The Boy Your Momma Warned You About

This post has actually been one of the most difficult posts to write because I am still trying to wrap my head around that I am a member of the 1% Club!!!  (Only 1% of the world has ever completed a marathon, once you complete one, you are a member of the 1% club) I have all these feelings and thoughts to write down and they are so sporadic that it’s hard to put into words.  I did my best though so enjoy my recap of the Chevron Houston Marathon 2013.

*******************
Chevron Houston Marathon 2013 Recap

I have always heard that a marathon is a different type of beast and it’s in a whole different category, but until I ran one I didn’t know exactly what they were talking about.  Marathons are like the boy you momma warned you about, but you didn’t listen. Haha. 

For more pics go here.

As you know, I was a bundle of nerves this entire week (well, the past 6 months!) and my friends all tried to calm me down via encouraging messages, movies, and even flowers!!  My friend Hector brought me flowers to my work to cheer me up.  Aren’t they beautiful?  Tulips are my favorite flowers of course!

I went to the expo on Saturday morning around lunch time to pick up my packet and walk around the expo.  There were all kinds of vendors set up ranging from clothing to hydration.  There were also several different races set up so you could sign up for them.  I just walked around looking at everything but I didn’t end up buying anything.

There was this big wall that you could write why you were running and of course I had to write why I was running (you can go here to see what I wrote).

Official bib!!

After the expo I went to my parents house to chill out and also give my dad/stepmom my special needs bag in case I needed anything when they saw me on the course.  It had an extra pair of shoes, socks, Tylenol, hat, running fuel, bandaids, and a PB&J sandwich.  I got home around 8:30 and fell asleep by 9:15 pm for my 3:30 am wakeup call.

My running shirt that I had made on Etsy!  It's silver glitter paper!!  I highly recommend using VA shirt shop on Etsy, they are awesome to work with and I got my shirt back within a week.  If you look closely in the shoe it actually says 26.2.  Go to the picture page (link at the top) to view a close up of the shoe.  Super cool.

The next morning I woke up at 3:30 am having not slept very well that night.  I don’t remember what my dreams exactly were, but I remember having a lot of them.  I ate a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, which I could barely finish but I choked it down.  I am not used to eating at 3 am so my body didn’t want it.  I got dressed, double checked my lists to make sure I didn’t forget anything and waited for my friend Tonya to pick me up.  Tonya had offered to drop me off at the race, along with our friend Aly so we wouldn’t have to drive and worry about parking. My parents would take us home later since we would be too tired later (smart decision!!).  We were dropped off around 5:30 am and met our group in the area to take pictures and to stretch.  

At 6:45 we headed to our separate corrals to start the race at 7 am.  I was in the open corral so we were the last group to cross the start line.  The faster runner you were, the earlier corral you were in (A, B, or open), but I am not super speedy so I was just in the average people corral.  I crossed the start line about 13 minutes after the gun went off and I started my Garmin GPS watch.  The 6 hour time limit didn’t start until the last corral crossed the start line, which gave everyone a fair advantage.  I said a prayer to God to keep me safe and help me finish this goal.  I knew that there would be obstacles for me to finish, but that it would make it that much sweeter when I did finish.

Right when I was crossing the start line it started to pour down rain.  I had a poncho on, a light weight jacket , and gloves, in addition to my other race gear but I got immediately soaking wet.  I kept trying to avoid puddles so I wouldn’t get my feet wet, but the rain was coming down so hard and people were splashing, it was inevitable that my shoes and socks were soaked by mile 2.  I knew that my family were going to be at around Mile 5 so I could get new shoes then if I needed them.  I crossed mile 3.1 and an automatic alert was sent to my friends and family via text and also FB updating them on my progress.  At this point I was on pace to hit my goal of 5 hours!

