Dead Sprint 5K Recap

I've talked about it many times on the blog before, but one of my favorite running things is holiday-themed races. I'm on the fence about doing the Cleveland Turkey Trot because we're helping Michael's aunt with Thanksgiving this year, and I don't want to be cavorting downtown if I'm needed elsewhere. And since Halloween is on a Saturday this year, I decided I needed to work in a race for that holiday!

My goal and/or hope was to PR this race. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that didn't happen. I'll analyze the race a little further on in this post.

The race was held at a bar called West Park Station in Cleveland, though it is basically in the swankier West Side suburbs, rather than Cleveland proper. The race didn't start until 9 AM and was only a half hour away, so I was able to sleep in relatively late for a race day (about 7:30 AM).

We haven't been running our heat (to save money), so it felt really cold when I got up, and I grabbed my hat and gloves, but when I stepped out of the garage, it was actually very pleasant! It was 50 degrees, but it didn't have that "chilly" feeling. I ended up running in just shorts and a t-shirt and was very comfortable, though almost everyone else was layered up. It's been seasonally warm here, so I think we're all still in that stage with overdressing on accident.

I arrived at the race site around 8:30 AM and parked at the Walgreens next door (shh...) and waited about two minutes for my race packet. I got the last small shirt (score!!), but they were ordering more shirts for the sizes they had run out of, which I always appreciate. I was planning to wear the shirt to pass out candy, so I was really glad they had my size! They are long-sleeve cotton shirts, which I think are my favorite type of shirt to get from a race - so comfy and cozy!

For a unisex, it fits surprisingly well!

I took my stuff back to the car and got my bib pinned on. I then dipped back into the bar to use the indoor(!!) bathrooms. The bar was also hosting a discounted mimosa/bloody mary bar for runners after, but I didn't stick around for that (which it turns out I should have...more on that in a minute).

They sent us out to the start about five minutes before hand, and while it was a little cool waiting, and I was far from miserable. I ended up standing next to this guy who asked for the time, which I was happy to provide him, but then he kept craning his head to look at my watch about every 30 seconds, which I had pick up satellites, so the time wasn't even showing anymore. It was strange!

The race started without much fanfare. I'm very happy with where I placed myself, since I have a history of starting too far back. I only had to weave around a few people, then I was in a good spot. I wasn't sure of how fast I could run, so I hung on to a guy pacing about 8:50. He was going very sure and steady and seemed comfortable at that pace, so I two stepped behind him for the first mile and a half. The pace felt hard, but I was able to keep my breathing under control.

However, after about the halfway point, my legs were just done. I lost my rabbit but was surprised to see I was holding about the same pace - he must have sped up (because he had a better pacing strategy than hanging with a random stranger, ahem).

After the second mile, the wheels came off. I'm sure it's been the time off due to injury, but my legs could not turn over and my heart rate was sky high. I kept backing it off incrementally to see if I could catch my breath, and I ended up dropping to an almost 10 min/mile pace. There was a point where sitting on the curb and crying sounded good. It sounds so melodramatic now, but I just hurt at a pace that should've been comfortable.

With a half mile to go, we turned back to the main street, which would take us to the last .1 of the course. I felt like slowing had allowed me to recover fairly well, so I started to pick it back up. I imagined "changing gears" and picked it up in spurts, letting each increase settle in before going again. It was hard, but with my heart rate back under control, I felt better.

The last .1 was a straight shot and I focused on doing a controlled acceleration through the finish.

Time: 28:04

There was water, bananas, and granola bars easily accessible right across the line, and I helped myself and watched people finish for awhile. A lot of people dressed up, and it was really fun! But I felt really tired and nauseous. Now that I've had a chance to think over the race, I've started questioning whether it was really a physical issue that held me back, or if it was more mental. But, to me, wanting to puke is a good benchmark, so I feel like I did really give it my all.

I'm disappointed I didn't PR, and I just left the race afterwards, instead of staying for awards. I told myself I was cold, but I easily could've grabbed my coat from the car and gone back inside. The racing company posts results in real time, and I thought fleetingly I should check them, but I moped my way home instead.

Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I saw later I had placed third in my age group! I'm hoping I might be able to pick it up at one of the Fleet Feet stores, but we'll see.

I'm feeling a little down because I was hoping a big PR would prove I had gained a ton of fitness this training cycle. However, I realize I should have recognized that taking a few weeks off throughout to treat my leg, while being the smart decision, would affect my performance. I also need to keep in mind I've been training for a marathon, not a balls to the wall 5K, as it were.

I am taking heart in the fact that my last .1 was at a 7:20 pace, and it didn't feel like a wild out-of-control sprint. For reference, the last bit of the Jog into Spring 5K, where I got my current PR, was an 8:35 pace and felt like death. I think I have more speed than I showed today, I just didn't have the endurance to put it all together.

