certified length or had accurate mile markers, and my dang Garmin didn't measure it(I would have loved to have some better splits).

I crossed the finish line, gave Eddy my tag so he could get my medal for me, then jogged to my car, hopped in, drove home and showered quickly, and went to church.  I was only a tiny bit late for the worship service in the beginning but didn't miss communion, the offering, or the sermon. 

Next step, jog easy a few days and then run a stamina workout--probably on Wednesday?  I am thinking a 2x4 at MP or a little faster.


Blue Avants Miles: 14.08
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From SlowJoe on Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 15:06:46 from 214.13.130.104

I do not miss that stupid south wind at all. It looks like you still held pretty close to 7:00s running into it though, which is crazy. Great job, I say. Looking good for your Fall marathon.

From seeaprilrun on Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 15:10:32 from 68.103.248.145

Thanks Joe! I checked weather.com and it was 14mph so more than a breeze...I'm trying really hard to be positive about this race and what it means for my marathon.

From SlowJoe on Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 17:33:30 from 214.13.130.104

Yeah, I think it is a positive race - sub-7 effort with those winds (remember my formula?). So you PR this Fall, and I can tell you from living in Houston most of my life that it's not even close to windy like we deal with in the plains; so whatever your times are in KS, they have to be better in Houston.

From Tracy on Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 18:53:23 from 173.23.75.96

Wow! A second place finish AND a great time despite some pretty serious wind. What makes you a great runner is that you are always analyzing how you could have done the race differently--and I'm glad you didn't let rock-hard abs psych you out!

From Burt on Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 22:59:55 from 68.225.214.248

Great report April. I especially liked the part where you considered yourself a marshmallow. Look at this marshmallow roast girls!

From JulieC on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 00:03:11 from 71.213.102.74

pretty funny Bur(n)t Marshmallow!! THE POINT APRIL IS you were SECOND!!! WAY AWESOME!! AND the course was PROBABLY SHORT, right? certainly it was long winded!!! Way to go girl!!

From Burt on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 00:44:25 from 68.225.214.248

I just re-read my comment and it didn't make sense. Well, it did to me because I know what I meant. I left out some quotation marks and commas. That was meant to read as if April was saying it. "Look at this marshmallow ROAST, girls!"

I'm a dork for having to explain myself.

From CookieLegs on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 13:43:14 from 155.101.152.105

Wow, I think that was a blistering fast pace for windy conditions and untapered legs!! And any time you can finish a race feeling like you really put forth the effort deserves a big congratulations!! Good luck with your training this next week!

From JulieC on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 18:30:42 from 71.213.102.74

I completely got your remark in the earlier comment Burt, but I could not pass up a remark about BURT MARSHMALLOW.

From baldnspicy on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 20:03:54 from 72.77.98.144

Great job, April! I loved your marshmallow comment too since you're so not a marshmallow! (I just typed then deleted about 8 lines of text because I realized what I had written I was going to have to explain because it would come off wrong. This is not uncommon when I try to be funny, which I'm not. Be grateful I caught it before posting. Crap, now I've got like 8 lines explaining why I didn't write those 8 lines. Sigh. Nevermind.)

From seeaprilrun on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 20:14:22 from 68.103.248.145

Joe--yes, your formula! I am blaming it on the wind. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'll have to find a different excuse for my next race. :)

Tracy--rock hard abs are way overrated. But, coupled with the sleek tan and perfectly slim muscular legs they were quite a contrast to my midget-short, pasty-white legs and my spare tire 'round the middle

Burt--LOL. I am going to remember that. Maybe I can be a marshmellow on FIRE!(that's how I cook my smores)

Adele--thanks! I will keep on keeping on and hopefully things come together this month for a decent marathon!

Spicybaldguy--:) Now I am dying to know what faux paus happened in those 8 lines because it was probably funny!

From Kelli on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 20:25:39 from 71.219.102.155

A race on tired legs is never easy, but it sounds like you gave it everything you had and that is what counts, right? If you were breathing hard at the end, all is well!!!!

From baldnspicy on Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 20:46:43 from 72.77.98.144

I'm a geek and am told that my humor isn't really humor to "normal" people, so I have to be careful when I try to be funny. "Humor" gets me in trouble.

You're too far away to slap me, so I'll tell you it was something along the lines of you not being a marshmallow but if you were you'd be a mini. Then something about the windbreaker guy being glad you were more marshmallow-ish than the stick ahead of you because he had tried to draft off her but didn't feel any difference. Yadda Yadda. It was funny when I wrote it. And was even complimentary...in my mind.

Time for me to go gnaw on the jalapeno that's attached to my foot. :-)

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