At mile 5 I started to look for my family hoping to see a familiar face, but I couldn’t find them. The crowd of runners were so thick that I didn’t think they could find me easily so I was looking really hard to find them.  Every mile after I scanned the crowd looking for them, but I couldn’t see them.  At Mile 8 I knew that they would be at Niko Niko’s so I knew I could give them my soaked jacket and Garmin watch to hold so it wouldn’t get wet anymore, but still no family or friends.  I just knew at any time I would see them.  I crossed the 15K and Half marathon marks and automatic texts/FB messages were sent out and people on FB were cheering me on (I LOVED reading the comments later when I was done).  Right around the 1/2 marathon mark, a group was sprinkling "holy water" on people...of course I got some!  I am Baptist, so we don't have holy water but I still believe in it!  I guess a preacher blessed it or something?  IDK, but I loved it!!  Each mile after 15 my pace got slower and slower.  I really wanted to see my friends and family, but I couldn’t find anyone.  I ditched my poncho at Mile 15 because the rain had stopped.

At Mile 16 we entered the Galleria area and I was still feeling great, and then finally at Mile 17 I saw my friend Leslie!!  Halleluiah!  I was so happy to see someone I knew.  She ran with me for a few minutes asking if I needed anything.  I had ditched my gloves around Mile 7 so my hands were so cold they wouldn’t close.  She offered me her gloves and I felt bad for putting them on, but she assured me that she wanted me to have them (Leslie, I will wash them and bring them to you!).  At the 30K (18.6 miles) marker I realized that this is the farthest I had ever run, which sort of messed with my head a little bit.  Could I keep going? Yes!  My pace began to slow waaaaay down at this point because my head was playing games with my resolve.  Where was my family? 

 

(photo courtesy of Leslie)

Finally we crossed 610 and made it to the Memorial Park area and the dreaded 20 mile ‘wall’ area of the course.  Right before Mile 21 I saw my Dad and stepmom Pie.  I saw them before they saw me and waved my hands so they would see me.  They said I looked great and had been to four different spots trying to find me.  I needed Tylenol and I was starving so I ate a quarter of my PB&J (it was all I could stomach even though I was starving).  My shoes were dry by this point so I didn’t change my shoes.  I don’t know if it was the socks that were amazing or if God knew I wouldn’t be able to handle blisters, but I ended the race without blisters (I think it was God who helped me out!).

Krista was waiting for me at Mile 22 and took pictures of me running.  She is so awesome!  Krista was my inspiration to start running in the first place and came to cheer me on for the marathon and her also to cheer her mom Ginger and friend Katie to the half (who both did awesome btw!).  Krista didn’t run this year because she is carrying Baby Dabel #1 due in May. :)  She said I was looking good and that she would see me at the finish line.

(photo courtesy of Krista)

Mile 23-26.2 were pretty bad, I’m not going to lie.  I don’t think I ever hit ‘the wall’ but I did have a hard time.  I only had a 5K to go, but that 5K was brutal.  You could see downtown and knew that the GRB/Finish line was just behind those skyscrapers, but you couldn’t get there fast enough.  I absolutely did a walk/run combo in those last three miles.  Brutal. 

At Mile 25 I could see the GRB and I just kept focusing on the big red things on top of the building, willing myself to go faster so I could be done.  I kept praying to God that he would give me strength to finish this thing (I really had been praying that since Mile 18) and I felt that my grandfather was up there watching me the entire time.  My Grandfather loved baseball hats so I wore one of his hats (Texans) so he was with me the entire time.  Every time the wind blew I felt he was there with me.  When I wanted to give up, I would just think how he was up there watching me and how he would be so proud of me. 

I started to cry at Mile 25 because I knew I was about to become a marathoner!!!  Wow!  Who would have believed that a girl who started running a year and a half ago, that was 40 lbs heavier, would be running a marathon today?  Me?  What?  But I was about to do the ‘impossible’. I was crying pretty hard and I couldn’t breathe so I had to calm myself down. LOL.  Nerd! :)

I finally turned the corner and tried to sprint to the end, but I honestly had nothing left to give.  I jogged it in as fast as I could, but I left everything I had on that course.  I saw Aly and Matt who were cheering me on, then I saw my Dad and Pie, Krista was there also but I didn’t see her.  I crossed the finish line at 5:45:30, 45 minutes past my goal of 5 hours.  It was a tough, brutal day but I gave it my all and didn’t give up.  I was very proud of myself.  

