ScoutStrong 5K-2nd Overall Female (or maybe not)

Zach and I have been training for his first 10K.  As part of his training, we signed up for the ScoutStrong 5K out at Camp Snyder.  It was a small cross country race and was pretty no frills which is fine.  It is part of a program to get Scouts out being active and running.  It was a nice morning, but it was windy.  Zach and I did a warm up mile and a few strides.  Then we were ready to go.  This was one of the rare races with 10 and under age group so Zach was excited that he might have a chance to place.  He always does really well against other kids in that age group, but most races are 12 and under or 14 and under, and he isn't quite strong enough yet to hang with the older boys.  I said that I would run with him and pace him to help him stay out in front. 

Zach and I ready to race!

We lined up in the field in front of the parking lot and got some confusing instructions about where to run.  At that point I was a little afraid that we were all going to get lost.  I have to say that the course was really well marked.  There were large chalk arrows all throughout the trail and signs at every major turn.  As Zach and I were standing on the line, I sized up the women.  There were not a lot of women, but a lot of them looked to be in my age group.  I thought that maybe if Zach ran well that I had a chance of an age group award.  The gun went off and Zach took off.  I was chasing him for about a 1/4 mile until I finally caught up with him.  Another boy his age tried to hang with Zach for a few minutes, but Zach got determined and put on a little surge at a hill and dropped the boy.  As I was catching up to Zach, I started to notice that the women were mostly novice trail runners.  They didn't seem sure on the trails and were fussing about the mud.  At this point I also looked around and realized that I was running 1st woman OVERALL!  That never happens to me so I was shocked.  I was figuring that women would start passing me at some point because we were hitting about an 8:30 pace...good for a trail, but not super fast. 

As we started into mile 2, Zach slowed a little because the wind was bad on the back half of the course.  I was letting him draft behind me, and we were running around a 9:15 pace.  At this point one woman passed me.  I checked behind us and noted to Zach that there were no kids anywhere close behind him so that I thought he had his age group solidly locked up as long as he kept his pace.

Zach won for most mud!

When I checked a few minutes later, I noticed that I could now see two women behind me.  I mentioned to Zach that we should pick up the pace because I did want to stay in the top since we were near the end of the race.  Zach assured me that he was good and that I should go and hang onto second.  I put on a pretty good surge at the last half mile and held the other women off.  I crossed the finish line around 27:50 (...there was no race clock...they had some weird handheld thing keeping times, and I didn't stop my Garmin right away).  I was second woman and 16th place overall.  Zach finished about 30 seconds behind me and won his age group. 

We waited around until the awards ceremony.  Zach got his medal for the 10 and under age group, but then things got weird.  They called the 30-39 age group winners and had the first woman as 2nd place in the age group with men.  That's when we realized that the race director had no clue that you should do awards separately for men and women.  I was still OK because I knew that I was up for an overall award so a 40+ age group award was not a big deal.  So they called up three men for the 40+ age group awards.  Then they called the top three women overall, but they didn't call my name.  They called the two women behind me for 2nd and 3rd.  I stood there stunned as they accepted the award.  They were running together and clearly knew that I finished in front of them, but they still stood there and accepted the awards.  I didn't quite know what to do, but I didn't want to make a scene as it was a Scout event.  After the race I went up to the woman who was giving out the awards and explained that there was a mistake.  She consulted the score sheet and realized that they had skipped over me when putting together the overall awards.  However she wasn't overly apologetic.  She just kind of shrugged her shoulders and said that she was sorry.  No offer to fix it in anyway.  I was still not sure what to do so we kind of just headed to the car, but I was really disappointed because I'm not the kind of runner who gets overall awards or even AG awards regularly. It wasn't even really about the award because I could care less about a medal or a trophy.  It was more about not getting to have the experience of participating in the awards ceremony with Zach since we had done it together.

First age group win!

My awesome husband went back and found the race director and talked to him for a little bit.  The race director was much more understanding and said that they would get a trophy out to me in the mail and also gave me one of the AG medals as a consolation prize.  The race director said that he was serious about trying to grow the race and that they were still learning about how to put a race together.  I would give this race one more try because I like the idea behind it, it was 5 minutes from the house, and the course was nice.  I'm hoping that next year they are a little more organized with the awards.  I would suggest maybe focusing the AG awards more on the kids since it is a race for Scouts and then just doing top 3 or 5 overall for the men and women.

