St. Patrick's Day 5K 2014

This is just how it goes sometimes.  I started drafting a race recap the day after this year's St. Pat's 5k and never quite finished it.  I'm super busy at work today but wanted to post SOMEthing and started browsing my list of Unfinished Business... and here we are:

Race conditions:  VERY cold.  VERY windy.  Jason agreed to come and volunteer at the water stop though, despite the weather.

I didn't bother with my iPod, but I really should start using it for races again.  I think it makes a real difference in my pace and how I'm feeling throughout my run.

How I ran it:  No stops.  They don't even do a mid-course water stop for this race, so no walking the water stop this time, either.

Early on - maybe 5-6 minutes in, thought to myself,
Self:  "OK this is a comfortable pace, let's keep this up for the whole race.  I think we can do that."
Better Self:  "Nope.  Stop that thought right now.  This is a race!  It's not supposed to be COMFORTABLE!  What is this "comfortable" you speak of???  If it's COMFORTABLE you want, stay on the fucking couch.  [Side note:  yes, I swear a lot, even inside my own head.  Just imagine it's in an Irish accent.  It is St. Pat's after all.] This should be HARD. This should be a little UNcomfortable!"

So the remainder of the race, that was my mantra:  "A little uncomfortable.  A little MORE uncomfortable."

Results: 
Time 37:40, 12:09 pace -not bad.  Not stellar, but coming off of the winter weather, etc.... I'm OK with that.
25th in my age group
422 overall (of 475)

Full Garmin stats can be found here if you're into that sort of thing.

Photos:  I didn't take any.  It was REALLY cold.  There were some volunteers from the Club that posted pictures afterward, but I couldn't locate me in any of them.  If you want an idea of what conditions were like, and to see a few nice costumes, you can view them here.

But I can't stand closing this out without at least ONE photo... so here's me at the 2013 St. Pat's 5k!

2014 Christie Clinic Illinois Half Marathon

Before I get down to race recap business, a short update on my week:  I've been a busy worker-bee at the office in hopes of keeping slightly ahead of things before Busy Season really gets rolling next month.  But I picked up a head cold somewhere along the way, and stayed home sick yesterday.  Feeling MUCH better this morning and headed back to work.  I'll plan to keep it low-key today and tonight so I'll be refreshed and (hopefully) not too sick tomorrow morning for the Lake Run 12k. 

My nutrition has been a mix as usual.  Great, mostly-healthy dinners courtesy of my awesome husband - he's been off work all week due to his back injury and entertaining himself by making delicious foods.  Breakfasts / lunches no quite so healthy, but par for the course.  No major food junkie meltdowns, so nothing horrific to report.  My weigh-in on Sunday (day after Race Day) showed me up 2.2 lbs in comparison to the stunning 4.3-lb loss of the previous weekend.  I'm attributing that mostly to post-race swelling and water retention, but I do hope to maintain this week.  Cross your fingers for this Sunday morning.  It'll be another post-race weigh-in and with this week's food intake being a bit off, could probably go either way.

So last Saturday was the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon event!  With more resolve than anticipation, I got up a little after 4am and went through my race-day routine.  I had a short list of things to grab and put in the car, but of course all of my clothes were already lid out and ready to go, including my super-awesome "It's my First Half Marathon!" shirt - which I put stickers on to edit so that it said "3rd".  Those Wal-Mart stickers have really come in handy and made it so my custom-made shirt wasn't useless after wearing it just once!  As I'm getting ready to head out the door with yogurt and giant water bottle in hand, I thought to myself, Funny how at 4:30 in the morning, there aren't any dogs pestering me to take me with them (since I'm wearing their favorite outfit) - this early in the morning, they could care less about going for a walk - "you're on your own, crazy woman!"  Of course, as I'm thinking this, Coty pads down the stairs and noses me in the back of the knee.  "Whatcha doin'?"  I let her out in the front yard by herself while I got my coffee ready.  (Louie heard this and came out of hiding as well... but after a moment of consideration, he gave me a look that said "Damn it's too early for this shit" and went back upstairs.)

I double-checked that I had my bib (mistakes happen once, but paranoia lasts forever), put Coty back in the house, and hit the road.  I was early enough this year that I got a good parking spot (one I thought I'd be able to locate after the race) and at my yogurt and protein bar.  The race started at 7am, and I'd arrived by about 6:15am (thanks, Cheryl, for checking on me!)  I had 45 minutes to find the truck to check-in my gear bag (with post-race change of clothes, snack and shoes), stretch, find a porta-a-john and get into my corral.  I congratulated myself on having exactly the right amount of lead-time.  Just as I got out of the car to gather my gear, I ran into two awesome ladies from my running group!  A round of pictures was in order.

