Huntersville Half (short) Recap

I hadn't heard of the Huntersville half marathon until Theoden posted a link to win a race entry.  It fell towards the beginning of Myrtle Beach marathon training, so I decided to try to win it and did!  I managed to win Jason an entry into the 5K, so we were both off to the races.

I still have yet to train for a half marathon, so I set a goal of 1:40 because I *should* be able to run that.  My half PR was from the 2009 Kiawah half marathon (1:43:22).  I almost broke it at the Columbia half marathon in 2012, despite a lot of walking due to a bad hip and respiratory sickness. I knew going into the race that it was a hilly course, but I don't mind hills, so I wasn't too worried about it.  What I didn't know was that I was going to feel like crap halfway through the race.  By mile 10, I just wanted to walk the rest of the way.  I walk slow though, so that wasn't an option.  I ended up slowing up some and walking when needed.  I finished in 1:43:12 - a PR!  I didn't realize it was a PR until a few days later because I for some reason thought my PR was 1:43:08.  I also didn't think I would PR after I walked for about 5 minutes.  So, sub 1:40 is still elusive, but I'll get there.

I enjoyed the Huntersville half even though I didn't hit the time I wanted.  The course was challenging, the shirts were really nice, the medals were ornaments, and finishers also got a Brooks running hat.  Nice swag!

Hinson 24 – Out for a little redemption

Pre-Boston and Sugarloaf, my goal for Hinson was 80 miles.  Post-Boston and Sugarloaf, a number goal went out the window, as I knew I wasn’t going to be able to train throughout the summer like I wanted to.   I pushed slowly through the summer and was able to get back to 50 miles a month about two months out from Hinson.  I still didn’t want to set a number goal, but I had to have some sort of goal.  After running Hinson 2011, I knew I wanted my name on the leader board at least once.  That became my goal – to get my name on the leader board at the 6-hour mark.
   

The day started out early, and when I say early, you know it’s early – 3:30 AM.  We were on our way by 5 AM, and like last year, Bryan had saved us a prime time spot.  I’d have to give the award for best setup to Bryan.  He had a welcome mat AND American flag lanterns.

Bryan's setup.

Turns out we were right across from my fellow LRC’ers, Michael and Jerry.  Apparently, at some point they asked Bryan how he knew me and his reply was, “She’s part of my run club (UCRR).”  To which they said, “Well, she’s part of ours too.”  I’m a blessed girl to have be part of not just one great running club, but two!  Gay found us, so after a few pics, it was time to log some miles.

LRC'ers ready to run!

Jason took off and Gay and I settled into a nice steady pace.  I knew I had to get to the 30-mile mark by 6 hours to have a chance to get on the leader board.  I’m not sure if Gay knows how much she helped me, but she was amazing.  She kept us at such an even pace and the good conversation made the laps go by quickly.   

Photo courtesy of Emmie and Krista.

I had to take a quick break to eat, as I was feeling the effects of not eating enough breakfast.  We were knocking off the miles pretty easily, so we decided to switch to run 3, walk 1 instead of all running so that we could last longer.  Hitting the marathon mark was mentally a big deal for me, as I was coming off two horrible marathons and needed some confidence before I tackle Myrtle Beach.  I realized we were at the 6-hour mark, so I was ready to see if I had met my goal.

Top ten at 6-hour mark - goal complete.

I was stoked.  All I wanted was my name on the leader board once and I did it!  We took pics and kept on running.  I took my only long break at the 45-mile mark so that I could devour some pizza and get a massage from the fabulous Denise.  It hurt in a bad way, but it was worth it!  I knew I wasn’t trained enough to put up big mileage without really hurting myself and I have a big goal to reach in February, so with my knee on fire, I decided to wrap things up at 56.24, a PR.  Gay hit 60 and made it look effortless.  Jason was dealing with a bum foot and IT, but logged a solid 40 before waiting patiently for me to keep running “one more lap”. 

Jason and I post race.

So proud of this amazing woman!

I’m not bummed I didn’t log 80 miles, even though I will one of these days.  I was ecstatic to have consistent running for so long and to reach my goal.  On top of this, I got to see people I met last year, like Bobby and Bruce, who are rockstars, and I got to meet some new people, like Kelley and Barefoot Josh, who are also rockstars.  There were plenty of friendly MTC’ers out there too, like Tom (one bada$$ RD who tried to tempt by telling me I was almost back on the leader board) and Frank (loved seeing him at the end of each lap!).  Of course, I had a blast with Jason and Bryan, even though he tried to pull my ponytail; luckily for me, he confused me with another girl!  Other friends like Bill and Jamaar and my LRC’ers, Michael, Jerry, and Rick, were tearing it up out there.  I am so proud of them and am keeping my fingers crossed Jerry wants my help at Umstead 100! 

