Popcorn Panic 5 Mile Race

Well, I think before this race, it was official: I had forgotten how to race. It had been SO long since I toed a start line, I forgot how to do it! Case in point? I completely forgot about the whole "Oh yeah, you get a race packet with a bib and shit" thing. Luckily, I remembered juuuust before the pick-up was over the night before. Yeah, I could have done the late pick up that morning, but I never do that. Well, at least back when I remembered how to run a race I never did that. Now, who knows.

Anyyyyyway- after remembering I was in fact running a race the next morning and trying to pull my head out of my booty and remember HOW to race, I did get my packet and all was right in the world. There's no "expo" with this race, just getting your bib and t-shirt.

Later that night, I kept trying to remember how to be a runner and laid out all my crap. Well, almost all my crap. I forgot my shoes. Ya know. Just shoes. NBD. It really wasn't a big deal, as I was home and they were simply in my closet instead of on my dresser with the rest of my race outfit. Still. How could I forget shoes? I'm a dummy.

The logistics of a race get significantly more complicated when you have a baby. Add about a gazillion complicated points when you're nursing that baby. The race started at 7:30am and Bailey usually gets up at 6:30am and nurses right away. Perfect, right? No so much, as I was petrified about the parking situation (I heard everywhere that the Popcorn Fest is a BIG DEAL and parking is like impossible) so I wanted to be out the door by 6:30am, even though the start line was literally 2 miles from my apartment door (spoiler: that was totally unnecessary). So, I woke up at 6am and got dressed and ready (aka: made coffee) and then nursed B at 6:15am, handed her off to the Hubs, and was out the door by 6:30am.

I made my way to the downtown area, again worried about parking. To my surprise (and a little irritation, though better than the alternative), there was ample parking (to be fair, a few hours later, you'd be lucky to park 2 miles away, so it did get crazy, crazy crowded). I parked, headed to the start line, did the porta potty thing, and waited. Luckily, it was a BEAUTIFUL morning. 60*'s and overcast. Beautiful.

7:30am rolled around quick and we were off, right on time. The plan was for the Hubs and Baileybug to meet me at the 3 mile mark (literally a hop, skip, and jump from our apartment), so I was looking forward to that almost right from the start.

Mile 1-2 were 100% up a slow and steady hill. Not a great way to start, but I knew we'd hit them on the way back, so that was reassuring. I was going slower than I liked, but keeping steady. I think mile 1 was about 10:40 and mile 2 about 10:30. I felt slow and sluggish and my legs felt realllllly heavy. Not ideal, but when you've barely run in months, what can you expect? Didn't help that I am still getting over this damn never-ending cold and had to hack up a lung every few minutes. Turns out breathing while running is hard when you can't stop coughing. Who knew?

Anyway-  the Hubs texted me right before mile 3 and told me he wasn't going to make it in time. B had a poopy diaper explosion and it just wasn't gonna happen. Boooooo. I felt deflated and lost a bit of energy. But, what can ya do? I also knew I was over half way there and just told myself to push through, get done, and then you can see them at the finish.

Mile 3 and 4 were mostly downhill (yaaaay!!). I seemed to catch a bit more of my rhythm there, as well. I think they clocked in at about 10:20 and 10:00. It was nice to be passing people instead of getting passed the whole race. I kept steady/speed up for some nice negative splits, which has never been my race-day-strength.

Mile 5 was uphill-- boo. My legs were getting tired and it was starting to warm up a little. I was ready to be done, but my competitive side came out and I made it my goal to beat a few people ahead of me. I really picked it up the last half mile and pushed myself out of my comfort zone with speed. I was huffing and puffing and coughing like crazy. I'm sure I looked and sounded like a lunatic. Usually I only sprint the last quarter mile or so, so this was definitely pushing it for me. I was SPENT by the end. I'm not really sure, as I forgot to hit my garmin for a few seconds, but I think the last mile was about a 9:40. Fast? Noooope. Fast for me right now? Yep.

(Ignore the pace-- that's just what I was at when I stopped the Garmin)

It was slower than I wanted and expected. I was hoping to keep a solid and steady 10:00 pace. Oh well. What can ya do? Interestingly, the next day I went out for a 4-mile run and finished in exactly 40 minutes. Legs, you're funny. Anyway, it was a good, small, local run. I'd definitely do it again, though likely only because we live right here and it's convenient to then go to the festival and already have parking and such. It wasn't exactly a fun and beautiful/scenic race, but I dug it.

It was nice to get back to a start line and I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend last night looking online for another (short) race.

Running, it may be time to start seeing each other again. We'll see. :)

Life, I tell you.

Woah! Has it really been so long? How does that happen? Life, I tell you.

Speaking of life, it's been busy!

Family visits.

 

 Titi Jen and cousin Christian. SO cute!! Their visit was TOO SHORT!!

Picking blueberries.


A chipped tooth and dentist appointments. Yes, plural.


Bailey's first trip to the Zoo.

