Freedom's Run Marathon Race Report

This marathon starts early, at 7 am, so it was a very cold wait for the start.  They were nice enough to have coffee available, which I don't drink, but it was nice to know it was there!  I did a lot of stretching during the wait, trying to prevent injury.  The race kicked off with a loop through Harpers Ferry National Historic Park.  We crossed a sand pebble lane, and I was feeling the cold on my legs, which were in shorts.  I had a long sleeve technical shirt, gloves, and a long sleeved cotton shirt of Paul's that he said he wouldn't mind if I ditched during the race.  So it was chilly but I started warming up quickly at least.  We followed another sandy pebble lane to the Murphy Farm loop, which was scenic and interesting.  From there, the race went into historic Harpers Ferry.  Restored buildings and cobblestone streets delighted me - I remember turning to the guy beside me and saying, "This is so cool!" and he readily agreed.  After that, we crossed the Potomac River on a footbridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail.  The sun was coming up behind the mountains, and the view took my breath away.  The footbridge was covered in ice towards the end (yes, it was that cold!) so we had to walk, and everyone also walked down the circular staircase at the end which led to the C&O Canal towpath.  This path ran along the river from mile 5-15 or so, and was small gravel/dirt.  It was around mile 10 when the unthinkable happened.  That pesky old IT band went out.  I had been running really well, and at that point was on target for a 4 hour marathon.  So I had to ask myself - did I want to stop, and not risk further injury, or did I want to push through, which would lead to a more severe injury, but also would allow me to see the rest of the course and receive a medal at the end?  I chose the latter. 

I saw the boys when I came out of the woods at mile 15, and told Paul briefly that I was injured.  I had slowed down significantly at this point, but wasn't having to walk too much.  That was about to change.  I hit the hills and my IT band had shooting pain radiating down my entire leg.  It absolutely wasn't going to allow me to run hills.  So I walked them.  I realized as I walked across the Battlefield of Antietam, step by step, that it was the most beautiful day for a run.  Statues of Civil War soldiers towered over corn fields, and the sun beamed over bright blue skies, and I wouldn't have missed that for the world.  After passing by historic Mumma Farm, we headed into Sharpsburg, Maryland, where I got to see the boys again.

 By this point, even running on flat or down hills sent shooting pain, so I was doing more walking than running.  But I was enjoying myself, even though I was disappointed that I was being passed by so many people.

 After Sharpsburg we headed across the Rumsey Bridge over the Potomac River and back into West Virginia.  I still had good spirits. 

 The race finished at Shepherd University's Ram Stadium.  I was able to muster up a run for the finish line at least.  My time was 4:30:57.  Considering how much walking I did, I'm actually pleased with the time.  Once I finished, it was time for the boys to do the Kids Fun Run.

 After the race, they had a post race party with music and food at the Bavarian Inn, which was really scenic itself.  I got a free commemorative beer glass and drink, but didn't have any cash so I couldn't get food. Wish I had known about that part.  I was hungry!

Although marathon #9 didn't turn out quite like I'd expected, I'm so glad I ran it.  I'd recommend my fellow runners add it to their bucket lists - I think it's my favorite East Coast marathon that I've run.  It was well organized, small town friendly, beautiful and historic.  I even met the race director at the registration pick up - and he was super nice and answered a few questions I had.  This is one of those little known marathons that one day will be discovered and everyone is going to want to go run it! 

As for me, my IT band is more torn up than I expected, and I'm guessing I'm facing about 6 weeks off (at least).  I'll be headed for some ART work on it as soon as I can get in, and hopefully it will improve more quickly than expected.  Also, pictures of some of the historic areas I mentioned here will appear in future posts, so stay tuned!

Grandin Court Baptist 5K Race Report + May Fitness Recap

While Paul had run the Grandin Court Baptist 5K before, this was a first for me.  Grandin Court Baptist offers free child care - complete with a bouncy house - for parents who are running the race.  This allowed Paul and I to run the race together.  The race started on a downhill on pavement for a little over a mile, and it went by fast.  I passed the first mile in 7:13.  Not long after that, we headed into the woods, on trail.  The trail was well marked, but there were some stairs involved early on and they were tough!  After the stairs things smoothed out on the trails and I felt light as I jumped roots and went around corners.  I was second female at this point, but third was right on my tail.  After I came off the trail, she passed me just before we got back on pavement, putting me in third.  This is where things got hairy, because fourth place was then right on my tail.  I wanted to hang on to third, so I pushed really hard.  The finish is on a very long gradual up hill, and the lady in 4th had a person biking next to her, coaching her on.  He was saying, "Just 30 seconds left at this sign, push hard, you can take her, you can do anything for 30 seconds!"  Believe me, I dug deep at this point to try to hold on to third.  I dug so deep that I was hoping I wouldn't end up tossing my breakfast at the finish line.  Luckily, I managed to hold on to my stomach and my 3rd place.  I finished 4 seconds behind Paul (one of these days I'm going to take him!), and 2 seconds behind second place.  The girl behind me finished 2 seconds behind me.  My time was slower than usual for a 5K due to the trail portion, but I was happy with it - 24:36. 

