running: the dawn

So, Mr. Dawn and I had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  We went to Tennessee to visit friends and family, I was able to stick to my training plan for a full week (and over a holiday no less…), we did some good bargain shopping, and even spent one night in a beautiful cabin in the woods.  Glorious.

Thanksgiving morning I had made plans to run an 8k.  My first 8k ever!  I actually had to find a converter online to figure out that 8k is approximately 5 miles (4.97 to be exact).  Since I needed to do some Lactate Threshold miles anyway I thought–why not run with a whole bunch of strangers rather than try to run fast all by myself?  Well, it got a little more complicated when, on Wednesday, I didn’t quite start my run early enough to get in all 11 miles before dark.  In fact, my planned 11 miles turned into 3.  Three miles does not count as a mid-week mid-distance run.

My plan for race day had to change.  In stead of: warm up, running the race, nice short cool down.  I needed to get in 11 miles.  If I’m being totally honest… my plan was to run 6 before the race, since it didn’t start until 9, but that pretty much fell apart as soon as I hit snooze.  My revised plan was to run the race then go to a near by bike path and finish my mileage.  Because of this I advised Mr. Dawn to not join me.  Asking him to wait through the race would have been one thing…but then to have him wait another hour?  That is not the right way to spend Thanksgiving.

I headed to the race solo.  I’m pretty sure this was my first time at a race where I didn’t come with anyone or know anyone there.  I’m going to call that growth.  Growth…and commitment to my sport.  Sure.  That’s what it is.  Right?  Not just craziness?  A way to spend $25 on a $5 tee shirt?  No.  Couldn’t be.

Anyway, we lined up at the start.  I was surprised with how many people actually signed up for the 8k (there was 1 mile and 3 mile options as well).  They actually formed quasi “waves” by stretching out ropes randomly through the crowd.  I found myself at the back of wave 2.

The race itself is somewhat foggy.  My first mile was my fastest.  Which is weird for me.  In all my training runs I get faster as I warm up.  Consistently.  And in most distance except the marathon I usually pull a negative split.  It was fun for the first two miles to finally explore what it feels like to push myself to run faster than “comfortable”.  It’s been a LONG LONG time since I’ve done anything close to resembling speed work.  I’ve forgotten that exploding/collapsing feeling in my lungs and the overwhelming desire to stop and walk.

Then right before the half way mark my ipod died.  I was NOT excited about that.  I have a really hard time running fast.  I don’t enjoy it at all.  So I always listen to music when I want to zone out and push myself.  Lets just say that without music I did lose a little of my spirit.  My pace started to slow and I didn’t have anything to drown out the sound of my labored breathing.  It was pitiful.

My finishing time is kind of on par with all my other “PR’s”… with a slower pace than what I have done in a marathon.  Seriously.  I finished in 42:43, which is an 8:36 pace.  My pace at Grand Rapids last year around this time?  8:24.  Awesome.  I love that I can’t run 5 miles as fast as I have run 26.2.  Apparently I need a nice long warm up before I can kick it into high gear .

The end of the race was nice.  There were two significant hills in the last half mile, so that was fun.  There was all kinds of good food at the end though!  Bagels, water, poweraid, bananas, oranges….it felt like the finishing chute of a marathon (not that I’m complaining…)!

Sadly, since it was just me, I took zero pictures.  I know.  Its sad.  They did give out nice red long sleeve shirts.  Which I love…even though they’re cotton and not tech!  Maybe I’ll get it together and take a pic…but that doesn’t sound like me…

Cliff’s Notes Version:  Awesome race, a few hills, perfect weather, sore feet, squeaking in under the wire, 2nd best half marathon time.

Race Rating: A

My results: 13.1 miles/1:49.55/8:23 per mile

The long version:

I ended up staying with friends since the drive would have been over an hour, I don’t have our GPS, and I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t have made it to the starting line.  It was really fun to go to a race with other people who are running!  My friend and her mom were running the 5k, and her dad, brother and brother’s girlfriend were all running the half.  It was the first race for everyone except T (she ran the Disney Marathon back in January).  We were up by 5 and out the door by 6am.

I was really impressed with the organization of the event, especially since it was the inaugural marathon.  We parked a few blocks from the start and took the provided shuttles to the start.  The start/finish line were located right next to a field that had morphed into “tent city”.  I’m still not sure I know exactly what all those tents were for…Running clubs?  Charities?  I guess.  I had no real interest in being in a tent.  In fact, I was really interested in the sun coming up as soon as possible.  It was a little chilly.

We stood around chatting.  Have you ever gone to a race with a newbie?  I don’t mean someone who has been training for a year and is fully immersed in running culture.  The brother and his girl were both running the half with zero training or preparation.  I mean, they’d both run at least 6 miles, and the girlfriend runs 6 miles pretty consistently.  But that’s it.  While we were standing there they asked about the people putting deodorant on their legs (body glide) and wondered why people need strange socks on their arms.  And why oh why were there so many people in trash bags.  It was really interesting to see runner’s culture through the eyes of new comers.

Soon enough it was time to head over to the starting area.  This was probably the only thing I can think about that could use some improvement.  I’m not sure if it was just because the starting line area was too narrow, or the pacers didn’t space themselves out properly, but it felt overcrowded and like everyone was trying to get closer to the starting line.  Meanwhile, I hadn’t brought a drop bag and was planning on just throwing away my shirt, but instead I tossed it under one of the finish line gatorade tables to see if it would still be there when I finished (spoiler–it was!).

Someone sang the national anthem and we were off!  It really was the perfect day to be out running.  High 40′s, sunny, a slight breeze.  After not listening to my ipod at Boston, I had decided that I would indulge myself and listen to my favorite running playlist.  So I cranked up the tunes and fell into what was a fairly easy pace.  My race place was very very casual.  Since I ran Boston in just over 4, I knew I’d like to stay under 2 hours.  If I was able to come in under 1:50 all the better.

But then I kept creeping down into the low 8′s.  In the back of my mind I knew I was in dangerous territory.  True, my half PR is 1:46 (8:08 pace) from about a year ago.  But I ran that while training for a marathon, which much MUCH higher mileage than I’ve been able to sustain lately.  I’ve had to accept that my endurance (and even my overall fitness) isn’t where I want it to be.  So, throwing down some 8:xx and even a 7:5x mile was writing checks that I knew I couldn’t cash.  But, I was having fun, running easy and rocking out with my jamz.  So I kept going.

One drawback to the course was the mile or so that we ran on cobblestones.  I remember thinking how uneasy I felt running on the uneven road.  Then, at the finish line, I discovered that a friend had actually fallen pretty hard on that section!  Scraped up her hands and knee pretty bad.  It just seemed hazardous.

Nicole had warned me that this course wasn’t necessarily easy, and to expect a killer hill at mile 7.  So, I tucked that away in the back of my mind trying to mentally prepare for the hills.  The course was actually pretty great.  There were enough turns to keep things interesting but not so many that I had to slow down.  I did naturally start to bring my pace back to the mid 8′s where I felt like it was much more sustainable.

Mile 7 came.  Mile 7 went.  No crazy hill.  I mean, there was an overpass kind of rise, but nothing too demoralizing.  I could quite decide if that meant the hill was gone, or if it was just at a different mile marker than last year.  Then.  Mile 8.5.  I saw what she’d warned me about.  There’s a 90-degree turn and you face a serious beast of a hill.  I mean BEAST.  At that point I was so thankful that I was wearing a hat so that I could just put my head down, look at the 3 feet of road directly in front of me and pump my arms.  The hill, while steep, really wasn’t that long.  Before I knew it I had crested the top and was only 4 miles from the finish line.

