Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon-Dec 18, 2011

The Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon and Marathon calls themselves the ‘Fastest Marathon in the South,’ and it sure showed true for me today!

I went into the race not feeling my usual energetic self. Maybe it was the cold. Maybe it was because I had just completed a 17 mile training run a few days ago. Maybe it was the stress of learning more bad news of a couple of close friends. Maybe it was my personal life getting in the way of my focus of running. I don’t know.

The run includes not only a full and half marathon, but also a 5k. This is one of the oldest races around town and is an out and back from Bolles High School.

The course of the Jax Bank half marathon runs right along with the full marathon. It takes you up and back down San Jose Blvd, with the roads still open. (I got a nice lungful of exhaust a couple times! Nice!). But then takes you into a few different neighborhoods. Being so close to the river, I would have liked to have seen more of it. I did get a chance to look over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of the river! There were not that many supporters lining the course to cheer you on. Tthere were no bands every so many miles. There were no cheerleaders dressed in costume to motivate you. But all in all, for some reason the nickname of this race held true. It was a pretty fast course. I guess the quietness keeps you in the zone and focused. This race is about you and only you, and how mentally prepared you are to handle the distance when you are all alone. A huge thanks goes out to the 80 year old man that stuck with me most of the race, and the little 5 year old boy and mom that were ahead of me a good portion of the race, as well as the two Mrs Claus’ dressed up in full costume. They were my entertainment.

Despite the extremely long walk to start, waiting for the race to start was very uneventful. Parking is extremely limited. Not much is available at the school, so it just leaves the one side of the busy San Jose blvd (we run on the other). Unfortunately it seems the businesses around the school are greedy and were charging $20 for parking! It was extremely cold for Florida, although I heard people say this race has had colder starts. It was about 45 degrees at the start and the winds didn’t help much. Luckily they had the gym open for us to cram into as we waited until line up. Most people still weren’t on the street after the anthem and the gun shot. They ignored the corrals, and just made their way into the crowd as they came out of the gym.

My first few steps of the race my mind still wasn’t in the game. It was like I was just going through the motions with no feeling. That quickly changed when about mile 2 I started getting a cramp on the side of my right calf. Mile 3 it had moved to the front of my right shin. Mile 5 it had moved to my right knee. Mile 7 it had moved to my right hip. Mile 9 it had moved to both knees. Mile 10-13 my whole right leg was a constant ache, it felt like I was almost limping on that side.

Despite the discomfort, I was on a mission to run at least 6 miles without stopping. I had not done that since last Feb’s breast cancer marathon and thought it was about time to do it again. Before I made it to mile 6, I had already changed my mind that I would run until at least 7 miles without stopping. Mile 7 quickly approached, probably because the water stations were spread about 2 miles apart instead of 1. So I just continued to run. Mile 8 came and I debated walking, but I decided the pain would hurt worse if I walked and stretched out the time. Plus my breathing was really good, so I continued. Mile 9-11 I about died, until I came across a Mimosa station…thanks so much! Although, all I wanted to do was sit at their bonfire that they had going too and drink ALL the mimosas! But I continued. At this point, there was no way I could stop now, being so close to the finish.

About another mile later some guy on a bike on the sidewalk slowed enough to tell me “Thank You”….his mom had died from breast cancer. He pedaled off as I gave him a warm ‘Your welcome!’ and then started to become so emotional. He was an angel sent to me, sending me a message from everyone above that I could do this. Telling me that I may not have someone standing on the sidelines with a poster with my name on it, I may not have someone waiting for me at the finish line, but I had someone, many someones, up above supporting me! And it was perfect timing. I had to choke it up and turn those tears into determination and complete this mission!

Thoughts running through my mind as I contemplated walking several times? Well, I kept a good pace with a real skinny 80 year old man for the entire race. He kept passing me, doing the run/walk method. But then I would pass him as I didn’t stop to walk. I decided I had run enough races, doing the run/walk method, letting the older runners beat me at the finish line, that this time, it was my turn. Mile 11-13 I picked up the pace, and the people that I had run with for the majority of the race, I left in the dust.

I also thought of all the names and ribbons on my back (I made a Christmas tree out of this ribbons this time, instead of keeping them on the tutu). I thought how one friend had just finished up chemo treatments and had handled it so well and is now thankfully in remission, yet may have a whole new situation on her hands. I thought how I just found out another friend is just beginning her own battle and is yet to figure out her own strength. I thought how could I know so many people going through such horrendous treatments just to stay alive, how could I bicker and complain about a little sore knee when I am running healthy?

I thought about how all this time, when I started running 5 years ago, I limited myself and allowed myself to walk. How I never, ever, considered myself a runner because I ‘walk’. I mean, its not ‘real’ running if you walk half of a half marathon, right? I realized today I had been giving myself permission to hold back. I had never really tried to put it all out there 100%. And once I realized that, I kept amazing myself at each mile on how strong my body actually is when I don’t hold back! So I knew I couldn’t stop.

Today I became a runner. I completed the entire half marathon without walking once (well, besides the 6 water stations to gulp a mini cup of water/Gatorade…still haven’t mastered the run and drink without missing my mouth!)

