Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon Race Recap

Who knew that when I wrote THIS post it would be all too telling.  Half Marathon #2 for the season went off again...with just a minor hitch.  40-some degree starting line temps and 20-30mph winds.  Yeah....it was chilly and I was not too prepared for it.  My knee-high socks were a God send ....not just a funky fashion statement!  Despite the cold temperatures (which really would have been great, if I had been better prepared), I give this race an A+.  Superb organization, fun atmosphere, lots of course support and a great host-city. 

So the details...we arrived in Indianapolis a little after 5:00pm.  We checked into the hotel (who wouldn't guarantee us a late check out....grrrr) and headed over to the expo.  It was easy to find and was in a nice, open exhibit hall in the convention center.  There were no bottlenecks anywhere and you didn't have to follow a specific path to get to the packet pick up area!  What a genius idea! We picked up our packets and then did some shopping.  There were too many good vendors to choose from!  I had been wanting to get a pair of recovery socks, so when I found a pair of Zensah calf/shin compression sleeves, I went ahead and got those.  I typically don't like anything touching my toes after long runs, so the sleeves are perfect.  I used them post-race and my legs feel great today!  After the expo we had dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and called it a night.  I had a whole king-sized bed to myself.  I was in heaven....but just a tad bit lonely.  I had to leave my hubby and kids at home for this race due to my son's T-ball pictures and game coinciding with the race.  Bummer!  Despite having a bed to myself and no kids to wake me up, I still didn't sleep well.  Figures.

My alarm didn't even have to go off.  I had been up well before the 6:05 alarm.  I got myself ready, watched some TV and met my friends in the lobby around 6:30 am.  We were instructed to be in our corrals by 6:45 am.  35,000 runners were expected to run the race!  We found our way easily to our corral (we were in corral "O", out of corrals A-Z) and thus began the long freeze.  Thank goodness for good tunes blaring over the loud speakers and beach balls bouncing around to keep me moving. It was a great atmosphere!  The race started and 17 minutes later we crossed the starting line. 

Miles 1-5 you are essentially heading out of the downtown area (passing by the zoo - they had an elephant at the fence to see us on our way) and out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  There were so many people around you at all times (but not packed) that you didn't really even notice the surroundings.  They had bands and DJs at least every mile.  Sometimes 2 or 3 in a mile!  Water/gatorade/porta-potties were offered at 17 different spots throughout the 13.1 mile course.  These stations were called "Pit Areas" and had long, vertical flags announcing their location.  The first one we came too I read the banner as a "pitarea" so from then on they became known as "those fancy Italian water stops".  Hey - it doesn't take much to entertain me! I shed my throw-away shirt around mile 2.   I would come to regret that!  Around mile 5 you reach a street/area called Main St.  There was lots of crowd support here, as you made your way into the race track.

Miles 6-9 were almost entirely in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  I had no idea Indy was so big (not a NASCAR fan...)!  There were cheerleaders and different groups located there to cheer you on.  This was also the first photographer spot.  We took our first potty break here.  I had drank NO water (except for a little bit to wash down my breakfast GU) all day and yet my bladder still felt like it could burst.  Luckily my preggo friend also had to stop!  Around mile 8 my friend really started to slow down.  I would run just a bit in front of her and her husband and after a few minutes I would lose them.  Made for a lot of starting and stopping, but I didn't mind.  I usually take my 2nd GU around mile 8, but after the last race I was a bit hesitant.  We were running so slowly, I didn't really feel like I needed to take anything, so I just took a few sips of Gatorade at one of the "Pitareas".

