Another Half with a Friend

After Oak Barrel Half a friend asked me if I was going to run the Bridge Street Half. I had not planned on running it. I don't love that course -like AT ALL- but I do love the finish party and I usually love the medal. This year the medal was fine, the registration shirt looked really awesome, but the price was more than I really wanted to pay for a cool shirt. But when my friend said she was considering it I said I would absolutely do it with her. She is the gal who ran with me for my first ever Rocket City Marathon. She is in the group I've been running with on Tuesday and Thursday and I just love her to pieces. I knew we'd talk the whole time and I knew I wouldn't even see the course for the conversation, so I signed up.

The shirt didn't disappoint, except WHY do shirt makers think women like v neck shirts? I don't understand why 95% of the time men's are crew neck and women's are v neck? I like a more fitted CREW neck shirt....and the shirt is super thin....but I love the way it feels and it's sweet looking.

The morning of the race my friend picked me up and the chatting began! Another friend was going for a PR (sub 2 hour half) so we talked some about that. I knew it was going to be "easy" for her because she was BARELY over at Oak Barrel and Bridge Street is a much flatter course. 

We went to the bathroom and then lined up...minutes later we were off. We set out to run a 3/1 interval (just like we do Tuesday/Thursday mornings). My legs were TIRED. I was wondering when we first started if I was going to be able to hang on the whole time. My friend had been having some issues with her hip/piriformis; she was saying it was going to take a little bit for it to loosen up so we commiserated a little bit but we stayed on target almost the whole time. It felt like we blinked and we were at mile 3 or so. 

I saw another friend who had been at Oak Barrel; she asked what interval we were doing (3/1) and asked if we minded if she stayed with us. Of course we didn't. But I think we didn't give her an opening to join in our conversation! She stayed with us quite a while and was running strong but I noticed that she was holding her head down and breathing heavier than I would have expected in the run intervals*. At one point I looked back to see where she was; she said she was fine and told us to keep going.

(*When I saw her after the race I asked if I could share a couple of my observations with her...when she said yes I talked to her about keeping her chest "open" and her head up while running...she told me a few days later she tried it and felt much better! YAY!)

The miles were really flying by. It didn't really register on me just how far we were running until about mile 8 and I realized we still had 5.1 miles to go! I have to admit, I was TIRED and HOT. I think that race doesn't have quite enough aid stations but then again, it would help if I carried water with me! I also wasn't paying close attention to fueling. 

Dwayne was watching my live track and was texting that we could break two and half hours but we slowed way down toward the end. We were both tired and she was in pain. There's a couple of little hills on the backside, and then there was the zig zag of the Double Helix... (I'm in the minority probably but I do NOT like that part of the course-running on concrete and zig zagging along a DNA strand is tiring to me!) I had to laugh because his mentality in a race is "run the fastest time possible"...my mentality lately has been "run with friends I love to chat with and enjoy my time with them!"

We were both ready for it to be over about mile 12...we ran around the Westin for the 2nd time of the day and then jumped a curb to run into the heart of Bridge Street and across the finish line! 2:33:05. Sweet! I felt confident if I had been out there to get the fastest time possible I would have broken 2:30...but I knew without a doubt I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much! We found out just after we finished that our friend had indeed broken 2 hours!

We got water and a banana, chatted with more friends, and headed home. 

Later that day Dwayne and I were running errands...I told him about reading a blog when I first started running written by a gal who had run a half marathon and then was doing all kinds of things with her family the rest of the day. I remember thinking how crazy that seemed to me. In my mind I would have needed a nap and would have been wiped out the rest of that day and the next! But here I was doing that very thing.

It's funny because I'm pretty far into my "athletic career" as it were but I continually find myself struck with shock over where I'm currently at. I think the biggest factor at play is the five years I've battled with the effect/after-effects of the brain disease. To be at a place (FINALLY) that I can run a half marathon on a whim and then run errands the rest of the day (and then teach a hard Spin class the next morning, that I actually DO myself)...shocks the crap out of me!

Thanks so much to the friends that keep me going! 

Next up--my first RACE in a LONG time...and more shocking myself!

Thanks for stopping in and sticking around.