Age group medal and cool Scout patch that all of the boys got

A big thank you to my awesome husband for working things out for me and also to Nicolas for being an awesome cheerleader since he couldn't race today (healing a minor foot injury).

My replacement medal

Runners Marathon of Reston - 3/30/2014 (Reson, VA)

So the day had arrived when I would run my first marathon after finding out that I had two hip labrum tears in my left hip.  This would be my 7th > marathon distance race and it would be the Runners marathon of Reston in Reston, VA  The race was held at the South Lake High School in Fairfax, VA.  The previous six were the following:

• Marine Corp Marathon (2012)
• Seashore 50k (2012)
• Blue Ridge Marathon (2013)
• North Face 50k (2013)
• Drakewell Marathon (2013)
• Oil Creek 100k (2013)

I had run one 18 mile run a few weeks back and had a bunch of 20+ weeks and a few 30+ weeks - not exactly killer mileage but I have to work with what you got.  During that time, I was dealing with Achilles, knees, and left hip acheage :)  That said, we were a go for the race.  The day before, I set out the flat daddy hoping it would be enough to keep me warm:

Got to represent my boys in Titusville, PA for the Drakewell marathon!

So we get up early for the 7:30 start time (around 4:00 am), hit the shower to warm up the achy legs, get my raison bread and nutella, water and get dressed.  Heading there, the weather was calling for 20+ mile/hour winds with rain...but the temps said something around 43.  Ok, I can deal with that.    So we get there, pee about 4 times, try to dump it up, no go...guess I was empty!  I actually struck up a conversation with Mike Wardian about the Hoka's he was wearing...didn't know it was him when I chatted him up - very cool and down to earth guy.  Ok, finally, we walk out to the start and its coming down good with the wind no where near 20 mph, it was much harder...and cold...I am thinking wow, 4+ hours in this...hmm.  Ok, we start and I head out at a 9min pace...ok, feels good but the plan of attach here was to do 10 min miles the whole way.  Its actually quite difficult to run slower than you want during a race.  Next 10 miles were no slower than 9:44 so I was ok with that and what I thought would be difficult hill were not.  Yes, it was rolling but no so much that it was that bad at all.  Granted, I was not running my PR pace but it didn't feel to bad.  This was a picture of me around miles 8 or 9:

Running with some random around miles 8 or 9.

Meanwhile on the weather front, the rain was absurd and the wind  - tropical storm worthy!!!  By the time I reached mile 15, my hands were of little use.  Grabbing a hammer gel out of my Salomon pants was a task that required the aid of the AID station workers.  I could barely even squeeze the gel out of the packets, they were so frozen...Miles 15-20, I slowed down to a 10 min mile pace which was comfortable but then the sleet and hail came as did the increased winds....By the time I reached mile 24, the hail was pretty strong....I ended up finishing the race in 4:22:27 with a 10:02 pace, not exactly speedy but it was a good training run and that was the sole purpose of the run today.  The timing was kind of messed up b/c of the weather do I don't even know if that was the exact time but who cares...finishing in those conditions was good enough.  The left hip was bothering me around miles 9-13+ and then dropped off after then but picked back up around miles 20+ until the finish.  After I finished, it bothered me a little but what is bugging me the most is my left knee.  Looks like runner's knee come me and will have to rest that until I can walk with no pain.  Given my lack of training and quad workouts during the winter (b/c of the hip labrum issue), I was not able to build up my quads the way I wanted.  Such is life and will have to ride out the left knee issue.  Overall, the Aid stations were great and even had chicken broth at mile 20 - great idea as I was so cold at that point.  The food at the end of the race was awesome and the event was well run - highly recommend.

Overall, the bathroom situation was up to par, the volunteers were great and the event was well organized.  I recommend it being a good race to do in mid to late March in the Northern VA area.

This is a pic of me after I finished:

Looked happy, more cold and happy I was done :)

and of course one with Heather and I who RAN it as well:

Happy Heather made it out of that nasty weather!

Next up (as I wait for the left knee to rejoin the rest of the body) is the Pittsburgh marathon on May 4th, about a month away.

