FOLEPI River Trail Classic 4-miler {November, 25, 2017}

Festival Of Lights East Peoria Illinois River Trail Classic 4-miler

Saturday, November 25, 2017 9:00am

-27:32 (6:53 average pace per mile) *with Gabe in the stroller*

-1st out of 10 in 35-39 AG 

-7th female

-35th out of 273 overall

(My 21st race of the 2017 season)

I've gotten a little out of order on my race reports, so here's a little throwback on this Thursday to the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Festival of Lights East Peoria Illinois (FOLEPI) River Trail Classic 4-miler!

I spectated the FOLEPI race last year when Clint and some other teammates ran the race - I remember standing near the finish line on a crisply-cold November morning, snuggling my little seven-month old baby boy and waiting for Dada and our friends to run by. The sun was peeking out over the trees to the right of where I stood, and it made for some really pretty pictures as the runners appeared from within the trees on the river trail with the sun burning brightly behind them.  I know it sounds hokey, but it's actually a moment that I remember very vividly - breathing in the cold air, snuggling my little guy, and enjoying the festive yet quiet morning.

Mama and Gabe near the finish line in 2016

I also kept an eye on Sophia, my friend Amber's daughter, while she raced - and I snagged this cute pic of Soph giving her mama a high-five as she neared the finish.

And some things never change....


2016 Boyz Club

Since spectating last year was so much fun, I couldn't wait to do the race myself.  I was wary of the "downhill" nature of the race while pushing the stroller (in some ways, running downhill with a stroller is even more difficult than running uphill - it's having to constantly stay in control of the rolling chariot which requires leg and core strength. Four miles of this just sounds exhausting to me). I won't lie, after committing to the race I actually started to feel some real anxiety about pushing the stroller on such a dramatically downhill course. Would it be SAFE or STUPID?!   Here's a little preamble to this race...check out the elevation profile according to my Garmin:

Holy Downhill!

Saturday morning, we set off for the race.  It is a point-to-point race that offers busses from the finish to the start so runners have the option of parking at the finish line, being bussed to the starting line, and running back to their cars.  Like he opts to do at many point-to-point races, Clint wanted to park at the start, run to the finish, and then run back to the start to get the car and then drive back to meet me and Gabe at the finish.  Sure thing, Clint, whatever :).  Running back UP that uphill course in the cold/wind sure didn't sound like too much fun to me ;)...but to each his own! #toughasacoffinnail

So, we first went to the finish area to gather our race numbers and then we headed to the starting area.  Once we arrived, I got the stroller ready to go and made a final call on my attire (arm sleeves, tank top jersey, shorts, compression socks). It was cold and windy, but I knew I would heat up relatively quickly if I was running fast.

We used the bathroom at the church building at the starting line that was allotted for such necessities and then went out for some warm-up action. Gabe had spotted the playground next to the building and requested to go on the slide and swings - can't say no to that! So, we played for a bit and then I did a very slo-o-ow mile with friends Amber and Todd going a little more quickly out in front of me. I was feeling pretty rusty and cold and stiff as I went out - and couldn't really tell how I would be able to fare once the race started!

Pre-race family pic. See you at the finish, Dada!

Soon it was time to line up at the start.  The course goes out straight along the river trail for a bit heading east (??) and then after a tenth of a mile or so it makes a 180 degree turn and heads west (again - not totally sure of the direction here, I am terrible at cardinal directions. I am making a guess since the rising sun is at the runners' backs and the sun rises in the east, right?) for the rest of the race until arriving down at the finish.

I jogged to the front-ish of the starting area and couldn't quite maneuver myself and the stroller onto the paved narrow trail. So, I positioned us on the grass on the left side of the trail with the front wheel angled to the right to hit the trail as soon as we started going. As usual, I was nervous about lining up near the front (regarding what others think about a stroller getting in the way, etc.) - but the kind older gentleman next to me started chatting about the fond memories he had of running with his now-22-year-old son in a stroller years ago. People get it :).

