TOUGH MUDDER COMPLETED!!!!!!!!!!
So yeah!!!Bod Squad kicked some Tough Mudder booty! That thing didn't even know what hit it!
Wait...
Ok so it was kind of hard. I still have mud in my nose. I have some random bite looking thingy's peppered all over my tummy (chiggers....). Many of us have inch + long lacerations along our arms. Almost everyone has bruises and raw elbows. Irma found a bug in her hair over 24 hours and a couple showers after. And with the exception of Renea, our fearless blonde superhuman, we are so sore (especially upper body...) that the slightest movement takes great effort.
But...
WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!
So what did they do to us? Just about everything. Like one of my teammates said, "who sits around and comes up with this sh**." Seriously. They are quite inventive really. For me, I described it (towards the end when I had HAD it) as obnoxious. The photos are epic! We had GREAT husband photographers! Thanks Greg, Mark and Abel!!
Did I mention that we also had three brave male souls that helped us through? Without George, Miguel, and Michael...we would've quickly become some other not as understanding dude's problem. They put up with over 10 women for over 12 miles and 20+ obstacles. Hats off. You listened to us talk about boobs and other girly parts "being filled with mud"or "frozen" etc for a long time. You should all get a medal!
So what did I learn from this experience? Not surprisingly, A LOT. I guess, when I jumped in feet first a couple of weeks ago, I didn't intend to learn and get out of it what I did. But I believe there are reasons for everything, and lessons to be learned from all experiences. So what I took away from this weekend, for me, is actually rather profound. So here goes.
I'm not a very good "team player." I say this in the gentlest way possible. Not saying that I don't like team work, or that I don't play well with others. Nothing of that sort. But simply that I learned that as a "teammate," I have some work to do. So forgive me if this gets a little deep here. I started writing this 2 days ago, but it's just 3 days out that I'm really coming to terms with what I got from it all.
I guess, in many regards, I've never been on a "team." At least not a team going after a physical goal. Sure, I was in choir most of my life, and I had to use my voice and "tone it down" a lot back in those days and really put myself behind for the greater good of the group. It's been over 10 years since I've done that though, and physically being a team is a different animal, I think. And going back to choir, I always was more of a soloist. I did best when I was by myself.
Which is why I enjoy running so much. It's solitary. It's me against me. Me against my goal, my time, my pace, me me me. Gosh I sound selfish, and I think this taught me that I really am. When I run, I get in a zone and forget all about what everyone else is doing. When I started, I was super concerned with what my husband was doing, but as I've gotten more comfortable in it, I don't rely on him as much either. Lately, my teammate during a race...is my Garmin.
Now this "team" I speak of is different than the team that I coach for running. I like to think that I do well helping coach others to learn to run, but I'm coaching them to learn to do it ON THEIR OWN. I preach "pace and run your race." To run how you are comfortable, to train how it works for you. To not get so concerned with how fast everyone else is going. So this team experience is different than what I have regularly.
So Tough Mudder, ironically, has NOTHING to do with any sort of individual accolade. In fact, the pledge that you say before, and that's emblazoned on the back of the finisher's shirt is "I will put teamwork and camaraderie ahead of my course time." So for me, this was my first "team" sporting event. I never played organized sports. EVER. This was all new. And I don't think I knew how new it was until I got there.
Without my teammates, I can say 100%, I wouldn't have finished. And without me, I can say 100% that my teammates, wouldn't have missed me much. Not saying that in a bad way, but in this event, I didn't bring a lot to the table. In an event such as Tough Mudder, really, someone my size, has to rely A LOT on others larger, stronger, taller, and more able bodied than myself. I couldn't have gotten over a single wall, made it down AND up a single ravine, attempted monkey bars or the half pipe. None of those things would have been possible without the help of not only my teammates, but strangers as well.
I wasn't much help with carrying the log (my shoulder was like 6 inches under it...because I'm so much shorter). I wasn't much help lifting the giant net (my tallest reach wasn't much to rave about). Not any of those have to do with me not being strong enough or wanting to...I'm just not big enough to make a huge impact. All in all, I felt completely inadequate. Which is what led to my biggest deficiency on Saturday...
My attitude.
And I let that get the best of me. Right from the beginning.
When I ran my first couple of halfs and marathons, I was known to have a "meltdown" right around mile 10 in a half, or 20 in a full, simply because, it was such uncharted territory for me. I would get tired, frustrated, uncertain of what I could do, and I'd be done. I'd cuss, be upset, and then I'd get closer to finishing, get confident, and get over it. But since running is not a team sport, my meltdowns didn't affect the greater good of anything (well...they probably frustrated my husband...). And after a while, I got used to the distance and pace and I stopped having them. I learned to do things in a way that prevented the stress in the late miles. But with this, I didn't anticipate that I'd feel so frustrated so early.
For me, relying on others was a hard thing to do. And since I had to rely on others for a lot of it, it led to me feeling frustrated much earlier. And put me in a place where I felt self conscious. So Saturday, I felt like I was fighting 2 battles. One against the course with all of my teammates, and one big battle with myself. And especially towards the later miles, it was evident. And it's on video.
I've thought about posting one of them. But good golly...my language is just downright unladylike. And my Mom Mom might read this and she wouldn't want to hear me say THAT word. And I don't want my mouth washed out with soap. Sooo...I'll leave it to the imagination. But I've watched that over and over, even shared it, and I hope that by SEEING me get frustrated in that way, it will help me to not do it like that again.
I know, I know. Everyone has their moments. And everyone gets frustrated and says things and acts in a way that later they wish they could change. So, I'm not trying to be hard on myself and say that I totally screwed up and ruined the experience, what I'm saying is, I know, for myself, that I need to get a better handle on my attitude in those situations, and stop thinking so much about how I'm doing, and instead concentrate on how I can help the whole team.
So, I've signed up for another Tough Mudder. And I hope this next time, I will be a better teammate. And that I'll contribute more of a positive vibe. And maybe I'm crazy and no one noticed that I was a sour puss (although...I'm sure it was noticed...). Either way, attitude in check or not, the Tough Mudder is VERY mentally trying event. The length of time and the fact that you have to put yourself in situations where it is VERY possible to get hurt or injured can be taxing. But mostly for me, it was putting myself in a situation where I had no control, and really, couldn't do it by myself.
With all the above being said, I'm thankful for the eye opening experience, and proud to have finished with an amazing group of individuals. And I believe that we are put in certain situations to learn more from them and grow up and get better, and I'm happy to have had an experience that did that. My parents always used to tell me "Lacy, you can't be the best at everything." And I've spent a lot of my life trying to do just that, and have failed miserably. As I've gotten older, I've tried to learn to be the best Lacy that I can be and not worry about everyone else. I also fail at that too. This weekend took it one step further and taught me that being a good teammate can be is just as important as everything else. So I'm going to embrace the challenge of becoming a better team player and shoot for a better next time!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Ohhhh Holy Tough Mudder!
So I have just a couple of minutes before I run into an appointment for work, and I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain what I'm doing this weekend.
Tough Mudder.
For months, I've lamented to many that I would NEVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER EVER want to do an obstacle course challenge. Why? Because I'm a big ol' weenie, and I'm afraid I'll get hurt. I hadn't been planning on participating with the 20 or so Bod Squadders that had been signed up and preparing for months. But 2 weeks ago, this weekend became free...and well, peer pressure...and the fact that I have been rather bored since I finished my marathon...and don't have another distance event for several months...
I caved.
So I'm going to do the Tough Mudder. Let me share what I know about this event. Which is surprisingly not a lot.
1. I will be running (thank the Jesus) 10-12 miles. Easy peasy.
2. I will be swimming (albeit in SUPER cold water)...for a short distance.
3. I will be thrown over a wall by one of my teammates. And I will be expected to land and not die.
4. I will be trudging through mud for quite some distance. Better bring some "used" shoes.
5. I will be doing monkey bars. I will try not to fall. But I make no guarantees.
6. I will be coming into contact with some sort of barbed wire. Awesome.
7. I will be getting shocked. Not sure how "shocked", but I'm sure it will be super special.
8. I will be doing the above things with my teammates. Amazing!
There are 22 obstacles??? I know of just the above. I have not watched a single video. I refuse. Why?
I will freak the EFF out. And that is NOOOOO bueno. So for me, ignorance is bliss, and I'd rather be surprised by the unpleasantries rather than give myself the opportunity to analyze the bajeezits out of them. So I'm letting go, and letting Mud (and God). I'm gonna put on my shoes and hope for the best!
It is sure to be an experience that I will not forget. And it may (oh may not) plunge me into the vast world of obstacle course races that up until now I have steered clear of. I realize I am super smart for choosing to do the most difficult one first. I feel like I chose to do the "marathon of mud" instead of starting with a "5k of mud." BUT! I am gonna do it, I am gonna finish it, and I am not going to be the whiny girl on my team.
If I whine (I will be "wining" after this I'm sure..."), I give my teammates full permission to throw mud in my face.
Of course, true to Lacy form (and Bod Squad)...I have an outfit picked out. Would you expect any less? We will all be rocking these...
