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Duluth, MN - half marathon

Monday, December 17, 2018

Fall Re-cap. . . CIM re-cap coming soon

What a great fall season of racing I've had this year! The California International Marathon (CIM) was the cherry on top to a great 2018. Let me back up a bit to where I left off from my last blog post.

Early October, Marshall and I signed up to run the 15k at the Drury Panther Run. This was only my second 15k race ever. I was pleasantly surprised with a new PR - considering it was in the build-up phase of CIM training, a very hot/humid morning, and Marshall and I ran a majority of the race by ourselves. I was coming off a 10k PR 4 weeks prior, so knew that my speed was there if I could overcome the fatigue of marathon training.

Panther Run
4 weeks later, we found ourselves racing/tempoing the Bass Pro Half Marathon. We usually do a 10 mile tempo run at slightly faster than marathon pace at this point in training, so figured we'd just do the half instead (we have a streak going, we've participated in a Bass Pro event for 8 years now!). The goal was to run around 1:17:00 which would have been about 5-7 seconds (5:52 average) faster than goal marathon pace (5:59 average). 

Well, these things don't always go as planned, which is why using a race as a workout isn't always the best idea. Actually, I kept pretty close to the plan - I ended up running 1:16:25. We started out just under 6 minute pace and slowly worked our way down to about 5:50 miles or just under. The 3rd place male was holding steady about 40 seconds ahead of us. Marshall decided about half way that he was going to try and catch up to him, leaving me to fend for myself. I entertained the idea of trying to stay with him, but couldn't quite hang. Instead I held strong on my own, continuing my sub 5:50's. However, I'll be darned if by the time I came to 12 miles, the guy Marshall was chasing down was only about 10 seconds in front of me (and Marshall was nowhere to be seen). With some encouragement from the lead biker, I pulled even to him at mile 13 (.1 to go!) but he kicked it into another gear and easily beat me to the finish.

Ignore the clock, it was off
No matter, I was still very pleased with this effort. I never felt like I was running all-out and this gave me confidence that I could hopefully run back to back 1:18:30's (or maybe even back to back 1:18:00!). Mile 12 (5:57) and the very first mile (5:55) were my slowest, so a success that all were under 6:00!!!

I'm working on my CIM post, so stay tuned! Should be up before the end of the week

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Plaza 10k Recap

Fall season is here! And it actually felt like fall for our race in Kansas City. Marshall and I went up to run the Plaza 10k which I have run the past several years. It's a great course, and the last 2 years I was able to walk away with a new PR - even better than my track times from MOSO.

It seems that sometimes a PR comes when you least expect it. My workouts have been hit or miss the past several weeks - part of it I know is the higher dew points, humidity, etc. However, when that happens it does nothing for my confidence. The week before the race, Marshall and I were able to rock some 1k's on the track and mile repeats on the road, so there is some speed deep down within me!

Plaza 10k:
Goal 1 - PR (sub 34:50)
Goal 2 - Run at least sub 35:10
Goal 3 - Top 3 finish

Actual:
34:36 - Average 5:33 per mile
1st place

We woke up, and the morning had the same feeling at Grandma's Marathon. It was just a little warmer, but much cooler than what we were used to. Marshall immediately knew he was going for a PR. My game plan was a little different. I knew there were a couple ladies in the race that had run 33:xx before and a couple others that were like me and could run around 35:00.

Mile 4
Immediately, there were two ladies that took out pretty fast and lead for the first mile. I found myself running with Connie and we had gradually caught back up to the two leaders shortly after the first mile. My first mile was 5:30ish, which is a bit fast for me but I was going to try and hold on to the leaders for another mile to see how the race played out. The second mile slowed to about 5:40, and at that point we turned a corner to run through the plaza and I found myself in first. It was short lived, and I went back and forth for the next 1.5 miles. We came through 5k just a little over 17:00 and had made some ground on Marshall but I never could catch up to him. A little bit of panic having come through the 5k fast (at what I would consider a good 5k race time!). I was afraid I was going to hit the wall, as the first 5k was anything but easy. It was either going to be fly and die or I was set up for a sizable PR.

By mile 4, I had gotten the pace back down (I think I split a 5:29) and the pack had started to string out by a few strides. Now, the men that had been running with us were leading and pacing. At this point, I didn't want to loose the guys or I knew I would inadvertently slow down. So I tucked in behind Rick and Eric for another 1.5 miles. Around mile 5, I could sense that I had gaped the the females but continued to hammer away. The boys pulled me through and I was able run my last mile in 5:26! I couldn't believe that I was that much under my PR! I ended up running a 34:36 (14 second PR). This is a time that I would have loved to even run on a track, let alone the roads!