Miles 10-13 led you back into the downtown area.  The scenery wasn't the best,  but the bands/spirit squads/volunteers made up for it.  We stopped again around mile 10 for my friend to use the porta-potty. Unfortunately those sips of Gatorade would come back to haunt me.  My belly starting hurting around mile 11.  I contemplated stopping to use the porta-potty, but I felt bad making them stop again.  The cramps would come in waves, so I could handle it.  Around mile 12 though, we were just moving too slowly so I told them that I was going to run ahead and find a porta-potty at the finish line.  They were cool with that, so I went ahead.  I sped up and it felt good!  I felt as though I hadn't used my "running legs" all day.  I probably could have run a full that day!  I made my way to the finish line where there was fantastic crowd support.  Once I stopped running, the pain went away.  The porta-potties were too far away from the finish line, so I just waited for my friends to finish.  At this point we had to check out of our hotel in about 20 minutes, so we hurriedly made our way through the recovery area and headed back to the hotel.  The wind had really picked up by this point and I was FREEZING.  I ended up running home, just to stay warm.  I took the fastest shower ever, packed up and checked out.  They had a lady going from room to room to make sure you had checked out on time.  Otherwise, they were charging you $50.  Everyone was pretty annoyed!  The good news is that because we had to be out of the hotel so early, we made it home just in time to watch our kids' T-Ball games.  All in all, it was a great race and a great time.  I can't wait to do this race next year!  It sold out in December last year....so I may sign up now!


Pictures from the Race:

Pre-Race...in the hotel room

Beach balls were flying everywhere!  So fun!

My friends - with her "Baby's First 1/2 Marathon" shirt

Entering Indy - You then went down a tunnel and up onto the track

Goofing off on the track

The control tower

Unfortunately, we didn't get any post-race medal pictures, except the professional one they took.  Hopefully that one will turn out good!

So next week is my last 1/2 in Cleveland.  I haven't even looked at the course. I'm more excited to go cheer my sister on to her BQ!  I'm hoping and praying to the good Lord above for "Ideal Conditions".  I can't take much more rain/cold/wind!  I'll take 1 out of 3 at this point!  I don't have a special outfit planned for this one.  I just want to get it done!  The kids will be staying with my Mom and Dad, so hubby and I will have a night alone.  Looking forward to it.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all those hard working, running Mamas! 

Disappointment....Really?

It seems as though spring racing is upon us!  Everywhere I turn someone is training for or running a race.  My next race is in 6 days.  Indianapolis here I come!  15,000 half marathoners (and none of those elitist full marathoners to make you feel guilty ;-)).  What could be more fun?!  As mentioned before, this race will be at a significantly more "comfortable" pace.  I'm not going to kill myself weaving around people (I didn't submit a qualifying time for a preferred corral....kicking myself now) and I'm not going to kill my pregnant friend!  This race is about fun.  Taking the lead from fellow running Mommy, Tonia,  at Racing With Babes....I bought some fun socks to rock out on the 13.1 mile course.  Polka dots and stripes anyone?  I've been consistent with my training and now it's time to reap it's rewards.  After last week's race (and puking) I decided it's not fair for me to say that I was "disappointed".  It would be one thing if I had trained hard.  I did no hill repeats, no speedwork, heck...I only run 3 days a week, racking up only 108 miles during my heaviest month of training.  I suppose really, I'm lucky to finish!  That's not to say I'm a slacker, though.  I've only taken 7 days off from exercising since January 1st.  All of those days were either before a race or the day after a long run.  My goal is to be fit and running is just a part of that.  Looking ahead, I need to revisit my nutrition strategy.  I don't know if I can stomach another GU....I was gagging taking them even before I threw one up last week!  I'm thinking about reading Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners.  As a dietitian myself, I prefer to stick with a book written by a professional.    Hopefully this will be insightful.  Nutrition strategy for this weekend's race is TBD!  Not a lot of time to experiment, with only 2 runs before Saturday's race.  Hey....wasn't I just tapering a few weeks ago?  Gotta love back to back racing!  On that note, have a good week and I'll catch you on the flipside of another 13.1.

