I ran the Austin Marathon. PRed my half time with an unofficial 1:52:06. (WHY DO I ALWAYS PR MY HALF DURING FULL MARATHONS????) But lost my marathon PR in the last .25 mile. Finished in about 4:02 unofficially, overjoyed and happy to end the season on a high note. My friends Amy and Michele ran their first 26.2's (on a hilly course!) and my girl Vanessa PRed her second marathon (hills schmills)...all in Austin.
And up until today...I hadn't run a mile since that race. I've been coaching from the car (i.e. driving stalker slow beside my girls honking and playing loud music and allowing them to throw things they don't need into my moving vehicle...), and I've been training for something else. More on that later....
THIS WEEKEND!
Last year, Kristofor, Irma, and I set out with the loving permission of Renea and George, and formed THE BOD SQUAD RUNNING TEAM. I put it in caps because its such a big deal. This team literally in 16 months has become...well, our life? Not our whole life, but a HUGE part of it. I've blogged before about our half and full marathoners. This weekend was a continuation of the goal we set out to do over a year ago. Get women (and some men) who maybe didn't think they could do it, or maybe didn't want to do it alone...across finish lines.
Since late January, Kristofor and I have had over a dozen ladies (and one very brave strong man) running with us 3x a week training for a half marathon. About half of these ladies were on our beginner team last Spring. Most started with us and couldn't run more than a minute. So this half team was extra close to our hearts, as we got to see the fruits of their hard work over the past year. We chose a local race that we had done last year. WE LOVE THIS RACE. The Show the Trail Who's Boss Half Marathon is a small, well organized race that runs an out and back through a historic battlefield. Bod Squad LOVES small races. Why? You gotta support the local guy, right?! AND how fun is it to do your first half and PLACE!
So yesterday morning...
Some of the girls (a few missing)
We all got together on a super humid, super muggy, March morning, and set out to run 13.1 miles. When I say humid, it was like breathing soup. The fog was so heavy after the girls passed the half point, visibility was way down. If you've never run in those kinds of conditions, you probably don't want to. It's tough. It takes a lot out of you, can cause major cramping and dehydration, and can make for an uncomfortable run. But these ladies did it in style with smiles on their faces. No one complained (well...not during the run anyways). They all passed us at the 7 mile mark happy and ready to meet their goals. Weather didn't deter them. In some of their cases, injury (ummm....chipped feet?) didn't even stop them. They were all going to finish. And they did! As I watched them come in, one by one, I was in awe. Some of these women will tell you, they know they aren't typical runners. Some of our girls created the self proclaimed "turtle team." No matter the pace, they plug ahead, never stopping, always going, always finishing. That is to be admired. Their courage to push their limits is what makes them so inspiring to so many women. So ladies, you deserve a pat on the back. For your amazing finishes, your smiles while doing it, and your inspiration to women in general. You make us so proud!
Several of the ladies post finish! With the AMAZING sign Coach Amy and Coach Heather made :)!
And did I mention that a couple placed???.....
Alejandra 2nd overall female with a 1:53 (that's gun time...she started this race 3 min LATE because she got lost on the way to the convention center). She is a speedy lady!
Jody 2nd in her age group! Her first half! One hard working lady!
I'm going to talk for a bit about one of our halfers...DeeDee. She joined our team, spent a few weeks out with an injury, but REFUSED to ever give up, ever. She came back to us a couple of weeks ago, stronger, and this weekend, she took on quite a challenge....
DeeDee (left) and Alejandra (right) stretching post race
I joked a few weeks ago, that any of our girls that did the half marathon in Brownsville on Saturday, then went to Corpus Christi Marathon and did that half marathon there the following day, would get a special prize. I was laughed at, and no one took me seriously. I joked again on Thursday. DeeDee took me seriously. She did it. 2 halfs. 2 days. Saturday, she battled humid temps, and puked at the end (darn gatorade...). Then today, she battled the 25-30mph SUSTAINED winds, with 40mph gusts along the Corpus Christi Bay. She is a strong, tough, and determined runner. I know she will be conquering a Full with us soon. DeeDee, you are a rock star!
DeeDee smiling her way through her second 13.1 of the weekend!
So...that leads me to today. We left the race in Brownsville yesterday, hustled home, rested for about 1.5 hours, and then took off toward Corpus to see 5 Full Marathoners (and DeeDee) run the Inaugural Corpus Christi Marathon. It was my Dad's FIRST marathon, and also our girl Sarah's FIRST marathon! Lorena was making her second 26.2 attempt, her husband Alex's 3rd, and Irma's like 80th because she is a rock star like that.
Marathoners before the race!
This morning, we woke up, and we knew it was going to be windy....
I had no idea it would be this windy....
