Fun running the Boston Marathon

The sound of crickets has been dominating my blog lately, so I'm finally breaking the silence to write about my experience of running Boston totally for fun.

The last time I ran Boston in 2012, I went into the race with ambitious PR goals. Actually, they weren't ambitious at all, but it was hot as hell that year. The disappointment of  my performance that day, although great considering it was 80+ degrees, left me real bummed out about Boston and not itching to return any time soon. I should mention here that during my first Boston experience I spent a lot of time focusing on not getting heat stroke* and very little time looking around/paying attention to the spectacle that is the Boston Marathon. *2016 was a wee bit warm as well, but this time I didn't care. I was mostly happy our cheerleaders wouldn't freeze while waiting for us at mile 22. 

Once I finally found my enthusiasm for the marathon again, I chose to run the Richmond Marathon (which you can read about here, here, and here). This race was like a dream: injury-free and nearly flawless training cycle, perfect race weather, and my legs showed up ready to do some work. Big ol' PR. My dear friend qualified for Boston in that same race, and we decided we would go to Boston together in 2016.

That was all back in 2014, and my running since then has majorly sucked (I'll save my sob story for a different post). So as Boston approached, and my training was still in the toilet I thought, "Hell, why not throw time out the window and go soak up every moment of this race?"

So this time I brought my phone, ran with a friend, and had a ball.

Here are some highlights:

Athlete's village is best experienced with a buddy. Primo people watching!

Exhibit A: This man is more hardcore than I will ever be.

Start line selfie--stoked to finally start running!

Trying to capture the hoards of runners

I didn't partake in any kissing, but there were ample options.

Fun running means you can veer to the side to pick up a rose.

Exhibit B: Not sure but I'm impressed.

Finally we can see "the sign"

Wooooooooo!

As if approaching the finish isn't emotional enough (cue the sweaty tears)

Done, tired, and happy! What a wonderful day to run a marathon!!

What these photos don't capture is how many times I was laughing, slapping hands, singing along to music, and gawking at everything.  I soaked up this experience to the max.  Fun running the Boston Marathon was one of my best decisions!

Four on the Fourth: race day recap

Pre-race: waking up to a lovely Raleigh sunrise and vibrant neighborhood flowers

Four on the Fourth was my first race "back" after many months of low motivation and a lack of enthusiasm. Based on my track workouts in the last few weeks, I felt like I could actually give a solid race effort, so I gave it a go...

The race was decently sized (600 people) so I never had to run solo, which was REALLY nice. I started out conservatively knowing that the second half of the race was mostly uphill. I watched a group of women take off ahead of me and I sat back and waited...

Splits:

Mile 1: 6:12 (downhill)
Mile 2: 6:21

At mile 2.5-ish, I decided it was time to start making my move forward and pass some ladies. I pushed the pace slightly and tried to increase my effort (although my actual speed wasn't necessarily increasing because, ya know, hills). Thankfully, I had some cheerleaders on the course that gave me an extra boost during this time too!

Mile 3: 6:21

My favorite part of the race was right in the last 1/2 mile. I was definitely in pain and doing my best to reel in the 1st place woman. I pulled up along some guy who could clearly tell I was trying to catch 1st place.. He ran next to me/ cheered for me/ encouraged me during this last half mile, helping me close down the gap. I couldn't find a final gear to pull ahead of her, but either way I was so grateful to have a random stranger help me push in the final stretch of the race. This is why running is the best.

Mile 4: 6:18

All things considered, I was really happy with this race...because I was RACING. The effort was refreshing. 2nd place female + homemade pottery and locally roasted coffee were a big bonus!

Richmond Marathon -- the details

What a fun weekend in Richmond! It was so fun to have so many folks from my running community out there with me, and I’m happy to say that we all had great races. The course was absolutely beautiful and I tried to soak that up as much as possible during the race. The fall colors were stunning and the water was lovely. If you get a chance, run this race!

  Cool mural art we found in our pre-race shake-out run on Friday

As for my own race experience…it was not without a couple hiccups! I missed the start of the race, as did several of my friends, due to excessively long bathroom lines…like hundreds of people still lined up when the gun went off! And yes, I was stuck in one such line. I knew that once I crossed the start line that I was “on the clock”, so I REALLY wanted to take care of business beforehand. Soooo, ~6 minutes after the gun went off I started, and as you might imagine, WAY behind my pace group (I was supposed to be in wave 1). So, the first few miles were mostly dodging and weaving and trying to get into some open space.

