half marathon

Recovery Week

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

After last week’s Cleveland Marathon 5K and half marathon, I spent this week listening to my body. This meant I did not get in a lot runs unfortunately! 

I woke up Monday feeling pretty sore in my quads, and my left quad/hip area in particular was sore. This is where I had an injury in the beginning of the training cycle, so I didn’t want to take it lightly. I went out for a few short runs, a few short walks, but that was really it this week.

This lack of activity worked with my schedule – I had a busy few days after traveling last week, and a training this week and catching up. My daughter finished school Wednesday, and was home Thursday and Friday. So, I didn’t have any lunch hours open for walks, etc. and also didn’t have time to myself during the day for any breaks. But we’re almost done with our month of MAYhem!

Here’s how the week looked:

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Cleveland Marathon 2024: Challenge Series Recap

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Do you ever feel a little bummed after a race? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m GLAD training is over because I can take some time to run whatever I want … but after so many weeks of prep and training, all of a sudden, it’s all done! 

It feels like a blur. Just a few days ago I was in Orlando for a work trip, and now I’ve had a whirlwind of a weekend with Marathon events (plus life! Which also meant we had a piano recital, baseball scrimmage, ballet recital and more).  

Since this is a weekly recap, here’s a quick look at my week before the race weekend happened – it included some short runs but I tried to keep it simple the week before the race. I had a lot of time on my feet between my work trip and some walks, and had a few runs, including:

Sunday: 5.07 miles before my flight out

Monday: 3.6 miles hotel gym

Tuesday: 3.75 miles hotel gym

Wednesday: off

Thursday: 1.7 mi walk and 2.12 mi run

Friday: Off

And then race weekend began! This year, it included:

FRIDAY AFTERNOON — THE RACE EXPO

For the past few years, I have volunteered at the Cleveland Marathon Race Expo with other Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors. I LOVE IT! It is my favorite way to kick off the weekend and get excited for the race weekend to begin. At the expo, I enjoy working at the packet pickup, helping people pick up their packets and get their bib number assigned. I also get to reunite with my fellow race ambassadors! It’s so fun to talk with people, get them checked in, answer their questions about the race, and feel the excitement with all the runners in one place.

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FRIDAY NIGHT — VIP RACE BANQUET

Friday night, I was invited once again to attend the VIP banquet with the Cleveland Marathon ambassadors. I feel so fortunate to be invited to this event and to be with those that plan and produce this great event. And, of course I love catching up with my other ambassadors. It is so fun to see my running friends all dressed up! We usually see one another in running clothes, sweaty, etc. But Friday night is our chance to dress up!

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SATURDAY MORNING — 5K

Saturday morning: I kicked off the day with the Cleveland Marathon 5K. I met the other ambassadors at the starting line to take a photo and wish everyone a good race.  Despite what my official time was on the race app, my Garmin had me clocking in at 8:15 miles, which is SPEEDY for me! I definitely wanted to take it east because of my Sunday race, but I got too into the race excitement and went out faster than normal.

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SUNDAY — HALF MARATHON

Sunday morning: Half marathon time! Again, my goals this year were to just have fun. I started the racing training season with a hip injury, so didn’t start right when I usually start. My feet were sore all day Friday from wearing heels during my work trip and being on my feet. I was still tired after a few days of long work hours and staying out late with coworkers. But after Saturday’s speedy (for me) 5K, I wondered if I could run a little faster? 

I kicked off the race with a pre-start photo with my other ambassadors. It’s so great to see them before the race – it really gives me energy to see them all before we go our different ways.

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But then, I had a LONG wait in line for the porta potties, and didn’t start the race 7:05, after my corral had already gone through and started the race, so when I crossed the starting line I was already dodging walkers and when I got to the first mile marker, my watch read 1.3 miles … so I knew my 13.1 would likely be longer.

I had debated wearing a tank top or short sleeved shirt – it was 62 at start, and my “tank top weather” is 67 or higher. But B convinced me to run in the tank top and I’m so glad! It was HUMID and I was hot by mile 2. Luckily, there were plenty of water stations along the course, and I made it a point to stop at each one to drink 1-2 water cups, plus some nuun. I stopped gave tons of kids high fives, grabbed an orange from someone handing out oranges in front of their house, and even ran through a hose and a water gun at different points along the course!

Even with all my stops, I managed to finish FASTER than last year – at 2:02! And my Garmin read 1:59 at 13.1 (I finished at 13:45 mi), so I’m counting it as an almost sub-2 race 🙂

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Overall, I’m SO SO happy with how the race went. I had SO MUCH fun running the race again! I loved seeing my husband, his sister, her kids and my kids along the course. The crowd support felt so great and I loved every single person who stood out and gave out high fives, bananas, oranges, and more.

THANK YOU Cleveland Marathon for THE BEST weekend. For letting me be an ambassador AGAIN. I wasn’t sure if I should take on the challenge this year, but I’m SO GLAD I did. I’m so grateful for getting to run around my city once again and represent this wonderful race. I’m so grateful to be part of this great team!

