Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon

Ryan and I had been to Las Vegas two years before this and loved it so much.  When I mentioned doing this race, Ryan took no convincing.  We both took two personal days from work and I signed up for the night race.  I had ran a marathon a month and a half before and tried to maintain some sort of fitness over the days between.  The hard part was I wasn’t in shape for the first marathon, but I did my best with my schedule.  My first draft of my master’s research paper was due a month and a half after this race, so my research had to be my top priority.

We flew out on a Saturday morning and were in Vegas by noon.  We boarded a shuttle that took us to the Luxor, our hotel.  The host hotel was Mandalay Bay which was connected to the Luxor.  We then walked to MGM and took the tram to packet pickup.  Packet pickup was fun, the shirts were good, they had awesome discounts to get into clubs for going out, and I bought my first Sweaty Bands.  Since I was going to wear them tomorrow night in Vegas they had to be glitzy and sparkly!

The weather was cool, but not cold in Vegas.  Warmer than being in winter Wisconsin and perfect for running.  It was weird to know I had a race the next day, but that I wouldn’t have to get up early for it.  With a 4:00 pm start, I wasn’t sure exactly how to eat, plan, prepare.

Vegas, Baby!

We spent the evening walking around Vegas, doing some gambling, and taking in the sites of Christmas all around sin city.  I love exploring cities at Christmas.  We had been to Vegas just after Christmas last time and saw some of the sites, but it was even more beautiful to see before the holidays.

Outside the Palazzo.

We explored near the Palazzo, walked the “canals” of Venice, and enjoyed the poinsettias and fountains of the Bellagio before going out for dinner on the strip.

We also saw the Stiletto Dash.  I had wanted to sign up for this, but could not bear the thought of twisting an ankle the night before a marathon.

Race morning came…only I didn’t have to get up early ;),
so I went back to bed after I snapped this picture!

Later that day we spent a fair amount of time watching sports in Mandalay Bay’s bar and sports book. The Packers were playing which we loved watching in the betting atmosphere. I couldn’t believe how many Packer fans were in Vegas! I ate a bigger breakfast and lunch since the race was at 4:00 and I didn’t expect to be done until around 8:00.  Before we knew it it was time to head back to our room so I could get changed and ready to go. I had laid my clothes out earlier that morning so all I would have to do was change.

I got all ready to go and we headed for our walk through the Luxor and Mandalay Bay. By this time it was very crowded with thousands of people trying to get outside. We should have just walked outside, it would have been less crowded, but then we would have missed this photo op.

Is was right after this photo that I realized I was missing something. Something I could NOT run without…my iPod! How could I have forgotten this essential running item? I was so mad at myself. We raced to retrace our steps, get back to our room, get the iPod, and fight our way back through the crowds. Somehow I managed to get to the start, way in the back, but not late. I worked my way up through the corrals and was off.

The first half of the marathon was in the city away from the strip. We ran by interstates, roads, buildings,
and homeless people cheering us to stop and have a beer with them. This made me laugh, therefore, providing entertainment for those early not so scenic miles. We did go by some residential areas which was in stark contrast to the city lights of the Vegas strip.

The second half of the marathon was the half marathon route. I was so excited to run down the strip and back. I didn’t realize we would be running right into half marathoners moving at a 3 hour pace though. It made me very irritated to have to run around half marathoners run/walking and slowly jogging. I was glad they were out there, but for runners who have already been running for two hours, it made the race even more mentally and physically tiring. The lights of the Luxor, MGM, Excalibur, Paris, and Planet Hollywood did wonders for the spirit. The next thing I know Good Feeling by Florida comes on my iPod and the energy from the strip gets to me; I’m on cloud nine and running on a high. To this day whenever I hear that song I am instantly taken back to those miles running on the strip, that song pumping in my head and energy of the city pushing me along.

About to have a Good Feelin’!

Around mile 19 the area we were running in didn’t look so good, and the road was sooo crowded. I was really getting frustrated. I was running on the curb, on the road, weaving, on the median, just trying to get around people. Someone also said people went the wrong way and were off the course. I don’t have a time for the chip time spot at mile 23 on my final results. I’m guessing we did go off course at some point. The course opened up again on the strip and I was so looking forward to being done. My Garmin said I ran more than 26 miles, but who knows. I do know the congestion throughout the second half led to my slowest marathon time yet!

Loving the energy of sin city!