Be prepared for a blog full of pictures and crazy stories from this weekend. I'm sure I'll have many a story to tell! Say a prayer! This may be the most exciting active adventure that I've done since I was chased by opossums in the Country Club!
Stay tuned!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
Tough Mudder.
For months, I've lamented to many that I would NEVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER EVER want to do an obstacle course challenge. Why? Because I'm a big ol' weenie, and I'm afraid I'll get hurt. I hadn't been planning on participating with the 20 or so Bod Squadders that had been signed up and preparing for months. But 2 weeks ago, this weekend became free...and well, peer pressure...and the fact that I have been rather bored since I finished my marathon...and don't have another distance event for several months...
I caved.
So I'm going to do the Tough Mudder. Let me share what I know about this event. Which is surprisingly not a lot.
1. I will be running (thank the Jesus) 10-12 miles. Easy peasy.
2. I will be swimming (albeit in SUPER cold water)...for a short distance.
3. I will be thrown over a wall by one of my teammates. And I will be expected to land and not die.
4. I will be trudging through mud for quite some distance. Better bring some "used" shoes.
5. I will be doing monkey bars. I will try not to fall. But I make no guarantees.
6. I will be coming into contact with some sort of barbed wire. Awesome.
7. I will be getting shocked. Not sure how "shocked", but I'm sure it will be super special.
8. I will be doing the above things with my teammates. Amazing!
There are 22 obstacles??? I know of just the above. I have not watched a single video. I refuse. Why?
I will freak the EFF out. And that is NOOOOO bueno. So for me, ignorance is bliss, and I'd rather be surprised by the unpleasantries rather than give myself the opportunity to analyze the bajeezits out of them. So I'm letting go, and letting Mud (and God). I'm gonna put on my shoes and hope for the best!
It is sure to be an experience that I will not forget. And it may (oh may not) plunge me into the vast world of obstacle course races that up until now I have steered clear of. I realize I am super smart for choosing to do the most difficult one first. I feel like I chose to do the "marathon of mud" instead of starting with a "5k of mud." BUT! I am gonna do it, I am gonna finish it, and I am not going to be the whiny girl on my team.
If I whine (I will be "wining" after this I'm sure..."), I give my teammates full permission to throw mud in my face.
Of course, true to Lacy form (and Bod Squad)...I have an outfit picked out. Would you expect any less? We will all be rocking these...
Be prepared for a blog full of pictures and crazy stories from this weekend. I'm sure I'll have many a story to tell! Say a prayer! This may be the most exciting active adventure that I've done since I was chased by opossums in the Country Club!
Stay tuned!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Third time's a charm :)!
We pulled into our driveway last night at about 6pm. And I can tell you, I'm STILL tired and worn out from this weekend. But I wouldn't change a thing!
By now, some of you...maybe a lot of you, may not want to hear anymore about our marathon in Austin Sunday. Totally understandable! I've been yacking about it for weeks now. But trust...this post will be ALLLLL about the marathon on Sunday. So if you are over it, feel free to click Mr. X in the top right corner. No hurt feelings!
We left on Saturday morning and headed towards Austin. We were originally gonna leave Friday, but changes in work schedules and me feeling crummy made leaving Saturday more reasonable. As always when we travel, I get ummm stressed before we leave.
Side Note: I'm a time management freak of nature. I am also a punctuality cop (thanks Mom). So if we are running even 5 minutes behind, I get uneasy. That's me, can't change it, can be frustrating, whatareyagonnadoaboutit.
So we left a few minutes behind "schedule," and arrived to a VERY rainy and dreary Austin Texas at about 3pm. By rainy, I mean pouring. And we walked/ran into the expo center trying not to get drenched. Picked up our swag bags, and started to shop. Now, the EXPO is a like a huge runner's paradise full of all sorts of gear and stuff that us runners like. Now, I don't really like the EXPO. Why? Crowds. I can't handle the tightly packed booths and tons of people. It freaks me out. And I get all bothered.
Side Note: I sound like a complete crazy so far. And I'm not even a quarter way done. Lets just say...this week, I was battling aching knees, and trying to fend off a cold, all while juggling a crazy schedule. So by Saturday, I was full on frazzled. Normally, I can handle schedule setbacks and crowds. This week, not so much. But in the interest of honesty...
So we left the EXPO. Not before I bought a new pair of Experia socks (it's a tradition). I also looked for a LIVESTRONG shirt to wear to the race, since the team shirt they gave me was too big, but I didn't find anything. Which left me with limited wardrobe options for the race...
So we went to Academy. And my husband bought me a really lovely BRIGHT yellow long sleeve, to compliment my really amazing zebra tights that I had been wanting to wear since Christmas. So I was set!
After our totally predictable and typical trip to Carino's where we order the SAME thing every time (creature of habit...). Followed by our even more predictable trip to Target to buy whole wheat mini bagels, peanut butter, and water for the room (I swear I'm not crazy...just predictable). We were back in our hotel room by 730pm. By 9, I was a pumpkin, and ready for bed. 5am comes early!
Since we stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the start line, it was much less hectic than trying to drive and park like we had before in San Antonio. It was actually nice to be all dressed and ready, and then have a nice 10 min walk to get to the crowds. We checked our gear, found a short port-o-potty line (this is an amazing amazing thing...), and we literally hopped in line with the 3:55 pace group at 6:55 am, 5 minutes to start. So I didn't really have time to analyze anything, because we were just right on time. Before I knew it, we were running. And the craziest 4 hours of my life started.
Now you may say, since I've done this before, how can it be that crazy. And I could read back to my old posts and probably read that I said that San Antonio 26.2 in November was crazy. Trust. This race was nuts. Sure, it starts off all nice and rosy with THOUSANDS of people cheering for you on the way out. Nice flat road, bands playing, cool weather, etc. But about mile 2. BAM! You start climbing. And then climbing, and climbing some more. Maybe its because we run in flat South Texas. But those hills, the relentless, rolling, keep going and going, and going hills, DID NOT STOP for the first 13 miles. You'd start to think it would be ok, because you'd come down hill for what seemed just like a few seconds, but then again...OH, another hill. And there were a ton of turns getting in and around the downtown area. And turns mean one thing for me.
Added mileage. Because inevitably, at every race, even though you are supposed to line up with the group that goes at your pace (example: We wanted to finish in 4 hours, we lined up with the 3:55 hour group. Amanda wanted to run a 10 min mile, she lined up with the 10 min mile group) people just line up, whereever they are.
***Why line up with your pace group? This keeps you from going too fast too quick and burning out, or, from slowing down people that are attempting to go faster than you. That is what it's designed to do...but it never works...
We lined up with 3:55 pacers, and there were people walking in front of me. So you spend the first 4 miles or so trying to get around all of the people that are not moving as fast, so it causes sort of a bottleneck effect. When turns come, since there's so many people, we usually end up going on the outside of the turn to get around. This adds distance. So just like last time, by the time the race was over, I had run 26.44 miles...not 26.2. So a lot of turns in the beginning quickly added a mileage, by mile 6, my watch was off by .10. Oh well, when I do it again, I'm going to line up with the 2:55 pacers (if ya can't beat em', join em')!
So hills, and turns...oh and shoe laces. Never had my shoe laces ever come untied during ANY race. Within the first 7 miles. Yup. 3 times. The 3rd time, I got frustrated and tied the left one tight and in a double knot. Up to mile 9, Kristofor and I were pacing right next to each other. At about 9.5, my left knee (which is NOT my bad knee...) started to hurt. Why? My damn shoe was too damn tight. So I pulled over and fixed it, and told Kristofor to keep going. So before mile 10, I was no longer with my hubby. It was just me, and a bunch of strangers.
We came up on the point in the race where the road splits. Half marathoners go one way, and Full marathoners go another. Mile 11 or so. And I thought about it. I thought about taking the half. Evidently so did about 250 other people because they bailed out too! Kristofor said when I finished that he was worried that I would bail out. But I didn't. I stayed on course. Even when about a quarter mile down the road there was a sign that said "13.1 TURN BACK"...it crossed my mind. NOOOOOOO! I kept going.
Kristofor had said mile 13-16 was hilly. Yeah. That was treacherous. But through all the hills, one thing remained. And this is one thing I had NOT experienced in a Full Marathon. Crowd support! In San Antonio, after you pass the half marathon split, you go away from downtown, and its pretty much 13 or so very lonely quiet miles. McAllen was 26 lonely miles. Austin, 26 ROWDY miles. There were people everywhere! In the thousands. With signs, and fruit, and candy, and beer, and you name it. They came out in busloads. There was water and medical attention at every single mile. I cannot say enough about the course support. They showed up for us. And about no less than 50 people yelled at me about my zebra tights.
MY. TIGHTS. WERE. SUPER. POPULAR. And I was the only person I saw wearing them. So I kinda stood out!
Coming into the water stop at mile 16. I got elbowed in the rib cage by an older gentleman. Being 4'10" tall, I am the perfect height to take elbows in the face or the body. And it happened. And it knocked the wind out of me. So I stopped for a bit. Tried to stretch, teared up a little, and then tried to start again. But I was having a rough go. And then I saw the most miraculous, amazing thing I've ever seen. And although, I won't go into detail, I can tell you, it completely renewed my energy and strength. Adrenaline ran like ice through my veins, and I started running again, and it was all gravy from there.