Kentucky Derby Festival mini-Marathon Race Recap

Despite ominous weather predictions prior to my first 1/2 of the season, the race went off without a hitch.  Well, maybe not completely without a hitch, but at least it wasn't a wash out!  We arrived in Louisville early Friday evening and headed over to the expo to pick up my packet.  It was pretty crowded and just a bit too chaotic to have 2 kids in tow.  We made it out alive though and decided to try to find someplace to eat dinner.  Some place kid-friendly, without a wait.  Hard Rock Cafe it was.  I haven't been to a Hard Rock Cafe since I was probably about 12 years old.  And now I know why.  Food was way over-priced for mediocrity.  Not to mention there was only one pasta dish on the menu.  After dinner we headed down to the riverfront area to try to find the post-race area.  I didn't want to take my phone with me during the race, so we wanted to find a good meet-up spot.  One mile walk later, we were all tired of walking and decided to take a horse-carriage ride home.  The kids really enjoyed that and it was a nice break for my legs!  We headed up to our hotel room and tried to get to bed early.  Sharing a bed with a wiggly 2 year old makes that impossible!  I knew it was going to be a long night...

I had to be at the shuttle pick-up by 6:00am to be at the starting line by 7:15am.  That meant a 5:00am alarm. I was up well before then.  I checked the weather outside....light rain and 55 degrees.  I had about 3 different outfit scenarios all laid out, not knowing what the day's weather would bring.  I had heard everything from torrential rains and tornadoes to no rain after 8:00am.  I decided on a tank top, skirt and a cheapie rain poncho.  Turned out to be the perfect outfit.  The poncho kept me warm and dry and I was able to pitch it.  I made my way to the shuttle pick up area only to find a huge line, wrapping all the way around the block.  The line moved quickly though and we were on the buses and at the starting line around 6:30am.  I had one hour to wait and try to stay dry.  Runners huddled under the overhangs at all the local businesses, under trees, wherever they could find shelter.  Time went quickly and at about 7:00am I decided to hit the port-o-potty.  Yeah....40 minutes later I had relieved myself of the need to pee, but had missed the start of the race.  That meant lining up behind the last corral of mostly walkers.  Made for an interesting first few miles, but at least I wouldn't have to stop the rest of the race!  Even missing the official start of the race, I still got teary-eyed as I neared the starting line.  That's why I run!

Miles 1-4 went through a really pretty, wooded, hilly, park.  Everyone kept talking about "the hills" in the first part of the race.  I had looked at the elevation profile quickly at the start of my training back in January and decided it didn't look too bad.  Luckily I was right, because I had run very few hills in preparation for this race.  You haven't run hills in the Ohio area until you've run the Flying Pig in Cincinnati!  I spent a lot of time weaving around people, trying to ease into a groove.  Running was easy and effortless at this point and the rain was tapering off.

Miles 4-7 were really boring.  We were on a long, flat road the entire time.  Crowd support was pretty decent throughout, thank goodness!  I was still feeling good!

Mile7-8 lead you into the Churchill Downs area and eventually into the actual stadium.  They had old horse races being broadcast over a loud speaker, adding to the excitement of running through such a cool venue.  As you ran along one side of the track, you could see the horses practicing.  Talk about effortless running!  Those horses are amazing!  Then you went down into the tunnels, beneath the famed race track.  The sound of pounding feet and hoots and hollars was exhilarating!

Miles 8-11 lead you out of the Churchill downs area, through the University of Louisville campus and to the mini-Marathon and "maxi-Marathon" (as the sign so cleaverly said) split.  There were over 11,000 runners in the race, but only 1,100 or so actually did the whole marathon.  I was starting to feel tired at this point and I was pretty glad today wasn't my day to run the full!  I'd be lying if I didn't think that I was a slacker though.  I was so ashamed I couldn't even look at the marathoners turning off.  Between miles 8-9 I decided to take my only GU.  I was hoping it would give me a much needed energy boost.  Instead, around mile 9, I developed a cramp in my lower, left abdomen.  I rarely get cramps when running, so this was pretty unusual.  I tried to do some deep breathing, all while keeping running.  My pace had significantly slowed down, but I was determined not to walk!  The cramp lessened enough that I could pick up the pace a tad.  I was feeling pretty good at the split off when a wave of nausea came over me and I knew I needed to walk.  I walked for about a minute, the nausea passed and I started running again.

