Yesterday I ran my first race in two years with my coworker and friend, Lynne. It feels so good to be back in the game! I'm damn proud of how we did, considering that I had been on such a long running hiatus, and that we decided to do this race with only about a month to devote to training. We finished in 1:43. Not exactly speedy, but hey, I never claimed to be fast, especially not in middle of the summer! We were just about average in our timing, and that's pretty much where I have been throughout my running career. Most importantly, we didn't end up in the sag wagon! We went pretty strong for the first 6 miles, but the last 3 were brutal. We each had to walk several times, and we each had at least one moment when we pulled ahead of the other. I was glad to have Lynne with me. To be honest, I may have considered giving up and walking the last two miles, had she not been there (probably not, but having someone else along, who you don't want to disappoint is a pretty strong motivator).
It was so stinking hot! There were times when I felt like the sun was actually a blow torch, trying to melt my skin. I just kept thinking, "Put one foot in front of the other, keep going, keep going, almost there." I also managed to open a pretty nasty blister between my fourth and fifth toes. I was going to post a picture of my bloody sock ~ proof of a dedicated runner ~ but I decided against that. People don't want to see bloody sweat socks, do they? Yes? I can still grab it, if you want to see! No? OK, then. Your loss.
If you know Altoona, the best part of the course is from 59th Street to Baker Elementary, in my opinion. It's shady, which is beyond terrific, and there are lots of spectators who stand in the street with hoses! It's wonderful and so refreshing to run through that cold water! Many thanks to all of the Altoona folk who sprayed us! And many thanks for opening that fire hydrant at the 9 mile marker! A blast of cold is absolutely perfect relief when you feel like you can't go any further.
I have only run this race twice now, and I can't even imagine the amount of effort that goes into organizing something this big. Kudos to all of the event staff and volunteers. There were so many friendly, smiling faces directing us, handing out water, cleaning up after the runners (It makes me twitch to think of picking up all those cups that were thrown by the water stations! Ew!), staffing the tables, handing out refreshments afterwards, and tons of other behind the scenes things that I don't have a clue about. They were great! I tried to thank as many of the course volunteers as I could while we were running. They stand in the sun for hours, directing traffic, keeping a protective watch over all of us runners. It's deserving of thanks. So if you were one of the workers, thanks to you too! It's much appreciated!
I have a few suggestions to improve the race - some of my own and some that I heard en route - (if any YMCA staff happen to read this), but like I said, I don't know what goes into the planning, so I don't know what is feasible and what isn't. I also know from working at an organization which plans large events (sometimes upwards of 600 people), that it is easy to criticize the flow of an event when you are not in charge. So the suggestions are in no way a criticism, just simply suggestions.
- Start the race earlier. The Pittsburgh Marathon starts at 6, I believe. Yeah, that's super early, especially when you are the ones setting it up, but it sure helps beat the heat. Plus, most runners are up and at 'em early and ready to go anyway. If it started at 6, we could be home before noon, showered and ready to drink some well deserving beer much earlier in the day too!
- More water stations, and more with Gatorade, if possible. Towards the end of the race, the stations were spaced pretty well, about a mile apart. But in the beginning and early middle, it felt pretty far between hydration stations. Maybe it was assumed that early on, the runners don't yet need anything. I personally felt fine with the amount of water I drank, but it was sweltering. If more had been available, I would have had more. I also don't care for Gatorade, so I wouldn't have taken it, but when you are running in such extreme heat, an electrolyte drink couldn't hurt.
- More port-a-potties. Again, I didn't use any during this race, so I didn't really notice how many there were. But I bet if I had needed them, I would have noticed. Having had my share of runner's gut issues, I'm thinking a few extra johns wouldn't be a bad idea.
That's it. Otherwise, I thought it was great! The Popsicles and ice cold water at the end of the race were perfect! There were entrainment and prizes (apparently I won a Kendama, but I didn't notice it before I left. I never win anything, and the one time I do, I leave without it!) and lots of familiar faces. Hats off to all of my fellow Blair Countians!
So, with all of that said and done, here are the pictures from the day, courtesy of my number one supporter, and personal photographer, Greg Williams (who, by the way, wouldn't miss a race for anything. I told him that he should just come at the end of the race instead of dragging the kids around for 2 hours waiting for me and he said, "What? No way! I'm your cheerleader, and I carry the backpack! I'm driving in with you!" What a guy!):
Just before the start
Stuffing our phones into our fanny packs. Don't laugh. They're high fashion, and they sure beat carrying your iPod in your bra, right Lynne?
As you can see, neither one of us is particularly competitive. I think we were the last ones in the line to start!
Rounding the first corner.
Andrew met up with one of his friends from pre-school and rode along the 5K course with him. I passed them during the beginning of the race, and Andrew got out of the stroller and ran along with me for about a block. Cute!
Getting our 9th mile super soak!
Greg was standing with Andrew here, yelling for us. I was so focused on finishing that I didn't even see him until I was nearly passed him.
"That was awesome, wasn't it, Lynne?"
"Yep! Woot! Woot for the water!"
This is the worst picture of me in history, and it's blurry to boot! But it was snapped just as I crossed the finish line. Think I was just a little exhausted? (I look like I don't have any teeth!)
Oh, whew! My teeth are back!
Andrew and Greg were waiting for me at the end. How wonderful to see two of the people I care about most standing on the other side of that finish line!
Lynne and me, post race. We could have done another 16.9 miles, easy breezy! (OK, that's a lie. We were glad to be done!)
Patti, my always supportive co-runner, and me. On Saturday night, Patti told me she wasn't going to be able to run, which was a bummer, because we have run several races together. At the 9 mile marker, in my delirium, I thought I saw her running ahead of me and waving. As I got closer, I realized it was Patti indeed! She didn't register for the race, but she showed up and ran the course backwards, looking for me, to encourage me! How awesome is that? It's crazy! And Patti is crazy! It was great to see her, and definitely helped give me a boost at the end of a very long and hot journey! Thanks, Patti!
Until recently, I didn't kept official track of my mileage. I always just kept a mental note of approximately how many miles I was running each week. In May, I started writing down every work-out and keeping track of the mileage. I think I mentioned this in one of my previous blogs. The purpose is two-fold:
- I pay myself $1 for each time I run, and $1 for each time I complete a strength training session. It's motivating to have a tangible record of my work. Plus, I'm saving money for future running purchases. When I'm ready to buy my next pair of shoes, the cash is already set aside and there for the spending. No more guilt about spending $125 to pay for shoes!
- I've been adding the mileage of each run until I get to 26.2. When I've run the equivalent of a marathon, I give myself an extra $20. Plus, it helps to put the distances that I cover into perspective. When I'm on a long run ~ 9 miles in the sweltering heat ~ it's nice to say to myself, "I've run 106.5 miles since May 25th. 9 miles is nothing." And it's true. 9 miles is nothing in comparison. It's all in how you look at it.
So, that said, I actually did run 106.5 miles since May 25th! Go me! These feet have covered some serious ground! I felt like they were deserving of some pampering, so while the boys (Greg included) napped today, I soaked those doggies, then buffed, moisturized and polished them!
Now, these are the feet of a runner!
Next up, half marathon in October and then the full in May! Better keep these puppies pampered!
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