Some LSD

Since my parents live so close to Gainesville, we packed up the dogs and headed south to pay them a visit. This was the first time Roscoe would be meeting his maternal grandparents, and I'd say he made a very good impression (minus the part where he got his head stuck in between the freezer and the closet door).

My parents live on some property that is fenced in on all sides, so the dogs were able to have at it until their little running hearts were content.


Roscoe also met his Uncle (?) Jake, my parents' 14 year old Collie. Fun was had by all =)


Somewhere in between having fun with the doggies, we visited my parents as well.

And then there was some L.S.D. (long slow distance).


Emphasis on the slow. Once we knew we'd be visiting my parents, I was able to easily convince my dad to go out on a long run with me. The plan was 20 miles down the Suncoast Trail, a nicely paved running/biking trail that runs through three counties north of Tampa alongside the Suncoast Parkway.


Before our 6:30 AM start, my dad placed a 'drop' bag at our turn around point (with water, PB&Js, some coke, etc) 10 miles down the trail. Well, it was suppose to be 10 miles but an hour or so into the run, he casually mentioned in was more like 11 miles. A bit later, he sheepishly admitted it might be more like 12.5 miles. Um, that's a 25 mile run.

Mmmmmhmmm. Never trust some one who is crazy enough to run 100 milers.

After 12.5 miles and a quarter PB&J, I turned around for the 12.5 mile return. I was pretty tired from my previous three hard runs that week and really didn't know if I had it in me. My legs were feeling it.

Long story short, I ended up calling David for what SUAR would call a "pussy pick up." I made it 22 miles, which is still 2 miles further than I wanted to go, but still 3 miles short of what we were 'on target for.'

Could I have gone another 3 miles? Probably. But the moment I saw the car and climbed in, I knew I made the right choice. I had almost 40 miles this week and a 10k PR. You could have stuck a fork in me.

When we got home, Roscoe comforted me while I soaked my feet in the freezing cold pool.


Tonight I have a hot date with my Tommie Copper sleeves and the TV for the Florida/Florida State game! Go Gators!!

Lloyd Clarke Sports 10k Turkey Trot

This morning, the family and I participated in the Lloyd Clarke Sports Turkey Trot. Whew! That's a mouthful to say!

Since we found ourselves in the sparkling city of Gainesville, Florida this year, we decided to participate in the Gainesville Turkey Trot (this makes the 4th different city I've done a Turkey Trot in).

I knew a few things going into this race- it was small (Gainesville is a college town and during holiday breaks, the population falls by more than half) and it had trails. In fact, I read one race recap that whined about how hard the trails were for this race. I'll get to that later.

The start time was pretty late - 8:30 AM - which meant I could sleep in and we could casually make our way to through the deserted streets of Alachua County. With David and our parents and the two kids in tow, it was a pretty full car! We arrived, parked, and made our way to the start with incredible ease.


There was a fairly long line at the bathrooms, so I opted to 'hold it.' Pre-race jitters send me to the porta-potty line, but I really had none of those this morning. My goal was to run strong and finish strong. No time goals since I assumed the "difficult trails" would derail my pace.

With about 5 minutes before the start, everyone headed down the road a quarter mile to an unmarked starting line. We all huddled together for warmth (it was windy) and waited. And waited.

A gunshot went off, cuing us to move forward.

We started off on a road that quickly turned onto a limestone-like gravel road and then onto a well-driven grassy path. The grass slowly turned into sand covered in pine-needles. We were surrounded by trees that were covered in Spanish moss. It was beautiful.

Not from today, but you get the picture

There was a lot of weaving, slowing down, passing, grunting, etc for the first mile. For real, walkers, start in the back!

The first three and a half miles were through "trails." Actually, I'm not sure I would even call them trails. It was more like grassy areas where cars had worn down a wide path. It had little sand/rocks/pits, and they spray painted every single root and stump.

I mean come on, can you really call it a trail race with every potential tripping hazard painted bright orange? That just takes all the fun out of it!

Nonetheless, it was a nice change of scenery from your typical 'road race' and I appreciated the beauty we were running through.

Mile 1: 9:28
Mile 2: 9:07
Mile 3: 9:14
Mile 4: 9:08

We came back to a paved road and the parking lot where our first water stop was. There weren't a whole lot of spectators for this race (obviously), and the few dozen people that were there were cheering for one or two runners in particular. It's always awkward when you run past spectators that aren't even making eye contact with you.

