Tag Archives: half marathon

PR!

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I’ve been chasing my best half-marathon time for nearly two years. Finally, last weekend I smashed through the barrier.

Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.

I actually never intended to race the Rochester half marathon last weekend. I has planned to use the course as a 13-mile training run as I prepare to run the NYC Marathon in November.

But I couldn’t find my training partner at the start of Sunday morning’s race. I lost another in the crowd near the toilets. Fortunately, I ran into colleague and friend Ben, who had trained for six months to run his first-ever half marathon.

We agreed to at least to start the course together. I told him I’d drop back if I felt like I was pushing too hard.

That was my plan, anyway. But it never happened!

We set off at a decent clip. Our first mile was around a 9:15 minute pace. I assume our second was the same. I stopped looking at my watch for a few miles and just ran.

Ben and I chatted for much those first 5 miles – about his training, his family, my family, the supportive online running community and racing strategies. When I looked at my watch again, I saw we’d just finished our fifth mile at a 8:50 minute pace. And our sixth, seventh, AND eighth!

The miles were ticking by. We both felt fantastic!

We pushed each other along as we ran. Ben brought a handheld water bottle with him and I grabbed liquid at each water stop, took a swig and sprinted to catch Ben.

I sure didn’t want to let Ben down on his inaugural race, so I matched his pace. My lungs were clear, my legs felt strong. Onward!

Around mile 10, with a 5K to go, I realized that not only was I going to set a personal best time, we were on track to break the two-hour mark. This milestone was a long time coming for me, as I’d aimed for and missed it more than once over the last two years.

My dearest friends have witnessed this – more than once, my bid for a sub-2 half ended closer to the 2:05 or 2:10 mark because I started out too fast.

But not Sunday.

We zipped past runners along the river path. We enjoyed the view of Rochester’s skyline from the University of Rochester’s river campus. We cursed the slight ramp that led us up to the Ford Street bridge.

That last mile flew by. As we ran down South Plymouth Avenue, the wind pushed us backward. I grunted. Ben grinned.

“Let’s finish this thing,” he said to me as we approached Frontier Field. We stepped up our pace and sprinted in to the finish.

As we crossed, I could see the clock had a number that began with a “1.” Success!

km 092213 marathon sptsVic at the finish (photo by colleague Kris Murante)

I finished in 1:58:45 – my personal best half-marathon time by exactly FIVE minutes. That previous PR, set in October 2011 in Toronto, needed to come down.

Hey, if its going to happen…why not go big?

I wholeheartedly believe that Ben and I were meant to run together Sunday morning. We tripped into one another at the start. We fell into a steady pace easily and at times, ran in sync, our feet slapping the pavement in perfect rhythm.

Congratulations to us both! I can’t wait to see what our next race brings.

Everyone loves a PR! Tell me about yours in the comments!

A PRO Compression giveaway!

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The Scoot chicks love fashion! But we also love function. We are particularly pickled when the two come together.

As many of you know, we are huge fans of PRO Compression marathon socks. We run in them, we recover in them, we shop in them too!

merisockMeri, with pals, sports her pink marathon socks at a recent 5K

socksVic recovers from a long run at the salon!

PRO Compression is generously sharing one pair of compression socks or sleeves with one of you lucky readers!

Care to try your luck? Of course you do! Click on the photo below to enter.

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Click the pic to enter!

What’s that? You don’t want to wait to snag a new pair? Sure, we can hook you up! PRO Compression is offering 40% off purchases and free shipping on marathon socks and sleeves with the code BLG13.

How do you use your PRO Compression socks? Do you wear them to run (like Meri) or for recovery (like Vic)?

Running with the Amish, again.

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Last weekend, I headed back to my hometown in Pennsylvania to visit family and friends and run a half marathon through rural Amish Country.

Does this sound familiar? It might, because last spring I ran a half marathon through Amish Country with a childhood friend Wendy, and we had a blast. Shortly after running that race, the Garden Spot half marathon, I decided to register for its fall counterpart, the Bird-in-Hand half marathon.

What a great call!

Lancaster, Pennsylvania is Amish country. Home to many in the Pennsylvania Dutch Amish and Mennonite community. Many in the county’s Amish community love to run and are quite fast.