Julie and Caitlin and myself

We chatted for a while and talked about our plan for the race:  it was the first half marathon for each of these ladies!   They headed off to hook up with some other friends and I went looking for the gear-check.  I was so busy drinking my water, I forgot to put it in my bag before I checked it = one giant water bottle, gone forever.  Oh well, I drank as much as I could, did my stretches while waiting in line for the port-a-john, found my corral entrance, and had time for one quick pic before they called "GO" for the first corral. 

 

Corral wait time was about 20 minutes or so, but too crowded to do any stretching.  I talked with the runners around me - several first-time half-marathoners and MANY first-time marathoners!  Most of these had little orange signs on their backs saying "my first marathon" so you could cheer them on as you approached (or maybe even passed) them in the corral and on the course.  It was really inspiring starting the race with all these marathoners and being able to encourage those on their first time.  Marathoners come in all shapes and sizes and I love seeing that diversity at big races like this one.

I mentioned before, I've been trying to figure out how to work around this foot pain that I've been experiencing.  It's prevented me from doing any real training for this half-marathon and left me convinced I wouldn't be able to finish this race, but here I am at the starting line, with a walk/run interval plan and enough GU to get me through 3 hours of running, and the resolve to do whatever I can, no more, and certainly NO LESS.  Foot pain or no pain, I'm going to give it whatever I've got.

 

So I run for four minutes and it's time for my first walk break.  I stop.  This feels SO WRONG.  But I have a plan and by god, I'm going to stick with it.  If I end up running 15 minutes at a time and then quitting at the 6 mile mark because I can't take the pain in my feet, I will regret it.  So, even though I'm expecting someone in the cheering, super-supportive crowd to yell "Don't quit now, you just got started!" I stop and walk my one minute and then pick it back up.  After a couple miles of this, it feels a lot less wrong.  After 6 miles of this, it starts to feel RIGHT.  But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

 

I'm reminding myself to have some fun.  In a way, every race is about finishing, but some are about finishing fast, or finishing well.  All other goals were out the proverbial window for this event and it really was ONLY about finishing.  That frees you up to focus on all sorts of things:  how many tutus can I count in Mile 3?  (Fourteen.)  Trying to read as many of the signs on the side of the road as possible.  Making a point to say something encouraging, give a high-five, or a pat on the back to every person I see wearing that "My First Marathon" tag on their back.  Say "thank you" to as many volunteers as I can make eye contact with.  Sing along with Pat Benatar (in my headphones) saying "Hit me with your Best Shot" - you know, general long-run self-entertainment.  It was getting warm -I got my little towel out and took a couple extra water cups at one of the hydration stations to get it wet for future use.

 

Somewhere between the 4-and-5 mile markers I realized my feet were starting to tingle.  Not bad, but not a good sign.  I came around a corner and decided to text Jason and let him know I was still in it.  I had some trouble getting my phone out of the pocket of my Batman Utility Belt.  (This thing is awesome and sits really well without chafing or riding around like some do, but having the big pocket on the back side makes digging around for things a little bit of a chore.  On the other hand, I can carry my GU, phone, iPod, plastic dog-poop bag [yes of course I always need that but rarely have one with me], gum, chapstick, credit card and ID and not notice any extra weight or bulk.)  Anyway, the point is, I was struggling with getting to my phone while running, so I pulled to the side and stopped for a minute to sort things out.  Once I texted him ["5 miles in, still ok"] and started back into the race, I almost absent-mindedly turned around to the group of volunteers/ community cheerleaders / supporters there and said "Thanks for being out here, you guys are awesome!!"  I turned around and started to run when I heard, "CHRIS!!  IT'S YOU!"

