I'm a Marathoner!

“I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.” - Dean Karnazes

Official results: I finished my FIRST MARATHON in 5:30:29!!!!!

I'll take it!

That's me and Kate, crossing the finish line together after she selflessly joined me at Mile 18 to keep me company and motivate me for the last 8.2 miles. Thank God for her, otherwise I'm not entirely sure I would have made 5:30 on my own!

Race/Weekend Recap (you can skip this if you've already heard my story and/or have no interest in hearing it):

Thursday: My mom flew in late Thursday evening and we visited a little before hitting the sack. Uneventful.

Friday: My mom and I went out to Alexandria to visit a friend and her ADORABLE little baby boy. Before we got there, my car started making noise and I had a liiiittle freak out moment in the car thinking that something was wrong and we would have to take it in to get looked at. Not exactly the weekend you want to add stress to. Anyway...it ended up going away (so far....).

Now, for those who know me well, you know I'm a weeee bit phobic of babies. They are fragile and cry and I just don't know what to do with them. I've met this little guy before, seriously he is SO freaking cute at 20 months old, but I kept my distance anyway. He stole my heart. At some point I really warmed up to him and we started playing...little toddlers' laughter is SOO contagious. I was sad to leave him when we left her house to head to lunch with another friend. I guess I like kids after all?

Saturday: It sleeted. It snowed. I got worried. My mom and I dressed warmly and made our way to the carb dinner for Semper Fi Fund. How incredible! At our table, we made friends with a man who was here to run the race from CA. He told us a moving story of his first time running MCM and had me teary eyed. Then we made friends with a man who had served four tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, got severely injured and thanks to Semper Fi Fund, was able to make an amazing recovery. His story also had me teary and inspired and helped me remember why I picked this charity in the first place.

Sunday: Race Day. I woke up at 5am, got dressed, ate my breakfast, threatened to throw up a few times...and then went to the metro. Freezing. I left my mom at the Pentagon metro so I could head to the corrals, about a 20 min walk, when a Marine came up to me and asked if I was heading to the start of the race and if I preferred to ride this charter bus to the start instead of walk. Hell. Yes. The bus was heated, and had a bathroom...VICTORY. I defrosted a little, only to head back out into the cold to stand around for a little under an hour before my corral finally made it's way up to the start line. At my corral, you could see the stragglers bus and final car just waiting. Not cool to see before you start a race. But...before I knew it, the race was underway. I had begun my first marathon.

The music was awesome in the beginning, didn't need an iPod at all (not that I even had been training with one anyway). We made our way over to Rosslyn and through a pretty large crowd and up and down some hills. Hi shin splints. Walked those bad boys out, and off I went again, actually making pretty decent time! I was a little worried when I didn't see my cheering section in Rosslyn... but hoped it wasn't an indication of the rest of the race.

After Rosslyn and Lee Hwy, the runners make their way down a beautiful hill (men peeing on the side of the road everywhere. Hello...it's only 3 miles into the race!). It's a nice wooded area on both sides of the road, but it. was. COLD. Then you hit a water stop (YAY I finally saw my cheering section). I saw them before they spotted me and I did a double back hoping to give them a better shot of me running :)

After the Key Bridge to Georgetown, you head to the left towards the university. Isolated. Gradual hill. Then you turn a corner and BAM. Not so gradual hill. But halfway up, I made friends with an older lady. It was her first marathon as well, and we passed some cute lacrosse girls singing Journey's Don't Stop Believin. Good motivation :) Then I caught up to the 5:30 Pace Group. Then I PASSED the 5:30 Pace Group. That's when I realized I did not need to worry about finishing this race, I would make it across that finish line. Then you get an AWESOME downhill. Then, usually one of my favorite parts of my training runs, we ran down M St. Nice amount of people out there, people yelling for my zebra pants, etc :) I still felt great!

I was my cheering section again shortly after M St, and cruised right on down past the Watergate, and Kennedy Center, and made my way to Hains Point. I also caught a glimpse of the 5:15 Pace Group but didn't push it to catch them, knowing it was probably unrealistic to think I could keep up. Great cheering sections on the way to Hains Point, had a few oranges as well...

I made it halfway! On my way around Hains Point I saw a sign stuck in the grass that read, "I don't know you, but I am SO proud of you." TEAR. Then I kept running and a random man just offered me wonderful encouragement (a fellow runner). TEAR. Then you pass through the tip of HP and Lululemon had tooons of cheerers out there with music blaring...made me a little emotional :) Then towards the end of the run around HP, you pass this giant stage with a good group of folks dressed up and dancing and the music is blaring and they really get you going. It was awesome.

