The Greatest Throwback Thursday of 2016 So Far

It's been awhile. I've been following an advanced marathon training plan that includes daily running and workouts. That's right, I said DAILY. As in... Every. Single. Day. Running. I've put in more miles in the past five months than in most full years of training. If you read my last post, you can probably guess that's because I qualified for Boston in October by 31 seconds and, as we know, that's a lot of work for not likely being able to register this September. So, I've been working as hard as I can for the race I am going to review today: Sugarloaf Marathon 2016.

I did this race last year and chose to do it again this year in attempt to qualify by a bigger margin. I chose Sugarloaf, because it's a point to point direct course with no twists and turns. It has a little uphill and a lot of downhill. It's within driving distance. The temperatures are perfect there this time of year. And it's a pretty small playing field as far as qualifiers go.

Sugarloaf Marathon Course and Elevation

As soon as the weather began to appear in the 15 day forecast, I was all over it, everyday, sometimes multiple times (you know you've done it) and kinda freaking out a little. Sometimes it showed thunderstorms, sometimes more rain and sometimes less, but always some sort of weather event. I've run in the rain during training and enjoyed it, but never in a race and never for more than 26 miles. I was scared. I worked way too hard to not PR because of hypothermia or wet feet and a blister.

Scary Race Day Prediction

Mallory and I arrived Saturday afternoon in time to receive our bibs and shirts. The line was loooooong and probably took us 30 minutes or more, but Maple Water was passed around and I tried that for the first time, which was good. We also signed up for the pasta dinner (first time doing that) and I recommend it. Pasta dinners often cost more than going to your local Olive Garden, but for Sugarloaf, it is a particularly good idea, because there is no local Olive Garden or really much of anything close by and it's all you can eat and delicious. There was also beet salad, chick pea salad and cooked veggies to add to your pasta or side as well as yummy dessert. There's also meat sauce if you're into that sort of gross stuff. The speaker was Gary Allen and he showed us a video of his friend Michael Westpahl who qualified for Boston and raised a lot of money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Michael Westpahl has Parkinson's Disease. This is his documentary and it's inspiring!

We stayed in a motel about 30 minutes from the finish and parking area and I slept as well as I could considering I needed to pee every hour due to hydrating the bejesus out of myself all day Saturday. The morning car ride to the buses was foggy, rainy and included flashes of lightening. We took the bus up from the finish line and Mallory commented on how far we would be running, which had been pretty terrifying last year the first time I bused that distance. I had brought my phone up this time and had told Mallory how beautiful it is up there. It wasn't so beautiful this year, because it was POURING! No gorgeous photos of the starting line. We both had these amazing Patagonia Houdini Jackets and were trying to decide if we should wear them or stick with our trash bags and rip those off later. These jackets are light, collapse into themselves for easy carrying and can breath amazingly well for something that keeps water off of you. I put mine on, but took it off and put it into the bag check at the last minute. We found a bathroom and hid from the rain in there until it was time to start.

This is our only pre-race photo and we are hiding from the rain in a bathroom.

It did dump on us for a bit during the race, but the temperatures were around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so it actually felt pretty comfortable. I wore shorts, compression socks, a singlet and arm warmers and didn't feel annoyed or need to adjust anything throughout the race. I also wore a visor to keep the rain out of my eyes and this gave me something to think about with my form. I knew if I was seeing much ahead of myself, I was craning my neck, bringing my hips forward and breaking with my heels. I kept my head down and leaned into much of the race not knowing what was ahead. I told myself not to look at my watch or the hills when it got tough and nailed my pace on the downhill. Days before I began to plan what I would think about throughout the race to keep me inspired and my mind off any discomfort I might feel. I added Michael Westpahl to my list.

Something that has happened over the past year, which I may write about more at another time, is that I have lost some of my competitive spirit... kind of. I don't get excited and race from the starting line anymore. I don't get caught up on anyone passing me in the middle. I keep my head down and run my own race and get feisty at the end with whatever is left, trying to beat the clock to the best of MY ability. I think this is due to running full marathons and trying to qualify for Boston. I know I don't have the time and energy to play around and am more focused on my own goal.

Crowd support is really good for a race of this size, because half of the road is open, so spectators can drive along the road and catch racers at several points.

I used the pacing feature on my Garmin Fenix 3 to pace my predicted finish time of 3:33:54. This time had gotten into the low 3:20:00 in the middle of my training, but I figured it was better to play it safe and get the BQ rather than test what I might be able to do. It was showing me way ahead of schedule for much of the race and predicting my finish at 3:28:00 more or less. I noticed I was hitting my splits way before the mile markers, but trusted my watch more than the race organizers. That was wrong. My watch was .7 miles off! Luckily, I ended up running more on feel and keeping it "easy" more than sticking 100% to my pace. I finished at 3:33:50, four seconds faster than my goal and my watch prediction! I qualified for Boston by over 11 minutes!

Best predictions during my training. Unfortunately, these numbers only show up from time to time and don't stick. Yet!

This is what the pacing feature looks like. This was a test and not during the marathon, obviously!

Mallory was still on the course and had her phone. She had asked me to text her when I finished. I wanted to verify my time and went to the timing truck with the big screens scrolling through results. Naturally, after waiting for my time for several minutes, the screen restarted... so I went to get my own phone, put on some warmer clothes and come back to check again. When I saw my name come up with my bib number and time of 03:33:50, I saw something else. First place in my age group!!!