 

Me and Haley from RGX

Well looky here I found RunnerGirlX!!  Check out her Facebook page - she's funny and articulate and occasionally posts video "Confessions from the Road" - plus she's local!  Definitely check her out!  I had told her I'd be running and what I'd be wearing and that I'd look for her, but in all the chaos I was sure we'd miss each other.  What a treat she saw my shirt before I took off!  At this point I stopped my Garmin and we talked for a few minutes without me having a running clock in my head.  As I said... today is ALL ABOUT FINISHING and giving my feet an extra break is just fine by me.  Enjoy the journey and make it to the end, that's my motto for the day.
About this time I realized I was about 1 hour into the run and it was time for my first GU.  OK, got that done.  So off I go, 4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, repeat.  When I came across a hydration station, I walked.  If that meant I was walking during a "run" interval, that's OK.  Depending on where that fell in the intervals, I may pick up and run some more before the next scheduled walk or I might not.  I was really intent on being as kind to my feet as possible until I figure out what's causing this awful pain.  I just ran until the time on my watch read a minute ending in either a 9 or a 4, and then I walked until it hit either a 0 or a 5.  Take it easy, keep the math simple. 

It was a little after the 10k mark that I realized my feet weren't hurting anymore.  This came as quite a shock.  My feet were hurting, and then they weren't. I don't get it. But I sure was happy about it.  My feet don't hurt anymore!  [They got pretty achy and started complaining again around mile 11, about when I'd normally expect it, but that searing shocking pain never returned.]  I had now surpassed every training run I'd done so far.  This is my longest run of 2014, whether I finish the race or not.  I kept on with my 4/1 intervals. 

Around 7.0 miles, I saw a GREAT sign hanging in a tree - I didn't get a picture but it said simply "TRUST YOUR TRAINING."  No one holding it, just tied up on each corner to the branches of this tree at the side of the road.  First, I wanted to cry.  I got a little teary, actually.  This sign sort of hit me in the face that way.  Then I started laughing because the first coherent thought I had was "WHAT training?!?!?"

Next I saw this sign, which also made me giggle.  There was a large group of people in front of the neighboring hose, cheering and possibly already doing a little day-drinking...The really funny thing about this sign is that the race ends at University of Illinois, which is a DRY campus and there IS NO beer at the finish line.  Tricksters!

This is about when I decided I wasn't having as much fun as I ' been having earlier.  I sent a text to Jason... "7.5.  Still in it.  This is less fun now."  and snapped a selfie.  OK my intention was to be sticking my tongue out like I was pooped... but the picture somehow came out really flattering.  I didn't realize it until later, when he texted back "You still look fresh.  Get home and walk the doggies.  They are very confused."

He's right, I look FINE here!

I had been keeping an eye out for an open port-a-john.  Maybe a little TMI for my readers, but I drank a lot of water before the race and I was hydrated as hell... and I really had to pee.  But not so bad I would stand in line for it.  I'm only here to finish the race, but let's not be ridiculous about it.  (Yeah, I can't justify this line of thinking at all, but it was really important to me that I don't waste time standing in line.  Stop to chat with fellow bloggers?  Of course.  Stand in line to pee?  No fucking chance.)

This is about when I realized my ankle was bleeding.  What can I do about it?  Time for another photo.  This one I sent to the Hubs back home.  "8.0.  Now THIS."  [Response:  "Ew.  Ur gross.  Go away!"]  And then of course he suggested I locate a medical tent and a bandaid.  Good advice which I promptly ignored.  Because as soon as I turned to get moving again, I saw this:

I did find a port-a-pottie with no line just after the 8-mile marker - SCORE!  I was excited enough about this that I posted it to my personal Facebook page while peeing.  (Again, TMI??  Sorrrrry.) 

 

There's not a lot to say about the rest of the race, except a few funny sights, a shirt I really want to buy for myself, but in the meantime had to spend about 30 minutes chasing it so I'd get close enough to snap a photo.   

 

 

 

 

"Faster than your average sloth."

 

Time passed.  4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, repeat.  4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, repeat.  Two hours in, I had my other GU.  The foot pain never really came back.  I have nothing to back it up, but I wonder if the pain might be fuel-related??  I haven't used any GU since last year, because my runs haven't been all that long.  (With the exception of my 10k, where I SHOULD have used GU but had completely forgotten to stock up on the stuff.)

 

Me at Mile 9.  Photo proofs from MarathonFoto.com

I was somewhere between 10-11 miles when I suddenly began to comprehend what was happening.  I was over 10 miles.  I have less than a 5k left to go.  Even if I WALK the whole way it's less than an hour, and my feet feel good enough to run at least some of it. 

 

I'm going to finish.  I'm really going to be able to finish it.  Once again, I get all teary.  That was an emotional realization for me.  I had to take a moment to let that sink in, take in that reality.  I was surprised, grateful, proud.