Questions for you:

  • What’s your goal half marathon time?
  • What’s “too hot” for you to run?

I am linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

My 2023 Running Recap

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Happy ALMOST New Years! Wow, where did 2023 go?

It was a good year with NO injuries, some cross training, and even some races with my kids!

I set out the year with these goals:

Goal 1: Add in something else besides running into my schedule. 

Goal 2: Continue to run, injury free.

Goal 3: Run in-person races again!

Goal 4: Run more miles than I ran in 2022 (1,513.67 miles)

Here’s how I did related to those goals:

Goal 1: Recently, I started adding some cross training into my schedule! B started building out our basement gym, adding a rowing machine and bike. Since then, when weather is inclement, I’ve started using those machines. Some days during work when I’m proofreading, I sit on the bike to move my legs a little. I also start most of my weekday runs with a short core workout, which I started doing in 2022 when I started doing diastasis recti exercises. It may not sound like a lot, but this is a big deal for me.

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Goal 2: Yes! Yes! I ran injury free, thanks in part to sometimes stretching but also rolling my foot out each day after running to prevent PF.

Goal 3: I ran 5 races this year, including two with FW! They were:

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  • Communion of Saints 5K: My kids and husband did the one miler, and I did the 5K.
  • Cleveland Heights Happy 5K: This was FW’s first 5K where he didn’t walk. He ran it with me last year, walking most of the way, but this year we ran together. He did great and probably could’ve gone faster!  LM did the kids run.

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  • Stratford, Connecticut Turkey Trot: I also ran this with FW. FW, LM and GM also did the kids run. (GM wasn’t as happy about it — here’s the post with more details)

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Goal 4:

Before I get to Goal 4, here’s a short weekly update — this past week, I finished my year in running by running a few runs outside (weather permitting – we had some WARM days!) and inside (yay for the treadmill!) during my time off. Getting in runs without having to wake up and run outside in the dark was GREAT. I wish I could run in daylight every day! With time off work, I enjoyed some days sleeping in, but also mostly time with the kids vs. time running by myself while the kids were off school. I got in a stroller run, AND Christmas day my oldest ran a 5K with me, which made my day. Overall, I got in fewer miles than typical (25ish) but still some runs. With that, I have reached the following mileage in 2023:

Total mileage for 2023: ~1,580 miles < — I can’t believe I did it! I’ll know the final number after tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get in a little NYE morning run.

And if you’re still reading and are looking for a way to meet your running goals in 2024, you should enter my race giveaway on Instagram! Here is a link — you can enter to win race entry to any of the Cleveland Marathon events in May.

Questions for you:

  • How did your 2023 go?
  • Any goals for 2024?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

 

Recovery Week

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Does anyone else get all the post-race feels? I’m feeling up and down this week, now that my half marathon is done. 

In case you missed it, last Sunday, I ran the Cleveland half marathon. I came in at 2:06ish, which isn’t a PR or anything, but still faster than I was last year. My 5K time on Saturday was also faster, which I’m considering a win.

But now that the race is over, I’m feeling up and down. Happy that I can just run whatever I want in the mornings vs. stick to a training plan, and even sleep in a little again … but sad because I’m not sure what’s next!

This week I took it easy. I was feeling a little sore in my quads on Monday/Tuesday, and my feet were sore overall most of the week, but I felt pretty good otherwise. Here’s how the week turned out: Continue reading →

Cleveland Marathon Weekend 2023: Challenge Series Recap

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Wow, what a week! I can’t believe that the Cleveland Marathon weekend has come and gone. Just a few days ago I was in Orlando for work, and then I made it home just in time for all the Cleveland Marathon festivities to begin.

The week included a few runs, but nothing crazy. I was out of town on business and on my feet all day, so I got in 15000+ steps all day each day. But I did sneak in a few runs at the hotel gym, including:

Sunday: 3.3 miles before my flight out

Monday: 4.4 miles hotel gym

Tuesday: 4.5 miles hotel gym

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: off – no workouts!

The weekend included:

THE RACE EXPO

Friday afternoon: I LOVE kicking everything off with the Cleveland Marathon Race Expo. As you may remember, I’m a race ambassador, and get free entry. With that, I volunteer at the expo every year, and this year I was again at registration with some of my fellow ambassadors. It’s so fun to talk with people, get them checked in, answer their questions about the race, and feel the excitement with all the runners in one place.

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VIP RACE BANQUET

Friday evening: I continued the festivities with the Cleveland Marathon banquet. I feel so fortunate to be invited to this event and to be with those that plan and produce this great event each year. And, of course I love catching up with my other ambassadors. Not only did we get a photo of all us dressed up, but BERNIE KOSAR was in the shot.

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5K

Saturday morning: We started the day with the Cleveland Marathon 5k. I met up with my fellow ambassadors at the starting line and to wish everyone a good race. The weather was less than ideal– it was 50s and rainy the full time. But I was so glad it was that weather for the 5k and that the weather was still looking okay for the half marathon.