Sugarloaf 2016 Finisher Medal and Age Group Plate

Of course, I am most happy about my safe cushion of a qualifying time and my first place, but I am also very happy about how I felt during and after this race. In the past, I have begun to feel the wall around mile 18 and by the finish I could barely walk and felt HORRIBLE. This is what happened in my head around mile 18 at Sugarloaf in 2016... "Here it comes. Just fight this out the rest of the way. You can do this... wait, shut up! You're fine, stop looking for a wall and be in the now. Now, you are fine. What the hell? You're fine?  You're actually feeling okay right now." This happened every mile or so at the end. Around mile 25, I was ready to be done, but felt nothing like I had in past marathons. When I finished I was able to walk around, eat some food, stand on the podium and sit in the car for 5 hours without crying. Maybe, marathons do get easier the more you do them.

I'm going to Boston!

I DID IT! Newport, RI Marathon Review

I slacked a lot on the blogging lately, but there was very little slacking on the marathon training. I'd like to skip the updates on training right now though to share the story of my BQ and the Newport Marathon held this year on October 11 in Newport, Rhode Island.

I was nervous. Even though I put in the training and ran the course for a few of my long runs, I knew a lot would come down to weather and how I was feeling on Sunday. This is a tough course with a lot of hills and twists and turns. Brutal winds and pelting rain are not out of the question this time of year in New England. Although I was only 5 minutes off a BQ time in May and had remained injury free plus trained harder than ever since then, I still had worries. This was no Sugarloaf Marathon, which is mostly straight and downhill. Also, my legs felt pretty pooped most of the time during my training, especially as I started to taper. Did I overtrain? Was the course too difficult to get this done? 

As race day approached, I have never been more excited for packet pick-up and was first in line when they opened on Saturday. In terms of race review, this was the bare bones packet pick-up: Get your number, get your shirt, get a little goodie bag (and a free beer glass thank you very much). No sales of running gear, headbands, massagers, blah blah blah. 

My license plate and bib were matchy match.

The night before I fretted over everything: compression sleeves or no, arm sleeves or no, bib on shirt or shorts, how does my iPod feel on my arm. I decided to go minimal. No sleeves, bib on shorts for easy shirt removal if I got hot and iPod ready to rock. 

I felt a little queasy at the start, knowing how much time, money and miles I have spent on getting a BQ and knowing how many people I had told about my goal. I didn't want to finish with a story of wimping out, getting hurt, throwing up, crying or peeing my pants, but a lot can happen in 26.2 miles. On the positive, the world was conspiring to help me accomplish my goal. I had slept well, carb-loading was good, hydration good, weather was ideal and legs were fully charged. Everything was going smoothly. 

The sun came up like this just before the start.

Pre-race

We started at 7:30am for the half and the full marathon: 1680 runners for the half and 575 for the full. The plan was to run conservative for the first half. However, as per usual, I felt amazing and just booked it. I always have this overly optimistic idea that maybe I am faster than I think. What if my training paid off so much I can run way faster than I imagined and miss out by playing it safe? I felt like I was running easy in spite of the hills. The course was GORGEOUS. Although I have run it before, I haven't seen such perfect conditions. Just a light breeze, decent temps and the sun over the water on Ocean Ave. Really great. I tried to pay attention to coordinates and do my best to minimize all the turns. I was under 40 minutes at 5 miles (beating my best 5 mile race time by almost a minute).  I watched my watch as I approached 13.1 miles and just for fun decided to see if I could beat 1:46:50, which was my PR at Covered Bridges. The answer to that question was yes, by the way. I hit 13.1 miles at 1:45:59. Best of all, I still felt strong and could keep the pace onto the second half. Was this real life?

Mallory rode the course and cheered for me in several places. 

Around mile 18 as I trudged up a very long gradual hill, I realized this was, in fact, real life. I watched my pace begin to plummet and I found what I thought was the wall. Then the downhill came and I was over it. Still not feeling as strong as the first half, but confident I still had enough fight in me to get it done. I just kept running, doing math the whole time and predicting what I would need to do pace-wise.

As I got further into the race, I watched the time slipping away. I was putting everything I had into it, but kept slowing down. It was time to pay the bill for my ambitious foolish start. There were hills all over and I might have been dying. I kept running anyway. I knew the worst hill was around mile 24.5, a short, but steep climb and then an easy stroll to the finish. I passed the last water stop, not wanting to take any chances as volunteers offered me Gatorade, a banana, gel or water. Ain't nobody got time for that! I waved them off and "charged" the hill, which meant jogging as fast as my dead legs would go while those around me walked. "Get that guy!" the police woman directing traffic yelled at me. "Pass him!" I did. 

Faces of Death, Marathon Edition

Even after the hill and knowing I was almost done and probably gonna BQ if I didn't die, I couldn't get my legs to run in strong. I continued to do math and realized at mile 25 I would BQ if I could finish in 12 minutes. Should be easy. Not easy! I grunted. I groaned. I yelled at myself in my head and out loud. My Garmin hit 26.2 miles at 3:43:?? and the finish wasn't there. I couldn't even see it yet! What the hell? Getting a BQ would depend on how close I got myself to the finish. In the meantime, Mallory watched the clock and wondered where I was. Had I fallen? Was I hurt? She didn't know if I would make it. She thought I was done for when the time left one minute to spare and she didn't see me. And then there I was. I was still under my BQ time and gave everything I had as I stared at the seconds piling up and dragged myself across the finish line. 

I have never been more sore and tired than at this moment.

A+ Medal Design! Favorite Medal Ever!

I finished in 03:44:29 which is 31 seconds under qualifying standards. I cried a little. I cried part pain, part happy and part disappointed. I can call myself a qualifier, but I know 31 seconds won't get me registered for Boston in 2017. However, I'm already registered for Sugarloaf and have the confidence from this tough course in Newport to know I can beat my time on an easier course. I will still be there in 2017. 

I also accomplished another dream on October 11, 2015. I won first in my age group! I have wanted to place in a longer race for years and didn't think that would be in the cards for a good long time. Nope. Did it! 

Medal, Finisher Shirt and Award

So, what happened on October 11 in Newport for me? A lot!

