Quad Cities Half Marathon {September 24, 2017}

Quad Cities Half Marathon

September 24, 2017

7:30 am

2:01:24

(My 15th race of the 2017 season)

Ever since my 5k PR of 20:20 at the Evergreen Lake 5k in August (I mention this simply because I have to keep reminding myself that, yes, I actually did get pretty close to my goal of breaking 20 in a 5k this year…though my current fitness level has certainly plummeted since that time) I haven’t done much in the way of racing.  I am teaching my first college course this fall and that has kind of taken over more of my life than I would’ve liked.  As we all know, life ebbs and flows…and the great thing about running is the fact that it isn’t going anywhere. It will still be there for me when I am able to come back to it (though I will need to work hard to get back to what my fitness level had become!). 

Anyway, here is my race report from the only event I participated in during the month of September. This wasn’t a “race” for me - but I did run it, so I figured that warranted a report/story to share with anyone who is interested.  This event has been a substantial one in the life of my family - I have participated in it in one way or the other (completed the half or full) five times and spectated it once, making six times in the past nine years that I have been a part of this event.  If you’ve never trekked up 74 to the land of the Mississippi and John Deere for this event - I would truly highly recommend it. It boasts a 5k, half marathon, full marathon, marathon relay, a kids’ fun run, and some sort of “pump ’n run” nonsense.  The course isn’t necessarily the greatest in the world or anything, but it is decent. The Mississippi provides some beautiful views and running over bridges, in my opinion, is novel and kinda fun.  I will say - the course offers very little shade. Usually in September this isn’t a big deal…but if it is unseasonably hot WATCH OUT!!  

I had promised my sister long ago that I would run the Quad Cities Half Marathon with her this September. She and I have a colorful history with this race, starting back in 2009.  That fall, she ran her first full at the Quad Cities event while I ran the half and then ran my first full at Chicago a few weeks afterwards (I earned 1:52:09 in the half and she earned 3:52:19 in the full). The next year (2010) we both ran the full (I earned 3:53:31 in what was my 3rd marathon and she earned 3:57:37 in what was her 2nd marathon).  The following year, 2011, I ran the full (in 3:49:46, which would be my PR for 4 years until September of 2015!) and she had registered to run the half but didn’t end up running….because she was pregnant. Instead of running, though, she played Spectator Extraordinaire for me.  Sadly, Monday after the race she endured her first miscarriage.  Naturally, I (irrationally) blamed myself for the fact that she was running around like a crazy person at the race watching me (if you know my sister, you do know that “crazy” only comes close to describing her zest for life ;)).  I know that there is, of course, no blame to be placed in such a situation…but the “feels” were intense at that point.  At the time I couldn’t even fathom really HOW intense those feelings were for her…but after having my own baby now I know that the loss of a pregnancy would be absolutely earth shattering.  I do regret not being “there” for her more after that experience…but that fall also ushered in my own intensified personal drama/hell (if you know me well, you know what I am referring to), causing me to be rather emotionally compromised myself for quite some time.

I didn’t make it out to the Quad Cities Marathon in 2012 (I was in the Quad Cities the weekend prior to the event that year attending my dear brother and his amazing wife Laura’s wedding), but was back in 2013.  Megan and I ran the race side by side as her first postpartum half marathon - she had welcomed Macy, her first daughter and my first niece, into the world in November of 2012.  In 2014 - Meg was pregnant again! We didn’t run the race, but instead spectated Clint (my pretty-new-still “boyfriend” at that time!). We also spectated our friend Aaron Van Lauwe in the half (I believe it was Aaron’s first - Aaron is one of the people I can claim as someone I converted to running). It was a blast driving all over the place, doing our best to find Clint (and Aaron) at a few different places on the course.  Clint had trained hard that summer and did really well at the race - he ran a 1:25:32 in the half…19th out of 1946 participants and 4th out of 91 in his age group.  Seeing him do so well at this race is one of my favorite spectating memories.

The next summer (2015) brought our wedding and honeymoon…and pregnancy.  I ran the Last Chance marathon in early Sept and basically took the rest of Sept off before the Chicago Marathon in early Oct that year. We also didn’t make it out to the QC Marathon in 2016. I am glad that we finally made it back out there this year!  Megan had told me a few months back that she wanted to run this race - what would be her first half since 2013.  Since the 2013 event, she had another little girl (Charlee, in May of 2015) and then had very sadly lost two more babies/pregnancies.  In September of 2016 she lost a little boy, Caleb, at 26 weeks.  This was a soul-crushing time for our entire family.  This past September marked his one year birth/death day - what better way to commemorate his impact in our lives than by running?

As I mentioned, my own running has been sub par as of late. In September prior to the marathon weekend, my longest run was an 8 mile run I ran with Megan (and Gabe) over our Labor Day vacation in Michigan.  I was legitimately nervous about being able to successfully pace her during the race.  I did my best to keep my anxiety at bay and made plans and arrangements to run the race. Clint got the wild hair up his you-know-what to do the Quad Cities event as part of his 5-week ultra-extravaganza (this was, of course, after he had said a number of things including (but not limited to), “I will run the half too!” “I will run with you and Megan too!” “I am going to run the full but I will run the first part with you guys,” etc…etc.).  So, one way or another, it was going to be a family affair!

Clint, Gabe, and I drove up to the Quad Cities Saturday afternoon.  We hit the expo in Moline, IL where we gathered our packets, as well as packets for my sister, our friend Aaron (who was also doing the half), and Amber (who later ROCKED the 5k!).  Then, we drove out to Geneseo, IL to my parents’ home where we had dinner with my parents and my sister and her family. It was so much fun, as usual, to watch Gabe interact with his cousins (he is 17 months and his cousins Macy and Charlee are almost 5 and 2 1/2, respectively).  My mom had prepared a variety of grilled meats, including my FAVORITE “Hawaiian burgers” (ground pork and pineapple patties from a local butcher shop) and we enjoyed other pre-race staples such as sweet potatoes and fruit.

