Back in Business! October 2012

I had plenty of good intentions to run a half this past spring.  I diligently printed out a training schedule and picked out two races.  First, Matt took the new job and the day of the Charlottesville race we ended up moving to Greenville instead.  The second race was in Madison, WI and I even flew up for the Memorial Day race, but the morning of the race they cancelled it because it was too cold.  IT IS WISCONSIN!  It was probably 50 degrees.  There had to have been more to that story but we never heard.  If it counts at all, there was a 15 mile bike ride around the lake- just no running.

Our rides around the lake :)

By June I was DETERMINED to up the mileage and get back into race shape.  We bought a BOB Ironman, which Jackson loved.  He loved it until he started walking.  Now he's only happy if we are actually running.  Guess that makes him a better running partner than when he just sleeps.  I ran some, printed out another training schedule, and then we moved again at the end of July.  I picked two more race goals and joined the gym.  There were two races set for October, one in Arkansas (that I promise I WILL run with Maloree one year) and a fall race in Charlottesville.  Then we realized that Jackson's first birthday was one of those weekends and a very good friend's wedding was the other in Alabama.  

First run in his new BOB

I changed my goal to running to the Spinx Half Marathon in Greenville on Oct 27 and printed out another training plan.  Training was going well until Jackson got the flu.  Not just the flu... the stomach flu.  It lasted 5 days which put me out of training (what, you don't let exploding babies come to the gym daycare?) right when two long runs a week had to happen to be ready.  I got behind on my work taking care of him and just when there was a light at the end of the tunnel... got a head cold.  So training came to a halt for about three weeks and the longest run I logged was 8 miles.  As the race drew closer I thought about my utter failure to run for the entire year.  It was discouraging.  Yes, there are the excuses of moving twice, having a baby, having to relocate a law practice, work, and all the other stuff but they are excuses.  I went to the gym and lifted weights late on Friday to punish myself.  Driving home from the gym I told myself that I would get up, go run 8-9 miles of the course, and get back on the training schedule.  The more I thought about it the madder I got at myself until I decided to at least TRY to finish the race.  So I dug through the gym bag, scrounged up a Gu Energy Gel, charged up the Garmin watch, got out the Vaseline and did some stretching to try to stave off the soreness from that afternoon's weight session. 

Quick easy run a day before Spinx

 Morning of the race Matt made me pancakes.  I stopped at a Spinx on the way to the starting line and picked up a banana and 5 hour energy.  As I walked up to the starting line I realized that in my quest to put new music on the shuffle I had deleted everything but not added any music back on.  Fail.  Running a half with no music?  No thank you.  I had my iphone but wasn't sure how long the battery would last.  The first 6 miles were easy and mostly downhill.  Without pushing the stroller I managed to keep right at a 9m pace without really trying.  By Mile 10 I was dragging.  We had looped back to the hilly part of the run (which was the last three miles of the half).  I passed by a girl wearing a running club shirt just bawling.  She was so ridiculous sounding that it forced me to turn on the iphone just to drown her out.  We were about an hour and a half into the run.  Come on, it was Mile 10 and 3 miles is nothing after going that far so by God I would just walk the last part if I had to!  I texted Matt and told him 12:00 pace and kept on plodding.     

Hey Ma, next time suck it in for the camera!

Matt and Jackson high tailed it out of Lowe's and made it to the finish line, which was right inside the Greenville Drive baseball stadium downtown.  Matt handed the baby over the fence and Jackson ran the last 1/4 mile on the track with me!  Official finishing time was 2:12.  Pretty much a miracle.  I'm just glad to have finally checked another half of my list.  Now where can I run in November?

Cheers to race #9!

 

Race for Research 5k

It wasn't muggy at all

 Nothing says fun like running a 5k in Atlanta in July, but when it's for a good cause...

A good friend of mine asked us to join him in running on his team with the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation.  Actually his wife is Janet, my long lost, six foot gorgeous running partner from years ago.  They and their two year old twins, Coleman and Carter, put together a very fun team of runners and enticed us with promises of a delicious BBQ afterwards.  This race was especially a good time because Jared's brain tumor scans came back all clear that same week, so we all had something to celebrate! 

Add caption

The tiny Tumor Terminators

I ended up coercing Matt into actually pushing Jackson in his BOB although we've been running a good bit in it.  Jackson is a terrible running partner and falls asleep halfway through our run... hardly motivating!  At least he thinks the running stroller is comfy :)  Daddy was pretty speedy for never having pushed the BOB before.  We came in first out of the strollers in our group!  I think the official finish time was somewhere around 32:30.  Not exactly a podium finish, but not terrible for a stroller run.