 She totally liked the tiger the best.

Lots of walks.


Cancelling a credit card I pretty much forgot I even had (whoops).


Spending time with friends.


Registering for a race!!!

It's a local 5-mile race. Not a half-marathon or anything, but hey-- it's something!

The Hubs working late and going on work trips.


Job interviews. Oh, and ya know-- trying to decide if I want to go back to work or stay home with Bailey for longer.


Life, man.


Sometimes being an adult isn't really all it's cracked up to be. So many decisions I never even imagined I'd have to make. So much responsibility. But, you can also eat cereal for dinner if you want to and drink all the diet pepsi you want, so I guess I won't complain too much.

I'll try to be a better blogger, I promise. I can't promise I'll succeed, but I'll try.

Sunburst 2014 (aka that time I ran a half marathon TOTALLY untrained)

Guys. Saturday I ran a half marathon: the Sunburst.

I'll give you a minute to process that.

What's that you ask? What was my training? I mean, I MUST have just been training this whole time and not mentioned it on the blog, right? Because I would NEVER run a half marathon under un-trained, right?

Yeaaaaaah. About that. I didn't train. Like, at all. Sure, I've run here or there since having Bailey. A few 3 and 4 milers. A 5 or 6 thrown in there here or there. Yep. That's it. Before Saturday, I hadn't run more than 6 miles since I was pregnant with Bailey. Whomp, whomp.

So, I admit, it wasn't the BEST plan to just bust out this half. And, it certainly wasn't just busted out. I busted my ass to even finish. And, that was with a LOOOOT of walking. And, pain. Oh, the pain. I had forgotten just how sore you can be after a long run. I also got a huge slap in the "LOOK HOW OUT OF SHAPE YOU ARE!" face. Like, woah.

But, I got up at the ass crack of dawn to nurse Bailey and then drive the hour to the start line with this girl by my side the whole time.

 

Sadly, I WISH I had made it to this alarm. Bailey was up at 3:30am and I didn't get back to sleep. FUN.

We made our way to the start, me FREAKING out in my head that there was NO WAY I'd ever finish.

Ready, set, GO!

But, Amy and I finished.

I finished with my head held high. It was by far my slowest half.... well, ever. Didn't matter. Doesn't matter. I finished. I ran (& walked) 13.1 miles. I'm proud! Maybe even more proud than I was after my half PR (which just so happened to happen while I was pregnant too). Time/pace didn't matter. I finished. I was hurting and miserable and hot and sore, but I FINISHED.

This race holds a very, very special place in my heart. Not only was it my very first 5K and catapulted me into this crazy sport, but, more importantly, the proceeds from the race benefit the Children's department and NICU where I had Bailey and where Bailey spent 10 long days. I've run this race before. Numerous times. I had never paid attention to what cause the race supported. I just ran it for fun. My in-laws bought me this years registration for Christmas (THANK YOU!! Best in-laws evvvvver!!) and as I was reading through the paperwork, I read where the proceeds were donated to. My jaw dropped. I KNEW I would run this race, trained or not. I knew I had to. For Bailey. For myself. For the Hubs. For our family. For the other babies in the NICU. But, most of all for the doctors and nurses who treated Bailey with so much love and care and who made sure she was happy and healthy. For that, I owe them the world. I can't give them the world. But, I could run this race for them. I wanted it to be my best race ever. I wanted to win the stupid thing. Neither of those were ever going to happen. I'm not at the place in my life to PR and I'll never win a race (duh). At the end of the day, that didn't matter. I finished.

All that mattered was that I finished. Best race ever.

Sunburst Half Marathon - Race Recap

Warning: This isn't going to be some crazy long, here's how I felt at each mile kinda race recap. I've done that for this exact race before.

This was my third year running the Suburst. In fact, it was my 3 year run-aversary. 3 years ago, the Sunburst was my first ever 5K. But, that story's been told. Last year, I ran the half. This year, I was registered for the half, but for some reason, kinda debating between doing the half and the 10K.

Before Saturday, I hadn't run anything over 8-miles at a time since the Kalamazoo Half, which was 3 weeks before. I wasn't, by any definition of the word, training or ready. Even worse, the weather forecast was not looking so hot.

 

Lucky for me, the 10K and Half started within 15 minutes of each other, so I went to bed Friday night with a belly full of carbs (hey-- had to prepare just in case, right?!?!) and decided I'd get up early enough to do either and decide in the morning. Either way, I was just going to RUN FOR FUN (WOAH! What a concept!), not push pace, and just ENJOY the race that made me fall in love with running. It was really quite refreshing to go to be the night before a race NOT worrying. I was 100% chill about the race. I KNEW I wasn't in PR shape, so that wasn't even in the realm of possibility. It was going to be a relaxed, FUN run, regardless of length. Talk about no pressure. I LOVED IT.

Anyway, I woke up Saturday morning and felt great. I was going to do the half! Then, I pulled up my phone's forecast and saw the above and immediately decided to do the 10K.

