Three Dozen Years

Yep, it's my BIRTHDAY!  And that is how crazy-old I am.  It's been a fantastic day so far!!!

My birthday wish???  To meet my fundraising goal for my marathon this Sunday.  I'm raising money for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  My  youngest child wouldn't be able to run if it weren't for them!  You can donate HERE.  And I still have a few great prizes left in my giveaway HERE. 

My other birthday wish???  To ROCK IT at my marathon this Sunday at White Rock.  It's time to put the pedal to the metal and see what I've got in the tank!!!  Not thrilled with the freezing rain predictions, but I'm gonna run hard regardless... I figure the faster I run, the warmer I will be and the quicker I will finish!

Wanna see what my dad did for my birthday??? 

Cool, isn't it?  It's framed and headed for my little treadmill corner of the room!!!  I think he should make a business of race collages!


In other news... I'm way behind in updating on my running... I finally uploaded my race report from the Fort Worth 20-miler on Monday, the 13th.  I felt fantastic after that 20-miler.  Absolutely zero soreness, so I went right back into a week of great runs - everything right on pace. 

Until Saturday (the 19th)... I had 18 miles on the schedule.  I'm sure you're all thinking - what about taper - but Adam and I talked and really minimized taper until the last 2 weeks because I *do* have this short little run in February that I have to do, and I wanted to keep my training for the 50-miler going.  The 18-miler... AWFUL... not sort of awful, completely awful.  I couldn't keep even a 12 min/mile pace.  I kept needing to walk.  My ENTIRE body hurt... and bad.  Which of course sends me into the crazy "I'm going to die at the marathon" thoughts.  I get home after, and I just couldn't recover.  I couldn't get myself out of bed, my head was pounding, and my whole body hurt.  I guzzled the water and sports drink - no help.  Then it hit me... I was sick.  Massive head cold.  Lots of flu-like symptoms, like the bodyaches, but I never really had much of an elevated fever.  Fortunately Sunday was already a rest day and being 2 weeks out from the marathon, I wasn't nervous yet about not getting better in time. 

I tried to run Monday, and couldn't breath right, so I stopped... Tuesday, just rested.  Wednesday, my breathing was still a little more labored than usual but I was back on my game.  I had registered for a small local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, but only being 1 day back on my game, I was questioning my plan to race it all out and count it as the week's speedwork.  My coach told me to just take it easy... do you think I listened???  You'll have to wait to find out... I'll be posting the race report tomorrow!!!  ;-)  Yeah, I know, such a cliffhanger... I'm sure you'll be up all night wondering... did she race or relax? 

Ft Worth Marathon 20-miler

I am way, way behind on race reports!  Hopefully amidst the crazy holiday hub-bub, I will manage to catch up before my key race this Sunday.

This was my second time attending the Fort Worth Marathon.  The event occurs exactly 3 weeks prior to White Rock Marathon, the biggest marathon in the area.  A brilliant marketing move, the race director has a 20-mile option for the race - perfect for your last long run if your chosen race is White Rock.  So, you can run the full, the 20-mile, or the half.

I'm not going to lie, this course is pretty, but also pretty boring.  The scenery is pleasant, but it's the exact same pleasant the entire way.  It's also a very small event, so if you're out there alone, you might very well spend the majority of the race by yourself.  But the bonus is the timing and the fact that the course is as flat as you can get for a marathon.  There are 2 hills the entire way... a very small hill to get from the stadium up onto the trail, and another around mile 9 to get across the dam.  Other than that... pancake flat.

I headed over to the race with Elaine and Robin W followed behind.  As soon as we got there, we met up with the speedy Michelle.  Me, Robin W, and Michelle were all running the 20-miler in preparation for White Rock.  Elaine was sticking to the half since she planned to run Tulsa the following weekend.  My friend, Robin D, was also there and running the full marathon.  As was Angie, who I got to see a couple times on the course.

Like our matching bright orange shirts???  We were all volunteer walking billboards for Libby's New Years Double.  I'd say it was a success, because we got asked about our shirts a lot!