After that hill I slowed down significantly.  It took me awhile to get my breathing and my heart rate back under control.  I walked through a water station.  Then I decided it was time to finish this.  We got to run on several bike paths along rivers and around a lake.  It was just beautiful.

I must say, the support for this small town race was impressive. Seriously.  I’ve run more small town races than big city ones and so I’ve come to keep my spectator expectations to a minimum.  I was pleasantly surprised.  There were cowbells, radios blaring, gummy worms, bands rocking out.  It was awesome!

I’m pretty sure there was one more hill after the big one at 8.5.   I’m just not sure that I remember exactly where it was.  During the last two miles I started to get a burning sensation in my right foot.  Just under that ball of my foot it felt like I was walking on hot coals.  That’s never happened to me before.  I’ve had the “oh no I feel blisters forming” feeling and the “oops I think I just pulled something” feeling, but never the “are the soles of my shoes melting?” feeling….  I can’t decided what was going on, but I’m pretty sure that it means I need new shoes….

All during the last few miles I couldn’t figure out if I was going to come in under 1:50.  Part of me thought, “Oh yea!  I got this, I can throw down some solid 8 minute miles!”  And the other side whined, “Is it really that important? Lets just ease up a bit and be happy with whatever happens.”  So, I alternated between those two intentions.  I’d push it for a few paces and then I’d ease up again.  I’m sure I was super annoying to all the people running around me.

By the time I passed the sign for mile 26, and I knew that there was just a mere 0.2 miles left I still didn’t know if I’d be just under or just over 1:50.  My foot was burning and I was ready to be done running.  So I threw down the hammer and kicked it in pretty strong.  I totally missed T and her mom cheering right before the finisher’s chute.  I stopped my Garmin at exactly 1:49:59.  So I still wasn’t sure if my official time would be over or under 1:50.  Either way, I decided that I had run a good race and was happy with the outcome.

I grabbed a gatorade and drank the entire thing.  I wasn’t hungry at all, but I grabbed another gatorade and started looking around for the group I’d come with.  I was so happy because I was able to watch my student–YK–finish her first half marathon ever.  She’s a sophomore in high school and finished in 2:02!!!  That’s so awesome.  Neither of us had cameras, so we had to settle for bad cell phone pics.

The other news from the day?  The girlfriend (remember: first half marathon ever, never ran more than 6 miles) finished in 2:03!  And I’m pretty sure she’s hooked.  She had some pretty significant blisters and needs to go get fitted for a good pair of running shoes, but she’s already talking about finding another half to run before the end of the summer.  I love it when I get to be there when runners become racers

 

Oh man.  Now that almost a week has gone by and I’ve been able to process…I still feel like I don’t really know where to begin.  To describe the event in a nutshell, I’d have to say that it was the most amazing race experience that I’ve ever had.  I knew, every step along the way, that there would never be anything like this…my first Boston Marathon.  It was all I could have ever imagined AND MORE.  I seriously think that there’s no WAY for people to exagerate or over-hype the Boston Marathon.  It’s all that everyone says it is and more.

Let’s take it to the beginning.  I did NOT sleep well at all.  Tossed and turned all night long.  I ended up getting out of bed before my alarm went off.  The plan was to be down in the lobby by 6am, to catch the shuttle that would take me to the T station, and I would head into town.  Executed flawlessly.  Now, I know that there are probably a lot of advantages of staying near the finish line, but financially…that just wasn’t possible for us.  And it worked out fine without forking over our life savings.  Cause this town revolves around the marathon.  Even where we were staying there were dozens of people who were running the race.  Everyone who worked in the hotel said, “Good luck!”  and “Run fast” as we were eating our bagels in the lobby.

I had decided to purchase a seat on a charter bus, rather than to ride the school buses down.  Mainly for the bathroom.  I didn’t want to be hydrating for a marathon whilst trapped on a bumpy school bus for and hour and a half.  Once again, there are people who say that the “experience” is diminished if you skip the free shuttles, but I was surrounded by just as many runners who were all just as jazzed about running Boston…we just had a bathroom to use.  Oh, and our bus driver got lost, which was really fun.  But, in reality…the more time we spend driving on the back roads around Hopkinton, the less time we had to sit in the cold wind at Athlete’s Village.

I ended up meeting someone that works for the running shoe store where I buy my shoes!  It was so amazing.  His name is Andy and he qualified with a 2:49 marathon at Grand Rapids!  Talk about an amazing connection.  So we ended up hanging out until it was time for him to line up in corral 1 of wave 1…yes, that’s RIGHT behind the elites.

After Andy went to line up, I made a last pit stop at the port-o-johns, dropped my bag off, and headed to the start.  One thing that I will do differently–keep my throw away clothes until the start.  There were donation bags everywhere with volunteers collecting the clothing.  I thought that they were just at the bag drop off, so I got rid of my snuggie (yes I took a snuggie and it was AMAZING!) a little sooner than I should have.

Without much ceremony (since I was near the back of wave 2, I didn’t expect much) we were off!  Crossing the starting line and recognizing everything from last year when I was just watching the marathon on TV was the first (of many) times when I was overcome with emotion.  Tears welled up and I started to cry.  I was thinking about all the people who had made that moment possible: Mr. Dawn, my mom and dad, the Gazelle, KT, Andi.  And I thought of all the supporters who have cheered me on near and far: Aunt Mary, Grandma, Mom and Pop C, Supernub and the Sis… I was overcome with gratitude.  From the very first steps across the starting line through the scream tunnel and over the Newton Hills, I thought about how incredibly blessed I have been.

Ok, but enough of that emotional stuff…time to talk numbers.

The plan I had was simple: be conservative.  Miles 1-5 run intentionally slower.  Miles 5-13 enjoy the ride.  Miles 13-16 prepare for the hills.  Miles 16-21 survive the hills.  Miles 21-end celebrate!!  And I must say…I followed through on that plan, almost to a t!

Mile 1–9:17

Mile 2–8:85

Mile 3–8:57

Mile 4–9:01

Mile 5–9:11

By this time we were running through Ashland.  I was blown away with how many people were in the center of town.  It was unREAL.  I’d worn my name on my shirt and this was the first place where I couldn’t keep up with all the people shouting out their encouragement.  And yes, this was the #2 location of tears for the day.  I just felt so overwhelmed with the joy of the moment.

Somewhere else along the way (no clue where) there was a blue grass band.  I thought of Mr. Dawn.  He would have stood there and listened to them all day.

Mile 6–8:45

Mile 7–8:42

Mile 8–8:55

Mile 9–8:51

Mile 10–8:55

Mile 11–9:03

Mile 12–8:58

Mile 13–8:54

And here is where I met the Women of Wellesley.  They showed up in full force.  I heard their screams before I even saw the sign for the college.  For anyone who’s keeping track, this would be the location of tears #3.  I loved how the girls actually had to be fenced off the course.  They could tell that their screams are world famous and they didn’t disappoint.  True, I could tell that they were screaming more for the guys, trying to earn kisses…but I appreciated the volume just the same.

Mile 14–8:55

Mile 15–9:10

Mile 16–9:02

Mile 17–9:19

It was here that I faced the decision.  I knew that I was walking a fine line between being under four hours and being over four hours.  If I REALLY wanted to come in under 4, I would have to push it.  But really, I didn’t want to sacrifice how much fun I was having just to reach an arbitrary time goal.  I stopped to walk for a second so I could text Mr. Dawn, “past mile 17.  slowing, but having the time of my life! best race ever!”  I knew that he was watching my splits and waiting for me at mile 21, I didn’t want him to get worried as he watched my splits slow down.

