Denouement

BYU Rex Lee Run

Recent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesMichelleL's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageWeek ViewMonth ViewYear View
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2007200820092010201120122013
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

Kowloon Tong,Hong Kong

Member Since:

Jul 02, 2007

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Olympic Trials Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided:

5K - 17:11 (track Pre-kids and at BYU) (1998)

10K - 35:48 (track Pre-kids and at BYU) (1998)

10K - 35:34 (road - Shek Mun 10k 12/12)

1/2 Marathon 1:19:44 (UNICEF HM 11/12)

Marathon 2:47:08 (ING Hartford Connecticut 10/10)

Aided:

St. George Marathon 2:50:40 (10/08)

1/2 marathon - Hobble Creek 1:17:14 (8/08)

10K - Deseret News 10K - 35:02 (7/08)

Short-Term Running Goals:

PR 1/2 marathon AGAIN


Long-Term Running Goals:

Break 2:46 in Boston!

Personal:

I used to run for BYU, but only after trying out three times and finally walking on, so I was never a star. However, it was wonderful to run with great people and under Coach Shane. When you run with fast people, you can't help to improve! I graduated BYU in 1998, and didn't run a race until 2002, after having my second child. My hiatus and other crazy life commitments have made my competitive running suffer, but the last couple of years I have tried to get back into it the best I can. I have been married since 1996, to Paul Lowry, who is a runner himself. I have three boys (my three rascals), ages 12, 10, and 8.

After a great 2008 season, I was injured and eventually diagnosed and cross-diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a type of arthritis disease, which precludes running for all but the most stubborn.  So I am on medications, trying to stay healthy, and seeing my PT often.  And running!  Now beating the streets in Hong Kong.

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
NB RC900 Black/yellow Lifetime Miles: 183.31
NB RC1300 Red/Black Lifetime Miles: 195.31
2012 MTR Lifetime Miles: 4035.70
890 Blue Lifetime Miles: 310.55
NB RC 1600 Lifetime Miles: 96.76
RC 1400 Lifetime Miles: 90.60
NB 890 Baby Blue Lifetime Miles: 233.26
NB 890 Electric Blue Lifetime Miles: 319.67
NB 890 Tokyo Turquoise Lifetime Miles: 163.54
Race: BYU Rex Lee Run (5.6 Miles) 00:33:49, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.400.005.600.000.000.000.0012.00

Well, this is not the official time.  I didn't stop my watch, and realized it when they were cutting off my chip, so I stopped the watch at 35:00.  Even 35:00 would have been a big PR.

TOO BAD THE COURSE WAS AGGREGIOUSLY SHORT.

This is unexcusable.  I am not pleased with the administration of the race, between this preventable, foreseeable error, and the timing screw up, I just don't think this race is a good option for serious runners.  A volunteer told me before the race when I informed the volunteer by the course maps that I knew the course would be short, he said yeah, they clocked it that morning at 5.6 miles, yet they did nothing to fix this.  They could have started the race further south and made the track loop partially on the grass, or added somewhere else, but I guess they thought we all would be happy with our PR's instead.  Anyway. . .

Prayed last night for some good prerace stars and got them.  

Went into work before the race to pick up some docs.  Decided then to change into shorts from my tights (it was already 42F).  Did a 2.6 mile warm up, chatted with the Sojourner chicks, ran to the Cannon Center a couple of times for their unused bathrooms (just 3 minutes from the start, meanwhile there was an incredible line at the track bathrooms).  Decided to wear my singlet, so was in a tank top and shorts, and the weather was probably 43-44F, with some wind.  

