Atlanta DNA

I'm pretty sure I've got it. No, not like the city. More like Charlie Sheen's Adonis DNA but with a running spin. Atlanta is a character from Greek and Roman mythology. She refused to marry unless the suitor could best her in a race. She killed them when they lost but yet many still tried their luck (or finishing kick?). It wasn't until the goddess Aphrodite decided to give poor, young Melanion some golden apples that Atlanta finally lost. Frankly I don't believe a skilled young huntress and runner like Atlanta would stop to pick up golden apples that Melanion threw. What serious runner wastes time like that? But that's another matter entirely.



What I do believe is that I am becoming a serious local contender for 2012! I won't be slaying any suitors (marriage kind of ruined that) but I sure hope to be beating more guys, and gals! My training has been pretty on point. I'm 9.5 miles short of my plan but I knew my plan was ambitious going in and I didn't plan to still be racing every weekend throughout it!

To send 2011 out with a bang my husband decided we should repeat our New Year's Eve race from last year (which I didn't write a race report for!). The Harmony Silvester 5k celebrates the German New Year with a ball drop at 6PM EST which equates to the ball drop in Germany. I'm a lot more into this whole thing now that I work for a German company! I even thought about calling my boss across the pond and telling him happy New Years but I abstained.

Last year I ran this race in 30:56 and I remember thinking the hills were brutal. My husband ran it in 26:30 and he wasn't prepared for the rollers either. This year was completely different. I went out with a plan. I wanted my sub-25 even knowing the hills were coming. I decided to run 8 minute mile pace the entire time. The first mile was dead on 8 minutes. The next mile the hills started to catch up to me again but I made it up on the downhills as best I could. Mile 2 split was 8:40. Whoops! I had a lot of making up to do in mile 3. I found the next gear and chugged along next to a guy who seemed to be running fairly easy. I'm sure he thought he was going to need his breath to perform CPR on my wheezing body any second. I kept pushing and the last little hill coming back up into the square got me. I started feeling that familiar churning in my stomach. Instead of pulling off to let 'er rip I kept running but I couldn't do an 8 minute mile uphill and hold my lunch down at the same time. Mile 3 ticked in at 8:20. I finished in 25:05. Still a PR but leaving those darned 6 seconds to be desired! Better luck next year!



I planned to start 2012 off right, with a cutback week. My husband had other ideas. He signed up for a new 5k on Saturday. I woke up feeling awful and tried to stay in bed. My ever-thoughtful husband decided that if I wouldn't run with him then I should at least be his cheering squad. I volunteered pulling off timing chips at the finish chute and cheered my husband in to a new PR of 21:38. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to catch him!

Sunday I woke up early despite not setting an alarm. I decided to sneak out for a 5 mile race in the park. My husband and I ran this race last year and, again, the hills were crazy! I finished in 55:33 last year. This year I knew my endurance was better so I aimed higher. I planned to run 8:20-8:30 pace until the last mile which is completely uphill. Mile 1 was 8:21, mile 2 in 8:11, mile 3 in 8:23, and mile 4 in 9:07 (whoops!). I hit the last long climb right after mile 4 and, unlike last year, I didn't let it reduce me to a walk. I may have been moving slowly but I continued to run. Mile 5 took me 10:59 and if you look at the elevation profile I'm sure you'll see why! Final chip time was 45:03! Guess I need even more hill training this year!



So here's to bigger and better (and longer!) in 2012! In case you haven't seen it yet my goal races for the year:
March 17 - Rock n Roll D.C. Marathon
March 31 - Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run
May 6 - Flying Pig Marathon
June 9 - Hatfield McCoy Marathon
August 25 - Baker 50 Mile Ultrachallenge (leg 2)
October 13 - Baltimore Marathon
November 4 - Marshall University Marathon

So I'll see you on the road! Happy training!