For any of you who actually follow my blog or even call yourself my friend, you know that I've had one overwhelming challenge I've wanted to take on this year. And for anyone who wants to hear the story...pull up a chair, get comfortable and read on....
My friend, Misty, and I were roommates while in college at Ricks. I have to be honest, I do not remember Misty ever running. Maybe she did and I didn't notice, but I just don't remember. I used to run most mornings before class, so when I found out that she had recently begun running Half Marathons I was a little shocked. I was so so so PROUD of her! To me 13.1 miles seemed an impossible task and I was truly impressed that she had been so dedicated to take on such an enormous goal. Next, I'm embarrassed to say, I was jealous. Here, I had been a runner in the past and had completely given up hope of ever recovering from the confines of extra baby weight and it never occurred to me that I, too, could actually take on something so challenging. Plus, I'm also embarrassed to say, but it's true...I'm umm....competitive... I didn't want to be in my 30s totally left in the dust, while she went on to do great things. I know, I know...I'm totally going to hell. [I promise, I'm really really proud of her!!!] And thus began her grand influence and inspiration..
Last Fall she encouraged me to get ready to run the Salt Lake City Half Marathon in April. I toyed with the idea but didn't make any real decisions about trying until January. I was doing NO running at this point, barely exercising really. She suggested the
Couch to 5K program to get started. It's a great way to start and I totally recommend it. I also recommend listening to your body and when things hurt, there's a reason. I found I just couldn't get ready that fast for a Half, but I wanted to get my feet wet with the whole racing thing and signed up for the 5K instead. I loved it!! The adrenaline at the start and finish, the excitement, the crowd, everything. I did alright too, meeting my goal of under 30 minutes. I knew I wanted to get ready for another race, maybe a 5K and 10K before the Mesa Falls Half Marathon. I went into the SLC 5K knowing I was having shin splint issues, but after mile #1 it felt o.k. and I figured I'd be good to keep training. Which I did and that was the WRONG thing to do. After 2 weeks of pushing up the training, I had to stop a run short because I was in tears and could physically no longer run without real stabbing pains. Those pains carried on day and night, no matter what activity I was doing. Enter stress fractures...
I hoped for the best. "Maybe mine will be better in 4 weeks instead of 6 or 8!" I told myself. It didn't quite work out that way and I found myself biking those weeks instead of training for a Half Marathon. Oh, and it took a FULL 8 weeks to heal. I missed the 10K I wanted to run with Israel and my friend in June. That was the same time Maggie wanted to run the 1K, so I started back slow running with my 5 year old. I knew I wasn't ready to race in July, heck I was barely jogging a mile in July. So the Aug Rock n Roll 10K was out too.
I have one of those personalities that doesn't like to let people down. I had asked Misty to come and join me for the Mesa Falls Half and she was already planning on running it and Israel had been running, so I knew he was too. And I had said I was going to run a Half Marathon this year and heaven help me I was going to do what I said I would do!!!
For some reason I told myself that if I could run 6 miles I could complete the 13.1 for the race. I don't know why this seemed reasonable to me, but it did. So I off I went. It went far better than I thought it would. My shins survived, my lungs and heart felt great, so I felt like I had no excuse to back out now. The next few weeks I told people I would run the race (it's that plan to avoid backing out, you know not letting people down thing) and started to run
maybe 3 x a week.
Every negative thought you could imagine about me went through my brain multiple times a day concerning my ability to take on this task. "You don't look like a marathoner. You're too chubby to be out there. You're not ready. You're going to hurt yourself. No one really thinks you can do this. You're going to puke on someone. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!!", yep, all that and more, but I'll spare you.
It was like some unseen force was trying to keep me from this race. I got a head cold the week of the race, I started PMSing, my shins started acting up and active.com charged me an extra $20 to register. I was a mess! Seriously, I teared up over the $20 thing. The stress started affecting my dreams and sleep. One night I dreamed I was running the Half the ENTIRE night and I couldn't figure out which way I was suppose to be going. It was retched.
My sister, Lorianne, and her family were able to come out to Idaho and visit us this weekend so they became a nice distraction. But, I could never fully get it off my mind.
Race DayIsrael and I woke up at 4:30am on Saturday morning so we could be on the road to Ashton, ID by 5:30am. I was torn as to what to eat. I wanted eggs, but I get nervous tummy and didn't want to overdo it, so I settled on a PowerBar during the drive.
Lesson #1: Go ahead and eat the eggs, it will help with your energy later and the tummy thing is going to happen anyway. Just eat EARLY so it can settle before the race begins.
We met up with Misty, her sister and friend, when we picked up our race bag. It's a goodie bag that all racers receive. Usually filled with coupons, chapstick, powerbars, etc. This was ours. You gotta love good ol' Idaho.
Next we rode up on buses to the starting line. Idaho is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I sat next to a seasoned runner and was given some good advice. "Don't do too well on your first race." She said she had done really well on her 1st Half Marathon and found that it became very discouraging as she has yet to beat that time.