1. I beat my 5 mile PR.

2. I beat my half marathon PR.

3. I beat my full marathon PR.

4. I qualified for the Boston Marathon.

5. I won first place in my age group.

Special thanks to Jason Fitzgerald of Strengthrunning.com for the plan that helped me accomplish this day without injury and confident to do it again and better in May at Sugarloaf!  Also, extra special thanks to my lovely wife Mallory who has cheered me on, kept me on track and supported all my time spent on this endeavor for months.

Ready to be my personal cheering section all over the course.

Now for more goals. Many challenges to come. Stay tuned.

Throwback Thursday: Frozen Five New Years Day Run 2015

This was the second year that Mallory and I ran the Frozen Five in Newton, MA on New Year's Day. By Frozen Five, they mean five miles, not a 5k. This is a small race and one that I LOVE. It has only been held for two years and Mallory and I have participated in both races and likely will continue to race this the first of each year as long as it is held and we live in the area.

2013 Inaugural Year (It was not held in 2014)

This is a little local race. This year there were 72 listed participants. The first year had 51 participants.  The race director, whose name escapes me, is great. He emails regularly and is receptive to feedback from runners to improve this event each year. He is friendly and an overall cool dude.

This race is a fundraiser for FOP Lodge #28 and begins and ends in that location. This year, the race was held on an unseasonably warm day (shocking considering the winter we had later) and the course was ice free and clear. Roads are not shut down and there is no chip timing as it's such a little event. It starts with a short walk down the street where the race director yells "GO," and all the runners take off at once. It's all right hand turns through the neighborhood and one left hand turn at the end back to the lodge. The roads are well marked and I don't know of anyone getting lost in spite of really no crowd support and not many people out on the road. This is a race where I have experienced running with nobody in sight in front or behind, because the field is so small and our paces so different.

The first year, I completed this race in 40:46, which was a PR, since I had never run a 5 miler before. I received second place. In 2015, I hoped to beat this time, but was still coming off injury and had only 3-4 weeks back at running. I ended up with 41:15, but ended up with 2nd place in my age group again, which is awesome.

2015: Me and Mallory with our friend Darrell (who also got second in his age group)

This race is also really affordable. I think the cost was $20 or $25 and included a long sleeve tech shirt (which isn't sized for little females and doesn't fit, but I'm okay with that), trophies for overall winners and last place (donkey butt in bronze trophy) as well as medals for age groupers. Mallory and I also received glasses for being return participants. In addition to this already great value, this race includes a full hot breakfast buffet at the finish complete with bagels, toast, eggs and some meat item that we didn't eat, so bacon and/or ham (I don't know).

Little races are awesome.

Throwback Thursday: Strut for Strays

The Strut for Strays was held on July 11, 2015 in Battle Creek, Michigan where I just so happened to be visiting my in-laws. Mallory and I ran this race with her mother who had just completed the couch to 5k program and was ready to give racing a go. This race was $25 and each entry raised enough to treat 3 dogs to heart worm medication, which is a great cause.

As previously mentioned, Michigan is a pretty place to run and this was almost literally my first view of the area. I had arrived the night before at around 11pm, gotten a ride to Mallory's aunt's house and hopped into bed around 1am. Other than the two minute car ride to the start, I hadn't seen much of Battle Creek. It's very green and there are deer walking around the neighborhood in places. It's shady and temperatures are cool enough. Overall not a bad place to run.

This is a small race, so shirt and bib pick-up was just before the start. This was the first year with chip timing, although the mat was at the finish line only. Course is an out and back: down one road, around the corner, turn around and come back, run through a winding farm maze type area over hay, dirt and leaves, up a little hill and finish. There are very gentle hills along the course, but not bad at all.

Me, Vangie and Mallory pre-race

I sized up my competition at the start, because I'm an a-hole like that, who likes to pretend she's hardcore when she's not, and decided I would not be winning anything at that race. It seemed some members of the high school track team were there and I had heard there were no age group awards, only top three male and female. I did not anticipate beating any 16-year-old track star, so decided to just enjoy the experience and see if I could beat last week's time on a flatter course.

From the start, only 4 or 5 females were in front of me and they were booking it. I normally do the same and to a certain extent I ran a little faster than I should have at the beginning, but I decided I wasn't gonna fight too hard and kill myself to keep up. But... within the first mile, one by one the competition started to flail and I was still full of energy. By mile one I was the second female overall and had my eye on the leader maybe 20 feet or so ahead. Not a high school track star in sight. I finished mile one with a 7:11 pace and still felt strong. I was wondering if I might be capable of maintaining it. I was not, in case you're wondering, but neither was the lead. I kept gaining on her and by the turn-around, I was just a few steps behind.

I decided I would just stay on her tail, save my energy and kick it at the end. Mallory and I crossed paths and I gave her the sign I was feeling good and thinking I could win this thing. A couple of minutes later, I could tell my competition was struggling and I wasn't feeling amazing, but I was good enough to keep up the speed and didn't need to pace off her, so I went for first. It felt both good and bad at once. I was sad to take it from her, although I didn't know her, and happy to have it all at once. At one point she passed me down a little hill, but I kept my pace and took first back. I secretly hoped we could fight for it the rest of the way just for the drama and competition of it. This has NEVER before happened and being an out and back course made it more exciting. Mallory's mom saw me and people yelled out "first female" as I passed. It was pretty cool.

I didn't want to keep an eye over my shoulder, but also didn't want to lose the opportunity to be first for the very first time, so I kept pushing as hard as I could. When I found myself in the maze area before the finish, I hit 3.1, but the race just kept on going. And going. And going. Did I go the wrong way? I did not. I ran up the grassy hill and through the finish. It was not 3.1 and it was no where near a PR, but I had won! I came in at 25:10. Two minutes slower than the 5k I ran a week earlier.