Mile 18–9:39

Mile 19–9:10

Mile 20–9:42

Mile 21–10:09

Yes.  That mile 21 is nasty.  True, the last part of it is a gorgeous downhill…but wow.  Those hills of Newton are serious.  Mr. Dawn, my mom and dad were all waiting for me just after the last uphill.  They were nestled in to the Boston College volume tsunami.

I couldn’t even hear my own footsteps or breath.  The noise was so intense.  I finally pictured them down the hill and off to the left.  My dad had found his way past the barricades and was practically standing in the middle of the road.  Each one had a camera in hand and were screaming as loud as possible.  Yep.  Cry time #4.  And this one was caught on tape.  Awesome.

Mile 22–9:06

Mile 23–9:45

Mile 24–9:35

Mile 25–9:53

Ok, so there were a few more moments of weakness where I slowed to a walk.  It never lasted very long…especially with my name on my chest.  As soon as I would stop to stretch everyone around would start shouting to me that I could do it and to get going.  Blessing and curse.

Mile 26–9:31

Last bit (0.4)–3:20

As I rounded that corner on to Boylston Street, I could see the finish line.  Even though there was pain in my legs, I just kept looking around at all the people that had gathered there.  I couldn’t believe how amazing it was to be a part of this day.

The finish line was awesome!

The chaos after it was less awesome.

First: water.  Then: space blanket.  Then: medal.  Then: gatorade.  Then: bag of food (I love that they had already filled bags of food!).  Then: bag pick up.  Then, finally we could exit the finisher’s chute.  It took awhile and a few phone calls to actually figure out where I was supposed to meet up with my family.

I had told them that the greatest gift they could give me was to already have a place to eat in mind, so that I wouldn’t have to make any decisions after the finish.  So we hoped on a train and got right to a place where I could enjoy my favorite post-race meal: pizza with root beer.

After our meal, it was time to head back to the hotel.  I really do think that it was good for me to do some walking and stretching before I got back.

So, there it is.  The day…or at least as much as I can remember right now.  I’ll put all my tips and advice in another post as I remember more things…

Thank you so much for being a part of this day with me!  I cannot tell you how supported I felt while I was out there running.  Every time I crossed a timing mat, I would think of all the people getting text messages and watching the splits online.  I truly felt that I was a part of something much bigger than myself.  Which is why I love running in the first place.

 

First off: Happy Thanksgiving!!!!  Now, buckle up, because I’m pretty sure that this is wayyyy too long for a 5k* report.

My plan was to get to the race before 8:30 in order to register, however the race didn’t actually start until 9.  I figured that since I had 5 miles on tap for the day I’d be able to register and then get a mile warm up in before the race and then finish the last mile or so after as a cool down.  We left the in-laws house just before 8.  We pulled up to the park entrance and a sign welcomed us with the words: “Trail Race.”

Um, what?!?!?!

What the random trail race?!

Now, granted this race was a small local affair without an extensive website, so I’m not surprised that I didn’t know about the trail aspect.  In fact I’m pretty sure that the only information available for this race was the PDF of the registration form that you could download.  Nowhere, anywhere were the words “trail race” used on the registration.  The words 5k were thrown around, but turns out that was more in theory rather than reality.

As soon as I saw the signs I knew that my 22:45 “guessed” finish time was out the window.  Actually, if I’m being completely honest those signs almost convinced me to get back in the car and forget the whole thing.  It rained all day yesterday and all night last night.  I was sure the trail would be muddy and ridiculous.  The bottom line was that I needed to run sometime, so I might as well do it with a crowd.  To be more realistic, I changed my estimated finish time to 25:45 and decided to turn it in and see how things went.

I was told by a volunteer that the restrooms were “over there” around a small hill, so I strapped on my garmin and jogged over to use the facilities and start my warm up.  The course was marked with little orange flags and arrows and ran right by the bathhouse.  After finishing my business I decided to go explore on the trail since I still had about a half an hour before the race was scheduled to begin.  This is when the situation became hilarious to me.  The trail was a single track, slick, muddy mess.  There were some pretty intense hills, two fallen logs across the path, several places we would have to duck under fallen trees, and a creek to wade through.

Really?  I mean…really?

I have maybe run on trails twice in my entire life.  I just decided that this would be a great big joke and I wasn’t going to push anything.  I was laughing so hard at the entire situation I could barely believe that I was going to do something this ridiculous.

We kinda lined up in a big hoard of people and I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh as I looked around.  I had chosen to wear my racing flats, most people were in trail shoes and some were even in cleats.  The race director shot the gun and we were off.  Across a field that had turned into a swamp then right up the first of many hills.  Back across the same field and then we headed into the woods.

We weren’t allowed to wear any timing device, so I have no idea about my splits or the distances or anything.  We just ran.  In the woods it was really challenging because I was feeling great and wanted to pick up the pace but the trail was so narrow it was next to impossible to pass people.  Then we got to the section that I had warmed up on and I turned on the juice.  Turns out that knowing the course was a HUGE help.  I would hang right behind people on the downhills and then as soon as we got to an uphill I would burn right past them.  Sometimes I had to jump into or through some brush in order to get around people, but it was totally worth it!

Turns out: I can get down right competitive.  Usually, on road races, I am not really aware of the people running around me.  I just zone out to my surroundings and tune in to my pace/time/stride.  I don’t ever notice when I pass people or when people pass me.  Today?  I felt like a sniper.  Someone would be in front of me and then they were in my crosshairs.  The whole thing turned into a game full of strategy and attack.  And I LOVED it.  The hills did not feel hard instead I looked forward to them because they were an opportunity to dominate.  I really do think that the muscle strength I’ve been gaining from Insanity helped on the hills.  As I was lifting my knees high and pumping my arms I was thanking good ol’ Sean T.

When I crossed the finish line there was no timing so I still had no idea what my finishing time was.  But the lady who took my tear off bib number told me I was 5^th woman!  Seriously?  Man, if I had known that I would have taken things a little more seriously, cause I know I finished two steps behind one of those girls.

We hung out for long enough to see the turkeys (prizes) given away and find out that I actually finished in 22:46!!!!  Should have left my original guess.  Blast!  Now, just to clarify, this was a short course.  I believe we heard that the first place guy finished in 14:xx.  They change the course every year and make sure to not tell people if its short or long so that it makes the guessing more of a “crap shoot” and/or to even the playing field.

So basically I have no idea how fast or far I actually ran…but it was really fun!

My favorite part?  The hills!  More on that tomorrow…

Now, Mr. Dawn is coloring with our niece:

In the weeks and months leading up to the Grand Rapids Marathon I believed that it was going to play out in one of two ways:  I would either crumble into a pile of cramping pain, puking my guts out, and crawling on my hands and knees across the finish line in a humiliating PW (personal worst) time; OR I would breeze through on clouds of bubble gum and roses crossing the finish line practically on wings.  I mean that’s what happens when you go after a BQ (Boston Qualifier) time, right?  Success or utter failure.  It takes the perfect race, with perfect conditions, after perfectly training.  Its either going to all come together or you’re going to fall apart.  At least that’s what I convinced myself would happen.

This race was neither of those.  It was not perfect, but I didn’t fall completely apart.  I succeeded and yet there were such feelings of failure weaved throughout the marathon.  I’ve been having such a hard time putting my feelings about this race into words, so bear with me if this report contains more emotional tangents than necessary and/or doesn’t really make sense.

Expo

I wasn’t able to spend much time at the expo since we got there 45 minutes before  it was going to close and a lot of the vendors where already packing up shop and calling it a day.  So I got in and out in almost no time at all.  The expo was on the 3rd floor of one of the most impressive YMCA’s that I’ve ever seen!  There was an entire indoor water park with slides, a huge gym and so many different areas for every kind of exercise.  If I lived in Grand Rapids, I would hang out there all the time.