How Inspiring

I've become rather obsessed with a Samford alumnus named Jennifer Pharr Davis. She is currently attempting to set the record for the fastest "running" of the Appalachian Trail. I've followed her blog for the last month and cheered her on as she's made her way from Maine to Southern Virginia, usually averaging 50+ miles a day. If she makes her goal, she will hit the finish line in Georgia next week. Truly an amazing accomplishment from someone who must be one of the most stubborn, dedicated, athletes around. The NY Times ran an excellent article about her on Sunday, July 24. Here's to Jennifer!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/sports/speed-hiker-pharr-davis-thrives-on-rhythms-of-appalachian-trail.html?pagewanted=all

Running hiatus

Although I started out heartily training for halfs in VA and OH this spring, that plan was waylaid by finding out that we will be having a little Wolf this fall. The goal is to run in Austin the last week of January 2012, and I cannot WAIT to get back into a regular running routine. Stay posted!

You Must Be Outta Your Mind - Nov 2010

While training for Dances with Dirt last spring I ran into my buddy Greg out at Oak Mt. At the time Greg was training for a 50k, which seemed insane considering he had never even run a 5k. Upon finishing that race Greg decided he needed a new challenge. He had other motives as well- his daughter's good friend was battling leukemia. He decided to run the Pinhoti 100, a 100 mile trail run from Anniston, AL to Sylacauga, AL to raise money for an undeniably good cause. Late in the summer Greg asked if I would pace him for a portion of the run. I agreed to ten miles.


Two weeks before his race Greg told me another pacer backed out. He was down to 2 pacers. His other pacer was flying in from SC and hadn't run in three months. Could I run 20 miles with him? That was debatable, but I couldn't say no so I bought a head lamp and planned for another camp out in the woods.


My section of the race started at 4pm. I met Greg at Mile 40 after he made it to the top of Mt. Cheaha, no small task since this is the highest peak in Alabama. We started down a trail called "Blue Hell". Hell it was. Boulder hopping, few directional signs, and legs quivering we maintained a slow and steady pace. We reached the first aid station in record speed and took off down a mostly paved road. About this time it started getting dark. Greg was slowing down. His warm clothes were at Mile 55, a problem because it was already down to 35 degrees and we were both cold. We veered off the road back onto a thin trail. A guy from Nebraska joined us at this point, both he and Greg tired but in good spirits. I kept them entertained as we ran down the trail, asking questions and telling stories to pass the time. As we ran deeper into the woods our time slowed and every so often a new runner would fall into line behind us, thankful for a fresh leader to find the way so they could continue plodding on. One man passed us who was in great shape but only wearing short running shorts and a dry fit t-shirt. Not too far down the trail I spotted him wandering in the woods off the course and made him get in line with us. At Mile 55 both Greg and I had reached the longest distances we had ever run. He had 50 more miles to go. Both slightly delirious and hypothermic, Greg lost a glove while changing. It cost us several minutes of hunting but we found it and took off. By this point his phone was chiming every few minutes with people checking on our progress. We still had 5 miles to go until we met his next pacer and we were behind by 25 minutes. At this point I could barely keep Greg running. He refused to eat every time we passed an aid station, only stuffing the occasional peanut butter sandwhich in the pocket of his cargo shorts to shut me up. Having only worn thin running pants and a light running jacket I was freezing and just wanted to keep moving. We finally heard voices down the road and stumbled into Mile 60 where I had a Dr. Pepper in the trunk for Greg and a Budlight for me. It was so cold that Greg's contact lens fell out of his eye. The only option was for me to stick it back in because Greg's hands were trembling so badly he couldn't physically do it himself. Later he told me it lasted about ten more miles. By the end of the race he had lost both contacts and was running nearly blind. Back at the aid station the man I pulled back onto the course earlier was not doing well. He had made it to the checkpoint, but was incoherent and put into a tent with a warming heater. An older man and his son in law ran into the clearing as I was getting into my car. They pleaded for me to take them back to their own car, declaring the race just too hard and too cold. It was 11:30pm and had taken me and Greg 7 hours to run just over 20 miles. I had no idea how he was going to finish the race in time.

