I can remember the first taste I had of the Army. My roommates Laura and Carol had invited me on a weekend survival trip with the USCA Army ROTC at Fort Gordon, GA. It was a good diversion from the weekend studying I had planned.
The weekend was full of road marches, survival tips and my favorite land navigation (not!). The rest as they say, is history. I was hooked. So much so, the following week I enrolled in Army ROTC and two years later I was commissioned as an Officer in the US Army. I served in Somalia, Panama and South Korea. I have seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer, but I wouldn’t change that experience one bit. I have extreme gratitude to have served our great country as a female solider. It is so great to see how far women have come in all of the forces. We make the circle whole.
Tom morrow I will be participating in my first run in the DC area ~ the Veteran’s Day 10k & 2 mile walk. The proceeds will go to the local chapter of Team Red, White and Blue. I picked up my packet today:
The shirt is super sweet because it has long sleeves. I’m almost tempted to wear it tomorrow, but alas that is a running faux pas. It’s going to be cold tomorrow, so I purchased some Brooks™ running gloves. We’ll see how warm they keep me. Happy Miles to You!!
Happy Tuesday my friends! I hope the start of your week is a good one. I am getting excited about this weeks race and it looks to be a clear but cold day. Better than rainy and cold. Planning for two miles today and some strength exercises.
Something to think about….
“Above all be the heroine of your life, not the victim”.
Happy Sunday Everyone!! Nothing like a three-day weekend, right? If you are enjoying one, then good for you. I’m back and rested from my fourth half marathon ~ Fly to Pie in Newport, Vermont. This is a great milestone for me because I am now halfway there! I only have 5651.43 miles left to go. When I say I’m halfway there I laugh and think of the movie Dumb and Dumber. Do you remember the scene where Jim Carrey is trying to win the affection of Mary. She tells the character there’s a one and a million chance that they will be together and he replies “So you’re telling me there’s a chance”!
Ha! Meaning there’s such a long way to go ~ but my determination and positivity is on point!
Fly to Pie Race Recap
~ The registration
This was positively the most frustrating and strange race I have competed. As you remember from previous posts, this race was advertised on Active.com. I have always wanted to see New England and I was excited to give Vermont a try. From the beginning everything was difficult. The website, the registration, trying to get information on packet pick up, and where exactly was the race starting etc. I was constantly calling and emailing the closer I got to the race date. The person who was in charge was waaaayyyy too laid back for this girl. Called a couple of times for him only to tell me he was busy with the swim event at the moment and would get back to me as soon as he could. Well, that never happened and I found myself packing and setting out for Vermont with a mere start line address and nothing else. But as you know, that’s how I roll.
~ The drive up
I love dragging my friends with me to these events. The way I look at it, hey I’m going to run this thing…then we can have fun! I took my friend Rajni Anderson and it was truly a girls trip! We got a late start on Friday night and ended up staying in Delaware the first night. Sign in (uh huh) was to take place on Saturday 9 – 5 at the Newport airport. I knew I was not going to make the time. Normally, I would have been really stressed about this, but for some strange reason I wasn’t. I think everything was already crazy enough that I decided if I didn’t find the start line ~ I would make my own start line ~ somewhere somehow. The drive up was great once we got past NYC. The leaves slowly started to change into the brilliant Autumn colors. When we finally got to the state of Vermont that’s when we really started to see the Fall foliage. The countryside of Vermont is absolutely beautiful. Rolling hills, streams, rocky edges and farms dotted the countryside. I even saw a black bear! It was on the side of the road (not dead) but just mulling around. At first I didn’t know what I was seeing! You get used to the usually stuff like deer etc., but a bear! It was very, very cool.
We rolled into Newport around 5:30. I decided to make reservations at a Bed and Breakfast suggested on the race site called the Little Gnesta. Little Gnesta It was a cute B&B run by a super lady named Ruth. I really liked Ruth. She was a transplant from Ohio and about 67 years old. We had conversations about politics and every day things. She knew the person who was in charge of the race and actually called him to let him know I was here and to expect me tomorrow morning. Ruth ows two houses that are B&Bs. When I asked her how she liked running them she said she liked it but she didn’t want to do it for this rest of her life. She said she wanted to sell one and then go traveling. She had a lot of stuff to still to do ~ I love it. There is no better thing to hear a 67-year-old say, yeah this is great but there’s still more to do! Newport is a small town. It’s funny because I always thought of Vermont being populated by wealthy people, ski lodges and cute second homes dotting the countryside. Although there is some of that, the realism is Vermont only has about 650,000 people in the whole state and there is a lot of poverty and mostly dairy-farming. It’s funny how we think certain places are by things we hear or what we may see on the Hallmark channel.
Here are some pics of Newport I took:
Our room in the Little Gnesta
Flowers at the dock.