Soon the starting signal was given and we were off! My body definitely didn't feel amazing as we started moving - but I did start to warm up once we were moving so that was a good thing at least! I had packed our stroller with a big ol' diaper bag packed with snacks/diapers/wipes for after the race since we would be without the car until Clint brought it to the finish after running back to it.  I also had Clint's shoes (he wanted to change out of his racing flats to more supportive shoes for his run back to the car) and a change of clothes for him packed, as well as our Tula carrier to wear/snuggle Gabe after we finished. 24 lbs of stroller, 26 lbs of toddler, plus all of our "goods" - I was pushing/managing at least 55 lbs of fun!  I had also decided to use the weather shield to keep some warmth inside the stroller for dear little G - I learned my lesson two days previously at the Turkey Trot when he got (presumably) too cold and was therefore screamy and Mommy was both exasperated and guilt-ridden.  The weather shield is great and all, but it also makes the stroller even more brick-like. Worth it for Gabe's comfort and well-being, of course, but it is another variable that adds to the challenge.

Navigating that first mile wasn't the easiest, and I actually overheard a guy right behind me say to the girl next to him, "You better not let that STROLLER beat you!" Oh come on now. {She did end up passing me shortly after this statement and (spoiler alert) ended up finishing a whole twelve seconds ahead of me :)} 

I had a lot of "surge" intervals during this first mile before the crowd thinned out a bit. Basically, I would cruise hard for about ten seconds or so whenever I spotted an opening between runners and then I would back off to race pace.  Mile 1 dinged in 6:56 - sweet! The really significantly downhill portion of the course hadn't really started yet so it was fun to see a sub-7 first mile here.

My second mile was, for some reason, the hardest for me mentally. I struggled to find my groove. The stroller was heavy, my legs felt like bricks, my knee hurt, my lungs weren't feeling amazing. Blah blah blah.  Mile two clicked off in 7:08 - too far under my first mile's pace for my liking!

I did my best to pick up the pace and worked to get to a better mental place.  The course really is a pretty one and the morning air was calm and pleasant, though cold. I picked a female form in front of me to work toward catching. "Don't let a stroller beat you" girl was also within striking distance, so I did my best to work closer and closer to her. Mile 3 was over in a faster 6:50, meaning my work paid off.

As I started the 4th mile, I came up next to the first female I had chosen as a carrot.  She commented to me that I was impressive pushing the stroller. She shared that she had a 4 year old and a baby (I think she said 10 months or so?) waiting for her at the finish and I countered that SHE was impressive for being out there and getting it done while managing life with TWO littles!  We chatted for a bit and then I pushed onward past her. "Don't let a stroller beat you" girl was SO CLOSE!

I approached the finish area that I had stored in my memory banks from last year's spectating adventure and saw Clint standing there with some other teammates who had also finished.  They kindly cheered as I passed.  I made the left-hand turn down toward the finish and did my best to finish strong. I crossed in 27:32 with my final mile in 6:49. I didn't really have a goal for this race (other than to NOT have a runaway stroller situation!! - but I had been "casually thinking" it might be nice to finish with a 7-minute average pace.). I was pleased!!

We did it!

Some of our BloNo crew who ran this race

Big thanks to Megan D. (who was at the race spectating her husband with their little guy) for spotting me and coming over to offer to take this picture with me in it!

Interesting aside - shortly after I finished, a man (in his late 40s/early 50s?)  came over to me and asked if he could have his picture taken with Gabe and me. He shared that he had finished a bit behind us but had used us as motivation to run harder than he might have otherwise. Clint snapped a picture of us together on the guy's phone and we went our separate ways. The guy ended up getting a medal for a top age group finish and as he walked past me in the room where the awards ceremony was held, he held up his medal and said to me, "this is because of you!" Totally unexpected and really sweet - a good reminder to me to keep on doin' what I am doing. You never know who is inspired by your "ordinary" life!

Another interesting story - remember how I was entered into the system as a man at Oglesby? Yeah, well, it happened here at FOLEPI too! HAHA! I noticed it when then started to post the results on the wall - and I was able to find a guy who was one of the race organizers who I let know about the little snafu. He got things switched over before the awards ceremony - I ended up getting 1st in my age group!

Playing on a CHOO CHOO near the finish!

Bros

Gabe is earning quite the collection of medals!
One of these days I need to make an official count of his stroller races/medals earned!

Gabe + Daddy (Congrats on 1st in the M30-34 AG and 6th overall, Clint!!)

Gabe had a blast running around with Judah during the awards ceremony -
 they both had medals to sport thanks to AG placing parents!