My plan for the day was to hold to around an 11 min/mile pace.  That isn't a race pace for me, but a nice strong long-run pace.  My goal was to get through it and feel good, thus knowing I'd have more in me come marathon day.  Something that was unexpected, though, was the weather - it was really hot that day.  It got into the low 80s and the wind was pretty heavy as well.  Ugh... not optimal weather for a run that long on what is mostly an unshaded course.

I don't really have a lot of uber details on this one, there weren't a ton of ups and downs, and since this wasn't a goal race, it was just another day at the office.  There was a special surprise around mile 6.5... Corina, Marci, and Stacey came to cheer!!!  Glitter posters and photos!!!  Thanks ladies!

Robin W and I were running together.  We held right around 11 min/mile just as planned until about mile 8.  The water stops were spaced sometimes 3 miles apart, and on an 80 degree day, that wasn't good news.  I was carrying a water bottle, but Robin W wasn't.  She was starting not to feel well.  We pulled through miles 8-12 a little slower than before, but Robin W made the wise decision to preserve her body which wasn't dealing well with the heat and lack of water and fell back. 

I continued on.  I picked up the pace a bit, but now it was just me and the long boring path.  It gets quiet and lonely really quickly at that race.  But I held to a good pace and made up some time.  Miles 12-18 felt fantastic.  By mile 18, I was regretting pumping the speed up a bit, but I just kept moving my legs.  I managed to finish in 3:38:27, 10:55 min/mile... right on target, and a solid 13 minutes faster than last year's race.

As always, the medal is awesome and can be removed from the ribbon and used as a belt buckle...

Round 3 - Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

Have you checked out my fundraiser for White Rock Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children??? I have one more week of giveaways going on, and even with 12 winners already, I have at least 4 more to go!!! I'll be the last 4 winners next Friday.  Please please please (yes, I'm begging) consider donating to my fundraiser, I'm still a long way from my goal.


This fundraiser is really important to me as a way to give back for the amazing job the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital did with my youngest daughter, Paige. Every time I see her run, I think of the doctors and therapists that gave her this gift. (And yes, you get to hear me repeat myself for another week. I only do it once a year, and it's a really great cause.)

The third week's winners are...

1. Julie S.

2. Jill - Run for the Hills

3. Giraffy

4. Monica M.

Ladies, please EMAIL ME with your first and second choice prize. The prizes are in the original post HERE.

Please consider making a donation HERE. And if you'd like to be entered for some prizes, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST letting me know you donated!!! It's that easy. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal, so I appreciate each and every donation.

Lessons Learned from Secretariat

While running Monday and today, I was watching Secretariat.  Usually I can finish a movie in one run, but breathing through this head cold has been a struggle.  I have seen the movie before, but sometimes it takes a certain need to hear something to really listen.  Besides the sheer beauty of the horse - lean muscle and an elongated stride, there were some amazing quotes in this movie.

Near the beginning, Penny Chenery goes back to the farm where she grew up.  She is in the barn and has a memory of a moment with her father.  She's a little girl in the scene and her father says to her -

"It's not whether they think we won.  It's whether we think we won.  Run your race."

Wow.  Do you hear that?  It's so true.  I know those that surround us often don't understand running races we'll never get first place in, or getting medals "just" for crossing the finish line... but this is our own personal battle, and we each have our own goals.  It is your race, and you win it in your own personal way - whether that be a certain time goal or a distance goal or just to finish.

Later in the movie when things are down, Penny says something else that I really just loved -

"This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run."

This is for those of you who are considering running or considering a new distance but questioning if you have it in you.  It all goes back to the old saying - you never know unless you try.  And let me tell you, the "trying" is so worth it.

There was one part when Lucien, the trainer, is talking about Secretariat and he says, "He only does exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it."  This quote made me giggle, because it flashed me back to Bill Bowerman speaking of Prefontaine in Without Limits.  Kind of says something doesn't it?  I think you can get all the advice in the world, from the best in the world, and it might not apply to you and how you achieve your absolute best performance.