Saturday’s race was FILLED with Amish men and women, most of whom run in Amish clothing. That means men run in black pants and suspenders and women wear long dresses and aprons. (and of course, sneakers)

20130910-155448.jpgAn Amish man and woman fly by. Yep, they are running.

My friend Kyle came in for the race. As we headed to the race site Saturday morning we were treated to a pretty spectacular sunrise. And thank you mom, for driving us in and cheering us on!

20130910-155734.jpgLancaster County sunrise

We arrived early. We wanted plenty of time to park and use one of the slew of portajohns waiting for runners. (There were more than 60 and lines were short. Thank you, race organizers! You understand!)

20130910-160125.jpgHot air balloons inflating at the start

I also had the chance to meet my Oiselle teammate, Michelle, who was making her race debut as a member of the brand’s running team. (I made mine last week at an 18-miler in Watertown, NY, where I PRed!)

Oiselle, pronounced “wa-zell” and means “bird” in French, is a women’s running apparel company that encourages women athletes to push their limits, take chances and just be your amazing self. Michelle and I last month were both named to Oiselle’s Volèe team (That’s “flier” in French) and represent the brand. Side note: I love everything about this company. The gear, the women behind it and the women representing it.

bihbirdsBirds in Bird-in-Hand!

We were both excited to meet, and to race in our singlets for the first time! Can’t wait to run with you again, Birdie!

The race itself was a stunning, but hilly course. Kyle and I used the event as a training run for our fall marathons. Since I really pushed myself last weekend in Watertown, I knew I have to take it easy this weekend.

Kyle and I chatted as we ran, and ran. We spotted quite a few Amish men and women passing us by. Here’s my fave pic, snapped mid-stride.

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Here are a few highlights from the race:

– About a dozen hot air balloon launched just before the race began. This was incredibly beautiful and the balloons entertained us for the first few miles of the hilly, rural course.

20130910-155414.jpgHands down, my fave pic of the race

– Running with Kyle, because hello, she’s awesome! And we can comfortably chat while enjoying the scenery.

– All the water stations were manned by Amish children. Boys and girls cheered as they handed out water and Gatorade to thirsty runners.

– A mid-race cheer and high-five from my teammate Michelle! We spotted each other near the mile 5 turnaround. In our matching singlets, we each cheered for each other. “Fly birdie!” As Kyle said, it was “absolutely stinkin’ adorable.”

There were many fans along the route, both human and animals. We thanked many children and volunteers as we ran. Those lovely Amish girls cheering at mile 11 on the one-lane bridge will also forever hold a place in my heart. Kyle and I cheered back. How often do you have the chance to interact with such simplicity and joy?

As we rounded the bend to the finish, I spotted my mother, then high-tailed it across the finish line where family friend Carole was cheering!

20130910-155555.jpgPost-race with Kyle, who PRed by 12 minutes! Rock on lady!

Yes, those medals are real horseshoes. Yes, they are insanely heavy. Yes, I nearly toppled over when it was placed around my neck by little Amish girl. Yes, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I can’t wait to run this course again next fall… and I’ll plan ahead this time so I can really fly! (are you in, Kyle? Michelle?)

Have you run a rural race? Have you ever run with the Amish? Is this event now on your bucket list? (and they have a 5K too!)

Couch to Excitement/Nervousness

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So, the C25K posts have been pretty lean the last few weeks. Which makes sense because the C25K has been pretty lean the last few weeks. And by lean, I mean I’ve gone running once.

There was a trip to NY, family out of town, date night, doctor’s appointments, prom dress shopping and well… there was also some laziness. I’ve been working very hard on my diet for the last few weeks, changing things and researching, so I’m not in a bad place.

Bec and Bffl, in New York. Not running.

Bec and Bffl, in New York. Not running.

I’m just not running.

Bec and the boy in Central Park. Still not running.

Bec and the boy in Central Park. Still not running.

But all that is going to change. It has to change. And this isn’t one of those ‘I need to get out of my own way and stop making excuses’ posts. Oh no. This is one of those ‘well holy cannoli (which I no longer eat), what the heck did I just do’ posts.

What the heck  did I do, you might ask? (I know you are insanely curious about the minutiae of my life, folks).

