It's recap day, runner friends!!  Who doesn't love a good race recap??

Well, the basic gist is that FLOWER CITY WAS AWESOME.  It was, by far, the best half marathon race day I have ever had...potentially my best race day, period.

As you may remember, I decided a few weeks ago to trash my original plan (to train for a sub-2 half) and just train to complete this race for fun.  And oh my--let me tell you, my running felt REJUVENATED!  It was no longer a chore to get up in the morning and run.  I still got all my miles in, but stopped pushing myself with race pace and tempo runs and Yasso 800s.  It was a beautiful epiphany for me.

Enter race morning (yesterday).  I woke up SUPER PSYCHED for a fun day.  After changing my training plan, I decided my best bet was to start the race with the 2:00 pace group (just to make sure I didn't go out any faster than that--which is my running kryponite), but then fall back as soon as I felt like I was starting to toe that line where I would end up miserable and vomity at the finish.

I got up at 4:30, had breakfast, made 1000 wardrobe changes (low 40's is great racing weather, but hard to dress for!), packed up and drove to my friend Mandy's house to pick up her and our friend Michelle.  I drove us into downtown Rochester and we were at the Blue Cross Arena by 6:30 (start was at 7:30).  I was glad we got there so early, because we had plenty of time to stretch, use the bathrooms, check out the set up in the arena, etc.

We headed out to Broad Street just before the start to line up.  Mandy and I were both starting with the 2:00 group while Michelle was heading further back, so we said our goodbyes and jumped into the crowd.  It was a beautiful (and packed!) starting line!:

Mile 1: 8:47

The gun went off right at 7:30, and...due to the push and pull of the huge crowd, Mandy and I crossed the start only to realize we'd been pushed wayyyyy back behind the 2:00 pacer.  Eeek!  We had some catching up to do!  First mile was fast because we were just pushing our way through the crowds to get to our pace group...haha.  The congestion was a little tough to handle in the early miles, but thankfully everything evened out about 3-4 miles in and we had more elbow room.

(I also noticed a completely barefoot runner during the first mile!!  I thought that was so cool/gutsy/insane!!  Couldn't help but take a pic):

Miles 2-6: 8:47, 9:01, 9:03, 9:02, 8:59

OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS.  FOLLOWING A PACER CHANGED MY WHOLE LIFE.  After so many races where I just depended on my own pacing (and inevitably went out way too fast), at Flower City I tucked into the 2:00 pacers and enjoyed the ride.  Thanks so much to Wendy and Tom (especially Wendy, for whatever reason I ended up on her side of the street more often) for letting me be glued to their butts for 6 miles.  There were SO many times during these miles when I felt my legs saying, "Hey, I feel pretty good, I could go faster than this!"  And then my brain would say, "You shut up, legs!!  Just follow Wendy and SHUT UP!!"  As a result, these were the easiest 6 race miles I've ever done.  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, lovely Roc City was waking up, I was high fiving everybody, and I felt FAB-U-LOUS.

Mile 7: 9:34

The slowdown begins!  We hit the first hill on Goodman Street towards the end of this mile.  I knew as soon as it started that I was done with 2:00 pace.  I waved a silent goodbye to my beloved pacers (and Mandy), kicked up my tunes, and got ready for the hills to roll.

Goodbye, wonderful pacer Wendy.  I found out afterward that she just ran the Boston Marathon on Monday.  WHAT!!

Mile 8: 10:56

HILLS WITH A SIDE OF HILLS!  We headed into Highland Park and Mount Hope Cemetery, and it was one roller after another.  Some pretty nasty ones thrown in there for sure!  One of the worst ones was on uneven cobblestones, for added pleasure on your ankles.  This was the point where I knew I would kill myself for the second half of the race if I pushed too hard.  So I dialed it down, enjoyed the scenery, waved to the crowds, and powered through.  I also had to make a fast Porta-Potty stop when we entered the cemetery, which explains why this is my slowest mile of the race.  (Mucho apologies to the girl I threw the door open on, but darlin', you gotta LOCK that thang!!)

Mile 9: 9:07

The second half of the cemetery was surprisingly flat/downhill.  I was so happy to be out of the worst hill section that I felt like I was flying!

Out of the hills and loving life!

Miles 10-12: 9:37, 9:44, 10:03

These miles were mostly along the Genesee River, and while they were pretty, they were very quiet (not many spectators here), and kind of mentally difficult because you could see downtown Rochester (where the finish line was) but it was VERY VERY FAR AWAY.  Physically I felt good here, but my paces reflect more of the mental challenge of staying in the game and not giving in to my desire for walk breaks.