All of us post-race and happy

The prizes weren't bad either. I got a medal, a water bottle and a free one hour massage from A Moment Away (which I cashed in the very next day). This is my first ever trophy, aside from the second-grade when I got one for reading the most books during the school year. It was an exciting day.

Mallory's mom finished in 35 and change, which is an amazing first 5k time!

Race bling

Throwback Thursday: Independence Day 5k, Plymouth, MA

Mallory, Tiasia and I ran the Independence Day 5k on July 4, 2015. This was the second time participating for Mallory and me and a first chip-timed 5k for Tiasia who has only been running since graduating from high school in the middle of June, so go on with your bad self Tia. (Side note: She ran 2 5k's with our local running store before this, so she has been working really hard, which is so great!)

Mallory, Me and Tiasia before the race

As the title would suggest, this race is held in Plymouth, Massachusetts and ends at the site of Plymouth Rock. It begins an hour before the Fourth of July parade along the same route, so it is very festive and has a few spectators. It’s all very patriotic. 

My Fenix 3 got patriotic as well, of course. I LOVE THIS WATCH!

This year we were given very cute cotton singlets with the race logo across the front. The fit is appropriate for my size, which I always appreciate. This race is chip-timed and bib pick-up is on the day before or morning of the race. Race begins at 8am, which is nice as many 5k’s tend to start later in the morning and being July, it’s a little hot for that. Also, this is a point to point, which I don’t think I have done anywhere else for a 5k. Participants take a shuttle from Plymouth high school to help avoid being stuck in the parade insanity after the race. 

Love the shirt!

Now, for my own disclosures, I HATE 5ks! Running as fast as I can for 3.1 miles is painful, exhausting, excruciating, and pure awful. Also, I hate racing in the summer, also far from comfortable. If running only involved summer 5k’s, this would be a very different blog.That being said, I was obviously dreading this race and kept asking myself why in the world I would sign myself up for this torture. Also, having run it before, I knew the course is a little hilly and doesn’t provide a ton of shade. I had been so uncomfortable when I ran it in 2013. But other than that, it’s a great 5k: well organized, cool shirts that fit, excited spectators, beautiful finish line and so on.

Plymouth Rock

I decided to pace myself off my Garmin prediction again, which at the time was 23:10 for a 5k. I did not run an all-out-pukey-pace that I could not maintain, but did my best to stay on goal, even in the first mile where I normally don’t pace at all in a 5k and make myself sick. This was a good strategy. I came in at exactly 23:10, feeling a little gross and spent, but able to recover in literally seconds. I had run a mile to warm up and ran another mile to cool down to meet my mileage per my training plan. It had been a cooler day than when I ran it in 2013 and I improved my time on that course by 1:40 and improved my overall 5k time by 10 seconds. That’s not much, but given the hills and summer factor, I feel pretty good about it. I plan to smash this time again in the fall or winter.

The most exciting part was that I placed for my age group! I got second place. This is my first time placing in a race of that size. However, want to know something annoying? The woman who came in first beat me by a single second!!! ONE SECOND!!!! I don’t know who she was and don’t recall seeing her on the course, so it’s not like I watched her cross the finish right in front of me, but one second? Really? I totally could have run 2 seconds faster for the win. Oh well. I got a medal and felt pretty great about placing at all. This is not something that happens to me every day.

Placing makes suffering through a 5k a happy thing

As for Mallory, she got her best 5k time since her injury and Tiasia cut around 5 minutes off of her 5k time. It was a great day for everyone.

Throwback Thursday: Run Hard Columbia Half MarathonPost

The 2015 Run Hard Columbia Half Marathon was held on March 7, 2015 in Columbia, South Carolina. Not that this it applies to the race, but the most notable part of this trip was the drive there. Early 2015 was all about the snow in New England. Mountains and mountains of snow, blizzards, ice etc. and so on. Rhode Island to South Carolina is a long drive in the best of conditions and this drive was far from best. We drove through blizzard conditions from Rhode Island through Virginia! We spent a lot of time stuck in traffic and gawking at rolled semi-trucks (for real!) and cars off the highway. It probably was not safe to drive, but Mallory and I are committed to our trips. It looked like many a motorist had spun off the highway and just hitched a ride and left. So many empty cars littered 95 South. It was craziness and SLOW! Traveling for races can be pretty exhausting and this was one of the top most exhausting trips we have taken and not for fun reasons.

That being said, South Carolina was beautiful, sunny and warm (by our standards). Also, this was a special race for Mallory and I, because we met with several online runner friends from our miles game Facebook group. We are called the Free Agents and we compete for most miles against other groups made of runners around the country. We're known as a group that doesn't win, but has the best connections and most active page. At this race we had 5 Free Agents and one friend from a competing team. We started the race together and hung out for a couple of meals. I am the newest member of the team and Mallory has been on it for years (maybe since the beginning) and these people are COOL. Friendly, funny, runners... need I say more?

Left to right: Jenn, Susan, Eric, Me, Mallory, Joe

For me this race would be part of my long run. I had 20 miles on the training calendar and planned to keep running through the finish, another 3.5 with the marathoners, another 3.5 back and then to the finish.

The start of this race was cold. It was 7:30am and Mallory and I showed up in our Walmart clearance rack long sleeve throwaway shirts from the boys' department. The worst part of this race for me was that NOTHING was open for food in the morning and we hadn't purchased bagels the night before as we sometimes do. I was planning to pick up something at some random bakery or coffee shop before the start, but everything was closed! There was a bakery right next to the starting line that opened at 8 or 9 or something. I looked longingly in the window and questioned how much trouble I would get into for breaking in and stealing some carbs. I like food right out bed, so to have nothing and then run a race and 20 miles on an empty stomach was not cool. I decided not to risk the jail time and started my run on empty.