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HALF MARATHON

Sunday morning: Half marathon time! My goals this year quickly got pushed to the back burner and I was just hoping to have fun during the race. I was getting over being sick and my breath was still not all there. My feet were sore from wearing heels most of the week and being on my feet for several days. I was still tired after a few days of long work hours and staying out late with coworkers. But the race conditions were PERFECT and I ended up finishing a few minutes faster than last year, at around 2:06 (last year was 2:11). 

In case you’ve been following along Cleveland Marathon social media, you saw CourseGate 2023- they changed the course this year to focus on running mostly through just Cleveland, with only one outside suburb included (for the Marathon). There were tons of complaints about the course, but here was my take– I loved the new course! I didn’t mind all the turns, for me, it kept the run interesting and moving. I could look ahead until the next turn and just keep moving until we approached the turn. The crowd support was stellar – there were people out all over downtown since the course looped around several areas. Then when we got to Tremont, we passed the house from A Christmas Story (have you seen that movie?) and there tons of people out to support the runners. WAs it a perfect, painless run? Of course not. I got a cramp around mile 9 that didn’t go away. My big toe was hurting for most of the run, and I had a headache at the start that never went away (Blaming it on the lack of sleep). Did I break 2 hours, as I would’ve a few years ago? Nope. Was it super flat? No, and the Scranton hill nearly killed me. But I had fun, saw my fellow ambassadors and the weather was near perfect – a little warmer than I would’ve liked but still not bad!).

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Overall, I’m really happy with how the race went. I had SO MUCH fun running the race again! But I’m looking forward to NOT waking up at 3-4 a.m. for the next few weeks!

THANK YOU Cleveland Marathon for a great weekend. For letting me be an ambassador AGAIN. For letting me run around my city once again. I’m so grateful to be part of this great race!

Questions for you:

  • What’s your goal half marathon time?
  • What’s your ideal racing weather?

I am linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

2022 Cleveland Marathon Challenge Series – Race Recap

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

Was it really only just a few days ago that I was running through the streets of Cleveland with thousands of others, in my first in-person Cleveland half marathon since 2019? 

Okay, okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. But yes, just a few day ago, I completed the Cleveland 5k/half marathon challenge series, running a 5k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. As a race ambassador, I was able to take advantage of some amazing perks. Even nearly a week later, I’m still feeling proud and grateful for the whole experience — so here it is.

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Tired and Ready

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

I have one more long run left until the Cleveland half marathon, and to be honest? I’m ready. I’ve been feeling tired lately, and fitting in my long runs has been harder this training cycle than usual.

I have typically liked doing my long runs on Saturdays, but FW has track meets Saturdays now. B is also training for the half marathon, and he does his long runs on Sundays, so I need to be home to watch the kids. I’ve been fitting all of them in so far on weekdays, which means a lot of EARLY mornings (meaning waking up at 3:30 a.m. this week), but also not the ideal conditions. Almost all of my runs have been done before sunrise, with 30-40 degree temps. Race day, I imagine will be sunny and a lot warmer, and I’m in no way prepared for that!

That’s a long way of saying, I’m looking forward to taking a few days off and not waking up before 4 a.m. Here’s to hoping for an uneventful, injury-free rest of training!

Here’s what this week looked like:

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Technically Springtime

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

While it is technically spring, this week’s weather was once again wonky. Most of my runs are in the morning, and they were in the 30s or even upper 20s one day! But Sunday was nearly 80 degrees. Oh well, just another week in half marathon training for a spring race right? (I can’t believe the Cleveland half marathon is less than a month away!!) Here’s what this week’s training looked like:

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One Month Until Race Day

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

We’re ONE MONTH until Cleveland half marathon race day! Ahh! The weeks are going by so fast, and it hardly feels like we’re less than 30 days away from the race weekend.

That is probably partially because earlier this week it felt – and looked – like winter. Sunday and Monday I ran outside in 30 degree temps. Tuesday I woke up to rain/ice overnight that had turned into snow so I hit up the treadmill. It hardly feels like it should be almost May and halfway through spring!

Here’s what the week looked like for training:

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Double Digits

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

And just like that, I’m back at double digits this week! I can’t remember the last time I ran 10 miles at once, but it’s been some time, and it feels good to be back. With a little over a month until Cleveland half marathon trace day, I’m just hoping to keep it up, and stay healthy and uninjured. Is that so hard? (Don’t answer that, it is!)

This week threw some wrenches into plans, but also included some positives. GM was exposed to COVID at daycare, and had to stay home while the class was closed for the week (he tested negative thankfully). On a positive note, FW was on spring break, which meant I could sleep a little later because there was no early school bus to catch. Even just sleeping in 40 more minutes has made such a difference. It gives me hope for summertime!

Here’s what the week looked like – all outdoor runs!

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