Mile 20 came and went, and we were given a bit of a downhill into the last 6 miles. It started getting a little hot with the sun out at around 10am. Up until that point, my long sleeve and head band had been a great choice. But about mile 23, I was getting really sweaty and starting to fatigue. So, I stripped. While running. I took off my long sleeve and my head band, and ran the last 3.1 in my sports bra and zebra tights. So my pictures look pretty ridiculous. I'm holding my clothes. I couldn't tie them around my waist because it covered my number, then I wouldn't be able to find my pictures (they send you your pictures and identify you by your bib number...). I didn't care. I felt better. I never take good race pictures anyways. I always look like a sweaty, really pale, really bloaty mess. Not cute. Such is life.
The 3:55 pace group had passed me up at about mile 19, but I was still in front of the 4 hour pacers...until mile 24.5ish. And I stayed with them. I was cutting it close for my goal. At mile 26, you have to go uphill to do the last .2. It was like a cruel joke. I had to stop right before to stretch my legs before I powered up. I finished right next to the 4 hour pacers, even though my official time is about 4:01:25. BUT, since I had run 26.2 before I crossed the finish line, I stopped my watch...
By now, some of you...maybe a lot of you, may not want to hear anymore about our marathon in Austin Sunday. Totally understandable! I've been yacking about it for weeks now. But trust...this post will be ALLLLL about the marathon on Sunday. So if you are over it, feel free to click Mr. X in the top right corner. No hurt feelings!
We left on Saturday morning and headed towards Austin. We were originally gonna leave Friday, but changes in work schedules and me feeling crummy made leaving Saturday more reasonable. As always when we travel, I get ummm stressed before we leave.
Side Note: I'm a time management freak of nature. I am also a punctuality cop (thanks Mom). So if we are running even 5 minutes behind, I get uneasy. That's me, can't change it, can be frustrating, whatareyagonnadoaboutit.
So we left a few minutes behind "schedule," and arrived to a VERY rainy and dreary Austin Texas at about 3pm. By rainy, I mean pouring. And we walked/ran into the expo center trying not to get drenched. Picked up our swag bags, and started to shop. Now, the EXPO is a like a huge runner's paradise full of all sorts of gear and stuff that us runners like. Now, I don't really like the EXPO. Why? Crowds. I can't handle the tightly packed booths and tons of people. It freaks me out. And I get all bothered.
Side Note: I sound like a complete crazy so far. And I'm not even a quarter way done. Lets just say...this week, I was battling aching knees, and trying to fend off a cold, all while juggling a crazy schedule. So by Saturday, I was full on frazzled. Normally, I can handle schedule setbacks and crowds. This week, not so much. But in the interest of honesty...
So we left the EXPO. Not before I bought a new pair of Experia socks (it's a tradition). I also looked for a LIVESTRONG shirt to wear to the race, since the team shirt they gave me was too big, but I didn't find anything. Which left me with limited wardrobe options for the race...
So we went to Academy. And my husband bought me a really lovely BRIGHT yellow long sleeve, to compliment my really amazing zebra tights that I had been wanting to wear since Christmas. So I was set!
After our totally predictable and typical trip to Carino's where we order the SAME thing every time (creature of habit...). Followed by our even more predictable trip to Target to buy whole wheat mini bagels, peanut butter, and water for the room (I swear I'm not crazy...just predictable). We were back in our hotel room by 730pm. By 9, I was a pumpkin, and ready for bed. 5am comes early!
Since we stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the start line, it was much less hectic than trying to drive and park like we had before in San Antonio. It was actually nice to be all dressed and ready, and then have a nice 10 min walk to get to the crowds. We checked our gear, found a short port-o-potty line (this is an amazing amazing thing...), and we literally hopped in line with the 3:55 pace group at 6:55 am, 5 minutes to start. So I didn't really have time to analyze anything, because we were just right on time. Before I knew it, we were running. And the craziest 4 hours of my life started.
Now you may say, since I've done this before, how can it be that crazy. And I could read back to my old posts and probably read that I said that San Antonio 26.2 in November was crazy. Trust. This race was nuts. Sure, it starts off all nice and rosy with THOUSANDS of people cheering for you on the way out. Nice flat road, bands playing, cool weather, etc. But about mile 2. BAM! You start climbing. And then climbing, and climbing some more. Maybe its because we run in flat South Texas. But those hills, the relentless, rolling, keep going and going, and going hills, DID NOT STOP for the first 13 miles. You'd start to think it would be ok, because you'd come down hill for what seemed just like a few seconds, but then again...OH, another hill. And there were a ton of turns getting in and around the downtown area. And turns mean one thing for me.
Added mileage. Because inevitably, at every race, even though you are supposed to line up with the group that goes at your pace (example: We wanted to finish in 4 hours, we lined up with the 3:55 hour group. Amanda wanted to run a 10 min mile, she lined up with the 10 min mile group) people just line up, whereever they are.
***Why line up with your pace group? This keeps you from going too fast too quick and burning out, or, from slowing down people that are attempting to go faster than you. That is what it's designed to do...but it never works...
We lined up with 3:55 pacers, and there were people walking in front of me. So you spend the first 4 miles or so trying to get around all of the people that are not moving as fast, so it causes sort of a bottleneck effect. When turns come, since there's so many people, we usually end up going on the outside of the turn to get around. This adds distance. So just like last time, by the time the race was over, I had run 26.44 miles...not 26.2. So a lot of turns in the beginning quickly added a mileage, by mile 6, my watch was off by .10. Oh well, when I do it again, I'm going to line up with the 2:55 pacers (if ya can't beat em', join em')!
So hills, and turns...oh and shoe laces. Never had my shoe laces ever come untied during ANY race. Within the first 7 miles. Yup. 3 times. The 3rd time, I got frustrated and tied the left one tight and in a double knot. Up to mile 9, Kristofor and I were pacing right next to each other. At about 9.5, my left knee (which is NOT my bad knee...) started to hurt. Why? My damn shoe was too damn tight. So I pulled over and fixed it, and told Kristofor to keep going. So before mile 10, I was no longer with my hubby. It was just me, and a bunch of strangers.
We came up on the point in the race where the road splits. Half marathoners go one way, and Full marathoners go another. Mile 11 or so. And I thought about it. I thought about taking the half. Evidently so did about 250 other people because they bailed out too! Kristofor said when I finished that he was worried that I would bail out. But I didn't. I stayed on course. Even when about a quarter mile down the road there was a sign that said "13.1 TURN BACK"...it crossed my mind. NOOOOOOO! I kept going.
Kristofor had said mile 13-16 was hilly. Yeah. That was treacherous. But through all the hills, one thing remained. And this is one thing I had NOT experienced in a Full Marathon. Crowd support! In San Antonio, after you pass the half marathon split, you go away from downtown, and its pretty much 13 or so very lonely quiet miles. McAllen was 26 lonely miles. Austin, 26 ROWDY miles. There were people everywhere! In the thousands. With signs, and fruit, and candy, and beer, and you name it. They came out in busloads. There was water and medical attention at every single mile. I cannot say enough about the course support. They showed up for us. And about no less than 50 people yelled at me about my zebra tights.
MY. TIGHTS. WERE. SUPER. POPULAR. And I was the only person I saw wearing them. So I kinda stood out!
Coming into the water stop at mile 16. I got elbowed in the rib cage by an older gentleman. Being 4'10" tall, I am the perfect height to take elbows in the face or the body. And it happened. And it knocked the wind out of me. So I stopped for a bit. Tried to stretch, teared up a little, and then tried to start again. But I was having a rough go. And then I saw the most miraculous, amazing thing I've ever seen. And although, I won't go into detail, I can tell you, it completely renewed my energy and strength. Adrenaline ran like ice through my veins, and I started running again, and it was all gravy from there.
Mile 20 came and went, and we were given a bit of a downhill into the last 6 miles. It started getting a little hot with the sun out at around 10am. Up until that point, my long sleeve and head band had been a great choice. But about mile 23, I was getting really sweaty and starting to fatigue. So, I stripped. While running. I took off my long sleeve and my head band, and ran the last 3.1 in my sports bra and zebra tights. So my pictures look pretty ridiculous. I'm holding my clothes. I couldn't tie them around my waist because it covered my number, then I wouldn't be able to find my pictures (they send you your pictures and identify you by your bib number...). I didn't care. I felt better. I never take good race pictures anyways. I always look like a sweaty, really pale, really bloaty mess. Not cute. Such is life.
The 3:55 pace group had passed me up at about mile 19, but I was still in front of the 4 hour pacers...until mile 24.5ish. And I stayed with them. I was cutting it close for my goal. At mile 26, you have to go uphill to do the last .2. It was like a cruel joke. I had to stop right before to stretch my legs before I powered up. I finished right next to the 4 hour pacers, even though my official time is about 4:01:25. BUT, since I had run 26.2 before I crossed the finish line, I stopped my watch...