Run Hard has a 5k, half-marathon on full-marathon. I believe there is also a relay option and kids' run. Jenn and Susan were doing the 5k, Mallory and I the half and Eric and Joe were doing the full. The 5k started half an hour after us, I think. The temperature at this time of year in Columbia on this morning was pretty great for running a race: cool and sunny. The shocker for me was the hills!

Here's the half-marathon map. The full is the same course twice.

Elevation

We ran through town and residential neighborhoods. Crowd support was pretty low if I remember correctly. T-shirts were soft cotton and pretty nice and comfy. Bibs had our names.

Shirt and bib

The end of the race had the usual fair. I finished the half in 01:52:03, which is not horrible, but was disappointed to discover they were out of coffee already. I downed a water and bagel and was on my way for the final 7 after handing my medal over to Susan. If you've never run extra at a race, it's a kinda funny experience, because when I turned around I got a lot of, "Does the race come back this way?" "Are you okay?" and "You're going the wrong way!" Sorry for the confusion.

I finished my 20, got my medal back, met Mallory and went to the hotel to shower, followed by lunch with our peeps. We loved the Southern hospitality, the weather and the palmetto trees. Good race. Good time. Good socialization. I love hanging with other runners.

Post-race lunch in our matching finisher shirts.

And a sweet finisher medal

You should also know is that if you register early this race is super cheap. If you were to register right now for next year the cost is $45. So, if you're considering, stop thinking about it and just sign up.

Throwback Thursday: Modesto Marathon 2015

In 2012 I ran my first and (until this year) only marathon. Mallory and I ran together and we were not fast, but it was seriously tough. I was exhausted and barely able to walk at the end. The next day I went home early from work feeling sick. I thought, I will NEVER run a full marathon again. Sometime during this past winter I began to wonder what would happen if I trained for a full marathon year round and ran three of them in a single year. Would the 26.2 distance start to feel like the 13.1, as in no big deal? I signed up for three full marathons and started training. The first of my three 2015 full marathons was the Modesto Marathon in Modesto, California (my home town). 

I started training officially in December and did my best to get the miles in during a notably brutal winter. Many a long run had to be done on the treadmill due to 6 foot high snow drifts on the sidewalks and into the covered-in-ice roads. Cross training was snowshoeing through the park during driving bans. I got my longest treadmill run to date in at 19 miles. Luckily, I was able to get my 20's in outside before the race, but still, it was really cold in New England and not at all similar to the conditions I would face in Modesto.

At that time, there was a chance I could BQ. It was a slim chance, but a chance none-the-less and I hoped having family members present to cheer me on, seeing familiar homey places along the course and the joy of the race would pull me through and make some magic happen.

Packet pick-up was the day before and talk about bling. We not only got the standard tee-shirt, but also arm warmers, full bottle of wine with race logo and a reusable grocery bag with several samples and goodies. I loved the colors and differences in the 5k, half and full shirts. One of my mini-pet-peeves is when shirts and/or medals are the same regardless the race distance. It bothers me less when I'm doing the shorter of the races, but when I run a full marathon, it better be clear I ran 26.2 miles. I mean, that's a pretty big deal and I don't want people thinking it was a 5k (like people read my shirts and give a crap). The shirts also had print on the back with the actual distance in giant font, which makes for pretty blatant bragging. At the finish, they add a finisher's jacket to the bling.

My Full Marathon Stuff (sans wine)

Mallory's Half Marathon Race Stuff

The race was held on March 29th at 7am. I was so nervous, because it would be my first time running a full marathon on my own time all by my lonesome. I wasn't sure if I would die or qualify or experience something in between. At the risk of TMI, I had a visitor of the lady type remind me of my potential for childbearing 10 minutes before the race started. That was completely without warning and unexpected and I was totally unprepared with the usual ibuprofen and all the essentials. This increased my sense of anxiety quite a bit. Not cool womanhood. Not cool at all.

The full and half marathon started at the same time and had so many pacing groups for those who wanted them. I decided to give the 3:45 marathon group a whirl. Mallory kept trying to convince me to introduce myself and tell the lead pacer I wanted the 3:45 for Boston Qualification purposes, but my confidence was waning, my anxiety and uterus pain increasing.

I stalked the 3:45 group for the first mile and it felt easy. Then I overheard the pacer say we were 20-seconds behind, but not to worry, because we could catch up and it was just from the pack being so thick at the start. That worried me and I was feeling okay, so I sped up. I eventually found the 3:40 group and stuck on them for awhile. We ran through my brother's old neighborhood, past the Jr. College where I took a few classes in my teens and over the overpass, the only "hill" in the race and so named "Mount Modesto." We then began our run into the agricultural area of Modesto. Each time I visit my hometown, I listen to those I left behind discuss what a shithole it is, but I consistently think it is completely beautiful. When you've seen gray sky and dirty snow for months on end as I had, it was especially amazing to experience bright blues in the sky and deep greens in the trees and plants. The color of California literally burned my eyes when we stepped out of the airport. So much brightness and contrast and just gorgeousness out in these fields. In New England it was still winter. In Modesto summer had already begun and not a sign of spring remained.