Boats on the Lake
~ The Race
The race started at 9:00 am. That alone should tell you all you need to know. I will say, it was nice to have a race start at a decent time. Here was my race kit:
Bought a whole new much-needed kit.
The new outfit I bought was great, but it was a little chilly for me and I had to opt for a long sleeve shirt instead of the cute sleeveless one.
The race was to begin at the Newport International Airport. For the life of me I can’t imagine what plane internationally would be landing there. It was a normal community sized airport. But hey, what do I know. I showed up at about 8:15, signed in, got my number (407) and my t-shirt. I was really hoping I would have the number 409 ~ get it? So, you are probably wondering, what is Fly to Pie. What that means is we were running to a restaurant called Parker Pie. At the end was beer and pizza. The perfect ending for any race.
There were three races. A half marathon at 13.5. Yes, I know:/….but that’s what it was. I’m ending a sentence in a preposition ~ I totally hate that:) There was a 17 mile and a full marathon. No more than 50 people participating and 20% proceeds going to Halo Foundation ~ Cancer help and research. Hmmm, but if you think of it ~ whose saying yeah I’m going to Vermont to run a marathon. Well there is a big one in Burlington ~ but unfortunately I missed that date. Since this race was like literally on the down low ~ I wondered how well it was supported. I soon got my answer. From the race head ~ “Hey everybody, we had tables of water and snacks every two miles but some of the tables got stolen last night”. Ooookaaay. The I turned and there was this bright cheery youngster and I asked the most important question of all. Are there portos on the route. She looked at me and said “hmmm, I think there’s one at Irasburg at the halfway mark, but I’m not sure. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of woods around – just go in the woods – that’s what we all do”. Hey, thanks for that…really. Then she proceeds to tell me that the course may not be marked properly and that I’m probably not running as fast as I think I am.
Hey this one has a peace sign.
~ And we’re off!
So we begin…just the 50 of us…running down a gravel path…off into well, somewhere in Vermont. My iPod Nano broke just before my race. I was bummed when I found out they didn’t make the Nano anymore and I would have to use my iPhone. I have an older version so it’s not that big. I can’t imagine running with an iPhone 10! It’s like a brick. I started off fine. Two miles in was this:
Again, this pretty much tells you all you need to know about the course. Gravel roads and lots of hills. The person in the photo was Gwen. Gwen was celebrating her 50th birthday, so you know I couldn’t let her beat me…and I didn’t. Yeah, I know…I’m a bit competitive at times. I’m telling you, if a bear would have come out of the woods and chewed my arms off…by cracky I was going to beat Gwen:
About at mile four is when I realized two things…I was alone and I was running past the biggest pile of cow manure I’ve ever seen. I mean it was about three stories high with what seemed like tires on top to keep it from disintegrating. And the smell. I’ll share a little secret, I love the country smell, i.e. cow patties. There is something wholesome about that smell. But this, was a pungent acrid smell. As I was running past Mount Shitmore, it didn’t help that trucks were speeding by, kicking up dust and well…cow poop and I was getting dusted with a nice sheen of stank!
Around mile 5 I had to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a tree that spoke to me so I kept on running. Finally at mile marker six I made it to Irasburg, the halfway mark, and I saw the lone porto potty in the distance. Yay, I don’t have to go in the woods! As I arrived there were three race support ladies standing by the porto potty. They ominously looked like the three Fates from Greek mythology:
One was telling me to use the bathroom, the other asking if I wanted a Nutrigrain™ bar and the other wishing me good luck. Hmmm….thanks ladies but I’ll use the porto and be on my way.
Ahhh…nothing like being halfway through….Doh! Mile 9, I have to p….use the bathroom. Dang you 50s! Luckily I was able to make it to Parker Pie with no wood adventures. I arrived at the restaurant and didn’t see my friend there…no worries I’ll just call her on this handy cellphone. Hmmm…for some reason it wouldn’t go through. I go into the restaurant that had wifi and asked about the cellphone. The waitress says – Oh we don’t have no cellphone connection up here”. Drop.the.mic.babe. There I was with no way to contact my friend, no pizza (because everyone ate it) and no money for beer. Literally the trifecta of hell. No cellphone, pizza or beer? Oh heck no! So, I resorted to what any red-blooded American would do ~ I got on Facebook and posted to Rajni’s page that – Momma was ready. Apparently, there were awards afterwords, of which I didn’t stay for….I smoked the newly minted 50-year-old and that’s all the award I needed. I found my friend and back to the B&B.
Finished! No bling:( Picture by my Subie…so Vermont.
~ After the Race
We went and had some lunch at a little cafe in town:
Yes, that’s a Vermont beer. Don’t judge!
I love the race part but exploring my surroundings is just as exciting. I went back to the B&B to clean up and we were off to explore the area. Newport is very close to Magog, Canada. Magog, is a quaint town in Quebec with a lovely main street about 30 miles from Newport. It was interesting to hear everyone speaking French. We did some shopping and ate at the restaurant called La Table.