I made my way out of Hains Point, mile 15 ish, and my feet began to hurt. Not good. A little after HP, I bumped into my cheerers again, told them my feet hurt and I needed water, and Helen sprinted with a water bottle to give me a few sips. I love her for that. I kept on going, past the MLK memorial, and then turned to make my way over towards the Mall, happy that I was getting close to the mile where I would pick up Kate and no longer run alone.

At about Mile 16, my calf cramped severely. I moved to the side and tried to stretch it out, but realized nothing was going to make it better...so I just kept going. I knew I was starting to slow down. I passed my group again :) they are awesome! About a mile and a half ish later, I saw Kate and just grabbed her and told her how happy I was to see her. I told her how I was feeling, the calf, my feet, etc...and she told me how great my time splits looked. We continued on run-walking around the Capitol and finally made the turn to head to the 14th St Bridge. There's this giant band of drummers/really cool music going on, and a man dancing at the base of the bridge with a sign that says "BEAT THE BRIDGE". We start up it, and Kate turned to me and told em I killed that bridge, that I was so far away fromt he cut off time, and it sank in that I had been soo worried for nothing. I knew from there on out I didn't really need to worry about being kicked off the course...and I cried a little from joy.

The bridge felt like it laster for miles...no shade, minimal cheerers...and already in pain. I was hitting mileage that my body had never done before. After the bridge runners head into Crystal City for a few miles. I think this was the roughest part for me out of the whole 26 miles. EVERYTHING hurt, and Kate was starting to push me a little harder so I still made a good time. I got some tylenol, small victory for me, and we somehow made it through CC with me moaning and shuffling. EVERYTHING HURT BAD. But I never, EVER said I need to quit. Never hit a wall, never thought I wouldn't finish. I stayed positive, knowing that no matter what, it was going to hurt, it's supposed to hurt, and that if we just kept moving, it would be over soon.

After CC, you get on another ramp and bridge and pass the Pentagon. I had been using tunnel vision since before Crystal City, and was mostly just focused on listening to Kate tell me, run to this sign then you can walk...etc. From the Pentagon bridge, you can kind of see down to where you get close to the finish, and I teared up again. I think this time partially out of pain, but mostly because it was my first glimpse of almost being done. We ran down the ramp and started the last mile. People were starting to line the edges of the course, we alternated between shuffling and walking...and eventually we got close enough to where you can see the turn off to go up the hill to Iwo Jima. At this point, I turned around and noticed that somehow, the 5:30 pacer had caught up to me. That lit a mini fire under me and Kate and I took off a little faster to stay in front of him. We ran up the hill, cheering on both sides but I will admit the entire time up the hill I did not really hear anything other than me sayig I CAN'T. I CAN'T (run). I NEED TO WALK. And Kate telling me, YOU CAN. YOU ARE DOING THIS. YOU CAN DO THIS. We made it to the top of the hill, I was spent. I don't think I've ever felt so drained in my entire life, emotionally, mentally and physically. Then I heard my name from my cheerers. They had found a spot on the hill, exactly where I needed them to be. It's amazing how things liek that work out. You can't see the finish line until you are up the hill and turn the corner, so when I did, and the pacer finally passed me, I saw how close I was to finally accomplishing months and months of training and setbacks and persevering. I broke out into the fastest shuffle I could manage, Kate by my side, and crossed that finish line...still hitting that 5:30 time goal.

Marines line the section after the finish line, and as I looked up at them all congratulating me, I got extremely emotional. I finished.

A year and a half ago, I never thought I could run more than 5 minutes at a time. I just finished a marathon. Next weekend I have hopes of finishing a 50K. A year from that, I hope to finish a 50 Mile.

I really do believe running has made me a better person. I'm definitely in better shape, I expect more out of myself, and I'm pretty sure it's made me more sentimental and emotional.

Now that this is under my belt, I don't think I will ask advice from my running friends on whether or not I should do other races. I should trust in my own judgement, and they should trust in that too.

This was seriously the best experience I have ever had, and I think after a year like this I will never be the same. I encourage anyone wanting to try a marathon to do MCM.

Lessons on Trail Running

RECAP TIME!

5:45 AM, alarm goes off and I spring out of bed and hurry to dress, brush teeth, pack up and get out the door. I feel tired, still groggy from the late night before, and we head to Starbucks for a little pick-me-up.

