April « 2010 « Ariana Hilborn

28Apr/10Off

Truckin’, I’m a goin’ home. Whoa whoa baby, back where I belong, Back home, sit down and patch my bones, and get back truckin’ on.

Ok, last part, I promise!! Tuesday after the marathon, we went to Cape Cod. We walked on the beach, ate some good food, and had full-fat ice cream!! Livin' on the edge, I know. It was sooo good!!

Here are some pics.

The gang in front of Pizzeria Regina. YUM!

Goof!

What a loving gaze! Nice Wendy!

I missed Tank, so I found this little fella at the Cape to snuggle!

Matty and I

They are too good at this!

Belly full of ice cream!

Here are my marathon foto pictures from Boston. You know, I have to say these are my best marathon pics yet. Not saying much because I look like I am a dead zombie (can they be alive?hmm...) . But usually, these pictures are much, much, worse.

So, I ran my second post-marathon run this morning. Tank is so happy to be running again! (So am I!!) I am feeling really great and ready to tackle my next challenge. Until July, I will be focusing on shorter distances- 5k and 10k. I am not very good at these and the last 5k I ran was in August, so should be interesting! I am pretty excited to kick my bootie into gear and see what I am made of at the shorter distance. Here is my schedule for the summer:

May 8th- Arizona RoadRacers Rio Vista Luck Of The Draw 8k- Not racing it all out, running it with friends to celebrate Carol's birthday. Yay!

May 29th- Arizona RoadRacers Summer Series #1 5k

June 12- Arizona RoadRacers Summer Series #2 5k

July 4- Scripps Ranch 10k San Diego How fun does that look?

July 17- Arizona RoadRacers Summer Series #4 5k

August 8- Arizona RoadRacers Summer Series #5 5k

September 6th- DisneyLand Half Marathon - Tune-up race for CHICAGO!!!!!

So, here I am back to healthy eating, healthy running, and enjoying the prospect of meeting new goals and growing stronger as a runner this summer. It was 92 degrees today, so the heat is definitely on its way.

Shout out to my dear friend Don who surprised me with a box of maple syrup candy at track yesterday. We were talking last weekend about how much I ADORE maple syrup (probably the only real reason I like pancakes) and he was telling me about this all-natural maple candy made in Vermont. I was dying to try some and there he was on Tuesday with a box! So sweet! Thanks Don!! It is my new favorite!!! Must. Order. More.

Runningly Yours,

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Tagged as: Marathon, Race Report 6 Comments

25Apr/10Off

Truckin’ Down On Boylston Street- Part 2

So, as I am sure you know, I did run Boston.

The morning of the race (After I slept through my alarm!!) I choked down some rice and a few sips of chamomile tea. Usually I have coffee, a huge Gatorade, the works. I just couldn't this morning.

My dear friend Mark brought me some Immodium when I met the gang at the busses down on Boston Common. The bus ride was fun as usual, always interesting characters! I didn't have anything to eat or drink on the bus as I was real worried about what could happen.

We arrived at the village and I immediately used the restroom. I took Immodium and about 5 minutes later, I went again. After the 3rd trip to the restroom, I decided that it warranted the second recommended dose. blech. Every time I would try to lay down, I would need to get back up in line. It was awful. I had my phone and was texting Matt as I was very worried about this race. I really didn't even know if I should try to start. I was so dehydrated at this point, and everything I tried to eat or drink was being rejected by my stomach. I was pretty upset.

I figured I would give it a go and that maybe I would 'forget' about my stomach once I started running. Well, its not like nerves. The flu is pretty unforgettable while running!

When I got to the start line, I tried to think positive. I knew the Big Guy would take care of me, and that I had a job to do and I was going to just go out and do it. (wise words from Don) They played Tom Petty's "Running Down A Dream" which perked me up. I am his biggest fan (atic), and I listen to this song before every race. Except we didn't bring it to Boston, so I was really happy to hear it blaring at the start line! There is no song quite like that one to get you amped up. Agreed? Good.

And we are off!!

Female winner!

First American female, fellow Arizonan Paige Higgens!