Whiskey Hill

About 3 weeks before the Oak Barrel Half Marathon a friend of mine (who lives out of state) asked me if I was running in it. I said I was not but I would see if I could get a spot...turns out they do have charity slots! If you aren't familiar with that race, it's a half marathon in Lynchburg Tennessee (home of Jack Daniels) that goes up what I've heard is a beast of a hill (Whiskey Hill). I had never done the race before because it sells out within hours (maybe minutes?) of opening every year. I signed up in 2020 but...we all know what happened in the spring of 2020. They did actually have the race that fall but it was on the day my son was getting married so I couldn't defer. The only races I've ever signed up for super far in advance have been half and full Ironman races....

I've always heard wonderful things about this race...any race that sells out super fast has to be good, right? I've even been up there to spectate once. Other than knowing the race director, the course goes up a massive hill and people love it, I didn't know anything else about the race at all. But my sweet friend (who I LOVE spending time with) was signed up and she was willing to run slow so I sent in a check made out to one of their charities in order to get my spot secured.

I'd like to say I trained, but, other than running 21.8 miles at Little Rock, and a few 4 and 5 mile runs, I didn't.

Dwayne got up super early in order to come with me to Lynchburg Saturday morning...that was a really nice surprise. (A friend I was going to ride with got sick the day before so I thought I might be going up alone.) The instructions STRESS STRONGLY that you need to arrive early because parking is limited. That fact along with the fact I had to pick up my packet that morning had us getting there about 90 minutes before race start.

I got my packet from a SUPER friendly volunteer-who was FREEZING COLD and still smiling-that included a NICE quarter-zip sublimated pullover. Then I went to wait in the car until it got closer to start time.

About 20 minutes before the start I made a quick trip to a portopotty (there were A LOT of them so the line went FAST) and then I went to hang out in the back of the race crowd to wait for the friend who roped me into this. I got to see several people I had not seen in a while and I got some great hugs! My friend and her husband showed up...more great hugs! After the National Anthem and some announcements that could NOT be heard AT ALL in the back, the race was started and we creeped up to the start line. 

I will say I was nervous. My friend told me her longest run was 8 miles, but she's always been faster than me so I didn't really know if our definitions of "slow" were going to line up. I had been doing a 3/1 run/walk so she said that was good for her so we started that from the get go.

The course for this race is BEAUTIFUL! Like SERIOUSLY BEAUTIFUT! There is ONE part where you go through a cow farm that was eye-watering pungent but other than that blip this is hands-down the best half marathon course I've ever been on! I LOVED IT. It's challenging but I didn't think it was horrific. I think I had built Whiskey Hill up to be so horrible in my mind that when we got there I was like "is this really it?" Don't get me wrong, it's not easy. It is a switch-back steep hill for a bit, but it's nothing like Mountainwood on the Cotton Row course. I didn't feel the need to take a breather. I couldn't have run up it this day but I can actually see getting to the point I could run up it (but I don't know if I would want to because the "cost" of running it might truly be more than it's worth...other than to say "I did it!").

We ended up negotiating on our run/walk intervals because it feels like wasting a downhill to walk there and it's HARD to run uphill so our intervals became haphazard. There were a few times I was really watching the time, wanting to walk before the time was up...but there were also a few times we ran through our walk break knowing an uphill was coming soon.

The best part of the race was getting a chance to catch up with my friend. I love her so much. She moved a while back but when she was here I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her. I have been to see her a couple of times but it's been a long time. She's just fun and smart and super happy...I love being around her so getting to run with her for 13.1 miles was a treat!

After you go up Whiskey Hill you run along the top from about mile 4.75-8.5. After that you get a GLORIOUS, easy downhill to the finish. I was feeling SO STRONG. Like crazy strong. It was a shock how strong I felt actually. It was incredibly encouraging.

Dwayne kept messaging me with predicted finish times and encouragements. He wasn't factoring in the MAIN reason I was running this race was to SOCIALIZE with my friend-not to run the fastest 13.1 mile race possible! I think I'd have been happy if we walked the whole thing-more time to talk! 

As we neared the finish line I fought the urge to speed up so we could finish side by side...it worked we ended up with the EXACT same finsh time! 2:38:25. 

Here's the Relive video of our race...

The finisher party was fantastic! They had delicious Brunswick Stew! They also had "hoecakes", pimento cheese sandwhiches and grilled cheese sandwhiches...I didn't eat those since I'm not eating gluten and dairy. The whole square was shut down for the party. I picked up my finisher socks and bought a Lynchburg magnet; we said our goodbyes to our friends and we headed back home.

I will certainly be online when registration opens up next year to make sure I get in...this race sells out FAST every year. Now I understand why! :D

Thanks for stopping in and sticking around.

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!