 

So that's pretty much it!  I finished the race - and had a blast doing it!  My third half-marathon is in the books.

 

Crossing the finish line.  Photo proofs from MarathonFoto.com

After crossing the finish line, I collapsed on the turf and cried a little.  Called the Hubs and talked to him a bit.  I wanted to thank him for his comment the night before - I really don't know if I would have been able to finish without his support and telling me he believed in me.

I asked a woman nearby, "Could you do me a sort-of-gross favor?"  And she agreed to snap a photo of my mangled ankles.  By the time I'd finished, both had gotten pretty torn up.

Here's how bad my ankles got by the time I finished.

 

 

Photo proofs from MarathonFoto.com

 

My Garmin (which I stopped while talking with RGX and again at my pit stop, had a time of 2:56:37, 8 minutes slower than the half last September, 13 minutes slower than my time in Ventura.  (But it's not about speed today, Chris.  Today is about finishing.)  My official chip time came in at 3:03.  Full Garmin Stats can be found here if you're interested.

A few post-race photos:

My BodyBugg was exploding.

I was feeling "SUPER"!

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

 

I hate to reiterate a cliche, but sometimes it's less cliche and more truism:  If you believe you CAN'T, you WON'T.  And at least this time around, knowing that someone ELSE believed in me, helped me to believe in myself, or if not to believe I COULD, at least to believe I could give it my all.  Looking back, I can hardly believe I actually considered not even showing up for this race, because I was certain I wouldn't be able to finish without injuring myself.  Self doubt, now and always, is my worst enemy. 

 

UPDATE / side note:  I later discovered some serious chafing on my torso that afternoon as well. Haven't worn this Awesome Bra in such a long run before. LOVE the bra, but may need to invest in some Body Glide.

 

Miller Park Zoo Stampede 2014

Better late than never, that's my motto!  I was, however, MORE than on-time for the race the morning of March 2 for the Miller Park Zoo Stampede.  There was some confusion about the start-time of the race.  Packet pickup ended at 9:15am, and I was trolling the web the night before trying to figure out the start-time for the race itself, and found conflicting information.  My calendar said gun time was 10am, but the event's web site didn't have the start time listed (what??? I know.  They're great people, they run a local zoo for a living, they don't plan and organize races for a living.)  One of the running club sites indicated a 9:30am start, so I showed up at 8:30am.  Got a terrific parking spot and there was practically no line for the packet pickup (a nice change from prior years when the line was thick, crowded, and disorganized).  I confirmed with the volunteers at the desk that the start time was, in fact, at 10am.  I wasn't the only one wondering about it, they'd gotten quite a few questions, so I didn't feel too badly about it, but I was left with about an hour to kill before the race.

The weather was cold and windy, no snow this year, but sort of damp, so I went to my car to play with my phone, check my gear, and generally warm up.  I also needed to come up with a goal for this year's race.  Since I'm "coming back" I knew that going for a PR was just not in the cards, but that doesn't mean there's no goal.  I just need different goals for the time being.  I had such an amazing racing year in 2013, nearly every race was a PR - of 16 races, 10 were either PR or first-time running that distance or type of course (trail runs, etc).  Perhaps by the end of this season I'll find another PR, but for the time being, I need goals that are not time-based.  Since I've been struggling with endurance and taking "too many" or "too long" walk-breaks, I decided I wanted this to be a full-on run, with no breaks other than walking the water stop.  This, at least, would be the way I ran all of my 5ks last year, not as fast, but the "rule" for last year was "NO STOPS during a 5k."

Just before the start time, I got out and ran a little to warm up, found some friends, and got our "first race of the season" selfies:

Mid-Race - check out my cool new warm-weather running tights!  FLASHY!  Makes me look faster, right?

This is historically the first race of the season for most of us.  I did run the Chilly Chili this year, but that's really more of a "fun run" than a race.

So, off we went - and I did make this my first "real" run of the year - with no walk breaks other than the water stop.  That felt very good.  It seems like most races I end up with some sort of mantra going through my head, and for this one, that ended up being:  "Just be glad you have a body that will do this.  I feel grateful for this body."  I really focused in on knowing that I could run this full distance, even though I haven't run that long without a break in quite a while.  I knew that I could and that I wanted to, and I wanted to appreciate that ability, regardless of pace.

"We are all striving to build our own confidence and self-esteem. This sport of ours can do and has done just that. "

Dave McGillivray 

Several minutes into the race, I felt my legs begin to loosen up, and really started to feel like I'd found my groove, the pace I could maintain for the 3-mile distance.  I checked my Garmin and noted it was less than 8 minutes in.  I made a point of NOT looking at the pace, just the time.  With the cold temps I was surprised my body warmed up that quickly, to tell you the truth.  From then on, I just focused on keeping that rhythm and staying in that groove.  I didn't have my iPod, so no music, no dog... just me and my thoughts, and the run.  The Effort.

Speaking of No Dog - before the race, several people asked "Where's Coty?" - I had forgotten to check whether they allowed dogs in this race or not, and left her at home.  I've brought her to this race a couple of times, I think... and they noticed.  Oh, that dog is such a great partner, and everyone loves her.  I'm so glad to have her!

Race Encounters:
I have one funny thing to share with you about this race, and other than this, it was pretty uneventful... but I can't get this out of my head!
There was a woman, a fairly new (or maybe returning) runner, as I found out over the course, who was running just ahead of me at the start.  We leap-frogged many times during the race and I noticed she was doing something that I used to do when I was trying to learn how to run:  she would start running (SPRINTING may be a better term) and get ahead of me, but she'd run out of steam after just a few minutes and then walk, pretty slowly, to recover.  She was ending up pretty well in line with my slower running pace, but I think she was more tired than I was.  Wish I knew her name so I could see where she ended up... but if I remember correctly, I passed her for the last time with maybe a 1/2-mile to go and didn't see her again.  It reminded me of the importance of pacing myself and all the great tips and tricks I learned in my first year with the running group in 2010.

But here's the thing that's funny:  The course is on the neighborhood streets around the zoo so there were volunteers at each intersection keeping an eye on traffic and making sure we could run the course without interruption.  Typically, I try to say something to most of the volunteers, or if I'm out of breath, just a wave and a smile at the least, but usually a "Thanks!" or "Thanks for being out here!" as I pass.  This woman had a particular way of thanking each and EVERY volunteer. It was exactly the same, EVERY time.  She would SCREAM at the top of her lungs:

"THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US SAFE!"

Exactly the same way, exactly the same tone, exactly the same insane VOLUME, every time.
I recorded a "voice memo" to give you the idea, but I don't know if it will work... I'm not sure how to upload it to the blog...

It was driving.  Me.  CRAZY.  She seemed very nice and it was a very thoughtful and I'm sure heartfelt gratitude... but the volume.  When we passed one another, I could hear the music coming from the ear buds on her iPod, so I'm sure the volume was affected by that... Oh, and she periodically stopped dead in the street and danced, arms all akimbo and hips moving.  She was having a blast, and running her own race.  I don't want to make fun of her or diminish in any way, but... Seriously, it was interrupting my whole flow and it was really distracting for me. At one point I got the giggles and could hardly contain myself.  If I wasn't so concerned with maintaining my pace and running the whole way without running out of gas and having to walk later, I would have sprinted for a few minutes just to get some distance from her.

Oh, and one other thing, through most of the race I was behind this woman - heavyset like me and wearing a really cool blue jacket which made her very visible in my sight line - and I wasn't really "trying" to catch up to or pass her, but toward the end of the race, I did catch up to her.  I could see she was flagging a bit, and as I approached I said, "I've been behind you this whole time - don't slow down now!!"  We ended up running the last bit together - a little less than half a mile I think.  Turns out she is returning to running after several months recovering from a serious car accident, and she'd driven up from Decatur to participate in the race with some family members.  This was her first race, post-accident.  She, too, was feeling grateful for a body, imperfections and all, that has the strength and endurance to do this thing.

Race Results:  

I came in 200th overall, 13th for my age group.  Official time (not a chip timed race): 40:02.4 with a pace of 12:55/Mile.  I started my watch just as I crossed the start line, so I'm sticking with my Garmin time of 39:46.
Past results for this race:
2013 35:49
2012 41:07
2011 44:59

Wow, look at that - yes, it was about 4 minutes slower than last year, but still 2 minutes better than 2012 and 5 minutes better than 2011.  I think I can feel pretty darn good about that.

Post-race:
I had a weigh-in on that Sunday and was down a bit, but still no real movement on the scale.  I did some research and decided to try increasing my calorie intake a bit - from 1,450 to about 1,600 - to see if that would shake things up at all and get my body back on track.  I decided to let that sit for a few weeks and see how it settles.  If I end up gaining several pounds... well, I guess that's probably not the solution.

Inaugural Ventura Marathon 9/8/13, Part II

I tried to establish in Part I that the Ventura Marathon was unlike any I've ever participated in before, but as a matter of fact, Race Day started EXACTLY like most other Race Day mornings: pre-dawn alarm clock, coffee, Clif Bar and yogurt.  About a 1/2-mile walk to the starting line to warm up.

As I mentioned in my short post the night before the race, We drove the race route several times (once on purpose and then it turned out to be part of our daily routine).  One thing I learned and was able to prepare for: we noticed there was a particular section of the course that ran past... something very stinky.  I don't know if it was a waste treatment plant or a swamp or what, but there was about a 1/2-mile right on the Ventura / Oxnard border that just SMELLS.  Really bad. I've never done that before, driven the route; and it completely psyched me out! I was getting nervous, but after a sort-of night's sleep, I felt pretty average for a race morning. 

I found my sister-in-law and took our requisite "Before" picture for the blog!  Hi, Heidi!

I don't have a photo, but had a chance to talk (way too briefly!) with Cari, who I've known since maybe 4th grade (!!) and reconnected with via Facebook in the past few years.  Cari was visiting Ventura with her sister - neither of them lives here anymore.  Her sister had planned to run the half but was injured just days before the race, so they were there by 6:15am to cheer on all the runners in the full and half marathon!  Hi, Cari; it was GREAT to see you!  Mr. Glines would be so tickled that his old students are still keeping in touch.

I'd talked to my mom on the phone a couple of times and texted, but couldn't seem to find her.  She works nights and had been up all night scouting the best place to hang her banner where I'd see it during the race! But I couldn't find her and we were running out of time before the gun would go off, so I made my way to the back of the crowd to get my stretching done - my PT would be so proud.  This was the point where my mom found me and, of course, more pictures!

The gun went off about 7am, with a wave start.  I was in the third and final wave but had found Heidi again by then and we started off together.  We split up pretty quickly - she's faster than I am - and I was on my own, just like my training runs (well, except with no Coty to pull me along!) (oh, and there was the palm trees) (and the fog).  But yeah, JUST like my training runs!  I really wanted to just take in the scenery and the experience and enjoy the moment, and as I'm sure I've mentioned, my intent was to be training for the We Care Twin Cities Half Marathon at the end of the month and treat this as a training run for that race... so especially during the first half of the route (it was an out-and-back course), I pulled my phone out of my fanny pack and snapped pictures along the way. 

You can see it was fantastic running weather.  The marine layer didn't burn off until after the race was finished, the temperature remained in the mid-to-high 60's and foggy.  No breeze and WOW this must be the flattest 13.1 miles on earth, they really had a nice flat course!

We ran past the harbor, with all the boats in the background (which, it turns out, you can't really make out in the photo, but there ARE all those palm trees...) and I stopped to snap a photo of that.  A runner behind me saw what I was doing and yelled, "Hey, you wanna be IN that??" And he stopped his race to snap a photo of me!  I thought that was pretty darn awesome.

Jason planned to stay at the start / finish line through the entire race; he wanted to make sure he was there when I finished.  My mom and other family members were to be at various points along the route - they'd made signs and banners to hold up, and the kids would be there cheering Heidi and me along.  I used that nifty "Talk to Text" feature on my phone to send Jason messages along the way and keep him posted on progress, knowing he could update the others.

Looking through my text message history tells the story:

Jason:  "I musta just missed your start.  Ben is going to the halfway point to cheer you on."

Me:  "Love you."     

Then I got to that smelly segment.  Me: "Who farted?"  

Jason:  "VENTURA farted. Or Oxnard?"  

Me:  "I'm feeling good.  Just hit 4 miles."

And I WAS feeling good, and doing really well - split times were right on pace with my goal of 2:45.  My training runs had been basically running one mile at a time, with a 0.1 mile walk at each mile.  I had decided to run 2 miles at a time for the race, with the same interval, a 0.1 mile walk.  So starting with Mile 3, I should have a slower pace every other mile (3,5,7,9,11).  I finished the first 4 miles under 50 minutes.  And remembered to eat my ShotBloks.

Another couple of miles and I realized I was coming to the turnaround point, or rather, that Heidi was probably already there and would be passing by me on her way back.  I took out my phone and got it ready, hoping to snap a photo of her as she came past.  

Here she comes!

I passed the 6-mile water stop and the turnaround point, and still hadn't seen anyone.  Jason texted me:  "Keep an eye out, they really don't wanna miss you!"  So at this point I'm worried I've missed them, but really, the way the route was set up, that would have been difficult to do.  This was the first time Ventura has had an event like this one.  There weren't TONS of supporters and cheerleaders and community folks on the course.  There was terrific community support, don't get me wrong... but it pales in comparison to what I've seen at the Illinois Marathon event.  But that event's been going on for years and years.  And anyway, if I missed them, I was bound to catch them on the way back because I'll go back exactly the same route I took coming out.  I sent J another message:  "They are not at the turn around.  I'm heading back.  Passed the halfway, making good time."

The next water stop was at the 7.5-mile mark and (TMI here...) I really had to pee.  I stopped my Garmin ("it's just a training run after all...") and hit the Port-A-John.  Took my GU, and got going again.  Still no family sighting!  Lots and lots of people had passed me along the way and asked about my shirt:

"Is it really your first??  Congratulations!"  

"You're looking great - keep it up!" 

"You got this!"

This event was large enough that even at my slower pace, there were lots of folks behind me, and as I went past, I high-fived nearly everyone I saw (well, I tried not to be annoying and intrusive, but... ) I tried to pass on a word of encouragement to each, especially anyone who looked like they were struggling.  Mostly women, mostly people with more weight to lose than I do.

Somewhere along the way, I accidentally hit the button to take a photo while running, and got this shot.  it's basically a throw-away, but for some reason I really like it.


I sent J another update:  "Look for me at 2:40 or so!"
Then:  "8.0" - only 5 miles to go.  This would have been about 1:30 to 1:40 after the start.
Another message:  Me:  "I say again.  Who farted?"  Four miles to go.  I stopped for my last couple of ShotBloks.

At this point, I was really missing my dog/ running buddy!  I'd been running for about 2 hours.  It was lonely running a race this long without my running partner and none of my Lake Run Club friends on the course.  My knees were hurting, my ankles too.  My feet were killing me.  Texting Jason was really helping me to keep focused and remind myself how far I'd come and how much progress I'd made on this journey.

You can see by the time - compare 9 to 10 here - where I took a little longer walk break during Mile 9 AND took those ShotBloks.  My mile split goes right back down to  12 for Mile 10.

I sent one more message: "Still haven't seen anyone.  But I just hit 10.  Walking a minute."  Jason responded with about 1 text every 10 minutes:

"An 84-year-old beat you, but he's been doing it a while."

"Just saw Heidi finish.  Get moving!"

"They have cookies!"

"You're late!"

What he didn't know what that right after I sent my last message, I saw THIS:

See that kid in the red shirt??  That's my nephew Logan!  The kid in black, sitting with a sign in his lap?  That's his brother Caden. Those are my baby brother's boys.Beyond them, holding a GIGANTIC blue banner - my older brother's boys:  Carson and Charlie!    And behind them, my brothers and sister-in-law, with ANOTHER banner!  man, I wanna cry right now, just looking at these pictures, and it's been three weeks since this moment.  It was the greatest sight for sore eyes!

And then I saw THIS:

I was frantically taking photos but stopped to give everyone a big, sweaty hug.  This just happened to be where the official race photos were being taken, and they caught the moment:

LOOK AT THE SMILE ON MY FACE!  Wow I have NEVER been so happy after a 10-mile-plus run!


My baby brother, Ben, my sister-in-law Jenny, and my big brother Brian, all with their banners!

The boys jogged with me down the block, where we found my mom again!

Fabulous 40 - May the Course be With You

Mom's sign pays homage to the fact I was running my first half as a bit of a 40th birthday present for myself, and one of my very favorite running / Star Wars references... LOVE IT!  She made the banner, hung it on a bridge at the start of the race, then went and took it down from the bridge, drove to this spot and waited there with the rest of the family  where I'd be sure to see it again!

Then, something AMAZING happened.  The boys - all four of them! - kept running with me, down the block, past mom, around the corner toward the keys they were running in the street and on the sidewalk - and Charlie didn't even have any shoes on!  They had a football with them and were tossing it back and forth, circling me, running ahead and looking back and yelling encouragement, "You can DO IT, AUNT CHRISTAL!!"  I was shocked and completely taken off-guard, and humbled by their support.  I felt like Rocky Balboa, with his community surrounding him, running through the streets of Philly in a training montage!  There is absolutely NO WAY to top that feeling.  Ever.  I'm certain of it.  My family is truly a wonder.

After about a mile, the boys were still running with me - football and lack of shoes and all!  I kept advising them to be sure and stay out of the way of other runners so that they could pass easily.  We passed a water stop, and the boys were all concerned whether it was okay for them to take some.  (I don't think they were quite prepared for a run this long!)  Then I heard a horn honking... Charlie's parents had gotten in the van, somehow slipped past the police and volunteers guarding the race course... and insisted that Shoeless Joe join them in the vehicle.  (Well, I figured that couldn't last forever.)

At the same moment, I caught sight of my dad, his wife, and my step-sister Courtney.  They were on the corner and it suddenly hits me that I'm running in MY old neighborhood.  We used to go to the beach here ALL THE TIME when I was growing up, and THIS is the beach we went to.  This is MY BEACH, my home town, my family.  This is the most amazing race, the most amazing day... 

I had another scheduled walk break right about then, so I explained to the remaining nephews - who did NOT jump in the van with Charlie; they were still hanging in with me, determined to run with me all the way to the finish line! - that we would walk for 0.1 miles and then run the rest of the way... about one more mile to the finish line.  And that's just what I did.  I was so energized by their company at this point, I felt like I might not even need the break, but didn't want to run out of gas at the last second.

We veered off the road onto the beach walkway for that last 3/4-mile or so.  The sand dunes on my left, beachgoers making their way from the parking lot, weaving through the runners.  There is a public restroom there and one or both of the younger boys had to pee, so they dropped back.  Carson kept up with me, but I asked him,

"What happened to Caden and Logan?"  

"They stopped at the bathroom."  

"Dude, you're in charge of making sure they don't get kidnapped!  I'm slow; you'll catch up with me! Go get 'em and bring them to the finish line!"  

And that was the last of my entourage.  They ran with me for over two miles, and wonder of wonders, they crapped out before I did!  After nearly 13 miles, I was on my own again and feeling stronger than ever.  My feet and knees and hips ankles and shoulders all still hurt, but those kids had restored my super powers! I was going to finish this race, and run it right to the end!  (Whisper:  And check it out... don't tell them, but I was faster without 'em.  Those were the slowest and best two miles of the day.)

Jason was right there at the finish line.  I saw him before he saw me.  I was sad that I didn't get to run in with all my nephews - I had texted J at some point:  "I have three nephews with me - you can't miss it!"

I think I'm trying to wave, but holding my towel, so only got the one finger up!  Gotta love those finish-line photos!  I'm just glad I saw him and still smiling!

Another picture I like but can't explain why.

The next hour or so was a blur.  We walked to the beach, on the other side of the pier.  My pier.  My beach.  I took off my shoes and thanked the running goddesses I'd had the presence of mind to pack a pair of sandals for after the race.

I wandered out into the water to cool my ankles and my knees.  I looked back and snapped this photo.  My family - boys playing with their dad, Jason chatting with mom and Heidi and Jenny, Ben getting something for little Lyla.  The foothills in the background.  Such familiar sights from my childhood home.

 "Cool your heels" - LITERALLY!

There were quite a few marathoners in the ocean, most up to their knees to "ice down" their aching joints.  One woman was a bit further out, doing squats and dipping her sore hips into the cold water to help with the swelling.  I decided to copy the professionals and kept my feet and ankles submerged for about 15 minutes, eventually going out enough to get my knees in on the action.

Best race medal, ever.  It's so colorful!  And it doubles as a bottle opener.  :-)

I don't remember taking this photo, but I really like it.

There was an Expo and post-race party - locally-brewed beer - called "805" (Ventura's area code)

My best friend Robert called and was headed in from LA.  He picked up his mom and came to join us at the Expo. Here he is with his mom and mine.

Eventually, we all headed back to my brother's house for the afternoon.  Games, food, and great old friends joined us again.  It was a fantastic day.

Me and most of my siblings!

Can we get everyone in one picture??

Mom and her kids.

My original crew.

So that's it.  My first half marathon.  I'm so glad to have done it, and to have flown to California and made it a part of our family vacation.  This was definitely the most memorable and most emotional race I've ever been involved in.  

I may race faster some day, but nothing's going to beat this one.