We dragged the kids away from the bouncy house so they could participate in some events themselves.  Cort and Reid did the toddler trot.  They just stood there after 'GO!' so Paul had to grab hands and lure them along.

Then it was Pierce's turn for the Kid's Fun Run.  You can see Pierce and I at the back center - I'm in a dark purple tank top (although in this picture it looks dark blue) -

It was maybe half a mile total, and Pierce did well even when he got tired on the uphill at the end.  He didn't complain, just slowed down a bit. 

My prize for 3rd place wasn't a trophy this time, but a $20 gift card to a local running store.  How cool is that?!  Pretty sure we'll be doing this race again in the future - it was a lot of fun for our entire family.

Overall, May turned out to be a great month for fitness.  Total miles = 107.  Free weights x 9.  Ab/Core work x 8.  Hiking x 5.  I also ran a 10K this month (thanks so much to my parents for babysitting!) and was able to break the 50 minute barrier again finally.  I've been chasing after that for a while now.  It wasn't a PR, but I was happy with my time of 49:51 and placed 1st in my age group (and 9th female overall).

Hopefully June will bring more fun running adventures!

Martinsville Half Marathon Race Report

On Saturday I woke up at 5:30 am to drive an hour in a rainforest-worthy deluge to Martinsville to run their half marathon.  The rain didn't let up during the wait for the race, and standing/shivering in the pouring rain while waiting for the race to begin was unpleasant.  When the race started 10 minutes late, that was even more unpleasant.  But once I got started I was much happier.  I do actually enjoy running the rain.

The race wraps through some town streets and then spits out onto a greenway at the 2 mile mark.  One thing I loved about this course is that there were plenty of water stops and they also had portapotties along the course.  I didn't need one this race, but it's always nice to know it's there. 

I've had some trouble from my right glute for a while now, and I took a couple of ibuprofin before the race as a preventative.  It's good I did, because it was acting up fairly early on in the race, around mile marker 4.  I eased up a bit on my pace since I still had a long way to run at that point.  The pouring rain served to keep me cool, though, and obsessing over whether or not my drenched lavender running shorts were see-through took my mind off my discomfort.  Since no one pointed at me and laugh, I'm going to assume they provided adequate coverage. 

During the race, you head to the right on the greenway, to a turn around point, then head back up to run down the greenway the other direction.  Oh how I loved running down the greenway the other direction.  It was a long downward grade and that made for some speedy leg turnover.  My ob/gyn and his wife passed me along this stretch.  But then came the turnaround.  Which meant I had to run up what I'd just run down. 

The long grade from mile 9-11 slowed me up quite a bit.  A few folks passed me.  My glute, which was hanging in there, at least wasn't any worse.  At mile 10 I ate a Gu, hoping for a little extra energy.  Around mile 11 you come off the greenway, and into the town streets.  There were rolling hills along the last couple of miles.  And finally, soaking wet but happy, I saw the finish line.

I ended up running 1:53:48 and I'm happy with that right now.  Do I want to run faster?  Of course!  But I feel like I raced fine for where I am right now.  Martinsville gave out very nice technical t-shirts, tote bags, medals and hand towels.  That's some great swag!

 I was very happy to get into some dry clothes, and thankful I'd had the foresight to bring a change with me.  I stayed for the awards ceremony, as I placed second in my age group.  I won a fun wooden train whistle.  The boys were impressed when I got home and showed it to them.

I think I'm going to start getting some more frequent ART treatments the next month or two to try to get this glute issue rehabed.  It's been bothering me since January, and although it only acts up when I'm running 'fast', I don't want it to become a larger problem.  My next race will likely be a 5K in April. 

The Blacksburg Classic Flat Stanley Race Report

This past week Flat Stanley came to stay with us, and when he found out that I was scheduled to run a 10 mile race, he insisted on running with me.  I usually race alone, but I decided to allow it just this once.