Men's Lead Pack

Ryan Hall

Superfans Mark and Wendy.

I would include my splits but they are all messed up as I ran an extra .42 to the restrooms and forgot to turn off the 'auto-stop' function on my Garmin. My 2 slowest splits (not counting restroom stops) were 6:55- Mile 1 and 6:55 Mile 20 at Heartbreak. Happy with that!

Crowds are unreal!! So awesome!

Fellow Bandido JT rockin' it! He ran a 2:41!

Bandido Brett looking for more cowbell. Yeah, he ran a 2:42!!

Luckily my Bandido friend Paul started with me and was able to help keep my mind off of my stomach for awhile. By mile 6 I was frantically looking for a restroom. Finally found one at mile 8. Bad. Took GU #1

I eventually caught up with Paul again, but we lost each other when I had to stop for the second time. I also met 2 friends from Daily Mile on the course, Chaz and Caleb. They looked so strong and I was SO glad to see them. My stomach was cramping bad and I needed a distraction. I tried to hang with them, but I was falling back. Took Gu #2

So happy to see my friends!!!

Off to hunt for a restroom! lol!

At mile 16, I had to find another restroom. This time the one I found was occupied so I had to run through the marathon to the other side of the road to another port-o. This is where I started crying in the port-o-potty. Bad. Took GU #3- only ate 1/2 of it.

Terri! Looking as strong and cute as ever!!

Here come the Heppercraft!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The rest of the race is pretty blurry. I passed DK and it took me a few minutes to realize that it was him. And he is a close friend! I know I was really dehydrated. I drank at almost every aid station. I felt a bit out of it and I probably should have stopped. I usually take 4 or 5 GU's during the race but could only choke down the 2.5.

Citgo Sign!!! 1 mile left!

I will tell you what, I have never been so excited to see a street before. Boylston had angels singing on it, I swear! I tried to give it my all and was super happy that the clock had not turned to 3 hours yet. I had no idea what the time was during the race as my Garmin was all messed up. After I crossed I felt completely depleted. I think the wisest thing would have been to stop at a med tent but I knew there were probably peeps worse off then me so I decided against it. I grabbed my bag from bagcheck and waited for Matt. I was SO COLD!!

Lips blue, post-race.

I love this race but felt so blah about it from being sick. I was disappointed and quite angry that I was so sick. Bummer. I have learned that I am tougher than I thought though. Although I was very far from my goal time of 2:48, my legs did not cramp up at all and the pace felt easy. Heartbreak was much smaller than last year as well! I know that had it not been for the flu I would have been much closer to my goal. I felt so great and ready to go all week before the race. This is the first time I did not feel sluggish before the race. Seriously, my coach rocks.

With all that, this is going down in the books as my 'bad race'. Everyone has to have one race where something goes wrong. This was mine and its over with! Yay!

Highlights:

The volunteers and people of Boston are AMAZING. They make this race what it is for sure.

My friends had amazing races. They all ran so well. I have never seen a man so overjoyed as my friend Paul upon breaking 3 hours. Amazing.

DK ran this one for his late father and did so awesome. He swore that Dad helped him out with a tail wind every once in awhile. I believe him 100%.

post-race napping.

Spent

Post race antics coming up!

Runningly Yours,

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Tagged as: Marathon, Race Report, Race Times 2 Comments

23Apr/10Off

What a long, strange trip its been.. Boston Part 1

I need to preface that I LOVE the Boston marathon. I love the crowds, the expo, the city, it is just awesome. I love, love, love the course. Moreso than I remembered from last year. Rolling hills are my favorite! I was SO excited to run my heart out at Boston. Seriously, I could barely contain myself. But more on that later.

Anyways, this was an...interesting trip. We got in Thursday night after a looonnnggg day of travel. Matt and I went to the Barking Crab for a late dinner and went back to our hotel to get some shut-eye.

Friday morning came and it was cloudy and rainy outside. I went to the treadmill and did my 6 miles with strides and felt SUPER!! Boston here I come!! My legs felt awesome! We met Terri and Mark for a Trader Joe's trip and proceeded to the expo. We were walking around quite a bit in the damp, cold, air which in hindsight was probably not so good for me. We stopped at the Nike store to write on the Great Wall of Boston.

