Baystate Marathon Recap: Crash & Burn, Baby.

So I ran the Baystate Marathon today. This was my first marathon since the 2009 Chicago marathon.

I now remember why I swore off marathons. The PAIN. OMG, the pain! I have so much respect for those of you that can run them and not come away hobbled. I am not that person. I seriously just don't want to put my body through it again. Halfs for this girl from now on!

So, anyway, a proper recap. So I cooked us a feast of grilled chicken and sweet potatoes last night, and we went to bed early (about 9 pm). I slept well, only woke up to pee once, and got up when my alarm went off at 4:30. I drank my standard 2 cups of coffee, and ate two rice cakes with peanut butter & a banana. We got ready and left our house at around 6:00 AM.

We got to Lowell a little before 7, parked in a garage less than a 1/2 mile from the finish/start line, and lucky for us there were bathrooms in the parking garage. They were clean, had toilet paper, and there was no wait. Very nice.

We checked our bag, and stood inside the high school for bit until we went out to line up at 7:45 AM. This race only has 1500 full marathoners, so it wasn't a problem at all to line up in the corral. I realized when we got out there that I need to go to the bathroom again - but apparently they only had about 12 port-o-potties at the start line (for 3000 runners! WTF!) and I knew I'd never get in one, so I just sucked it up and ran. (It turned out to not be a problem., I never had to stop on the course)

Before the start, sporting throw away gloves. Jazz hands!

jazz hands again!

So we take off promptly at 8, and I crossed the start line only 10 seconds later. There was little to no crowding, and I was at racing speed in no time. The weather was perfect - about 50 at the start, and sunny.

I took off a little too fast - the first couple miles were around 7:45. I reeled it back in and found a 7:55-8:00 pace, which I carried for for the first 13 miles. I intended to run 8:10, but honestly, that's really not that much of a difference. I crossed the halfway point at 1:45:06 - which is a half marathon PR for me. (cue ominous warning signs here)

By mile 14.5, I was feeling the crash already. I walked a few times and even stopped to text my husband that I wasn't sure I'd finish (he was running too, but battling a sprained wrist, ankle, and badly bruised ribs from a soccer match last weekend, so had to slow down bigtime to compensate). I sucked it up at some point and mostly ran (albeit, much more slowly) until mile 20.

The majority of the race was limited to the shoulder of roads meant for vehicular traffic only. I guess I am spoiled, living in Boston - I always run on sidewalks or bike/run paths. By mile 20, by left hip was in excruciating pain from running on the uneven shoulder! I had to stop a few times to stretch out my hip flexors. From that point forward, I allowed myself to walk a few steps every mile. It was the only way I could see finishing.

In the last few miles, we were running on a divided highway, limited to the shoulder, with some STEEP banking. My hip was in agony! The worst of it was in the last half of mile 25, which hobbled me to walk again. We finally came back into downtown Lowell, and even then I had to walk a few steps right before we hit 26. I don't recall ever feeling that level of misery in my past two marathons. I knew I'd totally blown my chances at BQ'ing, but I was hoping to at least PR. That was dashed when I turned into the finish and saw the clock. I finished in 3:56:04 - 6 seconds slower than my 2009 Chicago performance. Honestly, I didn't even care, because I was so happy that I even finished. I was about 15 seconds away from dropping at mile 15.

We didn't die.

But I did get very upset at the finish - because the water/food/gatorade station was almost a half mile from the finish line!!! This was my biggest disappointment in this race. To me, it was just totally unacceptable. After running for almost 4 hours, as soon as I stopped running, I needed nourishment immediately. I could barely walk because my hip hurt so bad. I also was really weak. It took me almost 30 minutes to get to the food tent - I had to stop and sit/lie down at least 4 times because I was so weak. Race directors - DO NOT make marathoners travel so far to get nourishment at the end of the race!!!

And THEN, when I got there, I had to wait in line (again, WHY with only 3000 runners??)! I had tunnel vision by the time I got under the food tent and had to just grab the first thing I saw with calories - a can of Pepsi. I crawled down on the ground right by the tent and drank it (yes, I did look insane, and I didn't care). I finally started to feel a little better, and I got up and grabbed some orange slices. My husband finished in 4:27, and they were totally out of Pepsi by that point. Ridiculous. We got some soup and then headed home.

