Does anyone else use a marathon as the long run to train for another marathon? At the beginning of 2019 I wrote down several goals for the year, and I titled it the Good Idea/Bad Idea Tour because some of my goals are a little nuts to people. One of the goals was to run three full marathons this year (prior to this I’ve run 3 total). I had planned to do my first one in March but due to injury had to defer. So, in order to still meet that goal I needed to tack another one on to this year. A couple of weeks ago I decided to do the Leading Ladies Marathon in South Dakota. It’s an all women’s race and is mostly downhill and my next marathon in September is mostly downhill so I figured it would be a good way to get another full in this year as well as get in a desperately needed long run to prepare for September. A lady I ran with last year recommended Leading Ladies as her favorite marathon so I signed up.

I arrived in South Dakota on Saturday afternoon. I was a big fan right from the beginning due to the weather, the rental car lot, and a unique Sonic. The rental car lot was so simple. They just hand you a key and you drive off, nothing like most airports where you are basically escaping from jail and if you accidentally reverse over those spikes…no good. Plus the speed limit is 75. And I found a Sonic close to the airport that was open to the outside. How wonderful is that? Enjoying a tasty beverage and the beautiful weather at the same time is a huge plus in my mind.

I then drove through the Black Hills to Spearfish, South Dakota, a nice little town. I wandered around and found a fish hatchery. I’ve never been to one before but it was kind of neat. There were a ton of trout and you could feed them directly. I then met up with some ladies from the 50 States Club for dinner and then got ready to get up super early to catch the bus.

Sunday morning I woke up at 3 am something to get ready for the 4 am bus departure. As I stepped out of my room and walked towards the lobby there was a guy passed out on the floor by the pool from a night of drinking. He didn’t look very good. I’ll get up early to run, but I couldn’t imagine staying out until 3 am drinking. (I did grab the front desk clerk so we could get him some help).

I got on the bus and we drove up the mountain. Promptly at 6am they told us to “GO!” and off we went. Here is a peek into the thoughts that go through my head during a marathon:

Mile 1- Why are we running uphill on a race that is advertised as downhill?

Mile 2- Ah, here’s the downhill. I’m going to try to not trip on the gravel and roll down this mountain.

Mile 3- Gosh it’s gorgeous here. The air is so fresh and the trees and streams are beautiful.

Mile 4- Man I have a great playlist. This is my JAM!

Mile 5- 20% done. That’s good, right? I got this.

Miles 6-11 I’ve still got this! Things are going great.

Mile 12- Things are not going great. Something is wrong with my right foot.

Mile 13- Did I wear two different shoes?

Mile 14- I’m going to pretend that it doesn’t hurt. Mind over matter, right?

Mile 15- Yeah, that mind voodoo isn’t working. I’ve got to see what’s going on in my shoe.

Mile 16- (Sits down, takes off shoe, and is promptly horrified with the amount of blisters).

Mile 17- Well, I’ve got 10 miles left and this is going to hurt but I’ve got to get it done. (There was no cell service on the mountain so Uber wasn’t an option. Plus, I’m not about to quit.)

Mile 18- What can I do to distract myself?

Mile 19- I start waving at all of the motorcyclists to see how many I can get to wave back. There are a lot of them in the area. I also came up to another runner who is taking her shoes off and running the rest of the way in her socks. That’s either crazy or brilliant.

Mile 20- I can do this, there’s only a 10k left.

Mile 21- I feel terrible. Why did I pay to do this?

Mile 22- The first person who did this (ran a marathon) DIED.

Mile 23- Only a 5k left, right? Right? Math is getting hard.

Mile 24- Time has stopped passing. I’m on the same mile.

Mile 25-In just a half a mile, I will be a half a mile away from a mile to the end. Maybe? I’m losing my mind.

Mile 26- My blisters have blisters.

Mile 26.2- Why am I not done yet?

Mile 26.8 – I finally cross the finish line and stop one step over it. I’m not moving any further.

The song Champion by Fall Out Boy came on towards the end and there is a lyric that says “If I can live through this, then I can do anything” and that became my mantra towards the end. I was so glad to be done. They gave us lemon scented towels, roses and our medals which were neat. They have an hourglass that spins with actual sand. There was also a good buffet but I headed to the physical trainer and she wrapped my toes with some type of blister skin and bandaids. It’s not in good shape. Luckily it should heal fast and I learned that I need to wear lower profiles shoes for my next downhill race that won’t allow my feet to slide around as much. I won’t post a picture of the foot because that just wouldn’t be nice.