The next mile was mostly on pavement. Since I didn't have to worry about picking my feet up or staring down at the ground, I was able to pick up my pace a little. I tried to keep a quick gate, pump my arms, and relax. And holy moly, did it work!

Mile 5: 8:51
Mile 6: 8:37

What is crazy about these two miles is: I didn't feel like I was working that hard! Could it be that I'm really getting faster?!?!

Miles 5.5 to the end was through a big grassy, open field. I really had to work to keep my pace in the upper 8s. I thought about how funny it was that I went into this race wanting to "take it easy" and enjoy myself. As I trotted my way to a new PR, I realized I really don't know how to take it easy. Really, it takes my getting sick or injured to keep me from going all out.

As I emerged/glided/busted out of the woods to what I thought was an almost immediate finish line, I realized there was still .2 miles to go. I was starting to get that nauseated, light-headed feeling of running too hard, and realizing the finish wasn't right there really played with my head. I decided to slow up a bit and maybe even walk for a second.

Then I heard my mom-in law yell my name and cheer me on. Ahh! I've been spotted- now I MUST keep running!

I reasoned with myself that .2 miles was less than 2 minutes, and I can do anything for two minutes, right? So I picked it up, sucked in some more wind, and pulled through to the finish line with a shiny new, 10k PR: 55:40.

While this race had timing chips and a finish mat, there was no start mat. Since I started in the back, I obviously didn't cross the 'start' right when the gun went off. My chip time is about 15 seconds slower, so I think I'm going to go with my Garmin time =)

Overall, it was a pretty good race. If you go into the Gainesville Turkey Trot with realistic expectations (aka- not expecting it to be the world's next greatest road race) you wont be disappointed. It was small, well organized, and gorgeous. The terrain was easy to navigate and ideal for a beginning trail runner. Even a half blind dog walked the 2 mile 'fun run' with no problem ;)


Now, to plot out my new 10k time goal....

Oooh look! Puppies with matching Christmas scarves!



How do you force yourself to take it easy?

Do you think trail races are "PR-able?"

Virtual Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving races are probably my favorite of all time. There's just something about waking up super early on a holiday, running with a bunch of people down the middle of a road, and then sitting back to enjoy a nice meal with family.

In addition to the Gainesville Turkey Trot, I 'signed' up for Ashley aka Redonk Runner's Virtual 4 Mile Turkey Trot! David stumbled upon the 'bib' for this race and gave me a blank stare. Based on his vacant expression, I assumed he had no idea what a 'virtual' race was, so I thought I'd try my hand at explaining it.

Bonus points if you can tell me the significance of 41-14.

A virtual race is an event that can be done at any specified time and it can take place anywhere. Since this was a 4 mile race, I went out this morning to run 4 miles and then took a picture of my 'race bib' and will e-mail it to the 'race director.' Sounds simple, right?


The awards or prizes for the race are up to each race director. Some award fastest, most unique, furthest, etc. In this case, my race entry will transfer into a giveaway entry that might win me some pretty cool swag.

Since Ashley is Miss Speedy Pants, I knew I couldn't submit a race time of anything less than my fastest, gut-wrenching best. I got out there and put the hammer down, and achieved negative splits!

Mile 1: 9:22
Mile 2: 8:59
Mile 3: 8:58 <--- barely negative
Mile 4: 8:22 <--- holy heck, batman! that's my fastest mile ever!

Which equals 35:43. Thank you, Ashley, for creating this event and giving me the opportunity to push myself to achieve some new personal bests!

Garmin says I'm pretty much awesome.

These numbers give me some hope that I might be able to crack my previous 5k PR of 26:48 in the coming months. Hopefully this will translate into that all-elusive sub 2 hour half that I've been chasing....



If you're interested in participating in Redonk Runner's virtual Turkey Trot, go enter! You don't have to have a blog, just run and take a picture of you and your bib!

Wallowing

I know you all have been missing me lately. I've been busy wallowing in a sea of dirty tissues, Nyquil, and orange juice. Apparently, the "marathon sniffles" are for real.