Miles 12-13.1 were pretty much all downhill through the downtown and riverfront areas.  Runners who had already finished were walking back to their cars/hotels, so I knew the end was near!  Unfortunately around mile 12 the nausea returned and this time it wasn't just nausea.....I vomited 4 times on the side of the road/sidewalk/trashcan/etc.  I may never take another chocolate GU again! This was a first for me.  Luckily the runners had thinned out quite a bit and we weren't to the final straightway where there were a ton of spectators!  After my last episode I walked for another minute and then started running again.  I really did feel fine, I was just ready to be done!  The final straightway and finish line came into view and I knew I was going to make it.  I crossed the finish line at 2:18:51.  The recovery area lasted forever and was really picked over.  I felt bad for the marathoners who hadn't even got there yet!  I slurped down a bottle of water and found a plain bagel.  I got both of those down no problem and went on to find my family.

Walking back to the hotel proved to be another feat.  The kids were tired and worn out and we had a one mile uphill walk.  Guess who got to carry a tired 28 pound 2 year old?  I considered it my weight training for the day!  Finally back at the hotel, I took a quick shower, we packed up the room and hit the road.  The kids were asleep before we could get the Garmin programmed for home!

All in all, it was a great race.  The course was good, the crowd support was good, and it was well-organized.  Louisville is a delightful city and really had a lot to offer (if we had the time and/or energy to do it).  The expo wasn't all that great, and the shirt was a bummer, but that's not what's important.  The weather ended up being pretty good too.

As far as my running, I was a bit disappointed.  My Garmin is officially annoying and way off calibration (despite multiple attempts to calibrate it right). I really thought I could pull off a 2:15 or less.  And heck, maybe I could of, if I didn't puke 4 times!  I felt good and strong for most of the race.  It felt even better to have that confidence running by myself.  Weaving through all those people in the beginning would have been hard with a partner/group, although it would have been nice to have someone to chat with during that long, boring strip between miles 4-7.

So a post-race question:  Why do I lose toenails and get sore after races, but not during training?  This has happened after every race.  I ran well over 13 miles in training and only was sore after one of those runs.  It's not like I run that much harder during a race.  In fact, my motto during this race was "if I'm not having fun, I need to slow down!"  I'll never be fast, so why torture myself more than necessary? Yes, I'm a real competitor...lol!  I expect to have 2 less toenails in about 3 weeks.

My next race is in 2 weeks.  I'm pretty tight/sore today (including the spot in my abdomen where my cramp was??), so I took the day off from any exercise.  I'll get back on track tomorrow though!  This next race will be even slower.  I'm running with my friends on this one, and one of them is almost 24 weeks pregnant.  I'm sure there will be some planned walking involved, but it's going to be fun. And that's all that matters in my book!

Pictures from our weekend in Louisville:

Hubby and Caroline checking into the hotel

Braden testing out the luxury bedding at The Hilton

A rare moment of sibling love

Outside the Expo

Waiting (and waiting) for Mommy to finish

Post-Race (I swear I didn't pee myself...maybe rain, spilled water, sweat??)

Ideal Conditions

As a runner, I wake up most mornings hoping for "ideal" conditions.  Now, that varies from month to month and season to season.  Now days, "ideal" would be mid-50's and sunny.  Those are the days that I feel like I could run forever.  This past winter I found myself hoping for mid-20's without snow showers.  It all depends on your point of view.  But what this past training cycle has taught me is that I can and will run through anything because you never know what race day will bring.  Sure, running into strong wind gusts on your way home from an out and back isn't ideal, but then you don't get to pick which way the race course goes and if you could, you couldn't guarantee that good ol' Mother Nature wouldn't interfere anyway!  The salesmen at Verizon looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I needed to get a new phone because mine had gotten too wet on my 6 mile run in the rain.  Oh well.  I'll be ready for those rain showers that they're predicting for my first half this coming weekend.  The Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon and Mini-Marathon is in 6 days!  I'm so excited to get this show on the road....quite literally.  3 cities, 3 races, in 4 weeks!  My family will never want to come watch me race again!  My new running skirt has been tried and tested (LOVE it).  I'm finishing up my playlist this week.  My race-day outfit is still TBD due to the weather.  Other than that...I'm ready!  And dare I say....I feel ideal going into this race?! Whether or not that means a big PR is another thing.  But at least I'm not sweating the details like I did for my first few races.  Running comes down to two simple things for me....having fun and staying injury-free.  Let the racing begin!