Lesson #2: A slow time could have some advantages for future morale.
FYI: I tried to make ZERO expectations for myself as far as times go with this race. I just wanted to finish and not puke. Being who I am...I still did. I was still hoping for under 3 hours.
The Starting Line:Mountains, trees, highway. We started with a short decent onto a gravel trail that went along the mountain overlooking Warm River. I had my music playlist set up to start at a very slow pace and enjoyed David Lanz piano music while taking in the beauty. I have to honestly say that I truly enjoyed the first 4 miles of this race. It was on gravel with stunning scenery.
The Hills:I was expecting a big hill. We had even driven parts of the course. I thought it would be about 2miles long. And yes, it was...the first one anyway. Then came another and another and yet another. Just know that it NEVER descended between those hills. Strangely enough, I was still feeling pretty good. I was thirsty and tired, but not dying yet. And I'm proud to say that I really did jog most of the way on the hills.
The Farmland:This was the most difficult part of the race and I didn't see it coming. I really thought in my head that if I could make it up the hills then the rest would be smooth sailing and I'd kick up the pace and finish in a decent time. Little did I know that a LONG, FLAT stretch of nothing messes with my head and thus my ability to jog. It never ends! At mile 9 I was praying for mile 10 to come quick so I'd know I was nearly done. At mile 10, I was done. My body didn't want to work anymore. I was scared to try to run faster for fear that I wouldn't be able to finish. Yeah, I was that bad and probably worse. I went through walk/jog cycles. I'd say to myself, "Road, you're NOT going to beat me!" and I'd jog for a light pole or 2 and then I'd say, "Damn you ROAD!" and walk a light pole or 2. This went on and on. {Course Note: NO shade through this stretch, none, nope not even a little. Bless the hearts of those locals who set up their sprinklers to spray in the roads and the little kid with the hose}
Finally Main Street:Having run in SLC, I envisioned crowds to welcome you in and cheer you on through that last mile.
Lesson #3: Be prepared to go your last mile alone and don't fear, your family really is around the corner.
Lesson #4: Don't use your IPod distance indicator. It congratulated me on meeting my goal a FULL mile before the race was over. It will totally mess with your head.
It was the longest of all stretches, or at least seemed to be. It didn't help that there were some wonderful volunteers handing out water just before town and being as done as I was, I was afraid to stop jogging as I might not be able to keep going. So I took a swig mid-jog...really bad idea. Yep, up my nose and had to walk it off anyway. :)
The Finish:After finally turning the corner, I could see the finish line.
Then I saw my family. I didn't get teary like I thought I would, but the cheering gave me the boost I needed to actually sprint across the finish line. If you had seen me before that, you would know that my ability to sprint at that point was nothing short of miraculous. I wanted to feel the rush of accomplishment, but honestly all I felt was the rush of puking coming on. Sad, I know. That's where I had to use all the will left in me to keep my next goal of not puking. The finishing lane was super short so I had to circle past the food table to avoid losing it all over people. I couldn't even hug my family, but I was so grateful they were there!! I know it didn't show, but in my heart I was so happy to have them there to support me.
The Results:
Kinda embarrassed by the time, but I will improve as I actually train.
3:07:31
I'm also really proud and continue to be amazed by Israel. His time was 2:03:43!! This was a tough course and he did AWESOME!!
Here's Misty and me (yes, faking a smile at this point)
Yep, still faking a smile but really happy it was all over.
The Aftermath:
Surprisingly, not as bad as I thought it would be. I am indeed sore and stiff! But, it's in my knees, ankles and hips. And my shins, you ask? Perfect. No problems whatsoever. Would I do this again, you ask? Absolutely! But only if I properly train first. Which I will begin in a few weeks. You know...Salt Lake City Half Marathon is calling my name already. :)
But, I still thought it might be fun for her to try out a team sport too, such as my favorite...soccer. She had her first game on Saturday. The first quarter was hilarious! All players from each team essentially chase the ball all over the field. It's great to watch. Maggie is #10 in the "kermet the frog green" uniform.
The next 2 quarters, Maggie was apparently getting tired of chasing everyone and began doing cartwheels up and down the field, one after another after another... It was actually one of the funniest things I've witnessed in a long time. And I'm pretty sure I heard a few sighs of relief from other parents grateful it wasn't their child this time! LOL! Seriously, the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond went through my head. You know the one where Jeffery is running down the basketball court with his arms shoved out the bottoms of his shorts.
Next, she begged the coach to let try being goalie. Yes, she really did. She was SO excited. Do you see the look of anticipation/determination as she dives for the ball? Wait...where's the ball? Oh, that's right...she got bored and started practicing while the other kids where playing on the opposite end of the field.
Then picked some weeds for good measure.
I think she might be cured of the goalie position. I can't wait to see what happens next Saturday.
