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2015 vancouver lake half marathon

by Heather

Hello! Hope your Wednesday is going great.  I taught Body Combat this morning and had a sweaty good time with my class (as always).  I just love how no matter how challenging (or great) my morning starts out, I always leave class happier, a bit saner and have a general feeling of awesomeness.

So like I mentioned I ran my fourth half marathon on Sunday, yay!  [Side note: a new gal came to my combat class today and told me she is a big time runner and ran 22 half marathons last year.  That is nuts!]  Back to Sunday.  I ran the 13.1 mile Vancouver Lake Half Marathon with my gal pals Megan and Laura.  I was so much fun running with these ladies!  My mom came to cheer us on and captured pictures.  There are so many reasons I like this race (it was my 3rd time running it).  Let me tell you five of them:

  • super flat course
  • about 5 minutes from my house
  • the way the course is laid out with 3 out and backs lets you see your cheerleaders a lot without them having to move around to different spots
  • it’s inexpensive
  • it’s a small race

Megan and I we were super stoked and ready to go.  The temperature was perfect – about mid to upper 40s I believe plus fog – no rain!  IMG_4485We met up with Laura and took our spot in the port-a-potty line.  Pre-run necessity.

IMG_4496A few minutes after that it was race time!  I just love how Laura and I are getting our dance on right at the start of the race.  Best way to start it!

IMG_4495The first out and back took us to 3 miles.  I tossed my long sleeve shirt to my mom and we all gave the double thumbs up.  Feeling good and energized.

IMG_4494Our next out and back added 6 more miles on.  Double thumbs up continue!  I was still feeling great, except I could tell my bladder was filling up.  Gummy bears were around the corner and I was so thankful for that since I forgot to bring any dried fruit to snack on.

IMG_4499We pushed through another 3 mile out and back taking us to 12 miles.  I was right by the potties but with only a mile to go I knew I couldn’t stop.  We were so close!  Although my hips, knees and ankles were hurting, it wasn’t as bad as I remember it being years back.  I never felt like I needed to give up.

IMG_4492As we ran through the park we saw our cheering crowd and got excited since the end was so near!

IMG_4490 IMG_4487When we were coming around the final bend we saw that the time was 1:59:45 – time to sprint it to the finish!  I pushed as hard and fast as I could and came in at 1:59:59!

IMG_4515IMG_4486Megan and Laura finished seconds after.

IMG_4497 IMG_4498

This definitely felt like my strongest half marathon.  While it wasn’t my fastest (although it was my second fastest), I physically felt like I was able to handle it really well.  My body recovered super well from it and I didn’t have major soreness.  Even though my training started only 10 weeks before the race and my training was spotty at best (1-2 runs a week with some time skipped while on vacation), I felt really good running it.  So even though my running training was mediocre, my well rounded fitness routine stayed consistent and continued to challenge my body.  Personally I feel like the combination of fitness yoga 3-4x a week, body pump/strength 3x a week and combat 1x a week helped my body to be ready for the physical demand that 13.1 miles puts on it.  Throw in the training runs and increased mileage and I was ready for it!  I still feel so excited about how great I felt after.  Also, the massage I got yesterday sure didn’t hurt. 🙂

What is your workout routine like?  Heavy in certain areas or balanced?  I’d love to hear about it!

Heather

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2 comments

Erica January 29, 2015 - 4:35 am

Go mama! Its amazing how that clock can push you right at the end!! I have a good balance of cardio and weights but could definitely use some more stretch…. 😉 The pictures are super cute. I love smaller races

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Fit Mama January 30, 2015 - 6:02 am

Thanks! It was so fun pushing right at the end. What a motivator the clock was. It’s tough to do stretching! If i didn’t teach the yoga classes, I probably wouldn’t get as much in as I do.

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