Market to Market Relay Race Recap

On Saturday, six days after running the Lincoln Half Marathon, I ran Iowa's second Market to Market Relay.

Market to Market was founded by Ben Cohoon and Jason Bakewell, two guys that I have known forever -- like, elementary school, forever. It started in Nebraska a few years ago, came to Iowa last year, and is heading to Ohio for the first time this year. I'm super excited that the guys are doing well -- and even more excited that they're putting on killer races for me to run. :)

I was a bit nervous going into this race since I was quite injured from Lincoln. You saw my foot a week ago, and I was going to post another pic of it in this post, but I can barely even look at it. You can thank me for sparing you that gruesomeness later. :)

And, let's be real: I ran 13.1 miles after not a whole lot of training, and I had nearly 11 miles to run only six days later.

My nervousness was not without reason.

One thing I was sure of was that we were going to have a freaking blast. My team consisted of seven rockstar staff members from my school: five teachers, a counselor, and our attendance officer.

Are those retro uniforms badass, or what?

We met downtown at 5:30 in the morning to park our cars and load up the minivan that Maggie's parents so generously loaned to us. We then drove 75 miles to Jefferson, Iowa, for the start of the race. (And the further and further that we drove, the more we were thinking that we were bat-shit crazy since we were relying on our legs to get us back to Des Moines.)

Waves started leaving Jefferson at 6:00 a.m., but we didn't have to take off until 7:30. We hung around the starting line for a bit, made sure our gear was ready to go, grabbed some free water, used the facilities, and saw our first runner, Jeff, off:

I love how the trombone-playing gorilla leads the charge.

As soon as Jeff left the gate, my nerves were at a ten. It was my turn to follow him, so I only had about 45 minutes before I actually had to run.

We skid-addled to the first exchange point, where I blasted some Montell Jordan (you know, to get me pumped and ready to go), took care of my normal pre-race porta-potty necessities, and got even more nervous.

Before I knew it, Jeff was in the exchange point and handing me the timing bracelet, and I was off. I had a three-mile stint to start my running for the day, and while it was short, it was pretty much all uphill -- a gradual incline, but a hill nonetheless. And, it started raining almost immediately as I started running.

I started at a pretty good clip (9:30/mile, which is insane for me), so I tired fairly quickly. I took a walk break for one minute at each mile, and that seemed to be a good plan for that leg.

Also, because earbuds weren't allowed on the course, I had to find inspiration elsewhere. For some reason, I thought about my colleague's wife who is battling cancer. I repeated over and over (and over and over some more) to myself, "Running isn't hard: fighting cancer is hard. Running isn't hard: fighting cancer is hard." And I finished those darn miles.

It wasn't my fastest run ever, but I wasn't too disappointed in myself.

Interestingly, my foot didn't hurt all that bad during my run. However, my left leg (hip and knee) were very, very achy, and I'm pretty sure that's because I was somehow overcompensating for my foot -- and likely running just a smidge differently. And, when we stopped at the next exchange point and I got out of the car, my foot started throbbing. So, I took off my shoe and walked around like this the entire day:

Yep: I was pretty darn sexy. (I also ended up wrapping/re-wrapping my foot for each leg. The ointment -- anti-bacterial stuff and/or zinc oxide, gauze, and pre-wrap only held up so well.)

The course was absolutely beautiful. I loved that we got to see so much of the countryside, including grain elevators, cornfields, cows and horses, trees, gardens, and more.

It was so rural, in fact, that we had to wait for a tractor/combine/something to pass:

I don't know why, but this absolutely killed me. Only in Iowa, I suppose.

After everyone ran his or her first leg and Jeff ran his second, it was my turn yet again: and this time, I had to run 4.6 miles.

I was super nervous for this leg, but it ended up going pretty darn well, even though it was approximately 8,000 degrees, and I was wearing a very unbreathable basketball jersey.

The route didn't seem as far because there were more twists and turns (instead of one straight shot like my first run). However, the jaunt to the exchange point seemed to last forever since I could see it about a mile before I actually got there: super ugh.

But, yet again, I did it. This time my mantra was as follows: "Miles to go before I sleep. You are stronger than you think." I repeated this over and over in the same rhythm that I was running. It was very helpful -- so helpful, in fact, that I got annoyed when people tried to say hi or talk to me because it totally broke that rhythm.

At each exchange point, we hung out with several other teams who were also waiting for their runners. My favorite team by far this year was the Husker Tailgate team. I mean, just look at their set-up:

At each stop, they laid down the turf, set up a game of bags, inflated Herbie, erected (tee hee) the sign, and blasted Nebraska-themed music (which I need to acquire).

And, when each runner came into the exchange point, someone ran alongside him or her with a huge Husker flag, and another teammate released three red balloons into the air.

I loved it.

As we continued running and as it started getting warmer, we tried to relax in between runs:

This particular park was absolutely glorious, and I think we were all able to get a bit of a snooze in. (I especially like Emily (far right) who fell asleep with her Gatorade and open bag of beef jerky next to her.)

Shaw and me -- looking pretty fly.

Unfortunately, we got some weather later in the day: the wind picked up like crazy, the temperature dropped quite a bit, the rain started pelting down, and lightning definitely happened. But, we (perhaps foolishly) kept going.