Afterwords the congestion of people put runners at a stand still. They had great food at the finish, but going from running for four hours to crowded standing, was not the best. I finally found my husband and we headed back inside to walk to our hotel. Inside the congestion wasn’t any better. Some people looked ill and not doing so well, but it was hard for them to get help with the crowds. I was feeling good though. Good enough for a race reward! 🙂

Ryan said this was his favorite race because he could cheer for me with a beer in his hand, head back into the casino and gamble, come out with his drink, cheer, go back inside, repeat. We ran by Mandalay Bay several times at the start, at the half way point, and at the end. He didn’t mind racing in Vegas a bit. I did love this race despite the crowds and hearing of some people not getting help they needed at the end.

Ready to go out!

Minus 5 Ice Lounge

Out on the old strip.

Obviously the race directors have some work to do, which they admitted the next day. When a race grows fast, big changes need to be made, too. I did enjoy this course and would give the directors another chance to show improvements. The next time I’ll have a much better idea of what to expect in terms of pros-crowd support, big city energy, unique course, destination race and the cons-crowds, not a PR course if congested, poorly marked in area. Overall, the race was an awesome experience because really where else can you go to a post-race party like in Las Vegas?

Las Vegas Marathon
Time: 4:09:05
Pace: 9:31
Overall: 1520/3787
Gender: 409/1389
AG: 76/253

Grand Rapids Marathon-Oct. 2011

This past summer I started working a second job.  To say it has impacted the amount of time I have to run is an understatement.  Working until late in the night does not go well with getting up early to beat the summer heat and humidity of Wisconsin.  I hate summer weather running when it gets hot.  I did my best to stick to a training plan, although admittedly I didn’t do very well.  I was also busy taking classes for my Master’s degree and being involved in a federal grant in partnership with other schools.  Running definitely took a backseat.

Before I knew it, it was back to school time.  I thought with fall starting and temperatures cooling down I might get into my running plan more.  I underestimated what it would be like to teach, coach, work on my Master’s research project, and continue to work a night (or two) a week at my other job.  In September I was in two weddings and it was difficult to balance fun and long runs.  I was having such a hard time fitting running in with so much going on.  For my own sanity I decided my goal would need to be to finish as best I could.  I ran maybe three or four long runs to prepare for the Grand Rapids Marathon in Michigan.

Race weekend arrived just like the past few months had gone, jam packed and chaotic.  I had a cross country meet on the Saturday before the Sunday race, so we couldn’t leave for our 6.5 hour drive to Michigan until 3:30 on Saturday afternoon.  I knew it would a crazy weekend, but in my planning had forgotten about the time change.  We were supposed to arrive at our hotel around 10:00-10:30 pm Saturday night, but add a an hour earlier time change in and it was 11:15 when we arrived.  I had to be up early to pick up my race packet the morning of the race making the alarm time even earlier.  I was in bed shortly after midnight with my alarm set for 5:45.

I woke up Sunday morning feeling stressed right away.  I felt unprepared physically and emotionally.  I wasn’t sure exactly where the start was, what the fastest route would be, or how my legs would hold up during the race.  I really didn’t even know that much about the course.  I’ll have to admit that the reasons I registered for this race included:  1) the weekend worked ok and was a drivable distance away, 2) it was a fall race in the midwest,  3) I was a sucker for the cool leaf logo the race uses, and 4) my cousin was going to college there.  Those reasons for registering for this race were not so assuring to my undertrained and overwhelmed self on race morning.

The above issues were my own.  The race director sent weekly newsletters out, which I loved and got me pumped for the race.  I will admit, I didn’t really have make the time for reading very many of them.  Perhaps if I had, I would have felt better prepared for the race.

Ryan drove me to the start and dropped me off late because of traffic.  I tried to make way through the crowds to pick up my packet which seemed to take forever (it really didn’t).  I got my things, ran to Ryan and the car to give him my packet, and ran to the start where I was in the very back.  Oh, well, I wasn’t going for a time after all.

The stress of the morning began to disappear as the miles ticked by.  I was running conservative not wanting to ruin my chances of finishing.  My longest run had been 18 miles 4 weeks earlier.  I knew I was not in any kind of shape to race the course.  I was pleasantly surprised with the courses scenic routes, organization, and the fans.  I wasn’t expecting much crowd support, but there were fans in many spots.  Of course there were sparse parts, too, but those sections were beautiful.  Lucky for my legs the course was both flat and could have been fast for someone who had trained.  There were views of their city (some not so pretty), beautiful miles around lakes, and enchanting miles on canopied trails.  Much of the race was like running through a park.  Each mile was clearly marked with mile markers.