Yeah, so summer... I wasn't used to those temperatures. I was also thinking about how women weren't allowed to run marathons not so many decades ago, because it was believed our uteri might fall out. I was not only hotter than I had been in about 10 months, but I also seriously thought my uterus was ripping from my guts. I wanted a pain med of any sort like nobody's business. At mile 9, I walked. A woman ran by and said, "Don't walk. Whatever you do just keep running." So, I did. It smelled like cows on the course, because there were dairies nearby. I hit the halfway around 1:51, which ain't too shabby. They had salt tablets to help with cramping. Although I never took a salt tablet, I was cramping in a sense, so I thought why not give it a go? I was hoping to see my family, but I didn't. I thought about my family that has passed and would not come to cheer me on today. My parents, my brother Todd. I felt very alone and brought out the paper hats for my personal pity party. I sniffed cow smell. I cried to myself. I hyperventilated a little from trying to stifle it and move along. I walked. I threw up. I saw my family cheering ahead at mile 16 and I ran! I felt great! I passed them. I walked. I jumped over a snake coming out of an orchard into the street. And... I started to feel a thirst as I had never known. I could think only of water and the salt I had swallowed. Maybe that was a bad idea. I grabbed two waters at each stop, which felt a hundred miles apart and they were warm. I could barely get them down. They made me want to throw up again. It was becoming a major suckfest and I really wanted to just give up. But, I was in CA, a long way from home now and needed to finish what I came to do. Each time I saw my family, my brother Greg would run along side me for a little bit and try to cheer me on.

I walked most of the last half of the race. It was really horrible. On the positive, I still PRed from 2012 by a few minutes and I talked to a couple of people along the course, which I never do as I am normally too focused on wanted to kick their asses. My brothers had walked down the course to find me near the finish and both tried to run in with me as long as they were able. All that walking left enough in the tank for a strongish finish and I came in around an hour later than intended, but in nonetheless and got my medal.

Modesto is a beautiful place. I don't care what anybody says.

My time: 4:51:20.

The medals are awesome!

Me and Mallory at the finish.

Throwback Thursday: Redding Road Race 2015 Race Recap

So, it's not Thursday... I started this blog with the headline on Thursday and then went about my day and forgot about it. Hey, it's a new blog and I'm still getting used to the schedule.

Anyhow, today we'll review the Redding Road Race in Redding Connecticut, aka "A Run for The Cows," held in Redding, CT. Mallory and I ran this race on May 3, 2015. First things first: You need to know this is another quick-to-sell-out race, so if you want to do it, put the registration date in your calendar and plan to sign up immediately.

For me, this race was 2 weeks before the Sugarloaf Marathon and on the day of my last 20-miler and therefore a part of a longer run. I was also running on legs that were very ready to taper. When we went to pick up our bibs and numbers the day before at New Pond Farm, and saw the course, we knew this would be no easy half either. Hilly! Like possibly the hilliest kind of hilly. I have also run the Heartbreak Hill Half which has some hills, as you might think, but this was hillier.

I mean, just look.

I feel like this does not look as intense as it seemed, so trust me when I tell you it felt intense, at least on my ready-to-taper legs.

Packet pick up was at New Pond Farm the day before, which is also the location of the start and finish. This is a tiny race, but holy bling! We each got a water bottle, travel mug, insulated lunch bag, magnet, t-shirt and cowbell (of course). Everything was cute too. I really love the shirt and the water bottle matches my bike.

This race has a seven-miler, half marathon and "The Mighty Cow." The Mighty Cow means you start early and run a 5k before completing the half (given I needed to run 20, I wish I had thought of that earlier). These races are not expensive either, $40 to $60, depending on what you're up for. Oh yeah, there is also a "Piglet Prance" for the kidlettes. How cute is that?

Mallory poses with a cow at the start/finish.

The half marathon started at 8am. The weather was gorgeous. Temperature was cool, but sunny. We started with a lap around the farm and then we were hitting the roads. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Majestic course. People were friendly along the way and there was a little bit of crowd support. Not a ton, but plenty. I would show you photos, but you'll have to go to their website: race course photos to check it out. I was running, after all. I had no time for taking pretty photos. I do recall running near a church and the bells were tolling right at that moment, which was pretty cool. We ran through the barn and back onto the farm for the finish. They gave us awesome cowbell medals and flowers! More cowbell please!

They went all out at the finish. I mean we're talking serious food. Fresh chocolate milk, all sorts of fruit, pizza and donuts. I think there may have also been bagels. I don't know, but there was a lot to eat! I had some really delicious chocolate milk and fruit and watched the award ceremonies. Winners got glass pitchers with the logo or sets of glasses. Lots of prizes too. When it was time to go, they were trying to give away boxes of pizza to take along for the ride. We declined.

I finished in 1:54:01. Not my best performance, but I didn't run to "perform." I ran to train and went home and ran another 7. I had considered running my seven right through the finish line, but I could not stand the thought of another hill. No freakin' way.

Overall A+ race. Do it.

My bling got photobombed! 

Throwback Thursday: Covered Bridges Half Marathon 2015 Race Recap

Mallory and I signed up for the Vermont Covered Bridges Half Marathon months ago. This is a tough race to get into as it sells out FAST! We were online registering the minute it opened and thankfully, both of us got in.

The organization was different from what I am used to, but great. Mallory and I stopped at a table in town the day before where we met the race director, got a free shirt from last year's race and a map. They keep the entry low packet pick-up is on the morning of the race at the start line. A bus is available to bring your hoodie and sweatpants or what have you back to the finish and everything was alphabetized and in order by the time runners got back. Finisher shirts are handed out after you finish and get your medal, which is great, because it is a FINISHER shirt for a reason people!

Finisher Shirt and Medal

I will spare you the where we stayed and what we ate, because this race is all about the course and weather. There is a reason this race sells out within minutes. I've completed several beautiful courses in the past few years, but this is surely one of the best. Races through ski country are always gorgeous and impressive to your friends who don't know and assume you're running up and down mountains, when generally, you're often running mostly down. This general rule is true for Covered Bridges as well with an elevation change of 200 feet. Also early summer in Northern New England is good running weather. This year the temperature as measured by my Garmin was an average of 67 degrees. I know that's not the most accurate weather gauge, but just believe me when  tell you it was pretty near ideal.