I SIGNED UP FOR A HALF MARATHON.

Yeah, I don’t know how it happened either. But it happened. I am officially registered for the 2014 April Fools Half Marathon in Atlantic City.

And what’s even stranger? I’m actually excited about it. Nervous excited (nervouscited, it’s a word), but excited nonetheless.

I’m going to get to run with some of my fellow Scooters – read: behind my fellow Scooters – and with the Chicago-style Bec, Anne. And I’m going to accomplish a goal that I’ve had, running my first half before I turn 40.

Well… I’m going to accomplish my goal if I prepare.

So, that’s why there has to be running.

Delicious food Bec made while she was not out running.

Delicious food Bec made while she was not out running.

There has to be consistent running, at that. And since it’s been anything but, I’ve decided to go back a bit.

I’m going to reboot C25K. I took so many days off that the one run I did in the last three weeks? It was a horror show. I very much run ‘in my head’, meaning even when my body feels like things are okay, my head convinces me that it’s most definitely not okay. But in this case, even my body was not okay.

And that’s not okay.

So, bright and early Saturday morning, it’s C25K Week 1, Day 1 all over again. If you’d like to cheer me on, please do! That 30 seconds is going to feel like a full minute!

And we’ll go from there. And then we’ll keep going. And then we’ll run a half marathon.

What are your half marathon experiences? Have you run one? Do you want to? Do you think Bec is insane? Tell us all about it! 

13.1 miles through the Flower City

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The sun was shining, the skies were clear. It was a sign. We couldn’t have asked for a better morning to run 13.1 miles through the City of Rochester.

I arrived downtown about an hour before the 7:30 a.m. start. I parked in my usual daily spot, headed into my office and dropped my gear at my desk before meeting up with several colleagues also running the half.

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Heading to the start

After months of training for many Rochester-area runners, Sunday was the fourth annual Flower City Half Marathon. It marked my third time running the course, and was by far my favorite trek.

There’s really nothing like running a race in your hometown. You run alongside literally dozens of friends and pass cheering neighbors as you round nearly every bend. Thank you, Rochester.

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Just before the start: me, Traci, Jessica and Megan

All four of us ran our own race. And we were each happy with how our respective runs went. Jessica and Megan ran together and Traci and I agreed to run separately (but not far apart!) before we headed to the starting line.

Runners started to gather on the Broad Street bridge shortly after 7 a.m., about 30 minutes before the race was scheduled to begin. In the moments leading up to the start, I still had not located my race partners — Jen and Mark. It looked like I was going to run solo.

I lined up with Traci, who planned to take it easy, and we waited to begin. We paused for a moment of silence – to reflect on the Boston Marathon bombings. The start line also paid tribute to the tragic day, with 4-15-13, the date of the marathon, listed on the time clock featured at the start. A Boston flag was proudly displayed, opposite the American flag.

bildeBoston strong at the start. Photo by Kate Melton

Many in the crowd also joined in singing the National Anthem. It was tough to hear mid-crowd as a speaker near me wasn’t working quite right. So to hear everyone sing was moving. And then, we were off!

About a quarter-mile into the race, I heard someone shout my name. I turned and saw Jen and Mark waving at me. I weaved through the crowd to join my race partners.  (Thanks, eagle eye Mark!)

My original plan was to aim for a sub-2-hour half, but because my legs were still not healed from two hilly races in a row several weeks earlier, I decided to just enjoy the course.

Around mile 1, we passed Susan B. Anthony’s house on Madison Street. As always, Anthony and several other historical actors were cheering as runners zipped by. It always makes me smile!

We rounded the corner and headed past a city fire house and toward Frontier Field and Eastman Kodak.

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Running toward Kodak tower near Frontier Field

We had sped up to a 9-minute-mile pace. Fine by me, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold it through the mid-course hills.

fc6Turning onto Main Street downtown. Photo by Kate Melton

We veered off Main, down East Avenue where we saw several cheering colleagues and friends. We headed through the Park Avenue neighborhood and felt strong through mile six, when we reached the South Wedge.

This is always the spot where I slow down.  I’d love to give a spectacular reason, but in reality, I know it’s because I’m not the strongest on hills. And the mid-section of the Flower City course has PLENTY of hills, starting with an incline on South Goodman Street followed by another hill into Highland Park.