My bun was a little burnt, but it was sooooo good.
Beet salad.
The next day we were off to Burlington. Some sites along the way:
Covered bridge still in use.
My favorite shot.
~ Burlington
Burlington is a great city to visit. The University of Vermont is there and the city is vibrant with places to shop and eat. A few pics:
Ruin stacking
The main street
Lake Champlain
Poutine – Canadian dish of fries, gravy, and cheese curds!
Overall, a great experience. I have completed 5663.57 miles in my journey. I believe that every day we have on this earth is a gift, a chance to experience God’s greatness, peace, love, and joy. It’s not always roses and butterflies, but we have the ability to make it fulfilling and good while we are here. I am reminded of the reason I am compiling these miles, for my sweet mother Karen Ellen Dennis Mastromonico who died at age 31. I can only hope that she is with me on this journey, experiencing these places she never had a chance to visit. Maybe somehow through her spirit, she is with me in some capacity. At least I hope. I am halfway through. I look forward to the next half. I hope this post finds you with the excitement of living a new day as we approach a new season. Life is short ~ be fearless ~ be strong ~ be present. Happy Miles to You!!
I think this song sums up my Vermont run! Only way to listen….Turn.It.Up.:)
I am happy to say I completed the Quantico 12K Saturday August 25! This was the first run I’ve done since moving to Virginia. Overall it was a good run for me. I have slowly started to increase my mileage in running and the 12K proved to be a good start before training for longer runs.
And this is how the story goes:
Pre run
I was a little stressed out about picking up my packet. The packet pick-up time was the day before the race on Friday. I was in no mood to drive in DC traffic after work to pick up the packet, 23 miles there and back, then get up at the crack of dawn to go there again. So, what did I do???? I waited until the morning of. The website said that packet pick-up the morning of started at 5 am. I left for the run at 5 am and a 7:25 start time. I found myself trying to get on I-95, ended up on the Easy Express, got off that and finally got on the correct interstate. Arrived at Quantico around 6 am and couldn’t find my ID to get on base. Ugh…. Had to pull over to the side and finally dug it out and continued on to the designated parking lot. About a quarter-mile to parking, single lane traffic was backed up. Again stress. One thing about showing up for racing events, never ever think you are the earliest, because I guarantee there are about 500 people thinking the very same thing. Twenty minutes later I was in a parking spot and headed towards the tent to pick up my packet. Score! I even had time to use the Porto Potty – twice, with 300 of my closest friends!
The Run
The run opened with the posting of the colors and an invocation. The announcer made some small talk and then decided to point out the youngest runner was 9 and the oldest runner was a female of 69 years young. Remember the 69-year-old later in the post….
I popped in my ear buds and started off with some Imagine Dragons, there goes the gun and off I go. There was a 100 yard stretch of black top before the road entered what seemed to be an enchanted forest with improved gravel. There was a very thick canopy that covered the trail for about 96% percent of the race. The weather was cool and the canopy made for a nice run.
Water points were plentiful. Which was nice because I was really sweating this one up. Around mile 4 I decided I needed to use the porto potty. Yes, sigh, I know. It’s almost like it was calling me. “Laurel, Laurel…can’t have the full race experience without the stinky porto stop”. I glided on over and there were a set of four lime green portos with grass surrounding them about a foot high. One’s door was wide open…like choose me. I did. Now these portos looked to have been constructed when Jesus was in the Marine Corps, but I’ve been down this road so many times I looked for the Holy water..in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost ~ let’s go…literally. Did what I came to do and noticed that there was a hand sanitizer machine on the wall. Hmmm… should I? Heck yeah! I used the hand sanitizer that probably was installed by George Washington…glop… a nice bit of what I think was clear goo came out and I clapped my hands together and noticed that instead of that nice alcohol dissipating gel feel there was a tacky gooey feel. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I shot out of that porto hands splayed trying to dry them off and decided to wipe them on the back of my shorts. To answer your question…yes they stuck. I’m surprised I didn’t run the rest of the race with my hands stuck to my bottom. Moving forward….
Ahh mile 4…the woods, the smell of nature and running BO, the Marine smiling at the turning point before … oh damns that’s a big hill!! Not only was it a big hill, but it was switching back and forth…a couple of times. I’m not going to lie, there was some walking involved on this one.
Mile 5. You remember the 69-year-old runner? Well, at the beginning when they announced her she kind of did a little pageantry dance and started running through the crowd. The first thing I noticed was she had her hair in a bun with an American and Canadian flag stuck in the back. Kind of like a nation sharing placard. You know, the kind of flag you wave at a parade. I was slowing down a bit. I was passed by the 69-year-old with the flags in her hair. Sigh. I should have said look, I would be a whole lot more impressed if you had the flags of the United Nations on your head! Now that would be impressive! There are two take-aways from this…1) I’m happy I was passed by a 69-year-old ~ it lets me know at that age I can still do this; 2) I have a hell of a lot of work to do….