Expo time! We got our numbers and walked around.

I should have realized that there was something wrong when, after about an hour at the expo, I felt tired and not really into it anymore. I did perk up when meeting Steve from Brooks ID and I probably embarrassed myself a little bit..(but she's cute!) I told him my goal on video- an exuberant 2:48 I knew I could do it! He sent me off with and awesome Brooks duffel and some Brooks arm warmers. I *LOVE* BROOKS!!! I was super happy!

lights, camera...

Action! I am such a nerd!! lol!!!

Terri and I sat down to watch a video of the course. I look like I am seeing Santa Claus! I love this course!

After the expo, we went to eat at Bella Vista in the North End. The food was PHENOMENAL! Seriously so good. After dinner we went home. We finally made it off the T at about 8:30 pm. By that time I felt drained, like I was getting a cold. I figured it was just from walking around in the rain, traveling, etc. Boy was I wrong.

Matt ended up violently ill all night Friday. We thought it must be food poisoning as he was so sick so suddenly. Saturday morning I began to feel queasy. Maybe it was just in my head. So I tried some coffee. About 10 minutes later it came up. O.K. , maybe just nerves, lack of sleep.. Tried to run on the treadmill. That lasted about 2 minutes. I was SO weak. Came back to the room. Could not eat or drink anything. I started to cry. This was the most important day for carbs and hydration and I could not stomach anything. I started vomiting around 1pm. I was completely devastated. My head was pounding, I could keep nothing in me. I have not been sick all year long. I could not help but think- Why me? And I know that I have a great life, and it seems silly to be upset over this to some. But for me, it was awful. I had worked SO hard to prepare for Boston. Although it is not a goal race, I was looking at it as a major stepping stone.

We laid in bed ALL DAY and night Saturday. I finally stopped feeling nauseous Sunday at about 12:30am. My head was pounding but I thought I might still be able to run well. I woke up at 7am feeling much better and immediately tried to get in all of the carbs and fluids I could. I did a 4 mile jog and felt pretty good. We went to watch our friend Wendy run the BAA 5k- she did awesome, a 3 minute PR!!

We went for breakfast after the race. I ate pancakes and was hydrating like a mad woman. We came back to the hotel and I was already super tired. I took a nap, shower, and began my pre-race relaxation rituals...(girly pampering stuff)

I went to sleep at about 8 pm. Midnight I woke up sick again. This time it was the other *fun* flu symptom. Bad. I was up going another 4 times in the middle of the night. This could not be happening. I thought I was in the clear but my stomach had other plans. I was hopeful that it would be gone by 10am start time, but I knew I was losing more and more of the little I was able to replenish myself with on Sunday. I slept through my alarm on Monday morning- on race day! I never do that regardless! Luckily we set Matt's phone as a back-up 30 minutes later! I woke up still going to the restroom. It was worse. I was completely devastated. Should I even try to run?

Runningly Yours,

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Tagged as: Brooks ID, Marathon, Race Report, Race Times 4 Comments

11Apr/10Off

Whole lotta taperin’ goin’ on!

*Apologies in advance, I am all over the place with my thoughts and I blame it on taper madness*

7 days to go. 3 days of work and I am on a plane to Boston. Boy, am I nervous/excited/anxious. I am feeling really good, besides some minor allergies. Here is what is going on right now!

Food and Carb-loading

I am very close to my race weight and I feel light but strong. I have been holding 112 pounds for the last week so I think that is what I will be on race day. I wanted to be a tad lighter, but we shall see how this goes. I have been eating really clean; no white sugar, no processed foods, and no wine . I have had my fill of rice, quinoa, yogurt, fruit, eggs, and yams though! This will be the first marathon that I am trying to carb-load clean. No pretzels, loaves of bread, energy bars for this gal. I found that junk weighs me down come race day. I will also stop eating any dairy on Wednesday. For the plane ride I am going to take some all-natural honey stinger gummies, some gluten-free rice crackers, bananas, coconut water, and rice bread with pb & j. We plan on hitting up a TJ's or Whole Foods when we get to Boston so we can pick up snacks, chicken, rice, fruit, etc. for our hotel room.

