Leah's 8th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run

I just applied to be a Race Ambassador for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run (CUCB).

When I searched the race results, I realized that the first time I ran the race was in 2008 which means the 2018 CUCB will be the 10th anniversary of my first time running the race. Wow!

When I think about all the miles I've logged, injuries I've endured, and fun I've had training and racing over the past ten years it's hard for me to remember my life before becoming a runner (sort of like recalling life before having children!).

I'm regretful that I don't have a CUCB streak and it's not because I didn't get in the lottery.

When I ran the best race of any distance in my entire life at the 2012 CUCB, I made a conscious decision to not return in 2013, 2014, or 2015. I knew I would never run a race as fast or as satisfying on that course again and I wanted to end on a high note.

It seems sad and silly now that I denied myself the opportunity to enjoy one of the best races in the country just because I was afraid I'd feel like a loser for being slower than my 2012 performance.

In 2016 I finally gained some perspective and decided to return to my favorite race in DC. Yes, my finishing time was 7 minutes slower, but I was even happier than when I ran a PR because I appreciated my experience running the race.

Each mile is a gift and I don't want to let low self-esteem, fear, or doubts keep me from running or racing again.

I'm determined to document my training for this race on this blog regardless of whether I am chosen as a Race Ambassador because I have lots of tips, stories, and insight to share!

I've been volunteering for the Charlottesville Track Club for almost as long as I've been running and I've gained a lot of experience from managing our local ten miler training program to directing a marathon that I created. I'm excited to motivate others to find the joy in running (and racing!).

Racing to the 2013 Boston Marathon

So I've been reviewing my races so far this year and trying not have a panic attack about how I might perform at the Boston Marathon.

I've been much slower and that's concerning.

Here's a breakdown (2013 vs 2012):

New Year's Day 5K

23:10 vs 23:09

(OK, this one was close.)

Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge (1/2 Marathon on Saturday & Marathon on Sunday)

(5:50:05) 1:48:17 & 4:01:49 vs (5:46:29) 1:50:22 & 3:56:07

(It was HOT this year so that probably didn't help. And, I probably ran the half too fast. Oh well!)



Princess Half Marathon

1:44:09 vs 1:40:05

(Once again, it was MUCH hotter this year than last year, so that could be part of it. The good news, Malinda and I finished 1st in sister / sister team category!)



Martha Jefferson 8K

37:58 vs 37:08

(Can't really explain this away with weather because it was nice and cool. At least I came in 2nd in AG, was 4th last year. And there was no one near me at the end. Last year I was passed by two women within feet of the finish line, ouch!)

Ten Miler (2013 Charlottesville / 2012 Cherry Blossom)

1:18:14 vs 1:12:26

(The Cville course is notoriously hilly instead of flat like Cherry Blossom so I can't really compare those two races, can I? I just wanted to run my 3rd fastest 10-mile race and I did that by nearly a minute. And, at least I came in 3rd in my AG!)



So what's my problem?!?

Last year was AMAZING and I can't really hope to have success like that consistently.

I just wonder if I should continue to panic or CHILL OUT... if there's a reason for this that I can fix or if it's just a phase?

Is it because I weigh a little more than I did last year at this time (could 5-7 lbs, could that make that a huge difference?!?) or have I been holding myself back in these races because I know the big prize - BOSTON - is just mere months or weeks away?


I definitely knew that I wasn't trying for a PR in any of these races, because it was a race for "fun" and training or because of the forecast or because within the first mile when I just wasn't feeling it. So instead, when appropriate, I did my best to run as close to my ideal marathon pace (7:55 - 8:00) and run comfortably hard rather than push it and constantly check my watch.

Some people might say I race too much, but I've actually raced LESS so far this year.

In the 5 weeks between my Princess Half Marathon PR and Cherry Blossom 10 Miler PR last year, I also ran a 4 miler, 8K, 1 mile, and 5K in between. And I PRd in those distances, too!

This year, I had 3 weeks between the Princess Half Marathon and the Charlottesville10 Miler and I only raced the Martha Jefferson 8K in between.