Nice banana - this one's for you, Megan

THANK YOU to: Mitch (being on the Often Running Team is such a fun privilege - thank you!), Saucony (best gear, ever), my teammates (this hobby jogging stuff wouldn't be nearly as much fun without y'all!), Coach Clint (someday I will start listening to you again), and baby Gabey for being the best co-pilot, tolerant little guy, and motivator there is!

Next up, race wise: TBD! Looking forward to a big, exciting 2018 and determining what shape my goals should take for next year.

And now, just for fun, a few Then and Now Daddy and Son pics.....

2016 FOLEPI

As usual...it's all about the aviators

My HEART!!

2017 FOLEPI

My Dada is Number One!

After the race, we had to visit our good friend The Bear at 3030 Coffee in Peoria! 
Mama HAD to have a peppermint mocha with almond milk and Daddy enjoyed an almond milk latte. YUM!

Love

Oglesby Turkey Trot {November 23, 2017}

Oglesby Turkey Trot 3-miler

Thursday, November 23, 2017 9:00am

-22:04 (7:22 average pace per mile) *with Gabe in the stroller*

-1st out of 55 in 35-39 AG (interestingly, I would've been 4th of 50 in the 35-39M age group...see below*)

-10th out of 527 females

-82nd out of 997 overall

(My 20th race of the 2017 season)

(*If you look it up on the race's results page, I am still listed as a male! So, the stats look slightly different online but I swear I am not making them up :). Thanks, Mitch, for changing my gender for the awards when I noticed it was incorrect. HA!)

Previous Oglesby Turkey Trot Results:

2014 - 21:50 (7:17 average pace per mile/1st in 30-34 AG)

2015 - 23:09 (7:43 average pace per mile/2nd in 30-34 AG) *17 weeks, 6 days pregnant

2016 - 22:11 (7:24 average pace per mile/1st in 30-34 AG) *7 months postpartum, pushing stroller

Funny blast from the past - I ran this race two days after nearly chopping my finger off in a juicer three years ago in 2014. HAHA!

The Oglesby Turkey Trot has become one of my favorite recurring races each season. Ok, I am realizing that I say this about many races - guess I am a creature of habit/sentimental/whatever you want to call it and just LOVE what I LOVE!  Clint has helped Mitch sell merchandise for the shop at this event for many years - and I joined in on the fun in 2014 when Clint and I were first dating. I ran while Clint helped Mitch and had a great time. In 2015 I ran the race pregnant and wrote about it here.

Leading up to the race, I wasn't really sure what I would be able to pull off because of the KNEE situation. I know, I know...it's getting old. Get it taken care of, Rachel. But - TIME! Denial! All of that. I have been working on strength training and exercises specific to the patellar-femoral syndrome and stretching and definitely resting (HA!).  Perhaps I need to just get thyself to a PT?!  Anyway...if you are like "huh?" and for some reason desire an explanation of the knee thing, see HERE or HERE.

The morning of the race, we packed the car full of our Thanksgiving food/contributions to the Thanksgiving meal we would be having at my parents' later that day (cranberry sauce! brussels and sweet potatoes! chopped salad! crustless paleo pumpkin "pie"!) as well as all of our race gear (and that big ol' jogging stroller) and all the "stuff" we needed to spend two days and one night away from home. Somehow we did manage to leave by around 6:30am. UGH!

We hit the road and headed up 39. We got to the race site shortly after 7:30 and Clint got to work helping Mitch while I started the dance of going to the bathroom (hello pre-race nerves!) and keeping Gabe occupied in between (and during!) visits to the bathroom. Actually, I discovered that he can be very easily occupied by standing up in the bathroom stall next to me and watching videos of himself on my iPhone (and let's be honest, there is NO SHORTAGE of Gabe-videos on this mama's iPhone!)! Mom life is glamorous, let me tell you what. #wouldnttradeitthough

Helping Mama get her race number ready

Keeping Daddy company for a bit as he worked

Before long, other race team members started filing into the rapidly-filling gymnasium where the race is held. I always like being at this race early to enjoy the "calm before the storm" - as runners and spectators start arriving, the place gets PACKED and NOISY! I love that our team uniform jackets are so bright - it's easy to spot one another in crowded places!