I love this race because everyone is so friendly and encouraging; it’s a community that I’m proud to be a part of.  As I said last year and I’m sure I’ll say in the upcoming years, Tom does a killer job with this race.  The volunteers are the best hands down, the never-ending buffet is a runner’s delight, you can’t beat the value, and you leave with memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Here are some quick numbers to wrap things up: Last year, I ended up running 53.2 miles in about 10 hours and 20 minutes of running/walking time.  I didn’t hit this until about the 22-hour mark.  This year, I ran 56.24 miles in about 11 hours of running and was finished by the 13 ½-hour mark.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)

Testing My Patience

After the disasters named Boston and Sugarloaf, I figured a few weeks of rest and low mileage would do the trick and I'd be back up to speed in no time.  Wrong.  Three months after Boston and two from Sugarloaf, I am still dealing with the long-term effects of heat exhaustion (apparently it can take up to a year to recover).  I'm unable to run with speed and find myself struggling to hit double digits on a run.  The humidity drains me and leaves me with low energy for about 48 hours after a run.  I love running, but it's a BIG struggle for me right now.

I'm getting a big lesson in patience and am definitely using cross training to keep my fitness up.  I've been lifting more weights than ever.  I figure that it'll help me recover faster since I'm building back up my muscles that I tore down, and when my body is ready to run like normal, I'll be stronger and able to hit my normal pace quicker.  I'm also going to start swimming more and throw in some spin classes.

I optimistically signed up for the Richmond marathon in November, but have since decided to defer since I don't see myself being able to start marathon training any time soon.  My new plan is to run the Myrtle Beach marathon in February since training would start late fall when it's not so hot and humid!

(Written and posted to Georgia Marathon 07/22/12, but forgot to put on here.)

My DNF at Sugarloaf

After Boston, I was restless and decided I wanted to run another marathon to try to qualify for the 2013 Boston marathon.  I ran a 20-miler two weeks after Boston and felt great, so I figured I was in the clear and started looking for a marathon to run.  I was leaning towards Cleveland because I had a friend running it, but then another friend recommended the Sugarloaf marathon up in Eustis/Kingfield, Maine. 

Almost to Canada!

I decided if I was going to try again, I was going as far north as possible and the average temps for Eustis were way lower than Cleveland.  With a solid 20 under my belt, the hotel was booked, plane tickets were bought, and I signed up for the race.

Kept looking, but never saw one!

I was somewhat worried about flying the day before the race, mainly for stiff legs, but our trip was broken into three segments so it didn’t seem too bad.  We (my mom and I) had a great dinner, where I learned I like fiddleheads, and then went and checked out the course.  I got excited as we drove the course, as it was absolutely beautiful (followed the Carrabassett River) and was a course I knew I could run well.

Fiddleheads!

After a good night of sleep, I was ready to go!  I started off with gloves and arm warmers, even though I didn’t really need them.  I was trying to trick my mind into thinking it was cold, despite the forecast for a high in the 80’s.  Wait, I thought the average temp for Eustis was low 60’s.  Oh yea, of course the weather went all crazy and ended up being abnormally hot.   At the sound of the shotgun, we were off!  I was still feeling confident that I’d have a solid race and started off with a steady pace just a few seconds slower than race pace for the first 7 miles.  

Yea, didn't have this for too long.

Lucky mile 7.  Mile 7 was where I started feeling bad at Boston.  Mile 7 was also where I started feeling bad at Sugarloaf.  At Boston, I was able to make it through 20 before my body turned off, but not at Sugarloaf.  By mile 8, I was praying I’d see my mom soon and I seriously doubted my ability to finish the race.  I saw my mom soon after I started praying for help and told her I wasn’t feeling very well.   

Mile 8 or 9

The race course was very spectator friendly, so she was able to drive further up the course, pull off, and wait for me to check in with her.  At mile 12, I got to meet the Sugarloaf EMTs.  I sure am meeting a lot of EMTs lately.  Once again, I was dehydrated and my body was already flipping the off switch.  I decided to take it one mile at a time, but by mile 16, I was having an incredibly hard time moving.  