The course is also a point to point, which I prefer. We parked at the finish in Quechee, VT and took the buses to Suicide Six in South Pomfret. It was a cool sunny morning at the start and the course took us past several covered bridges and through one. Shady most of the way and surprising amount of crowd support! I gave many a high five and enjoyed musicians along several spots. I have to be honest though, even though I am not the fastest and have yet to place in anything over a 5-mile small town race, in my mind, I am Shalane Flanagan and I am all in the game and super competitive in races, so I look around very little, other than seeking spectators with hands out, because high fives are like energy gels for me. After a race, I can't usually tell you what I ran past.

While this race is said to be a fast course, there are a hill or two to get over, the largest being at mile 8. That one seriously sucked. Otherwise, the course felt relatively smooth and easy.

As for me, I decided I would use this race to practice pacing, which is so important for running a marathon in the time I will need to qualify for Boston and something I really struggle with. I run how I feel and at the start of a race, I feel PUMPED. Plus, being competitive, I get hyped up by the large pack at the beginning and fight to get in front of as many people as possible right off the rip. Many a race has seen me start at a 7 or less minute mile, which in spite of what I think, is not my pace at all. I am in fact, not Shalane Flanagan. Then I'm dead, because I just completed a mile race basically and have another 12.1 to go. Bad bad strategy people! Anyway, I decided with this race, I would attempt to maintain a pace similar to what my Garmin predicted I was capable of running, which would be a pretty decent PR. Garmin predicted I could keep a 8:07 pace. I decided to work toward anything under 8:10.

As per usual, I failed at pacing for the first two miles even though I kept looking and forcing myself to slow it down. I wonder what my splits would have been had I not been "slowing it down."

Splits as follows:
Mile 1: 7:50
Mile 2: 7:45
Mile 3: 8:14
Mile 4: 8:24 (doubting I could maintain pace and tired from starting too fast)
Mile 5: 8:07 (Talked myself through it)
Mile 6: 8:07
Mile 7: 8:13
Mile 8: 8:39 (damn hill!)
Mile 9: 8:17
Mile 10: 8:14
Mile 11: 8:08
Mile 12: 8:07
Mile 13: 7:44 (Just run it home!)

Mallory and I back at the hotel after finishing

Average: 8:09 minute mile! Official time: 01:46:50. Although this was not the cleanest pacing job, I met my goal of keeping below 8:10 and shocked myself with having enough left in the tank for that final push in the last mile.   This was a 3 minute PR for my half-marathon and I admit I teared up a little about it. I didn't think I had this in me and with the marathons and marathon training, I wasn't exactly in ideal, well-rested shape. My legs felt sore and tired throughout, but the benefit of the full marathons and marathon training is that now mentally 13.1 is no big deal and my brain had no panic about needing to run 13.1 on tired legs. It was like, "Thirteen miles? Big whoop. I walk further than that to the photocopier at work." Don't doubt the power of your mind to help you PR.

This race has some serious runners and while I felt fast and amazing, this was no great performance compared to my age group competitors. I'm gonna ride the high of this PR anyway.

New PR!!!

Throwback Thursday: Sugarloaf Marathon 2015 Recap

In the interest of staying focused and creating a routine around the writing portion of my running, I have set the intention of using Throwback Thursday as an opportunity to write about previous races and recap to the best of my memory.

Since Sugarloaf is freshest and also one of my proudest at the moment, we'll start here.

The 2015 Sugarloaf 15k and Marathon were held on May 17. I signed up several months earlier as my goal for the year was to run three marathons this year (more about that later). It was ill advised I run this at all as I also had another marathon scheduled 6 weeks before (more about that later too). Regardless, I went in feeling pretty well prepared. I had been training well for the previous 4 weeks, which included a 2 week taper, but given I had already been preparing for the marathon in April, this felt okay. I also went in nervous, because my legs had felt tired and heavy and not at all ready to run 26.2. I had never done a two week taper before. Did I need more? Is three really the right number.

Mallory, Tiasia and I drove 5 hours to the ski lodge for the expo. This is a small race, so not much of an expo. Granted we were just there for our numbers and shirts, but I don't think I missed anything when I tell you that was the extent of the expo. Marathoners received a full-sleeve Under Armour tech shirt. Fifteen K runners got the same shirt in short sleeve. Shirts were not gender-specific, which is not something that works well for me as I am an extra small female, so unisex will never fit right no matter what the size. Nice shirt just the same though. Thin, light and good for cooler spring New England runs.

That night we had spaghetti at the only place we saw open between the expo and hotel. I don't recall the name, but it was a nice place and the pasta was good. Being a ski area and out of season, there were a lot of places with empty parking lots and closed signs.

We did not stay at the suggested lodge due to the cost and instead stayed at Bingham Sports and Motor Lodge, which turned out to be about half an hour from the starting line. This was surprisingly comfortable and nice. Family owned by a friendly older couple with an office attached to their home and filled with exotic dead stuffed animals (I'm vegetarian, so that's not the coolest), but they were really friendly, the room was clean and nice and the place was very quiet. When I checked in the manager told me, "The man in 35 is trying to qualify for Boston!" so I said, "Me too!" which was kinda true and kinda not true. I just wanted in on the fame... and also qualifying for Boston was kinda a possibility, maybe. This would be my first time running my race and my Garmin had been predicting I could do it, but my experience wasn't there, so who knew really.

The next morning we parked near the finish as directed and took buses to our starting lines. Mallory did the 15k while I did the full, so my buses were first and she waited about half an hour in the car before hers would arrive. Marathons make me nervous. It's a long race and I know it will hurt and I will hate my decision to run it at some point in the next few hours. My bus mates did not help my sense of dis-ease, because they looked like Olympians. They got on the bus in their Boston Marathon jackets or wearing their Ironman Shirts, looking fit and fast as f*%^. I thought, "So, I'm coming in last today."