That's pretty much how the next 20 minutes of getting dressed and eating 1/2 an English muffin with PB went. Back and forth. Half, 10K, Half, 10K. The Hubs was gonna drop me off and pick me up, since the race was SUPER close to our house. He was less than thrilled at the idea of me running ANYTHING in thunderstorms.... but, that kinda helped me decide. I mean, if I was gonna stop mid-race no matter what, why not go big and do the half? If it rained, I'd stop either way. Then, suddenly the forecast changed to only 10% chance of light rain. Just like that. Done. Half it was.

The Hubs dropped me off and less than 10 minutes I was off.

Mile 1: 9:48 (FINALLY! A race I didn't start off too fast for!!!)
Mile 2: 9:42
Mile 3: 9:30
Mile 4: 9:52 (not sure what happened here... apparently I was REALLY enjoying the race!)
Mile 5: 9:45
Mile 6: 9:23

Just like that, the race was half over. I was literally enjoying every second. It was HOT and HUMID... but, my legs felt fresh. I wasn't dying. I was just RUNNING to run. CRAAAAAZY concept. I had a HUGE goofy grin on my face the whole time (except in the pic above where I look like I'm kinda sleeping). This whole race with no pressure thing was AMAZING. I just kept plugging away. One foot in front of the other. Nice and easy.

 

Mile 7: 9:26

Mile 8: 9:40

Mile 9: 9:30

Mile 10: 9:20

Mile 11: 9:19

Mile 12: 9:59 (HUUUUUUGE, beast of a hill)

Mile 13: 9:26

Mile .33 (according to Garmin): 3:27 (forgot to stop the stupid sucker for a while, as always)

 

 

 

Garmin Results--

Total: 13.33 miles, 2:08:XX

Average Pace: 9:37

 

Official Results--

Time: 2:06:52

Place: 589/1392

 

 

Funny story... I finished faster (only by a few seconds, but still) this year than last year, when I WAS training and WAS ready for it. Turns out, taking the pressure off kinda works.

 

I LOVED this race. I had FUN. I enjoyed myself. Sure, it was still running over 13 miles and that was tough and I was tired and everything, but it was different than any race I've done. I ran JUST TO RUN. Confession: I might be hooked. Sure, I love pushing myself to get better and to strive for my best. But, it's also BEYOND words amazing to just run with NO pressure or expectations.

 

 

 

Sadly, my body was little mad at me for the whole lets-run-13-miles-even-though-we're-not-trained thing. Whoops. My knee (the other one, of course) was NOT happy. I gave it 3 solid non-running rest days and LOOOOTS of icing and now it feels better. Not 100% yet, but better. WHOOPS. Lesson learned. Next time, maybe do a FEW longer runs before a half, even if it is a for-fun half. Got it. :)

 

So, that was that. 3 year runaverary, done. And I loved every step.

5am, 10K, Wicked and Mother's Day

Guess who got up at 5am and made it to the gym both today and yesterday?!?!? THIS KID!!! Yup, that's right! 2 morning workouts in a row! Am I getting my groove back?? Maybe. We'll see. Too early to tell.

Anyway- Monday was 6 miles on the treadmill (while watching the season finale of Revenge... Nolan!! Whaaat?!?!? Noooo!! Love it!!!) and 15 minutes on the elliptical. Today was Signature Strength and then 15 minutes on the elliptical. Yep, not only am I back on the 5am train, but I even went to Signature Strength class today. WOAH. I'm on a roll.

So, we'll see how long this "roll" lasts. This week my work-gym is closed (we're officially in summer at the college I work for so every year the gym closes for 1 week in the summer to do maintenance and such), so I kinda have that "if you don't get up you won't get a workout in" mentality, which always helps me peel my ass outta bed.

BUT-- I did manage to get a workout in Monday during my lunch hour too! The girl from work that I'm helping with the Couch25K program and I went outside and did our intervals around campus! We covered 2.3ish miles in 35 minutes. She's rocking it! I'm so proud of her!!

Anyway-- so, yeah. Workouts have actually been happening. Solid workouts, even. Feels great! Hopefully I keep this up! We'll see... :)

In other news, this weekend was a whirlwind. Friday night the Hubs and I drove up to Grand Rapids, Michigan (about 2.25 hours away). We stayed with some friends, ate some pizza, and crashed early to prep for the Fifth Third River Bank Run. So, Saturday we were up WAAAAY too early to race! I was signed up for the 25K, but as everyone else in our group ended up doing the 10K, I decided to drop down and just run for fun.

My friend, K, and I celebrating our 10K! It was her very first 10K and she CRUSHED her goal and kicked some serious butt. SO proud of you, K!!!!

I ran easy and finished in 55:41 for about 8:58 min/miles. I was 1322 out of 4190.

 

 

The race was a lot of fun, though chilly! Darn mother nature! It was like 40*. IN MAY. Not ok. Not ok at all. Anyway- the race was a blast.