If you go to this website and search by my last name you will find a video of me crossing the finish line.

 Picture with my Dad and Stepmom Pie!  

KRISTA!!  She made a sign for me that said Margaritas at the finish Steph 26.2.  She actually bought me a margarita and brought it with her!!  I haven't drank it yet, but I will soon!!!  

Finishers goodies!  Once I crossed the finish line I got a medal immediately and then went inside the expo center to pick up my mug and shirt.  This is the back of the shirt.

 Finishers medal up close!  I worked super hard for this thing.  It was EARNED, not GIVEN!

My parents drove me home and after they left I immediately took a bath. I couldn't stand up in the tub so I just sat there washing my hair.  Finally, I realized this was really lazy so I tried to stand up, 5 minutes later I finally did and then got out.  I fell asleep around 3:30 and didn't wake up until 8 am the next day (well, I did for a few minutes at a time to feed Jabba and stuff but it wasn't for long stretches).

What did I put in my finishers mug?  Nuun Hydration of course!  I needed to make sure I was hydrated so I could recover properly, so Nuun it was!  Plus, I am not a fan of beer.

Thank you's:
Thank you's also go out to my Dad, Pie, Krista, and Leslie for encouraging me on the course and at the finish line.  You guys are awesome and I am so glad you were there to share it with me.

I checked my phone on the way home and I had so many notifications at the top it was unreal!  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone out there who encouraged me along the way.  You have no idea how much you words, prayers, and positive thoughts meant to me along this journey.  I am truely blessed to have all of you in my life!  My FB wall and automatic posts that were sent each time I crossed certain mile markers had positive words that I keep going back to read.  You guys are awesome!  I have never felt so loved!!

My family (and some friends) tracked me the entire time via the app or text messages and I received many calls and texts of congratulations when I crossed the finish line.

What's next?
Will I do it again?  Ask me again in a few weeks/months and I will let you know.   I will say that I am very competitive with myself and I am already itching to beat my time, so it will probably happen, just not right now.  I don't even want to think about it at this point.  If you asked me either Sunday or yesterday, the answer was probably a NO, but today I am actually considering it.

Marathon...the Day After

Spoiler Alert: I FINISHED A MARATHON!!!!!!

I am still in the process of writing my recap post and processing the fact that I actually finished a MARATHON, but I will update soon. I took off of work today to go get a massage and relax so that is where I will be if you need me!

Thank you's go out to everyone who gave me encouragement in person, via emails, texts or Facebook.  You guys rock!!  Without your encouragement I do not know if I would have had the guts to attempt it.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Congrats to all my friends who finished either the full or half marathons this weekend!!

It's Here-Marathon Time

Tomorrow is my first marathon!  Oh my good I am soooooo nervous.  It doesn't seem possible that I have been training for over 6 months!  Yikes.  I have been carbo-loading for the past week, trying to get to bed early tonight, and have my stuff all laid out and ready to go for my 4:15 am wakeup call tomorrow morning.

Wish me luck!!!! :)  See you on the flip side as a marathoner.

Here are some running related posts from the past 6 months that I have prepared me for tomorrows race.

How I started running
18.6 miles-Sugarland 30K
16 Miles
15 Miles
14 miles
13.1-Santa Hustle Half Marathon
13.1-LaPorte by the Bay Half Marathon
13.1-Houston Half Marathon
9.3 Miles-Monster Mash 15K
6.2-Toughest 10K-Galveston
6.2-Toughest 10K-Kemah

 

My Sweet Friend

My sweet, sweet, sweet friend Krista sent me a surprise in the mail today.  I went upstairs at work to get the mail and noticed a DVD in my box with my name on it.  I have recently ordered a few DVD’s, but I had gotten them all already, so I thought it just forgot about one.  Well, I opened it and I got this surprise!!