Race Eve Prep

Mr. Dawn called the Olive Garden one block from our hotel to get our names on the list and we got there just in time to walk right into our table.  It was genius.  I ate the entire dinner portion of my capellini pomodoro, along with two full salads and almost a dozen bread sticks!  I can’t ever finish my dish, but Mr. Dawn kept handing me more bread saying “carb it up!”  Sounded good to me!

I wanted to get a bagel, so we headed over to Panera.  Then mom needed some art supplies for her poster-making so we made a quick Target run.  Well, it was supposed to be quick.  Mom ran in while we stayed in the car.  We were just circling the lot waiting for her to come out when some poor teenage girl runs her car RIGHT into us.  It was NOT awesome.  Luckily dad had opted for the insurance when they rented their car so it wasn’t too awful.  Our group had two cars, so I could get shuttled back to the hotel while they were dealing with the police reports and such.  I was pretty sure that this was a bad way to keep me “calm” and “centered” for the race…

Finally I was back to the hotel studying the map and laying out my gear.

Race Day **whew…just typing that brought back a flood of emotion…pull it together woman**

I slept amazing from 9:30pm to 1:30am.  Then it was 45 minute intervals of sleep, check time, sleep, check time, sleep…until 6 when my alarm went off and it was time for my breakfast.  I ate a Luna bar, bagel, and drank some Gatorade.  I suited up and was ready to roll by 7am.

We got to the YMCA and I hopped out so they could go find a parking spot and I could get in the port-a-potty line.  The lines were much longer than I expected, since we also had access to the bathrooms inside.  I was able to use the facilities, find the Gazelle, get hugs from my cheer squad, and make it to the corral.

I felt calm, relaxed, and excited.  There’s always a buzz in the air in the few moments before a marathon begins.  I love looking around and realizing that these are the people that will forever share this day–this race–with me.  I think about all the hours of training we’ve all put in, the commitment we each made, the hopes that we will carry with us.  It’s amazing to be connected to so many people.

Then the countdown and we were off.  Honestly, from the start to mile 14, the race was very one note.  Everything felt fine, there were some hills but our pace was even and conservative.  We talked very little except to check our pace bands and compare notes on how we were feeling about the pace.  It was a beautiful day to run and we were really enjoying ourselves.

We got to see our cheering team the first time at around mile 7, and they were so great!  Cowbells, signs, the whole 9.  For this race I went with a new hydration plan.  Since I knew that I would be able to see my crew at 7, 12, 17, and 23 we had two 10 oz. handhelds pre-stocked with gu and salt that we would trade out.  It worked like a dream.  I would toss my bottle to someone, Andi would hand me the new one with a 50/50 mix of Gatorade and water.  No muss, no fuss.

Somewhere around mile 8 a guy started talking to me about my skirt.  He asked “what is that?” and after I figured out what he was referring to I told him that he could buy his own at runningskirts.com! Sure, guys wear them too!  I think another guy asked if I was wearing a kilt, or if I was Scottish or something, but I couldn’t really understand, so I laughed and just kept running.

Mile 14.  I met one of my guardian angels.  I didn’t know it at the time, but talking to the Marathon Maniac with the peace signs on his headband was one of the best decision I made all day.  I said, “Hey Maniac, what number marathon is this for this year?”  We chatted about his marathons and learned that this was his fourth marathon in 9 days!  Two last week, including Chicago, and two this week: Indianapolis and Grand Rapids.  We told him that we were trying to qualify for Boston and learned that he qualified last year at Chicago, but was using that time to register this year.  So we talked about registration opening “tomorrow” (Monday) and wondering how it was going to play out.  This caught the attention of an older man running just slightly in front of us.  Turns out he was pacing his running partner at her BQ attempt.  From then on we became a team.  An impromptu pace group with the goal of 3:40:59.  I didn’t recognize that the Maniac was intentionally staying with us until the turn around at 17.  I asked if his goal was now 3:40 and he said, “Well, I have to see that you guys make it to Boston!”

The game plan was to keep the pace at or below 8:26 until mile 20, and then if there was any get-up-and-go left we could start speeding up after 20.  The good part of this plan was that we didn’t go out too fast and burn up our energy early.  The downside to this plan was that when we got to mile 20 and I didn’t have any speed left there was such a small margin of error I just wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to hang on.  I was measuring everything in seconds.  It was terrifying.  I knew that there could be NO slowing down.  I had to maintain.  And that started messing with my head.  My legs felt fine, but the more I thought about how close I was going to be to either making or missing my goal my heart rate would soar and my breathing would fall off sync.

Somewhere between mile 21 and 22 I fell off pace and the Gazelle got out in front of me.  This did not help my mental anguish.  All I could think about was that I didn’t want to miss it by 5 seconds.  I didn’t want to cross the finish line in 3:41:04.  I’d rather miss it by a mile.  That made the overwhelming desire to walk even stronger.  That was when the Maniac turned coach and saved me.  He kept saying that I was still on pace and I was going to pull through this rough spot.  He told me to pick a spot on the Gazelle’s shirt and to keep my focus on it, blot out distractions and just breathe.  He told me about the tough times during his BQ attempt and how he pulled through.  I didn’t quite believe that I was going to make it, but I know that if he hadn’t been there I would have walked.

By 23.5 Mr. Dawn and Andi showed up again.  Mr. Dawn started running along side and switched out my water bottle and the new one had wonderfully ice cold water that never tasted so good!  He ran me up the hill and then broke off.  Just after that E (former student) was waiting to run me to the finish.  It was so great to have another person to distract me.  Another voice telling me that I was running strong and looking good.  I didn’t feel good, but hearing that from the Maniac, Mr. Dawn, and E was so helpful.

Somewhere around 24 I caught back up to the Gazelle.  Maniac man pointed out that it wasn’t because she’d slowed down, but we had gotten back on pace and gained on her.  Mr. Dawn met us again at 24.5 just as I started to pull out ahead.  I started to believe that I could actually do this, even though it still felt impossibly far away.

Mile 25.  This was when I decided that I needed to make something happen and it needed to happen NOW.  I was going to finish strong and give it everything that I had left even if it wasn’t enough for a BQ, I was going to lay it all out.  Before this point I was scared.  Scared to give everything and still come up short.  Scared that I didn’t have enough.  Scared to really want it.  But still, I wanted to give everything.  I shifted gears and started to kick.  8:08 minutes for mile 26!  Then I passed the last mile marker and there was just 0.2 miles left.  I could see the finish line.  Did I have just a little more?  Yes! 7:11 pace.

Stopped the Garmin at 3:40:24.
Official time 3:40:21.

Going in, I thought that I would know in the first few miles of the race if I was going to qualify or not.  That I’d have the time to accept my fate.  I thought it would be a done deal, either yes or no, by at least the half way point.  I didn’t want it to be close.  I didn’t want to have to face those questions from miles 20-25.  But that’s not what happened.  I’ve never been through anything so emotionally, mentally, and physically demanding as this race.  And I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Here is the picture that best captures everything about this day for me (intensity, focus, determination, pain):

p.s. The Gazelle qualified at her FIRST marathon.  3:40:40!!!

Grand Rapids Marahthon.

October 17, 2010.

Beautiful course.

Perfect Weather.

Epic Cheering Squad.

One guardian angel.

Yes.

It is done.

And I am qualified.