After stopping for coffee, my amazing friend drove me to Fountainhead Regional Park for packet pick-up and the race. She listened to me whine the whole car ride about how nervous I was, how I thought I might throw up, more nerves....on and on.

8:30 AM was getting closer, and at 8:20 they gathered all the women racing to be serenaded by the VA Happy Trails Club men members, singing what else, but Happy Trails To You...

The timer wound down, and with a simple "Ready, Set, GO" we were off for a lap around the parking lot, then onto the paved road for a mile uphill before turning onto the actual trail.

I felt like everyone was booking it up the paved road to give a little cushion time, since running on a trail takes longer. We all turn onto the trail, and game on, women are single tracking behind each other, being nice and asking to pass when needed. Not going to lie, a good chunk of women blew past me, and shortly after starting on the actual trail, I tripped on a rock and miiildy rolled my right ankle (but didn't fall).

After about half a mile, the crowd had significantly thinned, and I tried to find my groove to settle into. I found one of the girls I ran with on the practice run last month, and just followed behind her. We hit the Do Loop, with the amazing, ninja photographer waiting for us.

The Do Loop is known for being 'hilly'. People like to claim it has 'rolling hills'. They are rolling STEEP hills in my book. Steep in the sense of, who the hell RUNS up these?! I was still following my new friend, and we made it through the Do Loop okay, hit the aid station, and I decided that I now found my confidence to continue on ahead alone. I left the pack I was with, and about half a mile later, fell.

No one in front of me, no one behind me....I'm not even sure what I tripped on, but down I went and POP goes my ankle. The shock wore off, I picked myself up, wobbled a little, tried to wrap my head around the pain and checked for broken bones or blood....none luckily. Just an unfortunate roll, I thought to myself (as well as some cuss words and a little disappointment at fallnig only 6.5 miles into the race). I took a few steps, decided to walk a little, then decided it didn't hurt THAT bad and I could try running on it.

At about mile 7.5 you hit a spot where you cross over the paved road to go into more trail/woods. At that spot they have two volunteers making sure you head the right way, and checking off your name on a clipboard to account for you. They told me I looked awesome, I chuckled and told them I fell back there and they didn't need to lie to me! I considered quitting the race, thinking that I promised a friend I would stop the race if it got dangerous or I thought it would interfere with my MCM. I thought very briefly about quitting, and decided that I am stubborn enough to continue on....what's the worst that could happen?

I got to the point where you reach the parking lot and cross over to the other chunk of the trail, with 5 miles left. I glanced around for my friend so I could tell her I was okay, that I fell, but that I would finish. I didn't see her so I ducked back into the woods for what a volunteer claimed would be the easiest 5 miles of the course. You lie, YOU LIE. Immediately I passed a graveyard (how fun....). Then you hit this GIANT hill. Literally. I do not know who is running up this. You are insane. My HR spiked, I was breathing reeeally hard...and just trying to make my way through 5 more miles to ice my ankle and be done! The five miles consisted of giant, long hills, then a little flatness, then more hills, and the downhills had too many rocks for me to feel comfortable soaring down. I made it to the aid station, chugged some gatorade, noticed my fingers had swollen to sausage size, ran down a hill, across a bridge, through a stream, and finally I was on my last leg of the race.

Then I fell. Again. Same ankle. This time, more pain. No bouncing back easily...I hobbled some steps, cussed, got pretty upset, then decided hell or high water you still have 2 ish more miles til you're out of the woods, literally. Again, I was all alone out there. I decided it was probably a great idea to just walk from that point on. I had enough time and wasn't worried about getting kicked off. Then my running friend came up from behind and stopped to walk with me for a little bit. We shared stories of our ailments and she went on to run ahead after seeing another girl suck it up and run through the pain. Once I was left alone I decided I would try to run the flats as much as I could, just suck it up and block out the pain...I found my grit. I pushed through the pain, finally made it to the finishing area and got so excited to be there that I sprinted the last tiny bit, not wanting everyone to see me hobble the end.

I finished in 3:12, and I know that had I not gotten hurt, I would have definitely come in well under 3 hours. I'm still extremely proud of myself for completing this first ever trail half marathon, and digging deep when I needed to rely on myself to get through the pain.

Next year I will try again. Out of all the races I've been in or watched, this was hands down the best. Everyone was extremely supportive, women cheering each other on as you passed, kind words from everyone, and accountability for the participants. For a race consisting of only 206 participants and run by a small trail running club, I felt like I was running with people I had known my whole life...encouraged, welcome, supported.