Gosh I don't give myself any room do I? I made it in just a hair under my goal time! Now I realize, to qualify for Boston, I have to have an OFFICIAL 3:40 time. So I know, that what my watch says won't count unless its under that. But for this race, I'm good with it! I'm even better with the fact that I finished with an 8:05 pace, so I still had enough juice to kick it up.
Kristofor called me about 2 minutes after I finished and took my pictures at the end. I met him and my sister and her boyfriend at Jamba Juice, and the eating ensued! I am so thankful that I had my husband and my sister there at the end! Kris had finished about 10 minutes before me...(feel free to jab at me, I've been hearing it for days now...)!
Since Sunday, I've been pretty useless! My legs are still VERY sore. In addition, because I used my WHOLE body to get up all those hills, my arms, chest, back, stomach...yeah, its all sore. But it was worth it! And I'm happy to be done with it. No more FULL marathons for a while (Fall maybe?). Even though, I think we are going to do a half and a relay in March. I start our Spring Running Team Session soon, so that will take up my running time!
If this weekend taught me anything, its that really, really, really, this stuff is all mental. And I've said that before. But it is. In an article I read today, it said "the moment you let your head get out of it, your heart goes with it." And that is so completely 100% true. If you start to doubt, you have to squash it. Or it will eat you alive. There were so many moments, especially at mile 16, when I wanted out. When I really really wanted to quit. But I'm headstrong, and I said NO. I think that applies in all areas of life. When it matters, when you've worked for something, be headstrong. Don't just give in and let it go. If you want to lose weight, lose weight. Don't let the brownies kill you. If you want to run, RUN. Don't let the doubts of "I can't run" get you. You'll never get anywhere if you don't believe that you can do it. Sometimes believing is the hardest part of it all. But it's worth it when you do!
Ok, I'm off of my soap box now. So thanks for taking this journey with me! I know I started writing this in the summer to document my 2nd marathon. Now I just finished number 3! It can be done!
A huge congratulations goes out to my friend Amanda, who conquered her first Full. I can't say it enough. She BELIEVED, and she did it. I was so proud of her performance and her faithfulness throughout training. Thank YOU for letting us help you get there! It was all you girl! I know this is not the last time for her. And I CANNOT WAIT to get more of my girls across that 26.2 finish line. I KNOW that you can do it!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Arthris Schmarthritis and my new "friend" Frank
Wow. Finding time to sit and write this blog has gotten more and more challenging. But, I was just so stinking happy when I got home from my day, that I decided I just had to. We shall talk about why I'm so happy in just a bit...
Soooo this weekend, I'm running a half marathon with my team! We have 4 brand spankin' new halfers that are ready to conquer the distance, and then Renea and George will be running it with us also! Words can't describe how excited I am to watch them run this weekend. I will personally, not be going for any sort of time goal. My ONLY goal is to get my girls across that finish line! So, I'll be pacing with them as much as possible. And I can tell you, you won't be able to miss us...because our shirts are just that loud and bright!
Soooo this weekend, I'm running a half marathon with my team! We have 4 brand spankin' new halfers that are ready to conquer the distance, and then Renea and George will be running it with us also! Words can't describe how excited I am to watch them run this weekend. I will personally, not be going for any sort of time goal. My ONLY goal is to get my girls across that finish line! So, I'll be pacing with them as much as possible. And I can tell you, you won't be able to miss us...because our shirts are just that loud and bright!
I promise you can see "Bod Squad" better in person, but my camera takes kinda junky photos lately. But it's bright. We definitely aren't wallflowers, we like to be seen :)! So if you are around Brownsville and see a small mob of brightly orange dressed women, that's us! Feel free to cheer!
So this weekend is the half with my team, and I'm using it as my last run before....
I run the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon on Sunday the 19th. Yup. Call me crazy. But I'm gonna race back to back. And let me also throw in that I haven't run but TWO MILES since Sunday, January 29th. And I haven't done any leg workouts either. WHYYYY?????
My stinkin' freakin' fricken' frackin' knee. You've heard it more than once here. I have a difficult knee. My right knee likes to cause me problems. I've been to Dr.'s, its chronic, blah blah blah blah BLAAHHHHH...It just causes issues. I had been doing SO well too. But after I ran a very fast (very fast for me...) 5k on the 28th, it has just been testy. So I've been icing, and resting, and NOT SQUATTING. It aches in a whole new place this time (naturally), its achy at the top inside corner. Go figure. And since some of you know that I'm a huge fan of diagnosing myself (spare me the lectures...), I think I've decided, I must have early onset arthritis.
WHY???
How could such a young girl of 29 have arthritis? Here's why.
I'm a midget. I'm extremely short. My whole life, I have sat in chairs, and guess what. My feet don't touch the ground. So what have I done my whole life? I sit indian style. ORR I sit on my legs tucked under me. That's super good for your knees (*sarcastic). Also, I sleep with my knees curled up. So I would bet that I bend my knees more than the average person. The Doc last summer told me to stop (I told him that these are bad habits of mine...). So I have somewhat broken myself at least of the indian style sitting. BUT, I did it for a lot of years.
So maybe I have arthritis. Or maybe I'm just weird and have bad knees. Or maybe I'm just a big weenie. Either way. My knee hurts, I've rested and stayed off of it. I did run on Tuesday (2 whole miles), and there is absolutely NO pain when I run, only when I squat past about 90 degrees. My amazing new training client is gonna do me a solid and tape it up for me manana! I'm super thankful that I have SUPER talented clients!
Which brings me to why I am happy! My clients are super awesome. Not just awesome. But ridic awesome. And today, I started to see the fruits of their hard work when we did their 1 month measurements. Inches be fallin' off them like crazy. AND I LOVE IT! I cried 2x today out of sheer proudness (okay not cried...but there were tears welling up...)! It is so amazing to see them succeed. And when they tell me thank you, I am happy to accept their thanks, but I KNOW that it has about 20% to do with me, and about 80% to do with them. THEY put in the work inside the studio, and outside of the couple of hours I see them. So ladies, you rock my stinky socks off.
I know the next week or so is going to be an exciting one with the half marathon, and then getting all prepared to travel to Austin. And although, I do still have a time goal in mind for next week, I'm content in knowing that this time for me, finishing will be ok. I've run a lot more with my team than on my own this round. So it's anyone's guess how my time will look. But I'm ok with whatever happens.
Now this Fall...that's another story! This Fall, I'll be being a little bit selfish so I can try and reach my ultimate goal to do a Boston Qualifying time!
A big shout out goes to my friend and teammate, Amanda, who is also going to Austin with us to run here FIRST FULL MARATHON. You are going to rock it woman! And I can't wait to celebrate with you!
Soooo, that's about it! My girls rock, my knee hurts, and I'm running 2 races back to back. Oh, and I have a new "friend." Frank.
Frank, the myfitnesspal demon. I decided this week, that just like my girls and the other ladies that train, I needed to jump on that bandwagon and download the myfitnesspal app to log my food journal. And if you know me, you know that although, I am a clean-ish eater, a vegetarian (OVER 2 MONTHS STRONG!), and pretty regimented, I do NOT track what I eat. But I took the leap and said that I'd give it a try. Maybe it will keep me honest, and you gotta practice what you preach.
And I hate Frank. He is not a nice App. I had to give him a name just because I needed someone to blame when I put down the cookie at Subway today, and also chose mustard instead of my usual dressing. BUT, it will teach me discipline. And my goal is to track stuff just 4-5 days a week. TRUST, this is a big move for me. But a good one! As a vegetarian, its also helping me track my protein better as well (yes, I'm a vegetarian, and yes I eat enough protein). So Frank, I solute you for keeping me on track 70% of the time.
Good luck to all my ladies, and all my friends running races all over this weekend!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
Friday, January 6, 2012
Welcome 2012!
Happy New Year Everyone! I feel like it has been ages since I've last updated this blog. Last time I checked in, I had just finished my second full marathon. I was riding the "runner's high" of surpassing my PR, and looking forward to my next big race on February 19th. Since November, my focus has not been so much on MY training, BUT on training others, and I couldn't be happier about that.
I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my husband and family, and as usual getting our home ready for the Christmas holiday. On actual Thanksgiving Day, I prepared a small meal for just Kristofor and I, as we didn't have our big family gathering until Friday. Little did I know then, that Friday would be the day of many new beginnings for me in more ways than one.
In mid October, I was approached by my trainer and fabulous friend, Renea, about coaching a team of new runners. With the help of another wonderful lady, Irma, and my husband, we embarked on creating the Bod Squad (and Bro Squad) Running Team. Together, since our first practice on November 28th, we've been hosting 8 sessions per week and training 23 teammates to compete in their first races. We have a 5k group, a 10k group, and a half marathon group. And I'm happy to report that the latter two groups have just about merged, because almost all of our 10kers are on pace and ready to do a half marathon in the next month or so. I could go on for days about how rewarding this experience has been....so I just might!
Never had I ever imagined that this undertaking would turn out to be one of the toughest but most rewarding ventures of my entire life. Looking back on the past 6 weeks or so, I can't think of another time when I have felt more tested, but more fulfilled with a purpose. Watching my team members make sacrifices to come to practice, put in the time (all during the holiday season...) has been so rewarding. Every session from start to now has been different, exciting, challenging, and motivating for me in ways that I never thought possible. But lets talk about them....!