The race finished up on the Bolles track field, which was pretty cool, because every time I race, all I can think about is how embarrassed I would be in PE class in grade school, when I was always the slowest one to complete the mile on the track because I had to walk most of it. Not today….. Not today.

13.1 miles 2:24

Savannah Rock n Roll-Nov 7, 2011

Sweet Ol Savannah! …turned into a sweet ol’ race weekend! The Rock n Roll series takes place in 18 cities around the world, and this year was Savannah’s Inaugural. Savannah was going to prove that the small charming city could handle one of the largest race events out there! And from my point of view, I can happily say they lived up to its standards!

23,000 runners had registered for the half and full marathon, with of course all fifty states and all 21 countries represented. The race had been sold out since August.

Two days before I was to leave for Savannah, I got an email from a lady named Suly who said she was friends with Lucy (who we just walked with in the Tampa 3Day), and was also registered for Savannah RnR, but wasn’t really planning on going because of lack of training. Well, we quickly turned that around, and I had myself a new travel and racing buddy!

We had an easy ride up to Savannah, just a few hours from Jacksonville, and arrived to the Expo about 1p. There was no traffic and we actually got a parking spot just a few rows away. The Expo wasn’t all that, but there were some Gorgeous men walking around! (must be the nearby military bases, although they said 88% of the runners were from out of town). We even met a man that just Crewed one of the Breast Cancer 3 Day events, and was with a woman who was a breast cancer survivor.

We got our swag bag, did some gear shopping and then hopped on the ferry to have lunch and shop on the Riverwalk. The line wasn’t too long, and we chatted with some wonderful people from Wisconsin who were wearing flip flops in the cold weather!

We had a late lunch of crab chowder and fried green tomatoes at the Cotton Exchange Tavern, and shopped the outdoor market where we met a super talented and friendly local artist who asked us…”Are you running the short race or the long race?” LOL I bought a piece of art for my wall that has my new mantra of “Settle for More”.

The ferry line to get back to our car was getting longer at this point, but the city stepped up and got more boats to get everyone across the river. I guess those people just getting off work were crammed in with those people getting into town and causing traffic delays. The Expo was to end at 6pm, but they had extended the hours because traffic was backed up for hours. It was a good thing we got there early! I thought it was great that Savannah was fixing the problems as they occurred and not just letting things happen.

We got off the ferry, and we found out that Dodge was giving away $20 to a charity of your choice if you did a test drive! Of course we stopped to sign up and put the Donna Foundation down as the charity! =) SWEET!! The Pink Ribbon Tutu got a $40 donation! The Dodge rep even took us straight to my car, so we didn’t have to walk!

We made our way over to our hotel, the Fairfield Inn, which was about 10 minutes from downtown/start of the race. My plan for the morning was to take the Mall shuttle which was 5miles in the opposite direction of the start, but it would save us time from having to go to the Convention Center parking (which was having the bad traffic delays today) and then have to take the ferry boat back over the river to the starting line.

However, when we checked into the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised that they were offering a new shuttle right at our hotel! SWEET!... we got to get another half an hour of sleep and not have to stress about driving in traffic! =)

Everyone at the Fairfield Inn was surprisingly super nice and accommodating! They even let us know that they were going to be serving their HOT continental breakfast at 4am just for the runners!! No Cliff bar and banana breakfast for me!! Then they even brought out freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for us! (Yes, we had our desert before our dinner!)

We got settled into our room and then headed out to Carrabbas for dinner. I knew it was going to be a long wait. … I mean, what runner doesn’t eat pasta the night before? Well, it was an hour and half wait. We decided to wait it out, and ordered a glass of wine and stood at the bar while we waited. As soon as we got our drinks, the couple sitting at the bar right next to us was leaving! SWEET! We got seated in 10minutes while everyone else was waiting for a table! Can our luck get any better??!

I ate an Italian chicken pizza and snuck in a couple olives from the bar set up (I was craving salt!) and then we made our way back to the hotel for some much needed rest. We were asleep by 1030ish and up by 5am. I didn’t wake up once.

We had oatmeal and toasted English muffins with juice and coffee for breakfast. I really wanted the fresh waffles, eggs, and biscuits and gravy, but decided Id better not over do it!

We quickly ate, and then tried to jump on the shuttle that we signed up for at 545a. However, it was full, and they were not allowing standing room. Oh no, had our luck run out??....Not to fear “Nitra” was on her way! Another shuttle came, and the funniest, most polite, (and later learned most prepared) shuttle driver came and picked us up not 5minutes later! We were at the starting line by 630am without traffic and Nitra even printed us out directions to where we were to meet the shuttle after the race. We later learned the mall shuttles we originally planned on taking were completely unorganized, did not know the directions to start, and after the race, the lines were tremendous! Once again, the luck was on our side!

The race was to start at 730a, so we had some time kill. It was a very chilly and windy morning, temps in the lower 40s. We had jackets, gloves, and ear warmers to keep us warm. The start was 1 block from the river and near a ton of hotels, Panera, and Starbucks, so the majority of people stayed inside the buildings to stay warm until last minute. This made for very short porta potty lines!