 

I won't do a full recap, as I've done one before (see it here) and it was essentially the same race, just several miles shorter. I love this race and would highly suggest it to anyone! Only bummer with the 10K is you don't get a medal. BUMMER! I did get a pin, though, so I guess that's something.

 

 

Anyway- after the race we headed back to shower and such and then headed out for a quick lunch before the Hubs and I drove home (aka: the Hubs drove while I napped in the passenger seat). We had to rush back because we had tickets to see Wicked that night!

The show was amazing! Such great music and an amazing set and cast. LOVED it!

The show, while great, was a bit long. It didn't get out til past 11, which is WAAAAAY past my bedtime. I was exhausted from the race and the late night. So, I immediately crashed after we got home. 11pm and I am SPENT. I know, I'm so lame.

 

Sunday we were up early again to take Sadie for a quick walk before heading to Chicago (about 2 hours away) for a Mother's Day celebration. Great way to end the weekend: family, fun, and food! I ate my weight in delicious foods and the napped again in the car on the way back. Poor Hubs! Always stuck driving. He's OK with it... he'd rather me be asleep so he can listen to sports radio than me be awake and force him to listen to Katy Perry and flip the radio stations every 2 minutes. (Not that I would EVER do that)

 

Phew! I'm exhausted again just recapping everything. Hope you had a great weekend too! 

 

 

Kalamazoo Half Marathon Race Recap

So, it's totally normal to have a friend text you the day before a half marathon and offer you a free bib, right?

 

No? Just me?? Amy registered for the KZoo half forever ago, but sadly she wasn't feeling great and couldn't run. Well, if you know me you know I couldn't very well say no so after some schedule re-arranging and a WAAAAAY to early alarm wake up call, I was off to Kalamazoo, Michigan to run the Kalamazoo Half Marathon.

Like I said-- WAY too early for the WEEKEND.

I got to Kalamazoo after about an hour and twenty minutes with plenty of time to grab my free bib (thanks again, Amy!!) and head to the start line.

I had to park about 1/2 a mile away, but it was easy to find. The porta potty lines weren't crazy long and before I knew it I was in line near the 2:00 pace group and we were off!

 

At the start line...

The race was overall pretty good, though it looks like I basically fell apart at the end (spoiler: I only kinda did). I stuck with the 2:00 pace group for the first 8 miles with no real problems. My legs were noticeably heavy and still sore from all those damn walking lunges I did earlier that week, but beyond that I felt pretty good.

Mile 1: 9:05

Mile 2: 8:49

Mile 3: 9:00

 

 

 

Mile 4: 9:03

Mile 5: 9:03

Mile 6: 9:02

Mile 7: 8:58

Mile 8: 9:01 (took a few sports beans here)

Then, the 2nd half of the race hit. And, the elevation and hills REALLY hit.

Yeah, about that hill. WOWZA. And, it didn't get any easier from there. I recovered a bit at mile 10, but my legs were pretty shot and the ENTIRE UPHILL second half did not help. I tried to hang on to the 2:00 pace group, but just couldn't.

Mile 9: 9:38 (huuuuuuuge hill... uggggh)

Mile 10: 9:28 (took a freezer pop from the crowd here)

Mile 11: 9:32

Mile 12: 9:51

 

Mile 13: 9:41

Mile .18: 1:40

 

 

Hand of heart finish for Boston

 

Official Time: 2:02:02

 

So, I let the 2:00 pace group go on and ran MY race. I was comfortable, but my legs were crazy heavy and sore.

 

I crossed the finish line and it read 2:02:02, which is my official time (forgot to turn the Garmin off forever after I crossed. Whoops.) but I don't really think that's 100% accurate as there's NO WAY I crossed the start line right at 0:00 on the clock. I think my time was likely more like 2:01:40ish. But, whatever. What does a few seconds matter. Obviously I'm not breaking world records over here. Though, I did break a PR (with no real training and a last minute race) so that's pretty sweet.

 

I could have been pissy with myself for kinda losing it at the end, but given the hills and the complete uphill finish and my lack of "training" I was 100% OK with the race. In fact, I'm REALLY proud I managed to stay so consistent (though totally different "consistent" the first and second halfs). One thing I wasn't SUPER happy with was my fueling. I really need to figure out what works for me and be more intentional about fueling during 10+ runs. Bleah. Working on it.

 

The race was fun! Super organized. Good crowd support. CRAZY hilly course, but had I actually looked at the elevation chart before hand I would have known that. I'd definitely run it again!

 

Thanks again for the free bib, Amy!! Sorry you were sick and couldn't run. Glad I could PR in your honor! :)

 

10K PR!

Work is RIDICULOUSLY busy right now, so this recap might be a bit brief, but here goes nothing...

This weekend I ran the LaPorte County YMCA 10K. It was my very first 10K! How is that possible? I registered for a 10K when I started running, back in 2011, but ended up not being able to do the race because I had to go to a funeral. Somehow I never signed up for another one. Whoops!