Around mile 6 we started to cross paths with the triathlon participants. The trail was divided down the middle and they were running towards us. There was a turn around point for them and then they were on the same finishing path until the end of the race. No big deal, just a fact.
Finally, mile 7! Wait, it’s a 12K… 7.45645 miles…
I had a half a mile to go and I won’t lie…I did slow down a bit and put my hands on my hips. Chump move, but I did, especially so late in the race. As soon as my hands hit my hips; I hear this barking behind me “Get your hands off your hips”! I turn around and there’s this old guy, I don’t know maybe in his 60s or 70s, no doubt a former Marine aaannnnd doing the triathlon, telling me to get my hands off my hips and get a move on… Oh, no you didn’t! Who did he think he was??! I turned back around, took my hands off my hips, and got a move on…. don’t mess with a Marine and I did show him my respect. I love it! I love military people, as a veteran I think they are some of the best in my book.
I finished the race in 1:26 with a 11:26 pace. This is the longest I’ve run since I’ve been here and I am pleased with my progress. I have a lot of work to do, because I’m not satisfied with my result. After the race we got a nice little swag bag of eats and some hot dogs. I should have took two of those! I did have this after at IHOP:
Total miles completed in my journey = 5588.81. Miles gratefully remaining 5726.19. I have 68.69 miles left till my halfway mark. Kingdom Half Marathon ~ here I come!! I hope this post finds you at peace, grateful and with much joy in your heart. Happy Miles to you!!
Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! I still continue to move towards my halfway point! It’s getting exciting and close! Can you feel it? My goodness I’ve been doing this a long time now, but I’m chipping away at that mileage and getting closer to the end goal. It never seems to get old. I mean sometimes it gets a little monotonous, but when I’m done or complete my mileage I still get that sparkle!
animeme.wikia.com
This week was pretty good week. I tried to do something every day and have continued to work on my strength training with a combination of low mileage runs and did some indoor cycling. I was going to do a longer run on Saturday, but opted for some faster paced runs to see how I felt. I did mile sprints with the fastest being 9:45 and the slowest 10:14. My Achilles on both ankles still continues to bite at me a bit. Strange that both are hurting and I did pull back from riding today to give them a bit of a rest.
Good news I am a go for the Quantico 12K on 25 August. It is in the Marine Corps Marathon family of races. I’m excited to have signed up for my first race in Virginia. I will be posting more about that in the future and race details can be found here Quantico 12K.
A couple of interesting things this week. First, my mile pace runs on Saturday. It really heated up this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday were in the 90s and the humidity was off the chart. Any time it’s that hot it’s always important to hydrate and safely push yourself. I learned something important about myself on Saturday, or at least found an inner fire that I seemed to have lost over the years. I am competitive, but I like to call it a niiiccceee competitive. When I was younger I was very competitive, but maybe I have mellowed over the years. For my pace runs the first mile was more down hill than up. I was at a good steady pace, listening to Led Zepplin’s Stairway to Heaven, when another runner (female) passed me. She passed me, but then cut right in front of me and then proceeded to slow down. Now, do I care that she passed me? Uh, no…people pass me all the time, but normally they get on with it! She slowed down so much that I had to slow my pace down. She was close enough that I could touch her. The first thing that went through my head was to slow down and let her get far enough ahead that I didn’t have to pass her again. Thus playing the….pass game. Something all runners know well. I have been running long enough now that I do try to keep a steady pace. It doesn’t always work, but for the most part I try. I didn’t want to be “that guy”. But then I thought, what the heck? I said no way, you’re going to pass then pass. I kept my pace and me and Robert Plant climbed that Stairway To Heaven together. I blew by her and didn’t give her a second glance. No!
Second, just to let you know how hot it was today. I happened to be driving to Safeway and I saw a guy walking his dog on the sidewalk during the middle of the hottest part of the day. All of a sudden the dog lurched forward and collapsed. At first I thought it got bit by something, but the owner kept on walking with one of those retractable leashes unaware. Finally the leash pulled taut and he went back to attend to the dog. I watched them for about 30 seconds and I drove up to the light and turned around and stopped on the busy street. The dog had collapsed due to heat exhaustion. We loaded up the dog in my car and I drove him and his dog home. He kept saying in disbelief he couldn’t believe it this happened. The dog was old and it was way too hot. If you’re too hot, your pet is too hot. I’m glad that I was in the right place at the right time. The dog was about 50 lbs and that would have made a long walk home. Be careful out there!!
I was able to complete 101 miles for the month of June, about 17 miles shy of last month. Total miles completed comes to 5521.99 with 5793.01 gratefully remaining. I hope this post finds you cool and well. Happy Miles to You!!