We did some stretching, dropped off our gear, and were in our corral by 7am. I decided to go to Sulys corral 16 ( I was registered for 12), but figured it would be more fun to start together. We got to the very front of the corral with the rope. They start each corral about 2 minute apart, so it takes about 30 minutes or so to do all 24 corrals. Each corral walks up to the starting line, has their own countdown, and they blow the horn. It was cool to be the very first ones on the starting line to begin ‘our’ part of the race. For a split second I got to see what it felt like to be an Elite!

Suly and I started the race together, but had a plan to meet at the end. She hadn’t trained, so was going to do a run/walk for as much as she could and then power walk it. I was still on my mission to run as far as I could without walking. Our first few steps we saw this woman holding a sign that said “Make this run your BITCH!”….Funniest thing I had ever read on a race!!…and it was going to be my mantra for the rest of this race! I was on a mission to beat my Chicago time!

I must have been well hydrated despite the 2 huge glasses of wine I had the night before, because I had to pee again when we were lined up to start. I figured the feeling would go away after I started running but it didn’t. I was searching for porta potties from mile 1!! Unfortunately there weren’t that many (I believe they announced 750 for 23000 runners!!), and the ones that were there had lines. There was no way I was standing in line! I was on a mission to PR, since it was almost perfect conditions! I held it til mile 6, where I finally darted into the woods and popped a squat…tutu and all!

Then I wondered if having a full bladder was actually keeping me running faster, because I was ahead of pace, but now I felt myself slowing and wanting to walk.

The course was ok, but nothing that I was expecting. I had been to Savannah several times, and had never seen what we ran through our first 4 miles ever before!....Ghe-tto!! …I was actually scared for a brief moment as we ran through there and got a lungful of weed! But then I realized everyone that was out on the street, in their Pjs, and blankets, were so nice! Their Southern Hospitality was definitely top notch!

In fact, all of the supporters the entire race, were so polite. This has got to be the ‘nicest’ race I have ever run! They all kept saying “Good Mornin’ Ya’ll!”….”Welcome to Savannah, Ya’ll!” It was so cute!

Once we got across the ‘other side of the tracks’, we were back downtown and all the families and friends staying in the hotels packed the streets. It was the loudest cheering area, and I probably ran my fastest time through there! Tons of high fives all around! Once through downtown, we were in the rich historic neighborhoods where the locals were standing outside with their mimosas in champagne glasses! …I think we definitely got to see both sides of savannah!

Much of the course had sloped roads, so I found myself running down the center line much of the way. The problem with that, is when I was ready to walk, I had to make my way over to the side. The roads were pretty narrow, so my pace was slowed several times just trying to get around people (I guess I should have started in my own corral to avoid this).

My right knee started hurting about mile 4, and then again about mile 9. I haven’t had my knee hurt this bad in over a year. It had me worried for a while, but I kept telling myself it had to be the cold that was making it act up, plus I had just done the 3Day 60mile walk, so of course my body was a little over worked this week! The sun was nice and warm, but the winds, up to 18mph were keeping it cool. I had on long sleeves and a short sleeve over that, as well as pants. My right big toe also went numb from mile 6-9, which Ive never felt before. Even still, I was ahead of my goal and was set to PR by 12 minutes if I could keep it up!

But of course that ‘brick wall’ at mile 9 hit me once again. I had kept my GU on reserve until Mile 6 (usually I have one at mile 3 or 4) so wondered if I made a mistake. I was taking a water and a Cytomax at every station, but I decided to still take the other 2 GUs at the next two stations so I wouldn’t poop out at the end.

The last mile was lined side by side with the full marathon course. It was pretty cool, because the Elite marathoners were finishing right next to me as I was struggling to finish my last mile of the half marathon!! The last mile was up a hill (yes, I guess Savannah does have hills) and kept me stopping to walk 10seconds at a time. It was also very packed, because the already narrow road was divided for the full on one side and the half on the other. My periods of running, I want to run faster, but the people around me were running so slow, it almost allowed me to walk more than I probably wanted to. I had to pass through the cones to get around people.

I sprinted in the straightaway, but again it was so packed I had to squeeze through people trying to prepare and pose for their picture!

I managed to finish 7 minutes faster than my personal best! I went into this weekend feeling I was going to PR, but I had no idea I could PR by that much! I definitely “made this race my Bitch!” LOL

The end of the race, I was walking completely fine. My feet did not hurt. I didn’t have blisters. My legs felt good. I walked straight to the gear truck, got out of the wet clothes so I wouldn’t freeze, grabbed my MGD64 and energy bar, and went to watch Carolina Liar! They were playing some pretty awesome jams, so I sat down to enjoy and stretch. However, when I went to stand back up, my left leg completely cramped up on me from toe to hip and would not even straightened to bare my weight, so I tumbled over in front of everyone!! Was the most hilarious thing, I wish someone had it on video! I guess sitting down so early is not so good! I hydrated some more, and met up with Suly who completed shortly after me!

We took some pictures of the beautiful Forsyth Park and made our way over to our hotel shuttle….jaws dropping when we saw the line for the mall shuttle! Yes, we made the right decision on taking the hotel shuttle instead! We got to our shuttle and Nitra was waiting for us! We had some side splitting laughs with her as we waited for more runners. We also met a man who lost his wife to breast cancer. He started running because she was a runner and this was his way to connect with her and keep her spirit alive.