I start next to Melody and Amanda, and a blonde chick lines up near us and she looks serious.  Turns out it is Emily Bates, who I knew only by reputation, but now I have met her.  At the gun we take off, Emily leads, then I lead briefly, then she leads again as we start the ascent, the first mile has 122 ft of climb, mostly in the last 1/3 of the mile.  My first mile split (by mile markers) is 6:23, I was going for 6:20 since I knew there was uphill, so I felt ok with that.  I pick off some guys as the hill continues into mile 2.  The hill peaks at about 1.33, with 49 feet of climb, thats about when I passed Emily, then the 9th E downhill starts.  The races second mile marker was way short, at least by 1/3 mile, my split was 3 minutes something, so from that point on I knew the course was short AND the mile markers were crap.  That affected my psyche a bit since I can't rely on my lame gps, nor the mile markers, and the course was short, so I just tried to stay in the uncomfortable-but-sustainable zone.  Not much to report after this, I stayed in first place, I did feel a lack of motivation in the 4.0-5.0 mile zone.  We met up with the 5k group at about 4.8 miles and stay with them to the end.  This would be good in theory, to have people to pick off.  The problem is that I met the pack of 5k'ers who are just a tad slower than my pace, perhaps the 20:00 5k crowd.  So it was easier to match their cadence than to pass them, but I made myself pass some, and with 200m to go around the track I put on some speed, then was done.  A bit of dry heaving and crying.  I wasn't really pleased with my strength in the second half.  I feel like this race has taught me what I need to work on, my speed-endurance.  Whatever that is, its the well you draw on in the second half or last third of a 10k.  Mine is weak.  

 My goal in the race was to break 38:00, and I measured the course on the course tool as 5.6, so if my time was 33:48 (not sure that it was) then that is 6:03 pace, and that gets me under 38:00.  We'll see when the results get out.

It was nice to chat with blog and nonblog runners.  I talked with JulieC, Crockett, Tom and Kim Lee, Kent W, I met Cheryl from the blog (so nice to put a face with a blog), I talked a bit with Amber Harper (is Anderson her married name?--she won the 5k time--btw the 5k was LONG, geez), a couple of other Sojourner girls, Amanda and Melody, of course, and it was so nice to meet Emily Bates.  She is quite accomplished, a professor with a PhD in genetics? and a strong athlete on top of that.  

So that's the 10k that wasn't.  I am grateful to be racing :D 

2010 Mileage Miles: 35.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Jon on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 15:38:41 from 75.169.152.81

Sorry to hear about the very frustrating race. You still pulled out a tough win, though (dry heaving and crying at the finish? Must have been real tough!) and should be proud. Nice work.

From JulieC on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 15:51:52 from 67.41.190.13

YOU DO RUN SO WELL!! BEING THE WINNER OUGHTA FEEL GREAT!! YOU DESERVE IT!! They just need to announce their mistakes on their website. Recreational runners are thinking they are doing really well and we are upset. They also need to announce MICHELLE LOWRY as the REAL winner in very large bold letters : DDDD. So glad the rainstorm came upon us after the race!! must have been the stars you prayed upon last night!!

From crockett on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 15:54:16 from 71.36.80.124

Way to go Michelle. Super race. Good to meet you again. So great to see you in excellent running shape again. Crazy race. Yep, I probably won't run it again, just messed with the mind too much.

From LuzyLew on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 16:36:11 from 69.169.167.157

Great race in spite of the mental anguish over the inadequate course. But finding that speed-endurance....is a pretty funny thing to say. Once Sasha gave me advice on how to run a race by 'starting out fast, maintaining my speed, and then finishing fast'. It's good advice alright, but about as easy to follow as finding & building speed-endurance. If there's a foolproof method to learning how to run fast for a long time, than this blog, and Olympic trainers would not be.... However you work on that speed endurance issue--you won this one! Ah-may-zing. Way to show the Ph.D. a little CPA. Sounds like it was a great experience overall. Congratulations!!!

From seeaprilrun on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 16:46:17 from 68.103.242.46

Michelle you are so hard on yourself. You are in incredible racing shape already, it is quite amazing! You kicked out the last 200 and stayed in the uncomfortable zone so I think you accomplished speed-endurance at the end quite well! And dry-heaving--that is a sure sign of a good hard effort! Sorry to hear the measurement was all messed up that is frustrating. You are an incredible runner with a LOT of heart you are unstoppable!