Jen zipped ahead and we waved her on. She was running strong and Mark was fine with slowing down to accommodate my aching legs. (Jen stayed on pace and came in under two hours at 1:59:31.)

Mark and I powered through Highland Park and Mt. Hope Cemetery, about three straight miles of hills with a cobblestone road (a hill, of course) thrown in. Despite how much I struggle here, I love running through the park and cemetery as both are so unique and beautiful. Besides, where else will you run past such historical icons as Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass and Nathaniel Rochester?

mt hopeRunners in Mt. Hope Cemetery. File photo from 2012 race by Annette Lein

After we left the cemetery, we ran past Strong Memorial Hospital and along the river trail past the University of Rochester. We passed a few people here and settled in for our last two miles. Mark grabbed a beer from a generous spectator.

“Hey,” he shrugged. “Does it really matter with about a mile to go?”

Not at all. BRILLIANT!

Moments later, we’d reached the Ford Street bridge. One mile to go!

We hauled up a hill (ugh) and spotted a cheering colleague (Thanks Mikey!) and headed across the bridge. We turned onto Plymouth where we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the skyline.

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Running down Plymouth Avenue

Mark and I cheered for other runners as we ran this final stretch. We were particularly excited for a woman who had run with Mark as he trained for his first marathon. She finished strong, just ahead of us.

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Mark and me at the finish. Photo by my colleague Shawn Dowd.

Shawn took many photos at the race, as did freelance photographer Kate Melton. (Click the bold to see their galleries.)

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Kate also snapped this great shot of Mark and I after we finished.

Thanks for the run, Mark! We finished in 2:06. Decent considering how much we slowed down on the hills.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Have you run a race course past historic monuments? What are your spring fitness plans? Tell me us in the comments below.

Runners giving back: Medals4Mettle

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The running community is a strong and rowdy bunch. There’s a certain level of insanity the comes along with runners, people who choose to spend much of their free time running long distances for the love of the sport and achieving the impossible (with a side of bragging rights and medals sometimes thrown in for good measure).

After an event like the one at the Boston Marathon, there’s a certain sense of helplessness that hits us. We are doers, movers and shakers, so to do nothing is not an option.

Since Monday’s tragedy, we’ve participated in reflection runs; we’ve worn the Boston Marathon colors of blue and gold; we’ve donned race shirts from any and all events; we’ve prayed for the victims, first responders, runners and the city of Boston.

loveshirt

And we’re still left asking, What else is there? What more can we do to show support, solidity and love?

Well, friends, might I offer up Medals4Mettle?

met·tle  /ˈmetl/ Noun
A person’s ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.

In May 2005, Dr. Steven Isenberg gave his own Chicago Marathon medal to his patient, Les Taylor, who was battling prostate cancer. Before his death, Taylor told Dr. Isenberg just how much the medal meant to him.

From that seed Medals4Mettle blossomed. I first heard about Medals4Mettle, or M4M, last year when I began running races.

Currently M4M is collecting Boston Marathon medals from any year to give to Monday’s victims and first responders.

medals4mettle

For those who haven’t run the Boston Marathon, M4M will gratefully accept all donations of hard-earned half marathon, full marathon or triathlon medals to those battling life-threatening illnesses and severe disabilities.

“Think about when you are out on a course, and you have dozens to hundreds of people you don’t know who are cheering you on, and want to see you succeed and get to the finish line,” said Andrea Herrmann of M4M.  “This is our chance to return this encouragement to others, and to celebrate their strength in dealing with their health struggles, cheering them to their personal finish lines.”

m4m

Directors and chapter coordinators are all volunteers at M4M. I reached out to my local chapter coordinator, Reed Costello, who said that his responsibilities include local awareness and collecting/passing medals along to the area coordinator who then distributes them to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The children love receiving the medals and the runDisney medals are among the favorites; many wear the donated medals to chemo treatment or hang them from their IV pole.

A selfless way to lift someone’s spirits and give back, Medals4Mettle is a non-profit organization that assists runners and athletes in doing just that.