Mallory and I pre-race

The ride to the start was beautiful and I regretted not having my camera. We went up the Maine Scenic Highway - Route 27 along a tree-lined, mostly downhill course, passing little streams and rivers and just looking totally gorgeous. However, my fear increased as we were driving up the course exactly (it's one road all the way from start to finish) and I realized how dang far I was about to run.

We made it to the start. There were plenty of potties and I think there was a "warming bus" or two for people to hang out in. Another bus collected peoples' belongings to meet them back at the finish. I could have had a camera in a bag. The scene was AMAZING! And I still did not have any way to record it (I race light). We waited near a lake with the sun breaking through morning fog to reveal a background of mountains and pine trees. Seriously, the kind of view that makes you sing church hymns and believe in your deity of choice. I tried to google this view, but nothing I found could do it justice on the day of the race. Take a moment to imagine birds chirping and what heaven looks like. That's how it was, but with a bunch of people in shorts and bibs nervously hopping around and a guy on a loud speaker directing runners where to go for what. I met James, an Instagram follower/followee, his friend Melissa and a couple of other friendly people who just struck up a conversation with me while we stood around. Good mojo up on that mountain.

The guy on the loudspeaker directed us to the starting line at 7am and with the gunshot we were off. Remember how I said my legs had felt like sandbags during my two-week taper? Through the magic of massage and Mallory putting KT tape on my calves (and the two-week taper itself), my legs were over it and ready to run. I had my watch set to pace me to what it said I was capable of running and I was kicking some ass. I paced myself off of a woman in a red hat who seemed to be close to my pace and know what's up. Come mile 13 or so, I started thinking "I'm really a half-marathoner. Why did I try this? This is not me. My body just isn't made for this level of endurance." I got pouty and slowed down. My watch predicted me coming in about 9 minutes under Boston Qualifying time and I felt so done. I decided to take a minute and walk. As soon as I did, another woman (Alyssa, according to her bib) came up behind me and it went something like this...

Alyssa: I have been following your butt for miles. You better keep running, because you're pacing me.
Me: You got it (start running). What time are you trying to get?
Alyssa: My qualifying time is 3:45 and that would be great!
Me: Me too!
Alyssa: I'd be happy with anything under 4 though.
Me: Me too!

We trotted along side by side and then she took off and lost me. The woman in the red hat was also gone somewhere too far ahead for me to see.

I spent a little more time pouting and wondering what I had done to myself, but I did not lose the possibility of qualifying. At mile 16, I hit my second wind. Ten more miles and it's downhill. Two more 5-milers. Soon it will be two 5ks. I broke up ten in multiple ways in my head and got PUMPED. I might qualify for Boston! I put in a sub 8-minute mile, the whole time thinking, "I can keep this pace all the rest of the way! I'm killing this!" Around mile 17 I saw Alyssa and passed her with tongue out and thumbs up. I wanted to scream, "We are killing this!!! We're gonna qualify" but she was starting to look like she was hating life, so I felt like a jerk for my enthusiasm and kept on running.

Around mile 18, I saw Tia and Mallory who had finished her race and driven up to see me. I was over the second wind, but still thinking I could qualify, so mentally feeling groovy. Oh, also the scenery was still gorgeous, but I had been focusing on my run and not paying it any attention. Also, it was hot! The trees were not providing shade and the sun had been beating right up the road on us.

I saw Tia and Mallory every couple of miles. The road was open and we ran along the right side. There was plenty of space for all of us and the spectators could cruise down the road and stop to cheer us on at multiple points. After mile 20, I was THIRSTY. I had been getting water along the way, but I felt insatiable. I started to kinda hallucinate. If someone had bright shoes ahead of me, I thought I saw the shirts of volunteers with water. At one point I saw a dog and thought it was a table and therefore a water stop. Luckily water stops started coming faster and I was downing two cups at each. You would think that would be a bad idea, but somehow it worked. The water was cool and tasty and also felt great as I dumped it over my head.

At mile 21 or 22, it was clear people were hitting walls all over the place. Walking happened, but not for me. I was slowing way down, but still running. I was doing math of the miles left, breaking it down into little bite-sized chunks. I passed my red hat pacer. I kept running. I passed Mallory and Tia and said "Wall. Wall. Wall." I wanted to be done, but I kept running. Boston qualifying was over, but I felt a good time was still in store. I did not want to come in knowing I could have done better. I did not want to give excuses for a time that didn't seem to fit. Even through it hurt, I had begun to tell myself I am a marathoner, not a half marathoner, a 26.2er, the real deal. I just had to keep running.

When I had a 5k to go, I thought, "If I run this last 5k like I can run a 5k, I could still qualify." I don't know if that was true as my math skills were really falling apart by this time. I tried to push a little harder. I was not sprinting the last 3 miles, obviously. Who does that? But I kept passing people and pushing and pushing. Mallory and Tia drove by and yelled out the window, "See you at the finish!"

At mile 26, I was back in town and heading toward the finish. This was the longest .2 miles in the history of .2 miles. Seriously, I was thinking "Where the hell is this finish line? Is this a joke?" I turned the corner and booked it as booking it as I could.

Final time 3:50:25.

I got a medal and while it was a fine little medal, I said, "I feel like I should have gotten something bigger for what I just did." I want fancy ribbon. I want it to say "MARATHON!" not "marathon and 15k." Let's make no mistake I just did something epic.

Sugarloaf Medal comparison with Modesto Marathon
Close-up of medal and shirt logo

The after food was good. They had chicken noodle soup, chocolate milk, bagels, other stuff. We watched the award ceremony and were on our way home.

I think I will sign up again next year! Two thumbs up!

http://sugarloaf.com/marathon

Post-race and feeling great not dead