According to an article in the recent Runner's World, we're the most susceptible to getting sick during the one to two weeks after a hard run or race, like a marathon. Running that long produces lots of cortisol (a chemical our bodies make when we're stressed) which weakens the immune system.

Combine that with the germ fest of sweaty runners, high fives, hugs, and a sick husband, and it's no wonder that I've fallen victim to the sniffles.


That or it's karma from telling the doctor how much I didn't want the flu shot...

Either way, my ailment has caused me to take another week easy. One week of taper, one week of recovery, and one week of being sick is killing me! I have a schedule to keep, after all.

But as soon as I felt I had the upper hand, I got to the gym for my first day of Stage 4 in NROLFW. I also got in a few short runs and another weight session, but made sure to take it really easy. This morning I woke up feeling pretty good, so I decided to go for a long(ish) run.

I wouldn't call it my fastest 10 miles, but I felt awesome! While I was out, I ran into another guy running roughly the same pace and we actually did a few miles together. I made a new running friend! It was really nice running with someone else. I need to look into joining some running groups. Or maybe I'll just stalk him until I know his running schedule so I'm always starting at the same time.

I'll admit, the part of my run I was looking forward to the most was afterwords: trying out my new Tommie Copper knee sleeves! They've been waiting patiently for me to get over my sniffles.


It's too soon to know if they're really doing anything, but after a few runs, I'll let you know what I think!


Also, Roscoe would like to know when Tommie Copper will start outfitting dogs with compression wear. Afterall, he runs too... (mostly away from me).


Do you run solo or with friends?

If you wear compression gear, what brand and what er, body part?

Do you run when you're sick? (if it's above the shoulders, I think it's ok. Right?)

Thank you for giving me banana recipes! Kristin's chocolate chip banana bread cookies and Joanna's crockpot banana bread especially peaked my interest! Will you leave a link for the recipes in the comments?

I'm on Fiyaaa!

I had to do a little convincing and self-talk to get myself out the door for my run this afternoon, but once I got out there and started- everything felt great! I can't believe I'm 8 days post-marathon and feeling this strong!

It started out as a 'slow recovery, enjoy the day' kind of run. I left my Garmin at home and listened to my body. But then there were some downhills, and some cars, and some other runners, and some cyclists... and the next thing I know I'm cookin' at the speed of light (9:00/mile) and there's no stopping me! I was on fiiiyaaaa! (and I kept hearing that quote from Spinal Tap, "this one goes up to 11!")

I think my running outfit had everything to do with my speed though. Yes, it's true. Your clothes help you run faster.


The Thunder Road marathon expo was in town and I found this totally awesome Brooks "Run Happy" shirt on clearance! Score! I also found some really cool arm sleeves. Here's a closer look at my coolness.


I just don't know how David keeps his hands off me. Clearly I'm the bee's knees.

Speaking of Thunder Road, I figured since I wasn't running it, I would volunteer at it! I went with my best running friend in the world, Lynn! (Lynn is new to the blogging world, so go on over to her blog and show her some love!)

We signed up for the second half of the day, which involved being at the finish line for the marathon finishers (and the last few half marathoners). After wandering around for 30 minutes to find volunteer sign in or where to get our shirts (to no avail), we hopped in the finish chute and started handing out Gatorade.

This might have been a posed picture...

I really enjoyed volunteering at the finish line! I definitely recognized the look on each marathon-finisher's face having been there only one week prior.

There was a 6 hour cut off to finish the marathon, and toward the five and a half mark, people were starting to tear down tables and take down signs. For some reason, this really bothered me. I made it my mission to stay until the very last finisher crossed that line to offer my congrats and some food/drink.

It was interesting to see the difference in attitude between the sub-4:00 finishers and those who finished closer to 5-6 hours. Hardly anyone talked to us or smiled in the first category, but nearly every runner smiled and thanked us for being there in the latter.

One of the perks of being a finish line volunteer, we found out, is we got our pick of the the leftover bananas, Gatorade, granola bars, etc. I took a handful of larabars and granola bars and an entire box of bananas! (hey, they said we could, and I figured it made up for the lack of organization and our missing t-shirts). I now have 10 lbs of bananas sitting on my counter and no idea what to do with them. Suggestions?


And since yesterday was a walk down memory lane, I thought I'd share some pictures of our journey through Thunder Road last year (you can read the recap here).