After I got treated I went back to the hotel, showered, and got ready to go to Mount Rushmore. I just wanted to nap but figured I should take advantage of being so close and go see some giant faces.

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson authored the first ice cream recipe in America? That’s a fun fact I learned on my trip.

Overall, I did enjoy the race. The scenery was beautiful and it boosted my confidence that I can run a marathon again. It also reminded me to respect the distance and make sure to get more long runs in. Also, downhill running sounds easy but my quads are shredded. Uphill, downhill, or flat, running a marathon is never easy.

What’s next? I’ve got another marathon in three weeks.

I’ve discovered that racing and checking off states during the summer months isn’t easy. Unless you’re into torture in the form of running in the extreme heat. But alas, California is actually quite mild in July.

I ran in the San Francisco Biofreeze Marathon, the Second Half Marathon to be specific. This race is huge and offers a distance for everyone. There is an ultra, a full marathon, two different half marathons and two different 5ks. That’s a heck of a lot of planning and race management. I’m pretty impressed with everything they orchestrated.

I chose the Second Half because the course elevation wasn’t too bad and it finished with the full marathon finishers at the main finish line. I love a good finish line party.

The morning of the race the temp was in the 50s at the start, pretty much perfect in my opinion. It was cool, but not cold. I was surprised at how many runners were wearing tights and long sleeves. I’m a very cold-natured person in general but when I run I prefer to keep my body temp down as much as possible so I was one of a few people in shorts and a tank top. The course was pretty and there was a lot to look at. I was surprised at the lack of crowd support since it’s such a big city. There were definitely pockets of spectators but I thought there would be a lot more based on my experiences walking around the city and also running in other large races. They did have some good water/fuel stops. I was in one of the first waves of the half marathon and because of that we got to see a lot of the elite marathoners as they passed us on their way in where our courses joined. It got hot quickly and I saw 3 separate runners collapse. One I stopped to help, poor guy was only a few miles from the finish but couldn’t do it. Another runner got taken away in an ambulance. It’s amazing how temps can affect your performance. They certainly do mine and I can only imagine how rough it is when you’re an elite runner, going as fast as they do. I hope everyone ended up okay.

The race went uphill for the first 7 miles or so and then had some steeper downhills. That was actually a little rough as I’m not used to it and by the end my toes were sore from pushing into the tops of my shoes. Running downhill affects your legs in a much different way then running on a flat surface or even running uphill.

I finished in 2:04, much better than the 2:33 I had done the week prior when I decided a midnight half marathon in 90 degrees was a good idea. (In hindsight, it was NOT a good idea…but I did get a glow in the dark medal so that’s awesome. Good medals are important).

Once again though, I was disappointed in the food at the end. It seems like the big races I’ve been to lately only have the basics. They had water bottles, bananas, and fruit cups. It is literally the most expensive race I have done (other than Disney) so I expected something a little heartier. I did find a Capital One tent and they had Gardetto’s and some other delicious options so that made things better. To date my favorite race as far as the food is concerned has been Go Fargo in North Dakota. They had pizza and cookie dough. Can’t go wrong with that.

I’ve actually been to San Francisco twice before, but both times it was less than 24 hours. Once on a trip back from Napa, and the other time on a quick work trip, so I hadn’t really seen the city during the day. It’s a very walkable city with some very, VERY, challenging hills. Some are so steep that the cars have to zig zag down them so they don’t flip over.

The food in San Francisco is incredible. I had some amazing meals while I was there. So amazing in fact that even though I walked and ran a total of 58 miles in 4 days, I gained 3 pounds. That’s commitment to eating. Below are just a few of the things I enjoyed.

I got to see a lot of the city with all the walking I did before and after the race. Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, and my favorite, the Museum of Ice Cream. A museum where they hand you a different ice cream treat in every single room. What an amazing world we live in.

Overall it was a pretty enjoyable race/state, and I’m glad to get another state done. It’s also the fastest long run I’ve been able to do in a while as I’ve been struggling this summer to combine speed and distance so it was a bit of a confidence boost. Training hasn’t been going well and I’ve been hurting so the mental boost this gave me was big. I remember while I was running I hit a wall early, at mile 4, and wanted to walk. I read an article recently that said you should dedicate a mile to someone to help you get through it. So I dedicated mile 4 to my daughter and mile 5 to my son, which got me through the pain. I imagined they were with me and I wouldn’t want them to see me give up just because things were hard. From then on things got better. The power of the mind is incredible.