Have you ever given your race medal to someone else? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Taking on Tink: 3 chicks on the 2013 runDisney Tinker Bell half marathon

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You get three for the price of one with this race report, since chicks Cam, Vic, and Meri all participated in the runDisney Tinkerbell Half Marathon on Jan. 20, the 2nd annual women’s-focused race at the Disneyland Resort.

Backstory and race prep – Meri (not weather!)

Victoria and I planned a trip to visit our long-time bestie in LA and since she’d run the Goofy challenge the previous weekend at Disney World, she figured Tink was a good way to obtain her Coast to Coast medal. Cam lives in CA and when I told her about our plans, she quickly signed up, right before the race sold out in July.

So, what are three ladies to do when they have months before their race? Train? Well, yes, there is that. But almost as important as training, during a runDisney race, you’ve got to have a great costume! Now, let me just say that if I were in charge of costumes… well, I’d have never been in that situation because I’d never take that on. Thankfully for Vic and I, we had Cam! She’s way more crafty that either of us and came up with not only the idea for our costumes but carefully crafted them.

Now, let me just say, I had my doubts when I saw all the pieces of this costume.  I thought that there was NO WAY I’d be keeping the hat on the entire 13.1 miles.  But, oh, I did.

costumenight

If you’re not familiar with the Disney classics, we were Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather – the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty.  I was informed that I was Flora and that she’s bossy. Apparently I have a reputation…

Rock. On.

We practiced our poses and took pictures together since Victoria (Fauna) was going to run fast.  And Cam and I?  We were not going to run fast.  Cam was just recovering from a chest cold so our plan was to just take it easy and get done.

The Disney races start early, early, early in the morning.  (yes, three earlies are necessary.) Thankfully our hotel was directly across the street from the start (Best Western Stovell Inn – it was perfect and clean and exactly what we needed).  We woke up at 3:30 and began with the pre-race rituals. Most people who take part in races can tell you that they have a set routine that works for them when getting prepped for a race. And mostly, they overlap with other runners.

We had laid out our outfits the night before, pinned the bibs on the morning of, and proceeded to get ourselves fueled. We’re fans of wheat bagel flats or flatbread and Justin’s nut butter because they come in handy packets that you can purchase wherever and bring along. Portable works well when you’re traveling across the country for a race.

Making last minute adjustments to our costumes (safety pins on the capes rather than the velco), pinning on our bibs, and adjusting hats, wings and double-knotting our laces, we were nearly ready to go!

We bid adieu to Vic as she headed out the door a few minutes before we did. Cam and I wrapped up in the hotel and made our way across the street, found a nice, comfy spot in corral C and waited for the race to begin.

Ready to go!

Fauna flies – Vic’s take

Everyone thought I was Tinkerbell.

I get it. I was a fairy all decked out in green for the Tinkerbell half. But no. I was Fauna and I was going to fly.

I wandered into corral A about 30 minutes before the 5 a.m. race start, chatted with a few fellow runners about race plans and runDisney. Soon enough, we were off.

Within 100 meters my hat was off my head. Near the end of mile 1, I saw a man with a stroller and a toddler in tow and asked him if he’d like a fairy hat. He enthusiastically accepted. We rounded some Anaheim streets and turned into Disney’s California Adventure Park and past a rockin’ high school marching band.

Much of what happened in the parks was a blur – I do know I stopped for dozens of pictures! (here are a few)

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Running through Cars Land

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World of Color by Paradise Pier – WOW!

We soon ran out of  California Adventure, around mile 3, and into Disneyland, where I promptly stopped for a (blurry) pic with Mary Poppins and Burt, snapped another of Tink and one of me on Main Street USA, which is my favorite moment in any Disney race – running down magical Main Street with hundreds of other runners.

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I passed by the castle and headed into Tomorrowland where I saw the Star Wars crew and surrounded by an extremely long line. Sorry Vadar, next time. May the Force be with you.

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Instead I stopped to say hi to Snow White. She wished me as well as I ran into the dark. Side note: my sneakers look filthy.

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I zipped past It’s a Small World, still decked out in Christmas lights and rounded onto the Land’s back lot for the next mile or so. We passed parade floats and broken parts of rides, an animal barn and more. Was able to gain a bit of time here.

We veered back into the park, through Fantasyland and up to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Ah, how I love running through the castle!