AND, I messed up my Garmin. In the mad scramble to get off all the layers I was wearing (it was a brisk 27 degrees at the start), I didn’t turn on my Garmin early enough. It found satellite somewhere in first quarter-ish of a mile, and then I took my first split at the wrong place too…needless to say I was a little confused as to what my actual time was during this race, especially because I didn't know how many minutes late I had started

Splits:

Mile 1: ?? who knows. I suppose I could calculate it but I don’t even care.

Mile 2: 7:21

Mile 3: 7:05

Mile 4: 7:09

Mile 5: 7:02

After these first few miles I felt like I wasn't dodging anymore but still had to run on the edge of the pack so that I could pass people. I was still well behind anyone running my pace-- I passed the 3:30 pace group at some point but I can't remember when.

Mile 6: 7:15

Mile 7: 6:54

Mile 8: 7:18

Mile 9: 6:56

Mile 10: 7:05

During 6-10 I was trying to find my rhythm and get into a groove. I had to really tune into my body since I was running on my own. Somewhere during this time I had a really weird twinge in my knee that freaked me out and caused some temporary quasi-limping. Thank goodness it loosened up and I continued on without slowing down.

Mile 11: 7:07

Mile 12: 7:01

Mile 13: 6:58

Mile 14: 6:54

I went through the half marathon in 1:33:20, but I didn't know this during the actual race due to my late start and screwed up watch. I just knew I was somewhere close to where I wanted to be and kept trucking. The next stretch of race (15-19) I had marked out in my mind as miles that I really needed to focus. I knew there were some long hills and a windy bridge to contend with and that it would be mentally challenging to push through.

Mile 15: 6:58

Mile 16: 7:08

Mile 17: 7:04

Mile 18: 6:59

Mile 19: 6:51

I would have paid money to have someone to run with behind during the hilly, windy bridge portion! But nope, I was a lone wolf this race so I had to bust through that wind solo. This stretch was definitely tough, but I knew that I had cheerleaders waiting for me a few miles down the road, so I focused on that when my mind wandered to how many miles I had left.

Mile 20: 7:03

Mile 21: 7:00

Mile 22: 6:48

Seriously all I could think about was getting a little boost of energy from the fabulous Ellen and Allie during this section…and they did not disappoint!! I could see them from a distance and instantly felt relief to see familiar faces. As I got closer, I could see a poster…"What does that poster say?" my fatigued and foggy brain asked. Finally it dawned on me in a moment of utter delight: NICK SYMMONDS’ BARE BUTT WAS AT MILE 22 FOR ME!!!!!! And let me tell you I smacked that booty with great force as I flew by and kept that moment in the forefront of my mind as the pain started creep in during the next miles. THANK YOU LADIES!!!!

Oh you know I smacked that fine booty!! Photo cred: Allie Creative genius cred: Ellen 

Mile 23: 6:43

Mile 24: 6:48

Mile 25: 6:44

Mile 26: 6:25

0.2: 1.42

As my splits suggest, I was ready to kick ass and take names!! Besides my quads squawking at me and my right foot feeling twinge-y, I still had gas in the tank to bring it home strong, partially due to the power instilled in me by Nick Symmonds' butt. This is the point in the race where I told myself to lay it all on the line and make all those weeks and weeks of training worth it. “NOW IS THE TIME” I hollered at myself.

When I finished…I had no idea what my time was! The clock said 3:09:something, my watch said 3:02:something but I knew it was short. I figured that I had met my goal but it was not until later that afternoon that Allie and Ellen texted me the good news:

3:03:43 !!!

21 minute PR

   SO. HAPPY.  

Final thoughts before Richmond Marathon

It's finally here after months of training, countless early bedtimes, dozens of gels, and many, many miles. Richmond Marathon is tomorrow morning.

I haven't been secretive about my goals. It's definitely easier to sandbag and tell everyone your "C" goal, while keeping your scary goals private, but I chose not to do that.

I want to run 3:05. 7:03 pace for 26.2 miles. 20 minute PR.

Obviously I will have to have a good day--my stomach will need to cooperate, my legs will need to be strong, and the weather not too crazy.

If everything goes smoothly, I feel that 3:05 is within the capabilities. I've made it through enough tough, solo workouts that I feel confident that I can make it through 20-22 miles without *too* much of a struggle. But as we all know, the real test begins after the 20 mile mark.