And I have to close with a little begging.  I am still a LONG way from my fundraising goal, and as many of you know, I only fundraise once a year because it is important to me to give back to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  After all, my little Paige would never be able to run if they hadn't provided their services, free of charge, for the first 2 years of her life.  Please please consider making a donation of any amount HERE and if you'd like to be entered in the giveaway that goes along with it to win some great prizes, just head over to THIS POST and leave me a comment letting me know you donated.  Please spread the word for me... blogs, twitter, facebook.  I would really love to reach my goal, and I have a long way to go in the next 10 days!!!


Surviving Thanksgiving and Glitzbandz Winner

As I mailed schedules to each of my runners this week, for the most part, it didn't even occur to me that it was a holiday week and people might not want to run!  So it really got me thinking about running and the holidays...

My top 3 tips to surviving Thanksgiving...

1.  Don't give up the run.  I understand that many people travel and holidays are busy and meant to be spent with family, and I still think family is the #1 priority, but getting in a quick run can clear your head, reduce your stress, and make you a much more productive (and friendly) person for that day!  There are definitely days I wake up and think "I just have too much to do", but if I force myself to get that run in anyhow, even if it's just 20-30 minutes, I always feel a lot more energized through the day.  I never regret a run, only regret ones I miss.  Besides it's nice to have a smidge less guilt when the holiday meal comes around.

2.  Indulge.  Now don't just read that one word without reading my entire thought.  But there's nothing wrong with a little indulgence on the holidays.  My best pointer is to pick your 2 or 3 favorite holiday items and then pass on others.  For instance, I cannot wait for cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie.  Those will be my indulgences... thus I'll probably pass on things like creamy mashed potatoes and the other cakes/cookies/pies... and I'll limit my intake of rolls and gravy.  So pick your favorite items and let yourself indulge a little.  Enjoy the holiday.  Enjoy your family.

3.  Drink up and Sleep!  Don't forget that you still have to keep your body intact for training.  So make sure you are still staying adequately hydrated (with water, folks) and getting plenty of sleep so that your body can recover from the holidays and you can be right back on track!!!

This year, I am most thankful that I took the leap to get certified as a coach and start accepting clients.  The 16 people that currently make up the Racing It Off team have been inspiring, encouraging, accepting, and supportive.  I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them for all they have given me over the course of this year.  I have been honored to be a part of their journey!

And finally... I owe you a giveaway winner:

The winner of the Glitzbandz, per random.org, was comment 60:

Jamie of From Couch to Ironwoman

E-mail me so I can mail you the prize!!!

Shannon Update 2!!!

If you've been around at least a couple months, you know that I am WAY overdue for a Shannon update.  Sorry about that.  We were both a little off the ball on this one.  If you recently started following and want to catch up, be sure to read Shannon's Introduction and the First Update. 

First, I had to swipe this awesome photo of Shannon and her sister, Helen (who's an awesome runner herself)... absolutely love this pic.

(Photo by Sapphyre Photography)

And here's the next update:

So, I'm a little late getting this to Lesley to post. I kept trying to write something, and just never came up with anything. Mostly, I guess I've had a good month. I've lost 52 lbs total since I started working on losing weight back in June, probably around 20 lbs of that since I started working with Lesley to add exercise to my routine. I had a follow-up appointment with my oncologist a few weeks ago, and found out I'm still cancer-free (more than four years now!), and he was really impressed with my weight loss. He's been telling me to exercise and lose weight for a few years now. You'd think that having an oncologist say, "the best way to keep this cancer from coming back is to exercise and be healthy" would have been motivation to do this a long time ago, but at least I'm doing it now. And today, finally, I managed to walk more than a 5k in distance. It took 90 minutes, but I did it.


Next month, Lesley is going to have me start adding some running into my workouts. That's sort of exciting, but also very, very scary. I have this image of me stuck on the treadmill like George Jetson, or flying off the back of it because I can't keep up. I know she's not going to ask me to run super fast, but I'm still a little worried. I've always felt a bit clumsy, even though really there's no particular reason for me to feel that way. I've fallen a few times in my life, and when I have fallen, some of those falls have been pretty spectacular, but I don't think I'm any clumsier than the average person. I've never broken a bone or anything. So why am I so convinced that I'm too clumsy to try to run? Sometimes I think this would be easier if there were a way to shut my mind off, and just have my body do the stuff it needs to do without all the doubt and fear and worries and all the other stuff my head seems to be filled with. So, you know, if anyone figures out a way to do that, please let me know.