Krista had been telling me to renter/buy this DVD for awhile, but I hadn’t done it yet.  She knew that I had been nervous lately about my upcoming marathon so she secretly ordered this DVD and wrote this note for me.  I actually cried when I read it.  (I have been really emotionally lately!)

Run Fat Boy Run description:  Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day, out-of-shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back.

I honestly have the best friends a girl could ask for and Krista is no exception.  If you remember, she was the one from whom I got my running inspiration.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Krista for my movie!  I can’t wait to watch it.

Marathon Nerves

I know I am posting a lot about running and my marathon lately, but it’s what I have on my mind right now so I am going to talk about it.  Plus, it’s my blog (picture me sticking my tongue out here). ;)

Each day that the marathon gets closer, the more I want to throw up.  I honestly don’t remember being this scared the day before my first half marathon.  I remember being nervous and feeling like everyone was watching me to see if I could do it, but this time it’s double the distance but gazillion times the pressure to complete it. 

I am hoping that if I post my fears and share them with my friends, somehow they will magically be erased  from the positive vibes you will all send my way.

So, here is a list of my fears before my first marathon (in no particular order).

1.  Wakeup-I am afraid that I will miss my alarm on Sunday and not make it in time for the race or be rushed.    This is not a new fear for me because I am perpetually 5-10 minutes late to everything that I do.

2.  Sick-Since last Thursday I have been sick with the flu.  I went to the doctor and they gave me medicine, but now, four days later I am still not back where I was. I feel about 60% of normal and  it sucks!  I am terrified that I will still be sick on Sunday.  Coughing fits are not fun while you are running 26.2 miles.

3.  Parking-I hate trying to find parking at a race, much less fighting with 25,000 other runners who are looking for parking as well.  Let’s hope someone will be able to drop me off so I won’t have to worry about it.

4.  Not properly trained-Did I train enough?  Did I do enough miles?  Did I fuel correctly?  With being sick for the past two weeks am I losing some of my fitness?  Well, it’s too late to worry about that I guess. 

5.  Lost marbles-Did I seriously lose all my sense and decide to run 26.2 miles?  I think I have lost it.

6.  Nutrition-Am I going to get enough carbs in my system to be ok on Sunday?  What about breakfast?  Is my normal oatmeal or bagel with PB going to be ok for this race?

7.  Forgetting something-Am I forgetting something?  Sports Beans? Nuun? Socks?  Body Glide? Sports Bra? Pickles? Ummm.  Oh yes, I forgot my marbles (see #5)

8.  Letting everyone down-This one is a big one for me.  I feel like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders to finish this race.  People are so excited for me and are proud of me, but they are also watching me for inspiration.  If I don’t finish will they think they won’t be able to finish their goal?  Or are some people going to talk about me and say “I knew she couldn’t do it?”  Big fear of mine.

9.  Not finishing-What if I don’t finish?  What if that wall at 20 is too big to overcome?

10.  Porta Potties-Ummm.  Yuck.  I dislike Porta Potties very much and what if I have to go (you know, go) on the course.  Sorry, TMI.  It’s a real concern.

11.  Sleep-What if I can’t fall asleep the night before and I am exhausted?

12.  Weather-What is up with the weather these days?  Cold?  Rainy?  No thanks!  I need the sun and some breeze but not freezing ice bath worthy temperatures.

13.  Drive home-What if I am so tired I can't make it to the car to drive home?  Or if I can't even drive home because my legs hurt so much?

14.  What if my uterus falls out?  Ok, so that one isn't a worry, but it's funny. (edit because I keep getting questions about this one and asked why I would add it:  Katherine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon because women were not allowed to run a marathon.  In those days, it was said that a women's uterus would fall out if they ran that far.  Katherine Switzer registered under her first initials and when she was on the course they tried to pull her off using force.  Go to her website or google her).

Those are my honest fears for the biggest race I have ever attempted to do to date.  Honestly, I am terrified but I know that what is meant to happen will happen and I just need to put one foot in front of the other.  I know that God will give me strength for whatever the outcome will be.  We will see in a few days.