Keep climbing that stairway….and it’s meant to be played loud. Oh yes….
Another week down! This week felt really good. With the bulk of the coughing behind me, I felt like I was able to pull up some of that stamina I had lost the last couple of weeks. The weather here was a little wonky as it rained for about two days!! One day pretty heavy all day long so I opted for the gym. Do you ride in the rain? If so, what gear do you use? I have ridden in a slight sprinkling, but not a full on rain. I imagine it’s a lot like running you just need the right gear.
Continued on with strength training this week. I go to the gym at least three times a week and work arms, legs and back adding in core exercises. Cardio is always good, but you have to do strength training as well. The stronger your core the less injury you’re going to have and let’s face it, that’s a good thing. It keeps us doing our activity longer.
If you’re having trouble getting to a gym, no worries. With a little bit of research you can create a program at home that will fit your schedule. You just have to have that discipline and drive. I remember those days of being a stay at home Mom and then I became the working Mom, it’s hard to set some time aside for yourself. But take it from someone who’s been there, your health and well-being is important. You want to be around for your family and for yourself. There is so much information out there you can develop a plan and you don’t need all the fancy machines or weights. You would be surprised the many safe exercises you can do right at home, no equipment needed. It also doesn’t need to be a super long workout. I remember when stationed in Japan, as a gift to myself for my 35th birthday I bought a few sessions with a gal who was a personal trainer. She developed a plan for me that was about 35 minutes. The key was consistency. You have to follow through. You have to show up! I did and I saw great results. Just 35 minutes a day.
I also make daily plans. Yeah, you knew there must have been something else right? I type my agenda every night for the next day. I include everything to include my workout. Once you get the shell of that down the way you want, it only takes a few minutes to update. You can even make it motivational with a quote a week at the top. Sounds, funny but sometimes when you read positivity it will stay with you throughout the day. Write down your goals and make them happen. No goal is too small. Sometimes we need to take baby steps to get to our desired location. If I can do it, so can you.
I was totally on the bike this week! Absolutely loved every minute. For the most part the rides were really good. My pace kept climbing with each ride. The only downside, is it appears we have hit garage sale season in the valley and this means crazy driving, short stops and very short tempers.
After a slight wardrobe malfunction of my jersey (zipper broke) I was able to get on the road fairly early, or at least shortly after sunrise. Garage salers where out in full force. I had a couple of close calls by people who stopped short because hey…can’t miss that 25¢ find! The douche bag alert was at moderate to severe. The jeep who decided they really didn’t want to adhere to the stop sign and give me the right of way, even though I was already in the street..I thank you. Yeah….gotta love those types of people. So the question is this, when driving do you offer the right of way to cyclists or runners? I always do. I think it’s just common courtesy. I also do it for safety reasons. It’s just safer to let the runner or cyclist pass.
My long ride was 12.57 for a weeks total of 29.76 road miles 3 more than last week. Chipping away and getting closer to the halfway mark! I have 6145.47 miles remaining in my journey. That always makes me feel like a sentimental lady.
I hope this post finds you surrounded by positivity! Feel that fire!! Happy Miles to You!!
“Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis is a licensed psychologist, ordained minister, and sacred artist who has worked nationally and globally to provide relief and empowerment to marginalized persons. Dr. Thema, an associate professor at Pepperdine University, is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women. Her contributions to psychological research, policy, and practice have been honored by national and regional psychological associations.” ~ http://www.drthema.com/about/
I love strong, smart women. It doesn’t matter if others think you can’t do it, it only matters if you think you can. You can see here whole page here, http://www.drthema.com/.
The first word is always the hardest to write. Hmmm, ok let’s go for the utterly mundane and say I have completed my third half marathon. I would have tried to bang this post out yesterday, but I was tired and hungry. Oh so very hungry. Where to begin…”It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” Oh very sorry, wrong story.
On Sunday I completed the Winter Trail Frosty Trail Half Marathon that took place in Papago Park in Tempe, Arizona. I get a lot of junk email for different types of races. I searched for races that take place in January in Arizona and the WTF came up. I thought it would be cool to do one closer to home. This race is hosted by 131 Event Productions, who sponsor similar races across the country. I guess it would be safe to say they are a franchise. I signed up originally because I wanted to do another trail race. I have done a few trails before with the last one, the Grand Canyon Half, in 2016. So, I was ready to try another trail run.
About a couple of weeks before the race an update was sent out that mentioned something about insurance and injury and that the run wouldn’t take place through the park but around the lake area closer to the city. I was surprised and a little put out but it was a chance to get some miles in and to focus on PRing my fastest half time.
I had been good with hydrating and eating the whole week. Focusing on good energy foods. The morning of I did have this:
No, it’s not just ordinary toast…it’s cinnamon sugar toast. I had it growing up as a kid and had been craving it so I made it for part of my breakfast. The other part was a Kashi cereal that tastes like Captain Crunch™. Don’t judge. Packed about two gels for every two miles and headed out the door around 7:15.