Lynn and I got this crazy idea to train for a half marathon sometime last summer. Having wanted to do a half for quite a while but never following through on it, I agreed to train with her. The rest is history. We did every long run together, starting from 4 miles all the way to race day.



If it weren't for Lynn, I probably wouldn't have gotten up at 5:30 in the morning for long runs, I definitely would have thrown in the towel during the cooler temps, and I would never have gotten to the starting line of my first half marathon. Yay Lynn for pushing me to do great things!!

And... her husband is my chiropractor, who fixes me every time I do crazy things like run marathons.


If you had 10 pounds of bananas, what would you do with them?

Go check out Lynn's blog and show her some love!!

Describe your favorite running outfit/shirt/gear!!

New Goals

My post marathon week has been fruitful for making new goals and disastrous for my wallet. If I can't go out and hit the roads, then I'm going to find races and register for them! I've been staring at my completed training schedule on my fridge for all of six days and I'm already getting ants in my pants.

Bye, bye marathon training schedule!

Must make new schedule. Must check off each run. Must have new goal.... anyone else Type A? It's a curse, really...

So here's what I've been up to this week.

• Gainesville Turkey Trot

How can you call yourself a runner and NOT run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?? (I kid!) I love running Turkey Trots so this year will be no different. We'll be in Gainesville with family this year, so David and I, along with Little Paws, Crazy Face, and my mom and dad in-laws will be participating in the ever-scenic Alachua County Trot of Turkeys.

Shameless vegetarian plug...

• Huntersville Holiday 5k

I registered for this race a few months ago, knowing I would be coming off my marathon high and most likely in need of a pick me up. There is an accompanying half marathon, but I kind of want to sit on the other side of the fence for a while. Go short and have fun- leave that 13.1 one for the hardcore crazies! Plus, the course is pretty hilly.

• Elf 5k

This will be the first race the Mt. Mourne Vol. Fire Dept has put on and it will be through the scenic streets of Mooresville (that's sarcasm, fyi). It's on Christmas Eve and I'm hoping I might possibly place in my age group since there won't be too many people registered. You hear me, people? Don't register for this race! It's mine! =)

• Croom Zoom 50k (aka: the Mack Daddy of my entire racing/running career)

(You can read my Croom Zoom 25k report here)

Say wha?!?! Yes, 50k. As in, a marathon plus 4 miles. It's crazy. I'm crazy for entering it. Let me rewind. If you're new to this blog, my dad is an ultramarathoner. He's completed a handful of 100 milers, dozens of 100ks and even more 50ks. He eats the marathon distance for breakfast and laughs at all us weenies that 'only' go 26.2 miles.

He ran my first marathon with me on the roads, so I thought it only fitting to run my first 50k with him on trails. I know he's been waiting for me to run an ultra with him since I started taking running seriously (maybe even since I started walking) and I figured since he suffered through Savannah with me, this was the least I could do.

It also means more 20+mile runs and (shudder!) running through the winter. But aside from a few 20 milers, some back to back long runs and some trail runs, I really have no idea how to train for this beast. So please, if you've run a 50k, help!


Ok ok, and one more picture of my snugly dogs. You know I can't resist showing you pictures =)


What's on your race calendar?

Are you a Holiday Racer? If so, what's your favorite holiday to race on?

Any tips for a first time 50k-er?

(I decided it's time I start responding to as many comments as possible, so if you ask a question be sure to check back! I'm so grateful that you take the time to comment I wanted to prove to you I read and love each and every one!)

RnR Savannah: The Good and The Bad

In all honesty, I had to heavily edit my Savannah Marathon recap. There were quite a few kinks in the system for the inaugural event that gave a lot of people, myself included, a rather large headache. I started typing away at my recap Saturday evening only to reread my work the following day and realize how much criticism I had.

I chose not to include the negative in my race recap because my first marathon really was an amazing experience. Both the RnR Series and Savannah treated me very well!

First, some facts.

According to the Savannah Morning News, there were about 19,500 runners and 49,000 spectators that came out this past weekend.

At the starting line, it was announced that 12,500 participants were in the half marathon and 7,000 in the full.

Savannah was an 'experiment' for the Rock n Roll series as it is the smallest city on the RnR 18-stop series.

The race was capped at 23,000 this year. Next year, they're increasing the cap to 28,000.