Oh well, at least I'm having fun while I'm running.
.
All the anxiety doesn't set in until I'm resting. :)

Perfect Princess Reflects on the 2013 runDisney Princess Half Marathon

When I saw the final weather forecast for race day, I knew my A goal (PR 1:40:04 and ideally under 1:35:59) was definitely unrealistic.

I still wasn't sure about B goal (1:43:51, which would be better than my 2011 time of 1:43:52) and was pretty confident I could still meet my C goal of under 1:45 if I ran smart and kept as cool as possible by pouring water over my head at every stop like I did during the warm Disney Marathon.

Despite having personal goals, the bigger quest was to come in the top 3 for the sister/sister team competition. I knew if I ran my potential and my twin ran under 2 hours we had a shot.

Well, when I saw my finish time was 1:44 rather than 1:40 I started losing hope about placing for the team awards. 

I decided to put on a happy face and go straight to the princess photo opps before changing into some dry clothes. After saying hi to Ariel and Snow White, I returned to the Race Retreat, grabbed my bag (no wait!), and stripped off the soaking wet clothes in the changing area (an awesome perk of the Race Retreat, they even had towels to dry off with!).

After emerging in a fresh outfit and dry shoes, I was trying to decide if I should look for the place to redeem my complimentary alcoholic drink coupon (mmmmm) or find a computer to track my twin. That's when Malinda gave me one of the biggest shocks of the weekend by appearing and declaring, "I kicked A$$!" 

I must admit my first response wasn't very kind (keep in mind I missed my A goal by 4:05 and B goal by 18 secs so I already felt deflated that I ruined our chances in the team competition). I came around, however, after chugging my mimosa and was incredibly proud and in awe of my twin's stellar time! She's not so slow after all! ;)

Later that evening we were sitting outside Beaches & Cream when I decided to check to see if the team results were posted. I was incredibly nervous and excited as I scrolled through page after page of open women's teams, then mothers/daughters. When I finally got to sister/sister and saw TwinsRunInOurFamily at the very top of the page I screamed in the crowd with absolutely no inhibitions, "WE WON!!" I couldn't believe it! Malinda and I hi-fived each other and whoo hoo'd in pure delight! Goal accomplished!!

I've never been big on team sports. I love running because it's just me against myself and I'm only responsible to me and not fellow teammates. Yet, runDisney events are something that my sister and I have enjoyed together since the beginning. So, it made sense for us to work together towards a common goal of placing in the top 3 of the sister/sister teams (I had no illusions about actually winning!). 

The best part of our win is that we really did achieve it together. Although we didn't run side-by-side like we did at Mickey and Minnie's Royal Family 5K, each of our individual performances were equally vital to the team win! Can't wait to do run together again in Boston at the BAA 5K on April 14!

We beat the 2nd team by just over a minute so if either of us slowed down just a few secs/mile we wouldn't be celebrating our win. Of course I'm pretty nosy, so I searched the photos for the other top teams and none of them stopped for character photo opps like Team TwinsRUNinOurFamily did. I had 11 pictures taken by MarathonFoto photographers that came out great!

I'm already counting the days until we get to defend our sister/sister team title at the 2014 Princess Half Marathon.

Prince Naveen, Leah, Princess Tiana

 Alice, Leah, Mad Hatter

 Princess Aurora, Prince Philip, Leah, Cinderella, Prince Charming

Leah & Genie

Leah & Pochontas 

 Pirate & Leah

 Belle & Leah

Leah & Gaston

Mushu, Leah & Mulan

Prince Mickey & Leah

Ariel & Leah

VILLAINS photo found! 

Thanks @MarathonFotoEPG!

Leah & Snow White

Don't blink & you'll see @LeahCville!

Running through Cinderella's Castle

Crossing the Finish Line

Leah's Chicago Marathon Goals

"I had goals. They were evil goals, but they were goals." Dr. Doofenshmirtz A Goal: 3:34:59 or faster (BQ-10 2014) B Goal: 3:38:03 or faster (PR) C Goal: 3:39:59 or faster (BQ-5 2014) D Goal: 3:44:59 or faster (BQ 2014) E Goal: 3:59.59 or faster (breaking 4 hours for the 5th time) F Goal: 4:07:44 or faster (course PR) G Goal: Dropping out if I'm in as much Piriformis pain as I was from mile 10 - finish in 2011 Goal A should be realistic based on my marathon PR (3:38:04) and my past race performances.* BUT.... you never know what will happen on race day! So I'm trying to think about other scenarios. I believe I'll be satisfied as long as I get a BQ for 2014! :) And if I can't do that, I can try again at Three Bridges and/or Disney! * Race Time Predictor Chart | Women's Race Predictor | Jeff Galloway's Calculator | McMillan's calculator 3:28 - 3:31 potential based on 10K PR 3:30 - 3:32 - 3:33 based on 1/2 marathon PR 3:24 - 3:25 based on 10 miler PR FYI: If I run the first half of Chicago any faster than 1:48:00, I will be asking for trouble!  I'd like to stay between 1:48-1:52 for the first half. And run 1:46-1:51 for the 2nd half. 2012 Chicago Marathon 2011 Chicago Marathon Race Day Temperatures High: 52°F Low: 41°F High: 80°F Low: 57°F Race Start Temperature 42°F 59°F SUPER COOL TOOL! Marathon Time Conversion = Charlottesville Marathon in 3:38:04 Boston Marathon Chicago Marathon Walt Disney World Marathon Comparable Finish Time  3:26:23  3:33:41  3:36:54 Course Time Difference -0:05:21 -0:05:25 -0:05:22 Weather Time Difference -0:06:19 +0:01:03 +0:04:12 Total Finish Time Difference -0:11:40 -0:04:22 -0:01:09 Compare Race Details to Charlottesville Marathon Compare Race Details to Charlottesville Marathon Compare Race Details to Charlottesville Marathon Comparing last year's Chicago Marathon with my PR Kilometers chicago '11 cville PR Miles Net 5K 0:26:32 24:43.2 3m Net 10K 0:52:42 48:55.5 6m Net 15K 1:18:53 1:12:44 9m Net 20K 1:45:37 1:37:17 12m Net Half 1:51:40 1:45:18 13m Net 25K 2:13:56 2:01:49 15m Net 30K 2:43:25 2:27:30 18m Net 35K 3:16:35 2:53:18 21m Net 40K 3:52:15 3:20:53 24m 26.2 miles 4:07:45 3:38:04 26.2 miles mile-by-mile spilts for top 4 marathons.... Cville PR!!! nat'l 2nd fastest 3bridges 3rd fastest disney 4th fastest 1 0:08:19 8:19 n/a n/a 0:09:18 9:18 0:08:59 8:59 1 2 0:16:19 8:01 n/a n/a 0:18:45 9:28 0:17:48 8:50 2 3 0:24:43 8:24 n/a n/a 0:27:54 9:09 0:26:29 8:42 3 4 0:32:47 8:05 n/a n/a 0:36:55 9:01 0:34:59 8:31 4 5 0:40:35 7:48 n/a n/a 0:46:16 9:22 0:43:43 8:44 5 6 0:48:55 8:21 n/a n/a 0:54:57 8:41 0:52:19 8:37 6 7 0:56:49 7:54 n/a n/a 1:03:40 8:44 1:00:47 8:28 7 8 1:04:34 7:45 n/a n/a 1:12:41 9:01 1:09:25 8:38 8 9 1:12:44 8:11 n/a n/a 1:21:57 9:17 1:18:01 8:37 9 10 1:21:03 8:19 n/a n/a 1:31:04 9:07 1:26:37 8:37 10 11 1:29:03 8:01 n/a n/a 1:39:15 8:12 1:35:24 8:47 11 12 1:37:17 8:15 n/a n/a 1:47:15 8:01 1:44:14 8:50 12 13 1:45:19 (8:02) 2:01:32 (9:17) 1:55:37 (8:50) 1:55:11 (8:48) 13 14 1:53:30 8:11 n/a n/a 2:04:37 9:00 2:02:04 9:01 14 15 2:01:49 8:20 n/a n/a 2:13:58 9:22 2:10:49 8:46 15 16 2:10:17 8:28 n/a n/a 2:23:26 9:28 2:19:42 8:53 16 17 2:18:56 8:40 n/a n/a 2:32:08 8:43 2:28:45 9:03 17 18 2:27:31 8:35 n/a n/a 2:40:43 8:36 2:37:41 8:57 18 19 2:36:16 8:46 n/a n/a 2:49:23 8:40 2:46:51 9:10 19 20 2:45:05 8:49 n/a n/a 2:58:32 9:10 2:56:03 9:12 20 21 2:53:18 8:14 n/a n/a 3:08:06 9:34 3:05:27 9:24 21 22 3:02:04 8:46 n/a n/a 3:17:51 9:46 3:14:49 9:23 22 23 3:10:59 8:55 n/a n/a 3:27:03 9:13 3:24:16 9:27 23 24 n/a 9:55 n/a n/a 3:35:36 8:34 3:33:10 8:54 24 25 n/a 9:14 n/a n/a 3:44:32 8:56 3:42:28 9:19 25 26 n/a 9:11 n/a n/a 3:54:17 9:46 3:52:00 9:32 26 FINAL 3:38:04 (8:19) 3:54:47 (8:58) 3:55:04 (8:58) 3:56:07 (9:01) FINAL 2nd half 1:52:55 (+7min) (8:37) 1:53:15 (-8min!) (8:39) negative split! 1:59:27 (+4min) (9:07) 2:00:56 (+5min) (9:14)

2013 Boston Marathon Application Process

BAA - WTH?

I would literally pay someone, anyone at B.A.A. $50 to get my acceptance e-mail by 10 a.m. Monday. This waiting for official acceptance into the 2013 Boston Marathon is pure torture for anyone with an anxiety disorder! It does not matter that the rational minds of friends, and the B.A.A. itself, have assured me, I'll get in, not to worry, my place is held in the race pending verification. ("For some applicants, this process can take anywhere from a week to two weeks.")

I registered at 10:05 a.m. on Friday and got my confirmation email immediately. Wow! I was so excited!

That runner-registration-high lasted about two hours. Than panic started to set in.

I waited and waited. I could have ran another BQ marathon (3:38:04) and still waited. Then I could have ran my longest marathon (7:11:46) after running my fastest marathon and still nothing.

My race was in drop down list on the registration form (Charlottesville) and the only thing that might be an issue is that the results has my state listed as Vi instead of VA. Could that really be what's holding this up?!?

I know that I should be "IN" (-6:55), but I panic that they've decided not to accept my race for whatever reason.

When there are people who get acceptance within an hour and others waiting days you are breeding an environment for paranoia overload!

I wonder if they ever considered waiting to notify everyone in each group (-20, -10, -5) simultaneously rather than sending them out sporadically to ease this confusion about why someone got acceptance in an hr and someone else waited a week. I would have felt better if I knew everyone had to wait 2 weeks and we are guaranteed to hear on that date.

Wondering if and when I could get the email is the worst. I waited 5 months from race day to registration day and every hour I don't get to see my name on that list of entrants is one less hour I can feel like I really "made it" to Boston.

I would love to go to the Chicago Marathon in 3 weeks knowing I'm headed to Boston in 2013.

Well, to be honest, I'm going there regardless because I have nonrefundable airline tickets and a hotel reservation. Ha!

Charlottesville Women's 4 Miler

Ready to run in Team Sparkle

W4M race report (short version) - mp3 player died after 1/2 mile. Lost both contacts in my eyes at 2nd water stop so I ran almost a mile nearly legally blind (-11 is my prescription!). At least I could see in one eye by the last 1/4 mile. Still was my 2nd fastest time. 29:00. 4th in AG, 43 overall.

runleahruncville Garmin data

Masters Moms finished 3rd in Teams

Leah Interviewed by CBS 19 News in Cville

2011 Star Wars 5K at Disneyland

At the start of Star Wars 5K! 

I ran into Jeff Galloway right before the start of the runDisney Star Wars 5K. He's such an inspiration and his training plans are great for new runners. I was very fortunate to run with Jeff at the runDisney Meet Up & Warm Up at the 2012 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and the 2012 Princess Half Marathon Meet Up. I ran this 5K fast since there were only a few characters along the course (FYI...many more characters at the Walt Disney World races!). Unfortunately, it was a "fun run" so I don't have an official time - but I'm OK with that unlike my twin, Leah, who doesn't race unless it's official! ;-) She does make an exception for runDisney's 5Ks - since she loves character photos as much as I do!  

Chip N Dale on the course!

runDisney's Bob Hitchcock is in my photo! :-)

I got a lot of good running photos!

Thanks Brightroom! :-)

So fun to see the Gang all dressed-up! :-)

Race T-shirts

100 Shirts by Leah Connor

Not sure what to do with that huge pile of race shirts in your closet that you rarely (if ever) wear? I'll be moving to Wichita, Kansas in less than a year so I am trying to pare down my belongings. Who really needs to ship more than 100 t-shirts over 1,200 miles? Not me! So I decided to take photos of all my shirts and design a poster.

I ordered a 40 x 60 inch version from www.winkflash.com and I LOVE it!  

What do you do with all your race shirts?

Let Them Eat Cake (After a Race)!

by Leah Connor

The first thing I normally want after running a race is an ice cold Diet Coke. And then, soon after, I'm heading towards the nearest Starbucks for a non-fat no whip white mocha. But when I finished the Fairview 5K on Saturday, I saw something I don't think I've ever seen at a post-race celebration: CAKE!

And, oh was it GOOD! It didn't matter that there weren't any forks. Another runner and I dove in without hesitation, using our fingers as utensils. The woman slicing up the cakes thought it was a bit crazy for us to eat cake after running, but I have a sweet tooth and no self control, so I helped myself to a slice of the 1/2 chocolate, 1/2 vanilla indulgence (pictured on the bottom left).

During the awards ceremony (where I won the grab bag prize of "Training Aids" from Freestyle, ok, can someone tell me what those are?!), I went back for the strawberry filled cake (top left). YUM!!! And then I went back for some more (the ceremony went on for awhile and like I said, I have no self control!). I only wish I would have tried the chocolate cake before it was gone!

Although I was the 7th woman overall (and believe me, at the turn around, I started counting bobbing ponytails to see what place I was in!), I didn't win my age group. WAH! I must admit that it's a little disappointing when I don't win anything because I do like to hear my name called. I guess I can't help but enjoy the 3 seconds in the spotlight and a public validation of all my hard training, not to mention the swag!

I absolutely LOVE that Ragged Mountain Running Shop (RMRS) supports all these local not-for-profit charity races and supplies such amazing awards prizes. Of course, maybe it wouldn't hurt to spread the AG award wealth a bit. I probably have enough RMRS t-shirts and sweatshirts that I could wear a different one every day for two weeks! Ha!

So this is a clear lesson in: "It's all about who shows up." Yesterday, all the fast 40-44 year olds came out and even though I met my time goal of 23:15 (see my previous post), it wasn't quite good enough. In contrast, last year I ran 13 seconds slower, but came in 3rd overall.

I wore my Green Team Sparkle Skirt in honor of my grandma, Aileen O'Connor Hill, who died unexpectedly on Monday. I loved her Irish spirit!

Pre-Race (love the timer on the Camera+ app for my iPhone!)

Close to the Finish


Click on my link for my obsessive analysis of 5 years of the Fairview 5K.

Will 2nd 1/2 of 2012 be Faster 1/2 for Faster 1/2 of TWINS RUN?

A look back at 2012 so far ... will the 2nd Half of 2012 be the Faster Half for the Faster Half of TWINS RUN)
By Leah Connor

Wow, 2012 is more than 1/2 over, but what a year it's been! I've PR'd in 5 distances this year - the mile, 5K, 10 miles, half-marathon, and marathon. The marathon PR of 3:38:04 means the most to me because my 2nd fastest time was more than 4 years ago (March 2008 - 3:54:47).

You'd think I'd be ready for a break, but I still haven't met all my goals for 2012. I'm eager to try for a PR in the 10K (Pepsi 10K) and 4 miles (Women's Four Miler). I'd also like to improve my mile and 2-mile times, though I'm not sure I'll have the opportunity. Below is a collage of some of my favorite racing photos this year as well as best times and goals.

Don't expect to get faster every time you race, year after year...

 
Don't expect to get faster every time you race, year after year...

by Leah Connor

There are 8 races that I've run consecutively for at least 4 years. Of those, only one, Disney's Princess Half Marathon, did I improve my time each and every year.

You can't always expect to lower your finish time every chance you toe the starting line. Some days you might feel a bit off - from either overtraining or undertraining, something you ate, a recent illness, or the weather. I hit PRs back in 2008 and then struggled for 2-3 years wondering if that's the best I'd ever do. I didn't give up. I kept plugging along and finally started seeing some serious improvement in 2011 and 2012.

I've learned that it's important to enjoy the race experience and keep challenging yourself without always chasing a PR.

For instance, there are other ways to improve besides your finish time. Even if you don't run your fastest time, you can still improve your ranking. Last weekend, on an extremely hot and humid morning, I ran a 10K over 2 minutes slower than the previous year, but I still came in 1st in my age group rather than 2nd. Talk about a silver lining!

Another option - practice running a smarter race, even if it doesn't necessarily translate into a PR. Instead of going all out from the start, try running much slower than you normally would the first mile so you can run negative splits (each mile faster than the previous). Even if you don't run your fastest race, it surely will be one where you feel your best as you cross the finish line!

fastest 2nd fastest Women's Four Miler year time pace 2007 38:06 9:36 2008 29:45 7:30 2009 30:44 7:43 2010 30:10 7:35 2011 28:44 7:10 2012 goal 28:27! 7:07 Fairview 5K year time pace 2008 23:17 7:31 2009 25:23 8:12 2010 24:04 7:46 2011 23:28 7:35 2012 goal 23:15! 7:29 4th of July 5K year time pace 2007 29:21 9:28 2008 23:24 7:33 2009 24:11 7:48 2010 24:19 7:51 2011 23:03 7:26 2012 23:48 7:41 Martha Jefferson 8K year time pace 2007 42:58 8:40 2008 39:21 7:56 2009 42:15 8:32 2010 41:11 8:19 2011 36:26 7:21 2012 37:08 7:30 Princess Half Marathon year time pace 2009 1:55:40 8:52 2010 1:54:03 8:42 2011 1:43:52 7:56 2012 1:40:02 7:38 2013 goal 1:39:59 7:38 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler year time pace 2008 1:19:03 7:54 2009 1:21:07 8:06 2010 1:21:13 8:07 2011 1:16:36 7:38 2012 1:12:36 7:16 Marine Corps Historic Half year time pace 2008 1:50:02 8:23 2009 1:51:32 8:30 2010 1:46:52 8:09 2011 1:44:39 7:59 2012 1:44:31 7:58 Park to Park Half Marathon 2009 1:58:42 9:03 2010 2:04:06 9:28 2011 1:41:02 7:43 2012 1:45:19 8:02 Turkey Trot* only 3 races so far! 2009 22:47 7:21 2010 24:54 8:02 2011 26:13 8:28 2012 goal 22:46! 7:21

5th Annual Princess Half Marathon with runDisney Perfect Princess

Are you a runDisney "Perfect Princess"?
by Leah Connor

Disney's Princess Half Marathon is one of just two "streak" races that I've run consecutively since the inaugural event (the other being the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, VA where I earned my place in the "Iron Mile Company" this year).

More importantly, it might be the only race where I've significantly improved my time every year that I've competed - 1:55 in 2009, 1:54 in 2010, 1:43 in 2011 and 1:40 in 2012.

I'm hoping to continue the streak on February 24, 2013, when I run my 5th Princess Half Marathon to become a "Perfect Princess." My goal is to finish 1:39:59 or faster.

I just might have to skip the character stops along the course to hit this PR, which would be a first for me. Each year I've stopped no less than 5 times to pose with my favorite princesses. The one benefit to running fast - there are hardly any lines for the photo opps!