Honestly, this is the truth.
The idea of racing in a brand new age group next year is pretty scary…the 40-49 group for women is competitive in nearly every race I’ve ever been in. And there’s a good chance my 40th birthday will coincide with the James Joyce Ramble in 2016, since it always falls around my birthday.
Speaking of the Ramble, Dr. G and I both ran it on Sunday and killed our course records!
It is a tough course (there’s a reason why it’s the USATF Masters National Championsip for the 10K distance), with an absolutely brutal climb around the 3.5 mile mark. Brutal. And there are very few flat straightaways; if you’re not climbing, you’re running up and over rolling hills, with maybe a quick little downhill thrown in here and there for good measure.
Which explains why, until Sunday, my course PR was nearly 5 minutes more than my 10K PR.
So my race goal was simply to beat my previous Ramble time of 58:38, and knowing the hills that were awaiting me, I had a pretty simple plan: to run conservatively over the first three miles, survive the hills without walking, then try and achieve negative splits the last two miles.
Of course, this didn’t happen at all. Best laid plans, right?
We lined up early this year to avoid being caught in the back of the pack, and that was a HUGE help. I was able to start at a pace I was comfortable with (although it was probably too fast for that first mile) without any weaving or dodging around slower runners in front of me. Such a luxury.
Dr. G. got out ahead of me, and I let him, especially when I saw my first mile was 8:43 — a little faster than I planned to go. I slowed my pace slightly and tried to conserve energy as we approached some rolling hills (a walk in the park compared to what was to come), yet my pace was still sub-9:00 (though just barely).
And then, a little after mile 3, we took the dreaded turn onto the campus of a private school, and soon enough there it was: the big behemoth. I got low and thought about how I ruled the hills at the Newport 10 Miler last year, and soon I was cresting the top — just after catching up with Dr. G.
This is where the race tricks me every year. Once you get to the top, you think, Whew! I made it! Ahhh, not so fast. Another relatively steep hill awaits you just around the corner.
The good news is that once you cruise down the downhill, you’re at the 4 mile mark — 2.2. miles to go. The next mile or so consists of rolling hills. It was around this time I realized I was developing a pretty bad blister on the big toe of my left foot. Grrrrrrr. My pace slowed just a bit but I kept chugging along, telling myself not too much longer until I can sit on the grass and enjoy a beer.
Just after the 5 mile mark, my iTunes playlist stopped — I guess I didn’t make it long enough!! Argh, seriously?! I slowed down ever so slightly and I frantically tried to find something new to listen to, and eventually the sounds of the Black Eyed Peas filled my ears, and I was good to go.
That last mile, I just focused on picking off people in front of me, which helped take some of the focus off my blistery toe, and as we approached the 6 mile mark, I gunned it big time, keeping my eye on a guy ahead of me in a green shirt and told myself, Just pass him, just pass him. I opened my stride and went as fast as I could. I couldn’t even look down at my Garmin at the top, but after the race I saw at one point (probably for about .2 seconds) my pace was sub-6:00. OMG.
I crossed the finish line in 55:45, just a minute over my 10K PR. And — drumroll please — about three minutes faster than my previous Ramble PR of 58:43. Holy cow.
Here were my splits:
Mile 1: 8:42
Mile 2: 8:53
Mile 3: 8:59
Mile 4: 9:09 (<– hill city)
Mile 5: 8:49
Mile 6: 8:56
.2: 8:26
And can we just talk for a minute about how awesome my husband is? He shaved — get this — nearly 10 minutes off his previous Ramble best and finished just behind me at 55:51. Go, Dr. G! So proud of him.
Post-race is where things got interesting for me, though. So let me preface this by saying a few things:
1. The race had an 11am start, my least favorite time. I never know how to fuel properly. I much prefer early start times.
2. We had two of our best friends over for dinner the previous night, where I drank way too much wine and ate a honking piece of homemade chocolate birthday cake.
3. I was definitely dehydrated and not particularly hungry in the AM, and I forced myself to eat some of my Ezekiel bread with almond butter (forget the banana) and a Honey Stinger Vanilla Waffle about 30 minutes before race time.
All I know is that I crossed the finish line, really pushing myself probably as hard as I ever have in a race, and immediately felt like I was going to throw up. Yikes. That has never happened to me before in all my years of racing!!! That’s gonna be one sexy finish line photo.
Luckily I managed to keep it all down and together, but that should have been the first clue that I was dehydrated and not properly fueled.
So what’s a girl to do? Drink two post-race beers.
Bad. Idea.
I was okay for the next hour or two as we rushed back home, grabbed the kids from my cousin, and headed right to Buddy’s soccer game. But when we returned from the game, my body started shutting down and those lovely runner’s GI issues reared their ugly head, reminding me of how I felt after I ran my first half marathon.
Eventually, I ate this lovely meal of vegetable broth, two Ritz crackers, and a grape Gatorade 2. And I started to feel better.
In retrospect, I know I should have been chugging water the minute I woke up to make up for the previous night, rather than chugging coffee. And maybe one piece of toast (instead of two) and a banana would have been a better choice. Live and learn, right?
Anyway, my course PR at the James Joyce Ramble kicked off my official birthday week! We’re headed to Fenway Park tonight to catch the Red Sox-Tampa Bay Rays game. I’ve never celebrated my birthday at the ballpark before! Should be fun, as long as the weather cooperates.
And I have a birthday surprise for you guys! I know I haven’t done a giveaway here in awhile, so in honor of my birthday week, I have not one but two awesome giveaways for you, both local with quick turnarounds!! Stay tuned and be sure to check back tomorrow for Giveaway No. 1. ! Let’s just say you ladies are going to love this!
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jENNIFER says
Happy birthday to you and congrats on a great race! I have run the Philly half twice and the full once and it always falls right before or after my birthday – maybe one year it will actually be that day!
Jessica says
Thanks, Jen!!
Shanna says
I love the James Joyce Ramble! My plan was a sub 1 hour, but I stopped to check on a friend who was having trouble breathing- gun time was 1:00:08 (59:39 net time). Although that hill at 3.5 is steep, you should try the Newton Chilly (aka Hilly) half marathon in November. Makes that Nobles hill look like a walk in the park!
Jessica says
Oy, I don’t know if I could handle that one!!! LOL. We had perfect racing conditions on Sunday too, don’t you think??
Larissa says
Wow!! Fantastic time!! Congrats on a great race and happy birthday!!
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes says
Great job! Sounds like a tough race. I’ve done the same thing before. The night before Zooma Annapolis I went out with my fellow ambassadors and drank way too much wine. Ran the 10K, not even a PR, but pretty fast. And yes, I have the puking at the finish line photos to prove it. Not my brightest moment 😉