The finish is in sight.

The last few miles were tough.  I wanted to be done.  I knew it was going to be my slowest marathon yet, but I was proud to be finishing in the time I was when I was so underprepared.  As proud as I was, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in my pace. I had never ran this slow in any race. It was a let down, but not all that surprising.

Regardless, I couldn’t wait to cross the finish line.  When I finally made it across the finish, I found it was just as organized as the rest of the race.  They had pickles, hot dogs, chips, string cheese, pretzels, and on and on.  I loved the medal, too.  It had my beloved leaf and person symbol on it-the whole reason I picked this race.  Later when going through my packet, I saw the shirt for the first time (normally something I look at right away when I get to a packet pickup on time).  It was a great shirt, too!  If this race was closer or not during cross country, I would for sure run it again.

Enjoying the pickles at the finish.

I love fall and this medal!

After the race, I made a quick stop at my cousin’s and the three of us went out to lunch.  After lunch we were back on the road for 6.5 hours.

On the road again…

We made a quick stop in Chicago for dinner at Harry Caray’s on Navy Pier and some quick sightseeing to stretch the legs.  It was back on the road and a late night by the time we got home.  Ryan drove so I could sleep-Thanks, Hun!

Grand Rapids Marathon
Time: 4:05:54
Pace: 9:23
Overall: 699/1453
Gender: 219/617
AG: 42/97

Spring Break 2011

*When I started my goal of 50 in 50 by 50 I decided to include half marathons when a full marathon wasn’t an option if travel took me to a state when a race was occurring. I count these states, but plan to rerun full races in the states where I have only ran half marathons.

Downtown Dallas

Spring break 2011 was spent visiting family and friends in Texas. My mom and I flew into Dallas on Saturday before the race. It was sunny, warm, and a wonderful escape from the cold Wisconsin winter. We spent the day before the race at the expo and exploring the downtown area of Dallas. Neither of us had spent any time in the city before. We enjoyed dinner on the patio at the Iron Cactus and were reminded just how small a world we live in when we sat next to some young people who said they were from Wisconsin, too. Within a few minutes we found out that a few of them graduated from the small town where I teach a few years before I started teaching there. Small world.

As we were busy eating dinner we felt the wind begin blowing and the temperatures begin to drop. A cold front was coming in and highs on race day were supposed to be in the upper 40’s. I did not travel to a warm state to be cold! It looks like my will did nothing to change the weather though. I had only brought shorts and a t-shirt and long sleeve shirt to run in. It ended up being the perfect attire for race day. The clouds held out with no rain and the temperatures were perfect for running.

The beginning of the course was not very scenic. We ran through parts of downtown Dallas that I doubt I’d run alone in. The last 2/3 of the race was scenic taking runners past beautiful homes, treelined streets that immediately remind you are in the south, and finished outside the Cotton Bowl stadium.

Love the tree lined streets of the south.

I had not trained very much doing only a couple longer runs before this race, so I was running more to just have fun. I enjoyed the course and the thought of a week of vacation to follow made the race even more exciting. The last few miles I tried to pick up the pace a bit, and once I saw Cotton Bowl Stadium I started my kick. I crossed the finish in 1:54:33.

Dallas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon
Time: 1:54:33
Pace: 8:44
Overall: 2043/10959
Gender: 704/6811
AG: 135/704

The thing with running races and accomplishing new goals and paces is that it becomes addicting. I got home from the Twin Cities Marathon happy with my time, but disappointed with how the race actually went. I was feeling very motivated to run a race again…and soon. I got home Sunday afternoon and spent the next two days thinking about doing another race in less than three weeks.

On Tuesday I mailed my race registration for the On the Road for Education Marathon. I was looking to cross another state off that was not too far away and that would be low key. This race sounded like the one. Ryan and I left on Saturday stopping at a state park in Iowa on the way to enjoy the last of the fall colors and do some walking on the trails. It was a small park, but a nice way to spend a couple of hours. We did a little fall photo shoot, too. I am obsessed with taking pictures afterall.

