What's All This "Taper-Madness" About?

I'm going to admit it... I feel absolutely no taper-madness.  I'm slightly under the weather (I'm convinced from running in the wind on Thanksgiving), which has naturally made me want to slow down (and get a Vitamin C IV).  But when I have put in a run, I felt good.  I feel completely confident and ready.  I cannot wait for Sunday.  I'm not antsy about getting in miles this week, I'm enjoying my mornings hanging out with Paige instead of at the gym for 2 hours.  I know I still have 4 more days to go crazy, but I think taper-madness has passed me by.  I feel like my head is on completely straight and this marathon is totally mine.  And while this cough is annoying, I don't feel sluggish and my legs feel great.  I know that regardless... this is 26.2 miles and anything can happen.  I can't even begin to list the number of occurences that can happen in the span of the 5 hours that I plan to be on that course... but I will put my foot on that starting line knowing that I did the work and knowing that I was ready and feeling confident... and really - is there anything more I can do?

iFitness Belt Winner

I love my iFitness belt!  It carries my phone, key, ID, cash, and chapstick in the water repellant neoprene pouch, plus I can have my GU at my fingertips, plus I don't have to fiddle with pinning my bib number on (who likes pin holes in expensive technical shirts?).  See?  Look how happy I am to be wearing it!

Here it is loaded up, pre-race:

Hailey from iFitness generously offered an ultimate race belt to one of my readers, and the winner is...

Heather (Crazy World of a Running Mom) said...

I posted a link to your giveaway on my blog's sidebar.

November 24, 2010 9:36 AM

Congrats Heather!  E-mail me, and I will put you in touch with Hailey who will ship your belt directly to you!  For everyone else, go to iFitness and get yourself one for Christmas... you deserve it!

Today is An Important Day...

... because today, I go from here:

Female 30 to 34

to here:

Female 35 to 39

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know, I STILL won't be winning any age group awards, but I'm glad to be further away from those speedy 30 to 34s!

So, in honor of my big day... I'll follow suit with some of my fellow bloggers and do a flashback... Enjoy!!!

See?  I was cute once... 

Why I remember this so vividly, I don't know...

Oh the awkward years...

And how I don't miss perms gone wrong (high school)...

College graduation (University of Virginia)...

(If by some chance Karen is reading this... will you please forgive me for dying your hair Bozo the Clown orange before my graduation???)

My wedding day...

My first mother's day...

The largest I have EVER been...  What was I hiding in there???

Oh yeah, this little princess...

Christmas in 2008...

And now...

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY... last day to enter!

Marathon Race-Week

One week from today, I will be a marathoner.  Yeah, I'm completely excited and confident.  I'll save the nausea and jitters for Friday and Saturday.

Here are some tips for the last week leading up to marathon (note:  these are all due to my diligent research through libraries full of books google... I have absolutely zero experience with full marathons... until next week, at which point, I'll be a plethora of should've, could've, would've):

1.  Start getting to bed early now so that the night before the race your body is already used to the early bedtime, and you don't spend hours counting sheep staring at the ceiling.

2.  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

3.  Cut back distance and intensity and remember that nothing you do this week will improve your ability on race day.

4.  Carbs!!!  Yummy.  Eat them.  Especially starting three days before.  Load up those glycogen stores.  (Try to scale way back on fats.)

5.  Do not sign up to hostess a party or march in a parade or go on a shopping marathon.  Rest your legs!

6.  Avoid fiber and too much salad/veggies the night before.

7.  Make sure your toenails are clipped!

8.  Visualize your race.  Re-read my marathon advice post 1 and post 2 to encourage you. 

The Ultimate Runner's Gift List

Happy Black Friday!!! 

This is the post to politely forward to your husband, wife, children, parents, grandparents, uncle, aunt, cousin, frog, horse, dog, whatever so that you don't end up with cotton socks with a rubber band around them, a handheld stopwatch, a convenience store Dasani bottle, and a pair of Danskin tights.  We cannot expect others to translate our requests for compression socks, watch, handheld water bottle, and compression tights.

I tried to be all-inclusive in this list, so obviously every item will not apply to everyone!

STOCKING STUFFERS

- Moisture-wicking Socks (I could always use more of these.)

- Fuel - GU, Shot Bloks, Sports Beans, Clif Bars, Luna Bars, etc.  (Make sure you specify because some of those flavors are gag-a-rific.  I personally like Chocolate GU, Strawberry Shot Bloks, Mixed Sports Beans, Chocolate and Oat Clif Bars, Chocolate-Mint Clif Bars, and White Chocolate-Macadamia Luna Bars)

-Gloves

-Headbands or Caps (BUFF, BondiBand, and TMB Endurance Bands are some of my favs.  In fact, I wear the TMB Endurance Bands even when I'm not running!)

-Sports Sunblock

-Subscription to Runner's World (love mine!!! And they are having a gift subscription sale... 1 year for $10)

-Gift Card to Local Running Store, RoadRunnerSports.com, Athleta (same as Gap), etc.
-Sleeve scrunchies!  (Remember these from my review?  Well Vanna Down By the River has offered a 10% discount to my readers through this Monday, the 29th... put code RUNNERS10 in the comments.)

MUST-HAVES

- Road ID (Your loved one should WANT you to have one of these.  They have gift cards so that the buyer doesn't have to worry about color or slogan!)

- Handheld Water Bottle or Hydration Belt

- Compression Socks or Sleeves (Go to sportscompression.com and use the code BLOG15 for 15% off.  I love my CEP socks, and I'm not sure I could ever have enough.)

- Race Belt (Personally, I love the iFitness belts, especially their ultimate race belt... did you enter my giveaway???)

- Body Glide (Don't ask, just buy!)

- Running Shoes (Alright gift givers, unless you know exactly what shoe your runner loves, go for a gift card to a running specialty store.)

- Sports Bras (We never have enough. I, personally, think the Moving Comfort ones are hands-down the best... and I'd love to have more of them.)

- Reflective Gear (Safety, safety, safety.  This is at the top of my list.  I really, really want a Brooks Nightlife Jacket  and for the warmer months the arm bands and hat.)
- Light or Headlamp (I run some awfully dark paths with my Tuesday group...)

NICE-TO-HAVES

- The Stick

- Foam Roller

- More Running Gear - Moisture-wicking shirts, shorts, running skirts (hello skirtsports.com), capri's, pants, tights, jackets, etc.  (I'm personally a fan of just about anything Nike DriFit.)

- Arm Sleeves (I really really want some of these... there's Zensah, Moeben, Sugoi, or the simple Nike ones)

- Sunglasses

- Hat or Visor  (love my hats, but I'm thinking I need a visor for the warmer months)

- Medal Display (I strongly recommend SportHooks and Marcey is fabulous to work with)
- Books ("Born to Run", "Racing Weight", etc.)

MUSIC RUNNERS (Not me!!!)

-iPod

-iPod or Phone Armband

-Earbuds

-iTunes gift card

LUXURIES

- Garmin Forerunner Watch (But if not, just a good sports watch is better than nothing!)

- Endure Jewelry Diamond Marathon Necklace (I even make jewelry, and I can't stop eyeballing this one!  I really want it.)

- Cash for Race Fees!!! 

- Baby Jogger or BOB jogging stroller

- A faster pace and a smaller ... well, you can guess... let's say "rearview" (Jen suggested this one, and I just couldn't leave it off!)

 

Have a great weekend!!!

Top 10 RUNNING Thanks!

First, I know many did a Turkey Trot today, but I had to miss.  The Turkey Trot in Dallas is the largest in the country with over 40,000 participants.  For some unknown reason, it starts at 9am.  Since it's an 8 mile route with a late start time, I figured it would be 1pm before I could finish the race, cool down, drive home, shower, and drive over to my dad's.  That's just not going to happen, so I asked Jenn if we could do our own personal 10k on Turkey Day... so that's what we did, despite the cold front!  And man was the wind blazing.  It was 17mph in the neighborhoods, and she made a route to the bridge.  We started over the bridge and went into immediate shock... those winds were unbelievable... easily 30+mph when on the bridge over the lake.  Even though I wanted to tough it out, the smart part of me said getting miserably sick a week before a marathon is a bad, bad idea... so we turned around and headed back for the neighborhood where at least some of the wind was blocked.  We only endured the ridiculous bridge misery for 1 mile.  Finished our 6.2 in 1:06:14... 10:40 min/mile... not bad at all for me and considering the wind.


Many of you have been sharing what you are thankful for, but I thought I'd do a little twist and give you my top 10, as they relate to running...

10.  A huge selection of races!  You see the title of my blog, right?  I love races.  I may not be fast, but I truly feel I am at my best on race day.  I am thankful to live somewhere that there is never a shortage of races.  I could probably race every Saturday and Sunday if I wanted (and if that money tree would ever bloom).  I love that if I need a training run that's a common race distance, I can usually go do a race instead (besides, who doesn't like more bling?).

9.  White Rock Lake!  I love White Rock Lake.  Essentially all of my long runs happen here.  Probably about half of my races are at some part of the lake.  Honestly, when I'm running on the lake, I feel like I'm at home (as far as running is concerned, at least).  It is pretty, it is familiar, and there's never a shortage of other runners and cyclists to inspire you to keep going.

8.  My favorite gadgets!  My Garmin (that my awesome hubby gave me for my birthday last year), body glide, GU, iFitness belt (did you enter my giveaway???), Nathan handheld water bottle, CEP socks, etc.  Without these things, running is possible, it's just a bit harder!

7.  Your blogs!  Without the (way too many) blogs I read, I would have a lot less knowledge about running.  I also can't tell you how comforting it is to know how many others have been through the exact same thing, or feel the same way.  And it's been amazing hearing a lot of your mantras in my head while I run a race.  Not to mention how much I like being introduced to new gadgets!  It's amazing how many of my bloggie pals have inspired me, encouraged me, and amazed me.  You know who you are!

6.  My blog!  I'm sure I already annoy everyone around me with jabber about running, but it's much better than I would be without a blog.  My blog has provided a great outlet for me to let out what's on my mind with regards to running.  It's an excellent forum to get outside opinions.  It's also provided me support and accountability.

5.  My health!  Seriously, knock on wood, I've had no major injuries.  I've had a couple of icky toenails, a short period of shin splints, and various aches and swelling... but nothing that kept me from running more than a day or two.  I have been very blessed to have gotten through all this training un-injured.  Thank you God!

4.  My dad, mom, brother, and sister-in-law!  Both of my parents never fail to call me after a race and tell me they are proud of me.  My dad, brother, and sister-in-law have made appearances at several of my races (usually a surprise)... and are always the first to give me kudos for a good effort.  (I know my mom would be there too if she were in Texas!  Yet another reason I need to plan to do a race in Virginia.)

3.  My husband!  Despite incredibly ridiculous working hours, he always manages to work around my insane race schedule and care for the kids.  He knows that this is important to me and without his support, it couldn't happen.

2.  My kids!  They are my biggest fans.  They can't wait to check out my medal when I get home.  They always want to know how far I went.  They are my miniature inspirations for sure.

1.  My running friends!!!  This journey has been so much more enjoyable due to the amazing friendship of other runners - in person and via the blog.  A special thank you goes out to my local running friends - Emily, Elaine, Jenn, Robin, Sherry, Pat, EW, Libby, and Ashley.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Must-Have - iFitness Belt!!! (and Giveaway)

I consider my iFitness belt a racing must-have.  Truth be told, the iFitness belt is the first running "gadget" I ever bought.  At the White Rock Marathon Expo last year, I passed their booth and decided I must have one of these little, stretchable belts that are waterproof and have a little pocket for my ID.  For my first half-marathon, my iFitness belt carried my phone, my ID, some cash, and a chapstick (no, I didn't use GU back then... duh!).

Yep, here I am looking like death... with my pitiful Timex, GU-less, a BUFF that just wouldn't stay scrunched up, and of course, my first iFitness belt!

That iFitness belt has gotten a lot of use - mostly in races, but occassionally in long runs.  But nothing is better than an upgrade, right?  I was sent this new iFitness Ultimate Race Belt to try out:

Nice, right?  Well check it out all loaded up for a race...

Mmmmm... 6 spots for GU or other "snacks" (I fit Shot Bloks in it fine for my 20-mile race, and in this photo on the far left is actually a SportsBeans pack that fit in there fine too), plus the Neoprene water-resistant pouch for my chapstick and phone, with a small pocket inside for my ID and some cash, and two clips to hold your race belt.  Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely hate putting holes in my shirt for a race bib?

Look at how happy I am to be running in my iFitness belt!  I have used this belt for my last 3 races (13.1, 13.1, and 20), and it worked great for all.  I love how quickly I can get my race bib on (no adjusting it 15 times to get it straight on my shirt).  I love how much fuel it can hold... plenty of GU for a marathon!  I love how it stays firmly in place (please note that I realize it looks like it has ridden up in both of the photos, but I assure you that I have no upper body at all and that's just where my hips are... I have insanely long legs).  The pouch easily fit my larger phone plus a chapstick plus ID and cash.  I loved not having to open the pouch and potentially knock something out of it (like a key!) when I'm trying to get a GU... it was all right there.  This belt will be with me at the marathon as well... no doubt about it.
I know what you are thinking... you want one, don't you?  Well guess what?  The awesome Hailey from iFitness has agreed to mail an ultimate race belt to one of my lucky readers!!!  Woo-hoo!  'Tis the season for giving!

Here's how to enter:
Mandatory entry - Be or become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment.
+1 - Like iFitness on Facebook , let them know I sent you, and leave me a comment here.
+1 - Visit iFitness and tell me what you like or what you'd like to see added
+1 - Share this giveaway on your blog, facebook, and/or twitter, and let me know about it.

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 30th!

Double Run with a Double Reason

At 4am, I woke up to the sound of my husband bowing to the porcelain god.  Ugh!!!  Knowing my alarm was set to go off at 4:20am anyhow, once I made sure that he was, in fact, going to live... I went ahead and got dressed and headed to the run group that I sometimes meet on Tuesday.  It was an unusually hot morning (71 degree with some ridiculous amount of humidity)... really?  In late November?  Anyhow, I got in a speedy (for me) 4.5 miles with the group.  Because of the humidity and temperature, I was dripping sweat as if it were mid-August. 

I got home to find my husband still a mess and moaning over the toilet bowl.  Fun times.  (This is where I should mention that I was Lysolling everything that he might have touched within the last year... don't want sick kids for the holidays and certainly don't want ME sick 11 days before my marathon.)  I figured that I was on my own today, so I worked to rush the kids to get ready and get out the door.  Patrick goes to school early on Tuesday and Thursday for Spelling Bee practice (yes, he's a little nerd just like his mommy was).  Anyhow, I dropped him early and then took the girls to breakfast.  Then I took Lily back to school.

Considering I was still soaked in sweat from earlier that morning, but I didn't want to disturb Peter while he was sleeping, the only real option was to go to the gym.  So that's where I went.  I limited myself to 6 miles.  I had already done 4.5, and I'm in taper.  I was ok with doing a slightly longer combined distance because I didn't run Friday, Saturday, OR Sunday this past weekend... and my run Monday was pitiful (I barely made it through 3.5 miles).

A couple of miles into my run, I realized that this run would put me over my 2010 goal of completing 1000 miles this year.  Wow!  That helped me push through... and I completed the 6 miles.  Shew!!!  I'm pretty proud of that goal, cause I will definitely say it wasn't easy.  I had to keep my mileage in check and on track all year long.  But here I am!  Now I have to plan bigger and better things for 2011.

1100 in 2011?
1231 by 12/31?
1500 just to see how crazy I can get?  (which I completely think I could do if my summer training didn't fall off so much)

Did you have a mileage goal this year?  Have you met it?

To Be or Not To Be...

Coached, that is.  That is the current thing that is running through my head.  Don't get me wrong, if I had a money tree, I'd already have a coach... but I don't.  The thing is, I really want to work on speed next year.  I really want to get a sub-2 hour half marathon, which will be no small feat.  I do not do speedwork.  I keep saying I will, but I don't.  I'm a go-with-the-pace kind of girl.  I do know my body well enough to know just how much I can push during a race.  I'd say, in general, I'm good at pushing my limit to just the right point during a race... I am awful at really pushing my limits during a workout.

I think I need someone to not only set out a training schedule (even though I can whip one up at the Runner's World website that works pretty well), but hold me accountable for speedwork.  Yes, I plan to take the RRCA coaching course in January, and while I think that knowledge will help me, I'm still not convinced that I will do the appropriate speedwork and cross-training - both of which get zero attention.

As for the training programs we have available here in Dallas, they don't really work for me.  My schedule is so inconsistent between mommy duties and art shows and racing... not to mention my husband often works insane hours and often 7 days a week. 

So tell me...
Do  you have a coach?
How did you choose him/her?
Do you meet in-person or just check-in online or via phone?
How has it benefitted you?
How long of a period did you hire them for?
Are you eating Ramen noodles in order to pay for your coach?

CEP Compression Sock Giveaway Winner!!!

This giveaway got a huge response, and I'm so thankful to have so many readers.  I love compression socks, and all of mine have come from sportscompression.com .  (You can still place an order and get 15% off with code Blog15)

So, according to random.org (yes, there were 193 comments, but I did 1 to 194 due to a comment that contained 2 entries.  ;-)  )

The winner is MarathonMaiden!!!!!!!

Very excited about this winner, because not only was she just recently having a sock discussion in her post comments (she needs some socks!!!), but also... MarathonMaiden is hopping a plane to Dallas next week to run the White Rock Marathon!  So I'm hoping we'll get to meet (even though I'll be on mile 16 when she's crossing the finish line).  Congrats!

Don't worry, there will be more goodies coming soon... 'Tis the season, right???



Just a Little Eye Candy...

Errands, kids, and house are WAY more exhausting than running 20 miles.  I am more exhausted than I was 2 days ago, and haven't had an hour to fit in a run.  I WILL get one tomorrow, no matter what.  I'll probably have to steal some time on my treadmill.  Since it's still new, I hope I won't be tempted to play with the features and will instead actually get in a nice good, steady run.

In the meantime, we got back our photos for our Christmas card... here are a few favs!!!

I promise to have something running-related tomorrow... but these kiddos are awfully cute!

Have you entered my GIVEAWAY?  If not, come on... who doesn't want a pair of CEP Socks?

Hello Taper, Nice to Meet You!

taper   verb

ta·pered ta·per·ing\ˈtā-p(ə-)riŋ\

Definition of TAPER
intransitive verb

1: to become progressively smaller toward one end
2: to diminish gradually



This is what taper means to me:

(for the record, this is my son, 8 years ago...)

Today, I did a crazy double.  I woke up at 4:30 am, threw on my clothes, and drove over to Jenn's to run a planned 4 mile run.  Reminder:  Jenn is a speed demon.  I let her drag me a bit, and though it was hard, I let her pull me at 10 minutes/mile (I'm sure she'd rather go closer to 8:30 min/mile).  As we got toward the end, and I felt like "I've got this", Jenn informed me that we took a wrong turn.  Uh, excuse me?  We got back to her place at 4.6 miles, and managed to hold the 10 minute pace, which is super fast for me.

I got home around 6am.  I woke up the kids, made their lunches, and got them out the door.  My dad arrived to watch Paige.  And by 7:45am, I was back in the car headed with Emily to White Rock Lake to help her with her last long run before her first half-marathon.  The goal was to run 11.5 mile and then walk 0.5 miles to get an even 12.  A loop around the lake is 9 miles.  We planned to run 1 loop, then pass the car by 1.5 miles, and then come back 1.5 miles.  It was cold, and we were both definitely tired, but we kept pushing.  At mile 6, I suggested we turn around and go back 2/3 around the lake the way we came... that way we wouldn't be tempted by the car when we passed it.  Emily agreed, so we took the north 2/3 of the lake back to the car.  Emily got it done... tired, but not complaining... and not stopping except for 2 very brief breaks to take GU.  She is going to rock her first half marathon.

Total mileage for today was 16.6 miles.  Since the morning portion of the run was a minute/mile faster than my normal pace, my legs felt adequately fatigued when I started the second run.  Since I got in my final 20 last week, and this week my schedule tapers to 16, I decided to go ahead and claim this as my last long run.  Sure, it was split up a couple hours, but I've done the time and put in the miles and I'm tired.  So I'm declaring training victory and moving into taper.

Over my 18 weeks of training, I've run 4 half-marathons, plus done long runs of 14, 15, 19, and 21, and ran a 20-mile race... and topped it with this morning's 16+. (Plus another 8 longish runs that were between 10 and 12 miles.) 

I AM TIRED. 

I know I hear runners say how hard it is to taper and cut your miles... but I am certain I need it.  I need time to refresh.  I need time to anticipate the big day.  I need time to just sit back.  My body is tired.  My body aches.  I have managed to make it this far injury-free, but I still need a nap!  So I say, BRING ON THE TAPER!!!

CEP Compression Socks Giveaway!

I know my blog-sters love the giveaway.  In fact, I'm fairly certain 90% of you only follow me for the loot... who am I kidding, it's probably 99%.  Remember that review I did of CEP compression socks?  No?  Well, let me remind you.

A friend of mine, EW (center of the photo below), told me at every race that I really needed to look into compression socks.  Specifically, he told me this because my calves would ache a lot after every run.  In fact, of all areas on my body, they would be the most sore.  Finally, I gave in and wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

After a month and a half of wearing them on long runs, and often wearing them afterwards for recovery... I can say that I am a believer.  My calves feel awesome.  It did take some getting used to while running, but now I consider them a "must have".  These things are recovery magic!!!

I believe in them so much, that I just got in a shipment of more because one pair of stinky pink socks just wasn't working...

 
Definitely read up on my full review from last month HERE.  It includes a video of how to put them on properly... and I will admit that after about 6 weeks of wearing them, the video is right!  That is, by far, the easiest way to get these babies on.

For those of you whose right finger is feeling too lazy to click... I wanted to at least repost the important stuff...

You can find out all about CEP socks HERE.

Some key points from their FAQ:

- Graduated compression, moisture-wicking sock.
- Breathable synthetic fibers.
- Many athletes see relief from injuries, pain, and cramping - especially injuries such as Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, Shin splints, and Calf cramping.
- Easy to wash and last around a year with continual use (every other day).
- CEP socks are "medically correct". They have more compression at the ankle and less at the calf. Many competitors do not, and this "slows blood flow and can create a venous insufficiency, which can lead to varicose veins and in the worst-case thrombosis."
- Compression socks are also good for travel!!!

"Before: The increased circulation aids in warming up the muscle by passively activating the muscles, getting them ready to perform. During: The increase in arterial flow brings more oxygen to the muscles. This increase power and in the study using CEP socks athlete had 5% faster running times! That’s 10 min in a marathon. After: The increased circulation helps to flush out the muscles and eliminate the lactate and Hydrogen ions that cause soreness. In addition to supplying the muscles with the nutrients to repair damage and de-hydration. "

Where can you buy CEP? Try SportsCompression.com. Not only has SportsCompression.com generously offered to host a giveaway for one pair of CEP compression socks, but you can also continue to use the discount code BLOG15 to receive 15% off your entire purchase (which I gladly used to get my recent shipment of socks/sleeves).

So how do you WIN yourself a pair of CEP Compression socks (or sleeves)?

Mandatory Entry - Be or become a follower of my BLOG and leave a comment
+1 Entry - Go to sportscompression.com and tell me what you'd pick if you won.
+1 Entry - "Like" Sports Compression on Facebook AND post on their wall that I sent you.  Leave me a comment here letting me know you did. 

+1 Entry - Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.  Tell me about it.
+1 Entry - Share this giveaway on your blog.  Leave me a comment with a link!
Bonus Entry - Donate $5 or more to my fundraiser HERE (if you already donated, YES, it counts).  Leave me a comment.

Winner will be announced on November 22nd!

Just For the Taste of It...

I love Diet Coke.  I drink about 4 of them a day.  About a week ago, I ran out, and decided not to buy any more.  I need to be drinking water.  I am allowing myself to drink one IF I'm out to eat, but that's pretty rare.  I do not drink coffee.  I have no caffeine.  I feel like a withdrawal train wreck.  Perhaps 3 weeks prior to marathon #1 was not the best time to make this change, you think?  But surely it'll help me be more properly hydrated.  Right?  Tell me that I've done the right thing.

Do you know how hard it is to insert that picture???  I would choose a Diet Coke over a cookie right now, and cookies are one of my favorite things.

SportHook Winner

This morning, random.org popped out a low number - 6.  So the winner of the SportHook Giveaway is...

Marcia from TeamMarcia!!!

Congrats Marcia.  I will be e-mailing you to put you in touch with Marcey who will ship you your choice of a 5-hook design directly.

For everyone else, go check out SportHooks and order one for yourself or a loved one for Christmas (you know you deserve a treat).  And for those near Dallas, Marcey will be at the White Rock Marathon Expo.  Let her know that Lesley from RacingItOff sent you!!!

And a rare moment... running on video!

Alright, you are going to get a rare treat because my super spectator and sign maker, Monika, vlogged while she ran with me.  And despite my complete dorkiness of trying to be coherent while running, I'm going to share...  (For the record, Monika says mile 20, but we were at the turn-around at mile 10... hey, we're running, we can't always think straight at the same time.)



Want to read Monika's post about watching the event?  Go HERE.

Fort Worth Marathon 20-miler Race Report

Let's rewind to how I came to sign up for the Fort Worth Marathon...  If you've been reading my blog awhile, you might remember my Hottest Half race report.  Mid-August Texas half marathon.  That should say it all.  It was, by far, the most miserable race of my existance.  After the half marathon, I was really dehydrated and started to have massive shin cramps (I didn't even know you could cramp in your shin).  It was something I never felt before.  Over came Steve Looney who offered to help my shins with a sports massage.  He only spent maybe 3 or 4 minutes on them, but I felt tons better once the shin cramps were gone.  Then he introduced himself as the race director for the Fort Worth Marathon.  OK, I'm listening, but I already have a marathon on my schedule for December 5th.  Then he let's me in on what is possibly the most brilliant race marketing scheme ever - he tells me there is a 20-mile option and his race falls exactly 3 weeks prior to Dallas White Rock Marathon (the most popular race in the area).  So, let's get this straight... 3 weeks before my marathon, when I have to run 20 miles anyhow, I can run it on a pre-mapped, supported course, AND get some more bling?  SCORE.  Between that and the shin massage, I was sold!

OK, now we can fast forward back to yesterday.  I was strangely nervous all week, but not nervous when I woke up yesterday.  Not at all.  I was just read to get it done.  After not sleeping at all and answering a "mommy, I need to pee-pee" call at 3am, I officially got out of bed at 5am.  I took my time getting dressed and eating my chocolate chip/oat Clif bar and downing some water.  At 5:45am, I was ready to hop in the car... so I did what every good blogger does, and tried to master the self-portrait...  Nuu-muu with capri's under and jacket and hat. 

I headed to Elaine's house and hopped in the car with her, her husband, and her dad.  It was about an hour drive over to Fort Worth, and I was so thankful to not have to make that trek by myself.  We arrived just after 7, and it felt really cold outside.  We got our bibs and packets and then immediately made a bathroom stop.  Ahhhh...

Then we headed to the start line around 7:30am to watch my friend, Robin, start her marathon.  We then took a quick run to the car to decide what layers we would keep and what layers to get rid of and to drop off our packets.  We took a few before-race, oh-I'm-so-cold, photos... then we headed back to the start area, where we decided to hit the bathrooms again.  At first I wasn't going to go because it was only 5 minutes before the start, but I'm glad I decided to go anyhow... As soon as we hopped out, it was time to start.  98 runners doing the 20-miler.

And we're off... everyone starts going, and I say to the girl next to me "I assume the people in front of us know where they are going???"  There wasn't anything marking the first few turns of the course, but apparently the majority of the runners were familiar with the course (there WERE people on these turns coming back).  I went out a little fast and as I pulled back I noticed the large majority of people were passing me and moving way out ahead.  While I'm a mid-to-back-of-pack runner, it was a weird feeling when 82 out of 98 runners were leaving me in the dust.  It was a bit lonely.  (This was the first time I ever pulled out the camera while running, and honestly, I don't know how some of you do it!!!  Took way too much focus.)

Mile 1 -- 10:45

I should say here that my goal for this race was 11:15s, which is what I hope to run my marathon at.  Obviously, I noticed that the first mile was too fast, plus I continuously reminded myself that this is not the race I care about, take it easy.  So I pulled back... maybe a little too much.

Mile 2 -- 11:33

Mile 3 -- 11:47

Mile 4 -- 11:40

About here, I caught up to a couple other 20-milers (only because they had to take a potty stop) and told them I was going to try to hang on at their pace for awhile.  As you can see in the photo, the course was very pretty (next to the Trinity River), but was generally a straight path along the edge of the river.  It was flat (except a couple of bridges)... so not much change for the duration of the race.  I was also getting a little thirsty at this point... there was a water/gatorade station at mile 1 and 2, but then the water stations at 3 and 4 had jugs of water and no cups... so the volunteers were just sitting around. 

Anyhow, when I caught up to the other runners, I was able to push the pace back to where I wanted it...

Mile 5 -- 11:26

Mile 6 -- 11:21

I saw Elaine's husband and dad and managed to hand them my jacket since I was getting warm.

Mile 7 -- 11:13

Still no water... nada... nothing... so thirsty.  AND there were some pebbles in my shoe from spending some time on the parallel path that was dirt and pebbles (hoping it would give my knees a little relief).  They were annoying but bearable... but once again I reminded myself that this is not the race I'm preparing for... I need to take care of myself.  So somewhere during mile 8, I stopped, sat down, and took my left shoe off to dump out the pebbles.  As soon as I got back up, I naturally kicked it up to catch up to the 2 runners I had been pacing...

Mile 8 -- 11:42 (shockingly fast considering I spent at least 90 seconds on the ground dealing with my shoe)

Mile 9 -- 10:40 (apparently the pace felt good, and I kept going - probably not wise)

And finally a water stop, but no cups... but WAIT, someone was pulling up with cups, so I stopped and waited for a few seconds.

At about mile 9.5, something happened that has never happened to me in a race EVER.  A sign with my name on it???  What???  I have never had a sign during a race.  Monika and I used to work together about 6 years ago, and I probably haven't seen her in 3 years, but we facebook often, and I just let her know I'd be out near her neighborhood on Sunday morning.  Monika just had her first baby and is getting back into running shape (she is a marathoner!).  Anyhow, she made me a sign!!!  I was so stinkin' excited (AND she happened to be standing right next to my friend Robin's husband... so I got double cheers).  As I passed by, she threw down the sign and the keys and came out to run with me.  Another first, for me.  So I went super-blogger and snapped a professional quality action shot!!!

I know, I should be hired as a sports photographer.  And no, it's not just the camera angle, we really do have that much height difference.  That really was a nice pick-me-up for the turn-around (which, by the way, was nothing more than a green arrow on the ground that said "20-miler turn-around").  Per the director, there should've been someone there, but there wasn't.  Anyhow, I was blazing through that mile, and as soon as we got back to Monika's sign (about a mile later), she peeled off and said good-bye.  Woo-hoo.  What a great energy boost.

Mile 10 -- 10:22

Mile 11 -- 10:39

And then finally settled back in...

Mile 12 -- 11:29

Then the thirst started to hit heavy again and once again... complete lack of water stops from 12-16.  I count on water stops not only for hydration, but for the 15 second walk that just gives my legs a quick refresh.  My body started to really drag...

Mile 13 -- 12:04

Mile 14 -- 12:04

Mile 15 -- 12:07

Water!!!  Mmmmmm good

Mile 16 -- 11:58

Right after this, I passed a spectator offering water bottles... Um, YES.  I didn't really need water that second, but didn't know how the stops would be the rest of the way.  It was annoying to run with the bottle, but again, this is not the race I'm training for... this is a training run.  I needed to relax and preserve my body.

Mile 17 -- 12:10

I knew a fellow blogger might be there spectating... and there she was... so for a 2 second high-five, I got to meet Corina!

Mile 18 -- 12:08

Another water stop here, so I threw out the water bottle to preserve every ounce of energy.  Here's where I started to hallucinate.  Seriously, my right knee and right hip were hurting... I hadn't walked at all except for the 5 or so water stops, and even then, only for 10-15 seconds.  I was trying to listen to Tall Mom and "get out of my head."  I was trying to think of words that were written in my marathon motivation from my favorite bloggin' marathoners.  I could visualize Marcia on the side cheering me on as if it were her own race.  EMZ, however, was running backwards in front of me (cause she's cool like that), yelling at me... You. Have. Got. This.   Then Beth was on the side and as I ran by, she hit me in the butt with her crutch.  I'm sure you think I'm kidding, or I was delirious, but I was willing to distract myself in anyway possible... and creating a scenario with some fun bloggy personalities got me from mile 18-19.5.

Mile 19 -- 12:13

Definitely tired with some aches, but the slightest incline was agony on my right hip.  Ouch.  But I'm at mile 19... kick it up and get this over with, so I did...

Mile 20 -- 11:15

Official time 3:51:12.  (The course measured right on... 20.05 per my Garmin.)

Post-race, I had a few minutes to talk to the Race Director, Steve Looney.  He was very concerned about the racers and quite upset about the water stations not being set up properly, as well as there not being a volunteer at the turn around.  I'm confident that next year, these issues will be remedied.

Despite the water stop issues, I like the ease of the course (and the flatness).  The weather was perfect upper 40s to upper 50s (too perfect, after 4 hours sleeveless, I got a nasty sunburn).  It was a nice run for my final 20-miler.

I'm liking the tech shirt!!!  And who doesn't like bling...

But it's not just any bling... because the ribbon velcros...

And then you have... A BUCKLE ...

Suh-weet!

I actually felt quite good post-race.  I iced my knees and my right hip and kept my compression socks on all yesterday and today (they're probably getting stinky!).  I walked on the treadmill for 3 miles today and felt only minimal aches in my knees... very minor.  I feel good.  I wish I had kept a slightly better pace mile 13-19, but I am glad that I just held the pace that felt right so I didn't tax my body too much pre-marathon. 

Wanna know what was most shocking to me?  It wasn't the distance... I remember 3-4 years ago when I'd go to the gym and my workout was 15 minutes walking - 15 minutes running - 15 minutes walking.  That was a good, sweat-inducing workout that was enough for me.  I had a friend who would often be next to me running solid for that 45 minutes, and I thought she was crazy.  Forget the miles, yesterday I ran without stopping (except for five 10-15 second water breaks) for 3 hours and 51 minutes.  Seriously?  Rock on. 

Wanna see how cute my medal looks on my Sporthook?

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