The next day Greg told me that he started seeing lights and hearing voices at Mile 80. At Mile 85 his pacer pulled him, telling him that to continue running was too risky and he could seriously hurt himself. As his pacer looked for a race official Greg took off down the trail, weaving back and forth barely able to stand. He passed the sweeper, who could only look at him in disbelief, and kept going. He made it to the stadium with just minutes to spare. The little girl he was running for as well as his own daughter met him and ran with him the last quarter mile around the track to the finish line. He told me it was one of those moments that stays burned into your memory forever. I'm not sure either one of us would say it was fun, but it was an experience neither one of us will ever forget!

Jazz Half Marathon - Oct 2010

Voodoo Fest, a half marathon to benefit the Children's Hospital, and Halloween? How could I NOT do a race in New Orleans with all of those temptations? Considering it had only been two weeks since my last half there wasn't any training for this bad boy. I would just show up, run, and then go party down in the Crescent City.


Mistake #1. Accepting the world's strongest margarita while picking up my race packet.


Mistake #2. Helping consume a 100oz beer 10 minutes later.


Mistake #3. Forgetting the Immodium.


Mistake #4. Not drinking enough water to counter the alcohol from the night before.


Mistake #5. Dancing with strangers in the street deducts from your finish time.


If you've been to New Orleans you don't need a description. We started at the Convention Center, ran through downtown, through the garden district to the Audobon Zoo, to the turn around and then back again. It was disappointing to see that very few racers were in costume. There were three jazz bands along the route, all passing out beer. These musicians had recruited the help of several Tulane students in starting the street party so as we ran by you couldn't help but dance a few steps. For me the highlight was a house close to the zoo that was decked out with at least 20 full sized skeletons, each one posed carefully with a clever sign. I went back after the race to pose with "Murder Miss Tree", a skeleton hanging from a huge oak tree wearing an 80's prom dress.


Finish Time: 2:13:40

After watching the Auburn game at Cooter Brown's, home of the best onion rings east of the Mississippi (and I don't even like onion rings), we headed back to the hotel to get dressed up for Halloween. Considering nothing is trashy when it happens in New Orleans, I decided to go as Little Red Riding 'Ho. Matt even agreed to go as the Big Bad Wolf, at the last minute deciding to be the wolf dressed as Grandma. We hit Bourbon Street and headed straight for the Grenades. Shortly after that I got into a near fight with some girls straight out of Jersey Shore, funny how liquor = immediate fighting response. We danced the night away until my legs could barely hold me up, then in a moment of total misjudgment took my platform wedges off and walked home in nothing but fishnets. Ahhhhh, classy.

Cold Mt Is Accurate - Oct 2010

In a fit of weakness I decided to run 3 half marathons in two months. Usually I run two a year. The first race in the lineup was the Bethel Rural Half Marathon on Cold Mt., NC. If you've read the book or seen the movie, it's the same Cold Mt. The race was on a Saturday so I headed up the Friday before. Turns out the wrong address was in the GPS so it was more a 7 hour drive than a 5 hour drive. There weren't exactly hotels in rural NC and Ashville was 45 min further so I had the "brilliant" idea to camp. The sweet couple who ran the campground stayed up late to let us in. After annoying every RV in the place by blowing up the air matress for a good 20 minutes I finally crawled in the tent. Less than two hours later I woke up on the hard ground, air mattress deflated into a pointless sheet of plastic. The roosters in the field nearby started crowing about the time the alarm was going off so after a breakfast of banana bread, a protein shake, and a 5 hour energy I was off.

The race started and ended at Bethel Middle School. Although the temperature was only 35 when we started, we knew once the sun came up things would be considerably warmer. It took the first three miles for my toes to thaw out to the point I could actually feel them. We ran out on rural highways past farms, cows, horses, and donkeys galore. The fog rising off the fields was breathtaking. Every fireman in the tri-county area was recruited to come cheer us on, from engine, car and tractor. The route was flat with slow, rolling hills. I wasn't sure I had trained enough to finish the entire race, but at the split I was ahead of my normal time by a good 22 minutes. No way I was quitting! Around Mile 9 a lawyer from Ashville joined me and we talked about everything from law to music to telling jokes. We ran by my pathetic blue tent and he couldn't believe I had camped out the night before a half marathon. As we approached the finish line we realized we could beat 2 hours. He started slowing down so I cheered him on and kicked it into high gear. We didn't quite make it under the two hour mark but sure enough, I set a personal best in this race.

Finish Time: 2:00:43