The Road to Chicago

For the last three years I have been applying to the lottery for the New York Marathon. Each year, no luck. 

This is how I ended up running Paris in 2017- you only register, no lottery. NY was still a dream though, so I continued to enter the lottery and applied to run as a charity runner in 2018. I eventually decided to try and start apply to other World Marathon major races and applied to London for 2018, (no luck), and Chicago, 

In the Fall of 2018, I found out I was accepted to Chicago 2019!

Given my injuries and six months of not walking last year, I started training in January. Also given my total lack of accountability when I tried for Paris (I literally went on six runs before the race.) I decided to set a fun goal: 

26 races leading to the 26.2!

So far I have run 17 races! Chicago will be the 26th. 

I am following the Hal Hidgon Novice 1 plan, and all is going fairly well, although if anything my pace average is worsening. Given how hot Sacramento is, it's getting pretty difficult to train. How do you run 10 miles after work when it's 105 degrees outside? I am still in PT, a full 18 months after my injury. My calves are "extraordinarily" tight and it's part of my plan to stretch them by standing on a book six times a day, including while I am at work. So far, nothing works. I think the one thing that has come out of training is that I have gained confidence that I can do anything. It's not scary to run a Half marathon. I know I can do it- I'll just walk. I can interval. It's okay! A 5k isn't that far, and it'll be over pretty fast. All races end and there's beer at the end and you get street cred. I like it. 

The running list so far!

1.) 2/23 Almond Blossom 8k, Ripon, CA 1:16:17 Average pace: 15:07

2.) 3/2 Donut Dash 4M, Sacramento CA 58:14 Average Pace: 14:15

3.) 3/9 Bok Kai 5K, Marysville CA 42:51 Average Pace: 13:16

4.) 3/16 Run to Get Lucky 5k Corvallis, OR 41:51 Average Pace: 13:11

5.) 3/17 Shamrock PDX 8k Portland, OR 1:14:38 Average Pace 14:45 

6.) 3/31 A Run & Walk Through History Cemetery 5k New Orleans, LA, 46:34 Average Pace 14:30

7.) 4/9 Hippity Hop, Plumas Lake CA, 44:00, Average Pace 14:09

8.) Salmon Run 10k, Grass Valley CA, 2:18:58 Average Pace 19:35 (Trail)

9.) Eugene Marathon 5k, Eugene OR, 42:29 Average Pace 13:06

10.) 5/4 Coloma River Run 10k, Pilot Hill, CA 1:54:31 Average Pace 17:49 (Trail)

11.) 5/4 Beer Week May the 4th be With you 5k, Sacramento CA 50:03 Average Pace 15:57 

12.) 5/13 Yosemite Half Marathon, Bass Lake, CA 3:32:06 Average Pace 15:29

13.) 6/9 Run to Squaw 8M 2:09:06 Average Pace 16:11

14.) 6/30 Mare Island 10k, Mare Island, CA 1:32:24 Average Pace 14:03

15.) 7/12 Scoot Scoop 5k 46:45 Average Pace 14:55

16.) 7/20 Peach Festival 5k, Marysville, CA 42:25 Average Pace: 13:04

17.) 7/28 Biofreeze San Francisco Half Marathon, San Francisco, CA 3:32:07 Average Pace 15:24

Scheduled:

23.) 9/15 Clo Cow Half Marathon

24.) 9/29 Napa Half Marathon

25.) 10/12 Chicago Marathon 5k- Maybe!

26.) 10/13 Chicago Marathon

Sorting out races 18-22!

I'm still working on my weight. I ate well for a full year, with intention, avoiding plastic and processed foods, but enjoying treats here and there (mostly neopolitan pizza fridays!) but a year of that and no binge eating just made me maintain my weight. I gave up and tried Slim Fast for a month and lost 8 pounds. I'm back to mostly healthy eating and just maintaining again. So I'll probably go back to something else. It's frustrating. Not looking for guidance, just venting. 

Race Report: Beat the Blerch Half Marathon (My First!)

I finally did it, my first Half Marathon! I signed up for this thing months in advance because it sold out just hours after registration opened up- they even had to add extra days on the tour schedule because so many people tried to register. It was a little insane!

The night before the race, I picked up take out from Jack's Urban Eats and headed over to Daniel's to hang out. Urban fries (sweet potato fries covered in blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles, spicy chili oil, red pepper flake and parsley!), mac n cheese and I think I might have had salad or something in there too. lol But I think my bottom line goal was to just have carbs. It was my excuse to eat badly after our crappy week and all of the junk food put me in an AWESOME mood and I felt great. I chowed down on the couch and did a little happy dance and Daniel just laughed at me. We hung out and talked and watched tv and cuddled a bit and then I headed home for a full nights rest before the race!