Hopefully I will be able to clean my running up the next two weeks for Chickamauga!

Hatfield McCoy Marathon Recap (Round Two)

This past weekend was a first for me - I went back and ran a marathon for a second time. I've only ever repeated two other races before - my hometown Turkey Trot and the Big Ten 10K. I wasn't sure what it would be like to repeat a race of a much longer distance. I did know this time around would be a little different since it was slated to be 10 degrees hotter (with a predicted real feel of 100) than 2014.

Michael and I took a half day Friday to drive down. We probably could've waited until after work and gotten in late, but I wanted to make sure Michael got the "full" Hatfield McCoy experience with the free pasta dinner and the skit.

From Northeast Ohio, the drive is very easy - you get on 77-S and take it forever, then finish it up with a short stretch on a state highway. The only major town you pass by is Charleston, WV, so it's stress-free. We got a bit of a late start because I had to stop in the hood to get gas (never again!), but we arrived about 45 minutes before the skit. We had plenty of time to pick up our packets, eat, and get good seats in the auditorium. 

The RD gave a 30 minute talk about the race and how much it's grown. The skit was just as good as last year, and Michael said he enjoyed it. I did snap a quick picture to send my dad, who replied "I don't understand your message or picture." Hey - I tried!

We booked a hotel about 40 minutes away from Williamson. When I tried called the downtown hotels on two separate occasions, they wouldn't let me book a room. I got fed up with it, and I got us a Best Western for cheaper and booked online no problem. I know the city isn't really set-up to handle major tourism, but they seem to shoot themselves in the foot sometimes. If I call a hotel, I expect to be able to book a room!

Our alarm was set Saturday morning for 4:45 AM (getting up before 5 always makes us a bit sad). (Side note - how do you runners not in the Eastern time zone travel for races?! You must always get screwed by the time change plus an early wake-up!) We saw maybe two or three other cars on the road, and we had no issue finding a spot to park downtown, which was my big worry.

We walked about two minutes to a corner where people were congregating for a shuttle and got on the second one that came by. I think we waited less than 5 minutes, and then the actual ride to the Food City took less than 10. We cycled through the bathroom in a few minutes and had about 20 minutes to wait for the start. I did forget about the pre-race prayer. (Again, I appreciate the sentiment of hoping everyone has a good race, but having a Christian prayer for a very diverse group of people makes me pretty uncomfortable. I think it's a cultural thing there, but I wish they could be a little more self-aware.) 

The race started right on schedule, and we were across the line in about 30 seconds. While the race is chip-timed, there is no mat at the start. The two re-enactors from the skit saw us off by shooting a few rounds. 

Given how hot and humid it was supposed to be, Michael and I discussed strategy for this race, and we planned to run around 10:30 min/miles for the first half, to try to get as many miles under our belts as we could before it got oppressively hot. Our splits for the first 12 miles hovered around 11 min/miles with our walk breaks.

I forgot just how gorgeous this course is! While the race really advertised the feud aspect (obviously), I think they do a disservice by not mentioning how beautiful the region is. I tried to soak it in while I was cool enough to enjoy it.

I think both Michael and I were a little apprehensive about running another marathon after the sufferfest that was Blue Ridge, so it was nice when the biggest hill of the day, Blackberry Mountain, was no big deal. We did power-walk, but there was no soul-crushing defeat.

Soon enough, we were at the top. This was the first aid station with "extras," and I had the best, freshest piece of watermelon ever. I had a few more slices at other points in the race, and they were all just as good. Michael got a bit ahead of me on the downhill, so I finally got a picture of him running!

The course flattened out for a few miles after this, and we continued making good time. Until about mile 12, that is. I think there was a moment where we both looked at each other walking out of an aid station and were like "It is hot!" At this point we started implementing walk breaks whenever we felt like it. I really appreciate that this race doesn't have a time limit. It was nice to only manage our bodies, not our bodies and the clock.

The person I ran with last year really started struggling around this point, so it was nice to enjoy downtown Matewan when we came through the halfway mark this time.

I also stopped to take an identical picture of the river as I did last year, only this time no one came up to tell me it was an ugly spot and I shouldn't photograph it.

This was the point where my companion dropped out last year, and I was surprised how little of that part of the course I remembered. I totally forgot about the long section along the river, though this meant the dirt road part was way shorter than I was thinking, which was a nice surprise. But that didn't mean the dirt road wasn't still there!

Luckily, there hadn't been unseasonable rain the whole week before the race, so it was not all mud like 2014. But I was glad the entrance to the golf course didn't disappoint and was once again hilariously bad.

I was really excited for another chance at the swinging bridge, and I even got a picture this time around!

The last section of the race had very little shade, and it felt like we were in the middle of a Marathon Maniacs walking club. It was really fun getting to talk to a bunch of different people, including some others going for the 50 States. It's easy to get down about how slow walking is compared to running, but our chats helped pass the time.

Michael also spotted my returning racer sign! I was getting worried we had missed it.

In the last half mile, it finally started to rain. We passed a couple other racers, and we all just shook our heads and laughed! And finally, the end was in sight.

The finish downtown came up quickly, and the re-enactors were once again there to greet us.

Time: 6:11:50

We were given our medals and immediately grabbed some chairs in the shade. A volunteer came over with some towels soaked in ice water and said we looked "done." Considering how bad I felt, I don't want to think about how bad I looked.

My entire legs had gotten horrible cramps the last eight miles of the race, and I was worried they would persist. But once I sat down, they quickly went away. I was relieved, since I had been imaging writhing in pain in the backseat the whole drive home.

Michael and I walked the few blocks back to the car and enjoyed a change of shoes and some time in the air conditioning. Once we felt a little more normal, we walked to a nearby restaurant to get our free post-race meal (there were four other restaurants we could have picked). I got two hot dogs, chips, a pop, and finished it off with soft serve ice cream.

I loved this post-race meal concept! It was so nice getting a pretty solid meal and having a choice on what it was. I just wish they had advertised what each restaurant offered. Hurley Drug ended up being great, but we weren't exactly up to wandering all over downtown to find out all the options.

Once full, we drove a half mile up the hill to the abandoned high school to shower. Not as creepy as I expected, actually, and I survived taking a shower in an open room with a bunch of other ladies. Also not as intimidating as I imagined.

I'm not planning on repeating any other marathons until the 50 States is complete, but it was fun to get to re-visit one of them. But I can't wait to see what the next 38 have to offer!

Jog into Spring 5K Recap

I realize this recap is coming pretty late, but I've been prioritizing other areas of life right now. We're closing on our house in less than two weeks (you have no idea how excited I am for this!), and I think once Michael and I are in a place that feels like "ours," rather than his with my stuff scattered everywhere in boxes, I'll have a much greater sense of normalcy and can get into a routine. (Plus I'll be able to sleep whenever I want for however long I want!)

Anyway, even though this is several weeks late, I would be remiss not recapping this race since (spoiler alert) I set a new 5K PR there! My purpose is signing up for this race was to actually race a short distance and evaluate where my fitness stands after some extended base-building through the spring. I'll be the first to admit my training was nowhere perfect, what with job-hunting and my move, but I did my best to stick with it and was hoping to run somewhere in the neighborhood of my PR, even if I didn't beat it.

The race was only about 15 minutes from my apartment and didn't start until 9 AM, so I left a little before 8 to give my time to pick up my packet and do a warm-up. I've hesitated doing a warm-up for short races for a long time, since I felt like that was only for "fast" runners, but I've come to realize that is totally silly, since a warm-up will help pretty much anyone run relatively faster.

Packet pick-up only took a minute or two, then I grabbed my phone from my car and put on one of my favorite 8Tracks playlists ("Epic Motivation") for a mile warm-up. The race started at the Independence Civic Center, which is next to a few baseball diamonds and a fishing pond; surrounding this area was a sidewalk almost perfectly .25 miles around. I did four laps, picking up the pace on the second and fourth lap. That pace was still far slower than what my PR pace would be, so I hoped adrenaline would carry me through the actual race.

I finished my warm-up with about five minutes until the gun, and they actually sent us on our way a minute or two early. I haven't raced a 5K in probably about a year, so I paid careful attention to my pace the whole way to keep myself from blowing up.

Initially, I panicked when I saw my pace was around 8:45 min/mile. I'm slow - I had no business running that fast! (When I ran my previous PR, I had no idea that I would PR and only saw how fast I was going about halfway through, so I didn't psych myself out.) I was tempted to pull up right away, but I took a step back to evaluate how I actually felt - it was obviously hard, but I wasn't dying.

I asked myself if I felt exactly the same but my watch read 9:30 min/miles, would I slow down? The answer was a very strong no, so I knew I was simply getting in my own head. I was determined to hold that pace. I think everyone was regaining their sea legs for racing season, so whenever I tried to tuck in with someone, their pace would vary dramatically. Because I'm not used to running an 8:45 pace, this made it a lot harder for me to stay on track, since my body couldn't "feel" that pace independently.

My main mistake in that first mile was chasing down people I thought were running my desired pace. I didn't really taper for this race, and my legs kept screaming when I did this. I eventually gave up that strategy, but I think it did some damage.

Mile two was definitely a mental struggle, and I ran it 15 seconds slower. I thought maybe I was close to blowing up, so I made my goal to run under a 9 min/mile, to avoid a total mental meltdown. I think this mile contained a slight uphill that really took a toll, but when it ended with a long, slight downhill, I was able to catch my breath and recommit myself to the final mile.