A few weeks ago I was searching for a small, local 5 and 10K race to do together with my father-in-law, who is also a runner.

FIL on our very first run together, 2012

FIL and I dancing at our wedding, October 2012. Obviously this pic has nothing to do with running, but I just love it!

 

I came across the LaPorte County YMCA 5 and 10K race by accident, but when I saw the price -- $19!!!-- I knew it was perfect. We both signed up for it right away.

Race week finally came around and I didn't really know what to do. Should I taper? How much? Do I need to carb load? How fast should I go out? AHHHHHHH!!!

By Friday, I was in full on panic mode.

I managed to calm down a bit and got a pretty decent amount of sleep Friday night.

Saturday morning the Hubs and I were out the door by 7:45am. A quick run through the Starbucks drive-thru (using another free drink coupon!! score!!) and we were on our way to LaPorte. About 45 minutes later we got there and my FIL and I were back out the door to make our way to the race.

The race was very small, so parking was a breeze. We got there with about 30 minutes til race time and had plenty of time to do all the pre-race activities.We picked up out packet without having to wait in any lines and even got to use an indoor bathroom (yay for no porta potties!!). My FIL and I even had a chance to take a pre-race pic!

 

The weather, while chilly, was beautiful and pretty much perfect. 30*ish, sunny, and not too much wind. Perfection.

The 10K race started at 9am, with the 5K starting shortly after at 9:15am.

We started right on time. My FIL told me he was 100% OK with me taking off on my own and while I would usually NEVER pass up the opportunity to run with him, since this was my first 10K I really wanted to see how I could do.

So, I was off! I tried REALLY, REALLY, REALLLLLLY hard to not start off too fast. I watched my Garmin like a hawk and tried to stick around a 8:15 pace. I told myself my "goal" was a 8:30 average and while starting at 8:15 when my goal was 8:30 wasn't exactly not starting off too fast, I knew I would have been muuuuuch faster if I wasn't focusing and aiming for that. Somehow 8:15 with a 8:30 goal didn't seem like going out "too fast" to me. An older guy actually came up right next to me and I just kinda made it my mission to stick with him as long as I could. We ran the first mile together in about 8:15ish (don't have my exact splits with me, sorry!!). I wondered how long I could hold that pace, but figured I'd just hold on as long as I could and if I crashed and burned later, I crashed and burned. So, I held on with the guy. I have no idea what his name was, had no idea who he was, but he's one of the big reasons I held on. I tried not focusing on my watch or how much time passed and just focusing on him. He held a pretty even 8:00 pace so it helped me not go any faster (which DEFINITELY would have led to a crash and burn situation). Somehow, I ended up passing the guy on a hill (oh, the course was HILLY!!!!) and didn't see him again til he came into the finish about 2 minutes after me.

After I passed him, I kinda latched onto a girl in front of me-- THE GIRL IN THE PINK. I just kinda kept telling myself to catch up to her and not let her go. I made it my goal to finish NEAR her. I didn't even need to BEAT her, just finish near her. The girl in the pink and I ran side by side from mile 3-4.5. She pushed me to stay a consistent sub 8:00 pace (whaaaaat?!?! WHO AM I?!!?!?). At mile 4.5, I told myself I was SO CLOSE and to bring it home.

I was BOOKING it. My legs were burning, I was out of breath and all I wanted to do was STOP, but I didn't. I FELT strong. My mental game was ON. Somehow, I passed the girl in the pink. I just kept telling myself to hold on and not give in. I was SO close. I realized if I kept about a 7:45/mile pace the last mile I could finish in 50:00 or less. I pushed. And pushed. Harder than I ever have, I think.

And, I kept pushing right into the finish.

Garmin: 6.28 miles, 50:00 (7:57/pace)

 

 

Official: 6.2 miles, 50:05 (8:05/pace)

 

1st in Age Group (25-29)

37/130 overall

 

Now, I know OFFICIAL time is what matters.... but, while there was chip timing, it was only FINISH line chip timed. We didn't go over a sensor at the start, so they just say everyone started right at the same time. Well, we didn't. I didn't cross the start line for about 5 seconds, hence the difference. So, while I know it's not OFFICIAL, I'm going with my Garmin. I RAN A SUB 8:00/mi 10K!! AND I WON MY AGE GROUP!!!!!!!!

I was SOOOO excited. And, BEAT. I swear, I was more tired than after the marathon! I almost collapsed when I crossed the finish line. I immediately texted the Hubs while waiting for my FIL to finish.

I really, really excited. I stayed mentally strong. I told myself I could do it and I did. I ran a SMART race. I'm proud of myself.

I even won a medal!!

 

My FIL did amazing too, despite having some injury issues... poor guy had some knee and foot pain! He still managed to finish, despite the pain even if it was with a slight limp. SOOOOO proud of him!!!!!

The guy who was with me at the start and the girl in pink both also placed in the top 3 of their age groups. We all found each other after and each said the other helped pushed us to keep the pace. LOVE that. So, to the girl in pink and the guy who started this race with me: THANK YOU AGAIN. You rock!!

