GO RUN

It was hot; but deceptively so - there was a slight breeze and the humidity was kind. I thought it was a great day and I guess it was. I made the Louisville paper; but not the way I would have liked. The article leads were "Runners feel the heat on the streets" and "Derby Festival races among warmest ever". My mention: "18 runners were taken by ambulance to hospitals...". Yep, I didn't finish it. The first six miles were through a park with very steep, long hills. I could feel it in my legs but I was adjusting to that. They had water/gatorade stations every 2 miles. I got something to drink at each. At about mile 8, I noticed I was getting light-headed every time I would slow down for  fluids. I saw Vicky, Daren and family at about mile 12. I approached them and blacked out for a few seconds. I kept at it and at 14.4 miles I said good morning to two police officers. They asked how I was doing and I said not real great. They invited me to come sit on the curb for a minute. That may have been a mistake. EMT personnel drove up and took BP and finally let me stand. I passed out. They took me to the hospital and hooked me up to an IV. I guess they were humoring me; I kept asking when I could get back on the road and they said we'll see. Finally the ER doctor came in and said I was through for the day. Quite a disappointment. I did my training to a tee and drank at each station; the nurse said sometimes it is out of our control. I told her to look at the back of my shirt I was running in. She picked it up and read "It's about the journey". She said WOW just as Daren, Susan and Vicky came into the room. The nurse shared that with them and said "GoRun" must be a great running group! I was deeply grateful for the wisdom and emphasis of my training. It helped me to accept not "crossing the line" that day and to get back on the road the days that followed. For someone with 18 years chronic depression; "that" is life-supporting.  

Journey Anecdote: While packing the car for the drive to Ky, I dropped a dumbbell on the end of my 2nd toe. I told the driver, my wife, not to be disheartened as I placed an ice pack on my quickly swelling and darkening toe - I was running one way or the other. I made a few calls back home and received some advice. Friday night and Saturday morning after RICE treatments, I gave myself for the first time lidocane injections into my toe. It's about the Journey!! Gotta run, Micky

Sunday April 26, 2009

Nashville is behind Michael and me but we will always have the memories.  It started early Saturday morning with warm temps in the 60's.  The race registered over 31,000 runners.  As usual, a very interesting crowd of participants.  We were in the 24^th corral of 1000 runners.  After the gun sounded, it took us 45 - 46 minutes to reach the starting line.  The first mile was uphill and then down.  Mile two was a slow incline and it continued until mile three, which is where I lost Michael.  I was pleasantly surprised that the spectators were throughout the course.  The first 5 miles were mostly businesses then we approached the residential subdivisions.  I saw (and passed) Michael at mile six due to his need for a pit stop J  Mile seven was uphill for .9 where I walked, allowing Michael to catch up to me and proceed ahead.  The temperature had risen to the upper 70's and runners were pulling off with leg cramps and stomach problems.  Thoughtful residents of this community took their water hoses out and began spraying the runners.  Each time it was a welcome and refreshing experience.  A church was out in full force handing out apple slices and cut oranges and had their choir singing beautifully.  As with all the Rock n' Roll races, there were live bands playing each mile and additional cheer groups along the route.  The last several miles spectators were having parties, cookouts and children were holding encouraging posters.  The route doubled back frequently allowing me to be reassured that I wasn't last.  It was fun being able to see runners ahead and behind you.  Overall, the course was VERY hilly with a few flat spots.  The last mile consisted of a bridge with the last .3 going downhill. The finish line was a welcome sight.  Within 10 yards after crossing the finish line Michael was waiting for me.  His official time was 7 minutes faster than mine but his Garmin says 12 minutes due to it not recording the 5 minutes he was waiting in the potty line.  As usual, the MEDAL, mylar blanket, food and refreshments awaited us.  There were runners in costume and 50 ladies dressed in pink in the last corral who hula hooped the entire ½ marathon.  Amazing!!  With the high temps (ended in the lower 80's), there were a surprising amount of injured runners and unfortunately one casualty occurred.  Afterwards, we showered, napped, ate delicious BBQ and pizza in local restaurants and experienced the concert. Everyone we came into contact with was hospitable and accommodating.  And a special note….. We had the pleasure of talking to one of the main office personal of Rock n Roll and they are in negotiations to take over the New Orleans Marathon and convert it to part of the Rock n Roll series.  Great news.

Dy

My first Marathon

What led me to actually signing up for the Houston Marathon were actually a few timely events and one crazy friend.  My history of running starts when I was in high school where I ran cross country and the 1-mile and 2-mile races in track.  After high school, I kept up a somewhat sporadic running schedule, doing a few Lake Area Runners races here and there.  The longest race and really distance for that matter that I had run was 5 miles.  Then in 2006, my friend Megan and I got a crazy notion that it would one day be cool to run a marathon, which is 26.2 miles.  However, we decided it would be best to sign up for the half marathon first and see how that went before we tried the full one.  We signed up on-line, printed out the training schedule and proceeded to train (sort of).  In January 2007, we both ran the Houston Half Marathon in a chip time of 2 hours and 25 minutes.  Yes, it was hard, but what an accomplishment!

Fast forward a month or two and we decide that it’s time to try for the marathon.  Yes, I do realize how crazy this sounds but it’s funny what a friend can inspire you to try!  With not a little trepidation, we signed up for the full marathon.  Then, like a sign from above, I saw the Go Run LA group signs posted around town.  Go Run LA (www.gorunla) advertised training people to run a half or a full marathon no matter what their level of ability.  I signed up as soon as I could, which was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done in regards to training!  Not only did I have support from my fellow running buddies, I got invaluable knowledge from experienced runners.  From July through January we trained.  I was given a running schedule to adhere to during the week based on my running ability and then on Saturdays I did long runs and attended seminars afterwards.  Go Run LA participated as a group in the December Swamp Stomp and what a race that was with its hot and humid weather!  I learned to run in all kinds of weather, which is good as you never know what race day will bring. 

Then on Saturday, January 12^th my husband and I headed to Houston to pick up my registration packet, attend the runners’ EXPO and then have dinner at the pasta party with my friend Megan and some other friends.  After the pasta party, Megan and I laid out our race day outfits and went to bed early so that we could ready in the morning.  The race started at 7 AM so we needed to be at the Convention center by 6 AM.  We got up at 4:30 AM so that we could eat breakfast and have to time digest before the race.  Then we gathered up everything we would need and headed out to the Convention Center.  Mostly we rested, stretched and stood in long restroom lines as most people were as nervous as us before the race and tended to have to go to the restroom multiple times.  Though I ran into a few familiar faces, I wasn’t able to find the Go Run LA group so I didn’t get a chance to be in the group picture that was taken before the race.  About 15 minutes before the start time, Megan and I went to find our pace group.  We planned to run with the 5h:15min pace group as insurance for success in finishing the race.  We found out that pace groups use a walk/run philosophy, which is run for a while and then walk for a minute or two to recover.  This was different than how we trained, but we still thought that this was our best bet in finishing the race.  So we gathered around the guy with the 5h:15min pace group sign and balloons and readied ourselves for the start.  After the race began, the crowd of 20,000+ people surged forward.  Since we were in the slower group, we were far from the start line and it took us about 10 minutes to get there.  Then the race was on and people were jockeying for position, passing the slower ones and finding their rhythms.  Some people were dressed up, which made the race a little more fun.  We were quite amused by the Flash and the Statue of Liberty.  Around mile 2, there is a hill where a lot of men and even a few women run off to pee in the bushes.  We were quite surprised by it in 2007 but knew it was coming this year and expected it as part of the race.  Around mile 6, we came to a bridge where we had been told to expect the “Mean Chickens.”  People were dressed up as chickens advertising a Chick-Fil-A 10k (6.4 miles) and were holding up signs that said, “If you were running in our race you would be finished by now!”  What mean chickens!  Onward we trudged and at the water/Gatorade stations there were some times where we had to wait for water/Gatorade as the volunteers couldn’t pour the cups fast enough.  This would cause us to fall behind and we’d have to sprint back up to our pace group.  Around the 12 mile mark, we saw my husband and Megan’s boyfriend and high-fived them as we passed by them.  At that point, we were feeling great and were making plans as to what mile we should break away from the pace group.  Now that I think back on that it is really funny.  Then around mile 17.5, I had to make a pit stop.  By the time I was finished, the pace group was so far ahead that there was no way I could catch up to them!  Did I mention that the furthest I had run in training was 16 miles?!  I was feeling quite daunted that I would have to go the last 9.2 miles alone!  I saw my husband and Megan's boyfriend shortly thereafter.  Then at Mile 18 I saw my Mom holding a sign with my name on it, which really touched me.  It was so great to see her and then I rounded the curve out of her sight and hit the wall!  The race had changed to an almost totally mental battle.  As in training, I made small goals to achieve and did not dwell on the long distance ahead.  I told myself to get to mile 20 and if I had to quit then at least I had made it into the 20s as I had never run that far before.  When I got to mile 20 I was really hurting and feeling very nauseated and it was hard knowing that 6.2 miles were still staring me in the face!  But at that point I had already invested 4 hours and I wanted to finish, even if I had to crawl across the finish line.  I talked myself into keeping up the pace by making deals with myself, such as get to a certain sign post or tree or run for 3 songs and then walk for one.  Along the way I saw bellydancers, people partying on the side of the road and crowds offering amazing support (Megan even had her bib signed by George Bush Sr.).  It really is an all out party for the spectators and great support for the runners.  During all of this, I really thought I had slowed down and I was worried about finishing in the required 6 hours.  If you don't, then you don't get a finisher's medal or shirt! 

All was well though, because I ended up finishing in 5:23:50, which was only 8-9 minutes off my pace group.  I was pleasantly surprised because I thought I was way behind the pace group and I had done those last 9 miles by myself!  Even though I didn't get a great time by far (the winner finished in 2:12:32 and from my perspective anything less than 4 hours is impressive), I am very pleased with the experience.  I had a tough mental battle during the race and I'm stronger for it. 

After the race, we headed back to Megan’s apartment where I cleaned up and then we headed home.  I wore my medal the whole way home even though I was so exhausted that it felt really heavy!  Once home, I slept for 13 hours straight and then went for a massage the next morning.  I wore my finisher’s shirt proudly all day and thought about wearing it all week!  And after about two weeks of shock that I had actually run 26.2 miles, Megan and I signed up for next year’s marathon.  Yes, I do realize we are crazy.  During the marathon, I learned how tough our bodies are and how much adversity can strengthen our minds.  When you are in the weeds and are devising ways to get yourself through them, you realize what you can achieve is truly limitless.  And I truly understand the saying “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”