I tried to do some race math and realized a PR was still doable, I just had to give it my all in mile three. I focused on landmarks and catching other runners around me in turn to distract myself in that final stretch. The course was a loop, and I had seen the mile three marker on the way out, so I knew from quite a distance when it was coming up. This helped give me a tangible goal to work toward. I used my usual trick of promising myself I wouldn't have to sprint the last .1 if I didn't want to, and just plowed ahead to the marker.

Around 2.75 miles it really hit me how short a 5K is compared to a marathon. (Who knew, right?!) Even though I was in a ton of pain and out of breath, I couldn't believe I was almost done! In fact, I was even more almost done than I thought, as the course ended up being .05 short.

Time: 27:14*

(This is adjusted from 3.05 miles to 3.1 miles. I used my average pace for the race, even though my pace for the last .05 was faster than that. This estimate seems conservative enough that I feel totally comfortable using this number as my PR.)

Not me...simply just a picture of the finish line.

I mentioned this before, but I had to adjust my last 5K PR for a short course as well. It was a huge bummer to get a sub-27 time on my watch again, only for the real time to be over that. I know it's much better to have an accurate PR, otherwise I'm just lying to myself and will get frustrated when I don't beat it, but it is a bit of buzzkill. But don't get me wrong - I was thrilled to PR!

I've been using Hal Higdon's Multiple Marathons plans since Myrtle Beach, and not even following them perfectly, and I still PRed by 26 seconds! Even though I know Higdon's methods work, I always feel like a less serious runner for using them, plus it is so weird to run an easy pace and just trust that the speed will magically show up on race day. I plan to use Hal Higdon to train for Chickamauga in the fall, and this was just the reminder I needed to trust the training. (Again - who knew?!)

After walking it off a bit, I went into the pavilion where packet pick-up had been to grab some post-race food. They had pizza, and I enjoyed it at a picnic table outside. I stuck around for an extra hour or so because they were having a huge raffle, though I sadly didn't win anything.

However, first came the post-race awards. I'm used to marathons, where the ceremony happens way before I finish, so it took me awhile to figure out why they were waiting to start (because of the walkers). It felt very strange. I didn't place, but I was still really excited when I looked up the results.

I placed 6/9, however - I finished eight minutes ahead of the woman in 7th place. This isn't a put-down to the women who finished after me at all, but it was so weird to look at the results and see a significant dividing line between "fast" and "slow"...and I was on the fast side! In my head I'm always the really slow runner, and it's bizarre when I see something that definitively shows that's not the case.

Now the question is - can I have similar success this Saturday at the New Moon Half?

Blue Ridge Marathon Recap

A long, long time ago, when I was doing marathon research sessions (pun intended) for the 50 States, I knew picking the Blue Ridge Marathon would mean a very intense race experience. Since I had only run a couple fulls at that point in time, I was pretty nervous just at the thought, but it turned out to be one of my favorite races so far!

Michael and I stayed about 10 minutes away from downtown Roanoke, and we had an easy drive in the morning of. (I heard people complaining later about some huge line of cars waiting to park, I have no idea where that was, since we didn't encounter anything like it.) Packet pick-up closed the night before at 8 PM, and with a 7 hour drive, we opted to just grab our stuff in the morning.

There was a free parking garage about a 10 minute walk from the start, and we arrived an hour before the gun. There was a moderately long line for pick-up, though it moved fairly quickly. Unfortunately, they were out of Michael's shirt size, and I snagged the last bag. (I felt bad, since other people ahead of us missed out, but the pick-up wasn't well laid out, so they missed it.)

I did get pretty annoyed because at one point, during the bag debacle, I got wedged in between a person and some boxes, and a volunteer repeatedly yelled at me to move. She was nowhere as rude as the volunteers at Indiana, but it's still so strange to be yelled at by a volunteer before a huge race, when I'm certainly doing nothing wrong. (I admit, I'm pretty sensitive in general, plus my ear infection was still very painful, so maybe I blew this out of proportion, but still.)

We did a quick exchange at the car and headed back to the start. It was about 15 minutes before the gun, and they started brow-beating people to get to the corrals. I'm not sure who the emcee was, but he was trying to urge us out of the bathroom line, saying it wasn't that important. Um, I don't know about you, but there's pretty much nothing more important before a marathon. They ended up delaying the race five minutes, so Michael and I had a good amount of time to stand in the corral until we were released.

The race started off hilly, and it stayed that way! Someone running near us mentioned the first three miles are the worst. They must have been talking about the 10K or half, because I don't think it got much better after the first 5K. It was a more heart-breaking lie than being told "you're almost there."

Pictures never adequately show hill grade...just trust me that everything was steep!

I was very excited to enter the Blue Ridge Parkway (because that meant a National Park stamp!). I had to cross a little ditch to get up to this sign, and I guess I was moving pretty quickly, because another runner tried to tell me about a better spot to pee. She seemed disappointed I was just getting a picture.

The first mountain (of three) led us to the summit of Roanoke Mountain. I thought it was very interesting that the half split at mile 3 (and then followed later sections of the marathon course), so those of us running the full made this ascent alone. Michael and I walked almost the whole thing, but the views at the top made it all worth it. I felt strange about chilling up there for a minute, but I wanted to take it all in.

It was also during this climb we saw the lead runners come flying by. I'm always impressed how fast some people are, but watching them cruise the downhills, and knowing how they must have destroyed the uphills, was really awe-inspiring on this course. (I think two of the top three men went sub-3...that just blows my mind!)

After suffering through some incredibly steep downhills, we began climbing our second mountain of the day - Mill Mountain. This is where the famed star is located. (And, let me tell you, Roanoke really gets into being the Star City. So many places incorporated the image or name.)

I believe this mountain was actually shorter than Roanoke Mountain, but it felt a lot harder. I'm sure it was just from fatigue, but it felt like we were never going to get up to the stupid star. Based on finishing times, there were obviously lots of people who must've run these sections. Hats off to them, even power walking was difficult for me!

After what felt like forever, we made it to the top!

Side note - I was reading a Roanoke magazine after the race, and apparently over the summer, each week for four weeks, people race on their bikes up to the star. I nearly fell over running it. I can't imagine pedaling up - let alone willingly doing it four weeks in a row.

Though the view is fantastic!

We descended Mill Mountain and made our way through a short section of downtown. I was surprised how painful the flats were at this point (I think it was about mile 15?). I wanted to walk so badly, but I knew I couldn't actually walk the whole course, plus nothing was truly wrong. I was just beat.

However, there was a nice little treat at the halfway point - mimosas! A candidate had set the rogue aid station up. I wish I had gotten a picture because it was really cute: there were signs in the half mile leading up to it urging us to drink more "moo-mosas," and, when we actually got there, they had a plastic cow and were serving up the promised drinks. I honestly mostly wanted one for the orange juice.

The third mountain of the day was Peakwood. While the first two were located in parks, Peakwood is actually a subdivision. And while there was a true peak, there were lots of long uphills that came afterwards.

Both Michael and I had noticed how slanted the road was in places, and this is the section where I really started to feel discomfort in my knee. Every step was painful, and I couldn't run the downhills. If I gritted my teeth, I could force it, but I was really concerned about tearing something - my knee clearly could not adequately support that much force.

Hobbling sadly down from the top of Peakwood.

It was a flashback to Knoxville, only much sooner in the race and much more painful. However, a rogue aid station around mile 20 had Advil, and I gratefully took one. It kicked in a mile or two later and made a world of difference in my comfort level. I still made Michael walk the downhills, because I didn't want to look the gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, but it was nice not to feel as horrible.

The last 10K of the race took us through some city parks and subdivisions. But don't think these were that flat, however - I believe this is where they added elevation change from 2014 to remain America's Toughest Road Marathon.

We also had an interesting volunteer encounter at this point. At about mile 21, she urged us ahead, saying there were just two more bridges and then we were on the home stretch. We crossed the two bridges fairly quickly, but then came to a turn-off for the full. She made an innocent mistake of assuming we followed the half course, but it still made us a bit sad.

However, there was also a spectator a mile later, who had just completed a color run, that was yelling really motivating things for everyone. (Unfortunately, I guess my marathon brain couldn't retain memories of what they were.) She was a great bright spot in that final section.

Finally, after far more than two bridges, we were close to being done!

Horrendously painful cake.

I'm almost ashamed to admit how much walking went on in the last mile, but we knew we would make the cut-off, and my knee was pretty done with life at that point.

Time: 6:40:51

I think our faces say it all!

Despite all the walking and the pain (my knee only feels 100% better for the first time today!), I'm so glad we did this race! It was a fun new challenge (not that "regular" marathons aren't challenging...), and it felt extra rewarding to cross the finish line and get our medals.

Unfortunately, the post-race area only had bagels (though they were really, really good bagels) and chocolate milk left when we got there, plus the post-race massage teams weren't taking any more runners. We found some shady space and rested a bit before hobbling back to the car.

Mad props to all of you out there that run hills like this regularly. Because let's just say I'm really looking forward to Missoula's one lone hill!

Myrtle Beach Marathon Recap

I know I normally write my travel recap first for races, but I have a lot on my mind from the Myrtle Beach Marathon that I want to get down before I forget. Besides, I'm sure you all care much more about my race than my other adventures anyway!

For some ungodly reason, the race starts at 6:30 AM (right around sunrise), despite it being mid-Feburary. I'm guessing this is because the main road along the ocean gets shut down and traps everyone at the resorts.

Michael and I both had a horrible night's sleep Friday. An itemized list of the noise we endured: a family cursing at full volume running down the hall at 10 PM, the same family cursing and running at 11 PM, a toddler having a meltdown in the next room because she was up until midnight (parents, what did you think would happen?!?!), and a smoker watching videos at full volume on his phone outside the room at 1:30 AM.

Our hotel (Crown Reef Resort) was certainly Not Cheap, but a lot of the other guests seemed...out of place. I would definitely recommend staying elsewhere if you go to Myrtle Beach. I would also recommend being at least 25 so you can stay at a nicer resort. (Yes, I'm still very bitter!)

The 5 AM wake-up call came very early, considering I got probably less than six hours of sleep. I reminded myself I had no problems running Hatfield-McCoy on less than four hours last year, so I sucked it up.

Parking was free at Broadway at the Beach, and it was about a five minute walk from the start. We also could've taken a shuttle from the hotel, but we wanted the warm car to wait in, and I had read less than stellar reviews of the shuttles in prior years. It was a little tricky to find in the dark with the road closures, but it was still stress-free. There were tons of spaces, so we had no trouble parking less than 45 minutes before the start.

By the time I had finished my bagel, I realized we only had about 15 minutes until the start! We quickly packed up our stuff and headed to the start. There weren't too many people walking over, but we managed to get to the right spot. We were also able to walk right into port-a-potties and then waited in line only a few minutes before the gun.

The pacer started out way too fast, so we didn't end up running with him.

It was around 30 at the start, but I only wanted a light jacket for the race, so I brought my mylar blanket I had been saving since Maine to throw away. That was an excellent idea! They also had a big clothes drop a few miles in specially for donation, so that's an option as well.

I am sad I didn't stop for a quick picture at this point. A crescent moon was still clearly visible above the palmetto trees, and it looked exactly like the state license plate. It was pretty crowded and I didn't want to get run down. Looking back though, I wish I had hopped on the median to get the shot!

The race is a loop course but has very few turns, though there are a few short out-and-backs to add distance. We began with a long run towards the airport. It was very pleasant as soon as the sun came up. The humidity actually felt pretty nice after so many dry winter days in Michigan. I spoke briefly to a couple transplants who were worried about how cold 30 degrees would be.

We passed a band around mile six or seven playing Country Roads and sang along. I have no shame when I'm running marathons. One guy also stopped and danced along to it. I would say the race had a super fun, relaxed atmosphere - at least towards the back by me.

We then hit Ocean Blvd and ran along the strip for a very long time. Other people had complained they didn't like having the ocean blocked, but there were still quite a few spots with an unobstructed view, plus the buildings were great at sheltering us from the wind.

Being from a small town, I also thought running through "honky tonk" was pretty neat. It had that fun tourist feel without the downside of being filled with tourists. Win win, if you ask me.

My legs were feeling great at this point. My goal was to run 10:53 min/miles, and my average was just about dead on, with only quick walk breaks at water stops. At mile 12, in the honky tonk section, I put on my podcasts to get myself to mile 20. The halfers had split off at mile 11, so now the course had plenty of room and I could really get into my own groove.

Around mile 15 or 16 we entered North Myrtle Beach and ran by private homes and had more ocean views. At this point, Michael started struggling to keep pace, and he dropped back from me.

I was interested to try out my plan from Stone Bridge that worked so well and use my podcasts to zone out until mile 20. For the first time, I think I finally understood what it means when people say they "go inside" themselves for a run. I still enjoyed the course, but I was able to block out all concept of time and distance and just put one foot in front of the other. I started getting a little fatigued by mile 18, but I was able to just focus on my podcasts and keep up the pace.

I was really confident I would hit my 4:45 goal until I made the turn and hit mile 19. Out of nowhere, there was a horrible, horrible headwind. A runner near me reported the forecast had said it was 20 mph, but honestly, head-on, it felt much stronger. I felt like I was running into a brick wall. I walked through more water stops at this point, so it's harder to analyze my splits, but it seems like I did an okay job of keeping up the pace.

At mile 20 I switched to the new music I bought and got ready to rock out. That is, until I came up on mile 21 and started feeling a tingling in my hands. I had a decision to make - this was clearly the sign of a rapidly approaching bonk - what should I do?

I remembered how horrible I had felt when I bonked at Sleeping Bear, so I slowed to a power walk and began stuffing Sports Beans in my mouth like it was my job. I ate and ate until the tingling went away. My stomach was pretty unhappy at that point, but the silver lining to IBS is I'm actually pretty proficient at ignoring that discomfort and carrying on. Looking at my splits, I lost only about two or three minutes there, and I'm sure I would've lost much more time if I let myself go over the edge.

I also had a crazy revelation at this point. My Garmin starts my lap pace over each mile (which I like), and there were a couple miles where the beginning was sheltered from the headwind...and I was running a sub-10 pace. What? Who was I? I'm not a runner who can run sub-10 miles in the last 10K of a marathon! But apparently I am. That was a huge moment for me. To go from not being able to run one 10 minute mile to running that pace at the end of a distance race in a couple years is a huge achievement for me!

The last few miles were on a bike path, which did offer some protection from the wind. A lot of people were beaten down at the point and walking, so I felt pretty good passing a lot of runners. Yet another thing I'm not used to! Maybe I need to give myself more credit.

The race finishes at TicketReturn.Com Field (yes, that name is super stupid). They are the farm team for the Cubs (who my parents love), but I couldn't coordinate taking my camera out for a picture at mile 26.

No pictures after mile 25!

The chute was almost .2 miles long and felt like it went on forever! I had promised myself earlier I wouldn't kick if I didn't want to, but I did try to pick it up at the very end. My legs were spent from fighting the wind, but I managed a sub-10 pace for the last bit.

Time: 4:51:07

Despite all the obstacles - a five minute PR! I was overcome with the same feelings I had after my first marathon and almost cried. It passed quickly, but it was still overwhelming. I finally accomplished a goal I've been chasing for over a year.

The chute continued for quite a ways past the finish line. I got my medal (placed around my neck!) and skipped the free picture area since I was alone. I hobbled to the food tent and was very pleased to find a police officer keeping out everyone without a bib. Considering how many people still tried to get in, they really needed someone with authority. I was super bummed the promised Krispy Kreme donuts were gone, but I got some pretzels to settle my stomach.

I retreated to a hill overlooking the chute to wait for Michael. I really wanted to walk back to the finish line to get pictures of him, but my legs just hurt to badly to contemplate moving. When I heard his name called, I did hobble back down the chute to meet him.

I picked up a few more snacks, including chocolate milk, and we found a curb to sit on. The group next to us had a Stick, and I was really tempted to ask to borrow it. My quads were so tight!

Overall, this race was awesome, and I would highly recommend it. It was well organized, and, as a Northerner, I found the course pretty scenic and interesting. The volunteers were awesome, and I never wanted for anything.

I think I needed this race to really fine tune what I learned at Stone Bridge. I need to just go inside myself from mile 8-12 until 20, then use music to power myself home. Bonks need to be addressed immediately.

Now the question is - can I gain back some of those lost minutes at Knoxville in five weeks?

Scrumpy Skedaddle 10K Recap

  I hope everyone is ready for a blast from the past, as my middle school band teacher would say. I put off this recap for so long that I gave up on doing it for awhile. However, my OCD can't handle having this race sticking out like a sore thumb on my recap page, so here we go - three months later.

Readers, please don't tell me if it's the second one.

Over this past summer, my coworker/friend started really getting into running. She started upping her distance when she discovered running outside is infinitely better than the treadmill. We even ran together quite a bit, which was a nice change of pace.

I did feel bad because she decided to start when we had an awful heat wave, so it was truly a trial by fire. But she kept it up regardless, which I give her major props for. (By the way, I don't know if she wants her name shared on my blog, so I will now refer to her as L, so I don't have to awkwardly use pronouns for this whole recap!)

L has done two 5Ks (apparently I never recapped the one we did together...so I can't link to it), and she was now interested in stepping up to the 10K. I think we had only one overlapping weekend free before winter, and there was one 10K being offered - the Scrumpy Skedaddle 10K.

But here's a picture proving it happened!

The Scrumpy Skedaddle was put on by Running Fit, which is the running store chain near where I grew up, so I knew it would be well-organized and a good first 10K. The race was about an hour away from us, but it didn't start until 10:30, so we didn't even have to get up stupid early.

L's brother joined us, and we caravaned down to Flushing. The drive wasn't too far, which just had a long-ish stretch on country roads to get to the apple orchard where the race was being held. There was only one entrance, so there was quite a backup getting in to park. L thought I was being way too anal retentive with our departure time, but we ended up having only about 15 minutes to spare.

After parking in a field (and getting our shoes completely soaked), we headed to packet pick-up. You could pick up for other people, so I ended up getting all three packets, while L and her brother got spots in the bathroom line. There weren't nearly enough port-a-potties, so this strategy worked out well. It didn't take overly long to get the packets, but we still had a bit of wait for the bathrooms by the time I returned.

We returned to the cars to drop off our stuff (L's brother had keyless entry, so I just put my keys in their car, which was a lifesaver!), and we all had to make our game time clothing decisions. It was in the mid-40s but very windy. But since I knew the course went through the orchards, I figured a lot of the time the wind would be blocked by the trees. I opted to keep my hat and gloves but stripped down to a t-shirt. Waiting for the gun was freezing cold, but I was very comfortable once we started running.

You can how bundled up lots of people were.

Now here's where it gets interesting. The race did start just about on time, but despite all our collective puzzling over the course map, we couldn't figure out where exactly we were going. Turns out, it didn't really matter, because the course had changed last minute. The county decided to redo the bridge we needed, so the course had to be re-routed (and ended up being a tad bit short).

I wish the race had let us know, and I also wish they had let us know ahead of time it would be a cross-country style course. Since everything was so so muddy, I would've worn an old pair of shoes that could've just been thrown out afterwards. I think my new shoes were coated in mud for a good month after this race!

In any case, we were off through the apple orchards. I normally despise running on grass with a terrible passion, but I guess the rain had softened everything enough that my Achilles didn't feel like they were about to explode with every step. I'm as surprised as anyone, but I really enjoyed the course and would be interested in doing more cross-country style races in the future.

My secret goal for the race was to beat L. I knew my legs were very tired from the Monument Marathon the week before, and I was way out of shape. My plan was to keep her in sight and wait for her to positive split and pass her then. I thought the fact L would positive split was a given since it was her first 10K (not trying to put her down, it's just very common!), but as the race continued, we were the same distance apart.

I was still surprising myself with how well I was running, turning in 9:30 min/miles, which was a lot faster than my expectations. I had my normal mental struggles between the fourth and fifth mile mark, but I now expect this in 10Ks and basically ignored it. By the time I hit mile five, I realized I had a big decision to make.

L had started increasing the gap at this point, and I had to decide whether to catch her or let her go. Usually I'm very much about competing with just myself at races, but for some reason (maybe because I thought I had a real chance), I decided to go for it. I think I frightened the other racers as I suddenly took off like a bat out of hell trying to catch her. I did so almost in fartlek fashion - making up ground and then maintaining for a bit to catch my breath.

I also knew the key at this point was not to actually pass L until the very last possible moment. I'm convinced I honestly have about zero fast-twitch fibers in my body. Just about anyone can beat me in a sprint. Even simply thinking about having to suddenly explode and keep up the pace makes me a little queasy.

Somehow I ran that last mile 40 seconds faster than I had been averaging, in 8:49(!!). I felt like I was dying, but at this point I was hanging right off L's shoulder and knew I couldn't give up everything I worked for. It was so tempting, but I knew I would be terribly disappointed in myself if I had killed myself for that great split and then didn't convert it into anything.

The race finished with a final turn before the last .1-ish miles. The plan was to pass L about 50% of the way down to give me enough space to make my move but not enough time for her to react. (I later found out L thought anoter lady running off her other shoulder was me, and that's why she ran such a killer pace at the end.) I was really excited at this point that I was about to beat someone by executing a real race plan.

Spoiler alert - it was all for naught. The 5K and 10K merged near the end, so we were caught up with the 5K walkers, who were honestly not being very respectful of the 10K runners. Right before the turn, L almost got squashed between the walkers and a construction barricade and had to turn sidewise. Of course she turned in my direction, realized it was me, and took off. I chased as hard as I could (and the last bit of the race was at a sub-8 pace), but I just couldn't catch her. L beat me by a few seconds.

Time: 57:38

I thought I would be disappointed with how the race ended, but I honestly wasn't. I had pushed myself so hard, far harder than I thought I could, and had a solid race plan that was only foiled by a freak incident. I also found I wasn't jealous of L at all, and I was genuinely excited for her finish time. This will make me sound like a terrible person, but it took me months to go sub-60 in a 10K, and she did it her first try. I honestly expected to feel pretty upset about that (so petty, I know), but I didn't.

After finding L's brother, we went back to our cars to get our jackets to wait in line for the finishers' breakfast and cider. Apparently the pancake company promised Running Fit lines no longer than 15 minutes, but I think we waited over an hour. The race was a little pricey because it included the breakfast, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out.

The pancakes were really good, as was the cider. I opted for the soft cider since I'm allergic to hard cider. But I was really excited to learn after studying the bottle L's brother bought, that apparently organic hard cider is sulfite-free, meaning I can enjoy one of my favorite adult beverages! I just have to act like a hippie to do it. There was also a bluegrass band playing, and that was fun to listen to while we waited and ate.

I love long-sleeve cotton shirts! I wear this one all the time.

I also really like the mugs!

There were quite a few problems with this race, but Running Fit actually sent an email out a few days later apologizing and outlining what they would change the following year. The email addressed pretty much every problem we encountered (a lot of which weren't the RD's fault, like the bridge closng), and I know RF is a reputable company and put on a lot of great races, so I wouldn't hesitate to run this one again. I better start getting my speed back now!