After eating and playing with the kiddos for a while, we got Gabe ready for bed and put him down to sleep at my parents’.  We then headed to Davenport, Iowa where we slept at my sister’s home.  Her house is just 15 minutes or so from the race start - totally ideal.  The Quad Cities event isn’t stroller-friendly, so we made plans in advance for my parents to keep Gabe during the race. I really HATE leaving him on the weekends (the plight of a working mom - the guilt over spending non-work time AWAY from my kiddo is REAL), but we don’t do it often.  It really is nice to have some carefree time away from him, knowing he is in the second-best place he can be (my mom is my second choice for caregiver after Clint/myself, with my sister at a close third).  

We had offered to pick up our friend Aaron who lives not TOO far from my sister's in a neighboring town to bring him to the race.  Unfortunately for us, this meant that our morning routine was a little earlier and a little more complicated. Big shout out to Clint who took one for the team (as he often does) by leaving a bit before 6 to go pick up Aaron…and then coming back to Megan’s house around 6:20 to pick up Megan and me to bring us all to the race start.

We arrived to the start in Moline, IL around 6:45 and got a totally rad parking spot on the street just two blocks away from the start/finish.  I texted with Amber to coordinate finding her to deliver her race bib to her…she had arrived on site super early (she drove in from BloNo that morning, which means she had to have left around 4am! Rockstar status!) and had found a coffee shop to get some caffeinated action going.  After finding Amber and delivering her bib, she set off on her 2-mile warmup and Megan, Clint and I jumped in a bathroom line at a Subway down the street from the start. Sure beat the long lines for the smelly Porta Potties!  Clint took his sweet old time and Megan and I were about ready to leave him and set off on our warmup…but then he emerged from the depths of the bathroom just in time.  We all set off on a warmup jog…just about 7/10 of a mile and called it “good.”

We scooted our way into the coral and I scowled at the extreme body heat radiating around us. I could tell it was going to be a steamy-gross day!! The humidity was just…yuck.  I gave Clint a kiss and he slithered his way up closer to the front while I stayed back toward the middle of the starting corral with Megan.  Meg’s rough plan was to try to average 8:45s. She wanted a finish in the 1:50-55 range. On a more temperate day, this would’ve definitely been a reasonable goal.  We waited through the Star Spangled Banner and the starting signal…and endured a crowded first mile that was a bit slower than our goal, but still reasonable. I did my best to lead a path through the bodies.  The first mile goes straight for a quarter mile or so and then takes a right-hand turn up a circular ramp up to the I-74 Bridge (bringing the racers from IL to IA within the first mile).  This is typically one of my favorite parts of this race - running across this HUGE bridge.  It’s kinda creepy (in a “good” way) being that HIGH above the Mississippi. To make things extra-creepy this year, to the right you could see cranes and barges in position in the beginning stages of building a new bridge.  Apparently the current I-74 bridge is getting on the OLD and UNSTABLE side.  YIKES.  Spoiler alert - all the runners made it across without the bridge collapsing and our first mile clicked off in 9:03.  One mile down. Twelve-point-one to go.

My only-slightly obsessive-compulsive brain was rather irritated by those “extra” 48 seconds. I take my “instructions” as a “pacer” very seriously, guys. I knew we needed to make these up, but carefully so as not to make Meg expend TOO much energy and waste her body.  The course boasts a pretty significant DOWN hill as the runners make their way off of the I-74 bridge and turn to the left in Davenport.  I “used” the downhill as an excuse to have us naturally gradually pick up the pace a bit.  As the second mile clicked off in 8:37, I quickly calculated in my head that we were EIGHT seconds “under” the goal on that mile so when you subtract 8 from the 48 seconds we were OVER in our first mile, we were still at a 40-second deficit. 

Mile 3 brings a turn to the left…and the second climb of the race.  I did my best to keep us from dropping the pace TOO much, but mile 3 clicked off in 8:50. Poop. Now we were in a 45-second hole. Meg was doing pretty great - but it was obvious that the warmer-than-anticipated weather was not being kind to her. I did my best to keep offering her water from my hand-held bottle and reminded her to stay on top of her hydration so that she wouldn’t hit a wall. Mile 4 was over in 8:43…one of our few miles that was within the target pace.

During the 5th mile, I let Megan know that I would stop at the next water stop to refill my hand-held water bottle so that it would be at the ready for both of us.  I pulled off at the water stop, filled up the bottle, and sprinted back to where Meg was.  A guy that passed us a minute or so after I caught up to her commented to me, “Oh, you were just running up here to catch your friend? I thought you were going to go on and win the whole thing!” HA! Mile 5 clicked off in 8:52.  I was pretty sure at this point that we wouldn’t be able to make up our “lost" seconds to achieve our 8:45/average pace goal - but I knew that sub-2 was well within grasp so I held that in my mind as my goal to help her achieve. 

The sixth mile runs along the river front in Davenport. We had the privilege at this point of witnessing a giant inflatable T-Rex waterskiing.  Seriously.  Gotta love people with a sense of humor - this definitely brought a bit of lightness to the suffer-fest that this run was starting to be for many.  Mile 6 was over in 8:25. What!? Thanks, T-Rex! Apparently you powered us on to smash our 8:45 goal pace. Maybe Meg’s goal would still be within reach…

The half- half marathon point featured the first relay exchange.  It’s always a nice little mental break to see and hear the cheers of the people waiting in the relay exchange areas.  Things were REALLY starting to heat up at this point.  Mile 7 was over in 8:41- hooray!!  However, the elation over our near-goal paces wasn’t to last...

Megan reported that her stomach was feeling sour sometime during our 8th mile.  Turns out the sugary gels (she had taken just 1) and Tailwind (my first fill of the handheld I was holding had Tailwind in it) was not sitting well. UGH.  The gel on the course was Boom, which is a fruit-based product, so Clint and I had both said it would probably sit well and I decided personally to take the gamble and try it.  Megan did as well.  For the record, I would never recommend that anyone try something new on race day…as we all know, sometimes it works out OK and sometimes it just DOESN’T!.  Mile 8 clicked off in 8:59 as poor Megan did her best to fight through the external HEAT and internal gut rot.

Mile 9 brings the runners onto Centennial Bridge for a bit.  We wrapped this one up in our slowest-yet 9:33.  Regardless of the fact that we were not going to achieve the A-goal of an 8:45 average pace for the race, I was very pleased that I was able to stay with Megan in spite of not training much for the 6 weeks leading up to the race. I was proud of the residual fitness that my body had held on to.

We ran our way toward the third bridge of the course - the Arsenal bridge.  This bridge is entirely metal grates and actually opens and closes to allow barges to travel through.  Course officials roll out rugs down the center of the bridge so that runners have a flat surface to run on if they don’t wish to run on the metal grates.  They also have volunteers stationed at the entrance to the bridge advising runners to watch their steps and not trip over the edges of rugs!  We ran mostly single - file over the bridge and I did my best not to push TOO hard so as not to get too far ahead of Megan.  Mile 10 clicked off in 10:04 right before our left turn onto Arsenal Island.  Arsenal Island, which was actually called Rock Island in the past, is a current US Army base.  It’s pretty neat to be able to run on the base.  In the past, they have had individuals who are currently in the Army working water stops on the base. However, this year there weren’t any uniformed Army soldiers - I am not sure why. In fact, the base seemed pretty quiet and desolate.  Mile 11 was over in a slightly-faster 9:51 as we soldiered on.

Mile 12, held steady with 11, was over in 9:52 after we passed an expanse of green with stark white military tombstones protruding in neat rows - talk about a somber scene to run past.  As we neared the end of mile 13, we had to climb our final bridge.  Megan asked for water from my handheld and slowed for a second before powering up and over the bridge. I won’t lie - I remember being SO SO SO hot at this point.  I will take this opportunity to note that there is barely any shade on this course! The heat and sun felt literally oppressive at times.  As we descended the bridge, we picked up our pace.  Mile 13 clicked off in 9:53 (making the final 3 miles pretty even actually - I am proud of Megan for FIGHTING through the pain on these miles and holding steady!) and we make the final right-hand turn off the bridge and onto River Drive, back in Moline where we had started this thing.  

With the finish line in our sights, we buckled down and ran hard to the finish.  It was awesome seeing Amber and Tanya over my right shoulder as we turned off the bridge! THANKS for the cheers and support guys!!  I slowed momentarily to allow Megan to cross right before I did…2:01:23 for her and the same +1 second for me.  I had the course slightly long and had our final 0.24 in an average pace of 8:24.  Megan can and did dig deep to finish it out!  I was slightly disappointed for her sake that we were just barely over the 1:50’s…but my pride in her accomplishment did overshadow that emotion!

We collected our medals and some water…and a banana for Meg and some salty potato chips for me.  Megan started to feel kinda light-headed, so I directed her over to a curb where she sat down to collect herself for a minute. Amber excitedly made her way over to us at this point to share her amazing news - she got fifth place in the 5k out of 705 women! INCREDIBLE!

I felt…good. I started toying with the idea in my mind of meeting Clint when he came off of the Arsenal Island bridge (where Tanya and Amber had been spectating) and running with him for a while during his final 10k (the full marathon runners exit the Arsenal Island bridge around mile 20). I wasn’t sure how long I could reasonably expect to run with him (seeing as I had already run 14 miles, 6 more than I had run at one time all month!)…but thought maybe I could keep him company for one mile out and then run a mile back to catch him at the finish.

Megan met up with her family who were there watching (Macy was all TOO proud and excited to see her Mommy! I just love that sweet girl.) and I wandered back over to the Arsenal Island bridge area with Tanya and Amber. We weren’t sure at this point when, exactly, to be expecting Clint. He’s kind of a wild card :). To review, he had run the Fox Valley Marathon the weekend prior AND the weekend prior to THAT he had run the 50k at Lake Evergreen. That paired with the big issue of the day’s heat and humidity…who KNEW?!  We knew he had gotten to the half at 1:42:xx (7:46/mile pace)…but things significantly slowed down after that.

When we did see Clint making his way toward us, it was about 10:14 - so about 2:46 on the race clock.  HIs pace at this point for the race was an 8:18 average…still clearly fighting the good fight.  I jumped on to the course with him and offered him some water.  I informed him that I would run with him for a while…”as long as I can,” I said.  

This out and back section is just awful. Awful! I remembered it all too well from the two times I had run the full at this event - my two runnings were back in ’10 and ’11, but this is the kind of crap you don’t forget. Literally, you run off the Arsenal Island bridge at mile ~20 and you SEE the finish line 0.1 mile away to your right. However, instead of running to the beckoning finish line, you must force your body to turn to the left and run a full 5k OUT and a 5k BACK.  It is seriously a straight out and back with ZERO. SHADE. So hot. So boring. I knew, if it were me, I would appreciate the company. So, after our first terrible, terrible mile (in 80 degree plus heat and some terrible humidity) clicked off in 11:08, I informed Clint that I was indeed in it for the long haul with him and would help him shut it down.  It became somewhat of a proverbial death march...water station to water station.  There were a few stations where volunteers offered cold wet washcloths that we could drape over our heads, across our necks, down our shirts, inside our hats…wherever! Those felt like slices of heaven for sure.  Our second mile together clicked off in 11:43.  I assure you, it wasn’t pretty.  Clint is a maniac - how he kept pushing through, I am not really sure.

After the final turn-around of his race, we had 5k to go to get back to the car.  We stopped somewhere shortly after the turn-around to pull off Clint’s sweaty calf sleeves. I balled them up and shoved them into the back pocket in my shorts (yup, that tiny little pocket in my Saucony shorts is roomier than it looks - totally functional and awesome!).  We ran past a coffee shop and all I could think about was how great an iced mocha with almond milk would taste and feel in my mouth right at that moment…

After what felt like an eternity, the finish line was within grasp.  I veered off to the left and “sprinted” down the sidewalk to try to catch Clint at the finish, while he powered on down toward the finish on his own.  I joined him in the finish area once he crossed the line (official time 3:59:21- yeah, yeah sub-FOUR in awful conditions both body- and weather-wise! :)) and did my best to make sure he was still alive :).  He was definitely rocky there for a bit…after we left the finish area, he hobbled from shop doorway to doorway along the few blocks back to the car.  

Don’t you worry, our boy lived to fight another day. Two weeks post-QC Marathon he went on to finish the 50-miler at the Hennepin Hundred. That Clint!!

All in all, I am thankful for another great Quad Cities running experience. It’s no Bix (what is, really?!), but the QC Marathon is always a great event and will hold a special place in my heart forever.  I got in an unexpected 20.2 miles in total that day - insane, really, when you think about the fact that my training in Sept in no way set me up for that kind of mileage.  I don’t regret it, silly or not ;).

Summary of my QC Marathon Experiences:

2009 (half) - 1:52:09

2010 (full) - 3:53:31

2011 (full) - 3:49:46

2013 (half) 1:56:55 (identical time as Megan)

2014 - Spectated Clint in the half

2017 (half) - 2:01:24 (1 second behind Meg)

THANKS to Mitch for allowing me to be on the great Often Running Racing Team. Thanks to Saucony for the ever-amazing gear (can we talk for a second about the new “Chroma” color way?! I have the Rides in Chroma and I love them more than anyone should actually love inanimate objects).  Thanks to the team for the camaraderie (I use this word all of the time, but it's true!) and support - it’s a privilege to have your friendship!  And, thanks to Coach Clint who is ever-patient with me and gives me some sporadic “coaching” right now as I ask for it which fits my current state in life…but has also been gently reminding me that I need to probably get my rear in gear sometime s-o-o-n to start working toward Boston 2018 since I got that acceptance letter and everything...

Up next:  I am traveling back to the land of the Mississippi and John Deere in October....Augustana College’s homecoming and I am running the 5k with Gabey. I graduated from Augie in ’05 but have never run the homecoming 5k (dubbed the Dome Dash - in reference to Old Main, a big old domed building on campus that is featured in most pictures of campus), so I am looking forward to it. It won’t be a 20:20, and it certainly won’t be sub-20…BUT it will give me a good idea of what my current fitness level (or lack thereof) is. Regardless - I hope to have a bit of fun! I might do the ISU homecoming 5k the next weekend after that as well…anyone want to join in that fun? I was the top female finisher last year and I don’t expect to repeat that, but it will be fun (and short - as you know if you’ve run that course!).

Happy Weekend to all, and Happy Racing to all who are racing!

Much love,

Rachel

Quad Cities Race Weekend (x2!)

I've written before about my love for the Quad City area...it holds a lot of history for me.  It is where my parents and my sister and her family all live and where I completed my undergraduate degree.  I've also completed many races in the Quad Cities.

The past two weekends, I went home for two great races:  The Quad Cities Marathon (I did the half) and The John Deere 5k Fall Classic.

#1:  The Quad Cities Marathon

On Saturday, September 21 I went up to the Quad Cities and had my pre-race dinner at Red Robin (YUM!) with my good friend/cousin Jen and my niece Macy.  Naturally, after dinner we hit up Whitey's for some ice cream (great pre-race fuel!).

Sunday morning, September 22, my sister Megan and I ran in the half marathon at the Quad Cities marathon event.  As I've written many times before, my sister is my favorite running partner.  We've run many races together...my first races (The Maple City 4 in Geneseo, IL was my very first race!  I got 2nd in my age group...out of two...with a time of 33:53, not too shabby for my first race experience and likely one of my first times ever running 4 miles!) were with Megan by my side (well, at the starting line at least...she was always MUCH faster!!).

Sunday's half marathon was Megan's second half marathon after giving birth to her sweet little Macy ten months ago.  I was nervous about committing to run the race, seeing as it was just two weeks post-Ironman, but thankfully it was possible to wait to register until the day before the race.  The day before...I felt great (ish :)).  So, I registered!  While at the expo, I saw my random-stranger-turned-friend Jen Blackorby which was awesome!

Sunday's race went pretty well.  I felt very tight throughout my legs for the first few miles (I hadn't run much since Ironman Wisconsin!), but was able to push through it and stay true to my commitment to stick with Megan throughout the race.  I did consider slowing down, but convinced myself that was ridiculous.  I could absolutely stick with the 8:30 pace we established at the beginning of the race.  Absolutely!

As the race went on, Meg had a few rough spots.  I teased her later because at a number of the water stops she waited until the very end to grab one of the last cups of water held out by volunteers.  Well, each time the last cups were Gatorade...which wasn't what she wanted.  So, each time...she got half (or more) of my cup of water :).

Later on, around mile 10 or so, she really needed to pee.  We had a long conversation about the pros and cons of just letting it go and peeing herself...and determined that we would instead keep our eyes pealed for a porta-potty.  Thankfully, we saw one (though I am sure it was a FAR longer run to it than she would've liked!) and made a quick pit-stop.

We finished side by side in 1:57...under two hours for her second race post-baby:  pretty stellar I do say!  Way to go Megan!  I'm so glad my body wasn't broken from Ironman and that I had the opportunity to run with you again!

Me with Meg post-race!

#2:  The John Deere 5k Fall Classic

A few weeks ago, my uncle Jack contacted Megan and me to ask if we were interested in running a 5k with him and his daughter Lanie (12 years old) for John Deere employees/families on Sunday, September 28 at the John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, IL.  I knew this would make for a crazy weekend...not only would it be the second weekend in a row that I drove up to the Quad City area, but it would mean a very early morning for me.  I had committed to volunteering at the 2013 Easter Seals Grape Soiree Saturday evening September 27, which is an event that typically goes pretty late.  Regardless, I decided that it would be a lot of fun and good to be able to spend time with family...so I said "I'm in!"

Saturday night I got home around 11:30pm from the Grape Soiree and was in bed around midnight.  My alarm went off irritatingly at 5am...and I was in the car by 5:30am.  YIKES!  Those who know me know this is quite a feat...I am NOT a morning person!  Sadly, Gloria Jeans (the coffee establishment closest to my home!) didn't open until 6am so I couldn't even drive by for some morning joe to power my drive there! ;)

I arrived at John Deere around 7:35, just enough time to locate my family and get fired up for our 8am start!  I found our group:  Megan, Macy and Danny, as well as Jack and his kiddos Lanie and Mitch.  Danny and Mitch were awesome spectators, while the rest of us ran in the race (Meg pushed Macy in the Bob stroller...Macy's first official race!).  My parents also came and spectated at the start/finish line.

Meg, Macy, Lanie and myself getting ready to race! (The sun was crazy bright that morning, hence the silly shadows)

The race was a lot of fun.  Jack took off like a crazy man as soon as the starting gun went off ;) and the rest of us started at a more reasonable pace ;).  Macy kept us entertained with coos and smiles and we chatted with Lanie about her school year and volleyball season.  Lanie had never run further than about 2.5 miles...and we were so proud to see her putting fort some serious valiant efforts to finish the race!  We stopped for 2 quick walking breaks, but other than that ran the entire time.  Some encouraging words were needed a few times ;)...and we had some conversations about the food Lanie wanted to eat at the end (precisely one and a half McDonald's cheeseburgers was what she mentioned.  Ha!).  Before long, though, we made it to the finish...in just under 34 minutes.  Pretty great time for Lanie's first 5k!  Meg and I (and Macy!) were both happy to be along for the her journey to the finish for the first time.  Truly one of my favorite things about the sport is witnessing new people give it a try...and hopefully fall in love with it (though I'm not sure Lanie was exactly "in love" with running Sunday!  She may or may not have uttered the words "I'm just not cut out for running!" a time or two ;).

My niece, little Miss Polka-Dots (and favorite toy Sophie!) after the race...gnawing on some post-race carbs!

After the race, we hung out with Jack and his family and my parents and watched some of the kid races:  a 50 yard dash, a half-mile and a one-mile run were among the other events that day.  It was a beautiful morning (though it started out cold and foggy!) and very nice to spend time with family.  Later we went to Panera for some brunch...and then I went back to Megan and Danny's and crashed hard for a few hours.  I.  was.  EXHAUSTED!!

As I napped, Megan texted me from upstairs (I was in their guest room downstairs):  "Pumpkin chai?"  These two little words got me out of bed almost immediately after I read them.  There is a drive-through coffee place in Davenport that makes these seriously AMAZING pumpkin chai tea lattes...we fell in love with them after the half marathon the previous weekend.  We ran out to get our teas and then went to Fulton, IL to a birthday party to celebrate my grandparents' 95th (my grandmother) and 99th (my grandfather) birthdays!  I was happy to be able to attend...living a fair distance away from my extended family, I often miss out on events like this and was glad that I was able to go to this one!  Talk about some impressive birthday milestones!

Next up:  a half marathon adventure in CALIFORNIA on October 13 with my sister in law Laura!  This will be her FIRST half marathon...and it will be THREE weeks out from the NYC Marathon for me!  I'm going for a half marathon PR (so under 1:46:49, which is my current PR set in April at the U of I half marathon earlier this season).  Stay tuned!

The perfect distance

The past few weeks have shown me that the half marathon, 13.1 miles, is my perfect distance. 

As I was explaining to a friend recently...I've realized that 5k's just aren't for me.  In my opinion, in general they seem to be for
a) new runners who need an easily attainable distance to train for,
b) casual runners satisfied with the respectable distance of 3+ miles who don't necessarily have the desire to do longer races, or
c) super fast runners who can be absolutely speedy at a short distance and bring in 3 consecutive ~6 minute-miles. 

Let me be clear...I am NOT poo-pooing at 5ks (in fact, I am particularly impressed with those who fall into category (c)!  My body was just NOT made to go fast.  Or, if it was, I can't seem to make it do that.  I hate hurting too darn much!!)...simply saying they aren't MY "best fit race."  Since they aren't a great fit for me...unless there's something super special about the event...I just can't justify paying $$$ to register to run a 5k.

Marathons are still my true "loves"...but there are too many variables with a marathon.  They are just too long...and there's too much time for pain/injuries/nutrition issues/GI distress.  Half marathons...for me anyway....are simply perfect.

Exhibit A:
My first race of this season was Saturday, April 27th.  My dear sister Megan and I registered for this race together.  It was to be Megan's first race post-baby!  Macy, my adorable niece, was just five months old at the time of this race.  I am VERY proud of my sister for putting forth all of the extra effort needed to train for a half marathon after giving birth and while caring for an infant!  Megan, as I've written about many times, is who spurred me on to running years ago.  I was more than happy to be able to support her in her first race "back" after baby!

In the weeks leading up to the race I couldn't quite decide how I wanted to treat the race.  I had earned my half marathon PR at the U of I half marathon the previous year (1:48:20).  Part of me thought that perhaps a faster PR could be in the cards for me at this year's event.  But, an even larger part of me thought that this was probably a lofty goal.  I had not been running much in the weeks leading up to the event.  The longest run I'd completed in April prior to that weekend was a 7 mile run on Sunday, April 14.  My left foot had been bothering me for about a month...I'd received a tentative diagnosis of Morton's Neuroma from two different physical therapists and had subsequently been taking it "easy", mostly swimming and biking.

Even in spite of the foot pain, I had no doubt that I'd still be able to at least finish the race.  I toyed with the idea of running alongside Megan for the entire race for support.  I probably SHOULD have been a good sister and run with her :).

But...on race morning, I felt great.  The weather was cool...the rain that had been forecasted was holding off.  My GI system and nutrition felt on track.  All systems appeared to be a "go".  So...I made the decision to go for it.  Selfish...maybe (sorry Meg!! ;))...but I am glad I challenged myself.  It paid off!!  I smashed my former PR, besting it by 1:31, and replaced it with a new one of 1:46.49.  Not too shabby for my first race of the year!  It felt good to know that my training seemed to be paying off!

Even better than my PR, though, was the fact that I felt STRONG throughout the entire race!  My body felt great...the best I've ever felt running in any race, ever!  My foot did start hurting around mile 10, but it wasn't anything unbearable by any means.  It didn't slow me down, and I did my best to force it out of my mind.  After the race, I truly felt on top of the world.



Me with Meg after the U of I Half Marathon

 

Me after the Quad Cities Distance Classic...at my alma mater
**hmmmm...apparently my blue Lulu pullover brings me some half-marathon luck!  I just realized I wore the same top to both events this year!  Ha!!**

Exhibit B: 
My third race of the season (second running event) was this past Sunday...the Quad Cities Distance Classic Half Marathon.  This was my first year participating in this event.  I had been planning to go home to the Quad Cities this past weekend for my niece's dedication at Megan and her husband's church on Mother's Day.  On a whim about two weeks ago, I Googled "Quad Cities races May 12" and noted that the Quad Cities Distance Classic was indeed on that day...and it was on Augustana College's campus!  TOO PERFECT!!

I decided to wait until the morning of the event to decide for certain if I was going to do the event.  If it interfered with family plans...if it was raining...or if I didn't feel well, I would simply not attend.  But...if all of the stars seemed to be aligned...I would go.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I felt great...so I ate a banana and a KIND bar (my pre-race meal of choice!) and set out on my way to Augie's campus.  I found a prime parking spot in the Centennial Hall parking lot and made my way to Carver Hall where the registration and packet pickup was held.  After securing everything I needed to participate, I made my way back to my car where I sat in the warmth for a while...it was a chilly morning!

Right before the start, I made my way out of my car and walked a short distance to the starting line.  The weather was cool, but not freezing.  There was a bit of wind, but it wasn't horrid. 

The race started...and I felt fantastic.  The route started downhill, but soon began a short uphill jaunt.  The course was actually pretty hilly.  The wind added to the challenge for some portions of the race.  As I was running, I felt fantastic.  Actually, until about mile 8 I was envisioning a NEW PR.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least slightly disappointed that I didn't get a PR ;)....my time Sunday fell short of my time two weeks ago at the U of I by a mere TWO seconds!  My official finish time was 1:46.51!  Until the official times were posted later last night, I actually thought there was a chance that my finish time was identical to the finish time at the U of I event.  How funny would that have been?!

I am VERY proud of my pace...8:09 average per mile for the race, which is fantastic for me!  I'm the girl whose comfortable/default pace is 9:30!  As I previously stated, I DON'T like hurting.  I love running...and and can run for hours on end...but would prefer to run slower for longer than faster for a shorter time period.  That said, I am slowly adjusting to the mental game of becoming OK with pain...probably a GOOD thing as the Ironman date only looms closer and closer!

My splits are as follows:

Mile 1:  7:39
Mile 2:  8:04
Mile 3:  7:59
Mile 4:  7:50
Mile 5:  7:23
Mile 6:  8:03
Mile 7:  8:03
Mile 8:  8:07
Mile 9:  8:17
Mile 10: 8:17
Mile 11: 8:19
Mile 12: 8:20
Mile 13: 8:10

Ok...I realize that in an ideal situation, one would run negative splits (or get faster as the race goes on).  My pace was fairly steady (right below 8 min/mile) for 8 miles.  After that I was pretty solidly around 8:20 for the remainder of the race.  BUT...my pace IS much faster than it USED to be.  So, I consider that a big victory for me.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the rest of my 2013 racing season after my two solid (for me!) half marathons!

This next weekend is a new event in the Peoria area...The River City Marathon.  There are the following distances available:  5k, 25k, marathon and marathon relay.  I had tentatively been planning to complete the marathon relay with some friends, but the plans fell through.  I still want to attend the event, but am undecided on distance.  As previously stated, I feel like the 5k would be a waste of $$ (for me)...I've never run a 25k so that could be a fun experience...but part of me wants to just go for the full marathon.  Why not?!  I will probably just wait until Saturday (packet pickup!) to decide.  We'll see...

The 2011 Racing Season Has Begun!

While I may personally be out of the running game for the time being, thanks to a frustrating stress fracture in my right foot (metatarsal #4)...the running season is indeed in full swing! I could not be more pumped! I spent the past two weekends cheering on friends at two events (both of which I had registered for and had hoped to compete in before injuring myself)...first the U of I Marathon/Half Marathon/10k on Saturday, April 30 and second the Lake Run (7k and 12k events) at Lake Bloomington on Saturday, May 7th.

Now I know that a majority of people would not be excited to wake up early on a weekend day for something they are personally involved in...and even fewer would likely be excited about waking up early on a weekend day to play a supporting role in something they weren't personally participating in. However, I was completely STOKED (as in, could barely sleep!) to cheer people on in the races these past two weekends.

Do not be deceived...I had my lame pity parties prior to the race days...Oh woe is me, I am so disappointed...I cannot run in TWO races that I had been SO looking forward to...but I promptly made myself can it...I slapped on my happy face and goofy (and probably a bit annoyingly crazy!) attitude and made the best of the situations. Sure, I couldn't run...but I could yell, clap, cheer, jump around and scream (although, I think my foot would've appreciated a little less jumping around!)!

In the ~20 races that I've been fortunate enough to have been a part of over the past few years, having SOMEONE on the sidelines cheering for me means so much. It truly is an amazing feeling. It's fun to run by a family member or friend who gives you as a runner a mental boost as you are pushing through the physical pain of running. It's even fun to be spurred on by the cheering of random well-wishing strangers. Clearly I am not some sort of world-class athlete, but having "fans"...well, it's a pretty fun feeling! So, I did my best these past two weekends to share the love.

The U of I Marathon/Half Marathon/10k
Two years ago, in April of 2009, I ran my very first half marathon....at the U of I! That was the very first year of this event! I ran the half marathon last year at the U of I as well. I was very much looking forward to this year's event...the third year of the event's existence, and my third year running it as well! My sister had also done it before...and my husband had agreed to join us this year! He and I joked for months that he was going to beat me (because we both knew that it would REALLY bother me if he actually DID beat me!). Well...turns out...he did come out ahead in this race, since I was incapacitated! :)

Friday afternoon, April 29, I headed to Champaign to pick up three race packets (unfortunately they don't have race-day packet pick-up...necessitating two treks to Champaign in a 12-hour period. It's not like gas is super-expensive right now or anything...)...one for my husband, one for my sister, and one for myself. I hobbled around the race expo feeling like a real winner in a walking boot on my injured foot. One wide-eyed man asked after eyeing me and my boot, "You're not running tomorrow, are you?!" Uh, no buddy. Thanks for your concern ;).
My sister Megan and her husband Danny spent the night with us Friday night before the race and then we all headed to Champaign (approximately 45 minutes from our home) for the big event Saturday morning. We made one pit stop at a CVS not far from the start in Champaign so the runners could "use the facilities" and Jeremy could pick up some ibuprofen to pop before running to help with some aches and pains. As any seasoned runner will know, "nature" typically "calls" a few times the morning of a big run :).

Danny and I deposited our running spouses not far from the start and hung out in the car for a while...it was freezing out there that morning! A few minutes before the start of the half (7:30am), we headed out to a spot we staked out about a quarter mile into the race. We spotted Jeremy (thanks to his easy-to-distinguish TALL frame topped with sunglasses and sweatband!), but didn't see Meg at the beginning.

After that excitement ;), we headed back to the car where Danny read a book he brought to entertain himself and I studied a copy of the race route map. I found a place to hang out where the 10k runners would be passing approximately 5.5 miles into their race! I ended up going out there and saw my good friend Ashley and her fiance Jason! It was great fun screaming and carrying on :). I even shot some very professional video ;) and ran "with" them for a few yards (yup, sportin' my boot!). It was Ashley's first-EVER 10k (her longest race to date! She had completed a few 5k's prior to this)....and I was SO EXCITED and PROUD of her!!

After that...Danny and I headed down to the football stadium where we waited on the half marathon and marathon finishers. The finish line for this race is on the 50 yard line, which is pretty sweet. It is one of the most exciting/festive finishes of any race I've ever participated in (Jeremy agreed after he finished :)). There were signs saying that "runners only" were allowed out on the field...so...I put my race number on my front (even though I clearly wasn't running ;)) and walked out on the field. No one stopped me! I made my way RIGHT to the finish...which was great! It was a ton of fun standing right at the finish screaming my lungs out as people I knew crossed. I saw both Meg and Jer finish, which was pretty cool.

Afterwards, we hung out in the "post race party"/food area where I saw a lot of my Lake Run Club friends. It was fun to catch up with some of them and hear about how the race went for them that day. I also saw Abbey, my friend Ashley's sister, who had just finished her first-ever half marathon! Oh, I just LOVE talking to "new" runners who have accomplished a new feat! She was pretty excited. Way to go Abbey! Also pretty awesome...she had been training with a friend, but just a few days before the event her friend ended up having to back out! So...Abbey's husband Jesse stepped up and said he'd run it with her so she didn't have to run alone! He hadn't been training for it (although he is a personal trainer and is in good general shape!)...but stayed with her the entire time! What an AWESOME hubby! Love stories like that :).

There were 6443 finishers in the half marathon. Jeremy was in the top third with a place of 2035! His time was 1:59:43; he snuck in just under two hours...which was his goal! His average pace per mile was 9:07.9. Megan was 677th overall! She got a time of 1:45:39. Her goal was 1:45! Her average pace per mile was 8:03.54! Way to GO you two!! I am so proud of you :). Megan, you inspire me to keep pushing myself! :) You're the one who first got me into this love-of-running craziness in the first place! :)

The Lake Run (7k and 12k)
For WEEKS, I'd been anticipating this year's Lake Run out at beautiful Lake Bloomington!! Not only is it one of my favorite area races (it is a great time seeing so many familiar faces from the community out at this race!)...but I had organized a group of co-workers/friends to run this year's event! Running the 7k (4.37 miles): my super-fun co-workers/friends Kersten, Dawn, Jillian, Christina and Michelle (Christina's cousin). Running the 12k: Kory (my former boss) and Matt (Kersten's husband)...and I had registered to join in on the 12k as well.

When it became apparent that my stress fracture would indeed NOT be healing with some sort of super-human speed, I signed up to be a split timer instead of running in the race....it was kind of fun to have a new experience! I ended up getting set up with two new "friends"...a guy named Jerry and his buddy...the three of us stood approximately a quarter of a mile in to the 7k race with our timers poised...ready to hit start as soon as the starting cannon went off (which was SUPER LOUD, by the way! Egads!). As soon as the runners took off, we hopped in Jerry's civic and they dropped me off at Mile 1 and continued on to Miles 2 and 3, respectively. I stood there and yelled out splits to the runners as they passed by. I shouted words of encouragement to random runners...but particularly to my good friends Jillian, Dawn, Kersten, and Christina! I even got doused with water as they ran by (thanks Kersten! ;)).

As soon as the last runner in the 7k group passed, I was off to the next leg of my mission...I had to walk a half mile to where the 6 Mile marker of the 12k event was. I was a bit worried I'd get lost (as I was literally in the middle of cornfields with no one else around me)...but ended up finding it just fine :). There I waited (and messed around on facebook...thanks Droid! ;)) until the first runners started passing...

I ended up seeing and cheering for many people I know...not only Kory and Matt, but also Nate, Traci, Dan, John, Brad, Claire, Megan (from my spinning class!)...and probably a few others I am forgetting! I am sure I looked kind of goony...yelling splits calmly until I spotted someone I knew :). Then, I'd carry on screaming, jumping, running a few yards, and generally carrying on like a crazy person. It was a lot of fun :). It was so neat to be on the "spectating/supporting" end of things for once. It's pretty inspiring to see so many people focused on the same goal..and really giving it their all to finish strong.

So one of the runners in our little group, Kory, was running the 12k as his first race EVER! He did amazingly well...he got 9th in his gender/age group (men 30-34) with a time of 56:09.7 which boils down to a 7:32 pace! AMAZING!!!!! Way to go, Kory! I'm still in awe that this was your first race, ever...and you were able to pull off that kind of performance!

I am so proud of EVERYONE in our group....Jillian, Kersten, Dawn, Christina, Michelle, Matt, Kory....you are AMAZING! Way to go! Can't wait to run with you all later this summer! :)

In other news....

The following text, received today from one of my "running proteges" who shall remain nameless to protect her identity ;), TOTALLY made my day today: "I would like to know what happened to my former self. A few years ago on a nice spring day, I would have thought to myself, "I should go to a bar with a patio and enjoy a delicious cold beer" or "I should sit outside in the sun and read a trashy magazine." But today I woke up and thought "I should run 4 miles." And not because my training calendar says so, or because I'm feeling like a fatty and need to burn off last night's ice cream cone. But because it sounds enjoyable, and that's what I want to do. What the HELL happened to me??"

...and that, my friends...that is why I am a psycho who talks about running ALL of the time. THAT is why I am constantly trying to convince more and more friends to join me on runs, to sign up for that first race, to push themselves to try something new :). You never know...you just might find a new hobby, a new lifestyle :). You just might become addicted to the feeling of pushing yourself to do more (which then carries over to other areas of your life other than running, I daresay!) and expecting more out of yourself, etc., etc....I know to many people, running races and being as passionate about it as I am may seem silly or pointless...but I'll save my never-ending thoughts on the multitude of benefits of running for a later date :).



p.s. I did run two 5k's this year prior to getting hurt :). I got my personal best in the first on April 17...22 minutes and some odd seconds! (I am not sure of the exact time, because the race was small and there are not results online...but I was the 1st female finisher and 3rd overall! :)). Fun, but definitely looking forward to more to come this season :).

1 month to go!

1 month to go....until my 5th half marathon! I am running the half marathon at the U of I Marathon event on Saturday, April 29th. This is the 3rd year the race has existed...and my 3rd year participating. I can't wait! It is a wonderful race with lots of wonderful support staff/volunteers. The course is great and the spectators are a lot of fun and full of energy. Plus...it's so close to home! All in all, an awesome event. Jeremy is running the half with me this year, too! It will be his second half marathon and his first time at the U of I event. I am excited for him to come along this year...but also a little nervous because he has already informed me that he is going to beat me. Honestly, he might. His first half was last September at the Quad Cities Marathon event when I ran the full. He got 1:53ish, which he likes to remind me was approximately 4 minutes faster than my first half marathon. Thanks, babe, for pointing that out ;). We're a little competative....eh ;). Yesterday I went out for a 10 mile run. The weather was a bit colder than I would like to see/feel in late March, but it really wasn't too bad. Honestly, though, the run kinda stunk. My goofy right Achilles just isn't back to 100%. I know I need to proceed cautiously if I am going to even make it to the event. I should probably start hitting the pool again for some cross-training. Lap swimming and pool jogging...UGH! Not exactly my top choices for workouts, but probably necessary evils I need to revisit. As far as other events this year....things on my radar include the Kansas City Triathlon in May (could I bite the bullet and put on my big girl pants and actually do a "real" tri?! We'll see! Eek, scares me!!)....the Warrior Dash in Channahan in June (we're already registered!)....and the Quad Cities Marathon again in September. We'll see! :)