It was such a great feeling to run this strong. Once I got to mile 4, I stopped doubting my pace and knew that I was going to be able to make it to the finish without hitting the wall. I knew I might PR (as I had come through the 10k at Grandma's Half in low 35), but it was still unexpected. I'm getting to the point where my PR's (at least for the shorter distances) are going to be few and far between, or maybe not even able? So I'm going to enjoy the feeling while I can.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

6th year to go to Duluth for Grandma's weekend

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't surprised that I ran a PR in Duluth last weekend! Marshall and I were coming off a long training cycle for the Boston Marathon, and just kept powering through to Grandma's weekend where he ran the full marathon and I did the half. It was nearly 3-4 weeks before I felt "normal" on a lot of my runs following Boston, and a lot of my workouts were mediocre and not on pace. I still had some really great tempos and a pretty good track workout as well. It just felt very hard to hit the paces I was needing. I kept telling myself that part of the reason paces were slower was that we had such a hot/humid spring, but it is still hard to go into a race super confident when you struggle to hit the pace you want to race at.


Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon:

Goal A: PR (sub 1:15:43) and top 10 finish
Goal B: at least run 1:16:xx

Actual: 8th place with new PR of 1:14:43
Results - click here

Duluth is a lot more fun when there are people from your home town there also! Marshall and I had a blast at the pre-race dinner and spent Saturday afternoon hanging with Christine and her family. We ate at Grandma's Saloon (the one at the finish line that the marathon is named after), checked out the beautiful Lake Walk, set foot on the famous lift bridge (only took 6 years!), and took some pictures near the finish line.
Pre race meal
We all knew the night before the race that the weather was going to be PERFECT for a personal record (even though Amy was there 😉). Sure enough, it was 50 degrees with a slight tail wind. I knew that the marathon and half marathon were stacked fields this year, meaning a Top 10 finish was probably going to require at least close to a PR for me. I managed to keep the nerves under control during the warm-up, and why does the warm-up never feel good? I made a split decision that I was going to start the race with a dry pair of socks on my hands. After all these years, you'd think I'd learn to bring gloves to EVERY. SINGLE. RACE. But I forgot, so I improvised. I ended up taking them off after about a mile, but held on to them just in case and didn't end up using them until the walk back to the hotel.
Grandma's Saloon - at the finish

Must have been good luck
The race started, and I kept myself under control. I found a pack of about 3 other women who I assumed were wanting to run 1:15 or faster. They were pulling me through miles right around 5:43 pace for the first 5k. Came through in about 17:35ish, which is what I raced The Big Run at 2 weeks prior in extremely warm conditions. The next 2 miles were just a touch slower, but still on current half marathon pace, so around 5:45-5:46.
Finally made it to the iconic lift bridge. PR's for all 3 of us!!

Around mile 6, we went through an aid station and the group split up. I knew they were slowly moving backwards, so I dropped the hammer and got my 6th mile to a 5:39 which separated me from the pack. The clock read 35:17-20 through 10k. Yes! However, now I had no pack. Luckily, there were enough men that I was slowly picking them off and moving my way up. The second chase pack was slowly starting to break up and I managed to pick off a few women as well and move myself up to 8th place.

Can't believe it! 1:14:43
I came through 10 miles in about 57:10-15. I knew at that point I was definitely going to PR, all I had to do was run my last 5k in 19 minutes and 18 minutes would get me under 1:15. This must have fueled me because I dropped my pace for the last 5k with splits of 5:36, 5:37, 5:41. This is also the part of the course I thrive on, I can start to taste the finish. We just crest the top of Lemon Drop Hill (which really isn't too bad) and start to drop into town, so the crowd support picks up. I also feel this is where I start to make a move on other runners because I'm usually pretty strong up Lemon Drop. Over the last 5k, I came within a few seconds of 7th place, but once she noticed I was there she kicked it in pretty hard and held me off down the home stretch.



I was totally shocked at my performance. Things just felt right once I got racing, and each mile split felt surprising okay. I had hoped 2 years ago to run 1:14:xx, but fell short to 1:15:43. Which was fine, because that was a new PR for me at the time. I thought I would slowly trickle down to 1:14, but it blow my mind that I was able to drop 60 seconds. I was in the perfect situation/race and made it happen!!


Picture from Christine's grandson for the "winner"

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Boston Marathon!

It' time to come back down to Earth and start training again. What an exciting time Boston was for us! I can't say I was really too thrilled during the actual race, but I guess the conditions made this an epic race. 

It seemed that every time I checked the weather report, the conditions just kept getting worse. By Saturday (race was Monday), I had accepted the fact that a P.R. was not going to happen. I learned from my mistake at the 2016 trials and was just going to run a "smart" race. Meaning run based on feel, start conservative, and don't be an idiot (fly and die method). I figured that several of the foreign runners may drop and that if I just finished I could possibly sneak into a higher finishing position.


With the gusty winds and pouring rain, no one really wanted to take control and lead the race. Therefore, we opened with a slow first mile as I had expected anyways. Almost immediately after the first mile, the professionals started to break away. I stayed with a handful of others for about 7 more miles running fairly conservative, but really not too far off 6 minute pace. By mile 8, the girl I had been trailing slowly started to pull away and I was left to fight by myself for a large portion of the race. I would later reel this runner back in. 

I came through the half way point in just under 1:22 and thought maybe I could have a good last 10k and hopes of holding onto a sub 2:45. By this point in the race, I had passed the first professional who I saw pull off at the 13.1 sobbing and went to the med tent. Over the next 5 miles, I started to see more and more women dropping. I heard a spectator tell me he thought I might be in the top 15. Yes! I thought.

Near Mile 25 - look at that rain!
I kept telling myself to get to mile 21 because this would be the top of heart break hill and then I would get a downhill to get me going again. I was so excited when I finally reached that point, but once I started going downhill, the quad were so cold that it felt worse than going up heartbreak hill! Talk about a let down. . . however, it was shortly after this that another spectator told me I was knocking on the door of top 10! I thought he must be mistaken, I had jostled position and couldn't keep track of who I passed and who had passed me. Never the less, I felt a small beacon of hope start to spread through me. 

I knew at this point I had less than 35 minutes of running. My hands were freezing, the hand warmers were soaked, but I think the plastic bags were at least still cutting the wind some. I really don't know how I survived, but I did! I missed a GU at mile 19ish because my hands were too frozen to open the pack. I debated stopping until I could get it open, but decided I could make it without the GU. My legs were so numb, I feared I might not get going again if I stopped. 


At mile 25, I saw Molly huddle walk over to the bottle. At this point I started to get excited. I thought, if I can hold her off for about a mile, I might actually beat Molly Huddle! I knew I would NEVER be able to say that again, and a little bit of adrenaline kicked in. It was raining so hard, I couldn't see any runners in front of me (and I wasn't about to look behind me!). As I turned onto Boylston street, I saw another female just a little a head of me. I was gaining on her quickly and it didn't take too long to catch her. I thought maybe she would put up a fight down the home stretch, but she didn't have anything left at that point. She looked familiar to me, but with everyone wearing jackets, I couldn't see her number on her back. Turns out it was Edna Kiplagat who was the Boston Marathon Champion last year! 

I would have tired to look happier if  I knew what place I was in. I was just relieved to finally be done!
I also heard them announce Shalane Flanagan's name as I was nearing the finish! Holy smokes, I thought to myself, I finished right behind Shalane. I couldn't wait to tell Marshall. I still had no idea what place I finished. I asked the lady that was escorting me back to the tent, but she didn't know either, but "there weren't too  many ahead of you" she told me. Once I changed into dry clothes, got some snacks, and stopped shivering enough to turn on my phone is when I found out that I had placed in the top 10! My phone was blowing up with text messages and I wouldn't have believed it if Kathy Carroll hadn't sent me a screen shot!

Marshall is already looking forward to going back next year and improving on his finish time/place. He wasn't super thrilled with how he did. Also, according to the locals, we didn't get the "full Boston experience" because of the weather. I thought it was still pretty awesome though! It might take a little bit longer for me to commit to next year, I am still recovering from the mental trauma of the conditions ;) 


Thank you to everyone for the good luck wishes before the race! I also cannot BELIEVE how many people have sent me congratulatory e-mails, texts, snail mail(!), or messages on social media. I'm probably also 5 lbs heavier because everyone keeps bringing me goodies also. Haha!

Sunday, April 8, 2018

March in Review

March was a great training month. I had one race early in the month in Kansas City. It was the Big 12 12k run (odd distance, I know). I managed to pull off a win for 2 years in a row. Which is awesome because I won 2 tickets to the Big 12 Championship game. What an AWESOME experience.

