Can I Really Do This?

Four weeks (and one day) ago (January 16th) I "ran" the Louisiana Half Marathon. In the 13 weeks leading up to that half marathon I ran a total of about 42 miles with the longest run being about five miles on Christmas Eve and then it tapered WAY down after that. I was NOT trained (once again) for 13.1 miles, but I figured with a SEVEN HOUR cutoff I could practically crawl the whole thing and still make it to the finish. 

I first saw this race back in 2019. They had a little video ad on Facebook that I clicked on...which of course caused me to see the ad ALL THE TIME! So in 2020 we went to work the expo....just before the whole world fell apart with Covid. I don't remember now why I didn't run that year, but I didn't. I remember I didn't run Mercedes and I "only" "ran" the Little Rock Half that year so my guess is I was even less trained then? This year I decided I wanted to run it since I had heard such great things about the course. Well...a few days before the race weekend they sent out an email about their "challenge"--called the Deja Voodoo...with an AWESOME medal. I resisted the urge to sign up for the 5k the day before the half knowing we would be working the expo all day Friday and Saturday...and knowing I was NOT trained. But at the expo I just couldn't stand it anymore-I signed up to run the 5K so I could get that awesome medal...

Well, the 5K was wonderful! The weather was really nice (it actually got hot toward the end), and I felt GREAT. I "ran" a 37:56 which I was very pleased with given the fact I was on my feet most of Friday and would be on them again all that day and then would "run" a half the next day. All that day I kept watching the weather....it was going to be COLD Sunday. 

I HATE COLD!

On top of being cold, it was going to be about 15mph wind!

I honestly think if I had not signed up for the 5K in order to get the challenge medal I think I would have just skipped it. The medal for the 13.1 was nothing special. I felt like I had seen enough of how they did their race to learn some new things for Rocket City. And, we talked to hundreds of people at the expo. But...that challenge medal. I HAD TO HAVE IT! So Sunday morning, I bundled up and Dwayne drove me down to the start. I lined up toward the back knowing I was going to be slow. When the gun went off we slowly made our way to the actual start and then I started "jogging". I didn't have much of a plan (other than when I would take in fuel). 

There were three main reasons I wanted to run this race. 

1) I heard the course was awesome--it WAS. You run through the University of Louisiana campus, right by Death Valley and the Tiger Cage (he wasn't out-it was too cold), and you run by like forty-seven thousand lakes, and you run through some really nice neighborhoods. It was a nice course.

2) I like to see how other races do things to see if there's anything we can do better. I also like to listen to what I hear people talking about that is important to them. It might sound silly but everyone talks about portapotties---where are they and how long will it be until the next one. We do that VERY well IMO. We have signs telling you when they are coming up, and signs telling you how long before the next one. I also really liked their mile markers. We use flags and giant "stickers" on the ground. LAM uses these huge cardboard signs. I LOVED them so we are going to have to get them for our race. I also really loved their post race food. I didn't like that there were VERY limited choices for gluten-free vegans. I think we have done that fairly well, but we can do even better in the future.

3) I wanted to advertise for RCM. I made a shirt that said "Follow me to the Rocket City Marathon"...and I made a point to talk to anyone who commented, and a lot of people who were just open for a conversation. I saw a good friend of mine out there and had a lovely conversation with her. She is a heart attack survivor and is SO INSPIRING to me. She had a 100% blockage in her LAD (that's the artery they call the "widow maker" because if it's blocked the person usually dies very quickly...but she didn't...she didn't BECAUSE she is a marathoner...and she is 75 years old!!). I also had a lovely conversation with a lady who has run like 600 marathons!! We talked about how I am pushing HARD to have at least a 7 hour cutoff for RCM. In the past we simply didn't have that option, but where there's a will there's a way...

Before I knew it, I was on the home stretch, and just like that I was done 3:05:51. I was super pleased with that time. I could have finished a bit faster, but one of my main goals was to talk to people along the way which I did.

I was signed up to "run" the Mercedes Half just four weeks after LAM. The plan was to run a few times so I would be more ready...but after I got home I came down with a cold (or maybe it was Covid for the 2nd time?). I did "run" a few times...for a total of just over 3 miles. But, with a four-hour cutoff, I knew I would be fine even if I walked the whole thing.

I didn't look at the course (I knew it was hilly) and I didn't look at the weather (I knew it was going to be cold). But when I saw it was going to be below freezing with 10mph winds...once again, I contemplated dropping out.... except that MEDAL is awesome! (It's like a big ole Mercedes hood ornament!)

We worked the expo all day Friday and then went to dinner with our three Birmingham ambassadors/friends that night. We always have such a great time with them I hated to have to go home to get some sleep! But they had a shake out run the next morning, and we had to be at the expo at 8.

We worked the expo most of the day Saturday (we actually ended up leaving about an hour or so early because it trickled down to almost no people walking by. We had an early dinner then watched a movie at our AirBnB and then went to bed.

I woke up a little later than I had planned and put off going to the start until the last minute--it was COLD outside.

I HATE COLD!!!

When I got to the start and found my expected pace spot in the corral it was actually WARM with all the people smushed together. That was NICE. 

It was strange-they didn't really have a gun or a countdown to start the race...being so far in the back, I didn't even really know they had started! But eventually we moved forward and just like that I had crossed the start line and I was jogging. 

The first thing I noticed was a HUGE BOULDER in my shoe! (Okay, it was a tiny rock...okay maybe more like a GIANT grain of sand!) It was noticeable enough I had to stop and clear it out before I could continue on. I thought I heard a friend's voice pass by but I wasn't sure since I was trying to get my shoe back on as fast as possible!

When I started "running" again I met up with four friends from Huntsville! One of them was the gal I ran my very first marathon with in 2011!! They told me they were going to be doing 3/1 intervals and I was welcome to join them. I thought I might be with them a mile at the most and then I was going to have to tell them to leave me...but one mile turned into 2, which turned into 4 then 8 then 13.... It's been a LONG time since I've run that far with anyone. It was MAGICAL!! 

Don't get me wrong-I was TIRED and there were times I was hurting. That is a FREAKISHLY hilly course (not Knoxville hilly, but HILLY). At one point I had to use the bathroom. It felt like MILES AND MILES before I finally saw a potty---but quickly realized it was NOT there for the race. It must have been an abandoned potty that homeless people use...YUCK. A few miles later I saw another one and "sprinted" to it as fast as I could...only to have to wait for a guy to finish up...only to have to wait until a volunteer could fetch me some toilet paper ((NOTE: DO NOT LET THE POTTIES RUN OUT OF PAPER!!)). When I came out I was afraid my posse had left me...but I saw them walking so I ran as hard as I could to catch up to them.

At the very end of the race I was DONE and could no longer hang on to them so I fell way off the last .1 or so. I ended up with a 2:34 finish time!! I was FLOORED with that time!!! No way I could have/would have done that alone!! It reminded me how fun it is to run with people! 

I think more than that it reminded me that I'm stronger than I realize I am.

I have made a decision to actually start training....well...after Cowtown Half (which is 2 weeks from yesterday), and Little Rock Full (which is the very next week)...and after a little bit of recovery.

I can do this!

Thanks for stopping in and sticking around!