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After pausing for and tweeting a photo (thanks Siri!),  I turned into Frontierland and passed New Orleans Square, where Captain Jack Sparrow was all alone outside the Pirates of the Caribbean, one of my favorite Disney rides.

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Capt. Jack told me to beware because the photographer had a hankering for fairies. So I bolted.

The course took me out of the Land and through Downtown Disney, then past the Disneyland Hotel (and mile 6) and into the streets of Anaheim, where I high-fived a moonwalking Michael Jackson impersonator.

The next few miles were a bit dull, so I concentrated on my breathing and speeding up. As I passed each mile marker, I saw the minutes tick by and I reeled more and more racers in. I dropped my pace below 10-minute miles, then below 9:30, 9:15, 9.

When I rounded a corner at mile 12, directing me back into California Adventure, I really opened up. With my pixie wings, I flew. With half a mile to go, I was down to 8:30 pace and I spotted a familiar face, Laura, from my starting corral. I said hello as I caught her and encouraged her to keep moving. She looked great and was about to CRUSH her goal time of 2:10. I assured her she was well ahead of pace (I knew since we started together) and headed off around the last bend.

I could see the finish! I sprinted through a less-than-exciting parking lot to a rather-thrilling finish! I was all smiles as I crossed the finish line. 2:07:23 Top 10th percent, not too shabby.

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Flora and Merryweather’s journey – Cam’s jam

When my east coast gals sent word they would be traveling to the happiest place on earth for a run, I jumped on board.  As a lifelong Southern California resident and a Disneyland annual pass holder, running 13.1 miles through Disneyland with some of my favorite people dressed as a fairy sounded like a dream come true.

I had booked a handful of races for the end of the year, including a Ragnar Relay race in November to help keep my training on track.  But with the holidays and then a supermassive head and chest cold, I found myself severely under-trained by the time January rolled around.  I was really stressing about this run.  Like nauseated kind of stressing.  But Meri assured me there would be lots of stops and we were running for fun and so I arrived in Anaheim Saturday night to pick up my race paraphernalia and pre-race dine with my chicks.

As already indicated above, we were snazzily dressed and at our respective corrals in the wee, cool hours of the morning.  Like Meri and Vic, I had planned on ditching the removable parts of our costumes, but once we started running, we were inundated with compliments.  I have to say, our costumes were kickass.  And we definitely got noticed!  I really didn’t want to ruin the effect.  So we ran in our hats and wings and capes.  For 13.1 miles.

The first six miles were great.  It didn’t even feel like a race.  We skipped through Disney, danced to great music, stopped to chat up our favorite characters and the air smelled like candy.

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The best part were the spectators.  My favorite was the “Course Liar” who shouted things like “Mickey’s giving massages at the finish” and “You’re almost there” at mile 3.  We high-fived dozens and dozens of the lovely ladies from the Red Hat Society and waved to little girls watching from their living room windows.

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And then there were people like this who made me want to stop and hug them.

After we turned onto the streets, things started to get a little difficult.  Without the magical music and candy air, I was really starting to feel my lack of training.   We got news that Vic was already back at the hotel ice bathing and Meri was quite the trooper, jogging along beside me while I tried to ignore the shooting pain up my knees.  Walking was worse, so I plugged along, moving my feet at an unbearably slow pace that could hardly be considered running.

Meri helped me find other things to occupy my mind.

We posed on corners.

Like taking pictures of Meri flying on street corners.

Or contemplating shopping opportunities.

Around mile 10, my knees really started to become a problem and I started to doubt my ability to finish the race.  I envisioned myself getting picked up by one of those guys on the golf carts.  I was starting to go to that dark place when Meri made a fabulous suggestion.

Biofreeze.

The best thing on the planet.

Look how happy I am!

I had to stop twice to freeze up my knees.  I also had to stop twice in the last 3 miles to use the trusty portable toilets.  I was good and GU‘d up and my digestive system was starting to rebel.  I was dying for that finish line, silently cursing myself for slacking off on training, my stupid cold and my aching knees.  Right as we rounded back into the park, we saw this gentleman running up ahead.

“There will be days when I don’t know if I can do a half marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing I have.” The ‘a’ was crossed out and numbers were added – this was number 20 for him.