The race didn't start until 1:00 pm.  This allowed me all day to be nervous and grumpy, and to make the grave error of not drinking anything after 6:30 am because I didn't want to need a bathroom break during the race.  I don't know what I was thinking.  Apparently I wasn't thinking at all, actually.  Flat Stanley should've said something.

As soon as we got there, Flat Stanley saw a college student doing pull ups on a tree limb.  He immediately climbed into a pine tree and did some pull ups too.

Then he got down on some soft pine needles and did 400 push ups.  This is why Flat Stanley stays so skinny.

It was a warmer day than expected (55*) and I found myself wishing I'd worn a tank top instead of a long sleeved shirt.  Check out the purple Zensah calf sleeves my parents got me for Christmas - I adore them!

Flat Stanley was pumped for the race and waved at everyone who passed by.  No one waved back.  Poor Flat Stanley. 

The boys had a 'special treat' picnic lunch before the race started.  We don't do Lunchables often, but when we do they sure get excited.

The race started and within the first minute (seriously!) I had a side stitch, the result, no doubt, of abstaining from fluids.  This really made for a slow start for me.  At 2 miles there was an aid station, and I stopped and drank a bunch of water.  The stitch persisted.  At 4 miles, I stopped and drank water again, and voila, the stitch immediately vanished and I was good to go.

This is when we ran past a bunch of fields full of cows.  Flat Stanley complained about the stench.  It was kind of stinky.  At mile 5, the hills began for real (previously, it had been gentle rolling hills).  Flat Stanley and I started pushing a little harder, glad the side stitch was gone. 

Meanwhile, the boys were doing this -

Oh how Flat Stanley whined about those hills.  I began to resent all his complaining, and threatened to throw him in a cow pie.  He got quiet after that, until he noticed I had a vanilla Gu, then he started saying he was sooooo hungry and could we please eat the Gu?  I made him wait until mile 8 to open up the Gu.  The last mile had a rolling hill in it, but it certainly felt long at this point.  My right glute was sore and complaining, just like Flat Stanley.  Finally, we saw the finish line.

I ran 1:26:56 which is around an 8:42 minute mile.  I would've liked to have run a few minutes faster, but considering the side stitch and all the hills, not too bad.  Behold, the finisher's medal (poor Flat Stanley, no one bothered to give him one. I think he enjoyed the race anyhow, although he claims he's leaving and going to Texas....)

Racing in Compression Socks - Danville Half Marathon Report

Two weeks ago I went out for a trial 11 mile run to see if I could pull off running a half marathon in November.  It went okay, so I mulled over my two choices and decided to register for the Danville Half marathon, which was this past weekend.  Unfortunately, on Friday, I came down with a stomach bug.  I woke up Saturday morning 3 pounds dehydrated and feeling pretty weak, but I'd already paid for the race so I decided to just give it a shot.  If nothing else, it'd be a pretty day for a run.

Since I hadn't done a lot of long runs prior to the race, I decided to try racing in the Zensah compression socks that my parents got me for my birthday last summer.  I wasn't sure if this was the best idea, since the furthest I'd run in them was 6 miles, but with the odds already against me due to that stomach flu, what did I have to lose?

Here I am at the start of the race with the boys, who were distracted by the geese.  The first 5 miles or so ran along this river, with gorgeous waterfalls at one point.  It was the most perfect day to be out running - temps in the low 60s and sunny with just a mild breeze.

 I forgot to do my asthma inhaler before the race, which bothered me a bit in the early miles but then I adjusted.  At mile 4, a guy running past that was doing the 8K told me I was 11th female, and I decided to try to hold that spot through to the end.  At around mile 6, I started feeling the effects of the dehydration, and was really getting thirsty.  At this point I took some water, as I ran through a check point pavilion.  The race then went off into the woods, onto a gravel path, and began to hit some hills.  Miles 6-9 were hilly, with the largest and longest hill being right at around mile 8.  Normally I wouldn't take Gu until mile 10, but since I was coming into the race calorie-deficient, I took my first Gu at mile 7.  And then at mile 8 my stomach went GRRRRRRRRR.  And my mind went Uh oh.  And then I'M SO THIRSTY. 

At mile 10, I took some Immodium, which I also wouldn't normally do in a race but had brought along just in case, because of the stomach flu.  This seemed to help enough that I was able to take my second Gu.  But nothing could quench the cry for thirst.  They had plenty of aid stations along the course, but it just wasn't enough to ease my desire for fluids.  I switched to Gatorade but still I was so thirsty.  The last few miles I could feel myself losing pace a bit as I struggled.  Still, I enjoyed the crunch of the leaves under my feet and the sun shining through the trees.