From the park we headed to Mason City, Iowa. We stopped at Newman High School to pick up my race packet. Talk about low key and fast packet pick up. It was awesome to avoid the crowds and get in and out. I was not expecting much swag for a small race, but was impressed by the super comfy, Fox River socks, yogurt covered cranberries, and several other goodies in the bag. We checked into our hotel, headed to Applebee’s for a prerace dinner and then to bed for an early night.

Race morning came and I was not feeling super excited. I knew there wouldn’t be crowd support and really didn’t know what to expect for the course as there were not a ton of details. One nice thing was getting to sleep in since Ryan was able to drop me off two blocks from the start of the race near Music Man Square. My goal was to run under four hours, but keep the pace comfortable until the last few miles. When I got to the last few miles the plan was to go with what pace felt good. If I felt good, then I would pick up the pace. If I was struggling, then I would keep maintaining my pace as best I could. I had never ran two marathons within a year of each other, much less three weeks apart. I wanted to have a positive race experience after feeling rough in the Twin Cities.

To sum up the race, all I can say is WOW! I loved this course. It was exactly what I was hoping for and more. The first few miles were in town on city streets. The next few miles took runners on paved trails and then gravel roads. The miles on the gravel roads were not my favorite and made my hips begin to hurt early on. I was a little nervous at this point as it was early in the race. The next part of the race was very scenic. The views and paved path helped take away any feelings of discomfort I was having. My favorite part of the course was next, the out and back miles on a dirt packed trail along the Winnebago River. The softer surface was amazing on the legs and made me feel springy with each step.

Running down a PR.

While running in the wooded, scenic, and rejuvenating trails, I looked down at my Garmin to realize I was running the same pace as my PR a couple of weeks ago. Would today be a special day? There were less than 10 miles left, but a little too soon to get excited. After coming out of the trails we ran the majority of the race on pavement, with a small gravel stretch. With two miles left in the race I was still on pace and realized I might be able to PR, not by much, but still a PR, if I could maintain and pick it up the last mile. Somehow I did just that. I crossed the finish line in 3:47:41. I beat my previous PR by just over minute. I was definitely not expecting that. I attribute it to the course, change in surfaces, and the extremely flat elevation of the race.

I would highly recommend this race to others. I loved the scenery and variation of surfaces. I have yet to run a race with the same variety. I was also first in my age group and 6th overall for women. I had never won my age group in a race. Despite being a smaller race, I was still proud.

On the Road for Education Marathon
Time: 3:47:41
Pace: 8:41
Overall: 26/128
Gender: 6/39
AG: 1/4

Ever since running my first marathon in June of 2008, I knew I wanted to run another marathon.  Despite wanting to run another race, I took some time off to enjoy more free time with friends, family, and myself.  Over the course of the winter I decided a spring marathon would be the best way to accomplish marathon number two.  I knew I would run into the same challenges as I did training for last year’s race:  cold Wisconsin winter weather during training, crazy schedules between school and coaching track, and balancing family, friends,and long runs.  I was again up for the challenge.

My birthday always falls around Memorial Day weekend, with my birthday being on the real Memorial Day.  I decided that running a marathon on Memorial Day weekend would be a great way tocelebrate my 25th birthday which would take place a few days later.  Only an hour and a half away there was a marathon that weekend in Madison, a city I love (the marathon is moving to November in 2013 possibly due to excessive heat over the past years and Brat Fest taking place the same weekend).  The Madison Marathon sounded like the perfect second marathon!

I followed a similar training plan, this time adding an additional 20 mile run with the hopes of improving my marathon time.  As a training run, I ran the Fitness Festival Marathon Relay (which they no longer offer) as a way to get in another 20 mile run.  During the relay, I ran 20 miles and my husband ran 6.5 miles. Interestingly enough, he was the one who threw up at the end.  I still tease him about that years later.

 

Since joining cross country in high school and falling in love with the sport, I had always wanted to run a marathon. My bucket list contained the item-Run a marathon before turning 30. I had no timeline or age at which I felt I needed to accomplish this goal. During my first year teaching, however, a coworker whom I carpooled with was talking about running marathons and mentioned she would be running Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota that June.