We took some pre-race pics and chatted a bit and then it was time for me to wrangle my Mini and get the stroller ready to go. Gabe and I headed out on our own little relaxed/slow1-mile warmup in the crisp/cold morning air (during which I made the non-shocking realization that my knee did still hurt. Would it go numb? Here's hoping!) and made our way over to the starting area.

Spoiler alert: this race report could be titled, "This Race Brought to you By Koo Koo Kangaroo and Pop See Ko" (if you don't know what those words mean, say a prayer of thanks) or "That time I pushed a stroller in a 3-mile race and had to keep awkwardly hitting play with my frozen fingers on my nearly-frozen and minimally-responsive iPhone screen so that it would pump out some tunes to distract my child from losing his mind."

Quick run-down of my splits:
Mile 1 - 7:01
Mile 2 - 7:18
Mile 3 - 7:44

Here's a #ProTip: these splits look exactly OPPOSITE of what a well-executed racing strategy would display.

As I usually do, I weaseled the stroller to the front-ish of the starting area while smiling and trying to look as non-threatening as possible (I know people aren't always super excited to see a stroller line up near the front and I do try to be conscientious).  I found Holly-Rae and Amber and we all waited together until they sent us OFF!  My first few strides let me know that, yeah, my knee still hurt. Not numb yet! OH WELL! Pain is temporary, right?

The beginning of the race was pretty congested with the large field, but I did my best to stay out of peoples' way as much as possible. There's a quick left turn and I made sure to stick to the most open-looking sections of the road while navigating my chariot.  Gabe was content (for the moment!) as we made it through the first half mile or so. He started fussing a bit and I handed him an applesauce pouch, doing my best not to break stride.  He ended up immediately throwing it overboard...as luck would have it, right in front of a police officer who was directing runners and cars. Awesome, Gabe!  I then realized that maybe he didn't intentionally throw it but perhaps his fingers were too cold to keep a grip on it. Great. I then cursed myself for not putting gloves on my poor boy - my thought process was to not put gloves on because he might not keep them on anyway, and plus he wouldn't be able to use his fingers successfully to eat snacks if he had the gloves on. So, at this point Gabe is making it known to me (and anyone nearby) that he is displeased with his current lot in life. Well - seeing as the kiddo can't really communicate thoughts and feelings in a precise manner, it's hard to tell if he is just a) pissed about being in the stroller in general, b) pissed that it is cold and his poor fingers don't work, c) pissed that he dropped his yummy snack, d) pissed because he wants his Dada, e) pissed because the sky is blue...WHO KNOWS?! (For the record - this is one of the reasons that I am passionate about my job as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist. Helping kiddos become successful communicators and helping parents learn how to best help their children communicate is my JAM. But, that doesn't mean I've been able to help my own 19-month old figure it out yet! :))

So my brain starts going a million miles a minute. I am mad at myself for not putting the cover (the "bubble" aka weather shield) on the stroller to keep at least part of the cold out. I am mad at myself for not having Gabe at least start out with gloves on. I am mad (irrationally, yes) at Gabe that he won't keep his presumably cold fingers under the cozy-fluffy bunting that is provided for him in the stroller. I am mad at myself for thinking running with the stroller is a good idea. Blah blah blah.  Snacks aren't an option. Quitting isn't really an option (I was nearing the 1-mile mark at this point and it would take only slightly less time to go back to the start than just finishing up the race). Music.  Music, that'll work!

So, I fumble for my iPhone that is hanging out in the cupholder on the handlebar of the stroller. My fingers are FREEZING so this process takes what feels like an eternity. Somehow, I get the screen to unlock after a few unsuccessful tries and somehow I navigate to YouTube and type in POP SEE KO, one of Gabe's current faves. Oh crap, phone is on mute. I clumsily get things playing audibly while trying to vocally comfort Gabey-boo (who is basically sobbing at this point) and somewhere around this, Mile 1 beeps in 7:01. Great. Who cares?!

The rest of the race is basically a battle of getting my cold fingers to work with my cold iPhone screen to keep the tunes pumping out. Gabe is in an in-between state of unrest for much of the next mile.  We see Paul come up behind us on the BIG back hill and I plead with him to pull us up. He laughs in my face and keeps going. Just kidding. Paul would never do that...but he didn't exactly stop to pull us along, either! Sigh......