The ever-important outfit choice:

Right now the forecast is 57 degrees and sunny for marathon Monday. I know it will change...but a gal has to plan.

I am going with my Brooks bra top, ID elite team shorts, ST 4 shoes, and of course my black ribbon for my pony-tail. I usually wear black nail-polish for races to remind myself to stay tough. But... after popular vote (thanks gals!) I am going with a coral color. It is supposed to be very Spring-like while we are there so I think it will be cute! And after all, we all know how important it is to look cute!

Plan for this week:

I ran 55 miles last week. I had a GREAT confidence booster work-out on Tuesday night at track. I did 10 x 800m (1/2 mile). They were all supposed to be done in 2:48. I did all but one just under that. On Saturday I had a last hill work-out progression run of 12 miles. 6 easy out, 6 each mile faster on the way back. I felt so good and ended with a 5:50 mile.

This week I have 40 miles before the marathon. 6 easy on Monday, 8 with 4 x 1 mile progression Tuesday, 10 on Wednesday, 0 on Thursday, 6 with strides on Friday and Saturday, and 4 on Sunday . Then, marathon Monday!!! I am way planned ahead at work, so I should be able to get some good rest in the next 3 days before we jet off. I also have a massage on Wednesday! yippee!

The Big Goal:

Normal day, my goal is 2:50 which is a 6:30 average pace. yikes! 2 years ago I could not even run a single mile at this pace!

Good day, stars aligned is a 2:48:xx which is right around a 6:25-6:27 pace. My friend Brett was funny, he knows me too well. He made the comment "If you run a 2:48, won't you be mad at yourself for not running a 2:46?" (2:46 is what I need to qualify for the Olympic Trials) Honestly, he is right, I would be. However, I don't think I am quite ready for that 2:46 yet. Soon enough!!

My main goal- unless Coach John tells me otherwise is 2:48-2:50. Prayers and good thoughts accepted! I know that it will be very hard for me.

I need to remember to not "collapse" and keep good form, I need to attack those Newton Hills when they show up at miles 19-21.

I need to remember FAITH NOT FEAR. I can do it. Its what I have been waking up at 3:30am to run my first out of 2 runs of the day for. It's why I have been going to bed at 8pm (always the life of the party!). It's why I have been spending Tuesday evenings doing speed-work at the track. It's why I have been running weeks of 90+ miles. It's why I have been running Mummy Mountain and jumping from wild critters! It is why I have basically been training my little a$$ off! And honestly, I have loved every minute of it!

Track Me!

So the Boston Athletic Association lets friends/family of runners track them through text/email. If you would like to track me, go to this site:

Athlete Alert

My bib number is 2605. Hopefully next year that number will be smaller with an "F" in front of it!

A Little Help From My Friends

Because I am in taper, I am allowed to get a little weepy. That's just the way it is. I am so lucky to have an amazing husband, amazing friends and family- thanks for the nutrition advice Don! , and an amazing coach to help me meet my goals. There are so many of my peeps running Boston this year, we are going to have so much fun. I feel so blessed to be able to be there with them! My BFF's Terri and Heppercraft are running the marathon also and they are going to kick some serious bootie! I can't wait for us all to see each other at the finish. I know it will be a good day and there will be much cause for celebration.

I will leave you with some pics from our post-run breakfast this weekend at Heppercrafts' house. His sister Kelly was kind enough to make us breakfast- popovers, frittata, fruit salad, granola, and homemade yogurt! yum!

Well, I think that's enough of my rambling for now. I can't believe its here already. I will try to update on FB or DailyMile post race. I'll take lots of pics too! Off to Baaaaasten!!!