Throughout my race on Sunday I repeated the words “Today is the day.”  I didn’t know beforehand that it would become my mantra.  While I was walking to the starting line I said, “Today is the day I learn who I am.”  While crossing the starting mat I said, “Today is the day I find out what I’m made of.”  During the long uphill between miles 7 and 10 I said, “Today is the day I find out if my training was enough.”  When I was still feeling strong at mile 20 I said, “Today is the day I conquer my goals.”  On Fiesta Island when my strength seemed to leave me I said, “Today is the day I will not give up.”  When I was just a mile from the finish I said, “Today is MY day.”  When I crossed the finish line I said, “Today is the day that I DID IT!”

It was hard. It was hot. It was humid.

I still can’t believe that I did it.  There were so many times during my training that I didn’t think this day ever get here. Then I would fear that it would come but go horribly wrong.

I’m going to do a play-by-play of the day, but for those of you who like to read the last page first here are the numbers:
Half: 1:55:59
Mile 20.5: 3:01:12
Finish Time: 3:58:45
Pace: 9:07

Ok…buckle up, this is a long one…I wanted to include pictures, but I haven’t gotten them onto my computer yet, so look forward to them tomorrow!

The Start

My alarm didn’t even need to go off because I was awake after about 3 hours of restless sleep.  I immediately got up and out of bed to begin the readying process.  Skirt–check.  Gigit–check.  Fuel, handheld, ifitness belt–check, check, and check.  I always get nervous when I put on my pace band.  I took a minute to look through the time for miles 1 through 26.2.  Deep Breath.  Time to go.  I grabbed my Gu Chomps, Luna bar, and headed out the door.

I had a 1.5 mile walk to the starting line.  I actually really enjoyed this time.  It was early enough that the sun wasn’t all the way up (although it was cloudy, so it was hard to tell) and there weren’t many people on the streets yet.  It was very peaceful.  By the time I got to the start I felt ready.  I jumped in the first port-a-john line I found.  I figured, I was 45 minutes before the start, so get this out of the way, then I’d find my way to my corral.

Mr. Dawn called me while I was in line and it was so fabulous to have someone to talk to.  This was the first race ever that I was going to be completely on my own from beginning to end.  It was a bit lonely to not have someone else to nervously chat with.  Mr. Dawn was the perfect fill-in for that.  As we chatted I noticed that while the time was ticking by the line I was in was not getting ANY shorter.  In fact by the time 6:15 (official race start) came around I was still in line.  I didn’t know how long it would be before my corral would be released, so I abandoned my restroom attempt and started jogging in the direction I assumed the start line was.  Once I spotted the sign for my coral, I told the Mr. I loved him and that I’d talk to him at the end.

I slipped in right near the front of my coral as the one before us was being released.  I felt so relieved that I got there in time.  We moved up to the start line and we were off!

Start-Mile 7

My plan was to keep my splits right around 9 minute miles, if I could go a little under and bank time even better.  I did a really good job of checking in with myself to ask if I was feeling good and if I’d be able to sustain.  My big concern was sustainability.  Then of course it’s the constant struggle between wanting to “bank” time when you’re feeling good and not wanting to run out of fuel too early.  I don’t think I’ve mastered this yet…it always good to have something to work on right?

While it was still early we had a nice cloud cover. I noticed, however, that even without the sunshine I seemed to be sweating a lot.  Not necessarily extraordinarily more than normal, but it was fairly noticeable.  I mean, it’s a marathon, you expect to sweat, right?  But even by mile one I felt like I was drenched.  I’m pretty sure that the humidity was already pretty high and this had me worried that I would be losing too much fluid and electrolytes.  I went ahead and took a salt cap and decided that I would do that faithfully throughout the race.

My fuel plan was: Gu every 4 miles, salt every hour, water as needed.  Everything was clicking and I was pretty much ahead of schedule.  I got to see my mom and Ann between miles 4 and 5.  Since I was ahead of my predicted time they weren’t quite ready with the camera and they missed getting a picture.  But it was so great to see them!

Miles 7-10

I knew that these were going to be the first of the worst.  From the elevation chart I knew that starting at mile seven there would be a constant gradual rise for the next 3 miles.  I was mentally prepared for that part.  I just put my head down and kept going.  Since I had banked some time I didn’t worry about those slower miles.  Everything was going well until the half marathoners showed back up…

You see, the course was designed so that we ran with the half marathoners until just before mile four, then we split and they jumped across while we looped around downtown a couple times.  We would rejoin the half-ers on highway 163.  So for us what was mile 10 for them was just past mile four.  This meant that by the time we got to the highway we had “caught up” to the back of the pack half marathoners.  I hadn’t thought much about this while looking at the course, but it turned out to me my #2 most hated parts of the race (#1 coming up later).  The half-ers were walking and covering the road and talking in groups making it very hard to pass them.  So combining the last mile of the uphill with the annoyance of the walker-talkers I entered into a negative head-space.  I was frustrated and getting tired.

Miles 11-20

I was so excited to crest the hill and coast down the other side.  I clocked a couple pretty easy fast miles, then eased back to my goal pace.  I was still feeling awesome.  I had been worried that since I didn’t get a chance to use the restroom before the race I would need to stop somewhere along the course.  I kept an eye out for the port-a-johns without lines and every time I passed one I would do an inventory to see if I needed to stop.  The answer always came back negative, so I just kept plugging along.  These were definitely my “cruise control” miles.  I don’t remember much about this part of the race.  I knew I had slowed down some, but I was still on track to finishing around 3:50-3:55.  This kept my spirits high and a smile on my face.

I was so excited to get to mile 20.  There’s something so magical about seeing the mile markers that all start with a 2!  Also I knew that the runningskirts.com girls were going to be somewhere around mile 20 and I was looking forward to some “skirt support.”  They did not disappoint.  They were cheering for everyone, but I felt extra special when they spotted me in my skirt and they lit up.  It was like being part of a family!  So fun.

Warning.  True Confessions of a Marathoner…
***If you have a weak stomach, or have no interest in hearing the TMI moments of marathoning just skip down to the next section***

Just past the runningskirts.com otter pop stand things started to really get interesting.  With NO WARNING whatsoever I started to pee.  It was so unreal.  There had been no signals, no urgency, no nothing! It was truly out of control.  I wondered if I should stop running and/or move off to the side.  I worried that I would have irritation and chaffing.  My water bottle was full, and I just decided to spray my legs off and keep going.  It was so embarrassing.  I knew that it was obvious that the liquid I was producing was not just sweat.  I kept telling myself that I was among friends and that no one would judge me.

Seriously.  I just peed on myself!  I mean common…

I decided that it made me super hard core and that I wouldn’t let it slow me down.

Fiesta Island=Death

I was running strong and feeling good.  Then we turned the corner and headed out to Fiesta Island.  The sun had peaked out around mile 11 and had been shining strong without a cloud in the sky.  I’d taken note of the sun, but didn’t feel like it was killing me.  That is UNTIL I got out on the island.  Once out there, it was like the sun had magic energy-sapping powers.  There were no trees for shade and not even a breath of wind.  The will to run slowly started to leave me.

I’ve never been a “throw water on myself” type of runner.  That’s how faded I was.  I was grabbing cup after cup of water and dumping it on my head, the backs of my legs, my neck, everywhere!  They were also handing out sponges soaked in ice water which was amazing!  I was able to not just get the water, but wipe the salty-sweat from my face.  I LOVED the sponges.

No matter what I did though, it seemed like I couldn’t will myself to move any faster.  My pace started falling into the high 9′s and low 10′s.  Around mile 24 I just caved in and walked.  I knew that I still had a little extra time to play with but I was still freaking out.  How could I possibly be walking? It was so devastating.  The little monsters of doubt and negativity started giving me a list of excuses to explain why I didn’t finish within my goals.  The sun in out.  This island is ridiculous.  Those half-ers cost me precious minutes.  I only slept 3 hours….and the list went on…

After about a quarter mile of walking I knew that if I didn’t get my butt in gear my goals would be gone.  I decided that there was no excuse in the world that would be enough for me to be satisfied with not meeting my goals.  I wanted to do what I set out to do.  I had worked too hard and come too far to just give up now.  I picked it back up and by the time I reached mile 25 I knew I was almost off the dreadful Island and so near the end I just kicked up my heels and pushed with all I had.

The End

I knew it was going to be close.  I had eaten up most of my time cushion and had to get back in control of my emotions, my legs, and my focus.  As I left the terrible Island behind me I felt the breeze coming off the ocean and it was just the boost that I needed.  I got my pace back under 9 and just headed towards the line.

I raised my hands as I crossed the finish mat and then immediately stopped GG.  Glancing down I saw 3:58:xx!!!!  I took a picture with my phone, sent it to Mr. Dawn with the words “We did it!!!!” As soon as the picture was sent my phone started ringing.  It was my dad!  He’d been watching my splits online and had the finish line streaming.  He knew that I had made it under four and was so proud of me.  I started crying immediately.  I couldn’t believe that I’d done it!

I got in line to take my picture in front of the Rock ‘n’ Roll sign and then called my mom so I could find her.  We had no problem meeting up and of course when I saw her I started crying all over.  She claims that I kept saying “I’m amazing!” over and over again.  I don’t remember this.  But I can believe it

Getting Home

The worst part about the experience overall was trying to get back to Mudville Flats.  There was no parking allowed at the finish line.  Instead everyone had to be shuttled in and that implies of course that everyone had to be shuttled OUT.  We stood in a snaking Disney-style line for over an hour and a half waiting for our turn on the buses.  But we survived.  We finally made it back to the hotel and I got to indulge in an ice bath, shower, and pizza.  Yummy!!!!

And…that’s the story of how I ran a marathon in under 4 hours.  Thanks for all the support and encouragement!!!  I feel like this was a community effort because I know that I never would have been able to do it without all of my family, friends, and blogging world.  THANK YOU ALL!!!

p.s. tomorrow I will hopefully have pictured and stats from GG the garmin…

**stay tuned for the next step in this crazy journey…

I’m going to split the story of the weekend into two different posts.  Today will be all the pre-race fun-ness and hopefully tomorrow between the flights and layovers in the airports I’ll have enough time to process and type all the emotions and stories from the race itself…so, here we go!

Train Ride Through SoCal

I hopped on the Amtrack in Camarillo with my over sized bags and snacks all ready for the 5 1/2 hour train ride.  I had forgotten to bring any books or magazines with me, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to pass the time.  I forgot about the obvious entertainment: people watching.  There was a guy in the seats across from me who was really into something on his blackberry, but somehow still managed to be one of the loudest people in our car.  He would laugh at the Cars dvd that a little girl was watching or say something to no one in particular.  By far my favorite commuter was the latino rapper seated two rows behind me.  He was on his phone for most of the time talking to different people, complaining about some mixing on his latest album, and actually “spitting” his “rhymes” for friends.  It was hysterical.  I am now kicking myself for not writing down some of the lyrics.

Friday: Expo/Packet Pick-up

I decided to come into town a day earlier than originally planned and honestly I’m am SO glad that I did.  As soon as I got off the train, I walked the block to the hotel I booked for the night.  Then my mom-in-law, Ann, picked me up and we were off to the convention center.  I was seriously impressed with how effortless it was to park, find the right place, get my race number and all other freebees, and get out.  I did make a quick stop at the runningskirts.com booth to exchange the birthday skirt that my brother and his wife sent me.  I didn’t spend much time hanging around because Ann had made a FABULOUS suggestion.  She said, “Why don’t we drive up to the running skirt store?  I’d love to get you a skirt for your birthday!”  Ummm, Yes Please!  I was so excited to go see the store itself and get out of the craziness of the convention center.

Running Skirts Store

I must admit, this was truly one of my favorite parts of the weekend.  We drove up to Encitnitas and as soon as we parked I was afraid that they might have closed the store in order to focus on the expo down in San Diego.  Thankfully the door was unlocked and there were people inside!  Yay!  Unlike the expo, I felt like I could wander around the store at my leisure and chat with Ann without having to shout over all the other noise.  It was so much fun!  I ended up picking out SO many skirts to try on and I was the only person shopping there, so I got the full attention of the ladies working in the store.  We had such a fantastic time!  I left there with 4 new skirts and 2 new sweaty bands!  I feel fully prepared for summer training now

Our Hotel: Mudville Flats

We picked mom up from the airport around 11am and headed to our little B & B style “botique hotel” Mudville Flats.  It was more than I imagined it would be.  So beautiful, so peaceful.  We had to search high and low to find a reasonably priced place that was walking distance to the start of the race and would be quiet.  I cannot say enough good things about this place.  If you are ever thinking about visiting San Diego, you MUST stay here!  Linda and Mike (the innkeepers) are beyond amazing.

Saturday at the Expo: Ryan Hall

I decided I wanted to run back to the expo for just a little bit.  Ever since I went to Fleet Feet in Chicago with Mr. Dawn, I’ve been wanting to try the Brooks Adrenaline and since Brooks is the official sponsor, I could get them for cheaper at the expo.  WOW.  Saturday was ridiculous!  I thought that the crowds were crazy on Friday, but it was even more out of control on Saturday.  More people, more noise, more everything.  Ann, mom, and I were all walking around the different booths and it just wasn’t any fun as we were getting shoved one way and another.  I started to feel like we should probably leave and go get some rest, but then we walked by the place where they were having all the guest speakers and I noticed the pace leaders were assembling.  I thought for a second that it would be nice to stick around and see what they had to say.  Then I noticed on the schedule that if I stayed for just another 45 minutes or so I would be able to hear Ryan Hall.  I suggested that mom and Ann go and spend some time figuring out their “spectating plan” while I stay and listen to one of my running heroes.

After they left, I met Steve who was so encouraging (read that full story here), then the crowds started gathering for the big Ryan moment.  When he first came out I thought “Wow he’s so skinny! He got a hair cut since Boston…”  It’s funny the things we notice about people who we’ve only seen on TV…It was so much fun to listen to what he had to say.  He was interviewed by someone from competitor magazine, so it was fairly informal and conversational.  They talked about his upbringing and how he was first introduced to the world of running.  They then tracked through his history of running from his work on the “mile” distance through his first half marathon.  He was so interesting and I could tell that he’s fairly analytical.  I loved listening to him talk about the first couple elite level marathons that he ran and how he fell in love with the marathon-distance.

Three things that Ryan said that I’m sure will stay with me for a long time.  First he said that his biggest mistake leading up to the Olympics happened just one week after the trials.  Usually he take 2 full weeks off after a race.  No running, no biking, no swimming, nothing.  This was somewhat shocking to me.  He talked about the importance of recovery and giving our body time to prepare for a hard effort.  For some reason, after he watched the women’s trials he was so jazzed and inspired he wanted to go out for a run, a week before he really should have.  He kept saying it was that decision that negatively affected his Olympic performance.

Second he said that he had a God moment as he finished the marathon at the Olympics.  He had pictured running through the tunnel and into the stadium at the Olympics so many times and when it finally happened and he knew he was going to finish no better than 10th place he said that God met him there in the tunnel.  He felt God say, “this is exactly where you should be.”  He said that there was growth that he still needed and lessons that he needed to learn that would only have come this way.  It sounds funny, but I started to tear up.  I agree with him totally.  I know that some of the hardest lessons I’ve learned came to me in moments when I feel like I’ve failed.  But those moments always seem to be a springboard for the new direction I would otherwise never have taken.

The last thing that Ryan said that stuck out for me was “You have to be yourself when you run.”  he said that he loves to run at the front of the pack and so that’s what he does.  That’s who he is.  He wouldn’t enjoy running as much if he didn’t get to run races his way.  He told us all that we should find out who we are and how we express ourselves through running and just go with it.

I was so inspired by the whole Ryan experience.  It pumped me up and made me feel ready for the race.

Carb-Loading

We decided to meet at Pinkberry after Ryan Hall.  This is my FAVORITE California treat.  The tartness of the yogurt and the sweetness of the fruit is just the perfect combination.  Delicious!

Then we headed over to the Old Spaghetti Factory.  We got there just before the huge rush of runners showed up.  I got spaghetti and mushroom sauce, salad, and bread.  I must have been more hungry than I thought because I sent a picture of my full plate and then my empty plate to Mr. Dawn and there was only 4 minutes between those two messages

As soon as we finished eating I wanted to go straight back to the hotel, lay out my clothes, take a warm bath, and get to bed by 8:30.  I got everything done, and ready for me and hopped in bed.  Where I laid there, not sleeping, for hours.  And hours.  Mom eventually came to bed.  I was still not sleeping.  I kept glancing at the clock.  9:30.  10:30.  1:30.  Ugh!  Are you kidding me?  The most important night in 6 months and I can’t sleep.  I was entertained by pictures from the Holy Half Marathon, and the Lincoln Marathon, and other random moments in time that kept cycling through my mind.

That’s that for now…come back tomorrow night for all the fun that happened race day!!!

“The greatest honor”

A marathon is an epic journey.  It begins innocently enough and then morphs into an all-consuming, life-altering vortex.  This past weekend it was my privilege to witness the last 26.2 miles in my friend KT’s marathon saga.  She ran strong the whole time, stopping to walk intermittently only after mile 24, and had a smile on her face as we crossed the finish line.  Her time ended up being a little longer than anticipated, but finishing was the goal!

Now on to the nuts and bolts of the race itself:

Packet Pick up:
Everything was well organized and incredibly pain-free at the packet pick up.  It was at a local health/fitness center in the gymnasium.  There wasn’t a line at all and we just walked up, got our race numbers, the “goodie” bag and were on our way.  Couple things:  the race t-shirt?  Gross.  I will never wear it.  Yes it’s a tech-fabric, but it’s a burgundy/wine color and they didn’t have women-specific shirts.  The logo on the front is noting exciting.  And the “goodies”?  Nothing helpful at all!  There wasn’t even a race map included.  We had to return to the table and ask for one.

Start:
I really did enjoy how low-key the start was.  I was a little anxious about parking.  We had woken up early, eaten breakfast and headed to the starting line and had no trouble at all finding free parking a block from the start.  It was awesome.  I love the starts of races, when that many people who all share a similar passion are in the same place.  I love looking at all the different ways that we approach the same sport.  I have to admit: I’m intimidated by the guys who choose to go shirtless.

I started to realize that this race was very small.  One of the first signs was that the only “pace” signage was 6 minute pace, 9 minute pace, and 10 minute pace.  Even when the announcer was calling us to the start, we all seemed to fit in the space of less than a city block (this might have just been a perception, rather than reality…).  They had the countdown and we were off.  My Mom-In-Law Ann was such a fabulous supporter!  She had three different cameras with her and even caught the start on video!

Our plan was to start slow and run long.  KT has had some issues with training in the last few months.  Travel for work, combined with a recent knee injury has made getting the mileage in next to impossible.  We knew that we would not be setting any world records, I just wanted to cross the finish line with her and hopefully keep her from hating the marathon.

The First Half:
Miles one and two were warm up and KT was not feeling very well.  I was having a great time!  My uncle Chuck was standing outside his apartment building and we saw him just before mile one.  It was so fun!  By mile three we had warmed up enough and just started chatting away and running our own race.  KT kept getting distracted about how fast other people were running and feeling bad about her race.  I tried to keep her focused on how she felt and keeping her game face on.

After that, we talked and the miles seem to slip by without much notice.  The first half of the course was really nice.  There was a long straight away with a little bit of a climb, but it was subtle, so I didn’t notice it too much.  Then we got to loop around a park, cross the river and head back towards the start on a gorgeous bike path.  There was one station with Gu and they had Vanilla Bean, one of my favorites!

Halfway:
Just before the half way point, the half marathoners split from the us.  Then we found ourselves all alone.  At the start I had noticed that there were very few race numbers with a blue tag (indicating the full marathon) so I expected a thinning of the crowd, but it seemed like all other runners disappeared from sight.  I knew that we were going slow and conservative, but I didn’t realize how slow until we got to the half way point.  The timer said something close to 3 hours, and it was then I realized how long our day was going to be.  It was also here that we could see runners who were nearing the end of their marathon journey coming back toward the finish line.

The View:
Have you any of you speedy folks wondered what happens behind you?  At the back of the pack?  Probably not.  I know that I’d never given much thought to the race once I’ve crossed the finish line.  Well, around mile 15 after stopping to stretch we were getting ready to start running again when a cop car pulled up next to us to ask how we were doing.  I thought this was interesting behavior so I decided to inquire further.  I asked the nice public servant if we were in deed the last runners.  His first response was “not officially, no.”  I didn’t really understand what officially meant at the time.  The next time he circled back around he explained that there had been some marathoners back at mile 11 that were walking but they had just decided to switch to the half.  That meant that we were IN LAST PLACE!  He explained that he was going to follow behind us with his lights on.  For some reason this struck me as hilarious.  I called Mr. Dawn immediately.  I was laughing and chatted with him for a bit.  I must admit, it’s very strange to have a cop car following so closely.

One observation from the back of the pack: I never realized how closely the race officials track us runners.  I had time during this race to notice and even chat with some of the people sitting on their camping chairs with their clipboards.  They were watching out for the different bib numbers, making sure that we were making it from mile to mile.  I realized that our race entry fees don’t just go to the medals and t-shirts, they really do try to make the day safe for us runners.  I felt both safe and silly with so many people talking about us, numbers 81 and 343…

I started talking to all the volunteers as we passed telling them that they get to go home and enjoy the rest of their weekend now that we were past.  I was very entertained with being at the end of the line.  I do have to admit, however, that just before mile 20, when we saw a couple guys walking just up ahead, my competitive juices started to flow.  Right after we crossed the 20 mile mat we passed them!  For all the entertainment value of being last, I was so relieved that we weren’t going to be the very last ones to cross the finish line.  Over the next few miles, we gained on a passed a few more people.

The End.
Mile 24 there arose a porta potty shortage that did not help our “not finish last” goal.  We had to veer off course and use one that was set up for some construction.  After that detour we were back in last place.  There was a crowd of walkers gathering and some real bonding going on.  We past them when we came to a nice downhill section.  Nearing the end of the bike path, we crossed a bridge where there were two paramedics and some cops hanging out.  One of them was the one who had followed us for 6 miles!  He was so proud to see that we were no longer in last place!

We walked for about a mile somewhere in all that, but at mile 25 we “picked it up” to the end.  I actually got really emotional when we rounded the last corner and saw the downhill to the finish line.  There was hardly anyone around except my family.  They were such amazing supporters!  Ann was actually standing in the middle of the finishing shoot.  But nobody much cared…We were all hooting and hollering like crazy.  It was one of my favorite finish line moments.

Take Aways…
I must admit: I am not interested in running another marathon like that one.  It was long, hot, and taxing.  Everyone thinks that it’s just the distance that is tough, but yesterday taught me that the time itself is difficult.  Yesterday reminded me of the importance of training. I learned that race volunteers are fabulous!  I gained a new appreciation for the police.  It was a beautiful day for running. I’m even more excited now for San Diego!

Oh yeah…Our final finish time: 6:10.  Places # 338 and 339 out of 341.

Subtitle: the day it all came together

Right now, I feel so overwhelmed with positive emotions, that I’m not sure that I can give a great “recap” of the race.  Since my race was so fantastic I may start imagining things like sunshine and roses blooming, little woodland creatures encouraging me along the way and magical waterfalls where I quenched my thirst.  Hopefully I will not succumb that that level of fairytale, but we shall see.  With these rose-colored (sub 1:50) glasses its hard to see the fine print…

One of my favorite things about this race (I have a feeling that I’m going to use that phrase a lot…) was that it didn’t start until 10am!  Of course I was having a hard time staying asleep with the anxiety and excitement, so I got up about 7am.  My partners in crime KT and Fidi were planning on getting to my house around 8 so we could get to the start early enough for them to register.  This gave me plenty of time to gather myself together. I was having a really hard time deciding what to wear.  Shorts?  Capris? Long sleeve?  Arm warmers?  Apparently I have too many options.  I checked the weather forecast like 47 times as I was hemming and hawing.  I finally settled on my Zensah 3/4 pants, a tank, and optional arm warmers.

Then I knew I needed to eat something.  I prepared my usual bagel with peanut butter and jelly but was only able to stomach about half of it.  I did pack a nalgene full of gatorade and some powerbar energy chews that my mom had brought me with me to eat later.  While I was eating I got some texts from the gang saying that they were running a few minutes behind schedule so I had a little more time that I had originally thought I would.

The night before I’d been searching on the internet and found a pace chart calculator here.  I was curious exactly how my goal of 1:53 broke down mile by mile.  Honestly, looking through that list of numbers almost psyched me out completely.  After my “tempo” run on Thursday when I struggled to maintain an 8:17 pace for 5 miles, I was doubtful that I could pull of that kind of speed for 13.1 miles.  I decided that with my extra time, I would write out the miles and goal times on a slip of paper.  At first I didn’t really know what I was planning on doing with the paper and I felt really nervous every time I looked at it.  When Mr. Dawn got up right before we left I asked him what I should do and in his wisdom he reminded me that this race is a practice for the marathon.  I should try keeping the pace I want with me for this race, that way I will know if it works for me.  Something about that moment calmed me down.  I remembered that while I was aiming for a goal for this race, my real objective is the marathon in June.  This race was about preparing for that.

I love, love, LOVE this picture!  That is my amazing husband getting up to see me off.  He and my mom were planning on getting there in time for the start but didn’t need to go as early as we did.  I feel like this is a perfect illustration of how he and I feel about running.  It makes him tired.  It makes me smile

The others rolled up sometime after 8 and we had a little more prep to do (neither of them had eaten any kind of breakfast which is no good!) before we hit the road at 8:30.

Here is where I will insert some of my complaints about the race.  First: the online information was not very informative at all.  We were told to park in D6, which is fine.  But it took some doing to figure out how to get from where I live to that parking lot.  We didn’t know how many water stations to expect along the course, where the start line was going to be, and the course map was a really fuzzy pdf that did not fair well when enlarged.

Regardless of these hurdles, we found the spot and made our way to the registration tent.  I hopped in line to pick up my packet and the other two got in the much longer lines to register.  I had my race number on and timing device in place in no time at all.  Our next goal was to locate a place to use the restroom.  This was where I first noticed another short-fall of this race: no port-a-potties.  Anywhere.  The start, nope.  On the course, nothing.  Didn’t end up bothering me much, but I’m sure there were others that this affected quite significantly.

Finally Mr. Dawn and my mom showed up and we were able to snap some “before” pictures.

My mom is so cute!  You can see where I get my joy from

This picture makes me laugh SO MUCH.  First of all we each look terrified and/or skeptical.  Part of the reason for our inquisitive looks is the fact that there was no clear starting line.  Shortly before we took this picture there was a random surge of people towards an open spot on center campus.  My mom had just whipped out the camera and I really wanted a picture before we started.  I didn’t realize that there must have been a silent countdown going on somewhere behind me because as soon as the picture was taken the crowd started running and we ended up practically at the end of the line.

I’m used to there being some kind of an announcer during the pre-race time.  Someone constantly telling us how much time there was and when we should start lining up.  At least I would have appreciated a sound-fog horn, gun blast, even a bullhorn, something to tell us when it started.  It was the strangest beginning of any race that I’ve been to.

The first mile, I was playing catch-up from snafu at the starting line.  While I ended up really enjoying the course, the first few miles were ridiculous.  The “start” had been wide which allowed for the group to spread out and stay relatively close to the front.  Then almost immediately we were herded onto paths around campus, barely wide enough to run three across.  It was dangerous to say the least.  I found myself shoved to the outside and had to dodge benches, trashcans, and other various items commonly found on college campuses.  The first water station did help to thin it out a bit, but it wasn’t until after mile 5 that I felt like I had room to breath.

My ipod was right in step.  Oh, that is until mile 2.  Then it kept getting further and further off the mile markers.  Luckily, it was calculating the miles to be longer than they actually were, which made me feel pretty confident about my training paces (at least it meant that I’ve been running faster/longer, rather than shorter/slower).

The course was two loops around a 6.5 mile course.  What made it an ideal situation for spectators though was that we cruised through the center of campus 4 times, two with each loop.  That way the Mr. and mom could just hang out instead of rushing from spot to spot.  After passing by them for the first time, we headed out and around two little lakes.  It was really nice to be off road and on a somewhat more forgiving packed gravel path.  The trees there were awesome protection from the wind.  That was the only time I regretted not running with a camera.  It was really beautiful.

This is the end of loop one, about 6.5 miles.  I had warmed up and taken off my arm sleeves.  If you look closely you can see that mom happened to snap the picture mid-flight.  See the black object suspended in the air?  Nice.

Shortly after this I ended up running with a girl for almost a half a mile and upon realizing that are paces were so similar I decided to do something I’ve never done before: talk to a fellow racer!  I took out my earbud and chatted her up.  This was her first half marathon although she ran track in high school.  It was fun to have someone to chat back and forth with for awhile.  It came at the perfect time too.  This was the beginning of the second loop and the section where it was most windy and I probably would have been tempted to slow down otherwise.  After about three miles she slowed down, or I sped up, either way we fell out of step and I went on ahead on my own.

All that was left was the lap around the ponds and it would be over.  I was still pacing pretty far ahead of my goal.  I kept doing mental checks the whole race, “Ok, how does this feel?  Can I sustain this pace?  Will I need to slow down?”  I don’t know what got into me, but everything just felt so right.  My knee didn’t bother me at all.  I loved carrying my own water.  The pace band was the best idea ever!

Here I am less than a half a mile from the finish line.  Still feeling amazing!

I’m pretty sure this is after I crossed the mat.  I was pretty focused coming into the chute and here I look a little too distracted to still be running.

And Fidi was amazing!!! 2:07 for his first race ever!  That’s ridiculous.

I was very proud of us

KT also finished super strong with a 2:16!  I kept telling her how amazing this is, but I don’t think she really believed me until I told her that my first half was 2:28.  Then she seemed to be happy with her time.  It’s all about perspective, right?

Hands-down my favorite picture of the day.  Look at us compared to the “before” shot.  That is what running does for your soul, it breeds joy from within.

Official time:
1:46:25

Splits:
53:16
53:10 (a negative split!  sure, it’s only 6 seconds, but whatever)