Mile 13: 9:50

My most favorite mile!!  I could see downtown, the crowds were getting bigger, I knew I had run a great race, and I felt AWESOME.  I saw 4-5 race photographers, and I jumped and smiled like a goon for all of them.  My husband and kiddos were waiting just before the finish line with loud cheers and high fives.  I saw the 2:05 on the clock when I got close and grinned, because I couldn't believe that in a race where I consciously did not (often) look at my Garmin and tried to hold back, I still was running close to my PR.  That felt damn good.

View from mile 13!

I only missed that PR by 29 seconds: final time was 2:05:40!

(EDITED: When I wrote this post, the results on the race website only included gun times.  Afterwards, they posted chip times, and I found out I actually did PR, by 2 seconds!  Haha!  2:05:09.  A pleasant surprise!! (I know some people consider gun time as "official" since it is used for awards placement, but when it takes me 30 seconds to cross a start line--I'm going with the chip, thankyouverymuch.))

 And, the bling was pretty sweet: the Flower City medal is a bottle opener, and I also got part 2 of my Four Seasons Challenge medal:

On top of the awesome race experience, I have to say this is the best I've ever felt physically after a race.  My stomach did not rebel against me (as it usually does)--I pounded a bunch of water, a piece of pizza, and some cookies after the finish.  With no repercussions!  It was amazing!  I also got to run Small Fry's 1/4 mile race with him at 10:30, which was so fun--that kid is turning into a little speed demon.  He'll be smokin' his momma soon.  :)

Mandy and I at the finish

After we came home and had rested a while, I turned to my husband and said, "I had so much FUN today."  Not something I have ever uttered after other half marathons.  But I hope to do so again soon!

I hope everyone who raced this weekend had an excellent race day!  What race has been the most fun for you?  Why?

Hi, running friends!  As I continue training for the Flower City Half Marathon (part 2 in my year-long Rochester Four Seasons Challenge), I can't help but think about future races.  I KNOW, I already have this year basically booked...why am I already thinking ahead to 2017??  But knowing that this year will be dominated by my first marathon has me considering what 2017 will be dominated by...and what races will be the highlights of my next few years as a runner.

With all this thinking going on, I decided to share with you my top 5 dream races...the bucket-list events that I can't wait to tackle sometime, whether it's in a year or 20 years.

1. Bermuda Half Marathon (or Marathon)

Basically: the whole island.  Haha!

Bermuda is one of my favorite places (I traveled there twice in high school for marine science research trips, and once on a cruise in 2009), and when I heard they have a marathon and half, it became my first bucket-list race.  The marathon is two loops of the half, so I'd be totally okay with just doing the one loop...it's only a 20-square-mile island, after all! :) Plus, 13.1 fewer miles running means easier recovery time on the beach!

2. Chicago, NYC, or Marine Corps Marathon

Start of the Marine Corps Marathon (from marathontours.com)

I know, weird that I am listing all three of these together, but I'd really be okay with doing at least 1 of the 3.  All three of them are iconic, enormous American marathons, in cities that I have visited and loved, and the experience of such an event would be amazing.  I'm not really sure how many marathons I have in these legs, so I don't expect to do all three...but I've been toying with the idea of entering the lotteries next year and seeing if I can get a spot in one.

3. Sehgahunda Trail Marathon

Letchworth State Park during a visit we made there last August

A choice close to home!  This one will be several years in the making.  Sehgahunda takes place in Letchworth State Park in Mt Morris, NY...about 45 minutes from me here in Rochester.  Letchworth is gorgeous and has been called "the Grand Canyon of the East".  As such...you can imagine what the trails are like!  Sehgahunda has been featured in Runner's World as one of the best trail races in America.  It's also, from what I hear, incredibly difficult.  This will require me to not only get marathon trained, but also trail-ready.

4. Ragnar Relay

Have wanted to do one of these for years!!  They are very expensive and hard to coordinate though, given that you need 12 people on your team.  Even so, I'm hoping to one day get some friends together and complete one.  Ragnar Adirondack is closest to home, but I've also looked into Ragnar Cape Cod and Ragnar DC.

5. Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon (or Marathon)

from running.competitor.com

Running down the Vegas strip at night?  Yup, I want to go to there.

*Bonus: the Boston Marathon
Because of course.  However, I have zero illusions about my ability to BQ at this point in time, so this is a very distant dream...one that might be best accomplished when I get older (and the qualifying time goes up).  :)

Have you run any of these races?  What are YOUR dream races?