Big 12 Run:
1st place female
42:59 (average 5:45)
Results (Click Here)

Overall, I was very pleased with this race. My pace was nothing super impressive (I've run this pace for a half marathon before), but given the terrain I am extremely pleased. Last year I was 44:15, but it was very windy and in the middle of a snow storm. It was also during an 80+ mile week which was preceded by 2 weeks prior that were 90+, so this was raced on very tired legs.

First place!
Pretty quick into the race, I found another female and her coach that were running pretty close to the pace I wanted. It was just the 3 of us for most of the race. I opened up in 5:47, then they took the lead for the next 3 miles which were 5:44, 5:56, and 6:04. I didn't like the upward trend, so once we finally got to the top of the long climb up The Paseo, I surged and brought the pace down to a 5:35 and started to pull ahead just a bit from the other two. Then followed up with a 5:19 STEEP downhill mile. I thought the two might catch back up to me during this mile because I do not like down hill running and at this point in training I did not want to let totally loose and risk injury. Finished up with a 5:53 w/half of that up a pretty steep hill (at the end of the race too!) and a 2:38 last half mile (back down the hill) for 7.5 miles (aka 12k). This last mile, even though it was significantly slower, was where I pulled away enough to secure the win.

Can you find the weenie? I did end up ditching the head band. . . in my defense, was in the 30's at start














After breaking away, caught some of the 5k runners
I also had 3 new workouts that I wanted to try this training cycle. They were ones we had never done before and some were harder than they sounded, some where easier than they sounded.

For example, to substitute a long run we did 9 miles at marathon pace + 1 minute, then quickly changed shoes and ran 8 more miles at marathon pace. This was modified from a workout I saw Sara Hall post about.

We also nailed a 2 x 6 mile that was split up by a fast half mile to spike the heart rate. This was actually a tale of 2 tempos. One was into the wind and was about 2 seconds per mile slower than goal. Then the next 6 mile tempo was 15+ seconds faster PER MILE.





On a side note, Krissy and baby Evan came to Missouri to visit!! I can't wait to snuggle his little guy again in July.
Sweet baby

He likes Harry Potter as much as his Auntie.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

February in Review & Cuteness Overload

February has been a great month! It started out with a trip to Alabama to meet my new nephew, Evan. 

Baby Evan - so cute!
This just so happened to be my birthday weekend, and was probably the first time in about 10 years that I've spent my birthday with my twin sister. So I spent my 30th birthday morning in Pensacola, FL and on a whim signed up for a 15k. My sister mentioned it about a week before we were to leave, and we were able to work out some logistics to make it work. This means that my first race of 2018 was on my birthday, and I walked away with 1st place and a nice prize check :) 
Was colder than expected

I had looked up past results and new it was pretty competitive (with the exception of last year). I thought I'd have a good chance of top 3 though. I knew it was going to be hard because we drove 13 hours Friday, had to get up in time to catch the bus at Pensacola Beach by 5:15 am, then run hard for 9.3 miles in cold/wind. 

Boy was it windy! That was the worst part. Overall, it was an amazing experience as we started in Pensacola and crossed 2 bridges that were 3 miles and a shorted 1 mile bridge (hence Double Bridge Run) to finish right at the boardwalk in Pensacola Beach. 

I didn't want to go super hard from the beginning, not knowing how the legs would hold up after fatigue hit and 13 hour of driving the night before. There were 3 women, counting myself, for about the first 5k. After the first mile being so windy, I decided to hold back and do a little bit of drafting. So I tucked in behind some men and the other 2 women for about 2 miles. At this point, the pace has slipped to above 6:00 miles, and it was far enough in that I started feeling a little better. So Marshall and I dropped the pace and quickly shook off the other 2. With Marshall a few strides ahead, and another man that I spent running side by side for another mile or 2, we managed to get the pace closed to 5:45 ish and basically hold that the rest of the way. 
First race in the 30 year age group category
I've never felt like such a celebrity at the end of a race before. The media was super excited and I think the town loves this race. I got to give a quick video interview and made the local newspaper as well. Here is a link to the newspaper and video if anyone wants to read about the "Birthday Champion" as I'm called. Lol (Link Here)

Yes, Marshall ran away from me again. We were slowly gaining on a pack of about 5 men, and I told him I thought he could probably take that whole pack. Which he did, but in the process the pack sped up to try and stay with him, and it was just enough that I couldn't get to any of them. 