I LOVED this race. I loved the small race atmoshpere. I never felt crowaded, but also never was alone. There was legit NO crowad support, but I'm 100% OK with that. They had some great volunteers and everything was super organized. The course was hilly and it was a bit windy, but I don't care. It was perfect.

I felt STRONG during this race. I KNEW I could do it. It wasn't easy. It hurt. I pushed harder than I knew I could. But, I stuck with it. I wanted to stop or slow down, but I didn't. After my 8:15 first mile, I maintained pretty darn even splits ranging from 7:45-8:02. I LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOVED this race. I loved my attitude during this race. I'm still on a runner's high and it's been days. Did I mention I loved this race??

Anyway-- after the race while we waited for some ice for my FIL's poor knees and for me to get my medal, we enjoyed the post-race refreshments...

After 6.2 miles, you better believe that was the best hot dog I've ever had. Seriously.

We spent the rest of the day lounging around, watching college basketball. Perfect day.

Now... don't tell my FIL, but I'm already looking for our next race. I've got a 5K and another 10K in mind... :)

Haunted Hilly Half - Race Recap

Consider yourself forewarned: This is gonna be a pretty quick recap, simply because it's been too long ago to remember much.

I woke up at about 6:30am 2 Saturday's ago (10/27) and headed out to Bonneville Mill Park in Bristol, Indiana (about an hour drive from my house). I got there about 8am for the 8:30am start and that gave me plenty of time to get my bib and packet and get to the start line with time to spare. The race was small, but well organized.

Now, as a reminder-- before this race, I was having some mega knee issues (see the last 123103847 blog posts where I bitch about it for proof). I went into this race telling myself I'd stop and DNF if it hurt. I was on a week of no-running, icing like a mad woman and lots of Aleve. I was hopeful I'd get through it but told myself over and over that I'd stop if it hurt.

 

I found out where I got there (b/c I was never bothered to look before) that the race was benefiting Down Syndrome support groups.

Yeah, that  whole not finishing if it hurt thing... that didn't happen.

After I heard what the race was supporting, there was NO WAY I wasn't going to finish it. Downs Syndrome and other similar mental disabilities have a very, very special place in my heart. I knew I wasn't going to not finish, even if I was still telling myself at this point to stop if it hurt.

Before the race started a Downs cheerleader group did a cheer to get everyone pumped and to kick the race off.

 

Admittedly, not a great pic-- but it was the most inspirational thing I've ever seen at the start of a race. How can you NOT be motivated and moved after that? I mean-- I was legit in tears. If these women could get out there and cheer for me, I could damn well run the f-ing thing. Again, no way I wasn't finishing it.

 

As I started, I told myself I wouldn't look at my Garmin even once. I had a long sleeve tech shirt on, so I just kept the sleeve over it and really never looked. I didn't want to be concerned with pace and honestly I wasn't. I felt good. I felt fresh. I was just SO FREAKING HAPPY to be running. The first mile I made myself go slower than I wanted and I really was feeling great.

 

I stopped at about mile .6 (the only time I looked at my Garmin and that was just to stop it) because I was helping an older man unknot and re-tie his shoe. Poor guy! He kept apologizing as I was helping him while the ENTIRE REST OF THE RACE flew past us. I assured him it was cool, I wasn't out to qualify for the Olympics or anything. Anyway-- after a solid 5 minute pit-stop to help him, I was back off-- and LITERALLY last in the pack. The guy I was helping FLEW on. I kept slow and steady and tried not to let the OMG!-I'm-LEGIT-LAST panic set in. And, believe it or not, I did. I kept my cool. I didn't worry. I was just SO HAPPY to be running it made NO DIFFERENCE to me that I was last. I didn't even let the freaking motorcyclist that was bringing up the pack (aka: me) bother me.

 

So, I trotted along for another mile-ish, still in last place. Still SMILING. Still LOVING running. Still NO knee pain!

Yeaaaaah.

That didn't last.

 

At about mile 1.5 it started to feel off again. Tight. Pain came in and out. I started passing people at this point which was freaking awesome! I later realized I was only passed by 2 people (1 of which came outta nowhere, I don't even think she was actually running the race) the entire race which was freaking SWEET! It was great to be the passer and not the one being passed. HUGE mental boosts!

 

Sadly, the mental didn't outweigh the physical this time.

 

The pain just got more and more intense.

 

I ran through it, like an idiot. At first I just kept reminding myself about the cheerleaders. Then, it was more because I logistically didn't know how stopping would work. This was a SMALL race. There were times I didn't even see another runner. Water stops were stationed by kids. I didn't know how stopping would work, so I just kept running along.

 

The pain coming in spurts. I found that it got worse when I bent my knee, so I worked hard to keep it as straight as possible. I'm sure I looked AWESOME running-- best form ever.