I don't think Shannon has any idea how inspiring she is!!!  Congratulations, Shannon, on your journey so far.  I'm amazed and proud of how far you've come.  You have already reduced your mile time by 8 minutes.  Progress is one-day-at-a-time.

Round 2 - Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

Have you checked out my fundraiser for White Rock Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children??? I have a HUGE GIVEAWAY going on, and even with 8 winners already, I have at least 8 more to go!!!  I'll be picking FOUR winners every Friday until I'm out of prizes.

This fundraiser is really important to me as a way to give back for the amazing job the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital did with my youngest daughter, Paige. Every time I see her run, I think of the doctors and therapists that gave her this gift. (And yes, you get to hear me repeat myself and gush about it for 2 1/2 more weeks.  I only do it once a year, and it's a really great cause.)
The second week's winners are...

1. Suz and Allen

2. Jen - From Fat to Finish Line

3. Samantha G.

4. Jenn Baker

Ladies, please EMAIL ME with your first and second choice prize. The prizes are in the original post HERE.

Please consider making a donation HERE. And if you'd like to be entered for some prizes, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST letting me know you donated!!! It's that easy.  I still have a long way to go to reach my goal, so I appreciate each and every donation.

Three Things Thursday

1.  Today I ran probably one of the hardest interval workouts that I have ever run.  I've done Yasso 800s before, and because of the distance they entail, they are an incredibly hard workout.  But today I had 4x1200m intervals, which sounds pretty standard and nothing too exciting and way easier than 10x800s.  But my coach thinks I'm faster than I think I am, and he had me run those 4 intervals at a pace faster than my fastest recorded mile.  I've never run a mile faster than 8:33 (FYI, I've also never officially done a magic mile, that record was set at the beginning of a 10k).  But today, I needed to go 8:15 for 1200m (0.75mi) and repeat that 4x.  I thought I was going to die.  But I didn't.  So of course now Adam has his chest all puffed with his "I told you so" grin.  When will I learn?

2.  Tomorrow... the big kiddos both have Thanksgiving meals at school, and then a week off.  The term "off" is subjective.  They might be "off" from school, but it is definitely not a week "off" for me.  I guarantee they are still full throttle by 6:30am every. single. day. 

3.  I have two giveaways going on, what are you waiting for... first I have a Glitzbandz Giveaway and secondly, I have my HUGE fundraiser for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital that helped my baby girl.  Without them, she wouldn't be able to walk or run.  Tons of great prizes, and I pick 4 more winners tomorrow... and every Friday after until the prizes are gone.  Please consider donating!!! 

GlitzBandz Review and Giveaway

I love this lady.  Yes, I'm biased.  She has spent hours upon hours next to me on the treadmill... not only training for her half marathon greatness, but she's also walked countless miles while I pushed through long mid-week runs during marathon training.  Emily is an amazing support, so when she started her GlitzBandz business, I was excited for her new venture.  She's been making bands for awhile now (and I've been wearing them since the day she started making them), but she finally took the leap to make it an official business.  (Yes, we're both wearing Glitzbandz in the photo above.)

 Oh look, another Glitzbandz (clearly, I like the sparkly ones).

Racing It Off Runner, Christina, wearing her sparkly Glitzbandz.

Love her bands.  I'd show you my whole collection, but it would be embarrassing!  Love her bands.  They are super cute, they hold my crazy hair out of my face, and they do not slip off my head - despite my tiny little pinhead that nothing ever wants to stay on.  Yes, I admitted I have a pinhead.  It's true.  I have a tiny head on a 5'11" body.  I have not only worn these bands to hold back wispies when my hair is in a ponytail, but also to hold all my hair out of my face... like here...

My daughters also wear them for track.  Emily has also made bands for soccer teams and cheerleading squads.