We got to the hotel, cleaned up, checked out, and made our way to have the best post race lunch ever at Hueys on the River…..creamed spinach and artichoke omelet, shrimp n grits, and beignets….oh and Blue Moon!! =)

It was beautiful weekend, beautiful race, with beautiful people! It just goes to show, if you open your heart and view things in a positive light, then the happiness, positivity, and luck will find its way in! Thank you Savannah for a great time once again!

13.1miles 2:27

Disney Wine n Dine-Oct 1, 2011

Disney Wine n Dine Half Marathon is the kickoff event to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival that is also the largest nighttime half marathon. It is a marathon and relay series (4.8 and 8.3 legs) that starts at ESPN Wide World of Sports, goes through Animal Kingdom, and finishes up at Epcot.

This year was the second annual and also a celebration of Disney turning 40. There were approximately 12,500 runners total with 8254 completing the half marathon, representing all 50 states and 21 countries, yet we can proudly say a FL runner took home the trophy! The crowd was a large percentage female (5213 vs 3041) and the average age was 36. The oldest runner was 66 and youngest 14.

I arrived at packet pick up about 11am on race day and at the Marriott World Center by 12p to be poolside by 1p for a nap and lunch. As the evening quickly approached, I had some final details to add to my costume of the Pink Glowin’ Minnie before driving over to Epcot. I don’t know if it was the nerves, but I was not hungry at 6p for dinner, so I just grabbed a couple power bars and Gatorade to munch on at start.

 

I tried to leave the hotel about 630p. However, I spent half an hour waiting on the valet, when I realized they were not getting my car. By the time I got to Epcot to catch the shuttle over to start at ESPN, it was already dark and 730p. It took over an hour of standing in line to catch the bus, but I took this opportunity to make my glow in the dark pink ribbons for my tutu. I had my noise activated LED pink ribbon on my shirt glowing. It didn’t even need my IPOD for the noise to make it glow! Everyone talking was loud enough! I was super stoked, and was getting some awesome compliments as I started adding on the glow in the dark ribbons to my tutu. That is until I looked down and saw that my shirt stopped glowing. The batteries couldn’t have died already!! I changed the batteries, but still no luck, I couldn’t get it to work. I decided I would turn it off and mess with it again at start and finish up my glow stick ribbons.

The bus arrived at the starting area, and there were a TON of people. They had a stage set up and music was blaring, and people were dancing. Our bus was stuck waiting for the line of other busses to leave. I felt like we were so late, despite my efforts to arrive early! We finally got off the bus about 930p, just enough time to throw my bag into the gear truck, hit the porta outlets, and line up in my corral!

I started messing with my LED shirt again, playing with the many wires, disconnecting and reconnecting, taking my shirt off, putting it back on, taking out the batteries, putting them back in, all this playing and I finally got it to start working again! =) Boy, was that mentally draining! I don’t think I will worry so much about costumes so much next time!! …it takes away your energy!

Walking over to start, I was stopped by this gorgeous guy running towards me that was very interested in my shirt. I was so dumbfounded by his amazingly blue eyes, I murmured something, but not sure if it was even English! I lost him in the crowd, but I kept my eye out for him the rest of the race! Unfortunately I had no such luck in seeing him again.

There were 4 corrals, letter based, that had pretty big time differences between each letter. For example I was Corral B, which was about 2:15-3:00. There’s a lot of paces between there! Needless to say, it was a little packed for the beginning miles with everyone trying to spread out and be around people of their own pace.

We were packed in for lineup for about half an hour. They started with the wheelchairs, and did a new start every 3 minutes or so, with fireworks going off for each start! Mickey and Minnie were cheering us on as we crossed over the starting line!

The first couple miles my legs tightened really quickly….not sure if it was the cooler temps, but I am glad that I kept my compression leg sleeves on, even though I was wearing pants!

Right away we saw lighted floats, and people dressed up in costumes in lights, and stages of musicians. The music was really good. I did not bring my IPOD and I did not regret it.

There were a good amount of runners dressed up too…men and women in Lederhosen, lots of Minnies, lots of tutus, one guy was a Lobster and his partner was a Minnie Cook, there was a group dressed up as Thing 1, 2, etc, except they were Drunk1, 2, etc, Woody and his girlfriend were running too.

After we left ESPN, we headed to Animal Kingdom. It was a pretty good distance on the road between the parks, and not many spectators, since the roads were closed. (most spectators were at the end of the race). Animal Kingdom stunk. Literally. Not only of animal poo, but I guess they just redid the bark in the flower beds. It was not pleasant when breathing heavy! There were a ton of employees in the parks, cheering you on. It was cool to have supporters, but then at the same time you wonder if they volunteered, or were forced to ‘work’….they were after all in their uniforms. There wasn’t much to see in Animal Kingdom because it was so dark. The only thing I really noticed was the Tree of Life. We were quickly in and out of the park and then back on the boring road between parks.

The distance was going by fast. I kept to a slow and steady pace, so I wouldn’t do a lot of walking, since I knew I was going to be stopping a lot to take lots of pictures. I was, however, hot. I wore pants as my dad tried to convince me it was going to be cold. Well, it was cool at start, and pretty cold at finish, but still not cold enough to wear pants. I was uncomfortably hot which became distracting.