I could not be more grateful to my best friend for driving me to and from the race and sitting there waiting for me to finish. After the race, she (and her fiance and friend) went above and beyond and helped with my dog, catering to my request for ice, etc. They were all so understanding, and didn't make fun of me when I finally broke down and cried in pain and disappointment, wondering how this will affect my other races. You know a true friend when they do all that, paint your nails while sitting at home with you since you can't do anything else, drinking beer and chatting about the attractiveness of Disney cartoon men.

We'll have to see how I recover over the next few days to determine if I can run/walk the Philly Half, or if I will be a cheerer for them while they race next weekend. Either way, I look forward to what's ahead, knowing I have what it takes to endure.

Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. - Alex Karras

Kiss My Legs Goodbye

SEMI-WEEKLY ISH RECAP:

Monday: Took Bruce for extra long vet visit and made sure he didn't die from the new medicine - did not run :(

Tuesday: Woke up eeeearly to run before work, but my legs felt like 100 lbs of lead. So I went to work early, earthquake happened, went home and ran that evening...little too late in the evening. It started getting dark when I was at the turn-around point, but it was nice running through the city at dusk, and cool too. Legs still not cooperating...thank you trail run. I think it was 4 miles.

Wednesday: Yesterday I headed to Roosevelt Island for my usual parking area. After checking out the totally sexy secret service type man that parked right next to me and contemplated what kind of suspicious behavior would have me getting frisked (mostly jk...), I started my run :P
I made my way down the Potomac Heritage Trail (not very far) and got a little scared when I saw a heap of what could have been trash, or could have been some one trying to hide/live down there...so I high tailed it back to the regular, safer trail. I decided to go up the ramp to get to Rosslyn, where Erin busted me for walking down Lynn to get to the Iwo Jima Memorial area. Once I was close by there, I started to run, around the memorial and down past the cemetery over towards Ft Myer. Not only was this a beautiful day, but passing by the memorial and the cemetery served as a great reminder of race day, and why I am raising money for Semper Fi Fund for the wounded soldiers who sacrifice for us daily. Talk about humbling yourself.

Tonight I have off, because tomorrow after work I get to run 15 miles. Weee... It will be my first time EVER going over 13 miles. But not the last time.

It's close to only two months left before I attempt the 26.2, and I am over halfway to my fundraising amount I need want to raise.

If you have already contributed, I thank you again. Your support means the world to me. If you haven't contributed, please consider.

http://www.active.com/donate/semperfifundmcm2011/fundSwalker

I'll fill you in on Monday about how I kicked butt in those 15 miles!

Trail running is good for the soul.

(this is what it looked like when I got to the park)


Happy Monday, everyone! Last time I posted on here I vowed to make all of my miles this week, let's see how I did:

Monday - 3 miles, fast run, had to stop at the crosswalks, but overall a good time

Tuesday - 5 miles with Erin, excellent run, ankle getting a little easier!

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - 4.....This is when I disappoint. I busted my toe Wednesday evening, on my own apartment door. How lame of an injury. The little metal part that lines the bottom of the door just sliced through a good chunk of my pinky toe...absolutely painful, and bled way more than I thought a pinky toe could! So clumsy.

Friday - Debated running the 4 that I missed, but I was incapable of putting a shoe on the toe without it being pretty painful. :(

Saturday - Decided to suck it up and head to Fountainhead Regional Park for my practice run for the Women's Trail Half Marathon, and I am SO glad I did, even though I was incredibly nervous.

Saturday's run was so refreshing for my senses and my spirit. I arrived at the parking lot a little early, so I made sure my camelbak was ready, phone was packed, everything in order. I headed over to where the pack of people (mostly women) had gathered, and being my shy self I just kind of stood alone for a bit...until a woman noticed we had the same watch. We began chatting, and that helped ease my nerves. I've mentioned before, though I get lonely when I run without people, I am also very anxious and nervous to run with a pack. We signed in for accountability so they knew if someone had gotten lost on the trail (sigh of relief...I wore my BRIGHT orange shorts juuust in case), and off we went for the first 8 mile section. I decided to settle towards the back of the pack in case my toe gave me any problems. A good bit of the trail only has room for single tracking, so I made friends with the women in front and behind me, and the four of us stuck together for 95% of the 8 miles. I was sweating pretty heavily right from the beginning (hello two big hills that start off the race), but then I noticed everyone was in the same boat as me.