She sells them for an extremely reasonable $10 each or 3 for $25.  And if you want a color or style she doesn't have, you just have to ask!

Wanna win this awesome pack of two Glitzbandz? 

Super easy...

1. Mandatory - Be a follower of my blog (click follow over there in the right sidebar).  Leave me a comment.

2. Mandatory - Like Glitzbandz on Facebook.  Leave me a comment.

3. +1 Entry - Go to Glitzbandz.com and tell me what you love or what you'd like to see!

4. +1 Entry each - Spread the word about the giveaway on Facebook, your Blog, or Twitter (tag me @RacingItOff).  Leave me a comment for each one.

5. BONUS - +2 entries - Participate in my fundraiser HERE.  Leave me two comments!!!

That's it!  Winner will be announced Monday, November 21st!

DRC Half Race Recap

A week ago (Sunday, November 6th), one week after Marine Corps Marathon, I ran the DRC Half Marathon.  I think everyone knows that I have a serious race addiction, and well, when I deal came through for this half, I registered immediately... it was almost a month later that I realized it was only one week post-marathon.  OOPS!  Hey, I've made worse mistakes in life, so I just went with it.  The good news is that I ran Marine Corps nice and easy, so I was feeling great, but I still knew it would be dumb to push my pace at this half.  Many of the awesome ladies I coach were going to run this one, so for me, this day was about THEM.  I couldn't wait to celebrate the day with them. 

Denya, Holly F, Holly C, Me, Monica, Christina, Deanna

Deanna and Christina would be running their FIRST half marathon.  Holly F and Holly C would be running their 3rd half marathon.  Denya, running her 5th half, would be doing the awesome job of keeping Christina company on the course.  And Monica was going to be running her 4th half, and we felt like it was time for a fresh PR, so I decided to run with her.  I knew the PR would be difficult, but totally possible!

I also got to see some awesome frunners before the race start... EW, then Michelle...

Then I saw Shannon (IronTexasMommy)...

Then caught up briefly with Jason and his wife Karen in front of the porta potties (hey, you take what you can get pre-race)!



Race Start

DRC Half is pretty hilly for the first 7 miles or so, then relatively flat for the last 6.  The goal for Monica and I was to start out around 12:30s and to push near 12:15s as we got warmed up and just hold it steady.  I was excited for the day. 

Mile 1 - 12:19
Mile 2 - 12:20
Mile 3 - 12:17

Monica and me looking very distorted.  Phone camera doesn't like action shots!

Everything super smooth... then we hit the hills.  They aren't pretty, but we hold pace up the hills each and every time.

Mile 4 - 12:19
Mile 5 - 12:12
Mile 6 - 12:27

I'm sure by this point with all the hills and Monica focusing on her breathing and me talking incessantly (I know, you're shocked, right?) that Monica was regretting the decision to let me pace her.  I posted a photo of her on course to facebook saying that I thought she still liked me... to which a good friend responded "Just give her time."  Bwahahahahaha!  I'm a nice coach/pacer... aren't I? 

Mile 7 - 11:42
Mile 8 - 11:52

Can you say yeah for a lot of downhill during 7 and 8?  I think we did a great job of taking advantage of the downhill without going out of control.  Woo-hoo!

Mile 9 - 12:16

It was right about here that Monica wasn't feeling great.  Let's face it, pretty much any half marathon you're trying to PR, you start to really feel the effects at mile 9 or 10.  So we started taking on a walk break strategy.  Every water stop or mile marker, we would walk for 30 seconds.  Now ya know, 30 seconds isn't long... just enough to catch your breath.  And even when we walked, we kept the pace brisk.

Mile 10 - 12:10
Mile 11 - 12:27

A little slow down at mile 11, but still below PR pace and trucking along.  Now I start my long monologue to try encourage Monica, but I know at this point she just wants to focus on one foot in front of the other, but she's entirely too nice to tell me to be quiet.  She was doing awesome.  So we did what everyone does when you're really hurting at the end of a half marathon, we sped up.

Mile 12 - 12:03
Mile 13 - 11:52

Yes, yes, yes.  I know Monica was hurting, but she hung on.  Head down, one foot in front of the other.  Seriously, I was stoked... there's no other word for it.  It was even more amazing because I knew this was a tough pace, and I knew she wanted to stop, but she kept going every single step... every moment.  Then we see the finish, and you all know how I roll... finish STRONG... every time.  I told her to go for it, and no kidding, I could barely keep up with her...

Last .23 - 9:19

Superstar performance!  Seriously.  Awesomesauce. Major PR.  2:40:21  A PR by 4 minutes 35 seconds.

And at the finish line... Christina and Deanna who felt great after their first half - PRs!  (Yes, you can totally claim a PR win on your first half, that's the best part about a new distance.)  Denya, who was a superstar pacer and true friend for them was waiting there too.  Holly F had also finished with a PR, but had to jet. 

Denya and Deanna

I went back out to run Holly C in, and the dude at the finish (who was a photographer) told me I wasn't allowed back on the course.  Huh?  This isn't some big 30,000 person race.  You can't stop me from running on the lake.  Ugh.  I pulled off my timing chip, and went through the grass to get back a different way.  Holly was less than a mile from the finish and trucking along just fine.  She looked well, and happy.  We ran it in, and I cheered as she sprinted the finish (why do I get so much satisfaction from sprinting finishes?).  And Holly C grabbed a PR too.  Not only did she get a PR, but she clearly felt a ton better than at her other halves.  I know she's got a lot more in her.  Such an awesome journey.

Super proud of this group.  They work their tails off, and deserved a great day, and they all had one.

And bonus, on the way out, I finally got to meet Teal and Beth of Life is a Run! 

Now onto the little side note... what I skipped in this whole report was that somewhere around mile 10, I noticed an excruciating pain near my left hip.  It hit pretty suddenly, and I've never felt anything like it.  I wasn't tired, my muscles weren't sore, it was like a shock that radiated up into my back and down into my ankle.  It felt like my leg would collapse at any second.  Bad news:  Intense pain.  Good news:  It didn't feel any better when I walked, and I had to get back to the car anyhow.  Pacing Monica was nice and distracting to keep me moving.  But man, I had never felt anything like that.  For the record, it turned out that it was my sciatic which was entrapped in a tight glute.  I was sitting on ice for 2 days, then I finally got into the sports chiro (Premier Sports Chiropractic), and he dug into that glute, and I'm happy to say that after another day of being really sore and sitting on more ice, I was right back in business.  Woo-hoo for A.R.T.

Round 1 - Fundraiser Giveaway Winners

Have you checked out my fundraiser for White Rock Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children???  I have a HUGE GIVEAWAY going on, and right now, your chances of getting a prize are pretty spectacular.  I'll be picking FOUR winners every Friday (yes, I know it's Saturday, I'm a smidge delayed cause I had to pick up the hubs from the airport).

This fundraiser is really important to me as a way to give back for the amazing job the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital did with my youngest daughter, Paige.  Every time I see her run, I think of the doctors and therapists that gave her this gift.

The first week's winners are...
1. Precious
2. Amanda Thompson
3. Emily T
4. Linz from itsprettyawkward.com

Ladies, please EMAIL ME with your prize choice (other than Precious, please e-mail me a second choice as well just in case your first choice is taken).  The prizes are in the original post HERE.

Please consider making a donation HERE.  And if you'd like to be entered for some prizes, just leave me a comment ON THIS POST letting me know you donated!!!  It's that easy. 

You Thought I Was Done???

Noooooo... I'm sure you thought I was done with MCM, but I need to share the official photos because, well, they rock.  And I actually look semi-human in most of them - one of the perks of running a race for fun - you feel semi-normal, so you actually look semi-normal.  Although "normal" is so subjective!

And yes, for the first time ever, I shelled out the money for all the photos... worth it!

Please consider supporting me in my fundraising for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  Go donate and enter the raffle - HERE.  Loads of great prizes and first 4 winners will be chosen on Friday!!!

Marine Corps Marathon - The Rest!

(Sorry this post was so delayed... I left you hanging... but my sciatic nerve is being very naughty, and sitting in front of a computer is not my favorite thing right now.)

If you missed part 1, you can find it HERE.  As I mentioned in my last post, a good part of this recap is going to just be photos.  I don't have any stories of pain or angst ... I was pretty much happy and comfortable the whole time since I was running at a relaxed pace to keep my body intact for my key race in a few weeks.

As soon as we hit the start 7 minutes after the gun, we were off... the crowd was thick, but people had lined up surprisingly well because I don't recall doing much weaving, just stuck with the crowd. 

While this looks lovely, the entire first 3 or 4 miles of MCM is uphill.  Even though I'm one of those that doesn't feel warmed up until mile 5, it didn't bother me much because of the excitment of it all and the huge crowds.

I'm not sure if you can read the sign in this photo... but I had to take it for Adam and Beth... it says "Crap your pants if you have to, I've done it before."

Not long after this I just couldn't wait, and I had to stop for a potty break.  The line was ridiculous and people were so slow... it was kind of insane, but I'm so glad I stopped early instead of waiting.  I missed the potty at the start because I didn't want to go through all the mud.  Anyhow... it held me up almost 10 minutes and Joe had continued pressing forward, so I had to catch up.  It was actually fun catching up, I was able to push for a bit at a nice clip and pass hoards of people.  I'm sure they wondered what I was doing and why I was back there if I was zipping through.  Ha.  But it was nice, and made the legs feel good.  I want to say it took me well over a mile to catch up.

Loved running through Georgetown.  The crowd support was amazing... and of course, here we are still shoulder-to-shoulder.  There were moments where a string of 5 in front of us would stop to walk, so we would stop to walk because there was no getting around them.  Fortunately, we didn't care much on this day, because we were in this for the pure enjoyment of it... no care for the clock (although Joe caught me looking at my watch too many times... the funny part is half the time I couldn't even tell you what the watch said because I was just glancing quickly out of habit).  The miles were flying by.

Loved running past the monuments, and I was so distracted that I spent the majority of the race not having a clue what mile we were at. 

I had to run ahead and turn around to take a picture of the sheer mass quantity of cups on the ground at water stops.  Did I mentioned that every water stop was manned with uniformed Marines?   It was amazing... inspiring... loved every second of it.

This was the only time we stopped.  I asked Joe if he'd let me stop to get a photo in front of the Capitol.  He was more than happy to stop for a quick bit.  We asked a spectator to take the photo.  Of course once we did, others saw us and then they stopped, and I'm pretty sure that poor lady was stuck there awhile taking photos!!!

*The* bridge.  This is the big cut-off that everyone tries to beat... thus all the "Beat the Bridge" signs.

Another photo for Adam and Beth...

My first live spotting of a joggler!  Fortunately he was behind me!  I may have been depressed if he joggled faster than I was going.

Had to grab a photo of the Pentagon.

Yes, even running the final stretch up the hill to the finish, I still had the camera out!

My mom was in the grand stands.  I grew up just south of DC, and mom still lives there... this was the first time she's ever gotten to see me run.  The photo above was her view from the grand stands... on the big screen?  All the tweets that tagged #36thMCM

It's pretty, isn't it?  The back is all silver but engraved with "Finisher", "The People's Marathon", and "Arlington, VA".  On the center was Iwo Jima... and yes, the center part spun around.  VERY cool medal. 

I wish I could tell you more about this marathon... about the people I saw - soldiers in full gear - boots and packs, amputees in handcycles, amputees running, Marines pushing jogging strollers with men who couldn't run themselves, National monuments, 9-11 memorial at the Pentagon, running down the mall in front of our Capitol.  Amazing.  Inspiring.  I cannot explain it completely, but if you have a bucket list, you need to get it out now and add this marathon!

Marine Corps Marathon - Before the Race

FYI, most of this recap will be in photos.  Because I ran it at a comfortable pace, there are no tales of cramps or aches or much of anything.  I just spent the day sharing stories, taking photos, and oh yeah, running 26.2 miles.


FRIDAY -

Got to the airport and had my first blogger meet-up!  I happened to be on the same airplane as That Pink Girl.  We got a little time to hang at the airport, but not much.