When it Rains, It Pours

This was the first week at my new job.  To say that I am overwhelmed is an understatement.  I know the grass is always greener on the other side and that change is in fact a good thing....but right now all I want to do is head back to my old job.  The sad thing about that is that I did stay on in a "resource" position at the hospital and was asked to work this weekend.  It initially felt good to be in a place where people know me and more importantly, I know what I'm doing!  The sad part is that my old-coworkers have already moved on without me.  Not that I thought they would keep an eternal vigil or something, but my name has been taken off all the group email lists, my time sheet is gone, etc, etc.  Although painful to witness, this motivates me even more to make my new job work.  There's no turning back!  Despite an apparent lack of preparation on my new job's part (I mean really....who needs a computer or access to patient information) and about 6.5 hours of training, I think I will like my new job.  Maybe. Hopefully. 
And just when I think my week can't get any worse, I go for a run in the rain with my cell phone in my water-proof jacket pocket, and it gets soggy.  Yes, that would be cell phone #2 this year due to running-related injuries.  The good news is that I've upgraded to a Blackberry and finally feel like part of the grown-up world!  So, a question for you all.  How do you keep your phones from being exposed to moisture/sweat/rain? 

The next bummer of the week came from my "friend"/co-worker who had asked me to run the Cleveland 1/2 marathon with her on May 16th.  We made our Hotel arrangements and were trying to work out our running schedules so that we could do a couple of long runs together (she's a RN and works 12-hour shifts).  I went ahead and registered for the race last week, before the price increased.  Come to find out this week that the race is sold out now and my friend never registered.  So now, I'm running 2 out of my 3 races by myself.  This means the family will be coming with me and the expenses will quadruple!  Ugh.  I emailed the race director to see if perhaps I could "sell" my spot to someone....we'll see.

The one bright spot in my week came from a couple of packages arriving.  One was from Training Tag-Alongs and the other was from Skirtsports.  Although I had some issues with the nice folks at Training Tag-Alongs initially, their customer service recovery has been great!  I understand that they are a new company and are trying to work out some kinks.  Pictures to come soon of the kiddos in their cute shirts!  I've had such bad luck with online orders lately (in addition to that mess, I've now gone through 3 swim suits, trying to find one that fits) that I was sure my new running skirt wouldn't fit. But, miracle of all miracles, it fits!!  Unfortunately it was too chilly to try it out on my long run yesterday, but hopefully it will warm up this week, so I can give it a try.  My running has continued to go well.  No major aches and pains.  I'm excited for my upcoming races and hope my hard work and dedication will pay off.  You just never know what race day will throw at you.  In any case, I've been extremely thankful to have my running to keep me sane over the past few weeks.  Well, maybe not "sane" persay, but at least functioning!

A wink and a smile....or something like that.

