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.
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.
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.
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| Mama and Gabe near the finish line in 2016 |
 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:
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| 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!
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| 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!!
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| We did it! |
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| Some of our BloNo crew who ran this race |
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| 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! |
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!
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| Playing on a CHOO CHOO near the finish! |
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| Bros |
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| 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! |
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| Gabe + Daddy (Congrats on 1st in the M30-34 AG and 6th overall, Clint!!) |
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| Gabe had a blast running around with Judah during the awards ceremony - they both had medals to sport thanks to AG placing parents! |
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| 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
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| As usual...it's all about the aviators |
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| My HEART!! |
2017 FOLEPI
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| My Dada is Number One! |
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| 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! |
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| Love |
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