Best Worst Marathon Ever (Runners Marathon of Reston)

Marathon #6 is officially on the books.  It was my worst road marathon time ever, but it was also one of my best runs.  I am super proud of this run.  On a whim, I decided to sign up for Runners Marathon of Reston.  I was hoping for one last long supported training run before the 50 miler, and Reston is always hilly so I figured this would be a good one.  On the day I decided to sign up JD ended up being the very last person to register.  I e-mailed the race director explaining the situation and asking if there was a wait list.  She was so kind and allowed me to register so that we could both be able to run.  (Reason #1 to love this race.)

So the course is essentially two 13 mile loops around the Reston area.  Some of it was on area roads, but there were large sections on paved running trails through the woods in the back of the neighborhoods.  This added some interest to the course since we would be running the same loop twice.  They had the course well marked with signs as well as a white chalk mark on the ground all along the trail.  It was very nice just to follow the chalk mark on the ground.  As long as you saw white chalk, you were good.

I don't think there was a flat mile on this course.  It was consistently rolling although there were really no monster hills.  All of the little ups and downs especially on the trail started to wear on the legs.

Elevation profile for 1 loop

It was nice to do a local marathon so we could just have our regular Saturday routine with no hassle of travel or hotels.  We picked up our packets on Saturday afternoon.  Packet pick up was really easy and quick.  We got awesome swag including a race tech tee, water bottle, RUSeen gloves with race logo, and a buff with the race logo.  That's a lot of swag for a local marathon.  (Reason #2 to love this race.)

Awesome swag!

On Saturday night there was a lot of debate about the clothes because the rain potential was 50% for most of the race with decent temperatures at the start but supposed to fall rapidly throughout the race and also gusting winds.  I had originally been going for arm warmers with a tee, but then I decided for the long sleeve base layer due to the wind potential.  I didn't really bother with rain gear because it usually makes me too hot and humid and is really uncomfortable for me to run in.

Flat mama

On race morning it was pouring as we made our way to the race.  Luckily we were able to stay warm and dry in South Lakes High School cafeteria.  It was awesome to have the use of warm, dry bathrooms that weren't crowded right up to race start.

I was in a foul mood due to the rain and just really didn't want to run this marathon mostly because it was a training run and not really a goal race.  I'll admit that I was being a complete bitch right up until race start.  We stood in the pouring rain and sang the National Anthem and then we were off on the course.

Start line photo...Mike Wardian just wants to start running so he can go home in <3 hrs.

I did smile a little at the start as I saw Maniac Larry and we briefly chatted how this was so different from two weeks ago. Temperatures were not too bad at first, but then the wind really started to hit us on the road.  For some reason I had to pee by mile 3 which never happens to me.  Luckily there were plenty of porta potties along the way so I hit the porta potty near the aid station and moved.  The aid stations at this race were reliably every 2-3 miles and were well stocked with gels, fresh water, Gatorade, bananas, oranges, and even some unexpected junk food that I normally ignore.  By mile 4 we hit the trail section, and my hands were just frozen from the cold rain.  I had them bundled up in my shirt, but that wasn't helping much.  The runners who had gloves on were not in much better shape because the gloves were just soaked.

  At around mile 6, half marathoners started to pass us, and I hated every single one of them.  I was seriously considering bailing out at the half marathon point because I was so cold.  Every single one of the halfers passing me would try to be encouraging by saying "halfway there", and I would grunt back that I still had 20 miles to go.  There was an annoying out and back section at mile 7 that only the marathoners had to do so I hated the halfers even more then.  Luckily as we left that section there was this awesome woman in a picnic shelter playing a keyboard and singing.  It was freezing cold and raining, but this woman was out there entertaining us and trying to lift our spirits.  (Reason #3 to love this race.)  At mile 8 aid station, I peed again (what was going on here...I'm notorious for not peeing at all during marathons!).  At this point I couldn't get my honey stinger chews open so I bit open my waffle packet because I was starving.  I devoured the waffle going through that aid station.  Back onto a long section of trail through the woods which blocked some of the wind. Somewhere around here a runner passed me and noticed my MRTT shirt.  We exchanged a few words about what chapters we were with so that was really awesome to get some encouragement on the trail.   We came back out of the woods, and I had to pee again at mile 12!!  I was drinking a normal amount of water so I was really starting to get irritated by the number of toilet breaks that I was taking especially since my hands were so numb that it was hard to get my capris pulled back up.  The we hit the MRTT aid station which was so incredibly awesome.  My friends were there, and they had hot chicken broth. (Reason #4 to love this marathon)  Leave it to the moms to know how to fix you up right.  I was really wanting to throw in the towel at this point due to the cold, but I got two small cups of broth down and headed out thinking that I would make a decision when I passed the school.