As we near the finish, Gabe. Is. DONE. No amount of "My hands are high my feet are low and THIS is how I Pop See Ko," will distract him now.  I do my best to bring it home in some sort of strong fashion, but I am exhausted.

I cross the finish line in 22:04 which is 7 seconds faster than last year (also run with the stroller - at 7 months post-partum). I cheer Holly-Rae, Amber, and Carol through (each crosses in quick succession!) and then quickly make our way inside to get Gabe to the warmth. We check in with Clint and I show him my watch (I hadn't even looked at my time until that point) and then head back out to the car to put the blasted stroller away and to get Gabe's carrier. Once he was snuggled up against me, he finally calmed down - I really do think he was just cold.

Lesson learned - use the weather shield when it is cold, mama! Just do it!! The darn thing makes the stroller even more brick-like, but it's WORTH IT when compared to the alternative of having a cold, sad Gabey!

After Gabe was snuggled up in the carrier, we went back outside to find Holly-Rae and the rest of her family who were all doing the race together (after crossing herself, Holly-Rae went back out on the course to run in with her family). We snapped a few pictures and cheered them in as they finished! So awesome to witness this family action!!

Holly-Rae! SEE!? Gracie is on someone's back!!! (HAHAHA - hilarious story behind this!)

We headed back into the gym and found our people...Gabe was excited to hang out with Gracie and John and Sophia for a while.

As we checked the results I learned that I was entered into the system as a man. HA! Not the first time that this had happened at this race for me (and, as it turns out, would happen to me again a few days later at FOLEPI! Maybe someone is trying to tell me something....), but Mitch was able to correct things so that I was figured in for awards. I was excited to actually earn 1st in the 35-39 female age group!

After helping to clean things up for a while, we hit the road and headed to my parents' house about an hour north for our Thanksgiving festivities. Clint went for a run while I helped my mom and sister prep food. In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, we also celebrated our sweet niece Macy's 5th birthday!

THANK YOU, as always, to Mitch, Saucony (can't get enough of those FREEDOMS and hope to own the Liberties soon!), my team, Coach Clint, and Baby Gabey for the love/support/advice/friendship/camaraderie.

I am hoping to get it together to write a big year in review post. I did this in 2015 (check it out here if you want) and wish I would've done it in 2016! These kind of posts are kind of a fun "gift" to "future me" - I genuinely enjoy going back to read and remember where I came from.  But, you know, that crap takes TIME! We'll see if I get around to it this year. In the meantime, I  still need to finish up race reports for the other two races I have completed thus far (FOLEPI River Trail 4-miler and the BRRC 5k)...as well as any others I happen to hop in and do between now and the end of the year!

Happy December running, all! Here's to checking off our huge holiday "to-do" lists while maintaining our sanity, relationships, and fitness and finding ways to ENJOY and SAVOR along the way!


Funny bonus story:
At the end of the VERY long but VERY fun Thanksgiving day, I was STILL wearing my race kit, complete with arm warmers and number under a sweatshirt. Not even kidding - I went from the race to the drive to my parents' to Thanksgiving prep to Thanksgiving dinner to birthday celebrations for my niece to FINALLY a shower before bed! HA!

Canal Connection 10k {November 5, 2017}

Canal Connection 10k

Sunday, November 5, 2017 10:00am
46:14 (7:27 average pace per mile)

2nd out of 44 in 35-39 AG
12th out of 301 females
70th out of 556 overall

(My 19th race of the 2017 season)

1st 5k - 22:53
2nd 5k - 23:21

Previous Canal Connection Results:
2014 - 47:23 (7:38 average pace per mile/1st in 30-34 AG)
2015 - 48:04 (7:45 average pace per mile/2nd in 30-34 AG) *15 weeks pregnant
2016 - 45:31 (7:20 average pace per mile/1st in 30-34 AG) *6.5 months postpartum/10k PR

10k PR one year ago with my 6 1/2 month old little Baby Gabey!

