Enjoying the Journey...

It has been over a month and here I am, embarrassingly, providing my recap from the race. Actually yesterday was one month exactly since the race. No, it hasn't taken me this long to recover. It did take a few days however to get through that soreness and thaw out from the cold snap that hit Nashville that weekend. As you might have already read from Samantha and Toni, you know about the fun friends that the weather brought with it for the weekend- Rainy and Cold. I won't linger on those guys... Just know it was really cold and really rainy.

So what is my opinion/recap of the race? It was fabulous! And I'm not just saying that. This was my second half-marathon. I ran the 2012 Rock-N-Roll in New Orleans as well. Which was better? Despite the weather, Nashville was so much more enjoyable- mentally and physically for me. I loved the race in NOLA and it was amazing because it was my first half, but I felt so much confident and prepared for Nashville. Yes, I was a little worried about the hills and probably over thought them during the training, but in all honesty, the race and course was great! As Toni stated, our motto/thought was "Charge the hills" and that's what we did. I was really excited to set a new personal record (even with those dreaded hills) shaving 10 minutes off my NOLA time. 2012 finish time: 2:26:55. 2013 finish time: 2:16:21. Makes me wonder what I could have done without the hills...

I think everyone has different favorites about the race, but my favorite (both times) has to be the people. It's a pretty amazing sight to see THOUSANDS of people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles coming together to run- whatever their reason, we were running (get that imagine of Forest Gump out your mind). Many worked hard to raise money for St. Jude's. Some showed up to achieve PRs (which everyone in our group of 5 completed-- yay us!). Others came to win. Some just wanted to prove they could do it and finish. Others ran because they have been affected by cancer in some form or fashion or know someone who has. Some were checking items off the bucket list of their life. Many probably completed a lifetime goal. Some used it as a qualifier for another race. Regardless, running was the common denominator. The support from the city is also awe-inspiring. The support from spectators makes running through the streets of Nashville pretty spectacular. Encouragement from strangers, to me, is touching. It's quite obvious that running a half-marathon is physically demanding, but what I forget is how emotionally rewarding it is as well.

Our true colors shining through...

Now that we have finished this goal of running together, who knows what the next challenge will be. Perhaps we didn't get enough of the wet from the rain in Nashville because a training schedule for a triathlon sprint has been spread, and we can now be found splashing in the pool occasionally.... Hmm... we will see.

What's fun is now I can ask "Remember the time we all ran that half-marathon together?', and NOT have to do any convincing. That doesn't mean there won't be other challenges/adventures along the road.

One major take-away from this experience (can you tell I'm in education with that??) is to appreciate the training required to get to the finish line. I don't think I fully appreciated the training for my first half. This time around I really enjoyed the actual training and miss it already. I'm ready for the next goal, for the next thing on tap- whatever it may be... Triathlon? Biking through Ireland? Those are definitely happening. And this time, I know to appreciate the time it takes to get to the end.

I’ve Got the Bug

Tomorrow will be exactly four weeks since our half-marathon. I can’t believe it. It’s still funny to be like, “yeah, I ran a half-marathon”. That happened…in the rain, no less. Sam wrote a fantastic description of what THAT was like, and the general feel of the route here.

For me, I didn’t know what to expect. This was my first half. And it was in Nashville…with hills. We had gotten much better at hills and our mentality about them (new rule: CHARGE the hill!) over the last few weeks before the run, but I wasn’t sure how they would compare. It was very cold, and very early, and very rainy, when we parked. And when we lined up. And when we waited. And while we ran, and well, you get it. But really, once we started running, I wasn’t thinking about the rain. I was watching the mass of people’s bobbing heads in front of me, and the people drinking champagne under their umbrellas and cheering on the side, and the random guy on his porch playing music and yelling encouragement by himself as people ran past. I had no idea running a half-marathon would be such amazing people-watching!!!

I also didn’t expect to feel how I felt physically. I felt sort of like the energizer bunny. Like, I could keep going, and going, and going. I certainly can’t say I was sad when the full-marathon route split from the half and I got to go to the right, but I did think, “hmm….maybe…one day…” (ack! I’m hooked). Before we even ran, whilst we were all wandering around the expo, we were talking about doing a sprint triathalon, and found a booth for something called RAGNAR (potentially more on this later). Yep. I’m pretty sure we’ve all got the bug. That kind of constant desire for a goal to work towards, finding different and preferably interesting ways to push ourselves. I know I do, at least.

When we finished the race, it was freezing. Our bodies didn't have much left to keep heat in and with the cold + rain we were all in danger of some level of hypothermia. But we had still finished. And it was fun. And I want to do it again. And I can’t imagine a better group of wonderful friends and ladies to do it with (whenever we can make it happen with our schedules!). So we’re working towards some different things, and training in some different ways, and who knows where this journey will continue to lead us or how it will change us (and already has). And it’s funny, because it really was Just for Kicks…;) 

Third time is a charm

Wow. That's really, all I can say.

We ran 13.1 miles.

In the rain.

Up and down many, many hills.