As we past by the 4mile sign, I checked my pace and realized my Garmin had stopped! The last time I looked was at the 5k, so it could have been stopped for a whole mile! I turned it back on, and decided that’s fine, I don’t need the time, I just need to know my pace. That is when I realized my batteries were dying. Great... No Garmin! Oh well, I guess it will just force me to ‘enjoy’ the magical world of Disney!

At around mile 6 I realized my LED pink ribbon shirt had stopped glowing! I once again had to play with the batteries, play with the wires…but nothing worked. I was warned heavy sweating could short it out. I had on an extra shirt, but wondered if it was enough. I turned it off, and tried to play with it again after another mile, but still no such luck. Still not sure what exactly was wrong, because by the end of the race, I was able to get it working again. (note to self, next time do a test run when wearing an electronic costume!)

At about mile 7, I just happened to glance up and saw the biggest shooting star I had ever seen in my life! I yelled out, and someone else saw it too, so that reconfirmed that I was not hallucinating! It was such a magical sight to see on such a clear dark night! I made my wish and continued on.

There were actually some good size hills..I guess mainly the overpasses, and entrance/exit ramps that we were on. One of them had Army Joe dressed up and yelling orders to all of us to ‘Get up that hill!!..You paid for this!”

Hollywood Studios was next, and that was a bit more entertaining. They had a ton of lights decorating the buildings (getting ready for Christmas??), and then the different Hollywood ‘sets’ were pretty cool to see. We got to run through an area of the behinds the scenes of the Princess Dress making area. All I wanted to do was go play dress up! Lol. Yes, the kid in me was out in full force!

I was surprised though, I had not seen as many Disney characters as I thought I would, or at least recognizable ones….but I guess those are more for the Disney marathon through Magic Kingdom, where we unfortunately were not going. There weren’t that many professional photographers out either. It seemed like they save the most of them for the last couple miles. It was good though, that they had an employee at each character to take our picture.

The course was well stocked with lots of water and Gatorade stations, and even Vaseline and Biofreeze stations! I am amazed how many runners were putting on the Biofreeze already! You couldn’t smell anything but mentholyptus and let me tell you, it does wonders to your nose hairs and sinuses when you are running hard! I say keep that stuff for the end of the race!

In and out of Hollywood Studios we went quickly again, and we were back on the road to Epcot…our final stretch….well, that’s what I thought! I haven’t been to Disney in years, so really didn’t know exactly where we were. One thing that spectators don’t understand is when you yell out “youre almost there!” and you are really Not almost there, it is only that much more frustrating to the runner! You think you are almost at the finish, so you push a little harder, run a little faster, only to realize you just wasted energy because you are still not almost there! …(note to self, next time double check the Garmin battery!!)

We ran through some Disney resort, and around some lake right outside of Epcot, and that is where all the spectators were at…we had tons of signs and lots of cheers I started to choke up the last 500 yards or so when someone yelled “you did it!”. I was not choking up because I completed this half marathon, but that I have now completed 7 in the past 7 months! It was a moving feeling, a moment of proudness for myself.

I turned a corner, and saw the finish line clock. Not having my Garmin, I really didn’t know what time I was at. I was just about my average time as previous races, but then I saw Mickey and Minnie right before the line. Of course I had to take a couple more minutes and take a picture with them! The picture was snapped, and I darted across the line, laughing.

The after party was the Food and Wine Festival. We received a $10 giftcard for food/drink and also a complimentary bag of regular after race food and a beer. The set up was good, with a nice changing area to get out of our wet clothes, which was good because it was Cold and windy!

All the food/drink vendors were set up around the huge lake in Epcot…it felt like it was another 3 miles that I walked around that lake, but I just thought of it as my victory lap! I grabbed my Polish sausage, and my Hawaiian beer, and made my way back home. I was too exhausted and cold to stand in line for rides. I was back to the hotel at 330am, covered myself with Biofreeze, and had an early morning of 8am to catch a flight to Grand Cayman!...my celebratory vacation!

13.1 Finish Time with 20 photo stops- 2:40:00

Virginia Beach Rock n Roll-Sept 4, 2011

The Rock n Roll Marathon series is a 24 city nationwide (worldwide next year) racing event that has taken place in VA Beach for the past 11 years. VA Beach is my hometown, living there for first 23 years of my life, and this was going to be my first race at home! I grew up hating running. (well lets admit it, its still not my favorite part of the race…finishing is! Lol) But I was super excited because I hadn’t been home in several years and the course was along the oceanfront….a beach runners dream!

Labor Day weekend in VA Beach marks the end of summer. Kids are getting ready to go back to school, and the oceanfront strip gets super busy for one last beach blast with the American Music Festival weekend. This is 3 day concert event with stages lining the beach. Top performers this year included Stone Temple Pilots, ZZTop, Tonic and Bret Michaels. The RnR gave runners free entry to the weekend events.

Just an hour and half flight from Jacksonville, I arrived the evening before the race and headed straight to the Expo to do a little shopping and change my corral time. I registered in February, and apparently had high hopes of increasing my PR by 30 minutes in 6 months, when in fact, I’ve only increased it by about 10. I wanted to take my time during this race, and enjoy the surroundings so I set myself in the 2:45 corral.