Of course I have a series of other goals too.
B goal: 3:10
C goal: PR
D goal: finish

From my last marathon experience, I know that adjusting to your D goal can happen pretty early in the race. Although I didn't talk about it much in that Boston post, I watched several goals slip by as the temperatures increased during the race. It was a good test of mental flexibility. Ironically, tomorrow is supposed to be about 50 degrees cooler than the start of Boston 2012. Is a 40 degree start temp too much to ask for?! ;)

Best of luck to everyone racing out there tomorrow! Go fast, take chances!

#RagnarNWP #BirdMachine

As promised, Ragnar NWP was a load of fun! I don't have any ground-breaking revelations on the subject*, so a few of my favorite photos will tell the story for me!

Van 1 getting the party started!

Team #selfie

Paulette found a pirate, complete with guyliner

Leg 1: 4 miles at 6:50 pace

Sophia cruisin'

Hand-off to Anne!

Laurel showcasing #birdswim

Tagging some vans with Picky Bar goodies

Compressing ourselves with Swiftwick

Jess checkin' off those legs

Post-race breakfast--we're still smiling but look a little bedraggled!

Finally the whole team together, and DONE!

Star-sighting! The Oatmeal author *swoon*

*I will say that I was surprised how much I loved night running! It was absolutely awesome, even though it was raining for my night leg. Also my headlamp is not as bright as I thought it would be...

Come prepared with magnets/figures/other goodies to tag other vans with! This was a totally unknown aspect of the race to me, and so fun!

Have your own bad-ass hashtag

Most critical tips/trick: pack all outfits in separate zip-lock bags, and move sweaty clothes to the empty zip-locks. Definitely minimized the smelly factor and kept all my fresh clothes nice and dry.

Pick your van-mates wisely (this becomes critical in the wee hours of the night)! I was lucky enough to have a super fun and relaxed group of ladies, totally smooth sailing!

Bring a stick or foam roller if you can, your legs will thank you later.

#ShamrockOn bird invasion

Last weekend was big. BIG. It was a crazy whirlwind of everything Oiselle and everything running. My favorites!

Friday: Awesome road trip with my NC running besties Allie, Ellen, and Carolyn! Seriously, these ladies are hilarious and fabulous! We hit up the expo and met up with Nicole, who was brave enough to participate in our photo shenanigans (see Ellen's pic stitch here). Later we ate a delicious meal at Baladi--some of the best vegetarian food I've had in a long time!

Saturday: As most running vacations, our alarms went off real early.  Time to catch a beautiful sunrise and cheer on all the 8k racers! The women's 8k field was super deep, and a bunch of Oiselle fasties kicked butt! The rest of us dashed around the course as much as possible to cheer and snap photos with our fab team manager, Kristin.

Our group dinner that night was SUPER fun (Thank you Mollie for organizing!)! I tried to soak up pro tips from Heidi, Aubrey, and Kelsey, who are all crazy fast and inspiring. It was also great to see one of my original running buddies, Phyllis! Post-dinner gelato with Danielle, Amelia, my NC crew, and KMet was the perfect way to end the day.

8k cheering squad! Thank you Ashley for the awesome photo!

The whole crew! Photo credit: someone at dinner...

 Sunday: RACE DAY! Ellen and I *barely* made it to the start in time...meaning we both peed behind bushes during the national anthem after a frantic bag-drop. Hellooooo pre-race panic! But we made it to the start in time to find Lisa, Stephanie and Hollie, phew! I was SO thankful to have Lisa out there to run with for the first 5 miles--seriously a huge help! The course was quite lovely, and I tried to enjoy the forested area as we cruised along.

Splits 1-5:
6:45
6:42
6:33
6:39
6:35

After 5 miles, she pulled ahead and I ran solo for the rest of the race. At mile 5.5, the unpleasant reality of headwind re-entered the picture, and also when we ran through the military base. The various bugle calls broadcast over the load speaker, like this one and this one, definitely helped keep my mind off the fact that the wind was pretty strong. I took my Vanilla Gu and started to feel more perky despite the headwind.

Splits 6-10:
6:46
6:40
6:54 (distracted by a water stop, missed the actual split)
6:26
6:20

By mile 10, I knew it was time to get uncomfortable and drop some serious negative splits because....well because that's always my race strategy. Luckily there were a decent number of people around me and ahead of me to 'roadkill', which made it easier to maintain a faster pace. AND, there was a big ole' Oiselle cheering squad with a half mile to go that pushed me through to the end despite some wheezy/moaning sounds I was beginning to make!