Mile 10 or 11 - pulling off to get a hug from mom

I made it to mile 17, where I decided to pull out of the race.  My entire body was fatigued, every muscle hurt, and my abdomen and chest were really tight.  I knew at that point my body wasn’t going to allow me to finish the race or let me take one more step.    My mom scooped me up and took me to the EMTs at the finish where they gave me an IV and blankets – yes, blankets!  I could not stop shivering to save my life.  Heat exhaustion again – five weeks, two races, two rounds of heat exhaustion.  Talk about frustrating.

Yep, my life will never be the same!

It was incredibly hard to pull out and log a DNF (never done that before), as I know I’m physically and mentally strong and not a quitter, but at the same time, I knew I’d end up in the hospital if I kept going.  You sometimes have to forget about pride and goals and make a smart decision for your body, even if it’s a decision you are not happy with at all.

After heat exhaustion at Boston and Sugarloaf, I’m way may more prone to a heat reaction than I have ever been, so I have to be careful over the next few months, but I’m thinking my mom is on to something with her theory that flying really screws my body up.  I was very, very well hydrated going into both races and have run in warm weather; the main difference with Boston and Sugarloaf is that I flew.  I’ve had to rethink my goal of running the 50 states, as that doesn’t seem like a good idea anymore.  I’ll be running marathons within driving distance from now on!  

Our trip back was exhausting, as our plane out of Maine was delayed and had us getting into NYC at midnight, so we ended up staying in Maine Sunday night and flying out Monday morning, where we dealt with more flight delays thanks to bad weather in NYC.  The trip was tiring and disappointing, but I’m glad I tried again and my mom and I had a great time together.   Time to recover and then start training for Hinson 24!

 

Boston Marathon Recap 4.16.12

After two years of hard work, it was finally time to head to Boston.  Beantown.  Bahston.   BOSTON.  Back in June 2010, I started training for the Outer Banks Marathon with the goal of qualifying for Boston (3:40:59 or faster at the time).  My time for OBX was 3:41:35; yep, missed BQ by 36 measly seconds.  I didn’t know this at the time, but it was actually a great thing I missed it.  I decided last minute to run the Charleston Riverfront Marathon in January of 2011 and finished in 3:34:08, a BQ with plenty of time to spare!  See, Boston fills up fast, so even if you run a qualifying time you still might not get in.  To run the 2012 Boston Marathon, you had to be under the qualifying time by about 1:37, so if I had squeezed in at OBX, I probably wouldn’t have run Charleston and wouldn’t have made the cut!  

Qualifying at the Charleston Riverfront Marathon

Anyways, it was time to celebrate all that hard work and run the Boston Marathon.  We got up there Friday afternoon so we’d have time to explore the expo, have all day Saturday to have fun in Boston, and then rest up on Sunday.   

Picking up my bib at the expo

We started Saturday with a run with Bart Yasso and the Runner’s World crew.  It was pretty cool; they had breakfast and free books waiting for everyone after the run.  On Sunday, we spent the day listening to running seminars – How to Run Your Best Boston, Boston Legends, Alberto Salazar’s 14 Minutes, and Salazar and Dick Beardsley’s 30^th Anniversary of the Duel in the Sun.   I am so, so, so glad Jason and I went to these on Sunday, as we got to hear some great stories and got to meet Kathrine Switzer and Alberto Salazar and got to say hey to Dick B. again.  After this, it was time to fuel up and rest up for the BIG day.

Boston Legends

Me and Kathrine Switzer

Citgo sign marks one-mile to go!

Monday.  Patriot’s Day.  Boston Marathon Day.  Oh yea, temps to reach 90-degrees day.  Going into the race, I wasn’t too worried about the weather, as I have run a couple of long distance races in warm weather and have done fine.  I also knew my training had gone well and that I was in the best marathon shape I’ve ever been in.  My plan was just to adjust my pace some and finish feeling good.  No problem, right? Yea, so about that; things often don't go as planned.  My friend, Kristin, and I had decided before the race to start together and keep each other in check for the first 5K so neither one of us went crazy with the masses.   

Kristin and me hanging out in the Athletes' Village prerace

We kept an even pace through mile 7 and then I unexpectedly starting feeling bad so I had to back off - mile 7 of a 26.2 mile race and I was feeling bad.  Not good, not good at all.  I started setting small goals and wanted to just make it to the half mark and hear the Wellesley girls.  Reading their signs took my mind off how bad I felt for a few minutes.   

Halfway there!