I scored with an empty row on the airplane, but last minute, a guy came from his crowded row in the back and sat with me.  I'm not much of a chatter on the airplane (I know, shocking), but somehow, we got into a discussion... the man's name was Dana Bowman.  This guy is amazing... he's currently retired from the Army Special Forces and their elite parachute team.  In 1994, during training, he had a mid-air collision severing both of his legs.  Nine months after the accident, he was back to jumping out of perfectly good airplanes!  Dana was headed to the Marine Corps Marathon, as well.  He and his teammates were jumping another double amputee into the start of the event.  Amazing story!

(from DanaBowman.com)

After landing, I went straight to the expo... I literally threw my bag into my mom's trunk and then headed straight to metro.  The expo was like a well oiled machine...

Getting your packet from a uniformed Marine wasn't such a bad thing...

My expo loot!!!  Well, my sideways expo loot!

Friday night, I relaxed at home with mom and my oldest (in terms of years we've known each other) friend, Erin came over to hang out.  We got quite the ab workout from all the laughter.

SATURDAY -

There may have been a smidge of sleeping in, but I was out of bed by 8am (which was really only 7 on my internal clock).  I mostly relaxed, chugged water, and made countless bathroom trips until it was time to head to lunch.  I had a hot date for lunch, you might recognize her...

Tonia from Racing with Babes.   She's as awesomesauce as you might imagine, and she's going to rock a PR tomorrow in NYC.  And can I just say, although she might kill me, that I've never been so comfortable shoving my face full of food, because she cleaned her plate just as fast.  As if sharing a meal together wasn't enough, she also came bearing gifts... pumpkin muffins with cinnamon chips.  Must. Have. Recipe.  Little clouds of heaven.  YUM.

And because I know the way to Tonia's heart, after lunch, I had already scouted the location of the nearest cupcake bakery.  And look at these little mini's...

Pretty sure they are so small that the calories don't even count, right?  I was back and forth on which two I was going to get until Tonia reminded me I was running 26.2 miles the next day, so yes, I got all 3 flavors I wanted (in all seriousness though, 3 of them was still less than a normal-sized cupcake).

Did I mention yet that it was freezing cold on Saturday?  It was raining most of the day, and we even saw some snow in the afternoon.  Not exactly the weather I was expecting for an October race... so I had to do a little change to my outfit since I am a super wimp in cold weather.

All ready to go.


SUNDAY -

Race day and of course, I couldn't sleep.  Not really a surprise.  I was up at 3am or so and scurrying about.  So was my mom.  Apparently she was just as affected by the race day lack-of-sleep issue!  It was her first time as a spectator.  By 4am, I was texting other MCM'rs - my friend, Brandi, who I went to high school with, and Steph who I was super excited for since this was her first marathon!   By 5am we were in the car and headed toward Arlington, VA.  The traffic:

Yeah, there wasn't any.  It was all clear the whole way.  We stopped about midway there to meet up with Joe (my race buddy for the day) and his friend George and follow them to our parking location.  We were safely parked by about 6:30am, but it was bitterly cold outside, especially with the wind, so other than a quick run to the potty, we sat in the car until 7:15am.

At 7:15am, we said bye to my mom, and headed towards the start... it was a lot longer walk than I thought.   And I wasn't happy about frozen bridges that we skated across:

You can't tell, but all up on the sides of the walk was thick mud.  I should've gone to the bathroom again, but I didn't, because I didn't want to walk through the mud and speed the race with wet muddy shoes.

Ah the sweet site of the starting line!!!

Right after we walked through this, we saw Drew Carey, who waved at us because Joe had on the same flourescent orange jacket as him.  His race report is worth a read, HERE.

We found our way among the 30,000 runners.  But Joe had to run to find the drop bag location.  I stayed put and waited.

I threw off my sweatshirt, but kept the gloves, and we prepared to head out.  It would only take us 7 minutes from gun time to get across the start.  I expected it to take much longer!

And we're OFF!!!

To be continued... (trust me, I wanted to put it in one post, but I think the pictures would overload the server!!!)