My new-found self sufficiency was apparently a big hoax!  Two weekends ago I had the chance to run with my friends, so I did.  They were only doing 10 miles, I had 15 on my schedule, so I did 5 on my own and then joined them for their 10.  The weather was great, the conversation came easy and before I knew it our run was over.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those days!  I woke up the next day feeling as though I could run another 15.  I really felt strong and great!  Then this weekend came along.  All my "training partners" had other engagements, so I was on my own to do my long run.  No big deal, right?  I headed out to a not-so-scenic bike path with the dingo for our 15 miles.  The morning air was chillier than expected, which made for a painful first few miles.  I finally warmed up after about 25 minutes and trudged along the path.  I think I went maybe an hour without seeing another living soul.  Thank goodness I had my dingo with me, I'd never recommend running on that path alone!  I did purchase a new hydration belt for the occassion.  Usually I can't take the dingo on long runs that require water, because I simply can't manage him and my hand-held amphipod.  I bought the Camelbak Delaney Fit belt.  My running store didn't have the Nathan belt that I wanted and were out of my size in the Amphipod one that I liked.  I kind of felt like I had settled for this one...but it worked out and actually did a good job.  So for those that are keeping count, I now have a SPI belt (that I've used *maybe* a handful of times), an Amphipod handheld (used that throughout my marathon training and for the actual marathon), a Nathan 5K Runner's Pak, and now this Camelbak.  I like to spread my money throughout all of the companies!  In any case, I was glad it only cost me $26 to have somewhat piece of mind, on my lone journey into the unknown.  I made my way to the turn around point and was feeling pretty low.  I was tired and bored.  My legs were a bit stiff.  Still, the dingo and I trudged along.  My saving grace that day was a balding, middle-aged man who gave me the kindest smile and a thumbs up.  Apparently my discouragement was evident on my face.  That was all I needed to pick the pace back up and f inish the run.  I didn't set any records that day, but decided the purpose of that run wasn't to see how fast I could run or to build endurance, but to see how mentally strong I was.  I suppose that's more subjective and it's defnitely something I constantly struggle with.  This weekend I'll be on my own again....but only have 13 miles to contend with.  Tapering has officially begun for my first race!  I also start a new job this week.  I'm leaving the hospital setting and going to work for a homecare company.  I'll be managing patients who are on long-term nutrition support (parenteral and enteral nutrition).  It will hopefuly allow for more flexiblity and a chance to further my studies in the area of nutrition support.  Change is hard and I spent many a runs thinking about making this change.  At least I have my upcoming races to keep me going and to stay focused.  Still working on the wardrobe for the races.  I'm really slacking this time around.  Usually I have my outfits planned out months in advance!  Oh well....

Power of One!

I am over half way through my training plan (well, kinda....but more on that later) for my upcoming half marathons!  I have felt so good and strong on my long runs.  It feels good to run long again!  I'm even happier that I've been training on my own and thriving!  You see, shortly after the marathon in October, I was "dumped" by my training partner (and very talented sister) in the pursuit of a BQ.  Being new to running in general, I had never run more than 10 miles by myself.  I wasn't sure I could do it.  I know a lot of people train by themselves, but I'm a wimp!  I need that distraction, companionship, and confidence that comes from running with others.  Or so I thought.  This training cycle has proved to me that I can do pretty much anything!  I've ran through frigid temperatures, inches of snow/slush/ice and rain.  And I've done it all on my own.  No one expecting me to show up at the crack of dawn for a training run.  No one encouraging me when things get tough.  Just me and the open road....and it's so empowering!  I was really worried about running the Kentucky Derby Festival half by myself.  Now, I think I may rather enjoy running it by myself.  No one to worry about, but me!  Sure, I'm gonna feel like a loser standing at the starting line by myself, but once the gun goes off, I'll be fine.  For my second half marathon in Indy, I'll be running with my good friends.   And as alluded to earlier...I may be doing a third half marathon in Cleveland on May 16th.  This is the marathon my sister is running and I had wanted to go up and cheer her on anyway.  One of my co-workers may be doing this race with me.  That will be 3 half marathons in 4 weeks!  Despite my new found running independence, I think I will be happy to have the added support and companionship on the last two!

These next two weeks will be my biggest mileage weeks and then I'll start tapering down.  It just so happens that I'll be starting a new job in the coming weeks, too.    Nothing like a little stress in one's life!  I just hope and pray for my continued strength and endurance and that I can stay injury-free.  Although my feet/shoe situation isn't ideal right now, I'm working through it.  I'm still trying to find the perfect running skirt.  I really appreciate all the feedback from my earlier post.  I think I'm going to go with the Skirt Sport one.  I was hoping to find one at a local retailer, but no such luck.