Arrive at the venue and begin to drive to the parking lot only to see cars driving back. A sure sign that there are no more parking spaces. I was beginning to realize that maybeI should have left a little earlier. I found myself parking in a park down the road with others about a mile from the start. Park the car and realize that I need to step up my game. In other words, girlfren you need to start wogging to the start line. I needed to get there because I wanted to get one last bathroom break in before the race starts. Get to the start line and look for portos. What!!??!! Looking….looking…oh there…they…are…. WTFrack! There were only six portos and the line was out the…well you know. I mean come on!!! Six? Heck, women alone need six! Now we have to share them? So, there I stood and I’ll tell you I wasn’t happy. If I someone shooting the shyster I know my ice eyes were beaming through the back of their heads. STOP TALKING….”five minutes till race start” the announcer bellows. No way was I going to get this done. I made the call to get out of the line and go back to the start. Once the race began I ran to the porto and waited for six minutes, then I started my race. Yeah. Awesome.
The race
The race was a combination of a quarter and half marathon. The half marathoners (me) got to do the course…you guessed it, twice. As my readers well know, there is nothing I hate more than a lapped run. It’s boring. Did I say it’s boring? But sometimes you just have to deal. I start running down a small path and the next thing I know it’s starts to go through the park! A real trail run. Uh, hmmm what about the insurance blah, blah, death, blah blah…??? Yes, ladies and gentleman, we have ourselves a real trail run. I was happy, but a bit shocked. I sure as heck wouldn’t have worn my Hokas ya’ll! But there I was hopping over rock and sand. The majority of the trail was single person wide with a few concrete cross overs and some flat areas. You know what that means right? Here’s a hint:
Can you guess? It was a caterpillar run. Meaning, you’re only going as fast as the person in front of you. A lot of stop and starting. Awesome! One thing I will say, the difficulty was higher than the Grand Canyon Half. You had to be careful where you stepped and it was constantly up and down. I was very careful on descending because I didn’t want to hurt my knee again. That’s what got me in trouble last time. It was a tough course.
Here is a picture I took on one of the few places that was flatter. Mind you I was already halfway up the hill.
Support
This is where things get a little iffy and I really want to say something about this because I have noticed this happening in MANY events I’ve taken part over the years. For the first part there was heavy support. The trail was marked okay, not great. They marked it with bright green tape (the route to follow) and orange tape (where not to go). There were volunteer guides to set you on the right path at some of the more tricky parts. After the first round, i.e. the quarter marathoners completed their race, the volunteers magically disappeared. Now you would think, well you ran it once surely you would know where to go. Not so. Runners were getting tired and paying attention to foot strike. I saw a lot of people get turned around at some of the more confusing points, myself included. Then the ultimate no no, they took away some of the water points. Look, I didn’t bring my water belt. I train with one, but I look forward to running a race without one, especially if there is water support. Right or wrong, we can discuss that in the comments section. A lot of people had their belts or hydration packs. Maybe I should have brought mine. The water points were about every two miles for the first part of the race, but seemed to disappear the second half. This is what I find at a lot of these events. You have the fast people who will finish the race in one hour, but then the other 90% don’t. The other 90% paid for this experience too and therefore, the event managers need to follow through and support until the last man or woman crosses the finish line. Some of these races are expensive. This one wasn’t too bad, but still the support needs to be the same for all. Unless there are some stipulations in the event rules that state support cuts off after a certain time, support the runners. I was really counting on one of the water points only to find it packed up and gone. Not cool. I will be writing 131 productions.
The finish
The finish was great and well supported. They had lots of food and water to refuel and the bling wasn’t too bad either. The medal was crazy big and a little heavy! I wonder sometimes if you can get addicted to the bling. My body was a little sore, but overall this was a pain free race!
I was pleased with my performance. I was going to say I didn’t PR but I guess I did because this was my second trail half. I ran 3 hours and some change for the Grand Canyon and I finished this run at 2:59. Granted the elevation differences are not the same with two very different environments. I came in 9th in my age group for this run. Don’t get excited, there were eleven in my age group.
After the run I was really hungry even after eating cake and a banana at the finish, so I treated myself to Culvers. I hadn’t been there in a while and needed something good!
And here I thought they did the pickle like that especially for me….no, it’s everyone.
I completed 27.45 miles this week bringing me to 5110.36 miles completed in my journey with 6204.64 gratefully remaining. I hope this post finds you surrounded by the people you love. Happy Miles to You!!
Once again I felt like I was on the moon. I got in the car to go home and this was on the radio….
“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 in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.”