A few times I'd think maybe shaking the leg out would help or really bending it to get the kinks out or something. DID NOT HELP. OMG! Hurt soooo bad. So, I just kept trudging along, trying to keep my right leg as straight as possible.

 

The name "Haunted HILLY Half" didn't lie. This bitch was a beast. HUGE hills. In case you didn't know, it's freaking HARD to run up or down a hill without bending one leg. HARD, I tell you.

 

I know this may not look like that rough of a hill... but, this was the BABIEST of all the hills. And, there were a LOT. Trust me.

 

 

I had to walk up part of 2 of the hills because my knee was hurting SO BADLY. Sharp, shooting pains at points.

NOT GOOD.

 

I know.

 

STUPID MEAGAN.

 

I KNOW.

 

Whatever. I think deep down I knew I'd never not run the thing. The Hubs told me later he never had a single doubt I'd do the whole thing. I'm stubborn and headstrong and I suck at making life choices. It is what it is.

 

I finished strong-- negative splits! 8:something last mile! How, I have no idea. Again, I'm not the best life-choice-maker so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

 

Garmin time: 2:04:24.

 

Me post-race. Maybe not pain-free but I was still SO HAPPY TO HAVE RUN! I had a salty face! Do you KNOW how much I've missed having a post-long run salty face?!?! OMG!

 

 

A shinny new PR.

 

I could hardly walk after my knee hurt so bad, but a new PR nonetheless.

 

While my knee was beyond a whiney little bitch, I was still THRILLED to have run. I was on the BIGGEST runner's high the whole way home. I RAN! I GOT TO RUN! The entire race, I was either grimacing through a pain-filled moment or smiling SO BIG because I was RUNNING.

 

So, whatever. I made a bad choice. I know that. I should have stopped. I shouldn't have run through the pain. I got it. I know better. I knew better. I made the choice not to listen. It is what it is.

 

I took the ENTIRE WEEK off from all forms of cardio while on the cruise. Unless you count walking to the soft-serve fro-yo machine 4 times a day as cardio. I don't, for the record. I did workout each day-- weights. Actual weight/strength machines. WOAH, I know. It was NOT EASY not doing cardio. I LOVE cardio. But, I knew it was for the best. It took til Tuesday for my knee not to be in constant soreness/pain. It's still not the greatest. Feels stiff it it's straight or bent or just still too long.

 

NOT GOOD. Not good at all.

 

I went to spinning today and it felt OK, but I can tell it's not running-ready. So, I'll keep not running, even though it HURTS MY SOUL.

Boo.

 

I'm calling a doctor this week. Stay tuned...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago Marathon Race Recap, Part I

So, here we are. 2 days later and I still can’t quite come to terms with the fact that the marathon is OVER. That I’m no longer “in training”. That I am a MARATHONER. It’s all too crazy to comprehend right now. So, let’s just get back to the review, shall we?

 

When we finished last time, I was walking out my hotel door and making my way to the start corrals.

Me in the hotel lobby heading out the door!

 

Our hotel was about a mile and a half to the start like, so it took me about 20 minutes to get there. There were TONS and TONS of other runners making their way there at the same time. Some were running, some were walking, some were wearing next to nothing, one was BAREFOOT (!!)… but, regardless of the differences, everyone was excited. You could literally feel the excitement in the air and the unmistakable race-day energy.

 

I got to my corral… to be honest, I have no idea when. It’s all kind of a blur. I do know I found everything no problem.  There were a LOT of people, but TONS of signage and lots and lots of very friendly volunteers who were helping people. 

 

I hoped in line for the porta potties (and the lines weren’t even that long!), did my business, and then got into my corral. I was in the 2^nd wave, so I couldn’t get straight into my corral, as we had to kinda wait for the first wave to start. I don’t know. It was kinda confusing, but I just stood around until everyone else start moving. Great plan! 

 

I got into my corral and then the waiting game started. TORTURE, I tell you! Longest hour-ish(??) ever. Just waiting and waiting. In the COLD. I was just SO ready to start. In fact, I was SO ready that I made mistake #1 in the corrals. When I first got into them, I was right next to the 4:10 pace group. Excellent! But, I KNEW I was supposed to see the Hubs and all my other supports (best cheer group EVER) just after mile 1 and that I’d need to be on the end to see them… so, I separated from the pace group and made my way to the end, which start creeping forward and forward. I saw the 3:55 pace group go bye me before our wave even started, just from people pushing forward, inching toward the start line. I think this was my first mistake. I should have stayed with my pace group. I SHOULD have known better. Lots of should haves. 

 

Anyway, our wave started right on time and I was off! With in 10 seconds, my garmin started FREAKING OUT. I had heard this would happen, so I wasn’t surprised, but it still sucked. I had a pace tattoo of the times I wanted to keep, but it didn’t really help. I had no idea where I was in relation to the times and I just had no idea what pace I was keeping. I felt GREAT and tried to tell myself to slow down, but clearly that didn’t work. 