How I Started Running

With my marathon coming up in a few days, I thought it would be fun to tell the story of how I started running.  People that haven't seen me in awhile, or even if they have never met me are always amazed to hear how I started to run.  I don't look like a 'typical' runner, but that's the great thing about running, everyone is welcome!  Big or small, athletic or not, just get out some athletic shoes and start running!  If you are running regularly or long distances, I suggested a few different running items (see them here), but otherwise just lace up some sneakers and go!

How I Started Running
Back in January of 2011 my friend Krista ran the Aramco Houston Half Marathon for the first time and I went to cheer her on.  It was raining and freezing that year while we cheered for her, but I loved it!  I got so inspired seeing all of the runners of all shapes and sizes running with smiles on their faces.  We called out their names as they ran past (as many as we could that is, there are over 25,000 people who run both races) when we saw their name on the bib.  I remember when Krista was training for the races, our friend Clarissa was in town and we wanted to have dinner.  Krista was so determined to train for this race that she didn't come with us no matter how much we bribed her with margaritas and fun!  Looking back on it I would say that is determination! :)

In the back of my mind a dream was planted that I wanted to run a half marathon (the crazy idea of a full marathon came later) but I really didn't work on completing that dream for a few months.  Then, in March for some reason I decided I wanted to run a 5K without stopping.  Crazy long distance at the time, but I was determined to finish it.  I had my first running goal and it was really scary to me.  I mean, 3 miles?  That's crazy talk! ;)  Little did I know that just a year and a half after I did that first 5K I would be running a 26.2 mile race.

I am a firm believer that if you have a goal you need to take baby steps to complete it and pick a deadline for that goal.  I am the type of person who needs to have a dealine before I finish something, if I have a 'someday' goal it will never happen.  So I was talking to this friend at work and he said that there is a 5K usually at the end of May that the Astros put on each year called the Race for the Pennant.  I knew that I wanted to do a 5K around the time of my birthday so I picked a May race.  At the time I had no idea that 5K's happen basically every weekend and that there are running website (like this one or this one) dedicated to local races.  

So, now that I had a race in mind (and registered for it) it was time to start seriously training for it and also recruit friends to do it with me. 

How I Started To Train For My First 5K
There are programs like Couch to 5K out there but I am not a very good plan follower (besides long runs) so I sort of made up my own thing.  There was a park by my old apartment in Pearland called Stevenson Park that is a 1/2 mile around.  My neighbor Carol and I would walk around 3 or 4 miles a few times a week there, but one day I said to myself that I was going to run the entire 1/2 mile without stopping 'no matter what'.  I ran that entire 1/2 mile without stopping (although it was a slow process) and walked the other 2.5 miles that night.  I did that for the rest of the week (probably about 3 times total) and then the next week I walked run lap, ran one lap, walk one lap, ran one lap, and then walked the rest.  I would do that for about a week and then the next week I would increase it by one lap running without stopping 'no matter what'.  Until I was up to where I had to (2 miles) I would give myself one lap of walking in between.  Does that make sense?  Eventually I made my way up to 3 miles of running without stopping.  I remember the day I posted that I had run 3 miles without stopping on FB and I was soooo proud of myself.

On my 29th birthday (which was a far cry from how I spent my 28th birthday drinking margaritas and having mexican food) I ran my first 5K.  I even had a special cross shirt made and wore my cross necklace so God would give me strength.  I ran the entire way without stopping, even though I did not take into account that there would be hills/bridges on the course.  I was very proud of myself!

How I Started To Train For My First Half Marathon
In June of 2011 I decided that my dream of completing my own half marathon should come next.  I mean, if I did a 5K what is to stop me from doing a half marathon? :)  I knew that I would have to have a deadline set again so I added "Complete a Half Marathon" to my 30 Under 30 List.  Since Krista was my inspiration for this crazy idea in the first place, I enlisted her to run it with me.  I honestly choose the La Porte by the Bay Half Marathon because it was in December, which gave me plenty of time to train for it and I would also have 6 more months to 'try again' if my first attempt didn't go so well and I didn't finish.  That didn't happen though and I completed my first marathon in December of 2011.