The rest of February has been going well also. With a spring marathon in the works, my year is starting off with significantly higher miles than most. I usually pick a late summer or fall marathon. However, as everyone knows (because it is basically all I talk about), we are going to run in the Boston Marathon for the first time. We can't wait, and it is only 7 weeks away!!!

Week in Review:
90 miles
20 mile long run
2 workout 
10 runs

Workouts included faster finish on the 20 miles and mile repeats on the track. They were nothing spectacular - I've actually run almost the same pace for 2 mile repeats before. However, I did 6 reps (I usually do 4-5) and still managed to have all right at or slightly under 5:30). I've also got a lot of miles on my legs right now. Race week I still managed 70+, the last 2 weeks were at 80, and now just capped off a 90 mile week. So I am fairly strong, but feeling the hills and any little breeze a bit more than I would like. But I'm at my peak, so fairly soon the weekly mileage will slowly start to decrease. 

I also just started using Instagram (I'm so behind on social media...) and would love some followers! I would also love suggestions on users that you all follow.

User name is kimi.shankreed

One more, just because he is so cute

Sunday, January 14, 2018

2017 in Review

3183 miles
10 races (some used as workouts)
Marathon PR
Highest weekly mileage - 100 (which is a life time high for me!)
29 miles for Penny


The Good:

1. I walked away with a new marathon PR and ran in my first "World Major". . . the Chicago Marathon. I was 12th female overall and the 7th American. This is where I punched my ticket to the 2020 OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS!! So close to the "A" standard. (Recap for Chicago - click here)

2. I also hit a triple digit week! It was hard, and I'm not sure it will be in the books for 2018. . . but we will see. I'm not sure I was recovering from the high mileage with work, summer heat, and then throwing in some really hard/long workouts. But I'm not fully ruling it out yet :) 


3. I finished 15th at the USATF Half Marathon Championships. This is the first time I haven broken into the top 20 at a championship event.( Recap for USATF Champs - click here )



29 miles for Penny this year :)
The Not So Good:
2017 was not the year for ideal race conditions:

  • The year started with snow during The Big 12 12k. 
  • 20+ mph head winds at Rock the Parkway Half Marathon 
  • Extremely humid and storms/severe weather (they pulled people out of the race!) at the USATF half champs
  • Both marathons were (fairly) hot (60 at Chicago and 80 at Bass Pro) (Recap here)
My favorites of  2017:
  • Best Race Experience - Chicago marathon - First world major, new PR, over 1 million spectators, high finish!
  • Most Memorable Race - Big 12 12k. While the race was really uneventful, it was one of the coolest prizes I've won. I got a year supply of gas cards AND 2 tickets to attend the Big 12 CHAMPIONSHIP game. They even brought out the race winners to the court at haIf time. It was extremely fun and worth battling the snow and wind (I was all-out bundled up with a jacket, full tights, and probably a pack of hot hands. . . I can't remember). Although, I was having second thoughts during the race. 
Snowy and cold!
  • Best Run/Workout - 10 x 800 (w/2.5-3 min recovery). All were 2:35 or faster. This was 2 weeks before Chicago, and why I thought I would get the "A" standard - but we are always chasing the "perfect" race conditions, which I probably need to get the "A" standard of sub 2:37.
  • Best New Piece of Gear - I tried a new brand of Shoes. The brand is 361° and the shoe was called 361 - Onyx. It is a trainer, but the bottom is foam and looks similar to a flat. So I was able to wear them for several workouts and it still felt like I had on a fast shoe. I did not get the miles I expected out of them, but I guess that is expected since the bottom is foam. 
    Decent price and held up okay
  • Most Inspirational Runner of 2017 - I'm gonna go with Jordan Hasay's breakout year for the marathon. She finished 3rd at Boston (fastest debut by an American women). Then she ran even faster and took 3rd at the Chicago marathon.
Goals for 2018:
  • Run a good half/possible PR. I'm not sure which races yet where this will be ideal. If I do well at Boston, I will probably run the half at Grandma's in Duluth again. 
  • This might be far-fetched, but I'm going for the "A" standard of sub 2:37 again. I just keep telling myself that I'm actually closer to the "A" than I am to the "B" standard. I need to take 80 seconds off my PR 2:38:19. My best chance is Boston in April. Then Marshall and I are trying to decide between Grandma's in June or CIM (California) in December as a back up. I really want to go skiing (still mad that our plans fell through. . . we were suppose to be Skiing as I am typing this), so I'm having a hard time fully committing to CIM as both these trips would be very expensive.