2017 Splits:
Mile 1 - 6:51
Mile 2 - 7:25
Mile 3 - 7:33
Mile 4 - 7:45
Mile 5 - 7:40
Mile 6 - 7:27
Final 0.24 (according to my watch) - 1:36/6:45 pace

If you read my previous race report (2017 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon), you will know that I came into this weekend under-trained and really unprepared to run a back-to-back marathon and 10k.  The Canal Connection 10k is a great relatively-local-to-us race (just an hour away) that is one that our Often Running Racing Team is strongly encouraged to do each year.  For those reasons, I wanted to make an effort to run the race - but I knew that I couldn't really plan on a super-speedy time and that I would have to really make a game-day decision the morning of the race as far as actually completing the thing.

I filled out my entry form the week of the race and Clint chatted with Gary (who wasn't planning on running Canal due to planning to run Indy hard) about watching Gabe while we both ran.  Canal Connection is a point-to-point 10k and is run almost entirely along a relatively narrow canal path - I wasn't thinking it would be the most stroller-friendly race due to being potentially muddy as well as potentially being really close to/tight with other participants along the path...I wanted to be safe and conscientious. Gary said he was down to watch Gabe (thanks, Gary!), so I made mental preparations to run the race.

Indy Monumental came and went...I was DEFINITELY tired after that long effort, but I wasn't totally dead. I waxed and waned throughout the rest of the day Saturday regarding Canal plans. I didn't sleep the greatest Saturday night due to sore legs...but it was daylight savings so at least I got to lay there for an extra hour, right?! Ha!

Sunday morning we got up and made preparations to hit the road for Canal. I dressed as if I was running (and donned a pair of my trusty Pro Compression socks for SURE!) and we hit the road. I STILL didn't know if I would be running - frankly I was leaning toward "no" at that point. I told Clint that maybe I would just go for an easy 2-3 mile shake-out run with Gabe in the stroller while he ran the race. I texted with Holly-Rae a little bit who was going up to the race with her family (her hubby Tim was going to run!) and told her I wasn't sure exactly what I would be doing.  It was also supposed to rain - if it was raining, I was certainly planning to NOT run - heck, I didn't have anything to prove, right?! HA!

When we got to the race (the finish area anyway - racers are bussed from the finish and then dropped off at the start a few miles away to run back to the finish and their waiting cars), I looked around for Gary - he wasn't there yet. I decided that I would let him be my deciding factor - if he showed up, I would run. If he decided to sleep in/sleep off Indy, I would not run - and I was totally fine with either decision.  I texted Gary as it got really close to crunch time (aka boarding time for the final bus to the starting line). He was about 15 minutes away at that time and the bus was about to leave...I decided that I WAS going to run and left Gabey in his stroller with Holly-Rae and Mitch (thanks guys ;)) with a few hurried instructions...and then I passed Gary walking in as I was walking out to the bus!  It takes a village, people. Thanks, guys!!

I boarded the bus and sat down next to a nice lady and chatted with her on the ride to the start as I texted Gary and Holly-Rae a few last paranoid requests re: Gabe - I, of course, had no reason to be concerned as he was in very capable hands. However, I did feel badly leaving him so quickly and in such a haphazard fashion!

We got off the bus at the school near the starting line and I went inside the packed entry area to use the bathroom. While inside I saw two familiar faces - fellow local stroller runners Brandi and Ryan with their respective littles and strollers!  I immediately felt twinges of regret (along with some feelings of "I'm a slacker!") for not bringing Gabe - apparently the course was more stroller-friendly than I was thinking! Oh well - too late now!

Clint + Tim pre-race

After the bathroom visit in the toasty-warm school, I made my way outside to the starting line.  Teammates and friends and other runners were busying themselves with warmups, but I really didn't feel like wasting the effort. I wasn't even sure, at that point, if I had 6.2 miles in my bod! I didn't want to use up any running mojo that I maybe had hiding in there, leftover from the previous day's 3:43 marathon!

I made my way to the front-ish of the starting area, though I wasn't sure that I really deserved to be up there. I located Amber and Clint and others...and then the rain started coming down. BARF-O! Oh well - once again, TOO LATE NOW!

The REAL runners doing some warm-up strides before hitting the starting line.

Sadness - raindrops are falling on our head!

Andy + Me

Clint is all, "What's a little rain, you pansies?!"

PAUL!

MERLIN!

I jumped around, warming up my body just barely, while taking some silly pics (totally worth running with the bulky phone - when Gabey not in my immediate possession, I always run with my phone!) and soon it was time for the national anthem and then we were off!