I have to say I have mixed feelings overall about this marathon. I love that it was so close to my residence, that I could sleep in my own bed the night before, and I love even more that the entrance fee was only $70. The on course support was very good, and I have no complaints. The course was a little... boring. But I knew that going into it. But the experience at the end was just not good.

Eh, but it's over now. And I guess at the end of the day I'm happy I finished and that it was at least under 4 hours. I am disappointed with myself that I wasn't mentally stronger and didn't try to tough it out, though. I wish I wouldn't have given up so easily! It makes me feel weak. But then I remember that I did traverse 26 miles today, which is no small feat.

I also realize that from now on, I'll stick with half marathons. Or 10 milers. Or maybe just 5K's and 10K's. :)

Reward time!

0 Week - Marathon Time! (PANIC)

So the week has finally arrived - it's time to run 26.2.

I wish I could say that I felt super confident about it. Unfortunately life gets in the way sometimes and training doesn't go as planned. My mileage has taken a major nosedive in the recent weeks (even more than a standard taper should). I am left wondering if I ruined all the hard work I put in over those miserable, hot summer months. I am also left wondering if my body still knows how to run long. Is this what taper crazies are like? I was under the impression all you crazy people were referring to not being able to run a bazillion miles a week during taper. I definitely don't miss that. But if the taper crazies are about being worried over actually being able to run 26 miles, then yes, I have that.

I'm trying my best to demonstrate as little as possible in all my classes this week. I think for the rest of the week I will set up stations or something. Something to keep myself from doing leg work!

I only ran a few times last week. I had some extreme gluteus medius soreness in the latter part of the week, and thought at this point it was better to rest and let it subside as fast as possible. I didn't exercise at all on Friday or Saturday.

Monday - Taught 4 classes. Lots of lunges and squats. 2 miles on that weird elliptical/stair climbing machine, 2 miles on the treadmill.

Tuesday - Taught 2 classes

Wednesday - Taught 4 classes, ran 2 miles on the treadmill

Thursday - Taught 3 classes. OMG my glutes hurt the worst they have ever hurt in my life. I am not sure why, but running was out of the question.

Friday, Saturday - nada

Sunday - Oktoberfest 5K. We were running way behind and realized the only way we'd make it to the race was if we ran there. So, we ran 4.5 miles to the race, got there 5 minutes before the gun went off, and then ran the 5K.
4.5 mile warm-up - 8:51 pace
5K - 3.22 miles (I really need to stop weaving so much), 23:08, 7:11 pace. 

I didn't intend on running fast in the 5K, however, seeing people pass me in costumes was maddening. Also, we started way in the back (too packed to work our way up), and I always get crazy trying to get around people in the first mile. People, if you plan on walking the entire 5K, DO NOT start up at the front! /soapbox

Anyway, the race was a lot of fun and there was lots of free pumpkin beer and pretzels afterward. They also had a dance-off, which was pretty hilarious to watch people breakdance in German costumes in the rain, before noon on a Sunday. We then got brunch, froyo, and took a nap. It was a good Sunday indeed.

So now I'll just be spending the rest of this week silently panicking. And foam rolling. And trying to sleep!

Scenes from the week:

This is what I saw when I went to bed one night. Yes, the dog got under the covers by herself. Guess this is what I get for going to bed late... 

Bulldogs are 6-OHHHHH! We were so stoked we wore matching sweatshirts. I know, we are so THOSE people.

Made it to the race! Just barely. K had to run with a backpack because there was no time for bag check! He finished about 40 seconds after me. I WIN.

 And the fashion portion of the week:

I bought this dress for our upcoming ball. Sadly, it did not come with red hooker shoes. Also, I need to hem almost 6" off of the bottom. Oh, the perils of not being 6' tall, apparently. (I should probably expect this when I only spent $45 on the dress).

The best red shoes I could manage. I cannot do giant heels anymore. I'm hoping the red distracts from the fact they are sort of granny shoes. Don't hate, at least I won't be hobbled after 30 minutes in them.

And I ordered this necklace to wear with the dress. My only criteria was 1) bright, 2) not cost a bazillion dollars (who the hell spends so much on costume jewelry? I'm looking at you, JCrew). $12 on eBay, done!

Hi there! I'm still kickin' it.

