Nashville Rock and Roll Marathon

We were up at the bright hour of 4:15 AM. That's 3:15 AM New Albany time. Ok folks. THAT'S even early for ME! I didn't sleep well. I saw the midnight hour and the 2:00 hour. OUCH! I was nervous as hell and knew I needed to sleep. That didn't help. I woke up to LOTS of texts, an e-mail from my wonderful hubby, and LOTS of Facebook messages. Those really helped. I was so over-whelmed by the support of my amazing family and friends. I thought about all that support when I was out there on the course.

We showered and lathered up. I swear by Body Glide. It IS the BEST stuff EVER!!!! Even with all that rain and all those wet clothes and shoes, I didn't end up with one blister and I didn't have any chaffing!!! WOW!!!!

We had our peanut butter bread and a banana. We were all set.

Our shuttle to the start line......

At the start.....we had nothing to do but stand around and take pictures so we did. It was not raining at this point. 

Let me just say how much I LOVE our outfits. They turned out to be such a blessing. We really stuck out to the crowd and people were cheering for us. They. were. great!!! We WILL have capes next time!

Nothing to do but stand around and take pictures so you get.....

our chips.....

and our Boston bracelets.

This picture seriously makes me laugh out loud. We were actually trying to stay DRY here!! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! It started sprinkling at this point and we were like "If we can stay dry, then we will be fine when it stops!!" ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! AND it never stopped.......

They did a wave start. That means they start by releasing corral 1, then 2, and so on. We were corral 16 so it was about 30 minutes after the gun went off before we actually started. It was almost our turn......

Ok, a little about the race.

We started slow and steady. That was the plan all along. Slow and steady. We didn't want to start out too fast and then not be able to make it at the end. Since it was our first, we obviously didn't know what to expect. It was crowded so there was a lot of weaving in and out of people and making sure that we stayed together.

This is for me.....this is our split according to our watches.....

Total distance 26.67 miles
Average pace 9:48

Miles 1 and 2 9:54
Mile 3 10:11
4 11:00 (We stopped and peed behind a great big bush!)
5 10:11
6 9:37
7 9:48
8 9:43
9 9:34
10 9:21
11 9:29
12 9:28
13 9:32
14 9:29
15 9:36
16 9:34
17 9:41
18 and 19 9:51
20 9:47
21 9:46
22 9:42
23 and 24 9:59
25 9:55
26 10:09

I am very proud to say that we had a negative split which means we ran the second half faster than the first! We were so strong and steady the entire race. Now let's talk about the weather. It rained for 26.2 miles. Yes. The entire race it NEVER stopped. You know how sometimes it will stop raining for a bit and then start again. Nope. There were times when we were running down a hill and through puddles that were inches deep. There wasn't a dry spot on our bodies. Brutal. Back to the pictures.

Since Lori's family was there to watch, we got some great pictures and video. I don't have it all yet and I will post when I get more but here is some video they took. Her brother ran with us for a bit and took this video. I think this was around mile 10.


This is around the split. You turned left if you were doing the full marathon and right if you were doing the half. I remember this in other half-marathons I've done but I've never turned this way.......

Look at this beautiful weather.

Strong. I am still so happy with how strong and steady we were. After the half people left us, the crowd really thinned out. People were stopping to walk or slow way down. We still forged on. Slow and steady.

Honestly, I thought miles 15 and 16 were the toughest. My legs were started to get tired but I knew there was still a lot of the race left. People kept talking about this "wall" you hit around miles 18, 20, or 22. That never happened to me. There was a brutal hill at mile 25 and I was ready to be done. I think you get like that when you near the end of any race. I always remember feeling like that around mile 12 in a half. Around mile 25, I got so choked up. It was so emotional. We were doing it. All that hard work. All that training. All that planning. It was all coming to fruition! It was fabulous!!! I can't explain it. It was over-whelming!

This video was taken at mile 26. The finish line was down and around the corner but we couldn't see it yet.

AND WE DID IT!!!!! It was so great!!!!!!! I cried. We all cried. Our time was 4:21:37. We could have pushed harder and finished faster and now we know. It was definitely the perfect way to finish a first full. 

My legs were sore and stiff. Can you see the pain in our eyes?

We SLOWLY made our way back to our hotel room for a shower and lunch. By the time I made it back to my phone, it had exploded. The messages were so over-whelming! It took a while to get all caught up. I knew several people had signed up to received text alerts on their phones. Everytime I ran across one of the mats I said, "Hello family and friends!"

After lunch, we took a nap but not before we treated ourselves to an ice cream. My #1 weakness!!!!

We were all laying there quietly and I said, "Next marathon....." And we all three busted out laughing. We could hardly walk and we were all talking about the next one.....coming up....NOVEMBER 2ND!!!!! What an amazingly awesome experience. I am so glad I did it and I can't wait to do another!!!!

"I don't have time."