My plan was to get checked into the hotel, grab some pasta or pizza, and then catch a concert. I soon learned that it was going to be quite impossible to jump into carbo loading, as the lines wrapped down the sidewalks at each joint. I decided on a walk up tiki bar and ordered a crab cake sandwich, and prayed it would be enough fuel for tomorrow. After strolling the boardwalk for a bit, I called it an early night.

Race morning I was up at 430am, to catch a shuttle at 530, just a couple blocks over that would take us to start at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. It was very organized with no lines. The Start area was huge, a little too huge. They had the water in one area, and all the way across the lot was the bagels. And NO coffee! What?!? I rely on my coffee race mornings to get my stomach settled, but I was going to have to do without. I sat, ate my Cliff bar, drank some water, dropped off my gear at the gear trunk and got in one of the extremely long porta potty lines, …for over 40 minutes…I was still 3 people to go and the national anthem started!

The RnR has about 19 corrals, and I was in corral 17, so I figured I would have enough time. The corrals are based on times that you predict you are going finish, so you are surrounded by runners of the same pace and you are not being trampled on by faster runners. Several races do this, and its excellent, however RnR takes it further, and gives 19 different start times as well, instead of everyone starting at once, each start time is about 2 minutes apart. Another awesome thing they did is for each group, they got an expert runner on the microphone to give words of advice and encouragement to each group, like your own little coach. It probably took me about 25 minutes to cross the start line. Within those 25 minutes I met this wonderful lady that is signed up for her first Susan G Komen 3Day for the Cure walk in DC! I was super excited to talk to her and giver her advice, but there was a race to be had! She noted my website, and I hope she emails me if she has questions! It was an awesome feeling to be out of state, and not near a 3Day city, but still run into other 3Day walkers!

11,210 half marathoners came out, with a large majority of them running for a cause. Among the top, LLS Team in Training and Team Hoyt who runners pushed those who are physically disabled in wheelchairs so they could be part of the active community. It was great to run with other athletes on a mission of not being the top finishers, but to go the distance, and complete something you put your mind to all while raising awareness and funds for a cause. .

Before line up, I noticed a guy wearing a Hash Foot shirt, and I was flooded with memories. I soon learned by mile 3 or so, that there were hash marks in flour and chalk on the street. I started following them (not like everyone else was following them), because I actually understood what they meant, while it was probably foreign to everyone else. You see, my very first days of running started with the Hash House Harriers. I was in Tampa at the time and newly single, living on my own. I met a guy that travelled and ran all over the world and he introduced me to the Tampa Chapter.They call themselves a ‘drinking group with a running problem.’ Perfect!, I thought…except I didn’t run. Not even a little. I couldn’t even make it to my mailbox without heavy breathing! But I so desperately wanted to not only impress the guy, but to be part of such an exciting group.

The Hashers are worldwide, and they usually meet at least once a week and run about 3 miles….stopping along the way of course to do nothing else but drink beer. They would meet before hand, and linger afterwards to, of course, drink more beer, which then in turn would be followed by an On After, the after party at a local bar to drink more beer!. The way it worked was a 'Hare' would sign up every week to lay a trail, with flour and chalk marks. The Pack would follow those marks about 10minutes later, and figure out the trail, despite trying to be misled by the Hare several times on wrong directions. It was a great way for me not only to meet new people, but also try something new.

At the same time I had just gotten my puppy, Molly, a Jack Russell terrier that was left alone hours on end while I worked, so of course, I had to figure out the best and fastest way to wear out her energy. That is when I found out running did the trick. I would be there for Molly, taking her on these late night runs after work, and she would be there for me, pushing me further and further every day, every week. (Lets face it, a hyper puppy wasn’t going to let me walk much.) She gave me the confidence enough to go to my first Hash event, when I could finally run more than a few blocks without stopping.

Two years later, the Hashers introduced me to racing and I participated in my first 5K in Savannah, which then gave me confidence to try my first half marathon, the Breast Cancer Marathon in Jacksonville. That was all 5 years ago, and I am still running, and I owe it all to them. I gave an 'On On' shout out to a group of hashers on the sidelines as I ran by, and reminisced for a couple more miles. And no, I didnt pick up a beer at the Beer Check, halfway thru, even though I so desparately wanted to!

Race day weather was perfect… overcast for much of it and when the sun did finally make its appearance, it wasn’t too hot, about upper 70s. I later learned it was 96% humidity, but I guess this VA/FL gal is used to that.

I went into the race not bringing my IPOD. I figured it 'Rock n Roll' marathon, known for all the music along the course, that I would not need it, and that I would enjoy the music along the way. Little did I know actually how little music they would have, and how bad of songs the bands would play. Okay, okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but lets be honest, I don’t want a slow song playing, at say mile 6, when all I want to do is slow down in running. Instead they should be playing fast, upbeat music to keep me going. The Reggae band was probably the best along the route, the rest were mainly local high schoolers. You would think with how expensive the registration is, they would put more into the bands.

The course was lined with different cheerleading squads from schools and community leagues. Each group dressed up in different themes in competition of the best support, such as the Disney group, and the rock n rollers in tutus! There were all age groups and it reminded me of the time when I was a cheerleader.