Saturday, November 14th I drove over to Raley Field in West Sacramento and lined up to the tunes of "Circle of Life" (yes, from the Lion King) and did my very first 13 mile run! I had basically stopped training for the race when Daniel and I started dating in September, so I was a wee nervous about how this was going to go, but I was still fairly optimistic because the course had an incredibly long time limit- something like 6 hours because there was also a full marathon also going on at the same time. I had picked this race specifically because it was a theme race and a fun run. All of the aid stations were stocked with nutella, birthday cake and "magical purple drink." The course also had couches for people to crash out on in case they wanted to quit! If the race hadn't been coming to Sacramento already, I would have flown to Washington where the race originated to take part in the main race. I did get to see the creator, the author of The Oatmeal when he was posing for pictures with people, which was fun and I got to take pictures with the Blerchs. (People in fat suits who chased us on the course route!)

Pre-Race Selfie!

 The Oatmeal!

These are BACON WRAPPED MARSHMALLOWS. (I passed...)

We ran a large portion of the course together, running alongside the river, crossing over Tower Bridge, weaving through Old Sacramento and Downtown and Midtown- I realized I was going to be running super close to Daniel's house and wished I had warned him so he could have come out and cheered for me! I ended up snapping him a picture of me waving at him instead as I passed nearby and we texted throughout the race. After I passed by his house (literally we live that close to each other) and then headed over into Discovery Park.

Waving Hi to my Sweetheart from a few blocks over, and yes, I was wearing fancy earrings. lol

My pace was pretty consistent, around 14 something minute miles, which was pretty great since I hadn't trained and was run-walking. I also had to take a few time outs because my sock rolled down pretty early on in the run and my heel started bleeding which stressed me immensely. I was able to find a first aid station though and got some band aids, although it was a pretty big bummer because my skin was sweaty and the band aids wouldn't stick. I tried to make due but my heels was pretty raw by the end.

Running through Discovery Park was the sketchiest part of the course and I for sure saw people having sex in the bushes along the river. I also very nearly saw a homeless fight start to break out going over one of the bridges, but it calmed down really quickly. This lady was telling this man to not mess with her, and I was thinking, yeah, I would not mess with you either!

After I got into double digital mileage I really started losing steam and sort of wanted to die a little. I started texting Daniel more and he was sending me encouragement and telling me I could do it, and I was so close! I stopped and took a bathroom break and accidentally stopped my time on my iPhone and lost about a .25 mile on the screen which about killed me! At the later aid stations I started getting a little more desperate and I switched from using my Gu and shot blocks to taking some of their birthday cake, and the electrolyte drink hoping it would help with my crashed out stores. I think it actually did help a little- probably the sugar, or maybe just having something different after all those miles of the same thing? I had never actually gone that far in training, not even close.

Coming into the finish was VERY exciting. We ran across Tower Bridge, down the street, behind Raley field and then finished ON the field. I smiled big like Runs for Cookies always says to do and got great pictures! I was very proud! I had really hoped Daniel would be in the stands waiting for me- I had hinted as such but we hadn't made actual plans to do so. So while I hadn't exactly expected it- I had hoped, and I was a little bummed I came into the stadium alone. It really made me miss my Oregon running friends A LOT after such a huge achievement.

 

 

 We got free downloads of all of our photos with our race registration but I never looked at them on a computer so this is all I have!

 

The food station was set up right at the finish, which I really appreciated because I didn't have to fight anybody for the food! I got potato chips and a banana and water and plopped into a seat to have a few bites of everything before hauling my butt up all the stairs to head out. I got pictures with a Blerch, and posed on one of the couches with a big jar of Nutella while I texted Daniel. He actually had come into West Sac to run some errands and was waiting for me over at my house, which was right near the stadium. So I headed out and met him back at home and he picked me up!

We went to In N Out for a celebratory lunch- burger for me, double-double for him, I think, and we both skipped fries and then ran around to some motorcycle shops a little further from town looking for a part to fix his bike from that accident back on Halloween. It was really fun to watch him nerd out with shop owners and listen to him talk about stuff he often knew more about that they did (he knew how to modify his bike to make other parts work on it) and one guy, the place he ended up ordering the part from said he must be on the online forums a lot and we both chuckled a bit. The nerding out was just cute to me and I said so. I wish we took a picture!

I was really sore and tired after the race so after shopping Daniel took me home and tucked me in and he went home to work on homework. Sunday we had plans to prep me for a (pretend) deposition he had at school. Busy weekend!

 

Not bad at all for my first time!!!!!!!! I'll have to come back to include my splits! But for my first time, without training, I am totally happy with my time. :)