– George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian
So where were we….yes…in Dublin, Ireland a day before the marathon and no suitcase! While I was on my day trip to the Wicklow Mountains and Kilkenny I did get a call from the hotel that my bag had arrived. A huge load off my shoulders but also a little annoyed that I had to go buy new stuff. It was a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type of situation. I didn’t want to get stuck so I made the hard call.
I ended up wearing a combination of old and new stuff. New running skirt, my shamrock compression socks and drum roll please….My Nikes. In the end, I decided to go with the shoes I railed most about. I felt that I had more toe space and they were a little more broken in then the Asics. What can I say….a woman is free to change her mind.
On to the marathon….
I really liked the fact the marathon didn’t start until 0900 for my corral. It gave me plenty of time to get ready in the morning and eat. The marathon instructions said be there at 0800, which I thought was a bit early, but then I decided to do just that because I didn’t want to get into any long porto potty lines. Right….
I stayed at the Hilton and it was a nice walking distance to the start line. When I got there people were already lining up for the bathroom. To put it in perspective there were 20,000 participants this year. I was in corral number four. This would put me at a finish time of around 4:30. The porto potties were lined up by the corral time so you could stay in your lane so to speak! I never miss a chance to have a potty mouth when it comes to portos at a race. Get it!!! I mean it’s like a box of chocolates…you just never know what you’re going to get! Man, I’m killing it today. Some photos:
Then there is always that guy….
Granted it was Halloween, but dude, really?
I was lucky – clean porta and done early. It was one of those moments you were glad you got there early to avoid the long lines.
A few pictures from the beginning:
My wonderful friend Diane wore her Wonder Woman shirt and had this support sign!
Wrong time on my Garmin, but I just needed it to track the run. Plus my running rosary received by a fellow runner years ago. I love it and wear it to most of my races.
Can you see “believe” on my shirt.
For a while it was a little unclear what was going on and where the actual start line began. I started following the people in front of me at a slow pace.
People shedding their clothes.
We walked for about a good quarter-mile and then I could faintly hear someone on a loud-speaker with a heavy Irish accent. “Come on lads and lasses” it was really funny. As we moved closer to the start line it began to get packed. I mean nose to nose packed. Then just as I was looking around the gun went off and EVERYBODY started running. I mean damn…it was like a herd. In the back of my mind I was like wait, I’m still trying to process all this I’m not ready! But, the starting pistol don’t wait for no one. Time to get going.
The race
The weather for the race started off at about 54° and slightly cloudy. I didn’t have any pain and I was tracking at a good pace. There were so many people there it really made it hard to “break out” of the herd. I’m not over exaggerating either. It was crowded. Instead of trying to break free and find some space I found the 4:30 pacer and just decided to keep pace with that group. It was funny because you had three people running with large red balloons with the pace time on them and a large group of people just clustered around.
The first half of the run took us through Phoenix Park and in front of a lot of sights throughout the city of Dublin. I was happy that I was keeping up with little effort. The amount of people who were out supporting the race was amazing! Hundreds of people lined the streets at different points all through out the race. Offering cookies, candy, and baked goods. It was a sight to see and a much-needed visual for support.
My fueling consisted of sports beans, gum, and I hydrated at the stations provided. There was no reason to wear a belt or bring a pod. There were plenty of water stations and support staff.
Things were good for me all the way up until the halfway point. There was a half marathon and a full at the same time. Nothing says “oh, I see you’re finishing” to the person next to you ~ “Yeah I don’t think I got the full experience, I’m going to go around one more time!” It was at this point I began to see the 4:30 pace balloon pull away from me. Sigh. I really wanted to keep up. I didn’t feel bad, I was just slowing down.
At least I was beating the gal in the full Wonder Woman costume. Yeah I’m good. I started to breathe a little heavy at this point. Everything else was good but the breathing was a little labored. The course itself was fairly flat. There were some hills that did provide a bit of a challenge.
Around mile 15 I was passed by Batman and Robin. I really wish I had my phone to take a picture. Batman was in a wheelchair and Robin was pushing him. It was one of the greatest scenes I have ever seen at any race. They were just so positive and happy.
At mile 17 I started to get hungry. The beans weren’t doing it for me. The streets were lined with people offering snacks or “jellies”. I had to laugh at the jellies because they were gummy sweets. I passed all of that for security reasons. I mean probably no harm no foul, but I thought better of it….until mile 18.
Yeah, let’s see….laced cookie? Yes? No? “The world is so much better with you in it, Clarice.” Hmmm, what to do…I ate the cookie. Heck, I ate a couple of cookies. Glad I did because they hit the spot.
I never really hit the wall. The definition ~ hitting the wall or the bonk is a condition of sudden fatigue and loss of energy which is caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. I have before, but not now. I was just slow. I will say at this point it began to seem like the never-ending race. More so around miles 23 and 24.