Next up? 26.2 in South Dakota.

To start I must address the fact that the number of states I’ve done has changed. I joined this club where you get this super sweet trophy if you complete 50 endurance runs (a half or full marathon) in every state. Previously if a race went through two states I counted it as two because I was making this up as I went, but alas if I want that sweet, shiny reward at the end of this journey I need to count each race as one. So Indiana is officially my 16th state under these new, stricter rules.

I arrived in Indiana to run the She Power Half Marathon which is an all women’s race in Indianapolis. First off the airport in Indianapolis is amazing! They have bicycles to charge your phones, robot prepared ice cream, and vending machines full of salads and healthy treats. So I’m a fan of this place from the start.

After checking into the hotel and picking up my race packet I went to this place that serves “world-famous” shrimp cocktail. It was sinus-clearing and tear-inducing and one of the spiciest things I have ever eaten. I sat next to a window and the people watching was incredible. PopCon was going on and there were tons of costumes. Remember Sims? I saw a guy walking by that had a glowing diamond attached to his head. Lots of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat costumes as well.

The next day was the race. I stayed at the host hotel and the start was literally right out the front door which was nice since it was raining. And it wasn’t a beautiful, peaceful, cooling drizzle, it was more of a heavy, your socks will get soaked in the first mile, and your feet are really screwed kind of rain. The course was beautiful though, and gave a great tour of Indianapolis.

Also, luckily it was flat so there weren’t hills to contend with. I wouldn’t say that I felt terrible the entire time but I would say that I’ve kind of adapted this philosophy this year:

So I continued along until I was done where I was greeted with one of the most amazing medals in the history of medals. It’s a 6 inch beauty with one of my favorite sayings on it. Plus there was some great after race swag that included a rose presented by a suave, young gentleman, some Balega socks (my favorite running socks), and cake. I really like cake. And it’s somebody’s birthday somewhere, right?

After drying off it was time for brunch so I went to Milktooth and ate a Dutch Baby Pancake. I’m still not entirely sure what that is but it was freaking delicious.

The tour of Indianapolis continued with a trip to a restaurant called Rook where I tried fried spam for the first time as well as ube ice cream. Both were fairly tasty. I’m not sure why I’ve never tried spam before as it is readily available in the canned meat section at my local grocer but it seems like a better idea when it’s fried up and served in a bao bun at a neat restaurant. And I wanted to try it, so I did. Motivational posters are always telling you to follow your dreams, and that day mine involved spam so I went for it. Ube was like eating a bowl of fruity pebbles with mixed fruit.

The best part of the trip was spending it with one of my favorite running buddies. Running is an individual sport that teaches you to enjoy your own company but it sure is nice to have people who enjoy doing it with you.

We had a blast. And now I’ve been working on planning a Fall with as many races as possible to make up for the slow start I’ve had in 2019. I’m planning on getting California, New Mexico, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Hawaii and Mississippi in during the Fall/Winter season. If only travel therapy was covered by my health insurance.

The Disney Princess Half Marathon. I had quite literally been planning on this race since I hatched my 50 state plan. I tried to sign up for it in 2018 but it was sold out. So as soon as 2019 registration opened up, I signed up, quite literally pulling over in the middle of driving home one day so that I wouldn’t miss out on the chance to get in. It cost a stupid amount of money but man was I excited.

Fast forward 6 months and it’s the day before I leave for Florida. I’m running a 2 mile training run with Run The Streets. I’m turned around, chatting with a kid and next thing I know, I’m on the ground. My left ankle and right knee both hurt. Bad. However I assumed it was just fleeting pain and got up and tried to walk it off a bit. However it didn’t get better. I got myself home and realized my left ankle was swelling and my right knee was torn up. (Life lesson- keep your eyes facing forward while running).

I treated it, hoped for the best, and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning at 3:30am for my flight to Florida. My knee was bruised, bleeding and sore but not too bad, however my ankle had swollen up and bruised overnight. It could have won first place in a cankle contest. I taped it up and got on a plane.

I love the weather in Florida. It’s hot. And warm. And hot. My favorite type of weather. The expo was a lot of fun, well organized with lots of booths. I picked up my stuff for the races. I was signed up for the Fairy Tale Challenge, which is a 10k on Saturday followed by a Half Marathon on Sunday. Why? 3 medals. And of course this seemed like a good idea 6 months ago, although I currently couldn’t walk without limping, much less run.

On Saturday morning I got up at 3:30am to head to the start of the 10k. I decided not to even try and run. Luckily my qualifying times had put me in the first corral so even walking I knew I should be able to meet the time limit. My big fear was not meeting the cut off and being kicked out of the race (and not getting that medal). I ended up finishing the 10k in almost 2 hours, when just a week prior I had run a 10k race in half the time. Humbling.

The scenery was beautiful though. I loved the fireworks at the beginning and getting to run through Epcot.

On Sunday morning I got up at 3am to get to the half marathon. Apparently it was an even bigger race so we had to get there earlier. My ankle was still rocking cankle status so once again I decided to just walk (decided is generous, my body forced me). I was worried about the time cutoff again but with all of the waves of participants it ended up being a non issue. I tried to enjoy the race and just observe humanity. During the first mile I saw a couple of guys pull off the course for a trip to the woods.  And then I saw a woman do that. And she pulled out a tube. That was a first. Mad props to her for the problem solving and forward thinking. She must have a severe dislike for port-o-potties.

I also saw some awesome shirts.

• “You’ve just been fast passed.”
• “She’s living her best life, I’m just lazy”.
• ” Why are all of these Princesses chasing me?”
• “After this I’m getting coffee…and maybe some donuts…or a waffle.”
• “Princess Protection Dept.”
• “Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish which greatly triumphs Did Not Start.” (my personal favorite)

It was definitely one of the most visually stimulating races that I have ever been to. There were amazing costumes, great views of Epcot and Magic Kingdom, and constant fireworks.

This cop was “checking” our speed by radar at mile 11. I thought that was a fun touch.

I got to take this photo with Belle and Gaston. Gaston was hitting on Belle and Belle was ignoring him.

However, it was also one of the hardest races I’ve ever done. I was in a lot of physical pain. My ankle was very swollen and the skin was irritated from the tape and wrappings. The scabs on my knee broke open and blood was trickling down my right leg. Also emotionally it was really rough. I would like to say that I was happy just to be there but that wouldn’t be honest. I never mind running alone but walking alone for over 6 hours (between the two races) really messed with me. I felt lonely and sorry for myself at times and it was hard not to focus on the pain. It was also a reminder to not take things for granted, especially your health. Just days earlier I had been running and now that gift was gone. It took me 4 hours and 19 minutes to complete the half marathon. By comparison I ran my last full marathon in 4 hours and 11 minutes.

After the race I got wrapped again (Disney has great medical support) to try and alleviate some swelling.

The medals were pretty sweet!

Overall I have mixed feelings about Florida. It wasn’t quite the magical experience that I had been hoping for but I also respect the lessons it taught me. It reminded me of resilience and that even though I have failures, doubts, and setbacks, that I can continue on in spite of them.

“One foot in front of the other. Repeat as often as necessary to finish.” -Haruki Murakami

I try to keep this blog fairly light and happy while I navigate my 50 state half marathon goal but I’ve been asked many many times about the weight loss that came with my discovery of running so I’ve decided to discuss that just in case it is helpful to anyone, especially as we head into the season of setting resolutions.

So just as some background I began struggling with my weight after I got married. I was working full time as a restaurant manager and the long hours and poor food choices led to some extra curves. I then had two kids and my second pregnancy was considered high risk due to some issues during my first pregnancy and although I tried to walk and make healthy choices food-wise I put on weight. To be fair my second kid was a big baby but that is when I hit my all-time highest weight.

After delivering my son I lost weight slowly but I was breast feeding and I held onto the weight for quite a while. I didn’t get really serious about getting into shape though until April of 2016 when I hooked up with a trainer in my neighborhood and started lifting. It started with the weights, not the running. The first two months I lost 6 pounds and several inches and that was enough for me to get excited about seeing results. I kept going with that and started making healthier food choices as well. From April to November I lost about 25 lbs and I still remember going to a clothing store over my lunch break, trying on a dress, and having to go down two sizes. That felt amazing.

In November of 2016 I signed up for a 5k with some work colleagues. At that time I couldn’t run a mile without stopping but I love a challenge and liked the camaraderie of the event. I ran that 5k in 34 minutes flat. And struggled. And walked. And hurt. But I did it. And I was hooked.

From there I tried a 10k. I remember getting beat by a guy who was barefoot and wearing a bathrobe. But I did it.

On New Year’s Eve I signed up for a half marathon that would take place in March 2017. A distance that felt unattainable. I didn’t tell anyone at the time. I was afraid of failure. And of people knowing that I failed.

January 2017 I ran a quarter marathon (trying to train for the half). I remember feeling so proud afterwards that I ran the entire thing without walking. At this point the goal wasn’t any particular time, it was simply to finish.

From there I started working toward the half marathon I had signed up for. I was running 3-4 times a week with one longer run and weight training. I eventually told my trainer about my half marathon goal as I wanted the accountability. She was so encouraging and we worked toward the goal.

And guess what. I did it. I ran a half marathon. 13.1 miles. I hurt for DAYS afterwards. I limped and was sore but man was I proud. That very night, sitting down afterwards, I came up with the 50 states goal. I know myself and knew that goals would keep me going.

(On the left is the day before I gave birth, on the right is during the Avon 39)

Since I started running in November 2016 I have run 58 races. This includes 3 full marathons.

As to the weight? Running did help me lose an additional 25 lbs. I don’t consider that the best way to lose weight or keep it off though. People often comment to me that I can probably eat whatever I want. And although I’ve definitely got some caloric flexibility (which is great because my sweet tooth is a force to be reckoned with), you can’t outrun what you eat. And the appetite that training for and running long distances creates is ridiculous. You still have to be mindful. I feel that maintaining weight is nutrition first, weights second (I love body pump classes), and cardio third. At least for me.

I’ve also been asked what I weigh. I know that seems an insensitive question, and it threw me off at first, but if knowledge is power and that will help, then here it is…I am 5’10” and weigh 140-145 lbs depending on the day. That number is affected by my food choices, my menstrual cycle, hydration, etc. I do weigh myself daily but the daily number doesn’t affect me much, I just use it as a guideline for health (and a heads up for when its time to lay off the candy for a day or two). My advice would be just to not get too caught up in the number, use it as a tool while remembering that fluctuation is totally normal (at least it is for me).

What I do find funny about my weight, is that I’m considered healthy from a BMI standard, but I’m considered big for a runner. They have this thing called the “Athena” group in a lot of races which is basically code for “bigger than normal” runner. At 145 I fall into that group. But what is normal anyways?

Ultimately I just try to be comfortable in my skin. I love feeling strong and healthy and running gives me that in so many ways. If running is something you want to get into, and you want some help, I would be happy to assist with more specific tips, or suggest a program. Just remember, the beginning of your journey shouldn’t be compared to the middle of mine or anyone else’s.

Also, lessons can’t really be taught, they have to be learned. I used to hate running and didn’t make my health a priority but now that I do, I can’t imagine living any other way. I had to make this choice for myself and I have to continue to make this choice every day.

I do it for me.

 

I started this journey with a delayed flight. It’s a good thing I’m a runner since I knew I was going to have to haul ass to make my connecting flight to Nashville. So I’m in the Tulsa airport and I’ve got some time before my first plane leaves. I decide I’ll grab a tasty DDP (Diet Dr Pepper) for the flight. I head to the first shop that has it and they are closed (it’s 7:08 pm). No biggie I’ll find another one. Well, alas that’s not going to happen as every single store in the Tulsa airport that sells DDP is closed. Don’t they know that addictions don’t end at 7pm?! I find a lady cleaning behind the counter of one of the food stands that is closed and ask if she will take cash and ring it in later so I can get the drink. Well guess what? She gives it to me for free!! I think she senses my utter desperation and was worried I would get weird without my fix. That’s some good karma I’m going to pass along. This bodes well for this race.

I did make it to Nashville after sprinting for my connecting flight. That’s what we will call my “shake out run”. I got to Nashville around midnight, got to the hotel, and passed out. The “night before the night before” sleep is key.

On Saturday morning I headed to Chattanooga to pick up my race packet and carb load. On the way I learned that Tennessee has runaway truck ramps. I’m still not entirely sure what that is but in my head I imagine large semi trucks racing up the ramp to fly into the air similar to movie scenes from The Fast and the Furious.

After picking up my race packet I got to eat homemade black pepper fettuccine with chicken and it was glorious.

I also learned some new dance moves. The streets of Chattanooga are covered with dance steps, which is kind of neat.

And I saw the birds from Finding Nemo. All I could think when looking at these was “Mine, mine, mine, mine…” ironic since I had a luggage tag with these birds on it that got ripped off on the way to Nashville.

After that I headed back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the next day.

Sunday morning came early and cold. It was in the 30s at start. It’s hard to dress for running in the cold, as I absolutely hate being cold but know that I will warm up quickly. I went with running tights and a tank top. My goal for this race was to beat my previous PR of 4:46 and I was hoping for around 4:30. I started off fast, as I was so cold and wanted to get warmed up. I felt cold for at least the first ten miles. I remember trying to get a pretzel at an aid station and I couldn’t get my fingers to work to grab it. I think the cold really worked in my favor though. I felt good and just kept telling myself to hang on for one more mile. I ended up crossing the finish line in 4:11 and that even includes a bonus lap from a little wrong turn I took.

Even though this was just a week ago it’s already a bit of a blur, at least as far as the details of the race. I do remember thinking about the race T-shirt’s that say “Everything hurts and I’m dying” and so my motto was “Everything hurts but I’m doing it anyways.”

I also remember how I felt the last mile. At that point I knew I had done something special (for me). I had dug deep, worked hard, and it was paying off. Crossing the finish line I was so excited. It’s weird how the pain vanishes and you feel like you’re super human. It makes me want to continue to make ambitious goals and keep striving for improvement. The feeling is simply indescribable. I can’t do it justice with words.

The rest of the trip was a celebration of food, friends, food, family, food and fun.

Snacks I travel with…

Celebratory dessert(s) after the marathon.

I think this was called the East Nasty from a restaurant called Biscuit Love, combined with a chai latte.

Bonuts from Biscuit Love.

It was an epic marathon weekend.

Next up for me? 3 half marathons back to back starting this weekend.

I ran my 2nd marathon. I’ve got another one coming up in October that has been my goal race this year so I thought this would be a good way to get a guaranteed long run in. Typically in marathon training your long run is 20 miles but what better way to prepare for 26.2 miles than to run 26.2 miles, right? Right.

So I decided to run the Quad Cities Marathon. This beauty was in Moline, IL but crosses into Iowa. So this coincides nicely with my goal to run a half marathon in each state since a marathon is two half marathons and this went through two states. Bam. (Again, changed this to just count as one).

 

I arrived in Moline on Saturday and headed to the expo. This particular race has something called a Pump N Run. Basically you have to bench press and bicep curl a set amount of weight based on your body weight. So I got the pleasure of getting on the scale in public and then was told I had to bench 75 lbs and curl 50 lbs. Now, I go to Body Pump pretty often but that is a low weight, high rep workout so I didn’t know how it would translate. I was able to bench 18 times and curl 5 times. I had no idea how that would compare to others but thought it was kind of a fun gimmick.

After the expo I headed to my hotel, which as an unexpected bonus was one block from the start line. I am terrible at planning out the details of the race weekend such as the hotel, so this was complete luck. Mostly I just find a race that looks cool, sign up, and then worry about the rest of the details later. I then figured out a place to eat that I could walk to. I picked it based on dessert. My plan was to eat healthy and order the dessert to go so I could eat it after the race on Sunday. They were out of both options I wanted. It was sad. Good thing I had packed Red Vines and Midnight Milky Ways in my luggage for just such a situation.

I spent the rest of the night watching Orange Is The New Black and resting for the next day. And laying out “flat Alicia”.

Sunday morning started in the 50s, which is basically perfect for running. I lined up with a pace group as I was trying to improve upon my first attempt and do a better job of keeping my mile times steady (I tend to go out too fast). My pacer was pretty awesome. Her name is Heather and she has run like 100 marathons. She said she ran 60 before getting her BQ. #goals

I was able to stick with her until mile 16/17 and then I started slowing down. There were some fun things to see along the way though that helped. Like a waterskiing dinosaur, Bennigans (I didn’t know they still existed and I really wanted to stop for a monte cristo), and I even found a drivers license on the ground that belonged to a lady named Madison from Arizona. I decided to pick it up and proceeded to run along and try to find her, and I did! I think she was almost as shocked as I was. I figured if I didn’t find the person I could give it to the race director once I finished but low and behold she was just a bit ahead of me. Talk about luck (for her that she didn’t have to deal with the hassle of finding her license and me for not having to speed up for too long trying to find her).

It got hot (70s) and I got tired. I was able to hold off on walking until mile 23 (other than through water stops, I don’t have the ability to run and drink simultaneously). It’s funny because I remember thinking about “the wall” that people always talk about at mile 20 and how I didn’t feel it. I was definitely suffering at mile 20 but just taking it a mile at a time and thinking I could make it. Well it hit at mile 23 for sure. I had to run/walk the last 5k (3.1 miles). Mentally/emotionally that was really difficult. I can run 3 miles pretty easily most days so to be unable to is pretty discouraging. However I had come too far, 23 miles to be exact, to not finish. I ended up coming in almost 18 minutes faster than my previous marathon so that was exciting. It was hard to enjoy it immediately though.

After I crossed the finish line someone from the race came up to me and asked if I was okay. I told him I wanted to sit down and could use some water. He said he thought I should go see medical. I figured it couldn’t hurt, all I cared about was not running any further at that point so was pretty open to anything that didn’t involve that. He took me up to medical and they checked me out. He told them he had watched me the last couple miles and that I looked dazed. They took my blood pressure and it was low and my heartbeat and I don’t even know what else they checked. They asked me if they could run an iv, I said sure, they stuck an iv in me to give me fluids, gave me a blanket, and I promptly fell asleep. The nurse came over a little later and woke me up. He laughed and said he had never seen someone fall asleep that quickly. Uh, I was tired thank you very much! Running for hours upon hours is not easy. There was also a lady there who had to drop out at mile 24. I can’t even imagine how she would feel after coming that far and not being able to finish. Anyways, the fluids were a big help. I got up after being there 30-45 minutes and felt so much better. I headed back to the finish line to get my snacks. I DO NOT leave a race without grabbing as much snacks as I can carry. And I got my sweet medal!

I then headed back to the hotel, got in the shower, and literally sat on the floor of the shower drinking chocolate milk. I couldn’t decide if I cared more about eating or showering at that point so just decided to do both. Multitasking at its finest. I was also attempting to deal with my hair. It has gotten horribly knotted while running. I have no earthly idea how that happens. I braid it to try and avoid it but alas, it continues to find a way to tempt me to shave my head.

I later found out that I placed 3rd in marathon women for the Pump N Run. The amount of reps you do counts as a deduction of your overall time. Probably the only time I will ever “win” anything in a marathon so that’s pretty cool. They are mailing me my award because of course I didn’t find out until after I flew out of Illinois.

The marathon is a tough distance. I am glad I improved my time and paced myself better but am clearly still learning and trying to figure this distance out and how to better handle it. But I’m also proud. I remember that less than two years ago I couldn’t run a mile without stopping. Now, who knows how far I’ll go?

Lucky number 13? (Made sense when I originally wrote this and it was my 13th state). Not exactly. The title of this saga is “From PR to Proper Ass Kicking”.

Oregon went great, wonderful even, and it was a month ago. I felt like I was really improving as a runner and was ready for Colorado.

Turns out Colorado was ready for me too.

I was a bit worried the day before. There were ozone alerts and the air quality wasn’t great. Very hazy. Apparently smoke was blowing in from the fires in California. You could barely see the skyline around Denver (pictured below).

I’ve been told about how hard it is to run at altitude but honestly didn’t think much of it. I felt prepared. I’ve been getting in the miles, going to Body Pump and trying to limit candy …to about once a day. (That is quite the show of restraint). I had even cut back a bit (but just a bit) on caffeine. I hadn’t trained with an altitude mask or anything but felt like being in good shape and being a fairly experienced runner of over 1.5 years now, I could handle it.

The picture above is from the start of the race. The lady to my left ended up placing in the over 65 age division. I want to be her when I grow up.

So I have a bad habit of not checking out the race course prior to registering for it, and sometimes I don’t look at all before the race. Well this little gem had a 600+ foot incline. The first 70 minutes were spent tackling that before reaching a peak altitude of almost 6,000 feet.

The picture above is from the first mile. I was blissfully happy and unaware of the pain awaiting me just around the corner.

Here’s a view at the top of one of the hills/mountains. I was enjoying a brisk walk at that point.

It was truly a gorgeous race course. I took some time to snap a few photos (aka to rest while looking like I was just admiring the scenery).

I didn’t perform as well as I wanted time wise (2:18), but in hindsight my performance wasn’t terrible considering the altitude and the climb. I think sometimes as a runner you review your performance entirely by your finish time but there are definitely other ways to define success.

And at the end, I actually was a winner. I crossed the finish line and was the proud winner of a large pizza. Medals are great and all but a whole PIZZA! Pretty classy Colorado.

I honestly don’t have much else to say about Colorado other than I don’t plan to tackle that state again any time soon. I definitely was humbled by the challenge which I think is actually good. I like being reminded of my limitations and knowing that I can work to overcome them in the future. That’s how I learn. Also, it makes the experience of the wins that much sweeter.

“Running is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” – some person on Pinterest

So a big part of the running experience is making sure you use the bathroom prior to the start of the race. Oregon takes their options to the next level. Hello Honey Bucket! Who needs a port o potty when you can relax in the luxury of a Honey Bucket? And while you’re in there, you can take a picture and post it on Facebook for the chance to win a Honey Bucket of your very own. How cool would that be? You know when people visit your home and say “Do you have a bathroom?” (Which always gets me because doesn’t everyone have a bathroom? I understand the true ask but the literal interpretation makes me giggle. I digress.) Well if I won a Honey Bucket I could direct them to that little slice of heaven instead.

The race itself was great. It took place on the Vernonia Banks Trail which is

a. mostly shaded

b. downhill

c. mostly shaded

It was a welcome relief, temperature wise. In Oklahoma it’s been close to 100 degrees every day with the kind of humidity that gives you Dolly Parton hair. In fact, I ran 3 miles the other night and literally had more sweat from that than I did from running 13 miles in Oregon. Even my knees were sweating, and from a much less aggressive pace than I had run the half.

Speaking of pace, hello PR! I ran a 1:51:41. My previous best was 1:59:37 back in May when I ran Nebraska. So I was surprised but excited about the progress I’m making. That’s an average pace of 8:31/mile. I remember when 10 minute miles were hard.

The race itself was pretty uneventful and since I was running for time I didn’t stop and take pictures. The first mile was a steep downhill which is surprisingly tough on cold legs. That day it was 50/55 degrees. I wore sweatpants and a hoody as long as I could before it was time to start and then hauled ass for the next 13 miles to stay warm. I tend to pick someone out at the beginning of a race that looks faster than me and I try to hang on to them as long as possible. What pray tell does fast look like? That day it was a girl in a pink tank top. She was easy to spot due to the brightness of her outfit and I credit her help in getting me across the finish line faster than I thought possible. Thanks stranger!

After the race I spent the next 2 days eating my way through Oregon.

First up was a restaurant where you can order the Chef’s Choice. They literally make you whatever THEY want. That’s a bit of a culinary stretch for me but I thought what the hell…I’m still feeling great from my run and ready to try new things. You just get to make one request and I told them not too spicy. I was ready to eat something pretty weird but they made me a pizza with sausage, fennel, onions and fingerling potatoes. It was delicious but I was expecting something a little crazier. Like fish eyeballs. Although I am grateful it wasn’t fish eyeballs.

Next up was a trip to Tillamook. Have you heard of it? It’s a company that makes the BEST icecream and cheese. (Sorry Texas friends but it’s better than Blue Bell). They have a giant factory where you can see the products being made.

They serve all of their ice cream flavors there and I got a flight of ice cream so I could try several. Dark Cherry, Sugar Cookie and Birthday Cake. The sugar cookie was plum ice cream with cookies smashed in it. That was awesome.

Then, I went through the free cheese line. Now, I’m going to take a moment to discuss common decency. When you are provided with a toothpick to select your free cheese sample you do not fill said toothpick with a metric ton of cheese, put it all in your mouth, then put the same toothpick back in the cheese bin for more cheese. Gross. The dude in front of me was acting like it was an all you can eat quadruple dipping buffet. Now, did this disgusting behavior stop me from getting my free cheese? Nope. But let’s all just take a moment to teach our children that this type of behavior is not cool.

The next day I continued my goal of going for a new high score in calorie consumption with a trip to Voodoo Doughnuts. I limited myself to ordering 4. I even forgot to take a picture until after I had already started trying them. What can I say? I love sprinkles and got a little excited.

Now, I did do things besides run and eat. I went to Target and restrained myself from trying out this sweet contraption:

So this was a multi level Target in Portland and this was for getting your cart up and down levels. I really, really, REALLY wanted to ride in a cart up and down like 10 times. And I could have played dumb because it just says No Children, nothing about No Adults. Pretty much only one thing stopped me. And it wasn’t my sense of responsibility. I was worried that if I attempted this Shenanigan I would be banned from Target for life. And that would be a tough life if I had to start spending my money at Walmart.

So other than Oregon I’ve just been doing shorter races for the past 8 weeks. During the summer with the heat it’s harder to train. I’ve done a few 5ks (got first in my age group in Dallas!) and the Gauntlet which is an obstacle course race that beat the crap out of my body but was so much fun. Next up I’ve got a 10k tomorrow and my next half marathon is in Colorado in August. It’s been suggested that I should run up stairs with a mask to train for the elevation. Since that sounds like a good way to get mistaken for a bank robber I’m just going into Colorado hoping for the best…