From Scott Ensign on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 17:04:20 from 65.100.253.126

nice job, now I am really glad I decided not to come down and run that thing. what convinced me was their web site picture showing a starting line packed with amateurs and the sheer number of runners, which indicated chaos. but it is a for a good cause and raises a lot of money for cancer research. still, races like this are best left to the "fun run" walkers and runner if the organizers can't pull it off professionally.

From allie on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 17:33:21 from 67.177.0.102

great job, michelle. congrats on the win and running so strong on a tough course. you ran hard and earned it. so awesome!

at first glance on crockett's blog i thought he said the course was .06 short, then i realized it was .6 ?!?! that is just nuts. i can't imagine why any of the people "in charge" did not think that this was significant. sounds like it was a crazy day in provo.

From Burt on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 17:33:26 from 98.177.220.145

Nice job and nice report. Some of the words were too big for me to understand, but I think I got the gist. You shoulda sported spandex instead of shorts and a singlet.

From marion on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 18:01:20 from 71.213.120.94

Burt, don't you know that you need a dictionary to read Michelle's blog... but you don't need to be able to spell!!! :)

Great race Michelle! I am sorry that it was not organized very well, but you still won :D What did you win, anyway??? Your mad dash for the potty/shower left me with many unanswered questions :)

Drive carefully! It is really snowing out there! Please bring me back a cooler of loot from the buffet :) Creme Brulee is my FAVORITE!!! Oh, and I like lobster too!!! But hey, you know I am easy when it comes to food :D

From Paul on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 19:17:59 from 174.23.180.177

Nice job. Too bad the course was short, but on the other hand it is only March, so it's kind of like spring training or pre-season or something like that. But you put on a good show, and that's what's important.

From runningafterbabies on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 19:51:30 from 67.177.9.74

Nice run, Michelle. Feel proud of your PR! I'm just disappointed I have to call it a 9K PR instead of a 10K...

From Smooth on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 at 23:42:28 from 174.23.198.220

GREAT race and effort, Michelle! There's really no excuse for the organizer to not make the course distance right...short for the 10K and long for the 5K! Sheez!!!

Nevertheless, CONGRATS on the PR and win! You sure have HIGH expectation of yourself...that is admirable! A+++ PERFORMANCE! GOOD JOB on the dry heaving! :)

From Walter on Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 01:52:39 from 24.10.169.110

Wow Michelle, that is a weird mileage for a race huh? I hope you saw my 6:06 average pace for my 10 miler today. You smoked me today! Nice job. For now, but I will be back!

From Superfly on Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 14:08:44 from 208.117.127.110

Nice to see you winning races again. I think I won this race back in 2001 but I can't remember if it was the 5 or 10k, Seemed kind of disorganized back then too.

From josse on Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 20:46:16 from 75.231.12.96

Great job on the race and the 1st place finish. To bad it was a short course.

From Brent on Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 21:10:02 from 66.7.127.219

Lion Queen, 1,000 commando points for the win and another 200 for the dry heaves, effort counts regardless of course screwups.

Stay Kool, B of BS Rools out

From jtshad on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 15:27:28 from 204.134.132.225

Nice job on the win against some strong competition. Too bad the RD was so lame about the length, at least then don't call it a 10K, which at least might make it "feel" better.

Congrats!

From Maurine/Miles on Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 23:46:43 from 97.117.73.228

Belated congratulations on the win. Too bad they didn't rectify the short course. After this many years you would think they would get it right.

Add Your Comment.
  • Keep it family-safe. No vulgar or profane language. To discourage anonymous comments of cowardly nature, your IP address will be logged and posted next to your comment.
  • Do not respond to another person's comment out of context. If he made the original comment on another page/blog entry, go to that entry and respond there.
  • If all you want to do is contact the blogger and your comment is not connected with this entry and has no relevance to others, send a private message instead.
Only registered users with public blogs are allowed to post comments. Log in with your username and password or create an account and set up a blog.
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: