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Posts tagged ‘running’

Sep 16

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20.5

This marathon training season has FLOWN by. I swear it was just yesterday that I was doing my first 20-miler and saying “the marathon is SO far away, we’ve got plenty of time to get in race shape.” And now here I am, three weeks away from the Chicago Marathon: my 9th battle with 26.2 miles.

This past weekend was my final 20-miler before tapering begins. It was the 5th 20 miler of the season and also my favorite. The original Perfect Strangers crew – PS11 if you will – all promised to run our final 20-miler together before any marathon. And so last week, after a great dinner with the girls, we made our plans for Saturday. Not everyone could be in attendance: Kelly was sick. Bri was out of town. But Meg, Christi, Karen, Amy, Jaime and I all met at 96th street at 6am for our long run. The weather was perfect – 52 degrees. The humidity, though high, wasn’t an issue due to the cooler temperatures and we all reveled in the ability to wear arm sleeves (tubes!) or a long sleeved tee and of course, our signature tall socks.

I have a bit of a mental barrier about running far north into Carmel along the Monon, but pushed past it this weekend. We ran 4.5 miles north, turned around, and then continued down to 54th street before turning back towards our cars. Karen and Christi wanted to do 22 and Jaime could only do 9 because of a time commitment.

As we started in the dark, just a couple of knuckle lights lighting our way, I already knew this would be a great run. I was running with my best friends. Whether we see each other every week or not even every month, our conversation picks up right where we left it. It’s easy. It’s fun. It’s emotional. We talked about relationships and jobs and our bodies and of course, running.

At mile 6ish, we stopped on a bridge to take a picture with the sunrise.

PS11

When we dropped Jaime off at mile 9, I took my first gel. I bought a new variety this week and I can’t say enough about the Hammer Gel – Cinnamon Apple! It tastes like the middle of an apple pie and I am obsessed!

my infomercial on Apple Cinnamon delight

I told the girls I was going to try to stay around a 10-minute mile and that meant Christi and Karen were going to go ahead. They have some aggressive goals for Chicago so we wished them well and watched them surge ahead. Amy, Meg and I continued on. I felt slow, but felt good. My legs never hurt too much (sure I had some pain in my heel, achilles, hips, feet, etc but nothing major!) and I felt more energy than in the past. Even Meg commented that my mood was the best it’s been all running season.

At one point, I was discussing a video that Meg and I saw earlier in the week about crossfit. As we debated how “strong is the new sexy” and fake boobs, a man walking in front of us turned around “Ladies, I have to say your conversation is quite interesting. Can we extrapolate on these subjects?” He started running with us and for the next 2 miles, we ran alongside Martin. He is in his 50s and is out on the Monon every week with his friends (one of which is the blind man that runs on the Monon every Saturday). He has run 21 marathons (one of which was a 3:22!) and is from England. We talked about WWII and airplanes and good running form and marathons. His spirit was happy and we absolutely loved his company. When he said goodbye to us, we had the biggest smiles on our faces.

We stretched at McDonalds and continued south of Broadripple. We came upon a father who was pushing a stroller next to his maybe 2-year old who was running alongside him. We stopped and I asked if I could have a high-five since he was such a good runner. He pointed to a rock, I fastened his velcro shoes and then he gave me a huge high five. We then decided that Connor the 2-year old and Martin the 50-year old were the only men we would allow to run with us on Saturday. We loved them both.

Our breaks were not as frequent or long as in the past and our pace was pretty consistent. So many people commented on our socks and told us good luck or to keep going that we finally asked ourselves if we looked like we were really struggling and therefore needed the encouragement. But what we soon realized is that the cool weather just put EVERYONE in a good mood. Runners weren’t pouring sweat as in Saturdays past or dying of heat. We were all just joyful to be out on such a gorgeous day.

At mile 16, we took this picture.

all smiles

And soon after Karen and Christi came up behind us. They had run an extra 2 miles with no breaks and had caught up to us! We wished them on their way as they were definitely killing this run. We stopped to stretch at mile 17.5 and met two other women who were running 20 that day. And when we hit mile marker 18, we turned on Gangnam Style. If you haven’t heard it, you will soon become obsessed. It’s the latest internet meme and is not just a catchy tune but has some awesome dance moves. We listened to it for an entire mile, on speaker as we passed people. Given the song is in Korean, we only know a few words (Sexy ladies!) but the tune gave us the boost of energy we needed.

At mile 19, we saw JD waiting for us. He had just finished 21 miles and wanted to run the last mile with us. So we had him take a picture of our Gangnam dance moves and we turned the music back on for the final stretch.

Gangnam Style

With only 50 yards to go, Christi and Karen found us. They had doubled back so we could all run together. It’s the Perfect Stranger way.

20 and 22

We rested at the 96th street park and told tales of our run. My legs were tired. But my heart was oh so happy.

2-0

We met Dana at Kilroys and enjoyed a post-run beer and breadsticks. She did 23 miles with 3 girls and killed it. Overall, it was a great day for everyone, including Bri who rocked out her final 20-miler in Michigan.

What I learned from this run is that my body is ready for the distance. My injuries are present, but not damning. And I will do 26.2 on October 7th. But it won’t be a PR. I am just a little slower than normal right now. The only thing I can attribute it to is my lack of during-the-week runs. I know I have let life get in the way of consistent training. This running  season has flown by but I also haven’t made it the priority that I should have.

And I am actually ok with that. My 9th marathon doesn’t have to be my best. I got my PR last spring when I ran 4:15:01 in Champaign. This race is going to be about doing my best and having fun. Surely, I’ll fare better than I did last year in Chicago when I was injured and had to walk a lot. And after Chicago, I’ll make a game plan about what’s next. Though I am burned out, I am also a bit rejuvenated. Knowing that I am not in the running shape I want means that I want to work harder. And that’s exactly what I’ll do for Marathon 10, 11, 12, 13…..

Thank you to my girls for such a perfect Saturday run. It wasn’t my fastest. It wasn’t my best performance. But my heart and head needed those miles with you.

May 22

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Cleveland Marathon – cheering for JD

On the drive to Cleveland, JD says to me “You know, the marathon field isn’t full. You could run this too.” And immediately, the wheels were turning: yes, I had the right clothes and shoes. I could do this. But because I was committed to being there for him, I pushed those thoughts out of my head fast. And thank gosh I did. I can promise you that I did not want to run that race.

We arrived Saturday, checked into our hotel in Cleveland and headed to the expo. It was a pretty good one so we walked around and checked out running products, inquired about races. The minute we stepped outside, we both recognized how hot it was. It was a gorgeous day. Gorgeous, but HOT. I checked weather.com and it was only 42% humidity though. I told JD not to worry – the race started at 7am and he’d be done by 10am. The heat wouldn’t be an issue. (SPOILER ALERT: I was wrong)

From there we watched footy at an Irish pub downtown and then hit up Great Lakes Brewery so JD could stock up on local beer. And by 6pm, we were sitting in an adorable Italian restaurant with my good friend Michelle and her husband Joel. Michelle was also running the full.

By 10pm, we were tucked in bed, lights out. His alarm was set for 4:45am and mine for 5:15am. No need for a late night to keep us from rest.

The next morning, we were out the door by 6am to get to the start by 7am. We were a bit worried about traffic and parking but felt we gave ourselves enough time. Not really. After sitting in traffic we parked at what seemed like miles away. On the walk there, I consulted the weather report and it was 63 degrees (not bad) but 64% humidity. I lied and told Josh the humidity was low. At that point, I couldn’t change Mother Nature so figured lying was my best bet. No need to make him more nervous than he already was. We finally arrived at the Browns Stadium where the start line, finish line, gear check and restrooms were. JD needed the bathroom so we hunted for one that didn’t have lines 60 people deep. How on earth does a race with 20,000 people only have 6 porta-pottys?! We had 28 minutes to spare and the lines were well past that. And the stadium was not any better. He luckily found a urinal though and we raced from there to the start.

Then, another debacle. He had ripped off the gear check part of his bib off which also had corral information. Which meant he wasn’t able to get into the fast starts. So luckily, he sweet talked a woman into letting him get into the corral he should have been in. Finally, with just minutes to spare, he was lined up and ready to go. And because of all the stress and anxiety, he was also pretty fired up. I just knew it would be a great race for him.

ready for 26.2

stretch it out

After dropping him off at the start, I found a spot where I would hopefully see him right as the gun went off. I held up one of my homemade race signs – this one said “Dial It Up!

I noticed that their first task is to climb a bit of a hill right at the start. Poor things….sure didn’t look fun to me. But luckily, I spotted him and he waved. The race had begun.

the masses

The minute he passed, I was on the move. Though I would have loved to drive all around the course to see him, it wasn’t going to be possible. First, our car was way far away. Second, with traffic and road closings, it was just going to be too difficult. So instead, I strapped a backpack on and was ready to run. With a map in one hand and my phone in the other, I started navigating myself to mile 7.

I crossed the Superior Bridge and saw the most amazing spectacle – thousands of runners crossing a parallel bridge. What a sight.

so many runners!

While on the bridge, I realized that walking to mile 7 may not get me there in time to see JD so I started running. My first spectating point was at the intersection of 38th and Detroit. Here in Indy, 38th Street is definitely not a safe area of town. Pair that with Detroit? I was certain I was going to be running into some shady part of Cleveland. But I was there before I know it and other than the thousands of cigarettes littered all over the sidewalks, the area was just fine.

I staked out my point and ended up making friends with a guy cheering for his wife. We exchanged running stories and I learned lots about him while waiting for the runners to arrive. My new bestie and I watched in awe as the leaders passed us. My god they run fast.

The leaders at mile 7

Soon after, I received my first text alert that JD had crossed the 10K mark, perfectly paced at 6:41/mile. That meant he’d be there soon. I held my sign up proudly and when I saw him approaching, ran to greet him. He slowed down and I said “no, I’ll run with you!” but this was one of his planned walking breaks to take his GU. As he did, he handed me his sunglasses and said “wipe off.” Well silly me. I thought he was giving me his sunglasses and wanted me to wipe him off. So I took my hand and swept the sweat off his face while he looks at me like I am crazy. “No, wipe my glasses off.” Oh….right. All within a matter of seconds and then he was back to running. And so was I.

Mile 7

I took off back from where I came and ended up near mile 12, my next point to see JD. I wasn’t there but a tiny bit before seeing the leaders come through. Once again, I made friends with the fans next to me. Two guys were cheering for their daughters doing the half. And even better, this man behind me with a thick Indian accent became my cheerleading partner. While I would clap and scream, he followed up with “Good job. Keep going. Keep going.” I loved his energy and it made me smile from ear to ear.

When I spotted JD, I crossed into the road so I could take a picture and run alongside him. He immediately told me he hurt his back going up some crazy hill but otherwise was feeling really good. He said “Come on! Run with me.” So I tried. Really I tried. But damn that guy is fast. As I was sprinting, he pulled away from me and I am shouted “I can’t keep up!” (which spectators apparently found just condescendingly adorable). I sadly told him I wouldn’t see him until the finish and watched him disappear in front of me.

Mile 12

At this point, I switched my cheering gears to wait for my friend Michelle to reach mile 12. I had some time so I texted her husband to see where he was stationed. He then responded by calling to tell me that due to the heat, Michelle dropped out of the race at mile 6. I was gutted for her. I can’t imagine how hard that was. So I threw the sign I made for her in the trash to eliminate the load I was toting around and decided I needed to find a good place to cheer for strangers.

And I did. Right around mile 12.5, the marathoners and the half-marathoners split off. I rounded that corner and stood right where the marathoners were going. Nothing against those doing 13.1 that day, but I wanted my energy to be for those who were facing double that distance in the heat. Speaking of, the heat was bad. The sun was blazing. It was only 9am or so, but every runner was drenched in sweat. I did the only thing I knew how to do. I cheered my ass off.

I held up my sign that read “Make the Cleve your bitch!” and screamed non stop. The best part were the people that really loved my sign. At least 4 spectators took pictures of it. And runners seemed to take it to heart. I was getting high fives left and right. Multiple marathoners looked at me and laughed as they read it. And at least ten people said “YES! I am going to do that!”

Because I was at the breakaway point for marathoners, I noticed a lot of blue bibs (marathoners) defecting to the half. I didn’t blame them. This was rough. But what totally inspired me, and I truly get choked up even thinking about it….were the runners who turned that corner. Every single one of them who knew they had at least 13 more miles to run. Who felt the heat and knew it wasn’t getting any better. Whose determination and commitment made them turn that corner. And I greeted them with the biggest smile and the loudest cheers possible. I called out people’s numbers “That’s right 980! You got this. Looking great. Stay strong!” Every person who had a name on their shirt got a personalized cheer. And even the people who didn’t glance my way were screamed for. These people were my heroes that day and I wanted them to know it.

my sign

I had received JD’s status updates and he had run a 1:27 half marathon (6:43/mile pace). And at the 30k, he had slowed down a bit to a 7:00/pace. That meant around 9:40am, I needed to head to the finish to make sure I saw him. I ran that direction, alongside the half marathoners, cheering for them the entire way. And then I found a great spot, nestled about 1/4 of a mile from the finish. There were huge crowds. On the left side of the road were the half marathoners. On the right, were the very few marathoners that were finishing under a 3 hour marathon.

And every single one that passed me, I screamed for. At this point, I was in the road with the runners. These elite runners? They don’t even glance my way. They are focused and determined, but it didn’t stop me. They are incredible and I was so proud of each of them.

But then I got mad. Really mad.

Here these marathoners were, finishing under 3 hours in scorching heat. On a hilly course. Looking truly like death. And the crowds said nothing. They didn’t cheer. They just stood. So I lost it. I stood right in front of a crowd of at least fifty and screamed “Hey people! See these people running right in front of you?! They just ran 26.2 miles in this god forsaken heat. We need to cheer for them! Start clapping and start yelling.”

And then I looked at their blank faces. And realized that I could have just started a mob. They didn’t look pleased. I made some enemies. So I did what all good warriors do. I retreated! And fast!

I moved up a bit in front of another crowd, one I hadn’t just pissed off. And I resumed my cheering. I got louder. And then I noticed that a half marathoner had gone down just minutes from the finish. She wasn’t responding. She was one of four people I saw being taken away on stretchers due to heat on Sunday. My god it’s scary.

And soon after, I saw him. I stood right in the middle of the course and started yelling my head off. I snapped a couple of pictures before he reached me. But I knew right away, things weren’t good.

I see you!

I can't handle this face. I know this face.

One look at his face and I knew he was doing what I do every time I see him at a tough spot in a race. I cry. He was on the edge. So I ran beside him. And we together, took off for the finish. And those stupid spectators? The ones who hated me and didn’t cheer? They were going to cheer for my boy. They had no choice. As we ran, I waved my arms up and down and screamed “This is my husband! Cheer for him! He ran 26.2 miles in this heat! cheer!” And this time? They did.

Maybe it was the crazy girl wearing a backpack and carrying her phone screaming at them that made it. Maybe it was the sight of JD pushing with all his might to get to the finish. But they cheered. Everyone cheered.

I am sure JD was embarrassed that I yelled for every new group we passed but I didn’t care. At one point he said “Where is the effing finish lie? Show me the finish line.” I pointed it out to him and said “We are almost there. Kick it into high gear” but I noticed he didn’t. He couldn’t. He had nothing left. And later he told me that had I been within an arm’s reach, he would have punched me for saying the “high gear” thing. Oops.

We made it across the finish line together. And then the tears came. From both of us. What he did was so amazing. So stinking amazing. 3:03:52 and the temperature was 81 at the finish line. He is a rockstar.

He's sweaty. He's pissed off. He's tired. But dear god. He's a machine.

We made our way through the finishing corral and I grabbed two popsicles to cool him off. As I put them on his neck and arms, I knew he was so angry. Angry at not getting the PR he wanted (2:55). As we walked to the car, there was a lot of silence. This is the man that gets pissed when we lose an intramural softball game, so this was a tough pill to swallow. But as we saw more ambulances pulling people off the course on our walk back, I think he finally got it. That heat was no joke. It wasn’t a day for personal bests. In fact, he got 70th overall this year. Last year? His time would have gotten him 89th. Everyone was slower this year. I did try to help by saying “That was the hardest thing you have ever done. Right? You have to be so proud of yourself.” His response “No, the physical therapy after I got shot was harder.” I laughed and said “You win every conversation when you throw out the ‘when I got shot’ card!” :)

By the time we were back to the hotel, I think he started to feel better. He is in the best shape of his life. He ran a smart race. He held onto that goal pace until mile 20. But sometimes, mother nature has other ideas. She didn’t make it easy for him. But he won in the end. He is still a hero.

JD all showered and with his sign.

May 15

Give me a “U” – guest blog by an Ultra Marathon cheerleader

Intro: Kelly is a Perfect Stranger. In fact, she and I were the founding members. I have run so many miles with this girl. I have cried a lot of tears. And laughed a lot of laughs. And she was an amazing cheerleader. Read her description of how the DWD 50K went from a cheerleader perspective.

I grew up a cheerleader. It’s in my blood. I have this passion for rooting on athletes in action. It’s my wheelhouse. And you know what? The cheering is a high for me…I know my words are going to the depths of these athletes’ souls when they need it most.

You know how I know this is true? I’m a runner. And when I run by a crowd cheering me on it gives me the extra push that I so desperately need to make it another step, another block, another mile, across the finish.

I believe all runners should be spectators/cheerleaders at least once in their lives. We know what we want to hear. So go out there and do it. Your friends will thank you. Heck, perfect strangers (pun intended) will thank you.

A few of my Perfect Stranger girls (Meggie, Meghan & Christi) ran the Dances With Dirt Ultra Marathon last weekend in Brown County State Park. I knew months ago that I just had to be there. To witness an Ultra, to witness my girls become Ultras, and to do what I do best: cheer the girls on!!!

The PS cheer team consisted of myself, Jake & Josh and by the end of the race people knew us. Let me start at the beginning. You’ve already read Meggie’s side of DWD (the grueling side), now I’ll let you in on the other side of DWD (the less grueling fun side).

We all woke bright and early Saturday morning: Jake to walk the dog, Christi & Meghan to shower (say what?!) and eat their bananas in peace, and me to get pumped up for a fun day. I was excited it was a big race day and I had no nerves, which is another great thing about being a cheerleader. As we were getting ready to leave the house the girls noted that they hadn’t seen any twitter or FB updates from the social media queen herself, Meggie. So they text her. No response. We knew something was strange about that. Few minutes later as we were in the car she called. She had overslept…and I’m sure you have already read Meggie’s recap and what ensued. The girls couldn’t wait for her arrival and start late, so we had to get pumped up and know that Meggie would get here soon and join them along the way. We had a plan. Now it was time to start this race.

 

Christi and Meg at the start!

As soon as the girls started their 50k trek through the forest, Jake and I headed back to the truck and popped open our first beers of the day. Christi’s friend John was there for the start but couldn’t handle the hair of the dog so early in the morning. Jake and I? We knew it was going to be a long day so we needed to carb up. Jake opened up the tailgate and the next hour passed quickly: we discussed John’s 36 hole golf tournament, Jake’s bear hunting stories, Jake attempted to teach a gal how to drive her friend’s manual transmission car (it took her 45 minutes to get out of first gear, no joke), and Jake told the first story of A.C. Slater’s silver lab heritage (I’m pretty sure he had to explain over 67 times what kind of dog he is).

We studied the course map and laid out all the places we could see the girls (don’t you even think for a second I hadn’t pre-planned our route and even emailed the race director a few times for best spots on the course!). Soon we decided it was time to go meet Meggie & Josh in town to escort them to Meghan & Christi’s first aid station to join in on the run.

We entered the state park and raced to what we thought was mile 6. After we got out and our giddy excitement was bursting, the gal that (finally) got her car out of first gear told us that we were at mile 12. Back in the car. Back on the road. We found mile 6. Meggie and I were using the facilities when we heard Jake’s booming voice yell, “Freeman!” I said, “Oh no, they’re here!” Meggie’s reply, “Naw, he does that…he’s just practicing.” Um, really? Jake yelled again and it was legit: the girls were here! We ran out of there to greet the girls and see all three of them off into the woods.

The cheer squad (aka myself, Jake & Josh) then meandered back to the cars where both boys opened up their tailgates to display their loot for the day: coolers full of beer, water, orange juice, vodka…I could go on…and donuts, chips, crackers and candy. Let’s just say we were set for the day. So we all made ourselves a drink and snapped a photo so we could be on record at DWD.

 

JD, Kel and Jake

After loading up the car (Slater rode shotgun, obv) we made our way to mile 9. As we waited we started seeing other runners for the first time (when we dropped Meggie off at mile 5 there weren’t any others around). We cheered them on, some stopped to take pics of Slater (one man kept making his buddy take his pic with Slater and then a little 4 year old girl kept snapping pics of him as well – AC became a local celeb, no lie), and we made friends with other spectators. Josh also took note of how much fun all the runners looked like they were having. He said this is so different from a road marathon, where everyone is so consumed by their time. Here they were stopping to eat, refill their fuel belts, laughing and carrying on conversations with us. He was right; this definitely had a different feel than most races. So relaxed. Soon the girls came through the forest smiling. Yay! They GU’d up, we snapped some pics and off their cute little tooshes went back into the woods. Spirits were high.

Next stop was mile 12 and this was the most beautiful stop along the course as it overlooked the entire park. We made more friends here (as did Slater), I got to know more about what Josh did for a living, we made yet more friends, and everyone got to play lookout for me while I peed in the woods (“Cover your cooch!” TMI? Whatevs.) I told Josh, “No one ever said I was classy!” And his response, “No one ever said you weren’t.” Love. Him. Already. We cheerleaders got to know each other better at this stop.

Soon the girls came out of the woods and they were ravenous. Christi couldn’t get enough of the blueberry glazed donut holes (“Who invented these things? They’re amazing! I need the recipe!”). We took lots of pictures with the beautiful back drop and off the girls went once again. I’m sure more happened at this stop but my memory is a tad hazy (beer + sun = haze).

Meg, Jake and Slater

best donuts ever

Onto the next. Mile 18 is where we set up camp next. We figured it’d take the girls about an hour and a half to get here from our last stop so we had some time to kill. We started seeing a lot of familiar faces from previous stops and we cheered every single one of them on. But the time kept ticking. No girls. I get a text from Christi saying she left the girls, felt badly, but really wanted to PR. Change of plans. Christi arrived out of the woods again with a smile on her face. She fueled up, hugged, and was back on her way. Shortly after, Meggie and Meghan came out of the trails drenched in sweat. Both girls doubled over. In between breaths they were saying how tight their sh*t was. Meggie admitted that she was just exhausted. I escorted them to the buffet of an aid station and they downed lots of fuel. Meghan grabbed a handful of M&Ms and was strategically planning out her bites (“It’s a game and a snack!”) and I couldn’t stop snapping pictures of how intimate this stop was for the girls. Both of their men were taking care of them, talking them through it, tending their needs. Was so sweet. But they still had a ways to go. I laughed because Meggie got back on the trail and said, “Guess I should actually run since people are watching!” And they were gone.

aid station

We studied the map and realized we could super-stealth-like surprise the girls at mile 20. Jake pulled off onto the side of the street, pumped up the jam and had a little tailgate party. Within a minute of us arriving, Christi popped up and out of the woods. She said the last 2 mile stretch was straight uphill and treacherous. And if Christi says it’s tough, then it’s going to be a doozy! She did a quick change of socks and went on her way. Jake wanted to pump the girls up, so he had me turn the music up louder so they could hear it in the woods (I’m sure other people in the park just loved us). Before we knew it a man that we say at the 19 mile stop came up out of the woods and told us he was done. Asked us to take him back. He couldn’t finish. Not on my watch, buddy. I filled his water, gave him cookies, talked him through his pain, and asked about his training. Told him he could and would do this. He sat there while our gals came out of the woods dancing and giving us curious glances about the man in the neon top and old school glasses. I asked the girls to keep an eye on him out on the trails after he walked back onto the course. The next thing I knew there was a dance party and Meggie & Meghan were dropping it like it was hot. They still had spunk in them and I couldn’t stop smiling. So darn proud of them at that moment, that they were still having fun. Those are my girls.

Next stop: mile 21. Slater made more friends, we all did more cheering, same story, different mile marker. Christi arrived and quickly ate more food. Pretty sure she didn’t stop very long before she got back to it. She was focused and kept telling me every stop how many people she passed. That’s her game: she focuses on someone and then passes them. It’s how she makes herself keep going. She’s a strong one, Christi.

By now we could tell the girls’ pace had slowed down quite a bit but were more excited than ever to see them. I camped out at the top of a hill with my camera perched waiting. As soon as I saw them I could see it in their eyes. They were tired. But I kept screaming anyway. They had to know just how proud of them I was. So naturally I had to scream from the top of my lungs, “Meggie & Megahn – YOU’RE DOING IT!!! Go on for it girls!” They made their way to the aid station and ate PB&Js and fig newtons and M&Ms and Gus. Meggie looked up and saw the massive watch tower and said she remembered that from being in the park before…then asked if we were going to climb it. Think she started become slap happy at this point. Meghan asked for a beer (as did many of the runners as they passed) and chased her GU with a cold lager. Why wouldn’t you? We saw a handful of horses that were awaiting a trial ride and Meggie asked if she could borrow one to get to the finish. We laughed. The horse people did not. Off they went.

 

beer + gu

The cheer squad headed on to our final cheer point and set up our now infamous tailgate. Runners were tired. Haggard. Run down. Out of gas. Heck, even Slater took a nap at this stop! Every one of the runners thought we were a bonafide aid station and asked for water. So then we just started handing it out, filling water bottles, passing out salty crackers, sweet cookies and even Aleve. Christi passes through and says it’s hard, she just climbed stairs from hell, but she’s going to keep powering through. Then we get a text that Meggie and Meghan are lost. Got off course. All they knew is that they were on a horse trail. We studied maps and looked for said trails to no avail. Meggie couldn’t get a signal to get onto her map app so we told her to use her compass. Based on the last checkpoint and the one we were standing at all we could tell her was to turn around and head southwest. Talk about scary. But Josh handled it so calmly and patiently I admired their communication in such a time of duress.

 

cutest dog ever

After getting the girls back on course I realized I couldn’t hang out at that station much longer, as I’d miss Christi cross the finish line. And let’s be serious here, no one should ever cross a finish line without a supporter there. So if you have a friend or family member in a race (of any distance or kind – bike, swim, run) make sure you are either on the course or at the finish. It means the world to know someone is there for you. Anyway, I got into Josh’s truck and raced to the finish line. I couldn’t miss her. Girl had just run 31 miles. I ran to the finish and realized I had a few minutes to spare. And then realized I was watching all of the runners finish that I’d been cheering on the entire day. It was an incredible finish to watch; very emotional for everyone. And then I saw her: all black with her blonde braid bouncing along. She made it. I yelled and yelled and yelled. Christi was semi smiling, semi choked up. I know the face well. I was beaming for my friend who just killed her second Ultra. What an inspiration.

We hugged, we cried, we recapped her last few miles (rivers and mud slides and bears oh my!). Got her all cleaned up and back to the finish line we went to await the rest of our Perfect Strangers to cross the finish. During this time a gal came up to me and thanked me for all my words of encouragement along the course…how much it meant to her that I kept telling her she could do it and that she was doing it. Now that? That’s why I cheer.

Soon we saw the two beauties in black & camo running towards us. They made it. And that’s when I couldn’t stop my tears. It’s hard to yell and cry at the same time, but I did. You know why? Because those girls just finished their very first Ultra marathon and were smiling. Again, these girls continue to inspire me.

I remember Meggie cracking a joke as she finished and was awarded her age group medal (read: bone)…something about her being a Kenyan. And wouldn’t you know it, she had everyone laughing. True to Meggie style, she found humor in her pain. It’s what she does best. She knows we all hurt as much as she does and yet she finds light in it. Makes us all laugh when we want to cry. Integral part of our group, that Meggie.

Kelly and the girls

I cheered on Ultra marathoners for 10 hours on Saturday with two guys that were near-strangers to me. I can now call both Josh & Jake my friends. And I can call my three girls Ultra Marathoners. Now that’s something to cheer for!

 

Apr 23

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5 until 8

In only 5 days, I will embark on my 8th marathon. The IL Marathon, located in Champaign, has been in my head and on my calendar for so months, it seems surreal that it is only a few days away!

IL Marathon 2010

I have done this race twice before – my very first marathon and my third. It’s flat, it’s not too far away and there will only be 2999 other runners alongside me. One of those is my dear friend Christi. A member of Perfect Strangers, I have known this girl for many years.

We met in college – both Pi Beta Phis at DePauw University. She’s a year older but we spent plenty of nights wearing all black, sitting on Sig Chi’s porch and knitting in the Informal. But it really wasn’t until this past year that she and I became close friends. As the PS running group formed, we put in miles and miles together. We ran the Chicago Marathon together (well, up until mile 13 when I putzed out due to my Achilles injury). We did the HUFF together (well she ran the 50K, I did the 10 miler). And we signed up for this marathon together.

Chicago Marathon

I remember putting it out on the Perfect Strangers Facebook page back in December: “I just signed up for the IL Marathon. Any takers?” Within seconds, she was in. She never says no to a challenge. This is a girl that has endured more in her 32 years than most will ever have to in a lifetime. And she is a kickass runner. He legs are strong. Her will is stronger. But what I love about her is that she is also an emotional runner. Whether it’s a mean comment from someone on the Monon or just a few too many miles on a Saturday, she owns her feelings, just like I do. In fact, we both wear them with blinking beacons of light on our sleeves. So those miles have been tearful ones and laughing ones. Successful ones and challenging ones. When one of us may be annoyed or negative, the other isn’t. We balance each other out. And we’ve been planning for Saturday since December.

Without a doubt, these miles have brought us closer and closer. And she has proved herself time and time again to be an amazing friend. I am lucky to have her in my life. And I am not the only one. This past weekend, she converted her Carmel Half Marathon entry to the Full so she could help Jaime and Meghan get BIG PRs in their marathons. She ran 26.2 selflessly. And she will go after that distance just a mere 7 days later. She is crazy. And incredible.

And this is her 8th marathon too….so when we stand at that start line wearing matching outfits and with nerves galore, one thing is for sure. We are in it together. We’ll fight the demons with two heads instead of one. We’ll encourage and laugh and for sure cry. And hopefully, we’ll be sitting at lunch afterwards, medals around our neck, with our goal time in our possession.

I know this race isn’t going to be easy for me. My knee is in trouble. But with her by my side, I am confident it’s going to be a race I’ll be proud of.

8 is great!

Ready or not, Ocho. Here we come.

Mar 25

1 Comment

What? No medal?

With the first race of 2012 under my belt, I am happy to report that it went pretty darn well. What I am not happy to report is that I don’t have a medal to show for it! But I am jumping ahead of myself….let me start from the beginning.

I woke up early and got my stretching regime under way. The Perfect Strangers, true to form, had spent the week discussing what matching outfit we would wear and we settled on all black with tall knee socks. I chose a brand new black tank, brand new black shorts and brand new blue socks. Now I am a seasoned racer meaning I should know better than to ever wear something brand new during a race and yet I ignored all that advice and just went for it. We’ll come back to that topic later.

Dressed and ready for 13.1

I drove up to the Northview Church for packet pick up and waited for my girls to arrive. Karen and Amy were the first to join me and we picked up the packets for Bri, Christi and Jaime who all ran from Jaime’s house to get an extra 1.5 miles in. As we gathered in the main lobby amongst all the runners, much to our surprise, Kelly showed up! She wasn’t running the race but popped by on her long run to say hi and take some pictures.

Looking good, girls!

And unsurprisingly, we got a lot of looks. Girls stared at us with judgy eyes and quite a few guys complimented us on our socks.

Amy was definitely our task master all morning and made sure we didn’t get too carried away with our hilarious conversations about Reese Witherspoon and Little Orphan Annie that we would miss the start of the race.

Team Kneesocks

As we approached the start line, we discussed our strategies. Lorie and Karen were planning on going on for it with a faster pace, as well as Adriana. Jaime, Christi, Bri, Amy and I were looking at a 9 min/mile pace and so we hung back. And within just a couple minutes of arriving at the start, we heard some lame starting gun and we were off! The first few miles were pretty quick yet I had no idea as my Garmin’s battery had died on the way to the race. I had to rely on the girls to tell me what our pace was and Amy was a rockstar at that. She often would tell us when we were going too fast and needed to pull back.

The course runs through Carmel neighborhoods and actually has quite a few hills. No, not massive ones like San Francisco, but ones that challenged us nevertheless. Christi stayed out front throughout and was able to snap a few in-action photos.

We continued to get lots of comments about the socks from other runners and even some of the policemen who were working the course. My favorite was a man working on a construction site who yelled out and said “You guys are badasses for doing this race!”

The miles slowly passed by but the conversation kept us going. I was so excited to see my friends Cindy and Jordan working a water stop but was not excited that there were so few of them! The aid stations seemed very spaced apart and though the weather wasn’t too hot, we were definitely eager for each and every one. We took our first walking break around mile 7 after a long hill and took the opportunity then to take our fuel (GUs and fruit snacks) and catch our breath. The minute we started running, I felt my knee for the first time. I have been icing it all week as I think my back-to-back 20 milers gave me a nice dose of Runners Knee. It held up pretty well yesterday but I was definitely feeling it about midway through the race.

The over/under on when we would lose Christi was around mile 5, but she actually stuck with us until mile 8! As she pulled ahead, our pace stayed strong, hovering in the 9-9:15 range just about every mile. And at our next water stop, I noticed that chaffing had arrived. I mentioned earlier that I chose to wore brand new shorts. During the first mile, I could feel them riding up and I was forced to adjust constantly. I joked with the girls that by the end of the race, I was going to wearing Paula Radcliffe like briefs without Paula Radcliffe’s body. But once I started sweating and the material stuck, they were great. I just need to pair them with some BodyGlide next time. Ouch!

I also noticed a big blister forming around this time. Though I had doubled up on socks given our tall ones are very thin, I ended up giving Jaime my extra pair right before the race. She was having some numbness issues and needed them more than me. But as a result, my feet were pretty torn up the last few miles of the race. Jaime and I laughed as we discussed our ailments. Sh*t runners say. :)

At one point I said “I can’t wait to drink a beer, eat a good meal and wear our medals out at lunch today.” And it was Amy who broke the news to me: there are no medals in this race. I was outraged! How can there not be a medal?! I joked that I was quitting the race right there, but clearly, we were going to get through it medal or no medal.

Toward the end of the race, I was catching my stride (I credit the Spiderman fruit snacks from mile 7). But Amy was struggling a bit. The lack of water and the faster pace we held in the first few miles was catching up to her. I was ready for the race to be over and was willing to just go on for it the last two miles, but was not leaving these girls behind. This isn’t my big race…hell, I signed up for it on Tuesday! This was a race for fun and there was no way I wasn’t crossing that finish line with them. In fact, I even yelled to them that there were going to be 8 socked legs crossing that line together. And we were pretty darn close.

Jaime and I pulled ahead just barely and she was awesome. Definitely the Boppy Fairy of this race, she was feeling strong throughout. And we all knew was lay ahead of us: the final hill. As we ran up it, I assumed there was yet another one right after so held back a little. Jaime was having none of it as she told me “I don’t care who you have to think of right now to get yourself up this hill, do it.” Later she told me she wanted to tell me to do it for my dad but was scared I would cry. Good call, Jaims. :) With the hill just barely behind us, we saw Jeremy, Luke and Jacob (Jaime’s family) who cheered loudly. Then we saw Karen and Lorie and finally the finish. The clock said 1:55 and as much as would love to believe we PRed, we knew there was no way it could be accurate. It didn’t matter….we finished and looked pretty darn cute afterwards.

Tada!

all smiles

But there was no medal. I still can’t understand how I can run 13.1 miles and not get a medal, but I guess my ugly forest green tech shirt will have to suffice. We packed up our things and headed to MudSocks for lunch. After setting up a table in the sun outside, the clouds quickly rolled in and we were freezing. Leave it to Mom Jaime to pull out the blankets from the car and wrap her adorable kids as well as us in them! She also grabbed a pair of Micky Mouse ears and handed them to me while saying “These are for no one else to wear.” And so I did. The rest of the meal.

Christi, Bri and I ordered identical meals of water, diet coke, beer, mac and cheese and chicken fingers. Yum.

Lunch was a blast. We learned out to say “Cheers” in Romanian (Norac!) and recapped our races for each other. We laughed about Cowboy Movies. And we enjoyed each other’s company as we always do. I was sad when it was all over in fact. They are my favorites. (You can read Bri’s recap here).

Later our official times came out and I have to say, we did pretty damn well. 2:01:50 for me and I’ll take it.

Now onward and upward. Only 5 weeks until the Illinois Marathon and this body needs to get into tip top shape. I am starting back on Paleo tomorrow to hopefully become a lean fighting machine. Raceapoolza is coming up…and I am excited! And those races better have medals. :)

Mar 23

1 Comment

Pre-race jitters

Tomorrow is my first race of 2012 and I am Nervous with a capital N!

It’s the Sam Costa half-marathon and no, I am not nervous because of the distance. I have been doing mileage above that each Saturday since the beginning of the year and compared to the 20-milers I have put in recently, 13 sounds like a dream. But I am nervous because it’s a race, and it’s a whole different story when I am running for time.

In fact, I had no intention of doing this race. It’s a hilly course and I just would rather do a normal Saturday morning Monon run instead. But the pull of the Perfect Strangers is too much….I couldn’t resist! Each time the race came up in conversation, I drilled these girls on what their goal time was. Given my challenging race schedule coming up in a month, I only wanted to do the Sam Costa if it was for fun. So after much reassurance that the PS weren’t doing this for a PR, I signed up.

And as discussions ensued about what matching outfits we were going to wear and what time we’d meet up, the nerves started to creep up. And they got even worse when the girls announced their “for fun” pace is going to be a 9 minute/mile. Now, when I did the Mini last year, my pace was 8:51/mile and I felt fantastic. But that was pre-injury. I just honestly don’t know how fast this body can go anymore. Though I feel great about my distance, I am nervous about my speed.

So this little race I was going to do for fun has now become a big stresser for me. Though I know it’s ok if I don’t finish under 2 hours, I don’t want to run the latter part of it alone because the other girls are faster. And if I am being really honest, I don’t want to feel like the slow kid.

So I am going to give it my all. A consistent pace of 9 minutes/ mile and see how long I can keep going. Maybe I will surprise myself and feel great. Maybe all of us will give up the goal and cruise through the race as if it was just a casual Saturday run. Maybe I will win the whole damn thing. You just never know. (Ok, that’s a lie. I know I am not going to win the damn thing).

So wish me luck and look for a post-race blog this weekend!

Sep 27

11 Comments

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said…

The power of social media. I’ve always found it strange that I have met not just friends, but good friends via Twitter. It amazes me how social media has truly enhanced my life through these relationships. And this week? I got advice in an unlikely place.

I received a new FaceBook friend request from Renee and a message about my injury. I don’t know Renee. But she’s a follower of this blog and is running the Chicago Marathon as well. And she referred me to a doctor. It was exactly what I needed at the exact right time. She swears by Indy Spine & Rehab and said her running friends do too. Now I don’t really do doctors. But I am committed to recovery so as soon as I got her message, I dialed the phone.

This morning, I was lying on my stomach while a doctor bent and rolled and pushed and pulled at my leg. My biggest fear was that she’d tell me I couldn’t run Chicago. But she didn’t. She felt around in my muscles and tendons and ligaments. She had me squat and stretch which easily demonstrated how less flexible my left leg is than my right. She felt the crunching in my achilles and how stiff it is. But mostly, she felt the extreme tightness in my calf muscle. That’s the cause.

So she did what’s called Active Release Technique. Sound familiar? Yes, my good running friend Pete suggested this the minute I claimed injury. (I wish I had gone 2 weeks ago!) It wasn’t the kind of massage I’m used to. Imagine a very intense massage in your tightest and sorest muscles, while flexing your foot and having a doctor’s knee drive it further towards the ground. Sound fun? Nope. She told me I may be bruised and I may be sore, but with a few treatments, I’ll have significant improvement.

So I left Dr. Ermel with a smile on my face. New shoes. Stretching. Icing. Heel lift. And now ART. I’m going to get through Chicago. I still have NO idea how fast I will go and if there is even a chance for a decent time. But this is what runners and athletes go through. 7 marathons in 2.5 years? I was destined to get injured eventually and at least it seems like something that won’t sideline me for months.

Thanks Renee. Thanks Pete. And thanks, Dr. Ermel.

Sep 24

Let’s get physical.

Hooray for being back on the Monon today with my girls!!! Yes, many told me I shouldn’t push it and try running this week. But I’m a stubborn little thing.

This morning, Karen, Meghan, Bri and I met in Broadripple. Last week, these girls rocked their 20+ miler looking like total badasses. The theme was “Survivor” and they didn’t just survive the long run, they dominated it. Read Bri’s blog about it here. This week? We went with an 80′s theme. Given my fun run on Monday, I was well prepared. So were the other girls.

Crazy Train

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I really wanted to try for 20 miles today, but everyone told me that considering my Achilles Tendonitis, that wasn’t smart. So my goal was 8 miles. And even though we were running in silly outfits, in the pitch dark, it felt amazing to feel my feet moving again and to be with the Perfect Strangers. It dawned on me early on that I was going to have to run the last 4 miles by myself in his costume, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to run.

The conversation was great. I really missed these girls.

Walking On Sunshine

When we neared 96th street, where the rest of our girls were waiting for us, our energy picked up. I compared it to the feeling of a race, when you are approaching the place where your fans are waiting. You lift your chest, you run a little faster, you adjust your clothes. You want to look confident and strong. And when we saw Kelly and Amy in the middle of the Monon, jumping up and down and mimicking an 80′s aerobic routine, our energy surged! And then we saw the leotard. Yes, Kelly was wearing a leotard. Love it.

This was my turnaround point which was heartbreaking to leave them running without me, but before we parted ways, we took some pictures. And we met a friend. The “Big Kahuna” loved our outfits and wanted in a picture. And even better! He knows my blog!!! He immediately asked me about Chicago and my injury. We of course had to include him in the picture!

Let's hear it for the boy!

At this point, I waved my girls goodbye and headed back to my car. I considered changing up my hair and removing my sweat band to make myself look a bit more normal, but nah. I decided to rock it to the 80′s the entire way back. Yes, there were a few funny looks, but they only made me run faster.

My Achilles didn’t feel good at this point. I knew I was pushing it, but I couldn’t stop. Music in my ears, alone on the Monon, I finally felt calm. My pace quickened. From 10:10 to 9:45 to 9:25 to 8:43. My right leg was working overtime, supporting the shorter stride of my left. I kept thinking about the Chicago Marathon. 15 days away and my injury may not be better. I made it through 8 miles today – can I do 18 more if my Achilles is no better? The answer is yes. I know in my heart of hearts that I will cross the finish line. It won’t be my best time. It may be my worst. But I will finish.

So now, as I am limping around the house to find ice, I rejoice in knowing that I got to run this morning. What a privilege.

Sep 12

1 Comment

Ultra crazy.

Last year I ate a slice of Crazy Pie. This year, I am Ultra Crazy.

I just signed up for a 50K race. (That’s 31.1 miles.) It’s on December 17th. In Indiana.

And I couldn’t be more excited. My friend Christi convinced me. Her logic, which I totally bought into, was that we will already be well on our way in training after our fall marathon and that if we do it together, we can do anything. I think she’s right.

It’s a trail race (I have never done a trail run before). December in Indiana very well could have many inches of snow on the ground and will undoubtedly be cold. And it’s an ULTRA MARATHON!!!!

Holy guacamole. I mean, I remember vividly when I couldn’t run a mile under 15 minutes. And then when my dream was to finish a half marathon at a 10 mi/mile pace (my last one was sub 9). And when I thought I would be “one and done” after my first marathon. And here I am. Doing an ultra marathon. It’s crazy. And yet it’s bloody brilliant.


Sep 11

United we ran.

The Perfect Strangers geared up for another long run yesterday morning. And though typically we wear whatever running clothes will be most comfortable for the long miles, yesterday, we ran in red, white and blue. It’s the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and we thought we could dedicate our miles to the memory. We take inspiration wherever we can get it, and pinning American flags to our shirts and tucking them in our pony-tails surely was going to get us through the long run. We started at 6am in Broadripple – Karen, Bri, Kelly, Christi and I. It was pitch black even with with Kelly’s headlamp. We could hear the flags flapping behind our ears with each step.

Christi, Kelly, Karen & Bri

It’s funny how our conversation evolves over the miles. We start off with our typical catch-up. I talked about my trip to Mexico. We shared stories of our runs the previous week and the girls that ran the 1/2 marathon last week gave us the recap. Then we played the game “Where were you when the planes hit.” We all remember vividly. I was in college – I came back from class to see girls in my sorority’s informal, all glued to the TV. The weirdest part of my story actually happened earlier that morning, however. I am a sleep talker and walker. My roommates were always entertained with the things that I would wake up and say or do. The morning of 9/11, my roommate Lauren told me that she came in late that night after studying and I sat straight up in bed and said “Lauren. Something really bad is going to happen today.” And then went back to bed. We laughed about it that morning, but after the tragedy struck, it wasn’t funny anymore.

At mile 4, we picked up Sarah. She had less miles to run so met us a bit later so that we could run as much of them together as possible. There we were – 6 women. Dressed in flags. Running 2 wide, 3 rows deep down the Monon. We all switched positions as to who led and who picked up the rear. Typically I like being in front so I can control the pace and lead the way, but yesterday, I found the middle of the pack and rear weren’t too bad either. As long as we’re together, I’m happy. That being said, yesterday, I was a bit pissy. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t the typical cheerleader I normally am. My girls picked up the slack though. They made me laugh and encouraged me when my legs were tired.

At mile 9, we took a bio break. While waiting for the bathroom, we noticed “Sandra Stick Figure.” She’s 6′ tall and probably weighs less than I do (5’2″ by the way). She wore short shorts and a sports bra. Though I was envious of her long, lean body, I immediately judged her. While waiting for the bathroom, she jogged in place. Come on people. If you get a break. Take it. Your heart rate isn’t going to stay up because you shuffle your feet back and forth a bit. And honestly? You look like an arrogant ass. We laughed about how she was probably also jogging in place as she hovered over the toliet.

We also ran into JD who stopped to say hello. His quote “Anytime I see a girl in an American flag hat, I can’t help but stop.” He too was running 18.

On the way back, we were engulfed in the crowd of bikers participating in the Tour de Carmel. Families and kids all alike were biking on the Monon. It was an impressive sight, but also an unwelcome one. While we ran past a group of bikers, one woman on a bike decided to pass the people in front of her. The Monon was too congested for such a move and it resulted in a massive crash, bikes piling up everywhere. We were very ready to get through the chaos. Luckily, however, we did stop at the Monon Center where they had lemonade packets for your water bottle. That little boost of flavor and sugar put me back in a good mood. Only 5.5 miles to go.

We were running pretty fast – a 9:30/mi pace. My legs seemed lethargic and talking became more difficult. But the conversation never ended. As I mentioned earlier, our topics tend to evolve with each mile. Starting pretty vanilla, by mile 10, we start opening up. Deeper discussions. More emotions. This group of women has become my family on the trail. We know so much about each other and I can’t imagine ever training for a race again without them.

Perfect Strangers

With 1.5 miles to go, emotions ran high. Christi was on the verge of tears so I brought us all in for a Perfect Strangers chant. We looked silly in our outfits, flags and sweat, but we didn’t care one bit. When we hit 18 miles, we hugged. We did negative splits, ran fast, and had fun. United we ran.

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