View from the Hub and Cheer Squad's first viewing place. They got there in enough time to see the CRAZY FAST elite runner's go by. SO cool! I'm jealous!

 

I was SO EXCITED when I saw the Hubs and all the  other wonderful people who came out to cheer for me at miles 1, 3, and 12—just where we planned (and, yes—I planned…. To the exact spot… it was SO helpful and I saw them and they saw me EACH time we planned for). They made a HUGE, WONDERFUL sign and were just amazing. I legit had to choke back tears each time I saw them. It was amazing. SO emotional seeing them each time. 

Why, yes-- yes I did make this from Google Maps and then added my flair (aka: orange stars for each place I'd see my cheer squad) in Paint. Skills, right there.

 

 Check out that SIGN! It was the BEST SIGN I saw all day! And, definitely the biggest! AMAZING!!! SOOOO lucky to have them!!! (Thanks to my FIL for the pic!)

 

Ok, so back to the running… honestly, miles 1-15 were a blur. A great, fabulous blur. I felt amazing. I felt fast. I felt fresh.

 Me, just past mile 3-- all smiles! (Thanks to my FIL for the pic!)

 

 

My garmin never quite re-gained it’s bairings… sometimes it’d tell me I was doing a 9:00 mile, sometimes a 26:00 mile, sometimes a 3:30 mile. It was completely useless. Based on my pace tattoo, I KNEW I was going too fast. I’d see that I hit the mile 10 marker 2 minutes before I was supposed to and TELL MYSELF TO SLOW DOWN… but, I guess I just didn’t. I did the beginners mistake #1. Big time. I just felt so good, that it didn’t seem to compute that I WOULDN’T feel good in a few miles because I was feeling TOO GOOD then. STUPID, MEAGAN. 

Hey! That's ME! SMILING!! This was when they saw me between mile 11-12ish. I was still feeling GREAT and SOOOO happy to see them!!!

 

There were times when I’d come up to someone also wearing a 4:10 or 4:15 pace group sign and I’d tell myself: “Run with them. They’ll be at your pace.” And, I’d stick with them for a few minutes and then freak out thinking “but, what if they’re going SLOWER than pace? You can’t trust THEM! What if they don’t know their pace just as much as you don’t know yours? Just pass them. It’ll be OK.”STUPID, MEAGAN.

 

I decided to forgo any of the water stops after the cluster f the first one ended up being. I decided I'd just use the water bottles I brought in my fuel belt for the first half and then hit the water stops the second half.

The Hubs LOVES this pic. This is AFTER they already started clearing out a BUNCH of the cups after one of the early water stops. Crazy!!

 

Anyway, I flew through the first half and felt great. I has music on the whole time, but couldn’t even tell you 1 song I heard. I tried hard to take in everything and read all the great spectator signs and just RUN.

Spolier: My second half splits are SO MUCH SLOWER than this. You've been warned.

 

As my Garmin never worked, the race stats are the only numbers I have for you. Looking at it now... yeaaah... 9:11 average paces?!?!? STUPID, Meagan!!!

 

I passed the half mark feeling great still. The miles kept ticking by. At mile 15-16ish I (right before the 25K mark) stopped for the bathroom. I had literally felt like I had to pee from the start, but ignored it because every time I saw a porta potty the lines were crazy! I didn’t want to lose time, so I kept pushing. Finally, around 15.5 I had to stop or I would have legit peed my pants. 

 

So, I stopped.  I waited a solid 5 minutes to get into the porta potty. Stupid lines. I think my 25K average pace would have been even faster than the Half pace, if it hadn't been for that stop.

 

Anyway, I was PISSED I had to stop and PISSED that there was a line and just immediately started mentally falling apart. My legs immediately tightened up and started having some intense spasms. Everything started hurting. I texted the Hubs when I was in the porta potty asking if I’d see them again b/c I really needed to know I’d see them again and telling him I was hurting—really badly. My mental game FELL APART in that porta potty. Hot, I know.  

 

Needless to say, it was all downhill from there. Running up to the porta potty line at mile 15.5-ish was the last pain-less, enjoyable moment of that race. But, I feel like i should say again-- I loved EVERY SECOND of this half. Every second. I vividly remember thinking "OMG! I'm running a MARATHON! I'm TOTALLY GOING TO DO THIS! I CAN DO THIS! OMG! I want to do another one already!!!!"

 

As a side note: I mentioned the water stops were a cluster. They were. Actually, the whole race kinda was. It was just SO CROWED. People would pull up and stop RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU outta nowhere the entire time. It was just so crazy. I had to zig and zag like a mad woman just to avoid plowing over someone who stopped outta nowhere right in front of me. It was SO crazy. I didn't train like that. I was not used to that. My body doesn't start and stop so suddenly like that. I literally had to come to a complete stop MANY times because the person in front of my would just STOP outta nowhere. I also took out about 10 different people. I almost got taken out about 2 dozen times. It was madness. I think a LOT of my aches and pains came from this. More on this in the next recap (get excited).

 

Second half still to come…