The beach community that came out jumped in on the festivities and dressed up as well,…among the favorites were Captain America and the Blue Hawaii group, as well as those in the 'blow up' costumes. A lot of people also brought out their hoses to spray us down, and set up their own water and popsicle stands! A bunch of runners were dressed up as well...There was a guy that was juggling while he was running...yes, juggling. I was with him at mile3, and he dropped about 4 times, so who knows if he finished the whole thing juggling, but man, what a good try! I also ran into Beaker for the third race this year! Other good costumes included Bret Michaels look alike and of course the infamous Elvis.

I started the race nice, slow, and steady as a turtle and I maintained that for the entire race. My goal was to just enjoy myself. I went in with a clear head. I did not even look back at previous races to figure my PR (the past couple races have been pretty bad), and the pace needed to PR again. I kept a clear head the entire time, not worrying about the finish time, just finishing. I kept a pretty steady pace of about 12minute miles and held my runs longer, instead of trying to increase my pace and run shorter distances. Each mile I was amazed how good I felt and and how much I was enjoying myself! There's not one bad thing I can say about the race. I mean, my calves were tight for the first couple miles...expected. I got really tired about mile 10...expected. My stomach felt fine, no nausea. My feet felt great, no blisters. I was having a good race! I wasn’t going to PR, but it was definitely turning out to be one of my favorite races!

The course took us East from the Convention Center towards the ocean, then North a few blocks, and then South over Rudee Inlet, where all the elites were already hitting mile 12, while we were on mile 3! I got to see Ryan Hall, US Olympic Marathoner and record holder, and a 14 year old girl who placed 11^th being the first US woman to cross the finish line! We then went past the huge gorilla at Ocean Breeze, thru the shade of Redwing Park, into the stark blaring sun of Camp Pendleton, and then back North in the home stretch to where we were to finish at 13^th St. Time just seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I was on the home stretch on the boardwalk. Ok, maybe not every part flew by. Those last 13 blocks on a straight away, seeing the Finish sign in the distance, seemed forever unreachable!

Maybe I felt so good because I was in such good spirits with all the memories of being home. Maybe because this was a cake walk compared to last months trail race! Or maybe my training is actually starting to pay off! Whatever the reason, it was a beautiful day. And after I crossed the finish line, got my medal, MGD64, and breakfast goodies, I got the best thing in the world....a complete stranger stopped me in my tracks, threw her arms around me to give me a hug and said 'Thank you'.

The Rock n Roll series also always has a concert of some sort. The VA Beach one was Brett Michaels. I have to admit I was a little fan excited, growing up listening to Guns n Roses. The concert was great located right on the sand. It made an entirely too long of a day with the super early race and late concert, but every moment was well worth it!

 

 

13.1 Finish Time-2:41

Miami Down 2 Earth Trail Half Marathon-Aug 28, 2011

The Down2Earth Endurance Half Marathon takes place monthly at the Oleta River State Park in North Miami. This one, set in the dead heat of August, had 79 5k participants, 31 10k runners, and 32 half marathoners. I was one of the 14 female half marathoners. I definitely felt out of my league.

I came across this race when I couldn’t find any other half marathon in the hottest month of the year, that had an affordable flight as well. My plan was to do 2 races then, 2 weekends back to back, that would total a half marathon. Not really what my ‘mission’ was, but I settled. That was until I found this race and was super excited it was in driving distance!

I glanced at previous trail races with this organization, and it looked like a great time! I was so amped up to get into nature, and off the usual hot pavement! I knew that it would be a new kind of challenge, and that is what made it exciting. Little did I know.

I drove down the day before and stayed at the Fairmont Turnberry, which was only about 10 minutes from the park. I got my carbs in, and got plenty of rest, but the morning there was just unsettling feeling. I soon realized I forgot to bring my camelback. I remembered that they had strongly suggested you bring your own water. Hesitant, I was racking my brain on where to buy a water bottle holder at 6am. I decided I would just grab a bottle of water from the gas station.

I started driving, and 2 miles out, I realized I left my Garmin and Ipod in the room. How in the world could I run without those!??...i raced back to the hotel! I finally got what I need and I headed to the park. I still had about 15 minute, so I decided to go over to Walgreens and see if they have a water bottle holder. No such luck. I made my way to the park. $4 entrance fee had the line backed up. Why wouldn’t they include that in the registration fee?? I finally got parked and made my way to packet pick up, which I then had to turn around and make it back to my car to drop off what was in the packet I didn’t need. I made it back, and knew I had to get in line for the porta outlets. As I was 10 deep, they started making the announcements for the line ups. Great. Thank god I made it just in time! The half marathon was to start first, followed by the 10k and 5k. The race included 1 lap for 5k, 2 laps for 10k and 4 laps for half marathon. Simple enough. That was until I was half way through the first lap and asked myself…what the hell did I get myself into!??

Within the first mile we found ourselves crossing 2 ditches of pure muddy water, and then a log crossing. I thought about taking pictures, but thought we have 3 more laps, I would just take pictures then…little did I know, we only crossed this area once!! =(

The second crossing of water left me thigh deep, including getting my tutu wet!! We had warnings that people have lost their shoes before in that crossing, and I became hesitant when my shoes started to get lodged in the mud! Luckily my shoes survived…but now I had 12 more miles to run with soaking wet feet!...this will be great for blisters!