On day one, and that entire first week, it was almost like being a teacher on the first day of school. Our pupils arrived nervous, anxious, and unsure of what we had planned for them. Not a single one showed up and didn't say "I was so nervous", or "I didn't sleep last night", or "I had NO idea what to wear." It was so refreshing to meet new people, and make new friends. It's been even more refreshing watching them befriend each other! We started out slow, and by week two, we began to watch runners blossom! I have to commend them. They literally took every little thing that Irma, Kris and I said to heart, even when it made them look funny! They put in the time, they were patient with us and themselves. And now, over 6 weeks later, we have a crop of runners that will not only succeed in their chosen races, but I'm confident that it will be just the first step in a very long, healthy journey.
We have a wide variety in our group too! New moms, prosecutors, teachers, counselors, stay at home mommy's, newlyweds, business owners, retail executives (can you imagine how hard THAT was during the holidays?), and a host of other successful goal minded men and women. We've run in the heat (yes it is still hot in December at times...), and more than once, our morning crew has braved mid 30's temps at 5:30 am. GUTS!! I think that I speak for all 3 coaches when I say, they have far exceeded our expectations. They got faster quicker. They moved from jogging one minute, to jogging 5-6 minutes in the span of a couple of weeks. Some were novice runners, and we've watched them go from 14 minute milers to swift 10-11 minute milers. We've watched them show up with looser clothes (which is always exciting), and we've watched them improve their times week by week. And most of all, we've been witness to their confidence and drive. And THAT is worth more than anything. I know this is my first group of many runner trainees, but this group will always hold a special place in my heart. They've taught me more about running than I would have ever imagined. They've truly embodied the "anyone can do it" attitude. And even if it's a tough day, they get right back up and come at the next one with a vengeance. They helped us pioneer this program that we hope to continue. And we already have a waiting list for our next session.
After all of this running team craziness started, it was almost hard to imagine what my life had been like before I had people showing up at my house every day to run. And like clockwork, it happened. I had been secretly hoping (and maybe not so secretly hoping) that another opportunity would head my way. And sure enough it did. Renea asked me if I would like to take on a few clients of my own, and begin the process of being not only a running coach, but a personal trainer as well. And I dived in! So I've been working on my certification, and next week, I start training my first crop of clients. Since I'm keeping my "day job," this has been interesting with scheduling, etc. And since we still have more than a month of running team, I'm going to be one busy lady for the next few weeks. But I'm excited, and appreciative!
Speaking of appreciation...
I think this is the biggest thing that I personally, have gotten out of all of this. I do love my "normal" job. I've been a financial advisor for going on 6 years now. And there are days when I leave the office on cloud 9, and days when I leave down and defeated. I've lived and crawled my way through the yo-yo stock market since 2008, and although I know my heart is still very much in the business of making people "financially fit," it has definitely come with it's share of disadvantages as well. A lot of the time, I get frustrated, simply because I don't feel appreciated. A lot of the time, I meet with people day in and day out that aren't very interested or personally invested in what I have to say, even though, I am fully invested in giving them the tools to help themselves. I can say whole-heartedly, this experience with our team, and the experience I've had with my new clients, gives me hope that people do appreciate what I have to say and give. And I'm hopeful and optimistic that this appreciation will spill over from one business to the other. Mostly because, I know that my heart will now be in both, and the new energy I have should translate, since both my business involve helping improve other's lives.
So 2012...you better be good to me!
As far as my training goes, it is coming right along! My next marathon is February 19th, in Austin,TX. And since I was on pace to finish around the 4 hour mark this last time...until the brutal heat hit me...I hope to finish closer to sub 4 hours this time. ANNNDDDDDD....
I've made it known. And I will say it here. I am shooting to qualify for the Boston Marathon in the Fall. I'll need to run a 3:45 marathon to do it. And I can taste it. And being in the gym more with my clients should help. I've run a couple of training runs the past couple of weeks where I've averaged right at or below the BQ pace for up to 10 miles, so I'm confident that with some devoted effort I can make it.
This also means that I'll be diligently trying to pick my race where I will try to qualify. I plan to give myself a break and do a race that is known for it's flat course and cool temps. Any way it turns out, starting this summer, I will be down and dirty going for my BQ time. And maybe I might do a triathlon. Maybe. Maybe.
As for the sometimes dreaded New Years Resolution...
I usually don't believe in them. No one keeps them. BUT this year (and really for the past few months) my main goal has been to do whatever I have to do to STAY POSITIVE. This is something I've struggled with in the past, and something I try to work on every day. A lot of times I fail miserably, but the point is, NOW, I try to pick myself up and move on. Instead of wallowing. So this year I will do my best to stay positive and strong and optimistic (but realistic...) about what I can and can't do. This also means spending time with those that love me, want the best for me, support me, and want to see me succeed. Life it too short to worry about those that tear you down with words or actions. So this year, if you catch me griping on the regular...remind me of this :)! I'm determined to be a realistic "half full" instead of always a "half empty!"
This blog may have a new look soon. I'm checking into it, so stay tuned!
Thanks for cheering me on,
Lacy
I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my husband and family, and as usual getting our home ready for the Christmas holiday. On actual Thanksgiving Day, I prepared a small meal for just Kristofor and I, as we didn't have our big family gathering until Friday. Little did I know then, that Friday would be the day of many new beginnings for me in more ways than one.
In mid October, I was approached by my trainer and fabulous friend, Renea, about coaching a team of new runners. With the help of another wonderful lady, Irma, and my husband, we embarked on creating the Bod Squad (and Bro Squad) Running Team. Together, since our first practice on November 28th, we've been hosting 8 sessions per week and training 23 teammates to compete in their first races. We have a 5k group, a 10k group, and a half marathon group. And I'm happy to report that the latter two groups have just about merged, because almost all of our 10kers are on pace and ready to do a half marathon in the next month or so. I could go on for days about how rewarding this experience has been....so I just might!
Never had I ever imagined that this undertaking would turn out to be one of the toughest but most rewarding ventures of my entire life. Looking back on the past 6 weeks or so, I can't think of another time when I have felt more tested, but more fulfilled with a purpose. Watching my team members make sacrifices to come to practice, put in the time (all during the holiday season...) has been so rewarding. Every session from start to now has been different, exciting, challenging, and motivating for me in ways that I never thought possible. But lets talk about them....!
On day one, and that entire first week, it was almost like being a teacher on the first day of school. Our pupils arrived nervous, anxious, and unsure of what we had planned for them. Not a single one showed up and didn't say "I was so nervous", or "I didn't sleep last night", or "I had NO idea what to wear." It was so refreshing to meet new people, and make new friends. It's been even more refreshing watching them befriend each other! We started out slow, and by week two, we began to watch runners blossom! I have to commend them. They literally took every little thing that Irma, Kris and I said to heart, even when it made them look funny! They put in the time, they were patient with us and themselves. And now, over 6 weeks later, we have a crop of runners that will not only succeed in their chosen races, but I'm confident that it will be just the first step in a very long, healthy journey.
We have a wide variety in our group too! New moms, prosecutors, teachers, counselors, stay at home mommy's, newlyweds, business owners, retail executives (can you imagine how hard THAT was during the holidays?), and a host of other successful goal minded men and women. We've run in the heat (yes it is still hot in December at times...), and more than once, our morning crew has braved mid 30's temps at 5:30 am. GUTS!! I think that I speak for all 3 coaches when I say, they have far exceeded our expectations. They got faster quicker. They moved from jogging one minute, to jogging 5-6 minutes in the span of a couple of weeks. Some were novice runners, and we've watched them go from 14 minute milers to swift 10-11 minute milers. We've watched them show up with looser clothes (which is always exciting), and we've watched them improve their times week by week. And most of all, we've been witness to their confidence and drive. And THAT is worth more than anything. I know this is my first group of many runner trainees, but this group will always hold a special place in my heart. They've taught me more about running than I would have ever imagined. They've truly embodied the "anyone can do it" attitude. And even if it's a tough day, they get right back up and come at the next one with a vengeance. They helped us pioneer this program that we hope to continue. And we already have a waiting list for our next session.
After all of this running team craziness started, it was almost hard to imagine what my life had been like before I had people showing up at my house every day to run. And like clockwork, it happened. I had been secretly hoping (and maybe not so secretly hoping) that another opportunity would head my way. And sure enough it did. Renea asked me if I would like to take on a few clients of my own, and begin the process of being not only a running coach, but a personal trainer as well. And I dived in! So I've been working on my certification, and next week, I start training my first crop of clients. Since I'm keeping my "day job," this has been interesting with scheduling, etc. And since we still have more than a month of running team, I'm going to be one busy lady for the next few weeks. But I'm excited, and appreciative!
Speaking of appreciation...