By the half mark, I was really struggling and wasn’t sure why.  I was taking in fluids and my legs felt fine, but my body just didn’t want to go.  I knew I would see Jason at 17, so I made that my next goal, just make it 4 more miles.  In those 4 miles, I got one of the treasured freezie pops, just to realize mine wasn’t cut open.  I wanted to cry – over a freezie pop.  Seriously.  As soon as I saw Jason, I started crying.  I felt so bad and was just so happy to see him and have his comfort.  It was hard for me to leave him, but I had less than 10 miles to go and still thought I could finish in around 4 hours.  Well, my body had other ideas.  It decided it really hated that I was still moving me and steered me to the curb at mile 20 so I could start dry heaving in the middle of the water stop.  A nice EMT came and got me and took me to the medical tent across the street to check me out.  DEHYDRATION.  I think that was the word of the day.  He wanted me to pull out because my blood pressure was low and my pulse was high and wasn’t coming down.  He asked me what I wanted to do, and I said without hesitation, “I’m going to finish this race.”  (Duh, it’s the Boston Marathon and my first one!)  I’m sure he loved that.  After learning that there was a medical tent at every mile from there on out, off I went.  Oh yea, did I mention that I did a 34 minute mile?  Thank you medical tent pit stop! The last 10K was BRUTAL.  I kept thinking about my family and friends tracking me; I knew they were worried and I had no way of telling them I was still out there having a hard time, but hanging on!  If I moved faster than a slow jog, my body started to shutdown, so I had to do a slow shuffle and had to stop at every medical tent.  I had my name written across my stomach, which was awesome at the beginning of the race, but not so much at the end.  The Boston College students, who were hardcore, decided to yell at me like I was their best friend.  I wanted to crawl under a rock I was so upset about how the race was going.  I also wanted to scrub my name off my stomach so people would stop making noise in my direction!  I know they were trying to help, which is awesome, but at the time I wanted the BC kids to leave me alone!    

Trying to ignore the BC kids

I wanted to run down Boylston Street, so I made the left turn running, which was a bad mistake.  I decided that in order to run across the finish line, I would have to walk.  It was hard for me to walk because I could see the finish line and there were so many cheering people, but my body just didn’t want to go.

Praying my body would make it one more tenth

It seemed like 20 million hours later, but I FINALLY crossed the finish line.  Just like at mile 20, my body went on autopilot and went straight to the medical tent.  I did find out how to get bumped into the front of the line – sit down and throw up right in front of the entrance.  That’ll get you right in!  

I did it!  I'm a tough cookie!

So, Boston was a huge disaster for me (1:56 first half; 3:31 second half – I qualified with a 3:34).  All I can figure out is that I started with a low level of electrolytes and couldn't take in enough to replace what I was losing.  Despite how it went, I still love the race and am so thankful that God blessed me with the experience.  I also learned some important things about myself that I hope I can apply to the rest of my life, especially the fact that I have a whole new level of willpower and determination to dig into that I didn’t even know I had.   I’m proud of myself for working my butt off to get to Boston; I’m proud of myself for training super hard and showing up at the start line healthy; I’m proud of myself for finishing when all I wanted to do was quit; I’m proud of myself for running one of the hottest Boston Marathons ever when almost 5000 people didn’t even start!

I owe a ton of thanks to all the people who logged so many miles with me to help me get to and through Boston – Dam 5 AM’ers, LRC, and UCRR.  Also, a big thanks to my family for loving me, supporting me, and putting up with my twisted priorities and to Jason for giving me so much love and support, tracking down a fan in the hotel, and bringing me over a pound of mac and cheese post-Boston!   Going into the race, one of my goals was to do the best I could and give God the glory, so thanks be to God! 

The sign J made for me - should have read "Finish, Katie!"

 “Don’t concern yourself with being the fastest.   

Your only goal in life should always be to 

maximize your God-given talents and 

never settle for anything less.”  

 - 26 Miles to Boston by Michael Connelly

J and I enjoying Boston - Fenway!

MTC Shirt Run*

History of the MTC pulled from the MTC Facebook page:

"Back during the late 80's, five guys would meet in the hills of Ellerbe, NC for training runs for marathons. One Christmas during that time, one of the guys purchased 5 shirts; one for each training partner. The shirt was a navy blue shirt with "Mangum Track Club" on the front of it.  As the story goes, one of the wives of one of the guys wanted one of the shirts. Well being guys, they told her, "You will have to earn it."  The "Shirt Run" was born. The shirt run is a 15-mile point-to-point run/walk from Mangum, N.C. to Ellerbe, N.C. Once you finish the shirt run, you will receive your Mangum Track Club shirt and you are a member for life."

As soon as Jason told me about this club, I wanted to be a member.  Why?  Because it is a group of people who embrace running and the craziness it causes!  I have to admit the thought of running in the middle of nowhere and receiving a shirt were also major selling points.  So, I signed up for the run and joined the Facebook group.  I didn't post much, as I wasn't an official member, but I did read what members were posting and realized very quickly that this club is made up of some pure out crazy people.  I was slightly envious of the ones who were planning a double (30 miles) Shirt Run, but had to put the blinders on as my focus is Boston!  

So, 04/01/12 rolls around and J and I are up early to make the hour and a half trek to the finish line (aka the dog pen - yes, it's an actual dog pen on the side of the road) to catch the shuttle to the start.  We get there and all we see are empty cars, not a soul anywhere.  Uh-oh.  I am convinced they are playing an April Fool's joke on us.  After standing around a few minutes and no sign of a human being, I get super antsy and tell J I have a training run to conquer and am going running.  I figure we'll just run the course backwards until we meet up with other runners.  One (big) problem though, we didn't know the course.   We ran *every* single road in the area (except the right one).  We got chased by a hunting dog and I had to protect J with a pine cone (I'm his heroine, well at least I like to think so).  We freaked out a random runner by bombarding him with questions about the shirt run.  To quote him, "I'm just running home."  He sure did run off fast.  I think he's the reason the cop car cruised by us twice. 

13 miles after we started we see the church.  The church we've been looking for the entire run.  The church that was .2 miles from the stop sign (if you turned right) where we turned left at only 2 miles into the run.  The church.  We were finally on the course; okay, so we had exhausted all other course options, but we were finally on it!  We were greeted with a couple startled looks since we were approaching from the wrong direction; all I could say was, "I know!  Wrong direction!"  We were over 13 at this point and had 2 miles to go to get back to the finish line, so we turned around and headed back in the right direction.  I was happy with this run because I felt strong on the hills and didn't go crazy on the downhills, which gave me the mental boost I needed/wanted going into B-town.  I was also happy with this run because J and I had fun together and the club still let me in despite our crazy course.

I'm already looking forward to running another Shirt Run, but running the official course and making it a double.  Embrace the craziness!

What I wish I knew before my first marathon...

There’s so much preparation (mentally and physically) to do before a marathon, that I decided to pull together a tip list for marathon newbies.  With the help of the WhyMarathon ambassadors (www.whymarathon.com), the list below will hopefully help you with things you may not have thought of!

I asked the WhyMarathon ambassadors to fill in the following blank:  What I wish I knew before my first marathon __________.  Here’s what they came up with!

-Park your car close to the finish. Smile at the finish line with arms raised.  That stuff on a stick isn't Gu; it's vaseline. The pain will go away but the memory lasts forever. Save your bib.

-Chat with people who have run a marathon, whether it’s a local running group or a group of runners on-line or WhyMarathon.com, and learn from them.  Learn how to fuel.  Ice bath afterwards.  Have an amazing support team.

-Seamless sports bras.  Stick with the training. Smile for every photog on the course. Have someone at the finish line to hug if you are crying or to hold you up if you can't stand.

-When you get to the race, get in line for the port-o-potty. When you come out, get right back in line to go a second time.


-Wear whatever you will wear during the race for at least one long run before then to make sure nothing is chafing or bugging you; do NOT wear anything new on race day; Body Glide is your friend.

-If you're traveling to a marathon, take your own food so you eat what you would normally eat prior to a long run.

-Layer with clothes (or even a trashbag) you don't care about so you can throw them aside along the race course!

-Do not consume products for fuel that are offered on the course unless you are familar with them.  If you dont drink Gatorade, don’t get all crazy adventure girl and down it at mile 10.  Your long training runs are for experimenting with fuel, clothing, hydration, etc.

-The marathon starts at mile 20. Those last 6 are where the real guts come out. Have people come out and cheer in the last quarter, not in the first.  Look around and have fun, as there will never be another first.

-Trust that the timers will time you correctly.  There's no need to stop your watch as you're crossing the finish line, creating a really dorky looking finish photo of yourself staring at and stopping your watch.

-Start out conservatively; it's so easy to get caught up in the energy of the crowd, but 26.2 miles is a loooong way to run if you don't pace yourself correctly!

-Break up the marathon into segments. I mentally think I only have to get to mile 6, then 10, then 13, then 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 26.2! This mental mind game really seems to work for me and keeps me from freaking out over the mileage that I need to run to cross the finish line!