When I read the back of his shirt, I lost it.  I know this feeling, it was the same thing I thought when I started running three years ago.  It was the same thing I had thought that very morning, that there was no way in hell I could do this race.  I started bawling like a baby because here I was, even after so many races, still doubting myself.  And then again, here I was, after 13 miles, still running and minutes from the finish.  Meri grabbed my hand and we crossed the line together.

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I had to remove my pointy hat so I could get medaled.

Post ice bath.  Oh, the sweet, sweet glow of victory!

As Vic so graciously dumped buckets of ice into my bath, I vowed never to slack on my training again.  Despite all my bodily malfunctions, I became a huge fan of the Disney race series.  So much so, I’m heading to Florida with the chicks for the Wine and Dine half at Disney World so I can pick up one of those hot little Coast to Coast medals.  We’ve already got costumes in mind!

Have you ever completed a runDisney race?  Will we see you at Wine and Dine?  How do you recover after a race – ice bath, the Stick, or something else?

Deciding to be Goofy

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Last summer, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to run a marathon and a half over two days. (yes, you may laugh now)

I’ve run marathons and other road races before.  I figured if  when I started hurting, I could always slow down or walk. It was a RunDisney race after all, and not my first, and I know how well Disney entertains a crowd. I also figured Disney magic would certainly distract me from any potential pain. So I signed up to run the Goofy Challenge at the annual Walt Disney World Marathon in January 2013.

A few months later, my best friend Meridith and I discussed running a half. On the other side of the country. One week after the 39.3 mile Goofy Challenge. I knew I was nutty, but quickly agreed and registered for the race.

Heck, what’s another 13.1 at that point, right?

Fast forward to late December.

I’d been training. I finished more races, including another marathon. I cross-trained with a week of hiking with family in Maine, some sporadic yoga and heaving logs and branches in my yard, courtesy of a 100-foot-tall tree downed by Superstorm Sandy.

Several weeks before the run, I covered a horrific tragedy. I am a newspaper reporter in Rochester, New York. On Christmas Eve, four volunteer firefighters were shot – two fatally – as they responded to battle a house fire in Webster NY. The men were shot by a convicted felon who set his house on fire and laid in wait until first responders arrived. Then he opened fire.

I still can’t wrap my head around what happened that day and in its wake. I also keep tripping upon emails from one of the victims, who I knew professionally because he was also a lieutenant and information officer with a local police department.

So I decided I would run in memory of the slain firefighters Lt. Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka.

Too sick to run

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A nasty virus is going around and of course, late last week it interrupted my life.

I started feeling a bit under the weather Friday and by Sunday afternoon I felt like death.

A hacking, uncontrollable cough led to my lungs feeling ablaze. I think I actually got an incredible ab workout with my coughing fits. I’ll spare you the nasty details, but oof. I haven’t felt that awful in a long time.

All plans, including race training, went out the window.

Lots of herbal tea, water and vitamin D3 was consumed. And now that I’m starting to feel better, I’m wondering when I can hit the road.

I am training for two half-marathons in April and want to get back on track as soon as possible. My last run was Thursday – a zippy four-miler that felt fantastic. I skipped my long run last weekend, hoping I’d feel better and be able to tackle it early this week.

That obviously didn’t happen as I’d hoped.

So my plan? Wait until Saturday. While I don’t particularly want to take a week off of running, I know it’s the right call to let my body mend before exerting more energy.

So we’ll see how I feel this weekend. I’d like to get at least 6 or 7 miles in. But I have to listen to my body first.

How do you adjust your training plans following an illness?

Rock n’ Roll Marathon’s 2013 St. Pete half race recap

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A foot of snow fell in upstate New York last weekend, completely blanketing much of the region and wreaking havoc on everyone’s travel plans, mine included. I was headed to sunny Florida with my colleague and friend Traci to race her first-ever half marathon. Nothing would stop us from getting there. Not even Snowmaggeon 2013, which blessed me with a 70-minute commute home Friday afternoon. (It normally takes about 15 minutes)

Somehow, our flight south was not canceled. It wasn’t even delayed! We headed to Buffalo (with a generous snow-buffer delay) early Saturday morning. By early afternoon, we were in Tampa. We cast our snow boots aside and welcomed the sunny skies.