((hugs))

Runningly Yours,

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Tagged as: Diet, Inspiration, pre-race 6 Comments

1Apr/10Off

FAITH NOT FEAR- My Arizona Desert Classic 1/2 Marathon RR

Love, love, love this race! The Arizona Distance Classic was held in Oro Valley, AZ. This right around the area of the Tucson marathon where I ran sub-3 in December. Matt, Mark, Terri, and I began race weekend with monkey cakes from the Orange Table in Scottsdale. We then headed down to Tucson to pick up our race packets. We were beginning to worry as the wind was pretty strong! We drove the course and Terri and I were diggin' the rolling hills. It looked like a challenging course, but an excellent Boston practice! After searching for food and Banos, we checked in to our hotel to relax and rest up for the race in the morning.

We woke up at 4:30am, had our breakfasts- I went with my usual rice and honey. No one told us silly Phoenicians how cold the morning would be! It was about 45 and we didn't bring gloves or ear warmers! Luckily it warmed up quick once the sun was out! When we got to the race Terri and I ran a 2 mile warm-up with striders.

My goal for the race really was sub-1:20. That would have been about a 6:08 average pace. Coach told me to run anywhere between a 1:19 to 1:22. He said that I would be able to keep a 6:15 pace. I was a bit nervous, I have barely run that fast for a 5k much less a half marathon!

The wheelchair division began first. They are so amazing. I cannot imagine how hard they had to push themselves to go up those hills on the course. They are just so inspirational. It is unreal.

We were called to line-up and I got a spot in front. My Bandido friends JT and Brett were up there as well, so it was good to see them before the race.

Garmins ready! lol!

The gun went off and I went out like a bat out of hell.

I was first for about a quarter mile when I realized I needed to back way off or I would never finish! A group of men passed me and I was perfectly fine with that! The course was an out and back, which I love so that I can see who is coming up behind me. The weather was perfect, I felt the wind a few times, but nothing major.

Here comes Ter!!!

And there she goes!

There was a lot of downhill on the first half of the race, so you know what that means.. what goes down, must come back up. Whew, I was dying on some of those hills coming back. I think of myself as a pretty strong hill runner, but running as fast as I was (or was trying too) the hills were tough! I was thinking of a few things while running that really helped me to push through when I wanted to just stop. 1. My mom gave me an excellent mantra "FAITH NOT FEAR". 2. Coach John would not have told me to run so fast if he didn't think I could do it. 3. He also told me to BE BRAVE, boy was I trying!

Brett and I

At the 10 mile mark, my friend Brett and I were running together. It helped me so much to have him there. I was really starting to lose it. I ran a 10 mile race back in November and won with a 1:03 time and I met the 10 mile marker today at 1:01, new PR! Brett left me with about .75 left in the race and started with his strong finishing kick. Brett is a VERY fast runner, usually he would be way in front of me, but he just had the stomach flu, so I am very lucky I had him to help me pull through! Thanks Brett!

So I get to mile 12- and I have this thing where the last mile I start to relax and not push as hard as I could or should. Don't know what that is about! Must work on that. Anyways, I was the first female finisher with a time of 1:20:59. A 1:18 PR!! Yay!! That is a 6:11 average pace. I NEVER thought that I would be able to run that far that fast.

I am so thankful for a wonderful husband, wonderful friends, and a fantastic coach that all help me to achieve my goals and believe in me. I am a lucky gal.

Here are my mile splits- They are all over the place and you can tell where I am going uphill! I wish they were more consistent, but hindsight is 20/20.

6:03
6:34
6:03
6:08
5:57
6:10
6:14
6:23
6:29
6:22
6:31
5:50
5:55

results page

Accepting my award. I am such a nerd.

Terri ran well and finished first in her age group! She was having some major leg cramping and just powered through like she does!

Brett came in right in front of me and our friend JT passed a fella at the end to take third overall male!!

WOWZA! Lisa and Dan set new PR's, and our friends Paul, Eve, Jeff, and Steve all ran super fast races! We have some speedy friends!!

I also got to meet up with my former Principal whom I worked for when I just started teaching. It was so good to see Julie again, I just love that woman! Her daughter Melissa just started running this year and set a new PR in the half marathon as well. You go girl!

The course was beautiful, the volunteers were amazing. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to run this and I highly recommend it. Thanks Arizona Distance Classic!