My Dad and Irma around mile 5
LOOK AT THE TREES! The wind was so strong, it would literally blow you sideways. They headed out on the out/back course with the wind at their backs. BUT...the last 7-8 were dead into it. We caught up with them at mile 4 and then 5, then we camped out about mile 10ish, then we sat at about the 17/20 mile marks to see them head out for the last 3, and then come back in...into the wind.
Dad, Irma, and Lo on the course. TOGETHER!
I will say this. I don't know if I've ever seen tougher conditions (save for maybe heat at San Antonio...but I'm iffy on even saying that...). Along the sea wall, I ran out to give Lo her water bottle, the wind PUSHED me hard as I sprinted. When I turned around to head back, the winds were so strong, I was blown into the median. SIDEWAYS. I could hardly move. A wall of air. Cold-ish air. Wet air from the ocean. I don't know how they did it. I don't think I could have done it. I struggled to open my car door. The wind was so strong. When I greeted them each outbound, they were happy, when I greeted them inbound, I saw some tears. I saw some frustration. But I saw a HELL OF A LOT of determination. These people showed a lot of grit. My Dad (he is 59...ran his first marathon...Rockstar), said his glasses almost blew off. He said his feet were blowing together and making him almost trip. I can't say enough about how hard they fought today..
Dad and I running into the wind. I am so proud of him.
And the fruits of their hard work paid off....
Irma PRed BIG TIME. She took close to half an hour off of her last marathon time. She looked so strong, so poised, and so happy. I have never seen someone look so focused. I look up to her so much. I wish I had that focus. She never flinched today. Always went on!
Irma victorious in the wind!
Lo also PRed BIG TIME. By close to 50 minutes. In the wind. She fought hard through those last miles. She was determined to get this done, and when she was done....she relaxed in style on the lawn and took in the sun....
Lo. Chillin'
Lo's husband Alex, debuted a really strong mustache showing at this marathon. And he also placed 2nd OVERALL and hit a new PR. He was flying today. I know this guy is going to Boston Qualify soon. He is a beast.
Alex. Medal. Trophy. Beer. Epic Mustache.
Sarah finished her first full marathon and showed some serious guts. She wanted out at a couple points. She had been injured the past few weeks. Foot in a boot, but she came back today, and with a little pep talking, some dirty profanity on my part, and me yelling things that probably made no sense to her for 1.5 miles as we ran from 20-21.5, she finished strong with tears of joy and accomplishment. I am so happy for her. She should be epically proud!
Sarah basking in the glory of her 26.2!
And finally, my Daddy. He put his mind to his goal of completing a Full before age 60, and he never doubted or looked back. He listened to everything we said. Listened to his body, was proactive when he needed to tailor it back or tweak his training or gear, and he persevered like a true HERO. I was so proud of him today. At mile 20 I told him I thought he would place. He said he just wanted to finish. He finished...and PLACED. 3rd in his age group. He never wavered today, always was focused. I am so so so proud. He is an amazing inspiration. Daddy, I love you and I'm so proud to be your daughter. And I'm so glad that we both love running, and now we can do it together. You inspire me.
My Dad. Crossing the finish line.
All of the marathoners. Medals and Trophies in hand!
So this weekend was amazing. I can't say enough about all of these men and women I call friends. They are top notch. And I told Renea something that I didn't think I would ever say ever today...
At this point right now...I love coaching running more than I love running. I love watching them run distance...than running the distance myself. And that's a big thing. I'm not over it. I know I still want to do it, and I will, but I've evolved a little bit. Maybe a lot. I get way more pleasure watching them, than doing it myself. And they inspire me, and I feed off that. So I'm going to embrace this evolution. But I'm also taking a hefty RUNCATION. I don't plan to run any distance at all until July. And I mean at all.
And I'm training for something else. Something new and different. And yes, a million people have asked me why or questioned, and I may have a different answer every day. But I'm loving it and loving what it's doing to my body.
I'm going to compete in a bikini competition. Like the "body building" kind...not the Spring Break Hooter's girl kind. NPC competition (look it up). And I'll be doing it at the Adela Garcia Classic in Austin June 22nd. I am 13 weeks out from training, but I've been on a plan for 3 weeks so far. I'm seeing my body change weekly. It's mentally the hardest thing I've ever ever done, and it kicks my ass most days, but I haven't cried yet and thats a big thing. I'm not quite ready to share my before/current pics to the entire blogosphere...but I'm sure I will eventually. Renea is coaching me, and Daniel from Lean Nutrition is setting me up with the right meal plan. And I'm learning a lot. And changing a lot. And changing and evolving is a good thing. That's how we grow, right?
So over the next 13 weeks, I will be evolving. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