We stopped by the Rock n’ Roll Marathon race expo at Tropicana Field and collected our bibs and a few other choice goodies. We also stalked the PowerBar booth for their delicious new banana blueberry Performance Energy Blends. Apparently, it will be sold in stores soon, but I haven’t been able to find it just yet.

Fast forward to race morning:

We left our beachfront hotel around 5:30, which allowed plenty of time for us to drive the 12-mile route back to Tropicana Field, battle any potential race traffic and park before the VIP parking lot closed out.

Purchasing VIP parking tickets was hands down one of the best race decisions we made. We arrived minutes before the lot closed and parked within a 100 feet of a row of portable toilets. I know, that doesn’t sound stellar at all. But it WAS! We hit the bathrooms not once, but twice without waiting in any lines. Anyone who has been at the start of any race knows what a luxury this was.

We soon dropped off our shared check bag, and anxiously awaited our 7:30 am race start. Soon enough, we hopped into the corrals.

At the starting line

We’re so excited! And we just can’t hide it! (pre-race, of course)

Before we knew it, the race was underway and our corral was released.

We were off! We took the first mile a wee bit too fast. We were excited and ready to go, go, go! We rounded the first turns, which looped us around the baseball stadium, and up a hill to our first water stop.

It was going to be a warm day, so we had to hydrate early on, I told Traci as we headed toward the water station.

Then, Traci was body checked by a massive linebacker reaching for water. I dodged around more arms and legs. Grabbed water, drank water. Didn’t trip.

But I lost Traci.

I am the worst coach ever.

I repeatedly yelled her name. I frantically scanned the crowd. Then I finally realized she must’ve kept running. I start running again, whipping out my cell phone and I prayed. And yes, I was the jackal talking on my cell while running a race.

“Oh thank God!” I gushed when Traci picked up.

“I lost you,” she replied.

We chat for a few more moments, she tells me where she is on the course and I realize I am way behind her, so I tell her I am on my way and speed up to catch her.

Huff huff. Puff puff.

Damn, my legs are not pleased about this sudden sprint.

Where is she? There’s mile 2. Annnnd queue Traci’s smiling face. THANK GOODNESS!!!

Sadly, though, I am basically wheezing since I ran at 8:30 pace to find her again. And this was just a few weeks after my Disney marathon. Phew! It took me several miles to get my breathing pattern back to normal. Well, as normal as I was going to get for this run.

We didn’t chat much as we ran those next few miles — ya know, since I was trying not to die and all. We passed a few bands, some less-than excited spectators and repeatedly dodged a runner who stopped dead in the middle of the course to snap pics.

We also honored our wonderful nephews. At miles 6 and 10, we thought of Traci’s nephews and at 3 and 8, we thought of mine. It’s a wonderful way to pass the time while paying special attention to those you love most. Right, smiley Riley?

Soon enough, we passed an air field and dreamed of flying to the finish. Next, we raced onto The Pier, which was quite breezy. Stellar views but boy was it getting HOT.

Soon after we left The Pier, we started dumping water on our heads instead of drinking it. We were hurting. But let’s be realistic, it was in the teens yesterday and we were racing in 75 degrees. Given all that, we were still on pace for our projected goal time. Not too shabby.

Three more miles and we started to fade a bit. But we kept plugging away.

As we rounded a corner toward final mile – mile 12 – I encouraged Traci to run ahead. She was close to her goal and had a bit more spring in her step than I did. She didn’t want to, but finally did.

That last mile was rough. The cramp I’d been harboring much of the race felt like a dagger in my side. All I wanted to do was walk. But I didn’t I kept going. Soon enough, the finish line was straight ahead.

I sped up, at least that’s how it felt. I can’t even imagine how I must’ve looked at this point. But soon enough, I crossed and moments later Traci and I found one another.

We collected our post-race treats and sat along the beach. A slice of heaven.

Our view. I like oceanside runs!

Traci conquered her first half-marathon and is weeks away from her second race. I’m so proud of her!

PSA: I am not one to endorse running with a cell phone, since running is truly my only time to unplug. But our cells saved our butts here.Hands down. I will never run a race without my cell in tow again.