Splits 11-13:
6:11
6:34
6:11

Overall time: 1:26:00--PR!

If you read my last post, then you know this was a big surprise. But I HARD rested the week leading up to the race in an effort to revive my legs. Ice bath, massage, very little running, a ton of foam rolling/stick torture, and some good old fashioned race visualization/planning. That plus a hearty dose of adrenaline got me through race day feeling good! Success!

Mile 12.5 ish Photo credit: Andrew

Mile 13...my form. Somone help me. photo credit: Drew

Post race with Hollie and Lisa

 

 

 

 

Smiles all around from these NC gals! Photo credit: KMet

What a great weekend!

Overall I would highly recommend this race--it was well organized, pancake flat, great post-race entertainment/food/drinks, and even some good swag including a beach towel!

Since I'm on the brink of breaking 1:26...I'm already plotting a fall half marathon. Any fast, flat suggestions?!

Distance Dabbling

May was supposed to be all about Mediation for me, according to my 12 resolutions. It’s been hard. Between upheaval in my personal life, the end of classes for the summer, and traveling, I did not always set aside the time. Bad excuse, of course. A busy month means I need it more ever. I will continue trying into June in hopes of having a little more success!

In my travel adventures, I had the opportunity to race a road mile in Savannah, Ga with my fellow Oiselle teammate, Allie.

This place knows a thing or two about parks

Racing a mile was a totally foreign concept to me, and I didn’t have any idea how to race it. But the idea piqued my interest because it's a nice bench-mark distance, AND the pain-place could only last for 4 minutes tops…much shorter than the pain of a 5k!

We're smiling, but we're terrified!

Race plan: Go out conservatively for the first quarter (did I mention they had clocks every quarter?!). Pick it up in the second quarter to run a solid 800m but not a crazy one. Play the road kill game and try to accelerate for a strong last quarter. 

 

The beauty of this race was the straight, (mostly) flat, course. We could see the finish line while standing on the start line. Perfection.

The race itself was somewhat entertaining. Several folks ran a smokin' 400m and then appeared to be running through jello during the remainder of the mile.  Some men looked somewhat irked as I passed them in the final 400m. Sorry fellas, you just got bird-dropped! 

Allie and I took 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively, each bringing home a hefty metal “1” for our age-groups (no overall awards). 

Attention: trophy can be used as a weapon in emergencies

Then, we got to spend the rest of the day/weekend soaking up the beauty of Savannah. What a magical place! Definitely worth a visit.

Make No Assumptions

Assumptions can be surprisingly powerful in our day to day dealings. Of course, assumptions are always about someone/something outside of ourselves. We don't assume anything about ourselves, we just know, because, well, we can read our own minds. But we make all sorts of assumptions about those around us. It can be very detrimental. 

The lesson of my last race was: Make no assumptions

 

When I show up to a race I do what most people probably do, scan the sea of fellow runners and try to eyeball the competition. I’ve seen her at races before. That lady looks fast. Dang, she’s ripped! I was 100% guilty of this at the beginning of the 5k I ran last weekend. I spotted a tall, slender woman in racing flats who looked speedy, and another lady with chiseled, buff looking legs. Yikes. 

And we all bowed to the giant acorn.

The gun went off and I went out hard, ready for the flat course. I quickly passed the tall, slender woman. Hm, didn’t expect that. The super buff lady was still ahead of me, but I was slowly reeling her in. Mile 1 went by: 5:56.

During mile two, I caught up with buff lady and I sat behind her. Uh oh, I don’t want to get ahead of myself /her and blow up in mile 3.  I was assuming that she was faster me. Then, the oxygen-deprived mid-race epiphany struck. Why does she have to be faster than me?? Because she looks ripped and I look average-ish? Why am I not pushing myself as hard as I can? And with that, I crept up next to her and cruised on passed. Mile 2: 6:09

The last mile was fueled by a combination of fear that buff lady would have a mad kick and come run me down, and the determination to run an aggressive 3^rd mile since I knew I was in PR territory. The final source of my motivation is always unwavering. Do you want all your hard work to be for naught? You are training your tail off to jog a 5k? Let’s bring on the pain and see what these legs can do!!! Mile 3: 5:58 

 

And with that, a hefty PR (18:40) and a mental barrier hurdled.

Make no assumptions and run your own race!