I sort of stopped blogging for a bit. It's been a bit of an adjustment to continue running at the same frequency, and teach 10-12 group exercise classes a week. I'm a very involved instructor, so I find it hard not to do the workout along with my participants. I want to show them proper form and keep energy high, so many times I don't even notice that I've done 50-75% of the workout myself. Doing that 3-4 hours a day means I'm left really wiped out and many times sore, which isn't so conducive to running!

So I stopped writing because I was a bit embarrassed at how little I've run over the last couple weeks.  I also came down with a bad cold last week, and it was all I could do to even drag myself through teaching, so running was just out of the question!

So the Baystate Marathon is two weeks away. Yikes! We got the chance to go to NYC two weeks ago, and we ran 12 miles over the Queensboro Bridge and through Central Park. It was incredible. And I will admit I came home with a bit of a NYC hangover - that place is just magical. Not that Boston isn't amazing too, but it's so much different than NYC.

Empire. Not a view from running. If you know me, you know this was from a bar.

Last week I only ran once. I know. Not exactly sticking with the plan! I just felt awful. I finally ventured out for a 20 miler on Sunday, but ended up slipping on some wet pavement about halfway into my run. I didn't fall, but I definitely overcompensated and my hip flexors ached and got progressively tighter as I went along. I was in so much agony by mile 17 I had to stop and limp home. :( So it put a damper on this week's running as well.

I somehow signed myself up for a 5K and a half marathon this weekend. I know. I really need to keep an updated calendar! I just did a few casual treadmill runs throughout the week between teaching classes.

The 5K was yesterday. The weather was gorgeous - 65-70 degrees and sunny. I told myself I was not going to race it - I was just going to run for fun. Well, that went out the window as soon as the gun went off! My legs felt fresh for the first time in weeks. The pack cleared quickly and I got into a good stride. Mile 1 - 7:13.  I thought to myself, there's no way I can keep this up! But then Mile 2 ticked off on the Garmin - 7:01. At this point there was a girl who was seeming trying to 'race' me, and I fell for it. She kept surging ahead of me, and then falling back. I got tired of it and just took off, ha! Last mile - 6:56!

I'm not sure I've ever run a sub-7 mile. I finished in 21:48 (7:01 pace, PR by 61 seconds!!!), which was good enough for 2nd in my age group! Although for some reason, even though this race had timing chips, they gave awards by gun time (which I didn't know about before and think it's ridiculous). So I was awarded 3rd, even though I ran 10 seconds faster (chip time) than the woman who got 2nd because she took off 11 seconds before I did. I have never won awards for running, so it was really cool! There were 100 women in my age group, so I felt like all this hard work had paid off.

I considered wearing the medal while I taught class

Reward - a croissant the size of my face

I actually got called into work yesterday to teach Bootcamp, so I ended up doing a lot more physical activity than I'd bargained for that day. This definitely played into my half marathon today. I woke up somewhat sore and knew it wasn't going to be a PR effort day. I barely slept - I tossed and turned and finally fell asleep somewhere around midnight, and was wide awake at 3:45 AM (and starving). I gave in around 4:30 and got up to eat and start caffinating myself.

I signed up for the BAA Half over 6 months ago, and it had really fallen off my radar. I honestly basically forgot about it until a week ago. I went in with no plan whatsoever, and even considered it just a training run for my full in two weeks. I met a friend there, and he and I got into the 8:00 pace corral. Of course, LIKE I ALWAYS DO, I got wrapped up in the heat of the moment and took off WAY too fast. Especially for someone with sore legs.

The weather was amazing. 50-55 degrees and sunny. We took off, and I knew I'd effed up by Mile 1. Garmin beeps - 7:23. Um, no. I maintained sub 8 minute miles through mile 6, which was just dumb. By mile 7 I was miserable and I feel the lactic acid building in my quads. I had a few arguments with myself, but in the end decided to be a reasonable adult and pull it back big time. Miles 8-13 where somewhere between 8:20-8:50. The course was tougher than I anticipated for sure. But overall I thought it was an awesome race.

Final time: 1:48:55, 8:19 pace. I'm not upset about it. I do really want that sub 8 pace half, but I know that if I want it, I have to plan for it - and I didn't do that today at all. Half Marathon #10 on the books. It officially ranks as my 3rd best time. It was a drama free race, and overall I think it was best for me to pull back and save my effort for 26.2 in two weeks.