I find during the last two miles you tend to play patty cake with fellow runners. You speed up, then slow down, only to be passed by the same runner about 30 times until you get to the finish line. It’s a little annoying. Then I was passed by this one girl and I just had to laugh out loud. Another camera moment! She had a crudely hand written note pinned to her back that said “I absolutely hate running, I will never f*cking do this again.” It was just too darn funny. I followed her until the very end and I kept laughing every time I looked at her. There were definitely some characters at the race!
The big finish ~ there is nothing better than having someone support you in an endeavor like a marathon. I was about 200 meters from the finish line and I hear my name yelled ~ and there was my friend Diane yelling and with the support sign. Such a great way to end a race.
In the end I finish in 5:11:50. I am pleased. It’s not easy flying to another country then running a race. I have enjoyed every step of this journey and the outcome. This post wouldn’t be complete without a little self constructive criticism. Did I think I did my best? No. It’s as simple as that. I felt that I could have done much better with everything all around. Food, training and gear. I look forward to analyzing my performance and seeing what things I could have done better. Running this race has fired me up to run another. I love the race energy and the people. I would like to train for another marathon in the not so distant future and try to improve my time and running experience.
If you are a runner and want a fun challenge I definitely would recommend this race. It was very well organized and the the people of Ireland were so friendly. The proceeds go to assist the Irish Cancer Society.
I want to take this time to thank those who have supported me in this endeavor. My parents Charles and Darlene ~ thank you for all the texts, love and support. You both have been a catalyst for reaching for the stars.
My brother and his wife Lori, my sister Elizabeth and her husband Eric for all the love and support.
My sweet daughter who ran out of the house to meet me on my return. Sorry I didn’t catch the Mr. Mime Pokémon.
Diane who waited patiently for over 5 hours while I completed this race. You are a great friend.
Thank you to all of my friends and blog followers who dropped by to offer support and kind words.
This race was extra special this year. One, in a few days I will turn 50. Where has that time gone? Two, to honor my Mother, Karen Dennis and her Irish roots.
Completed
I completed 47.24 miles from Oct 16 – 29 with an end of month total of 105.92. I have 6339.47 miles gratefully remaining in my journey. The body achieves what the mind believes. What’s next?
I love that opening quote.So many times I hear people say, I just got lucky, to explain their accomplishments. They got lucky on a test, getting a certain job or any other positive event in life.
The definition of luck ~ success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. I guess you could argue there is luck in some things, like being in the right place at the right time or meeting someone by chance and winning the lottery. But I think most “wins” in life are a conglomeration of little steps that brought you to that final “lucky” place. So the Irish saying (Yes it’s Irish) in the title, “There is no luck except where there is discipline” just proves my point (or so I like to think:-) )through hard work and discipline…things happen. Luck, really has nothing to do with it. What does this have to do with this weeks running mileage recap? Well, this week was tough for me mentally when it came to my long run. The running schedule called for 17 miles and I r-e-a-l-l-y didn’t feel like running. I’m tired of the heat, the nasty gels, the electrolytes, before workout products, recovery protein, my feet hurt and oh by the way I’ve already lost two toenails – WAY before the normal nail losing process. I lose the same two every long run event, but normally after it’s done.
I know quit whining…right? I just didn’t want to do it. But, I got up at 4:30 am and went through the pre-run ritual and was out the door around 5:45. It wasn’t luck that was going to take me to the end, it was going to be discipline. Discipline to get up and do what needs to be done to reach the end goal. This goal just happens to be the Dublin Marathon…and I’m not that lucky. I had a guy tell me one time that he just went and ran a marathon, no training – just did it. News flash ***There will always be people, better then you***. In everything you do, so know yourself and just get used to that fact. With all things in life, for most of us, discipline is the key to your version of winning.
I kept mulling it over in my mind that any time I feel like this, it may be a good day! For the most part the long run was a good run. The temperature was 66 when I started and I ran that first 10 miles easy with a break for water, some dried banana chips, and a gel. Got back out on the road and two miles in my stomach felt a little queasy (thank you gel) but that feeling quickly went away. The next five miles were good, but a little slower. My feet started to hurt a bit and I actually thought about quitting and finishing up at the gym. I kept going and the last two miles were difficult. My breathing was good – but I’m still dealing with the arch pain in my feet. Not a good sign with brand new shoes (another post). When my legs and feet starting hurting I focused on using my core and hip swing that does amazing things for the pain in the lower body. I swung by the house before the last two miles and had some water. Needless-to-say I had too much water….sigh another lesson learned (many times before – ha!). Need to watch how you consume. So at mile 16 I was doing the sprint home! All ended well and I got it done. Discipline. My average pace this time around was 13:05. Hey, I own that pace. I ended with 32.94 miles for the week that brings the monthly total to 100.06 so far. I find this song was appropriate for this week. One of my favorite Irish bands. On the playlist for sure. With all the aches and pains that “Linger” I continue on with 6478.05 gratefully remaining.
Happy Miles to You!!!
11315 Miles 