The four of us (five with Manager Markus!)  trained for 16 weeks... for something that I ultimately thought I would dread doing. A recap of half-marathon one and two can be found here and here. Want to hear something? I didn't dread it. Actually, it was the exact opposite. I. Loved. Every. Step.

On Thursday night, the weather forecast shifted to an 80% chance of rain for Saturday. I ignored it. If I dwelled on it being rainy - I thought I might dread the run, and I was finally in a happy, excited place to run this race. So I ignored it. Ignorance is bliss, right?

I held onto hope that it wouldn't rain - but no such luck. It started to sprinkle while standing in the line for the shuttle, and well - it continued to rain from that moment on.

We all finagled our way into Corral #21 (where we also met my sister and her best friend Carolyn) right as Sweet Caroline began to play on the loudspeakers as a tribute to Boston. There's nothing quite like singing Sweet Caroline at Fenway Park, but listening to over 20,000 runners sing in honor of Boston was up there on the "cool moments to experience" list. Once there, we waited and we waited... for roughly 30 minutes until our corral got the motion to start.

Miles one through three were phenomenal. They zipped past and just like that, we only had ten more miles to go. I counted down, mile by mile. Miles two through five were pretty much straight up hill. The shirts with our names on it were such a fun idea. Every now and then someone would yell "Go Sam!" or "Go Toni, Staci, Jessica and Sam!" And it always happened when I really needed it, mentally. The route was beautiful (other than it raining, did I mention it was raining?) and crossed through the most beautiful parts of Nashville. We caught up with my sister at mile 10, and Staci and Toni went ahead while I was able to run with her for a little while. Running with my sister is always a calming moment. She always motivates me to push harder and go further. She urged me on and miles 11.5 - 13.1 were just me... I became a bit emotional as I turned the corner to the finish line. I sucked back tears and lifted my arms in the air as I crossed the finish line. I did it. We did it. Final finish time came in at 2:17:38. It's a new PR and one I am incredibly proud of!

After crossing the finish line, every aspect of me began to shiver. The fact that there wasn't an inch of me that wasn't drenched from the rain really began to take its toll on me. I wanted chocolate milk, gatorade and a foil blanket. Oh and a banana. I was famished and cold and wet... and cold. We finally found each other and our dear friend Andreia (Thanks for coming!). We quickly made plans to leave. As much fun as the after-party for a Rock 'n' Roll event is, we couldn't stay. It was still raining and we all had blue lips and numb fingers. It was time to go.

If I reflect over the last 16 weeks, and well - that's what this is... I immediately give a lot of thanks to these three ladies. There was incredible motivation at points where I didn't want to run much further. Or when I needed to rest because of IT-Band issues. And even though I don't always go to AT class, I have to give that credit also. The conditioning helped us go further, faster. While waking up between 5:30 and 6 a.m. every M/T/W/F/Saturday was NOT fun - I couldn't have asked for better people to travel alongside me during this journey.

Kudos to the Rock 'n' Roll team again - another great race! Had the weather been beautiful, it would have been even more amazing than the last.

So, after half-marathon one and two, I said NEVER AGAIN. Never again, however, will I say never again. Ha - the irony, I know. The car ride home included many, many discussions about what is next for the Just 4 Kicks crew... and let's just say: we dream big, we set high goals and we smash them out of the park!

#allwedoiswin

Donate to our team!

Our "manager" put together a team fund raising page for our race this weekend. 

If you have enjoyed reading any part of our journey, at any point along the way, we ask that you consider donating to a great cause - it's called the St. Jude Country Music Marathon, after all. 

You can donate to our team here. Every dollar counts and we (and the St. Jude Children's Hospital) appreciate your support!

Contemplating: training-to-race philosophy...

So we're running a half marathon on Saturday. In Nashville. I'm not sure if you've heard yet, so there it is, the big announcement.

what the...?

My farthest distance to date is 9 miles. In a row. And I can remember when I questioned whether I would ever be able to run ONE mile without stopping. I feel pretty accomplished at this point. My only goal is to finish.

My team mates - the women, to be specific - asked me last weekend when we were all out celebrating it being a gorgeous Saturday - if we wanted to finish together. My first thought? Don't wait for me.

Then the mood changed. Suddenly I felt like I said something wrong. Maybe I was too quick to respond not in favor? Damnit Jessica, you can be too blunt too quickly sometimes most of the time.

Reading facial expressions I reflected quickly and it became more clear than ever before that we really have been training together. As a team. So asking if we wanted to decide as a team to finish as a team was a valid question!

Side note: only four of us blog here, but we do have a fifth team member. He refers to himself as our "manager".  Markus, who also happens to date me, doesn't count in this part of the conversation. He's going to finish before all of us no matter what we decide. Also, he's a man. That is all.

My whole perspective changed that evening when these three amazing women presented me with this question.

I've always had the mindset of "train together, race alone". I'm not sure why. It's not like I've ever really participated in a race before. But I just had this vision of a "training team" to be just that - a team to help you train, to help you get to the [next] race. And Staci has already been talking about what's coming after this...lardy just let me finish this first. And it's true - we DO do better when we're together, we actually WILL get out of bed when we know others are counting on us...

Part one of my hesitation to say, "Yeah! Let's finish together" is the worry that whatever-it-is-that's-been-giving-me-trouble-in-my-left-leg will require that I walk more often than my team mates need to.

Part two of my hesitation is the fact that I hate waiting on people and therefore the reverse holds true, I also don't feel comfortable with people waiting on me.

My quirks aside, part three of my hesitation is this: when you get in the zone, and you're really in the zone, you can't stop. I wouldn't dare ask, or expect anyone to stop for me when they are in the zone - perhaps because I would hope the same of others if I were in the zone...? What if we're all running along, and one of us, or two of us wants to slow it down or walk or stop to stretch, but the other/s are in the zone and stopping will just mess them up? It sounds funny but if you've ever been in that zone you know what I'm talking about.

Is it the competitiveness in me? If it is, that can't be the only thing, because again, hesitation #1 is questioning my own physical ability to perform at the rest of my team member's level come race-day due to this pain in my leg.

We never really finished the conversation or came to a decision that evening.

Part of me thinks once we get there, among all the crowds and music and other runners, adrenaline will kick-in and I won't even think about any potential pain. Maybe finishing together won't be as dramatic as I'm making it out to be.

But there's still that part of me that says, "no, go for it ladies - each woman to herself." If we pace each other, fantastic. If not, that's okay too! I guess I don't know why a decision has to be made about it at all - must we decide? Can we not let it happen naturally?

At the end of the day, at the end of the weekend, I just assume not worry about it. Let's make a plan of what time to get up to get there, where to reunite after, and just have fun! We all spend the whole week working too hard (and in most cases overtime) not to enjoy the weekend in general, but especially THIS weekend out of town.


And no, Staci, this is not your usually blunt friend Jessi showing her ability to be passive-agressive by putting my thoughts out on digital paper instead of talking them out in person...[grin]

I love you ladies. And I'm just glad you've gotten me this far. I look forward to [hopefully] crossing that finish line with you, it might not be at the same exact time, but it's still the same line. xoxo

100%

I'd like to say the title of this post is inspired by the amount of effort we are putting into our training. Don't get me wrong- we are still training hard and remaining constant encouragers to each other, but still the naming of this post is for an entirely different 100%. We have officially reached 100% for injuries. I hate to say it, but it's true.

Monday during AT workout, not being known for my grace, my foot seemed to find one of the three rocks on the train platform. Dumb rock, even more dumb foot. You see, we work out in the mornings at the train station downtown. We frequently get to run up and down the length of the platform throughout the workout, what fun. Occasionally one of those larger than normal train-track rocks will find its way onto the area we workout. This is what my foot found while running. My foot found it, my ankle didn't like it. Didn't like it so much it just twisted to get away. A few profanities escaped and then I threw the stupid rock out of the way. A burning sensation then followed along with a cankle. Okay, that image link may be an exaggeration, but seriously- it got big... Sigh.

With maintenance of ice packs and rest, I was able to attend Wednesday's AT armed (or ankled) with a brace/ankle sleeve and had minimal pain. So while we may have a few aches and pains- we are pushing through. What's that saying?- Pain is weakness leaving the body- well if that's true, we are getting stronger each day then.

This race is so close to being here a little pain is not going to stop any of us. 15 weeks of training down, 1 more to go. Watch out Nashville. We may be physically wearing down, but our spirits are from it. We will push through. We got this.

The roller coaster of running

Do you know what an IT band is? No? Well - let me take you on a little journey. You have one. It runs down the side of your leg from your hip to your knee. And if you run a lot, increase mileage, increase speed and add hill training into the mix (all at the same time) - it will hurt. A lot.

I started experiencing pain shortly after our 8 mile run. It didn't hurt through the run, but shortly after... oh dear. It hurt really bad. So much that I thought I was going to have to opt out of the 5K I was registered for the next day. Thankfully, a lot of ice helped. I saw an athletic trainer the following Tuesday after running 5 miles that resulted in the most excruciating pain when walking up the stairs to my office. He declared the pain to not necessarily be my knee - but to be my IT band. He told me to ease up, ice and stretch.

Our AT coach, later explained that the IT band is like leather. It's not pliable and when it knots up - it's very hard to work them out. The pain on the outside of my knee is a result of the knots. The solution? The same thing my ATC prescribed - and a foam roller.

At this point, Jess and Toni had also had knee trouble. Staci being the genius she is - crafted a foam roller out of PVC pipe and a yoga mat. So I was excited - until I actually started foam rolling. IT. HURTS. LIKE. HELL. Seriously. Totally does the trick - but HURTS.

I'm absolutely determined to not let it get me down. Thankfully - it can be worked out and I can continue running. We ran four today and I'm not going to lie - it wasn't painless nor was it the best run I've had. But really? At this point, I don't care. I will run through the pain and we will run 13.1 miles in three weeks.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say this journey has been full of physical and emotional ups and downs - and I think I can also speak for all of us when I say - that running through it all (TOGETHER) has helped lighten that load more than anything.