This is also about the time that we started getting really, really far behind all of the other teams, about the time that only three or four other teams were at the exchange points with us. I don't think we did too horribly bad time-wise, but I definitely think we should've been in an earlier heat: it was hard to stay motivated when it was just us and it was clear that we were going to be the last team finishing.

But, we somehow kept on trucking.

My last leg was only another three miles, and I knew it could've gone one of two ways: awesomely because it is a route I run all the time (Ashworth Pool to Gray's Lake) or horribly since I had already run nearly eight miles.

That last leg was a little awesome and a lot horrible. I loved running a route that I knew, but about a mile in, my knee completely gave out. I was limping like crazy, trying to run as much as I could. But, was super tough.

I ended up finishing (barely) with a not-so-awesome time:

There was no mantra for that last leg. Instead, I kept focusing on how much my knee hurt, how badly I just wanted to be done.

I handed off the timing bracelet to Mags, and the rest of the team and I headed downtown to meet her for our last leg of the day: 0.3 miles as a team.

And we did it. It's pretty remarkable to me -- still to think about it even now -- that the seven of us ran a total of 75 miles. I mean, that's pretty unreal.

It was a super-fun day, and I am so glad we did it. I cannot wait for next year -- and will definitely train more so that we don't come in DFL.

Super pumped to take my finishers' pint glass to the after party for some free beer.

Thanks for yet another great race, Ben, Jason, and the rest of the Market to Market team!

Lincoln Half Marathon Race Recap

As I mentioned last night, we had a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call on Sunday morning.

Let's talk about why we opted for such an early rising for a 7:00 a.m. start time. First, Lincoln is about 45 minutes from Omaha, and we were unsure of the traffic situation in downtown Lincoln, near the start of the race. Second, we wanted enough time to digest our food, poop it all out (I apologize to all of you non-runners who read this blog, but runners like to talk about the gross reality of the sport), and get in as much last-minute hydration as possible.

It turns out that we could've slept in a bit longer: even though the race started at 7:00 a.m., my corral didn't end up crossing the start line until about 7:49 a.m. That was a lot of standing around in the cold.

But, in that time I was able to have some pre-race poopies (in the field house, not the porta-potties), which was nice.

You're welcome.

Around 6:30, we decided to head outside and scope out the starting area.

We were so far back in the corrals that we actually had to turn a corner before lining up.

We listened to the National Anthem (and got a bit teary), an invocation (first race I've been to where that happened), a cannon to signify the start of the race, and lots and lots and lots of witty remarks by the announcer -- as we waited nearly an hour to get the heck out of the corrals.

Good thing there was ample time for pre-race selfies.

I was going to listen to my pre-race get-focused playlist (more on that at a later date), but instead, I found myself chatting up the people around me. I was in a group of first-time marathoners, and they were all super nervous. It was awesome hearing them talk about the marathon -- and being able to reassure them that they would do great, that it is such a great accomplishment regardless of time, etc. It made me super pumped for them. I hope their races went well.

Finally, I turned the corner!

Getting closer!

Finally, at 7:49 a.m., I was off.

I had my beats bumpin', my Garmin going, and iSmoothRun telling me when to run and walk. And interestingly, I ignored iSmoothRun for quite a while -- 3.5 miles to be exact. I just felt so good.

For quite a long time (up until the first water stop, actually), I was with the 2:25 pace group -- and, I was feeling good with the 2:25 pace group. After huffing and puffing up a little hill, though, I decided that if I wanted to keep feeling good, I should probably start occasional one-minute walk breaks. So, I did. But, I did not walk every time that iSmoothRun told me to; instead, I gauged how I was feeling and responded appropriately. And that worked very well.

Around mile four, I felt a pretty sweet blister starting to develop on my left arch. I could tell that it was going to be quite the doozy since I had to run another nine miles on it, but I kept on truckin', knowing that if I stopped to treat it in anyway, getting my shoe back on was going to be quite the disaster.

I knew that my family (my dad, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nephew) was going to be cheering at mile five, so I ran quite a while from miles four to five so that I could look strong and amazing when I saw them.

Pic stolen from Aly @ Here Comes Happiness

Unfortunately, they weren't right at mile five and were in fact about half a mile later. I spent that time feeling very annoyed, thinking that I missed them or that they missed me. Then, when I saw them, I got super excited (and likely cut off 18 runners trying to get over to say hi).

Pic stolen from Aly @ Here Comes Happiness

There's not much better than seeing your loved ones on the sideline of a race. I am so incredibly thankful for them.

I also have to say that the crowd support on the Lincoln course was quite possibly the best of any race that I have ever run.

First, there was not one spot on the course that was not lined with people. And absolutely everyone was cheering, often using individuals' names since they were printed boldly on our bibs. Because it was the National Guard Marathon, there were many uniformed men and women along the route, and each time I saw them, I got a little emotional. (Race days are killers for those darn tear ducts, I tell you!)

Second, the spectators were so kind: people had everything from Kleenex to Vaseline to water (between water stops) to oranges. It was so much appreciated.

Third, there were some amazing signs: "Smile if you're not wearing underwear" may have been my favorite. Another sign that followed said, "Or swap it out here" and had about five pairs of whitie-tighties taped to it.

But I digress. