Races, Recipes, Sunday Supper

Great Western Trail half marathon race recap with a recipe

Movin' it with Michelle

I preface this post with the fact that I have only been working on speed every so slightly, once or twice each week on short runs in the last few months, and that I am an idiot for not being completely thrilled with my PR. 

I’ve done this race now three times, and was excited to possibly break my course record of 2:01, as well as maybe crush that good ole sub 2 goal I’ve had for the last several years.  The weather was nearly perfect at the start, with the temps in the low 60’s and a nice breeze. I was giddy as I got to hang out with Wendy from Taking the long way home, as well as the fact that this was my first race of 2015.

With that, I took off too fast, and only was able to hang with Wendy momentarily.  But I felt GREAT so heck, I was going to give it my all. “The faster you run, the faster you are done” rang sweetly in my head along with “Slow down you idiot or you’ll burn out!!”  I honestly could picture my PR/Sub 2 the entire race, and gave it my ALL.  I tried my best to keep my pace at or below 9:09, only faltering on that goal for a couple separate miles.  But as the temperature rose, and the sun came out in full force I could feel my head throb and hands swell by mile 11.  The spectators and volunteers were amazing, and after a couple high fives from some VERY cute little dudes I picked it back up.

But then, there’s that last mile of the Great Western trail half marathon that isn’t for the faint of heart or weak of mind.  It will take everything you have, and more to get through the winding hills, and never ending trail that seemingly is about to end…but then it doesn’t.  I pushed, feeling as if I was going to pass out, and then pushed some more.  I crossed the line with an official time of 2:00:11.  And I cried.  Sobbed nearly as big sweaty, salty tears stung my eyes.

And then I got mad, for not being happy that I got a PR, and that I finished strong WITHOUT passing out.  My awesome friends were there to hold me up, and celebrate with me all I had accomplished and I am so very thankful I didn’t feel sad for very long.

A huge shout out to the Fox River trail runners, the race organizers, volunteers and spectators.  I love this race! (Minus that last mile, lol)

5-3finishers
Teri from Reinventitude, Wendy from Taking the long way home, and Karen from Trading in my Heels ❤
This pic, truly says it all. Thanks to Dave Sheble from the Fox Valley Marathon for capturing it!
This pic, truly says it all. Thanks to Dave Sheble from the Fox Valley Marathon for capturing it! What AM I doing with my hand, though?

I finished my day by prepping/cooking Sunday Supper.  Tonight’s theme was Asian inspired. I even got my mandolin out, and if you recall from my Christmas post the mandolin and I got in a fight.  I decided to tackle my fears.  Heck, if I could PR in this heat, I can use a mandolin right? Mandolin 1-Michelle 1!

My husband is just hilarious, right? LOL
My husband is just hilarious, right? LOL

Asian inspired short ribs

What you’ll need:

Short ribs (we used beef, but pork is fine too)-season with kosher salt and pepper and set aside

Marinade

1 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup of chili garlic sauce

2 cloves of garlic-grated

Fresh ginger-grated

Juice of 2 limes

Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

5-6 green onions, chopped-use all of white, and some of the green

Drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil and mix well.  Pour over your ribs and let refrigerate for a couple hours.

Bake the ribs for about an hour (covered) at 325 degrees.  I might try lowering the temp next time, but they were amazing.  I served with ginger infused mashed sweet potatoes and a fennel, green apple and baby bok choy salad.  YUM!

Yum!!
Yum!!

Did you race or run this weekend?  Any new recipes in your rotation? How do you handle missing your goals?

Have a great week, y’all!!  It’s time to retire to the couch!

❤

Michelle

Published by Movin' it with Michelle

My name is Michelle and I am a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. I have found a passion for running, cooking, writing, photography and all things that move my love for life! I've ran 3 full marathons, with a PR of 4:25, and 17 half marathons with a PR of 2:00:11 (yup-missed sub 2 by 11 seconds, lol). Thanks for joining me on my journey!

62 thoughts on “Great Western Trail half marathon race recap with a recipe”

  2. You had a great race and on such a tough day–don’t beat yourself up! I’m still mad that I stopped for the portapotty–and lost 2 minutes waiting and finally leaving! But hey, I got to catch my breath, right?

    It was great spending the prerace time with you, and I was glad to be there to wipe your tears. There will be another race and you’re going to break that 2 hr mark. Great, great job!

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    1. Words can’t really describe my thankful feelings for having you there with me today. At one point I thought I saw you up ahead and it instantly made me smile. I really appreciate you too, at the end, holding me up and helping me realize what a doof I was being. Love you lady, and thanks!!!!

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  6. Congrats Michelle! I hope you are OWNING that PR! Pure awesomeness! No racing for me this weekend. The schedule was cleared for Thing 1’s track conference final, which I’m happy to say she rocked and will be going to sectionals.

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  9. Hey! Congrats! That’s an awesome job! I know what you mean..the fact that you suffer at the end of a race makes you wonder “what if I hadn’t done this or that…” Happens to me so much. Sometimes it’s better to try do the first half slightly slower and finish hard so you go home with a feeling of, “wow I’m strong”… It’s hard though not to get carried away :S Wow that dinner, you are my hero cooking great stuff after a half PB 🙂

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  15. Congrats on the PR! Sounds like a tough finishing mile in the heat. On the day you run a flatter course, on a cooler day, you will crush your sub-2 goal! Congrats again!

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  16. Wow, this is pretty amazing! I am not a runner. I challenged myself to start learning how to swim last year. I am getting better at it. No runs or races for me, though I do think one year I will challenge myself to at least do a 5K.

    How do I deal with not meeting my goals. Poorly actually. Working on being more positive and productive. Hope you have a great week.

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  17. You did A-freakin-MAZING, Michelle!!! Congrats on PR’ing your first race of 2015 and after such a long hard winter. I know you will get your sub-2 but your PR while in marathon training is completely worthy of a good celebration. Keep it up and keep movin’ and I’ll see you NEXT MONTH!! xoxo

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  18. You inspire me! (Turn abouts fair play!) So glad you stopped by because “I” needed “this”! I am starting a year long journey in the attempt to make my daughter proud of the mother of the bride! Hoping to Have a “Pretty Woman” (Remember that movie?) moment in the changing rooms (where every dress looks good on me) rather than one just looking okay! Shopping trip scheduled one year from today! So telling “you” has made me more accountable! 😉
    xoxo

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  19. Congratulations on the PR! I once missed my goal time by 10 seconds as well. Instead of celebrating my finish (it was a PR too), I spent the following week obsessing over how I could/should have sped up during the last minutes of the race to finish in the time I wanted to.

    The truth was, though, that I was doing my best and, that day, my best was 10 seconds slower than my goal time (it was pouring rain and windy, which didn’t help, much like the heat in your race!)… if I’m being honest I think I might have risked injury or a heart attack had I pushed it like I wished I had. 🙂

    A 2hr half is a huge accomplishment! Oh, and that recipe looks delish! 🙂

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  20. Awesome job.!! don’t feel upset. like you said, you gave it your all. those silly 11 seconds don’t mean anything. seriously a couple bad strides or not running the shortest route on a turn could account for that. PR is a PR 🙂

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  25. Awesome work! But like you, I would’ve been crying, so close to breaking that (btw sub 2:00 is my goal I’m chasing as well)
    After my last marathon (only my second) I literally couldn’t sleep that night ’cause I kept playing over in my head those parts in the race where I could’ve stepped it up more or what I could’ve done different to lower my time (which was a decent 4:52 I thought) but still… I always want more…
    Never mind I was over looking the fact I had knocked 33 minutes off my first marathon time from previous year ! 😛

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  29. Your blog is impressive, thanks to the quality of your recipes & other content. We would be glad if you would participate on Contestchef so that your quality recipes can contest with other such bloggers/ recipe creators and win accolades from various players in the global food industry.

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