This race starts with a significant downhill portion for approximately the first half mile before leveling out after a turn to the left down a quiet downtown street.  I tried to keep myself in check and did my best to keep my legs under me - I wasn't sure what such a significant downhill would do to my tired and beat-up legs!  While Amber and I started side-by-side, she very easily flew down that downhill portion much more quickly and efficiently than I was able to (and she had just run a half marathon PR at Indy the day before - you GO GIRL!!!).

One of the stroller runners, Ryan, passed me with his daughter. We chatted a bit and I told him I was lamenting leaving Gabe and then he carried on, leaving me behind easily.  The course then turned to the right and we ran a small ascent over a bridge that crosses over the canal. Here to the left I saw Holly-Rae standing in the rain with her sweeties, cheering on the runners and snapping fun pictures at the first mile marker as my first mile beeped in 6:51 - even with the downhill portion, this was certainly faster than I imagined running one mile the day after a marathon. As usual, thanks for the support/cheers/pics HR!

Shortly after passing by the Van H family, I turned to the right again and ran down to the entrance of the canal path.  I could see that Amber was ahead of me - within striking distance on a "good day," but since today wasn't really a "good day," I kept myself in check and ran my own race - keeping things steady and not picking things up to catch up to her even though I could've really used the company!

Mile 2 clicked in 7:25, I had slowed down just over 30 seconds per mile compared to my first mile but I really wasn't concerned about it. Today wasn't a day for PRs - I needed to just finish this thing in once piece!  Sometime after mile 2, I ended up catching up to Amber and exchanged a "great job" before continuing on past he - she had run a HARD 13.1 the previous day and certainly deserved to not kill herself at Canal! Girl, you are SUPER strong!

Some portions of the trail were super muddy and wet - I found myself being grateful after all that I had left Gabey with Gary. The thought of packing up the muddy stroller into our vehicle made my stomach turn. Ha! Mile 3 was over in 7:33 and shortly thereafter, I crossed the timing mats at the halfway/5k mark in just under 23 minutes. I'll take it! I was definitely feeling spent at this point and wishing that the race was closer to being over than it was though!

Mile 4 was in a slower 7:45.  While it didn't really matter, in the scheme of things, that my pace was slowing down pretty significantly, my slightly competitive nature started to take hold and I started to identify people ahead of me to "pick off." This helped me drop my pace ever-so-slightly and Mile 5 was over in 7:40.

As Mile 6 starts, the course heads off to the right, up an ascent, and off of the canal path.  My legs burned as I pushed up the slight hill and into a neighborhood.  I did my best to close in on a guy ahead of me and caught him with a half mile to go.  Next up - a girl a few yards ahead of me. Mile 6 was over in 7:27 - my 3rd fastest mile of the race.  I picked up my pace and turned to the left with the finish line in sight. I saw Clint and Gary and Gabe and Holly-Rae and her kiddos cheering to the left and did my best to bring it in strong.  I made the final left turn and ran in to the finish line - the final bit of the race was completed in a 6:45 pace, apparently my legs did have a bit of juice left in them!

Finish time was 46:14 which was just 45 seconds slower than my time from last year (run on fresh legs :)).  I made my way to my people to cheer in the rest of our runners.  After our runners were in, we made our way into the crowded gym to wait for awards.  Before long, Gabey had had ENOUGH and I took him to the car for snacks and snuggles and quiet while daddy Clint waited to collect our awards. He had gotten 1st in his AG and 17th overall with a time of 39:05 (average pace of 6:17 per mile - wowsa! :)).

Gabey was ALL DONE with the stroller and had to get out to play for a bit!

Dirty socks after that muddy canal!

All in all, I was really pleasantly surprised with my ability to rally and run a pretty great race the day after a marathon.  It was another fun morning with teammates and friends, as well as with my guys Clint and Gabe.

Clint really DOES fly!

THANKS to Mitch, Saucony (I wore my more sturdy Saucony Rides for this race as opposed to racing flats because I knew I would need more support after the marathon the previous day), my teammates, and of course Coach Clint and Baby G.  Once again, I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in these events with some pretty awesome people.

Next up: Race reports for Oglesby Turkey Trot and FOLEPI

Next Race: BRRC 5k!

Bling!

Post-race snacks in the car...