When training for such a long race I knew that I needed a training plan for this one.  As a recommendation from Krista, I used the Hal Higdon Half Marathon training plan.  I trained my heart out for that race, even missing or coming late to several family/friend events so I could train.  I wanted to do good at this whole running thing and I was determined to do so.  I also did several long runs for that race to prepare all the way up to 10 miles before the race.

How I Started To Train For My First Marathon
My first marathon training has been tricky.  From my first half marathon until I got picked for the full marathon in June I basically did nothing!  I ran a few times here and there, but otherwise I did nothing.  When I got picked however, I knew I needed to step it up and I joined a running program called Gotta Run of Katy.  I signed up (and completed!) for races that were 10K and above and also a triathlon (See the recaps here for Triathlon, 10K, 10K, 15K, Half Marathon, Half Marathon, 30K, Half Marathon).  I decided that I didn't want to do anymore 5K's (unless they were free) because my distances needed to be longer than 3 miles to effectively train for this race.

Now it is almost here and I am really freaking out.  Can I do this?  Absolutely!  It's all mental and I know that God will help me through it. 

That is my story of how I started to run.  I will also mention that I was 40 lbs heavier then than I am now and the weight has come off mainly due to running and a healthy diet.  ANYONE can do this, the question is, are YOU ready to change and start your own journey?

15 Miles and an Ice Bath

Last Saturday was my final long run of my marathon training season.  I technically have a 10 miler tomorrow, but 15 miles seems like a long run, but somehow 10 seems ‘easy’.  ßCrazy statement!

It was freezing on Saturday morning, but I got out of bed, ate breakfast, and then dressed in warm clothes.  Fleece lined workout pants, long sleeve tech t-shirt from my 30K, and then a long sleeve hoodie was my workout gear of choice.  ‘Twas a chilly morning indeed!  I knew I would get warm later in the run, but by mile 8 I still wasn’t warm enough to take off my jacket.  I think around mile 11 was when I finally took it off.  The run went great!  If I had to, I really could have kept going for a longer period of time.  26 miles though?  I am not sure. 

After the run I stopped at Starbucks for my last Pumpkin Latte of the Season (boo!) and a bagel with cream cheese and then headed home to take an ice bath.  Ice bath?  Yes!  This is my second ever ice bath and ouch did it hurt so good!  I made it twelve minutes then got out when the ice melted because I was so cold. Below is my version of how to take an ice bath.

Ice Bath How-To

1.        Gather all the necessary materials.  Ice,  jacket, reading material, warm drink, stop watch, and a friend

2.       Get in the bathtub, while wearing your jacket, and then turn the water on cold.  Get in the bathtub first, otherwise it’s too cold. Keep adding water until it gets past your knees/hips.

3.       Add the ice and hit start on your timer.  Try and make it at least 5 minutes but the longer the better, up to 15 minutes. (I made it to 12 and I was done) or you can wait until the ice to melt.

4.       Distract yourself while waiting for the time to complete.

a.       Read your book/magazine/cereal box

b.      Say things like ‘Whoo, it’s hot in here.  I need a fan and the A/C pronto’ or ‘The sun is so hot that I need some suntan lotion, I am burning up’ or ‘Where is that package of popsicles when I need it. It’s so hot in here’ or in your best Nelly voice ‘It’s getting hot in here, I’m going to take off all my clothes’ (but don’t proceed to take off all your clothes because you might die from hyperthermia).

c.       Imagine you are on the beach laying out in your swimsuit watching the cute surfers, maybe even build a sandcastle. 

d.      Do anything to stop yourself from thinking about the bitter freaking ice cold torture that you are enduring like a BOSS!

5.       Get out and warm yourself up, crazy person, goose bumps are not attractive.

Santa Hustle Half Marathon Race Recap

The Santa Hustle Half Marathon in Galveston was the last race that I had scheduled in 2012 and also the last race before the Chevron Houston Marathon on January 13th.  Yikes, it's coming up really quickly!