At mile 11, I felt a blister on the ball of my right foot.  Luckily, it wasn't so bad it affected my running much.  Would it have happened without the compression socks?  Hard to tell.  But my calves felt good running, even when my quads and hamstrings were getting tired, so I think that in the end running in the compression socks was a good decision.   That said, I'd probably need to run in them more often for longer distances if I was going to attempt something like a marathon in them.

Finally, I saw the bridge in the distance that marked the last bit of my route to get to the finish line.  Here, Pierce demonstrates running across the bridge.  Only he has more energy than I did by the time I crossed it!

As I pulled into the finish line, I waved to the boys, who were cheering for me from behind an iron fence:

I crossed the finish line in 1:56:26.  Because I don't run halfs very often, it turns out that this is a PR for me.  I can't help but wonder how I might've run had I not been so dehydrated. 

Know what makes you feel better when you are super thirsty and have just run 13.1 miles?  This:

In the end, thanks to this being a smaller race, I placed 1st in my age group, and won a very nice beer mug, which Paul promptly declared to be his.  

Bottom line?  I loved this race.  I can't wait to do it again.  This was my second time running it, and they have changed the course and the month, but it's a great race either way and I love the size and the support and the beautiful views along the way. 

Vinton Fall Festival 5K Race Report

If you've been reading my race reports for a while, you know I've had a discouraging year.  Coming back from injury (and, for that matter, having twins) is hard.  I almost didn't run this race, but in the end my friend Steve talked me into it by telling me what a fun and fast race it was.

I picked up my race packet and walked back to my car, where I sat for a while trying to warm up.  It was a misty and cool morning, which was bad for waiting but good for the running part!  The race packet had one of the oddest hodgepodge of goodies I've ever seen.  I mean I don't typically get a dog treat in my race packet.  Luckily, I also got a toothbrush, so at least I could brush my teeth after fueling up for the race with a dog biscuit.  Okay, so truthfully I saved the dog biscuit for Scooter, who really loved it.

The race started right on time.  I went out fast and tried to hold.  The mist was so thick you couldn't see much at one point.  I loved that!   There were no mile markers and I didn't wear a watch, so I just ran by heart.  The course is really quite flat - there are some small grades but nothing that could actually qualify for a hill.

At the halfway point I kind of realized I was the third female.  And that there were two other females on my tail, so I'd better hold strong and push if I wanted to hold my lead.  I was hoping the two females behind me weren't planning to run a negative split, because I knew I couldn't go any faster.  Getting an overall award is really rare for me, as I'm not very fast, but if there's an opportunity it does motivate me to perform well.  Luckily, this race I didn't have anything holding me back - no asthma, no nausea, no side stitch.  I just felt great and I dug deep and ran.

I was thrilled to cross the finish line in 23:20.  That's not a PR for me, but it's a significant improvement from where I've been. The race may have been short - I wouldn't be surprised because I was really expecting to run in the 24 minute range.  But the one lady's Garmin I checked did say 3.11.  And in the end, I was the 3rd overall female, so I got a very nice plaque plus two $15 Road ID gift certificates.

While it's always exciting to get an award, I care a lot more about my performance in comparison to myself (because really whether you get an award or not is just based on how fast the other people are who show up for the race on any given day!).  And regardless of whether the race was short or not, I feel like I ran strong and I felt good during this race, so that's a great boost for my running self-confidence, at a time when I need it.  And now I have to decide if I want to try to attempt the 10 miler later this month.  I'm still on the fence, as I'm really not trained for it.  Ha ha, I guess we'll all find out in a few weeks, huh?

Alison Hart contacted me yesterday and said that she was thrilled with the response to her book giveaway, and she would be happy to give away two copies of her book!  So hooray for two winner, and thanks to Alison!  The winners of Alison Hart's book Risky Chance are Valerie from For the Love of Pete and In the Hammock Blog.  Congrats to Valerie and In the Hammock Blog, and thanks so much to all who entered!

Fired Up for a Cure 10K Race Report

Last weekend I ran the Fired Up for a Cure 10K which was so much more than just a race.  They had many booths set up and wonderful events for kids like face painting and jump houses.  All to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer.  What a great cause!

And they had firetrucks!  The race was put on by the fire department, so there were firetrucks everywhere - even a pink one!

If your portajohn is pink, does it lower the gross factor?