Speaking of that. EEEEK. Two weeks! I am very nervous. VERY nervous. I am publicly admitting (to the 3 of you that read this hot mess) that I think a BQ is out of reach for me. I'm trying to be okay with that. My goal for the next two weeks is to stop doing so many lunges, squats, and jumps with my classes and really take care of my body.

Yes, it did. 

And honestly, after this marathon is over, I need a break from running. I've been consistently training for something since February and I am burned out. I will run casually but I don't plan on anything longer than 10K for a while! We are talking about buying bikes, which could be fun.

What have I been doing?

Not blogging, obviously. I've been to sore to type.

So, I finally got a job a few weeks ago. I started teaching fitness classes. I am teaching 10 classes a week. And because of several factors, I cannot just dictate these classes - I end doing 60-90% of each class. On top of trying to stick to my marathon training plan - running around 50 miles a week. Let's just say there's been a lot of ice baths, ibuprofen, and wine in my life recently. Although I might just develop the best ass in Boston at this rate. And also a side of thunder thighs if I keep doing this many squats a week (and I'd really like to NOT purchase new jeans).

I am really hoping that over time I am able to do less in these classes, because it's certainly affecting my running. I am left either too tired or too sore to effectively finish runs. Also, it has taken me a while to figure out how to fuel myself for all this. I only eat certainly things before I teach for fear of stomach issues, and then I try to run later and realize I haven't eaten anything but Larabars, hardbolied eggs, and bananas and 3 miles into a run I have a huge crash.

So anyway. Running. Yes, I'm still doing it. This past week went pretty well considering my body was on the verge of cutting me off all week.

Monday - Yoga

Tuesday - Taught Conditioning, Ran 8 miles, 8:18 pace. Felt totally effortless.

Wednesday - Taught Step Training. Ran 3.17 miles. Set out to do 9 miles with 6x1000 at 5K pace. Around mile 2 I realized I was so hungry that I might not even make it home. Stumbled to the nearest neighborhood and devoured a sandwich at Panera. I might have scared the other patrons.

Thursday - Taugh Conditioning. Taught Abs. Ran 4 miles on the treadmilll between classes. Those stupid gym treadmills autmatically forced me to cool down after 30 minutes. I was in the middle of a faster interval (7:15 pace) and I got irrationally angry and quit (I was going to do 6 miles). Dumb.

Friday - Ran 10.4 miles, SLOWLY. 9:30 pace. I don't think I've done a long run that slow in a long, long time. My legs and body were so spent that honestly I'm shocked I made it that far.

Saturday - 60 minute spin class. Yes, I might be a masochist. I want to eventually teach spin, but I need to shadow someone, so I chose to do it Saturday. It actually felt really good to do something low impact for a while. Although it left my ankles and calves sore. Yay. More ibuprofen.

Sunday - Ran 17 miles, 8:49 pace. I wasn't even sure I could get out the door, and put it off until mid-afternoon. I eventually accepted my fate and set out to run the Charles. The first 8 miles were an enormous struggle. Only a few miles in I told myself it was okay to just do half now and half later that night. But somewhere along the way I zoned out and decided that if I ran far enough out, I'd have no choice but to run back (yes, I see the logic is flawed, but it worked).
I eventually hit a good rhythm after the halfway point and finished out pretty strong (and uphill to boot). I then came home and ate my weight in Chinese food and did hot/cold contrast therapy like it was my job. We have a separate tub/shower, so I fill the tub with cold water and sit in it for as long as I can stand (usually about 3 minutes), and then I get in the hot shower. I then repeat this process two more times. I swear it's the only reason I could walk (and do what felt like a million jump squats) today.

So, here I am. Trying to find a balance between training others and training myself for the next 5 weeks. Everyone talks about the 'taper crazies', but honestly, I'm looking forward to it. I am very grateful that I can run, and that I am ultimately glad I decided to take on another marathon, but I'm not sure if I'm cut out for marathons. I'm looking forward to toeing the line on race day and throwing down the best race I can, but after that, I am going to focus on more balance training and give my feet and joints a rest from the pavement pounding.