Packet Pickup-The packet pickup was held at the Tremont Hotel near the Strand.  Honestly, the packet pickup was a pain in the rear!  I live about an hour and a half away from Galveston and they were only offering packet pickup on Saturday. At the time of registration I could have paid an extra $15 for it to be mailed to me but some people on FB did not get their packets on time.  I decided to just stay at my grandparents house the night before so I wouldn't have to waste gas on going down there twice.

At packet pickup we each got a shirt that we are supposed to wear during the race.  Mine is sort of big on me, but I want to be part of the fun Santa group wearing their shirts in all of the pictures!

Also, you get a hat and beard.  Do I look stylish?  The hat/beard was a bit much for 13.1 miles so I did not bring it with me.

I woke up around 6 am so I could make sure to eat breakfast and drive to Galveston. Maw Maw made me yummy pancakes and I cut up a banana on the side.  I probably shouldn't have eaten such a heavy meal before a race, but I figured I needed some carbs and I had three hours for it to digest before I ran.

I left my grandparents house about 7 am and drove straight to Galveston. I had an easy time finding parking and getting to the start line.  There were a few blowup characters in the square and I took a picture with Santa and Frosty!

The race started promptly at 9 am and we ran the route on Galveston Island.  The race was basically two out and backs down the seawall and 23rd Street.  There was a cookie station at mile 2 (ish) and one at mile 6 (and technically mile 11 since it was an out and back).  There were tons of cookies and M&M's when I went by both times so I don't think the half marathoners took too many, it's hard to eat cookies when you are running 13.1 miles.  It was a flat course and I didn't have any problems really.  At mile 9ish I started getting antsy for the finish.  I wanted to finish with a new PR of 2:20:XX but the slower I was going the more that number slipped away.  The first 6 miles were great, I was rocking a great pace of around 10 MM, but I lost steam by the end.  Luckily, someone I met earlier on the course caught up with me and helped coach me to the end at a very uncomfortable pace for me so I could get a good time.  I kept glancing at my watch to see how much longer we had and she said don't look at the watch so I let her hold it so I wouldn't see the pace and we could go faster.  I don't know how to upload my stats to my computer, but I think we were going way fast for me. :)  Looking back, I love it, but at the time if you were anywhere near me you heard some very choice words coming from me every few feet. haha.  

Finally, we made it back to the square and we just had to go around the corner one more time.  I told my new friend that I wanted to sprint to the end so when we rounded the corner I took off.  I think I was faster than she thought because she yelped in surprised! LOL.  I am a relatively faster sprinter compared to my running pace. 

 I finished at 2:25.10, a new 4:29 PR!  I thanked my friend for running with me at the end (and not letting me walk!) and then I got water and a banana.  There was some sort of granola bar and candy canes, but I wasn't in the mood for them.  I was disappointed that there wasn't any other food to choose from at the race, usually there is at least pizza or something. :/  Even the beer you had to pay for (I don't drink beer though).  The website said there would be a lot of food, but apparently bananas were all they had.  I guess you can't be too choosey when you got a great Groupon deal for a half marathon!

Success!  Last half marathon before my full!   Can't wait to add it to my medal rack. :)

Merry Christmas everyone! 

30 Days to go...

Yikes!  We are down to the wire.  There is only a little more than 30 days to go until my first marathon!  I haven't even started to plan what I will wear yet.  OK, that's a lie.  I know I will be wearing a red shirt and I have three ideas of what to put on it.  I just have to narrow down my options. :)

No races this weekend, just running with my training group.  Next weekend (the 23rd) is the Santa Hustle Half Marathon in Galveston though so I will be gearing up for that soon.

Sugarland 30K Recap

I woke up bright and early at 4:30 am to get ready for the Sugarland 30K race, even Jabba was not ready to get up so early.  He barely got out of bed when I put food in his bowl, and if you know Jabba that is rare never happens.  The night before I layed out what I was going to wear and filled up my fuel belt with water and fuel (Sport Beans and Gummies) so I wouldn’t have to do it when I was sleepy.   I still do not have a microwave since I moved (hopefully I will get to the store this weekend) so I just ate cold pizza leftover from Friday.