The race brought in $23 million and was larger than Savannah's St. Patty's Day event (the city's largest event).

Now... some opinions!

Let me reiterate- this was my first marathon experience and it was phenomenal. The RnR people really have their stuff together, and the residents of Savannah treated us runners like royalty!

Being as how it was the inaugural race for the city, there were (as would be expected) plenty of snafus.

Holding the race expo at the convention center might have been the right location, but transportation there was awful. As far as I can tell, there is only one way on the island and one way off, and that is on a tiny little bridge with two lanes in each direction. We waited in traffic for over an hour on the bridge, spent another 30 minutes getting from the convention grounds to a parking spot and another 30 minutes back to the car. That's gotta be fixed! I understand Friday evening is rush-hour for packet pick up, but people who work and/or are coming in from out of town have no other choice.

The city really stepped it up on race day to get people in and out of downtown so there wouldn't be 50,000 people fighting over 500 parking spots. They brought in buses and drivers from surrounding cities that drove us from the Savannah Mall to the starting area. Unfortunately, a lot of the out of town drivers didn't know where they were going and ended up circling downtown or getting lost on the way there. We were lucky to have a Savannah native on our bus who directed our driver exactly where to turn.

The course. Ah. What to say about the course.

In short, the course was nothing to get excited about. I thought we would be running through more of downtown and not through the 'inner-city' paper mill area, and certainly not on the highway! In fact, I have not come across one person who DIDN'T have bad things to say about running on that highway. It was windy, inclined, and almost completely vacant of people. For the first half of a marathon, that's fine. But for miles 21-24, it's killer.

I realize it's difficult to find 26 miles of roads to run without looping. And I realize it's even more difficult to find the police force to make it safe for runners (the police were incredible, by the way! I even got some high fives from them!). But in all honesty, the race course left a lot to be desired.

What was simply phenomenal about the course were the bands, cheer squads, and spectators. I have never run a race with so much cheering, applause, encouragement, or energy. It really helped give me the drive to keep going. Major kudos to the city of Savannah!

My final complaint, and this is rather insignificant, is: Cytomax? Really? Who drinks that stuff? Get some standard sports drinks like Gatorade or Powerade.


So was fighting the crowds and waiting in lines and sitting in traffic worth it for my first marathon? Absolutely!

Was fighting the crowds, etc etc worth it for a Rock 'n' Roll marathon? I'm not sure.

Will I ever do another marathon? Yes. Yes I will. After all, I've now got a time to beat! =)



If you ran Savannah, or another RnR series event, what do you have to add? Do you think it's worth it?

Marathon Recovery

Ok first of all- all you guys rock! I've never had so many comments on a single post before! You sure do know how to make a girl feel special =)

So how does one recover from a marathon, exactly?

1. Sleep
2. Eat
3. Sleep some more
4. Follow up with eating

Can you spot me?

How 'bout now? Hey, at least I don't look as crazy as the lady behind me!
And uh... who is doing "Live Long and Prosper" to my right? ;)

All things considered, I'm feeling pretty good after running 26.2 miles on Saturday! Sure I had some aches and pains the day of the marathon, but most of them had gone away by the next morning. Of course, spending 5 hours in the car driving back to Charlotte didn't help work out the stiffness.

Ok, so maybe it didn't look like I was doing ok. But I was.

By Monday, all the aches and pains had vanished and all I was left with was stiffness in my knees. Well, the area behind my knees. It's my Achilles heel. I was really looking forward to buying some compression sleeves for my knees at the expo but they were nowhere to be found. I broke down yesterday and ordered a pair from Tommie Copper. Yep. I'm a bandwagon jumper.

Today I'm proud to report I feel great! In fact, I'm itching to put my running shoes on and go for a spin!

As far as my appetite is concerned, it's back in full force! One of my very favorite things about running is the insane amount of food you get to eat to rebuild your muscles. Since the marathon, I've finished every meal feeling full only to feel empty an hour later! It's like the food goes into my stomach and then disappears.

And of course, spending time with the snuggle monsters aid in recovery too.


In all seriousness, I think my recovery is going so splendidly because I took care of myself on race day. I made sure to drink in regular intervals both water and Gatorade, took three Gus (was that overkill? Maybe...), ate some bagels at the finish line and then washed them down with a splash of beer (never underestimate the recovery power of beer).

A few miles into the marathon, my knee was starting to hurt. Luckily my Dad is the next best thing to an apothecary and gave me some naproxen which seemed to do the trick. Now I'm not saying drugs are the answer to masking pain so you can keep running, but it worked for that one time, and maybe the following day, to relieve some discomfort.

Now that I'm three days out from the marathon, I'm starting to get itchy legs- they want to get out for a run! Don't fret- I'm not going to run for a few more days. I will be going for some long walks with the kids, and I will enjoy the beautiful red and orange leaves, cooler temps, and the awesome medal hanging around my neck =)

And here is one more bad race photo to leave you with.

Awkward post-finish line photo. Does anyone ever look good in these?!?!

Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Race Recap

It's over. After five months of training, two pairs of running shoes and countless long runs, I have become what I never thought I would be: I am a marathoner.


David and I made the rainy 5 hour drive from Charlotte on Friday afternoon. We checked into our hotel room, dropped our stuff off and headed the the race expo.

We stayed a bit north of Savannah so it was about a 30 minute drive to the Convention Center. Or rather, it was suppose to be a 30 minute drive. I'm not sure the Rock 'n Roll planners took into consideration the fact that the Convention center is on a tiny little island that only has a 4 lane bridge leading to it. We were stuck in traffic for a good hour longer than expected to even get into the parking area for the expo.

Once we got into the expo, things went smoothly. Packet pick up was very quick and painless, as was moving up a corral and getting the race t-shirt, which I LOVE!



After we left the expo, we sat in some more traffic before making our way to dinner. Originally we were going to eat on the River, but there was WAY too many people for that. So we started a wild goose chase to find a pizza restaurant that lasted for over 90 minutes. We eventually found a hole in the wall joint that seemed completely overwhelmed by the amount of people suddenly in Savannah.

Upon getting back to the hotel and gathering my things for the following morning, I realized I had forgotten to bring my throw-away sweatshirt! It was suppose to be in the 40s and I only had a short sleeve running shirt! Luckily, I always have a spare sweatshirt in my car so I decided it would have to do. I didn't really want to part with my Gator sweatshirt, but I also didn't want to freeze to death.

At 10:00, I tucked myself to bed for a fitful night's sleep. But really, who actually sleeps the night before a marathon?!?!

Saturday morning, we left the hotel at 5am for the Savannah Mall where we boarded a bus that took us to the starting area in downtown Savannah.

We got to the start good and early. There were no lines for the porta potties and we were able to snag prime real estate next to the heat-producing generator that was powering the lights. It was pretty stinking cold and windy.

I'll miss that sweatshirt- but it definitely kept me warm!

After a really long time, we started to line up in Corral #15. There were 25 corrals total. The Star Spangled Banner was sung and the first gun went off. And we stood still. The second gun went off. Still we stood. The third gun went off... and we stood motionless. Almost 20 minutes after the start of the race, our group scooted up to the starting line where we were given the go-ahead to begin our 26.2 mile journey.

Can you see the giant goober next to the guy in the white hat? That's me =)

I was finally doing it- running my first marathon!


The first 6 miles were through older neighborhoods close to the paper mills so our noses were treated to the lovely aroma of sulfer. While this neighborhood wouldn't be considered ideal by most, I feel like it had the the best community support. Nearly everyone was out on their porch or front lawn, saying "good morning, y'all!" and "thanks for being here! Good luck!" Southern hospitality at its finest!

Miles 7 and 8 were back through what is considered downtown Savannah. There were HUGE crowds waiting for us, yelling and clapping. It was amazing!


Miles 9-11 were through a very nice neighborhood with lots of big houses. Members of the community were out on their lawns cheering us on at this point as well, but they had mimosas in their hands and weren't quite as outgoing.

Shortly after running through this neighborhood, the marathoners and half marathoners split. I must admit- it felt strange heading for the 26.2 instead of the 13.1! I was still feeling great at this point.

We ran a few miles on a raised highway- which was fine on the way out because the wind was at our back. Another 10 miles through neighborhoods and parks until we looped back around to the highway.