And now for the photo portion of my blog:

Planning a revolution

Our friends came to visit for the weekend and Molly and I ran into these lads. So of course we had to get a photo. I pinky swear I wasn't wearing a belly shirt (I am far too old for that).

Game Day ready

Kenny and Darla, dressed for our first SEC game. Hold the MFing phone, we beat Auburn! And we are now 3-0! Who is this football team we've gotten this year? I don't know how it happened, but I am thoroughtly enjoying it (we love our college football in this household).

You know you said it a Ron Burgundy voice in your head

And just because. HAIL STATE!

Well hello there, double digits, we meet again...

I haven't run a double-digit run since exactly one month ago when I ran the Run to Remember half. If you have been following along (I don't really know why you would, my life is far from thrilling), I took an accidental run sabbatical and I've been working my way back to a normal schedule for the last few weeks. Today my schedule called for a 'general aerobic' 10-miler, so I told myself I'd do 8 or 9. But after I hit 6 I decided, why the hell not? What's another mile? And so I did it.

I also am being smart and following the book's prescribed method for these 'easy runs' - run easily for the first 3-5 miles, then pick up the pace to somewhere around 90% marathon goal pace. I had to loop back home for a quick pee stop around mile 3, and then kept it around a 9:15 pace until 5, and then climbed up to a peak of 8:11 for mile 9, and then back down around 8:40 for the last mile.

Stats:

10.19 miles, 1:31, 8:52 avg. pace.


Also, fun things this week - I got chased by a turkey on Monday's 7-miler. I live in a heavily populated Boston neighborhood and the damn thing ran out of the bushes and scared the sh** outta me.

And then today, I almost got hit by a car. I was crossing the street when a car tried to make a quick left turn (although they did not have a turn signal!!!) and narrowly missed me. This has definitely been my least favorite part of living in Boston - the drivers fully live up to the Masshole moniker. It amazes me everyday how they just blatantly ignore the rules of the road and general act like their agenda is the most important thing in the world - more important than my safety as a pedestrian. /soapbox

I did a 90 minute yoga class yesterday - and was able to finally get side crow on both sides, and almost got a forearm stand. It's been a good week thus far!

Long Run Saturday Success

I am a woman on a mission - a mission to redeem myself after my last race. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned (by a bad race). I jumped right back on the wagon this week, clocking in 4 weekdays of running (3 easy runs, 1 speed workout).

Today my plan said I needed to run 14 miles. Ummm, I haven't run longer than 13.1 since October 9, 2009 (the Chicago Marathon). But I felt like I needed to do it prove something to myself. To prove I had it in me to set out to do it and do it right. 

BUT the reasonable side of me was thinking I should be conservative, that long runs are supposed to be 30-90 seconds slower per mile than goal pace. So I held back, running around an 8:30 for the first 9 miles (and being forced to stop for a drawbridge - that's a new one). Side note: tried the Peanut Butter Gu today. It was delish! I mean, I wish it had some caffeine, but you know. :)

And then something just snapped, and I went all Ricky Bobby and said to myself, "I WANNA GO FAST!" and I just took off. My last 4.5-5 miles were at a sub 8:00 pace. 

"I don't know what to do with my hands"

Today's run: 14.8 miles, 2:01:39, 8:13 pace. BOOM. As soon as I hit 14 miles and I was under two hours I yelled out "YES!" and did a little fist pump. And then I realized I was still in public and people probably thought I was crazy. Don't care!

Some days you got it. Some days you don't. But I revel in the fact that today, I did!

So I celebrated with my foam roller, The Stick, a big bottle of lemon tea Nuun... and I signed up for a marathon in October! I haven't run a marathon since October 2009 (see above). I'm super pumped and hope to put in a great training cycle this summer. 

I earned my Cinco de Mayo margarita today!

I'll take this one please, on the rocks, yes to salt

Side note #2: Loving the Garmin! I have only taken in on two runs but it's really helping with pacing (I now realize I am ALL over the place - I'll be working on that). And I've had no issue with figuring out the bezel and no problems with it. I do have to wear a wristband under it to get it to fit my child-sized wrists. 

80's fashion, making a useful comback

I bit the bullet... and ordered a Garmin.