The log crossing was fun, but scary…I did NOT want to land into the water below! It was bad enough I was muddy from the thighs down, but I did not want my whole body disgusting this early or it was going to be a looong run! I held my breath and put one foot in front of the other and made it!

Mile 3, or first lap, was ridiculously never ending!! Several turns and cross backs, left me dizzy…I wondered how I was ever to complete the other 3 laps without motion sickness!!

It became very packed on the tight trail quite quickly. The fast 10k runners were already passing us pacers! And then came the fast 5k runners!

I knew within the first lap that this was not what I was expecting!! The hills were intense. Well, they seemed intense, not ever really running on anything like this, and then adding in the unstable footing. It was a bunch of steep drops, going up, and then jumping down. Lots of ducking under trees. And lots of tree roots. When we came to the flat running on loose rocks, I was actually happy. It was fun, but I was going slower than I estimated! After lap 1, about 3.5 miles, I was so far behind my regular racing pace, that I decided to not pay attention to time, but to pay attention to footing, and survival without a broken bone!

Lap 2 went a heck of a lot faster than lap1. I figured it was because I found my footing, and I was able to navigate the roots better…that was until I found myself falling at mile 5!! I was sprawled out on my left side, scared at first, but then realized nothing was broke, so laughed it off.

Luckily I still had a couple of runners around me and they asked if I was Ok! …but what if there wasn’t, what if I was by myself, no one around, and I wasn’t ok…what if I broke something? The fast, experienced runners where long gone, and I think a couple of them had already lapped me! I knew I was the last one of the half marathoners and I would eventually be alone. Would I make it out of the woods? Would I be able to find my track? Would I remain uninjured since I have a race next week?! These thoughts raced through my head repeatedly, and I those thoughts were draining my energy.

But I had to keep reminding myself, so what?! So what if I’m the last one? As long as I finish right? I asked the water boy if there was a time limit, and he said no. So my mind was made up, I would complete the 4 laps, no matter what time it took.

This race was definitely a mind game. There were no supporters lining the road, no people running next to you to help keep a good pace, no motivators yelling your name to cheer you on! There were thankfully 2 water stations in each lap, and one of the water boys was my support. A few runners that had lapped me also gave good motivating words. It is nice to run with such kind people to support runners that are not as experienced as them.

So somewhere around mile 6, I realized the back of my shirt I made was hanging off. Note to self, no more hand making a shirt. It was very bothersome the entire time. It did not stay in place from the first few steps. I had to fasten it down by tucking it into my energy belt. It was constantly raising up, and falling off my shoulders and I had to repeatedly adjust it. Again, another mental energy drainer. There was no way I could fix the broken shirt, so I did the unthinkable for me, and I took it off and ran in my sport bra! UGH! I figured no one was really around, so it would be Ok to bring out the bloated belly! I hiked up my shorts to cover as much of my belly as possible and continued on.

Lap 3 lingered, and left me walking a good portion. This was definitely the hardest race I have done. I laughed to myself, because from previous races I loved doing the bridge parts or hill parts. But with this race, there were large dirt mounts back to back around every turn, and I started to curse every single one of them. I could feel my legs turning to jello. I was unable to lift my feet as high as I need to get over some roots, which left me tripping every so often.

Finally the last couple half marathoners past me, and I could not hear anyone else in the woods. The mountain bikers were out, and now they were passing me. I made it to the finish line/turn around point, and it was confirmed I was the last one. I still had one more lap to do, but they were waiting on me to pass out the awards for the half marathoners. All the 5k and 10k people had already left. It was so embarrassing. 10miles completed at about the time I usually complete all 13. I was defeated by the trail.

I walked over to a guy standing alone and talked to him a bit, saying I didn’t realize how difficult that was going to be, that I’d rather run a full 26 mile marathon, than have to do that trail run. He was a nice guy and even offered to run the last 3 miles with me on a flat trail in the park. Next thing I knew they were passing out the awards, and he was announced as the winner! He had been waiting about an hour and 15 minutes for me to finish! So embarrassing! It was going on 1030 already, and I had a plane to catch to Curacao, so there was no time do to the last 3 miles now.

I was so disappointed in myself. I do not like being defeated, and that trail run definitely kicked my butt! I feel like I not only let myself down, but I let everyone else that has been following my progress down. And also everyone that is on my tutu down. I don’t think I will ever get over the feeling, and there is no control of that. There is no way I can change the past, but I can plan the future. I can plan to run the last 3.5 miles as soon as I can when I arrive to Curacao. And I can plan to run this half marathon trail run again later in life, when I am stronger and a better runner!

Update...next morning….So to keep my word of doing a half marathon a month for this Pink Ribbon Tutu on a Mission, I kept my promise and ran 6.5km (4miles) this morning in Curacao! And then raised my glass of 'Dolphins Foam' (pina colada with blue curacao!) in honor of all those kick ass trail runners!

Update #2...4 days later...Okay, so looking at the results page, there were 2 other half marathoners that did not even make it 3 laps (as far as me), and then 2 more that also stopped at lap 3 and had slower times than me....so technically I was not dead last. =) That does make me feel better that I am in company. We ALL did a Great job!!

9.8 miles-trail run 2:31

4.0 miles-untimed