Ok.  I am not going to sit here and lecture you about having the time or making the time to workout.  It's a decision and a commitment you have to make.  BUT as I look back on my marathon training, I can't help but think of all the time I had to "make."  There was never a time when I was just sitting around with absolutely NOTHING to do.  I had to create that time.  There are a million excuses out there that you can make every single day.  We are all busy.  It's worth it and once you get started, you will feel the difference and crave it!  Make it part of your daily life and don't give it up for anything!

 TRUTH!!!!

 This has nothing to do with "time" but I love it.  It makes me laugh!

This is it.

It's almost here. We are going to do this. When we signed up last fall and when we started training after Christmas, the marathon seemed so far away. So far away. Like it wasn't real. Am I really going to complete all this training and then run this race? I knew it was going to be a lot of work. A LOT! I never skipped my runs/workouts before but this was serious. We weren't messing around and we didn't. We did all the training. We are actually over in total mileage. We are ready and I am super excited!! 26.2 miles. HERE WE COME!!!!

I like this. Mental Focus 85%. Physical Skill 15%. There is a lot of truth to that.

We had our last "long" run yesterday. (We did 8. Funny how that seemed to take like 5 minutes after our hours and hours of running over the past couple of months!) It felt great!! We are so ready for this.

Mark treated us to cinnamon crunch bagels. He's gonna have to stop this after the marathon. We won't have to extra calories to spare! Jess is so special. She was the one I captured eating it. Isn't this a flattering picture?? Your welcome, Jess. ;)

Afterwards, we went shopping for our race outfit. We have to look good. We laughed and laughed. Those poor people in the store! It was a good warm-up for next weekend!! Here are some pics. The final outfit is actually concealed. You'll have to wait until Saturday to see it!

We LOVED these pants. They were second to what we bought but they just didn't make the cut.

We are definitely counting down now. Jess said it best, "I don't want it to be over. There is something special about the "first." We'll never have a first again." She's right but I am sooooo super pumped!! Come on FRIDAY!!!

I love this sport!!

"Even without that special purpose, marathon running is a sport of goodwill. It's the only sport in the world where if a competitor falls, the others around will pick him or her up. It's the only sport in the world open to absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any other division you can think of. It's the only occasion when thousands of people assemble, often in a major city, for a reason that is totally peaceful, healthy and well-meaning. It's the only sport in the world where no one ever boos anybody.

If you're losing your faith in human nature, look at marathon crowds, standing for hours with no seating, no cover, no bathrooms, to cheer thousands of strangers. Or look at our sport's volunteers, on whose shoulders the whole sport rests."

I love these things.....

60 POUNDS PEOPLE!!!

My friend shared this morning that she's lost 60 POUNDS!!!!  I am so super proud of her!!  How you might ask?  Jazzercise and watching what she eats!!!!!  It can be done!!  Make the decision to change and do it!!!! 

In her words:

"I love Jazzercise and all the instructors and my classmates. The biggest blessing is the love and support of family and friends and the "new" life I'm getting to share with (her husband.)"

10 miler

Daniel finished up the Triple Crown with the Papa John's 10-miler yesterday!!!  I am so super proud of this guy!!  He did so well with an average pace of 8:23!  The kids think he's a rockstar!!

In his words:  Wow, I felt really good during that race.  I could definitely do another mini.

 

Guess what I am feverishly trying to find?

And now we taper.....

I knew this 20 miler was going to be tougher than the last one!  I won't bore you with the reasons that I thought that but I just did and I was right.  It was a tough run.  You have to have those every once in a while though.  Keeps you coming back for more!!  You know the next one will be better!  Here we are.......20 miles HERE WE COME!

  We planned a route that we've never done before.  Lori wrote the directions on her arm with a Sharpie so we wouldn't get lost.  Yup, we still got lost!

Here I am during the run.  It was tough but I persevered!

And post run!!  WAHOO!!!  We finished.  Now we taper!!!!  12 miles next week sounds like such a short run!

Excited just isn't strong enough.  I cannot wait!!!  I know the weekend is going to go so fast!!  It's time to start planning the next one!

What a guy!

This man was following this gal today.  I am guessing it's husband/wife maybe.  It looked like he had all of her necessities in his backpack for her.  Sweet!

The Peak

We are definitely at the very peak of our training and we are definitely feeling it.  We did 20 the weekend before spring break.  This past weekend was a down week so we did 14.  Our two longest runs this week are a 10 in the morning and another 20 on Saturday.  After 20, we taper until the RACE!  It's all mental now.  We did hills again today.  My quads feel like they are shredded.  We've heard people say that the training is the hardest part and I definitely think this right NOW is what they are talking about.

I turned my calendar over to April yesterday and got so excited when I saw APRIL 27 MARATHON on it.  I feel like we've been preparing for so long and it's almost here!!!  I can't wait!!!  Excited just seem like a strong enough word to use!!!!  I'll keep you posted!  :)

Motivation

One great way to get motivated is to set a goal.  Sign up for a race or event, make a plan, and stick to it.  Well, being the loving wife that I am, I set a goal for Daniel.  I signed him up for the Triple Crown of Running.  I made him a plan.  I sent him a training schedule.  He even printed it off and hung it in his office.  That's about all I could do.  He had to do the rest.  (Well, I did help the boys make signs, pick up his race packet, and drive him to the race!  I try to make it easy on him people!!  That's how much I want him to be healthy and exercise!)  The Anthem 5K was a couple of weeks ago.  He did great and we were so proud to be there to cheer him on with our homemade signs!!!

 Sam and Jake did the Fun Run.  Jake's age group was first.

 Then, it was Sam's turn.  They both did a great job and were so proud!!!  I am so glad we set this example for our kids!

The Rodes City 10K was Saturday.  I got my hands on a free bib so Daniel and I did it together.  It was fun!!  After my 20 mile training run the day before, I was happy to have finished! 

The Papa John's 10 miler is coming up!!

20 MILES!!!

We are really getting to the peak of our marathon training. We had a 20 mile training run Friday morning. 20 miles!! Previously, 16 miles was my highest! I was nervous. Nervous! I don't know why. I just was. We Jess and Lori are such planners. They weren't sure our two little water bottles on our belts would be enough so Jess made a drop at St. Paul so we could run past and get a shot of Gatorade. GREAT idea!! Just what we needed!

Ready, set, GO!!!

I didn't take anymore pictures. The run seriously went great. We took Gu at miles 5, 10, and 15.  I am totally sold on that stuff.  We never hit a wall and we felt great the whole time!!!  I am so happy with how well it went. It makes me very, very excited for our race and scared because we still have 6.2 more miles to go on top of this! So, so proud to call these girls friends!!! We couldn't do it without each other!! Love them!!

Poor Jess was sick the entire 20 miles.  She is definitely a warrior.  Talk about a no excuse kinda gal!!!  Her family had the stomach bug all week and it hit her the night before our run was scheduled but she did it anyway!!  WOW is all I can say about that!!  WOW!!!

truth

i just can't get enough of it.....

Triathlon--The Story

The story is actually pretty uneventful. Everything went just as I planned in my head which is a good thing! We started by picking up our packet and getting our markings. I think this part is cool. I kinda felt like a warrior! ha! I will get a round (obnoxious) sticker that says "TRI" as soon as I find one. They weren't selling them today.  I'm sure I'll get one at the marathon when I get one that says 26.2!  WAHOO!!

We got everything set up in our transition areas. This was the pool area. Goggles and cap were set and ready!

This was the bike area. Helmet, shoes, gloves, water, and bike. Ready! A HUGE shout out to Allison for loaning me her bike. That thing is awesome, awesome, awesome!!!! I felt like such a pro clipping in!! :)

The order of a "normal" triathlon is swim, bike, run. This one was in reverse...run, bike, swim because of the cold weather. I went with Deana, Laura, and Alisha. Fun group!!

And we were off! The run felt great! My pace was 7:58. I held back because I was nervous since it was the first leg and I didn't know what to expect. I was passing people left and right on the hills. We've been training hills because of our Nashville race being so hilly. I can tell. I think it's paying off! Total time: 24:41. I came in first in my age group for the run.

Transition time. I really don't know what I could do here to make this faster. I had everything set up. I changed from my running shoes to my biking shoes and I changed gloves. I put on my face mask and my helmet and I was off. I was 4th in my age group for the transition. Not sure how to make this faster.

The bike portion was a 6 mile loop that we did twice. My time was 40:12. I came in 2nd just behind the overall first place girl. She and I were neck in neck. I was worried the whole time that I would blow a tire. I didn't train for that and I knew I would be pretty much screwed! Thankfully, that didn't happen!

The swim was last. Oh the swim. I knew this would be my weakest leg....and it was. I came in last place in my age group for a time of 11:43. The first place gal finished in 6:31. This is where she got me. I am slow don't get me wrong but the pool was crowded. It was hard to maneuver around all the people. I did breaststroke some so I could see the people around me. No matter my time....I was pumped to be FINISHED!!!

Everyone did a great job!! We were so happy to have all finished in one piece!

And our numbers!!

I am so happy with my time....1:21:31! I really didn't know what to expect. I had no expectations. When I heard that I came in 2nd in my age group, I was excited. I won a prize and I got to walk up and claim it! I know what I need to work on....clearly it's swimming. I am just slow and steady and I need to be fast and steady! ha! I may do the next one in March. You swim first so it will all depend on the weather. I will not swim first if the temperature is going to be 30! We shall see! I will be at EP Tom Sawyer for sure in August!! This stuff is addicting!!!

Check that off the bucket list!!

Our miles are finally starting to get higher. I finally feel like we are "marathon training!" We ran downtown today right past the troll......

My arm wasn't long enough to get the troll too.

We ran on the new walking bridge this morning. It's so nice up there. I can't wait until it's completely finished and we can make one big loop. (We actually ran it last week too but I forgot my camera. Oh the humanity!!)

The marathon will be here before we know it!!!