I ordered the Garmin 405 (water resistant version) last night:

I wanted the green one, but I was considerate and ordered the black one in case my husband wants to borrow it. I told myself I'd think about it a few days. In that time frame I did a lot research, and discovered that the reviews are decidedly mixed on EVERY model of Garmin. I asked some running friends, and quite a few use this model, and like it (I will certainly be locking the bezel on runs). But this one was definitely the most wallet-friendly at $137. So I ordered one that was "Used-Like New" from Amazon, so if for some reason I don't like it or it doesn't work well for me, I can return it no problem. It also comes with a warranty. It looks as if it was just returned and repackaged, no big deal to me. I also have seen there are LOT of Garmin 305's on eBay, so if this one doesn't work, I'll probably go to that option. That one seems to get the best reviews, but that sucker is BIG and I have child-sized wrists (like 5.5" circumference). 

I decided to order mostly out of frustration. My iPhone GPS app does some great things, and I will still use it for most of my runs, but the accuracy of all the apps leaves a lot to be desired. At the Country Music Half,  my distance was off my almost a quarter mile. I have to wonder if is has to do with having a lot of people in one place trying to use the same cell signals. Neither mine or my husband's data would work at all at the finisher's village. 

Yesterday I set out for a standard run, and about a 1/2 mile from my house, I hear my robot man voice come over my earbuds to tell me I'd just run 1 mile in 3:59. Yeah, um, I wish! And then I'd had enough, and decided that I needed something that provided some consistent accuracy, along with being able to *accurately* tell me my CURRENT pace. I went out WAY too fast in my last race and didn't know until it was too late and the damage was done. I also read a lot of running blogs these days, and it seems that every fast, strong runner out there uses a Garmin. I finally admitted to myself that it was probably an important element to training to get faster. 

So it arrives in 2 days and I am like a kid in a candy store. I LOVE gadgets! I am also looking forward to using it when I visit my parents later this month - they live in a very rural area where there is no cell reception or GPS reception. 

I also want to become less dependent on running with music - I know it's not inherently safe. (Although I gotta admit, Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" totally helped me run to the finish in Nashville) I need to understand what a certain pace 'feels' like and be able to maintain it. So I really looking forward to this new chapter in my running journey!

Do you guys use a GPS watch, and if so what brand/model? Do you love it? Do you run with music? 

Training Plans

So in my super long running career (umm, like 5 years) I have always used Hal Higdon's training programs. I am really big on training programs for longer races (anything 13.1 and up), mostly because I'm terrified of running those distances without training. (I might be a control freak)

However, I'm starting to think I need to try something different. Specifically, I think I need higher mileage, at least for a half marathon. I think it might be a good idea to have a double digit run every weekend, and maybe even a few runs that are longer than 13 miles. I found this one; it looks promising. Runner's World also has a wide array of programs, but for $24.99 each, they can keep them. There are so many other free resources on the internet, I will just stick with them.

What training plans do you guys use? Do you have any super top secrets to success you'd like to share?

And a picture of my dog in a lobster costume. Just because. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Oh, running memories

I didn't run more than a lap around a basketball court until I was 23 or so. I did a 5K occasionally (very, very slowly) and always said I 'hated running' and 'wasn't built to run' until I was 26 or so. On a whim, I signed up for the Aloha Run in 2008 - it's a 8 mile run from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. I had never run more than 3 miles, and I was terrified. It took me almost an hour and a half to finish; but I did it. I thought then, if I can run 8 miles, why can't I run 13?

So I signed up for a half marathon in 2008. I also signed up my husband, who had just returned from a deployment and had not trained at all. We finished, but I remember not being able to walk later that day. I think our time was about 1:57.

Perfectly in step, that's how we roll. Also, really bad hair decisions (aka that 2" ponytail here)

So we conquer that one. We later went on to run another half marathon later that year, shaving 5 minutes off our pace. My husband, K, can run much faster than me, but he often chooses to run races with me because he says "it's more fun that way" (yes, he's awesomesauce, and no, you cannot have him, he's mine). 