I think this is the biggest thing that I personally, have gotten out of all of this. I do love my "normal" job. I've been a financial advisor for going on 6 years now. And there are days when I leave the office on cloud 9, and days when I leave down and defeated. I've lived and crawled my way through the yo-yo stock market since 2008, and although I know my heart is still very much in the business of making people "financially fit," it has definitely come with it's share of disadvantages as well. A lot of the time, I get frustrated, simply because I don't feel appreciated. A lot of the time, I meet with people day in and day out that aren't very interested or personally invested in what I have to say, even though, I am fully invested in giving them the tools to help themselves. I can say whole-heartedly, this experience with our team, and the experience I've had with my new clients, gives me hope that people do appreciate what I have to say and give. And I'm hopeful and optimistic that this appreciation will spill over from one business to the other. Mostly because, I know that my heart will now be in both, and the new energy I have should translate, since both my business involve helping improve other's lives.
So 2012...you better be good to me!
As far as my training goes, it is coming right along! My next marathon is February 19th, in Austin,TX. And since I was on pace to finish around the 4 hour mark this last time...until the brutal heat hit me...I hope to finish closer to sub 4 hours this time. ANNNDDDDDD....
I've made it known. And I will say it here. I am shooting to qualify for the Boston Marathon in the Fall. I'll need to run a 3:45 marathon to do it. And I can taste it. And being in the gym more with my clients should help. I've run a couple of training runs the past couple of weeks where I've averaged right at or below the BQ pace for up to 10 miles, so I'm confident that with some devoted effort I can make it.
This also means that I'll be diligently trying to pick my race where I will try to qualify. I plan to give myself a break and do a race that is known for it's flat course and cool temps. Any way it turns out, starting this summer, I will be down and dirty going for my BQ time. And maybe I might do a triathlon. Maybe. Maybe.
As for the sometimes dreaded New Years Resolution...
I usually don't believe in them. No one keeps them. BUT this year (and really for the past few months) my main goal has been to do whatever I have to do to STAY POSITIVE. This is something I've struggled with in the past, and something I try to work on every day. A lot of times I fail miserably, but the point is, NOW, I try to pick myself up and move on. Instead of wallowing. So this year I will do my best to stay positive and strong and optimistic (but realistic...) about what I can and can't do. This also means spending time with those that love me, want the best for me, support me, and want to see me succeed. Life it too short to worry about those that tear you down with words or actions. So this year, if you catch me griping on the regular...remind me of this :)! I'm determined to be a realistic "half full" instead of always a "half empty!"
This blog may have a new look soon. I'm checking into it, so stay tuned!
Thanks for cheering me on,
Lacy
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
26.2 COMPLETE!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a week so far! I haven't even had time to sit, let alone write a blog about this weeks experience. However, I have had time for back and forth competitive banter on Facebook with my husband and friends regarding this weekend's 26.2. I know many have heard me recount the story of Sunday's now famed Rock N' Roll San Antonio Marathon. If ya don't want to hear me tell the story again...then you may stop here....or fast forward to the bottom. No hard feelin's :)
Sunday morning came bright and early, and I think this was the first time EVER that I got a good night sleep before ANY race. 5k, 10k, half, full, ultra....I usually am plagued with insomnia. But, alas, that half bottle of Chateau St. Michelle Riesling I downed allowed for 6.5 solid hours of shut eye.
Side Note: I would never endorse drinking alcohol in large amounts before a distance run...but ummm...It worked for me?
Woke up rested and stretched out all my muscles. Did my usual pre-race ritual (I will not go into that here...if you are really that curious...email me...I'll be happy to share). I ate a mini cinnamon bagel. I drank a little bit of water. I can tell you what I did not do...I did NOT put on enough sunscreen. About 5:10am we headed out of our hotel room, and started the trek towards the AT&T center. The traffic was insane. Sooo terrible. Thousands of people. Finally parked and hopped on a bus, and made it to the start line at about 6:30am. Hopped in a port-a potty line. Good call on doing that early, those por-a-potty lines were insane. Did anyone else notice the "Occupy San Antonio" group camped out around Corral 20-25??? I was so confused. I posted on Facebook that I thought they should help Occupy a Water Station...ya know...help was needed. 6:45 came and went, and 7 am started the final stretching. It was at 7:15 am that I slurped down my very first PowerBar Gel (I use the Tangerine 2x caffeine...AKA Jetfuel). Kristofor and I got in the middle of Corral 12 at about 7:20, and before we knew it, the race had begun.
We didn't actually start until around 7:45am, and I can tell you then, I knew the race was going to be interesting. Why?
1. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. And by mile 1, there were already SO MANY walkers.
2. It was humid. Like Ridic Humid.
3. It was hot-ish. Even early. It was not cool.
Regardless, Kris and I both started off just as planned, pacing right with the 4 hour 15 minute finish pace group. About mile 1, we passed the pace group and decided to get ahead and give ourselves a "surplus" for what was to be a long, hot race. Many times, I had to slow us down, not because I was tired, but because I just knew we had to watch it. I once looked down and saw we were at about an 8:15min mile. We tried to stay between 8:45 and 9's. The miles before the Full and Half Marathon split flew by. But at about mile 7 or so, my knee really started to hurt. I didn't want to say it out loud, because then I would be acknowledging it. But I was in pain. I kept repeating in my head "you are strong, you are trained, you can do this." Literally over and over...and then I would turn up my music. By mile 9, I started to wonder (to myself) if I would be able to finish. The pain was a lot, and I didn't want to seriously injure myself. I was still moving quickly; if I slowed down, it actually hurt more. I started to think, "if I can make it to the 13.1 mark by under 2 hours, I'll be ok. If I have to drop then, I'll be ok. At least I finished a strong half." Then something happened. At about mile 11, a song came on my iPod, and I don't remember which one it was (which is strange), BUT something happened inside of me (cheezy I know), and I just started to loosen up. I think I had been making the pain happen, I think I was still carrying the "I know my knee might hurt" burden. And at mile 11, I gave it away. And I sped up some more.
By mile 13, I had gotten about .10 miles head of the mile markers. This happened because of all the weaving in and around the traffic of other people. When you are going from side to side passing people, eventually, you end up running more distance. I started just counting the actual mileage on my Garmin. We passed the 13.1 mark at about 1:59. Kristofor told me that we needed to slow down, we still had a lot of miles to run. And by that time, the clouds had peeled off, the sun was shining, and the heat index was well above 90 degrees (I'm guessing). Around mile 15 we stopped briefly for a bathroom break (I didn't go...), and when we started again, I plugged my headphones in and turned it up. I also sped up. Usually in races, Kris and I take turns leading (usually he leads...), and I for the next 2 miles, I thought he was right behind me. When I turned around at mile 17 and he wasn't, I was torn. Should I slow down? Do I wait? How far back is he? Is he hurt? A million things went through my head. I looked back one more time, and I made a decision. I kept going.
Side note: Last year, we ran our first marathon, step by step together. It was a MUCH MUCH smaller race. And it was our first time. We finished hand in hand.
I can't really tell you what went through my mind in those last 8 or so miles. I almost feel like I was in a different place. I remembered reading something about running in hot HOT weather. The article had said to imagine that you are running in Antarctica. I didn't imagine that in particular, but I definitely channeled myself into thinking it was cold. I ran through every single water hose on Sunday. And there were lots. I also poured an entire 2 bottles of water down by back and over my head. I was given a sponge filled with ICE COLD water at mile 22. I held on to that sponge almost until the very end. Every time I started feeling sluggish, I popped another PowerBar Gel. I had one at mile 8, mile 16, mile 20, and mile 23. I took in almost 600 calories and a whopping 235mg of caffeine during that race.
I looked at my watch at mile 23, and I knew my margin to get to my goal had become slimmer. Before mile 19, I was pacing quite a bit ahead of where I wanted to be, but post mile 22 (which was surprisingly also Kris' toughest mile as well) I really started to feel the heat. And I knew that I was sunburned. And all I wanted to do was get out of the sun. I kept running, and I was amazed that when I slowed down, my "slow" pace was faster than my "fast" pace last year. At mile 24, I started to enter back into the downtown area, and I could see the buildings. More than once, I threw my hands up in the air, and I know I wasn't just thinking shrieks, I was actually SHRIEKING out loud. I saw an older couple towards the last 1.5 miles and the woman said "come on little one." I began to cry and yelled "I'M REALLY GOING TO MAKE IT!!!!" Meaning that I was going to make my time. As I turned left to head into the Alamodome parking lot, the 4:15 pacer passed me and said "COME ON HURRY." I looked down at my watch and I was at exactly mile 26. I crossed the 26.2 mile mark as I entered the tunnel, and I stopped my Garmin....
I took this photo right after I finished. 10:38 was my current pace at the moment I hit 26.2. From what I can estimate, when I crossed the FINISH, I had run 26.33 ish. Which is why my "official" time for this race was 4:15:24. 24 measley seconds over my goal. BUT, I don't count that, because I had run further. Which is why I am so happy I had this watch (thanks babe) to stop it when I hit the mark. To me, this is MY time.
Immediately I started getting texts from family and friends who had been following me and Kris' progress. My first question to our friend Javier was "where's Kris?" He told me that he was about 15-20 minutes behind me. I started to worry that he wasn't ok. I was told to leave the finish area, but when I got the text that he was about to finish, I snuck around to see him cross. He was overheated from the heat, and just glad to be done. His first words were "when did you finish?"
Now let me tell ya (and many already know)...it's been quite fun to ride the "I beat my husband in the marathon" train this week. Simply because, I NEVER beat him at anything. He finished unofficially in about 4:39.
Side Note: If you know my husband, you know he is not only an amazing runner and athlete, but he is also brilliant. He is the guy you always want on your trivia team. He is more of a grammar cop than I am. And he is a FAST runner. I hope we have very smart, well-spoken, athletic children one day :)
So, it's been fun to bask in the glory of my win this week. In his words "it's not a competition unless you win sometimes" and by golly, this week is my week! BUT, I'm very proud of him for beating his own Personal Record, and for finishing such a tough race. I can tell you, when I finished, I passed more super fit "fast looking" male runners. I finished with a bunch of females. I think the heat really affected the male population. This race definitely has made us reconsider ever doing another Fall TEXAS marathon. The unpredictability of the weather is a gamble for sure. Which is whyyyyyyyy.....
We are signed up for our next race. And this time, for the first time (for me), I am doing this race for a cause. We will be running the Austin LIVESTRONG Marathon on February 19th. And I will be fundraising for the LIVESTRONG Foundation. I have pledged to raise $500, although, I hope to raise much more. Kris joined the LIVESTRONG team this Fall for his triathlon, and I'm excited for us to do this together! If you'd like to get more information on what the LIVESTRONG Foundation does, you can visit livestrong.org.
And if you'd like make a donation, my donation page is:
http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/lacyhealey
I know that this race will be very special for the both of us, and I know that it will be a much harder course to run. Austin has a landscape of rolling hills, and I've already looked at the topography...and YIKES!! I'm also excited that many of my Bod Squad Sisters have decided to run as well! It will be a fun 3 months training together!
Which brings me to my final note. When I started this blog in July, it was intended just to document my "second go round at the 26.2." It turned out to be about a whole lot more. I guess I'm kind of at a crossroads with it. I enjoy writing it, but I want to make sure that people enjoy reading it. SOOOOOOO....should I continue? Does anyone wanna hear about all this crazy stuff anymore? Is there anything that I can add in or do better at to make it more informative in general? Give me your feedback! You can message me here, on Facebook, or at lacysheahealey@gmail.com. Either way, I hope that you've enjoyed taking this journey with me! It's been a wild few months of Ultra Running, Possum Hunting, and other nonsense adventures. As always, I wish everyone the best of luck in their upcoming races. And I'm so proud of those you that just finished this one and decided to take the leap and try it again! That takes courage! Congratulations again to all this weekends finishers!!! See ya on the street!
Thanks for cheering me on,
Lacy
What a week so far! I haven't even had time to sit, let alone write a blog about this weeks experience. However, I have had time for back and forth competitive banter on Facebook with my husband and friends regarding this weekend's 26.2. I know many have heard me recount the story of Sunday's now famed Rock N' Roll San Antonio Marathon. If ya don't want to hear me tell the story again...then you may stop here....or fast forward to the bottom. No hard feelin's :)
Sunday morning came bright and early, and I think this was the first time EVER that I got a good night sleep before ANY race. 5k, 10k, half, full, ultra....I usually am plagued with insomnia. But, alas, that half bottle of Chateau St. Michelle Riesling I downed allowed for 6.5 solid hours of shut eye.
Side Note: I would never endorse drinking alcohol in large amounts before a distance run...but ummm...It worked for me?
Woke up rested and stretched out all my muscles. Did my usual pre-race ritual (I will not go into that here...if you are really that curious...email me...I'll be happy to share). I ate a mini cinnamon bagel. I drank a little bit of water. I can tell you what I did not do...I did NOT put on enough sunscreen. About 5:10am we headed out of our hotel room, and started the trek towards the AT&T center. The traffic was insane. Sooo terrible. Thousands of people. Finally parked and hopped on a bus, and made it to the start line at about 6:30am. Hopped in a port-a potty line. Good call on doing that early, those por-a-potty lines were insane. Did anyone else notice the "Occupy San Antonio" group camped out around Corral 20-25??? I was so confused. I posted on Facebook that I thought they should help Occupy a Water Station...ya know...help was needed. 6:45 came and went, and 7 am started the final stretching. It was at 7:15 am that I slurped down my very first PowerBar Gel (I use the Tangerine 2x caffeine...AKA Jetfuel). Kristofor and I got in the middle of Corral 12 at about 7:20, and before we knew it, the race had begun.
We didn't actually start until around 7:45am, and I can tell you then, I knew the race was going to be interesting. Why?
1. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. And by mile 1, there were already SO MANY walkers.
2. It was humid. Like Ridic Humid.
3. It was hot-ish. Even early. It was not cool.
Regardless, Kris and I both started off just as planned, pacing right with the 4 hour 15 minute finish pace group. About mile 1, we passed the pace group and decided to get ahead and give ourselves a "surplus" for what was to be a long, hot race. Many times, I had to slow us down, not because I was tired, but because I just knew we had to watch it. I once looked down and saw we were at about an 8:15min mile. We tried to stay between 8:45 and 9's. The miles before the Full and Half Marathon split flew by. But at about mile 7 or so, my knee really started to hurt. I didn't want to say it out loud, because then I would be acknowledging it. But I was in pain. I kept repeating in my head "you are strong, you are trained, you can do this." Literally over and over...and then I would turn up my music. By mile 9, I started to wonder (to myself) if I would be able to finish. The pain was a lot, and I didn't want to seriously injure myself. I was still moving quickly; if I slowed down, it actually hurt more. I started to think, "if I can make it to the 13.1 mark by under 2 hours, I'll be ok. If I have to drop then, I'll be ok. At least I finished a strong half." Then something happened. At about mile 11, a song came on my iPod, and I don't remember which one it was (which is strange), BUT something happened inside of me (cheezy I know), and I just started to loosen up. I think I had been making the pain happen, I think I was still carrying the "I know my knee might hurt" burden. And at mile 11, I gave it away. And I sped up some more.
By mile 13, I had gotten about .10 miles head of the mile markers. This happened because of all the weaving in and around the traffic of other people. When you are going from side to side passing people, eventually, you end up running more distance. I started just counting the actual mileage on my Garmin. We passed the 13.1 mark at about 1:59. Kristofor told me that we needed to slow down, we still had a lot of miles to run. And by that time, the clouds had peeled off, the sun was shining, and the heat index was well above 90 degrees (I'm guessing). Around mile 15 we stopped briefly for a bathroom break (I didn't go...), and when we started again, I plugged my headphones in and turned it up. I also sped up. Usually in races, Kris and I take turns leading (usually he leads...), and I for the next 2 miles, I thought he was right behind me. When I turned around at mile 17 and he wasn't, I was torn. Should I slow down? Do I wait? How far back is he? Is he hurt? A million things went through my head. I looked back one more time, and I made a decision. I kept going.
Side note: Last year, we ran our first marathon, step by step together. It was a MUCH MUCH smaller race. And it was our first time. We finished hand in hand.
I can't really tell you what went through my mind in those last 8 or so miles. I almost feel like I was in a different place. I remembered reading something about running in hot HOT weather. The article had said to imagine that you are running in Antarctica. I didn't imagine that in particular, but I definitely channeled myself into thinking it was cold. I ran through every single water hose on Sunday. And there were lots. I also poured an entire 2 bottles of water down by back and over my head. I was given a sponge filled with ICE COLD water at mile 22. I held on to that sponge almost until the very end. Every time I started feeling sluggish, I popped another PowerBar Gel. I had one at mile 8, mile 16, mile 20, and mile 23. I took in almost 600 calories and a whopping 235mg of caffeine during that race.
I took this photo right after I finished. 10:38 was my current pace at the moment I hit 26.2. From what I can estimate, when I crossed the FINISH, I had run 26.33 ish. Which is why my "official" time for this race was 4:15:24. 24 measley seconds over my goal. BUT, I don't count that, because I had run further. Which is why I am so happy I had this watch (thanks babe) to stop it when I hit the mark. To me, this is MY time.
Immediately I started getting texts from family and friends who had been following me and Kris' progress. My first question to our friend Javier was "where's Kris?" He told me that he was about 15-20 minutes behind me. I started to worry that he wasn't ok. I was told to leave the finish area, but when I got the text that he was about to finish, I snuck around to see him cross. He was overheated from the heat, and just glad to be done. His first words were "when did you finish?"
Now let me tell ya (and many already know)...it's been quite fun to ride the "I beat my husband in the marathon" train this week. Simply because, I NEVER beat him at anything. He finished unofficially in about 4:39.
Side Note: If you know my husband, you know he is not only an amazing runner and athlete, but he is also brilliant. He is the guy you always want on your trivia team. He is more of a grammar cop than I am. And he is a FAST runner. I hope we have very smart, well-spoken, athletic children one day :)
So, it's been fun to bask in the glory of my win this week. In his words "it's not a competition unless you win sometimes" and by golly, this week is my week! BUT, I'm very proud of him for beating his own Personal Record, and for finishing such a tough race. I can tell you, when I finished, I passed more super fit "fast looking" male runners. I finished with a bunch of females. I think the heat really affected the male population. This race definitely has made us reconsider ever doing another Fall TEXAS marathon. The unpredictability of the weather is a gamble for sure. Which is whyyyyyyyy.....
We are signed up for our next race. And this time, for the first time (for me), I am doing this race for a cause. We will be running the Austin LIVESTRONG Marathon on February 19th. And I will be fundraising for the LIVESTRONG Foundation. I have pledged to raise $500, although, I hope to raise much more. Kris joined the LIVESTRONG team this Fall for his triathlon, and I'm excited for us to do this together! If you'd like to get more information on what the LIVESTRONG Foundation does, you can visit livestrong.org.
And if you'd like make a donation, my donation page is:
http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/lacyhealey
I know that this race will be very special for the both of us, and I know that it will be a much harder course to run. Austin has a landscape of rolling hills, and I've already looked at the topography...and YIKES!! I'm also excited that many of my Bod Squad Sisters have decided to run as well! It will be a fun 3 months training together!
Which brings me to my final note. When I started this blog in July, it was intended just to document my "second go round at the 26.2." It turned out to be about a whole lot more. I guess I'm kind of at a crossroads with it. I enjoy writing it, but I want to make sure that people enjoy reading it. SOOOOOOO....should I continue? Does anyone wanna hear about all this crazy stuff anymore? Is there anything that I can add in or do better at to make it more informative in general? Give me your feedback! You can message me here, on Facebook, or at lacysheahealey@gmail.com. Either way, I hope that you've enjoyed taking this journey with me! It's been a wild few months of Ultra Running, Possum Hunting, and other nonsense adventures. As always, I wish everyone the best of luck in their upcoming races. And I'm so proud of those you that just finished this one and decided to take the leap and try it again! That takes courage! Congratulations again to all this weekends finishers!!! See ya on the street!
Thanks for cheering me on,
Lacy
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Twas the night before the marathon...
And all through SA, runners were winding down
Ready to hit the hay.
Clothes were laid out by their doorsteps with care
with hopes of Boston qualifying times dancing in the air....
That's all I got :)
In less than 11 hours, the gun will go off, and over 40,000 participants of all ages, shapes, nationalities, and backgrounds will all come together to run the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon. As said by a runner in the documentary "Spirit of the Marathon," 39,980-ish of them will be running in the footsteps of the Elite runners that will take off first; they will finish well before most of us will hit the half way mark. What an exciting day!
At today's expo, Kristofor and I stood and watched Meb Keflezighi speak. He won the NYC Marathon in 2009, and was a 2004 Marathon silver medalist in the Olympic Games in Athens. What an inspiring guy to watch. He was born in war torn Eritrea and came to the US when he was 12. His attitude is infectious. Even just watching him speak for a few minutes gave me the goosebumps. He had some very insightful words into the pressures of running a race, regardless of the fact that NONE of us regulars will win.
When we take on these races, like a half marathon or the full, we inevitably talk it up to everyone we know. As the race gets closer, especially if it's your first time, you tell everyone you meet about it, you live, eat, and breathe for the moment you take the first steps. In doing that, we all create some sort of expectation for ourselves, and that expectation is mirrored by our peers. Every single person that starts tomorrow, expects to finish. All of our families, friends, and co-workers expect for us to come back to work Monday (or Tuesday...) and tell the tale of how they crossed the finish line. This is the expectation. This week, today, an hour ago, I worried, myself, that I wouldn't meet that expectation.
I say this with complete and total candor. I today, and this week, had doubts.
My right knee, since Wednesday, has been very sore, and somewhat swollen. I don't know why, don't know what I did to re-aggravate it (I haven't run since last Sunday...), but never the less, it has felt shaky and unstable. I've been icing, and icy hotting, and stretching, and wearing NO heels (I wore tennis shoes to work yesterday....), taking anti-inflammatories, the whole bit. And nothing made it better. Yesterday, it actually felt worse. I remember the Dr. telling me this summer when I had my MRI, "Lacy, it's chronic, it will flare up from time to time, nothing is torn, it's just going to happen, don't let it get in your head." It got in my head. I've spent all day trying to get it out of my head. And I think about half an hour, I got it out. I gave it away. How???? This is going to sound so stupid....
I taped it. With KT tape. After watching the YouTube video on "how-to" umpteen thousand times to make sure I got it right. And this tape made me feel so much better. Thank you THANK YOU
Thank YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Irma Cariaga-Moya
for telling me what to do. And calming my heart. And letting me know it would be ok. Thank you for my hug. You literally probably saved my race (I tear up just thinking about it). You are an angel!
So now I have bright yellow tape on my leg. To match my bright yellow head band that I'll be wearing. So stylish.
Meb also said today, the race preparation is 90% physical, 10% mental. Tomorrow is 90% mental, 10% physical. So true. I will chant that in my head. ALLLLLLLL MENTALLLLLLLLLLL!!! So for now, I'm going to drink the rest of my glass of wine, and get some shut-eye. 4am is going to come very early!
Good luck to all runners, but especially to my friends running the half for the very first time. I am so so so proud of each of you. Today, when I needed a little inspiration and pick-me up, I thought of you guys, and how far you've come, and how you have triumphed over pains and insecurities as well. And here you all are, ready to get it done tomorrow! We are all winners tomorrow, because we have all put in the time and effort that most would never be able to devote. Relax, enjoy it, take it all in, do your best, and make yourselves proud. Because you ALL should be so proud for making it here! Sweet dreams everyone! See ya downtown...CORRAL 12!!!!
Thanks for cheering me on,
Lacy
Ready to hit the hay.
Clothes were laid out by their doorsteps with care
with hopes of Boston qualifying times dancing in the air....
That's all I got :)
In less than 11 hours, the gun will go off, and over 40,000 participants of all ages, shapes, nationalities, and backgrounds will all come together to run the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon. As said by a runner in the documentary "Spirit of the Marathon," 39,980-ish of them will be running in the footsteps of the Elite runners that will take off first; they will finish well before most of us will hit the half way mark. What an exciting day!
At today's expo, Kristofor and I stood and watched Meb Keflezighi speak. He won the NYC Marathon in 2009, and was a 2004 Marathon silver medalist in the Olympic Games in Athens. What an inspiring guy to watch. He was born in war torn Eritrea and came to the US when he was 12. His attitude is infectious. Even just watching him speak for a few minutes gave me the goosebumps. He had some very insightful words into the pressures of running a race, regardless of the fact that NONE of us regulars will win.
When we take on these races, like a half marathon or the full, we inevitably talk it up to everyone we know. As the race gets closer, especially if it's your first time, you tell everyone you meet about it, you live, eat, and breathe for the moment you take the first steps. In doing that, we all create some sort of expectation for ourselves, and that expectation is mirrored by our peers. Every single person that starts tomorrow, expects to finish. All of our families, friends, and co-workers expect for us to come back to work Monday (or Tuesday...) and tell the tale of how they crossed the finish line. This is the expectation. This week, today, an hour ago, I worried, myself, that I wouldn't meet that expectation.
I say this with complete and total candor. I today, and this week, had doubts.
My right knee, since Wednesday, has been very sore, and somewhat swollen. I don't know why, don't know what I did to re-aggravate it (I haven't run since last Sunday...), but never the less, it has felt shaky and unstable. I've been icing, and icy hotting, and stretching, and wearing NO heels (I wore tennis shoes to work yesterday....), taking anti-inflammatories, the whole bit. And nothing made it better. Yesterday, it actually felt worse. I remember the Dr. telling me this summer when I had my MRI, "Lacy, it's chronic, it will flare up from time to time, nothing is torn, it's just going to happen, don't let it get in your head." It got in my head. I've spent all day trying to get it out of my head. And I think about half an hour, I got it out. I gave it away. How???? This is going to sound so stupid....
I taped it. With KT tape. After watching the YouTube video on "how-to" umpteen thousand times to make sure I got it right. And this tape made me feel so much better. Thank you THANK YOU
Thank YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Irma Cariaga-Moya
for telling me what to do. And calming my heart. And letting me know it would be ok. Thank you for my hug. You literally probably saved my race (I tear up just thinking about it). You are an angel!
So now I have bright yellow tape on my leg. To match my bright yellow head band that I'll be wearing. So stylish.
Meb also said today, the race preparation is 90% physical, 10% mental. Tomorrow is 90% mental, 10% physical. So true. I will chant that in my head. ALLLLLLLL MENTALLLLLLLLLLL!!! So for now, I'm going to drink the rest of my glass of wine, and get some shut-eye. 4am is going to come very early!
Good luck to all runners, but especially to my friends running the half for the very first time. I am so so so proud of each of you. Today, when I needed a little inspiration and pick-me up, I thought of you guys, and how far you've come, and how you have triumphed over pains and insecurities as well. And here you all are, ready to get it done tomorrow! We are all winners tomorrow, because we have all put in the time and effort that most would never be able to devote. Relax, enjoy it, take it all in, do your best, and make yourselves proud. Because you ALL should be so proud for making it here! Sweet dreams everyone! See ya downtown...CORRAL 12!!!!
Thanks for cheering me on,
Lacy
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