32 and faster than ever!

Dan and I at the race. I'm wearing my new Ice Queen Jacket!!!

My alternative to the ice bath... brrrrr! Last temp report: low 50s.

Had to include this one... check out my abs! All this core work is paying off!

"Ease up," Dan kept reminding me as I pounded my way to another half marathon PR. I flew through the first 8 miles easily with him distracting me with his chatter. For him, my pace was conversational. For me, it was a battle to stay below threshold. "Listen to your breathing. You're going too hard," he urged me, as I passed another water stop. I didn't speak. Only nodded or smiled in response to his stories. I was conserving my energy. We were hoping for a pace of 7:25 per mile. 5 seconds per mile faster than Tulsa last month. But the weather conditions were perfect, the course was flat.... I had to go for it. We had run a 2 mile warm up prior to the start. I felt great through mile 10 and then the fatigue began to set in. At that point, with only 5k to go, I knew I could continue to push my body and slaughter my goal and my previous PR. And I did. Rounding the last corner Dan shouted one last bit of advice, "you have 30 seconds to break 1:36, Go!"

I didn't break 1:36 but I came close. I killed my previous PR by just over 2 minutes, finishing in 1:36:07. A pace of 7:20 per mile. Who knew I could run? I finished 4th in my age group out of 65, and 14th overall in a field of 408 women. Amazing. We cooled down with a very slow 3 miles, finishing with 18 for the day. I had hoped for 20, but Dan reminded me not to be a "slave to the numbers". My effort in the race more than compensated for the 2 miles I did not run this week. I ended my week with 59 miles. We stopped by the gym on the way home to soak in the unheated outdoor pool as an alternative to my usual ice bath. We spent the rest of my 32nd birthday eating lunch, going to the movies, and getting some stuff done around the house. Great way to kick off another year!