We then bit the bullet and signed up for our first full Marathon. It was the Maui Paradise Marathon, and it was the inaugural event. We were totally clueless about races. We assumed that all races were pretty sizable. WRONG. The Maui Paradise Marathon only had about 50 runners total for the full marathon. For most of the race, it felt like a training run; we couldn't see anyone behind us or ahead of us. A few hours before it started, there was a terrible thunderstorm with lightning (very uncommon in Hawaii) and sheets of rain; for the first 10 miles or so, we got pounded with rain that stung the skin. This was pre-LASIK - I even had a contact lens pop out at mile 9 (I managed to catch it and get it back in my eye). The roads were flooded - we had no choice but to run through 6-10 inches of water at some points. All this was really exhausting, and then in the 14-20ish mile point was an out and back on a tiny rural road of mean, short, steep hills. At 18 or so I told K I just wanted to quit. He wouldn't let me, so we walked on and off and finally got to the finish - soaked from head to toe. I really wanted a sub-4 hour marathon, and we missed it: we finished in about 4:20.

Totally soaking wet. My shorts kept falling down because they were so heavy!

We finished. Yes, I am crying.

I burst into tears at the finish line. The girl that handed me my metal was terrified. I think she thought I was hurt. I wasn't hurt (I mean, I was in physical pain) but I think I was just overwhelmed. I'd spend 4 months training and it felt like it was over so fast. And it really didn't go the way I wanted (gross understatement).

So later that year, my husband left again for deployment, and I signed up for the Chicago Marathon. Mostly because I am super stubborn and I really wanted a good marathon experience. A REAL marathon experience with cheering crowds in a big city. A friend of mine met me there and ran it with me. I lived in Hawaii at the time, and since I was a relatively newbie runner I knew nothing about gear. I checked the forcast a few days before and realized it was going to be cold at the start in Chicago - so I packed the only pair of tights I owned and I bought long-sleeve DriFit shirt at the Nike store. Oh, how dumb I was! It was 25 degrees at the start. It was a shock to the system for sure. Biggest mistake? I didn't have gloves. My hands were so swollen at the finish that I couldn't get my rings off for about 3 days.

But it was an AMAZING experience, and we hit our goal - we finished in 3:55:56. Can you tell we were happy? For the last 3 miles we were totally delirious (runners high is real, fo sho) and we kept saying back and forth to each other "we're doing this!" "we are really doing this!" I am sure we sounded insane.

Oh, Christen, if only you had known about winter running gear... you could have prevented THIS:

We look great for having just run 26 miles, but OMG sausage fingers! It was SO painful.

So after that I said to myself, "Alright, successful marathon DONE. Check off life list" and went on with my life without considering to ever do another one. I had a pretty significant IT band injury only a couple months after Chicago and was unable to run more than 2-3 miles for 7 months (with the exception of running the Aloha Run again with that injury - VERY stupid). We moved to SoCal, and ran a half marathon in LA:

We're back bitchez! Finished in like 1:50.

And then, of course, K leaves again. So I threw myself into other things - like going to 6 spin/gravity/bootcamp classes a week. I also was in full-time grad school and working 30 hours a week. I tend to do crazy sh** like this when K leaves - I totally overload myself to stay busy. So last summer, I ran 3 half marathons, which was a blast:

RnR San Diego. J's first half! I talked her into starting to run. I am a very persuasive friend. 

I set a new PR: 1:45:55

K came home! Napa to Sonoma Half. BEST RACE EVER! 1:51-ish. It was my birthday. I consumed copious amount of wine! Also, the medal is a wine stopper. Only useful medal I've ever received!

 AFC Half. I HATED this course. The elevation profile is basically a giant U shape.

And there was no free beer at the finish. BOO. 1:52.

And that leads up to today... we've been running a lot of shorter races - and I've gotten a lot faster. We moved (AGAIN... 4th time in 6 years, yay for military life!) to Boston in the fall and running REALLY got back in my blood. This is the first time in my life I've been able to consistently run sub-8 min miles, so I have got my eyes set on another marathon in the fall where I can hopefully BQ!

And that's my (brief) running history! Now we're off today to Nashville to run yet another half. We were at a hockey game on a Friday night when we got a text from an old friend asking if we wanted to run it. We were a few beers into the night and we said 'OF COURSE!' and signed up from our phones. The moral of this story: don't drink and sign up for races! I am excited to go, but it has cost us a small fortune and generally left a bad taste in my mouth already for RnR races. I think this will be the last one we do. From now on, smaller local races that don't want to take all our $$$.

Looking forward to wearing my cowboy boots and having some warm weather!