I got to the split for the half and full and just stood there for about a minute.  I really wanted to quit because of the cold.  I talked to a volunteer who was really encouraging, but I was still wavering.  My legs felt awesome.  I was running comfortable 11-12 minute miles, but I was just so cold and the idea of the warm dry school was so tempting.  As I'm wavering, an awesome masters woman Marathon Maniac passes and tells me that Maniacs don't quit and to keep going with her.  I had talked to her a little earlier on the course, and she was really cold as well.  I decided to go ahead and stick it out and run with her for a little while.  We got separated on a hill when she needed to walk, and I was feeling good and still running.  At this point the rain was starting to feel harder and hurt a little.  Then all of a sudden at mile 18, we started getting pelted with huge pieces of hail.  At that point all I could do was laugh.  The weather conditions were just so comical.  I was also feeling really good about how strong my legs were feeling.  I never wanted to walk and in fact was feeling stronger about my running as the miles went on.  Normally, I hit a wall around mile 18 and just really start to break down.  This time I focused on owning mile 18, and I got through it.  Then I focused on getting to 20.  20 was once again the annoying out and back, but it was a little more fun this time because I was seeing more marathoners and everyone was encouraging each other.  A deer also sprinted right out in front of me at that point as well.  The awesome keyboard singing lady was still out there singing too! I peed 4 more times on this loop.  I think the cold and the rain were making me feel like I had to pee urgently because when I would pee I wasn't peeing a lot.  I think I used every porta potty on the course.  At this point  was telling myself to get back to the moms and the chicken soup.  When I did my spirits were really up, and I was feeling strong.  I started passing a lot of runners in this section and felt like I was running really well.  The hail eventually let up around mile 22 and went back to freezing rain/sleet with seriously gusting winds.  The volunteers and Fairfax police were amazing standing out there in that weather for 6 hours just to keep us safe on the course.  I was so impressed and so thankful for their efforts.  I also have to note that it was really cool because some of the homeowners who had houses backing to the trail would open up their patio doors when they saw a runner coming by and yell out encouraging words.  On the back half of the course, I was eating mainly from the aid stations mostly banana and oranges, but I had two Oreos too.  Normally cookies gross me out during marathons, but I was seriously craving them during this run (must have been the cold).  As I hit mile 25, I started to pick up the pace because I knew that the freezing cold was almost over.  The weather had one more little surprise for me....it started snowing huge snowflakes.  As I hit the track for the last 0.2 miles I was running into a wall of wind with snowflakes swirling all around me.  As cold and wet as I was, I was so happy about this run.  I felt so strong and positive through those last miles even in awful weather conditions.  I crossed the finish line, grabbed my medal, and actually kept running because I wanted to get in side the school.

I got inside, found JD, and got my dry clothes.  It was awesome to have warm dry bathrooms to change in.  You could also use the showers if you wanted to.  The post race food was amazing (chili, hot pizza, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, hot coffee/tea/cocoa, pop, cookies).  (LOVE THIS MARATHON!)

So even though I got my worst road marathon time and had the worst marathon weather ever, I had one of the best experiences.  I felt like I put it all together mentally and was really happy with how strong I was at the end.  There was no walking during the marathon, and my pace was pretty much steady throughout.

Splits were 1:10 at 10K; 2:35 at 13.1; 5:21 finish for a pace of 12:17 (12/18 40-45 female; 163/203 overall).  I wasted a lot of time on bathroom stops as well as my indecision at the halfway point.  I also wasn't in any hurry at the aid stations so I think my actual running time was more likely in the 11s which feels awesome on no taper, on a hilly course, and in bad weather.

I would highly recommend this marathon to other runners.  The course is challenging, but it is truly worth it.  It was an amazing experience.  You could tell that Reston Runners and the race directors put a lot of thought into the marathon.  It was a race that was really put on by runners not by some big corporation that had no clue what runners really wanted.