Aly was coming over to ride with me to cheer me and our other group members on during the race.  Alain, our coach from Gotta Run had a tent set up when we got there and we took group pics before the race.

The race started promptly at 6:30 after they sang the National Anthem (side note, I love it that the majority of the races I have been to sing the song beforehand).  The first few miles took us through the street of Sugarland by some nice houses, then we did a 4 mile loop three times around some VERY nice houses.  Aly and Alain did not race so they were at the turnaround of the loop to cheer us on each time and also Alain was taking pictures. 

The first loop wasn’t so bad I just kept trucking along seeing the super fast people go by me.  By the time I was on my first loop, the (future) winner was on his second lap (and like going 5 minute mile pace).  Sigh.  I will get faster!  The second loop wasn’t so bad either, but towards the end I was getting tired.  The third lap was tough!  Most of the crowd support was gone by that time to watch the finishers and it was just us slower people.  I did the majority of the race at a 11 minute (ish) mile, but towards 16+ I started to slow way down.  At mile 17 (right past the last waterstop) I was running with a girl that I talked to on the first lap and she was still following her friend.  We started running together and were passing people and I said “Let’s pass your friend”  she got a smile on her face and we passed her, then we passed about 6 or 7 other people.  Then she started to fade and I kept going (don’t judge me, I didn’t know her!) . 

I was at about 17.75 when I ran past a woman who was crying, I asked if she was ok and she said no and cried even harder.  I asked if she needed water because I thought I had another water with me and she said yes, well it turns out that I only had about two ounces left but I offered it to her and she took it.  She was still crying so I kept walking with her.  I asked her if she had stretched because her legs were hurting and I suggested she do the yoga pose Downward Dog to stretch her legs.  I had to pee really, really, really bad at this point so I couldn’t show her how to do the pose, luckily she knew how to do it.  It really helped her a lot and we kept walking together.  I suggested that we run for three traffic cones and then we could reevaluate if she wanted to run again.  The cones were about 100 feet apart so it wasn’t much but it was better than walking.  After three she wanted to keep running so we did.  After about 4 or 5 we would stop and do a downward dog then run at least three more.  We got to the final street intersection and ran the rest of the way. She told me I could keep going without her, but I didn’t want to leave her since she was still pretty upset.  I told her that my time wouldn’t be that different if I would leave her, so I stayed and helped her finish.  We introduced ourselves (her name was Marny) and pushed through the end.  At the finish line shoot I asked her if she wanted to sprint to the end and she did, and we ended up behind one other person and I told Marny to pass her, so we did. :) 

Me and my new friend Marny finished together at 3:38.10 .  She hugged me when we got done and said thank you for helping her finish.  I told her it was no problem, I was glad to do it. I know what it’s like to have a hard time at the end of a race and I honestly wouldn't have finished more than 5 minutes before her.  I wasn't trying to PR or anything so helping a person in need was better than a PR! :)  We got our water, goodie bag of food, pizza, and t-shirt and after I went to the restroom we went to the Gotta Run tent. 

(I only ate the banana, but I REALLY wanted to eat the chocolate bar.. The rest is in my pantry.)

The long sleep tech t-shirt that we got!  Nice!

I met back up with Aly and I went to change clothes because I was super sweaty!

I got home and promptly took a three hour nap, woke up for about an hour, ate something, and went back to sleep.  Jabba was obviously so tired that when he was lying on the couch he covered his eyes.  He is so cute.  I have no idea what he does all day to be so tired.  Seriously, it’s a hard life being a cat.



2 months

Two months from today, on January 13^th, 2013 I will be running my first marathon, the Chevron Houston Marathon.  I can’t believe it is almost here!  It feels like yesterday when I got picked for the marathon and here it is, months later, that I am almost done training for it.

Any suggestions or training tips?!