My coworker raved about the atmosphere, crowd support, and beautiful course. At that point, I had only ran a few 5k’s and for my own pleasure. Hearing my coworker discuss Grandma’s was inspiring, intriguing, and motivating. Most of all she put an idea into my head. I decided to start with a half marathon before attempting a full. That was the plan until one January night while my husband was coaching high school boys basketball, I decided to go for a long run on the treadmill since it was very cold outside. I was going to run five to seven miles with seven miles being the furthest distance I had ever ran. I hit seven miles and felt great; I wanted more. I told myself I’d run one more mile, then one more mile. Each mile made me smile bigger and soon seven miles became eleven. I stepped off the treadmill feeling a sense of accomplishment, motivation, and urgency. If I could run eleven miles without training, then a half marathon was not a good goal for me. I was in, all in.

For those of you that know me well you know that when I get an idea in my head it is extremely unlikely that the idea won’t take place sooner rather than later. Ideas often turn into my latest obsessions to the point I cannot focus until I’ve begun working on that idea. The idea of running a marathon would prove no different. I walked into the office, turned on the computer, and registered for my first marathon-Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.

I immediately printed a training plan off from the Grandma’s Marathon plan. The training plan did not officially start until mid-February, but I knew I needed to get a base started. It was a mix of emotions. 26.2 miles felt so long and I had never even ran a half marathon. Would I be able to accomplish such a lengthy goal? I knew that I had set my mind to it so I would, but I also wanted to finish in under four hours. I followed by training plan to a T, running my first half marathon in La Crosse (St. Clare Health Mission Half Marathon, now known as the Festival Foods Grandad Half Marathon) as part of my training finishing in 1:51. I took my finishing time as a sign that my training was going well and have since entered this race every year since. Despite the actual running part of my training going well, I learned quickly that time management was the greatest challenge of training for a marathon. Balancing teaching, coaching middle school track and field, and maintaining a social life along with training were difficult.

Each week I ran a new distance on Saturday or Sunday, accomplishing a new farthest distance most weeks. It felt rewarding and fulfilling to run more miles than I ever had before. My coworker was training to run her fourth Grandma’s Marathon, so it was invaluable to swap stories, discuss challenges, and share in the anticipation of the upcoming Saturday in June.

When race weekend was upon us, Ryan and I headed to Duluth the day before the race. I had never been to Duluth before and was excited to see the lake and town. One of the first things we did upon arrival was check into our hotel, visit the expo, and take a guided tour of the race course. It was great to see the course first hand to aid in planning and preparing, but I will admit it scared me more than helped. The distance seemed so much longer when driving it. Despite the added fear, I was still excited and looking forward to the next morning. Sleeping the night before was very difficult.

Race morning arrived and I boarded the shuttle that would take us outside of Two Harbors where the race would begin. From Two Harbors we ran along the scenic old highway 61along the north shore of Lake Superior. With Lake Superior being so far north it was still relatively cool in June and to add to it there were refreshing cool breezes from the lake as we got closer to Superior.

On the ride to Two Harbors, I sat on a school bus next to another teacher whom I had just met. We chatted on our way to the start of the race and ended up running the first 19 miles together. A mile into the race with adrenaline pumping, the two of us ran into my coworker. The three of us ran together talking and chatting for the first 17 miles. We hit the half marathon mark and I couldn’t believe it was already half over. I was feeling so good and talking to both ladies made the time fly by. The amazing community support also helped. People sat outside their homes in the country and had music playing from speakers, water stops, beer stops, margarita stations, and crazy costumes. The fun, the scenic course, and the wonderful people made the race fly by.    

Once I was on my own around mile 19, I knew the hardest part was yet to come. Iwas starting to feel tired both mentally and physically. I really wanted to meet my goal, but started to question whether that would happen or not. Had talking for the first 19 miles been a mistake?; I’d never trained with people after all. As mile 20 took us closer to Superior, the cheering crowds began to increase in size and volume. Near mile 23 with crowds lining the streets six deep I gained my confidence again. I realized by looking at my Garmin 310 (http://www.garmin.com/us/), that I would be able to accomplish my goal only if I pushed the pace and held it to the end. I had nothing to lose and went for it. I would either accomplish two goals or one. I saw my husband’s supportive smile near mile 24 and I thought I could hold on to my goal.

As I rounded out the final .2 of the race I kicked with what I had.  I crossed the finish line in 3:59:24.  With only 36 seconds to spare, I accomplished two goals in one day.  I had never felt more accomplished before that day.  Training for the marathon changed me physically (nothing tones and sucks things in like following a training plan), but running the marathon changed me emotionally and physically.  As I put my toes in the cold water of Lake Superior later that day, I knew there would be more marathons to come.