Eventually, one of the head guys of Virginia Happy Trails Running Club (Bill) decided he would lead us the rest of the way, which was a great thing because some of the turns were hard to identify. The first 8 miles start out on paved uphill road, then you turn onto the trail and it's flat-ish for a while, some uphills but nothing too bad. Then you eventually hit the do-loop, and that was where the challenging part started. The entire 'loop' is just this mix of steep uphills, steep downhills, and semi-flats. We decided to walk the uphills to conserve energy, and my thighs were burning anyway. We finished strong, minus one of the original four, and I even got to lead the three of us for a while :)

At the end of the entire run, I was sucking air, my lungs felt completely like toast, and I could barely walk with my shoes on. My toe has been pretty swollen since, but in hindsight, I would make the exact same decision and go on that run again. I don't think I've ever been sweatier in my entire life, and it felt like heaven.

Yesterday and today my calves are pretty sore, and my thighs feel used. I decided to sign up to be a member of Virginia Happy Trails Running Club, with the prospects of MAYBE someday going farther than 13.1 on a trail (most of their organized races are of the ultra variety). The attitude and love of trail running from the members is very contagious, and I look forward to the friendships I will form.

Sidebars: I just started reading The Long Run by Matt Long, a book I've been waiting for in paperback for a very long time. I just started yesterday and I'm already halfway through it. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book, and if anyone personally knows Matty, hook a sister up! That man is delicious. (I do not care about THIS age difference)

My birthday celebration is this Saturday, pushing my long run of 15 miles to Friday night so I can be completely relaxed and not so exhausted on Saturday for the party!

I'm fifth on the wait list for the trail race! Getting closer! That means more trail runs on the weekends for me now if anyone ever wants to join me!

Countdown:
WTHM: 19 days
Philly RnR Half: 27 days
VA TM: 62 days
MCM: 69 days


Websites to check out:

www.thehaysay.com

http://trailrunningsoul.com/trs/

www.vhtrc.org

Thank you...

He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions. - Louisa May Alcott

A little over a year ago, I was convinced to sign up for my first half marathon. My first road race. I was not a runner, had no desire to partake in hours of pounding the pavement, and I could not understand why people were so into it. Give me my elliptical and I'll be fine. But I wasn't fine. I was soft around the edges, unhappy in life, and dealing with chest pain, but somehow I still (reluctantly) agreed, half expecting myself to quit before the race.

The first training day arrived, and on my very beginner schedule it had 2 miles. This terrified me, but I made it through on the treadmill. Then began my phobia of running outside. The mental blocks went up, and I would have an extremely difficult time accomplishing the mileage anytime I was not on the treadmill. Then something inside clicked into place. My heart pain was minimal, I was able to run outside, I was getting in shape, and my mood was vastly improved. That was all it took. Hooked.

One year ago I would have never predicted that I could complete a half marathon, nor would I have thought I could motivate people to change their lives and get back on track through running. I would never have guessed that I would be where I am today...with a half marathon, full marathon, tough mudder, relays waiting in the midst.

I couldn't have imagined the friendships that would form, the bonds reinforced through shared miles. I didn't think I would convince friends who hadn't run before to join me. I never imagined running would be the source of my crying more so than crying over men.

I've only just begun...and I haven't yet completed the full marathon, but I still find myself searching for what lies after.

Someday:
Muddy Marathon in NJ (probably just the half... www.njtrailseries.com)
North Face Endurance
Backyard Burn
Flying Pig Marathon
Muddy Buddy
DC Tough Mudder
Ragnar Relay
Dances With Dirt 100k Relay (www.dwdhell.com)

Sometimes all you need is someone to believe in you when you're having trouble believing in yourself. Mileage gets tough, as I'll find out in Monster Month of my marathon training plan (September is apparently going to be intense)...but positive, encouraging moods are contagious. One day I'm crying, and the next day I have three new races I want to sign up for.

I don't think I say thank you enough to my friends who put up with all the complaining I do, all the phone calls after a run of me sobbing about how much I suck, all the health talk, the missed phone calls at 9pm because I went to bed at 8:30pm, all my attempts to convince people to join my madness.


So thank you Gabe, for getting me started a year ago. Thanks to everyone else who has run with me, dealt with me, boosted me up...it's a very important aspect of my life, and I appreciate your tolerance :)


Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
- Gandhi

Sept 18: Philly R'n'R Half
Oct 15: Baltimore Relay
Oct 23: VA Tough Mudder
Oct 30: MCM
Dec: Hot Chocolate 15k/5k