The highway wasn't as kind the second time around. It was at mile 22 that my "run .9 miles walk .1" kind of crashed and burned. Up until this point, I was running pretty strong and then taking a short 30 second walk break. When we started up the on-ramp and were met with a cold wind, my tired legs revolted. I was afraid I was hitting the infamous "wall." (turns out I never hit the wall!)

After mile marker 23, I was entering uncharted territory. The furthest I've put under my feet was 23 miles at the Grand Canyon. Miles 23-26.2 would be a PDR (personal distance record).

I had to keep reminding myself it was mind over matter at this point. Although I couldn't have recited this quote word for word, I was definitely thinking about it at this point:

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired... You've got to make the mind take over and keep going." - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

After what seemed like an eternity, we made it off the highway and back into the streets. I was greeted by more crowds and shouting people. As soon as I saw the flag for mile marker 25, I got a surge of adrenaline. Yes, everything from the waist down (as well as the waist up) ached, but I dug down to the deepest depths of myself to grab whatever energy I had left.


Mile 26 was my fastest- 10:10. People were shouting that we had almost run a marathon and to keep going. I repeated my mantra over and over in my head, "this is your race!" I fought every fiber of my being that wanted to stop and walk. For that last .2 miles, I gave everything that I had.


I crossed the finish line in 4:42:31.

After a volunteer made sure I wasn't going to pass out, I made my way through the water and bagel line, got my space blanket, and took in the moment. There was a little staggering involved.


My dad gave me a hug and we posed for a father-daughter picture.


I sat down amongst hundreds of other marathon finishers to give my aching body a rest. The sun felt wonderful. My free cup of beer tasted great. And the medal hanging around my neck made everything worth it.


There are so many more things I'd like to say, but this post is insanely long already. Huge thanks to my mom and David for encouraging us, taking pictures, and being our race crew.

My poor sick hubby who never once made a peep about being dragged out on the streets at 5am with a cold. Love that guy!

And a HUGE, HUGE thank you to all of you who have offered me encouragement along the way! Your comments, tweets and e-mails mean the world to me!

So... what's next?

Marathon Brain

Warning: this post is a ramble post. I blame it on marathon brain.

The Savannah Marathon is in 36 hours.


I haven't quite decided if I'm more nervous or more excited. Every time I think about Saturday, I get butterflies in my stomach and then feel like I need to run to the bathroom. Then my fingers and legs get all tingly. And then I remember the Savannah Marathon is in less than 2 days. The cycle repeats.

In my wildest dreams, I never ever thought I would ever be physically (or mentally) capable of running a marathon. When I ran my first half at Thunder Road in December 2010, I never would have guessed that a mere one year later, I would be lining up for a full marathon.

My number one goal for the Savannah Marathon was to get to the starting line injury free. Unless I somehow manage to injury myself while walking in the next 36 hours, I've successfully met that goal. Other goals include:

• A Goal: First and foremost, I want to enjoy this marathon, give it my all, and feel good. Relatively good. I know running a marathon wont feel good. You know what I mean. I want to soak it all up from the crowds to the runners to that crazy "holy crap I'm running a MARATHON!" feeling.
• B Goal: If things are feeling good, I'd love to finish sub-5 hours. Why sub-5 hours? I don't know. Clearly, a lot of thought went into this goal.
• C Goal: If things are feeling really good, I'd love to finish around 4:45. That would require just under an 11:00/pace.
  

The plan of action is this: fill my camelbak with the purple (but not grape) flavored Gatorade. Take a Gu every hour. Nibble on a Clif Bar if I'm feeling hungry. For the first 13.1 miles I will (attempt to) run the first .9 of every mile and then walk the remaining tenth. This should slow me down and help me save some energy (and it's exactly what I did in my long training runs).

For miles 13-20, I'm going to run based on how my body feels, walking when I need to, and try to keep it around a 10:45 pace. For the last 10k, it's balls to the wall. But after having already run 20 miles, I'm sure my balls to the wall won't be too impressive.


I know I can do this. In fact, there has never been a time in my training where I ever doubted my ability to run 26.2 miles. So why am I so nervous? Why is my stomach in knots?

I'm suppose to get one more easy run in today. Three miles. It seems so pointless! And the fact that I'm under a warm blanket with two perfectly happy doggies doesn't make me want to move. note: this run never happened. oops.


Ok, one more inspirational saying. I love this one:


Here we gooooooooooo!!!!! =)