The race did start about 15 minutes late.  It was their first year, so sometimes these things happen.  But I do like it when races start on time.  The start and finish were at the Roanoke Civic Center.  

During the first part of the race, there was a lot of support along the course.  But the back half didn't have quite as much - there was one turn that was unmarked and unmanned, and had I not seen the runner in front of me take the turn, I wouldn't have known where to go.  One water table was also unmanned and the cups were still in wrappers with no water.  Needless to say, no one was stopping at that water stop.  I never stop to drink water in races under 10 miles (unless it's super hot) so this didn't bother me.  

There were a few hills along the course, but nothing too rough. 

I got a side stitch the second half of the race.  I haven't had such a bad side stitch during a race since 2003.  It threw me off my game a little, but at least I didn't have to stop and walk.  There was one hill around the halfway mark (there were no mile markers, so I can't give you exact location) where you crested to see a stunning view of downtown Roanoke and the surrounding mountains.  That was probably my favorite part of the race.  

While I was running, the boys were playing in bouncy houses and climbing on firetrucks:

The finish of the race was along the outskirts of the Civic Center, and then you had to bound up a small flight of stairs to cross the finish line.

I finished in 53:25, and would have liked a faster time.  I have since heard that according to several other runners' Garmins, the course was significantly long.  My friend Steve plugged in the actual race distance with my time, and said I would've run a 52:01 if it had been an actual 10K.  I can have some happiness over this time, as it would be a decent improvement over my 10K time in August, and would show that all the hard work at the track is starting to pay off.  So let's hope Steve is right on that!

I found the boys happy as could be.  Pierce was sporting a pink fireman hat.

And the twins were enjoying apples.

We walked over to where the awards ceremony was to be held, and found they were having a Zumba class.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I avoid dancing situations.  But we had fun watching, and the twins really liked the music and ran in circles to it.

I placed 3rd in my age group.  They had very nice medals!

We finished the morning with climbing on the helicopter.  How cool is that?!

It was a really fun event.  I would definitely run this race again - I hope they hold it next year. 

On a side note, I was sending warm thoughts during this race to Leontien, who is in her second fight against breast cancer.  She is a wonderful writer and blogger who shares stories about farm life and crazy Americans.  She could use positive thoughts and support right now.  If you haven't been to her blog before, won't you go by and share some warm fuzzies?  You can find her at Four Leaf Clover Tales

Salem Distance Run 10K Race Report

This past weekend I ran the Salem Distance Run 10K.  This was my fourth time running this race.  I was hopeful I'd have a good race, having run a time I was happy with in my July race, and having gotten up so early to run at the track all month.  I knew I wouldn't run a PR (personal record) for this race (around 48:40 or so) but I knew it also wouldn't be a PW (personal worst - around 57:09 or so). 

When I walked outside to the car I knew as soon as I inhaled the early morning air that I was in trouble.  See, I have this little thing called asthma.  I've had it as long as I can remember, but I tend to forget I have it because it doesn't bother me much anymore (at least, not like it did when I was little).  But you know what gets my asthma flared up in no time?  Deep, thick humidity.  And we'd had pouring rains the night before which resulted in pea-soup-fogs and high humidity.  I hoped I was wrong though.   I hoped that this time it wouldn't bother me.  I so wanted to do well.

Once I got to the race I used my inhaler twice, as insurance against the humid air.  The race started on time, and it almost immediately gets into the hills.  It's a challenging course.  It wasn't long before I was sucking air as my lungs struggled against the thick air.  I hit the first mile at 8:20 or so.

By mile 2 (16:49), my time was already dropping off and my lungs were crying for air.  I realized as person after person passed by that I needed to just settle in and make the best of it, or drop out.  I've never dropped out of a race before (heck, I've run 23 miles injured before!).  I wasn't going to start.  So I backed off the pace and just tried to run my best.  The race runs through neighborhoods with gorgeous old houses, so I enjoyed the views and tried to ignore the hills.

I backed off my pace enough that my throat no longer felt like it was closing up, and subsequently I stopped making that wheezy embarrassing asthma sound.  By mile 3, it felt like I'd been running for hours instead of minutes.  My legs felt good.  My energy felt decent.  Just the breathing issues and painful lungs.  An asthmatic never takes breathing easily for granted - because you know how it feels to struggle to pull air.  Each mile was even more discouraging as I continued to lose time and continued to watch people pass me by.  So frustrating, but at least I was out running.

I ended up running the 10K in 53:36.  Needless to say, it was not the time I was looking for.  But it was good training for me, and it just goes to show I have a lot more work to do to get to where I want to be.  Plus, it was not a personal worst, and I gave it a good effort.  I signed up for another 10K already - it's quite a few weeks away so I hope to put in solid training until then and perhaps run a better race.  

Four on the Fourth - A Race Report (finally!)

At long last I have run a race again!  This injury has been the worst I've faced so far in my 8+ years of consistent running, and at one point in March I thought I was going to have to give up the sport.  Thankfully, that is about the time I started healing.

So I signed up this past spring for Four on the Fourth - a new race in Roanoke that benefited the Boys and Girls Club (an organization I worked with a bit when I was a juvenile probation officer).  The race was on July 4th and was 4 miles long.  When I registered that seemed a long way off, but as the date rolled around I got nervous about racing again.  Very nervous.

The day before the race I battled stomach issues all day.  I knew this didn't bode well for my race.  I woke up feeling slightly queasy and debated taking some tums for breakfast.  Instead, I forced down my usual pre-race pb+j on whole wheat, which promptly sat in my stomach like a load of concrete.  Not good. 

Due to the heat the race started at 8 am.  It was already incredibly humid - as Virginia summers have a tendency to be.  When I picked up my race packet I was thrilled that instead of the usual race t-shirt they were giving away beach towels. 

I was impressed by the organization of a race - especially for the first year.  The race started on time, and it was hilly!  It started by moving over a bridge and into downtown Roanoke.  I adore racing through downtown Roanoke, so I was very happy about the course.  There were mile markers along the way, which was also nice, since I don't wear a watch - I just race by the heart. 

By mile 2 I was feeling mighty queasy.  Now I have never puked during a race and I sure wasn't planning to start.  Instead, I tried to focus on the goofball behind me that was singing various songs at the top of his lungs.  As we passed a water stop, where volunteers were saying, "Gatorade here!  Water here!" this guy said, "ALCOHOL!?  Which one's the ALCOHOL?!?"  Later, running up a terribly long hill, he yelled at a policeman that was directing traffic, "Doesn't this race have any longer hills?  This one's too short!"

By mile 3 my stomach was up and down.  I pushed onward, hoping for the best.  I wanted to pick it up in the last mile, but it felt like each time I tried my stomach got worse.  And like I said, puking was not an option.  So I backed off a bit and tried to just hold it steady until the end.  It was about 80* and the sun was blaring by this time, so I was really feeling the heat. 

I crossed the finish line in 32:47, which is an 8:12 minute mile pace.  It was a PR for me (mainly because I've only run one other 4 mile race, and that one I was pushing Pierce in the stroller).  Still, I was thrilled because it meant that I haven't lost as much as I thought from the injury - in fact, I'm just slightly faster than I was last summer.  Maybe there is hope for me yet!

After the race I had to sit and not move for a bit.  Sweat dripping off, my face the color of the beets from my garden.  I was so overheated!  I was finally able to sip some Gatorade, and was thrilled when I placed 2nd in my age group during the awards ceremony.  I won a cup full of red, white and blue candy as well as some Sparklers that the boys really enjoyed watching on the 4th.

In summary, it was a good race for me, in spite of the stomach threats, and I'm glad I ran it.  I love the course so much, that I've no doubt I'll be back for more next year!

Only Nine More Miles To Go - Ultramarathoning Reflection

Today, standing here in the frigid February pre-dawn amongst a hodgepodge of disheveled veteran runners, I'm going to attempt to run further than I've ever run before.  I'm shivering from head to toe as David Horton, a legend among distance runners, starts the race by trumpeting an air horn so loud it cracks the air in two.  Nervous whoops break across the crowd and feet start shuffling forward, finding their footing across rocks in the darkness.

Its slow going at first, with bottlenecks at the trailhead as runners wait anxiously to enter the woods.  We face a 17 mile loop today, around Holiday Lake in Appomattox, the heart of historic Virginia Civil War country.  We'll be tackling the loop twice.

A few miles out the crowds thin and I can finally settle into my own pace.  I hate the early miles of a long race, after the excitement of the start has dissipated but the bulk of the mileage still looms before me, an unknown.  It becomes a waiting game, loping step by step.

It isn't until mile 10 that I start feeling good about things.  I've fallen once, when a tree root grappled with my right foot, but no harm was done.  And now, with a decent chunk of mileage behind me I can relax and enjoy the solitude of nature and running.  The race breaks off in clips from aid station to aid station.  These aren't the typical aid stations of my beloved marathons, stocked with water or Gatorade and Gu.  Oh no, these aid stations are like a full buffet.  Runners scarf down salted potatoes, oreos, Mountain Dew, and at one shocking station grilled burgers.  Avoiding the heavier fare, I slip pretzels over my pinky fingers to nibble along the way, and brave a few M+Ms, hoping they don't wreak havoc on my intestines later.

At the halfway point of 17 miles, I'm feeling decent.  I'm well under the time limit cutof and my feet don't have any blisters, in spite of a knee-deep icy river crossing in the early miles.  I stretch lightly and pop a couple of ibuprofin for minor aches, sharing two with an injured runner.  Eight pinky pretzels and two minutes later I'm back on the trail. 

It isn't until mile 25 that I run, literally, into trouble.  One minute I'm feeling fine and the next pain is shooting up my iliotibial (IT) band.  It's hobbling, this pain.  I stretch, but it doesn't help.  Finally, I am reduced to walking, with a long nine mile stretch to go.  Runners, bit by bit, began to pass me by.  Crunch, crunch, crunch, I'm walking.  Surrounded by oaks, with woods as far as the eye can see, quitting is not an option.

It's now that I think of Lauren.  An ultrarunner and newlywed, she recently lost her husband to an unusual and aggressive cancer.  So young, both of them, and now she struggles to hold it together while raising 13 month old twins that will never remember their father.  Somehow, through all this strife, the light of Lauren's personality doesn't wilt, she continues to bring joy and strength to others.  Her courage carries me through the slow, crippled miles.  Warm thoughts for the remnants of her family lift my heavy feet over logs, through a stream, up rustic steps and across a bridge.

With three miles to go, I must pick it up.  I'm getting close to the seven hour time limit, and if I don't finish within the limit I won't get my finisher's technical running shirt.  I want that shirt.

I try for the tenth time since mile 25 to run.  Pain bursts viciously up my thigh.  I resign myself to walking, but faster.  Shamefully, almost everyone has passed me now, except for the truly wizened old runners.  Even now one of them shuffles past, gray beard flapping down to his waist.  "You okay?" he asks.  I want to cry.  Instead I answer, "Oh yeah.  My IT band just went out, but I'm fine."  I watch his bobbing, frizzled head as it pulls away.

I finally hear the cheers of the finish line.  Buoyed with hope, I try to run, but my body won't have it.  Instead, I walk across the line that marks the 34th mile, 6 hours and 52 minutes after the airhorn blew so long ago.  I collapse into the hugs and congratulations of my friends.  "I'm never running another ultramarathon again!" I tell them, and they only nod, knowingly, and then smirk at each other when they think I'm not looking.

I ran (well, mostly ran) this disasterous race back in 2008.  I wrote this post in response to this prompt from The Red Dress Club, because I feel like some of my strongest true-self traits are perseverance and dare I say...a stubborn streak:

Imagine you are meeting someone for the first time. You want to tell them about yourself.

Instead of reciting a laundry list of what you do or where you're from, please give us a scene from your life that best illustrates your true self.
This is an exercise in showing, not telling. You need to show us why this particular moment defines you, or why you want someone to know this truth about you. Be descriptive without bogging us down in extraneous details.


Please stop by and enter my giveaway for a cedar bluebird house and squirrel proof feeder here.

Drumstick Dash, a Thanksgiving Race Report

Paul and I have kind of started a tradition of attempting to run a race every Thanksgiving.  We missed last year, because the twins were so young, but we were back at it this year.

The Drumstick Dash is a 5K on Thanksgiving in Roanoke. This race benefits the Rescue Mission, with proceeds going towards feeding the homeless. It's by far the largest local race. 

They use the Dtag form of timing, which is a disposable timing chip.  Why is this good?  Because you get accurate times, yet they don't have to have people at the end of the line untying the chip from your shoe.

Here is what one looks like (incidentally, they used the same type of timing at NYC):

It was a windy, cold morning.

Here are my race passengers.

This was my first race where I pushed the twins (although I run with them in the stroller frequently). 

This year the race had 3 different starting lines, each starting 5 minutes apart.

First, was the starting line for runners.

Then the starting line for runners w/ strollers and runners with dogs.  This was where we waited.  Behind us, were walkers.

Look how many people were in front of us - there were 11,500 runners this year: 

It's nice that Rescue Mission tried to separate the starting lines, however, it caused me to have a fairly rough race.  First, I had to weed through all those dogs, which wouldn't have been a big deal except that some were on exceptionally long leashes (like 10 - 20 foot) so that took up a lot of the road.

Then, once I navigated doggie dashing, I came upon sooo many walkers, who seem to have started with the runners instead of the walkers.  Many of them were walking as a family, so they took up the whole road and there was just nowhere for me to go with my big stroller.  Several times I had to slow to a walk, and a few times I went offroad to get around big groups.  I figure I ran an extra 1/4 - 1/2 mile in detouring.  But it was also nice to see so many people out getting some exercise, for a good cause.  I knew, going into it, that this wasn't a race for a PR (personal record).  The twins immediately konked out and slept for the entire run - the stroller puts them to sleep every time.

One thing I liked about the race this year was that they had many little street bands along the course.  It was fun hearing the different types of music along the way.  The course also just winds up and down the streets of downtown Roanoke, which I really enjoy.  It has some uphill and downhill grades, and one short yet steep hill in the last mile.

When I approached the finish line, I ran into a huge backlog of runners.  A total bottleneck, and I had to stop and stand, watching the clock tick tick tick with precious seconds as I waited patiently for people to move ahead so I could cross the finish line.  It's not that I expected some great time or something, but still in a race you don't want to just be standing there!  Finally, I worked my way across the finish.  My chip time was 28:19. 

Afterwards the crowds were madness.  I couldn't find Paul, who had run with Pierce in the stroller.

But I did cross paths with running friend Steve.  His blog (which focuses entirely on running) is HERE if you'd like to check it out. 

And then we stumbled upon running friend Karen: 

After catching up with them (and my friend from high school, Karla, who was down visiting family) I decided to head to the car, where I finally reunited with Paul and Pierce.

We headed to my parents' house, and enjoyed one of the most beautiful turkeys I have ever seen (plus, all the fixings): 

A very nice way to spend Thanksgiving!

Star City Half Marathon, A Race Report

I'm still recovering from running the NYC marathon, but I wanted to run my local half marathon this past Saturday because I haven't run it the past couple of years.  Plus, it was going to be beautiful weather, and I would get to see many of my running friends.

Unfortunately, since NYC, my knees have been a little grumpy.  In particular, my left knee.  Lefty has been acting like Righty used to act prior to knee surgery back in December of 2004.  The surgery was to correct a misalignment of my knee, caused primarily (according to my knee surgeon) by all that horseback riding I did as a kid during my growth spurts.  He said it was very common to see the problem in people who grew up doing bent knee sports, particularly women who were tall (I'm 5'8).

So I decided to dig around in my closet to find the old taping kit.  Back when Righty was a problem, a physical therapist taught me how to tape him into place, which held me over until I had the surgery done.  So I thought, hey, I'll try that on Lefty.

I confess I also took a couple of ibuprofin pre-race, to take any knee pain I might encounter down a notch.

Here I am, waiting in line for the bathroom pre-race. 

My cheer team, who became grumpy very early on, only cheered for me the first 2 miles before demanding a return to home: 

The race started about 30 minutes late, due to a miscommunication regarding the closing/blocking off of streets.  Fortunately, they got it resolved, but the race did start a little late as a result.

The starting line: 

My cheer team snagged this picture around mile 2 just prior to getting WAY bored and heading home: 

It was such a nice day and I definitely could've run in a t-shirt had I known it would warm up so quickly.

As always, I did not wear a watch to race.

In this race, they didn't have a single split time!

Usually at races they have people or clocks stationed at various points to tell runners their time, so you can gauge how you're doing.

So I ran the race in the dark, so to speak, and just listened to how I felt as I pushed through the miles.

My knee was behaving quite well being taped into place.  I was pleasantly surprised.

However, around mile 8 it hit.

My legs just had such heavy fatigue.  It became obvious to me that they were still recovering from NYC. It felt as though they were going to refuse to run another step.  I ate a couple of Luna gummies for energy.  I pushed on but it slowed me down quite a bit.

In fact...around mile 10 I was passed by my ob/gyn and his EIGHT year old.  Rock on, that kid can run!! 

Mile 11 involved a Very.Big.Hill.  The hill under the Jesus Saves sign, for those of you who are local.  I didn't walk it at all, but my legs weren't turning over very fast at that point.

I finished the race in 2:00:17, which is a 9:11 per mile pace.  Had I known I was that close to the 2 hour mark, I would've pushed it out enough at the end to have at least broken it.  But I'm happy enough with my time; glad I got out for the race. 

Here's the finisher's medal: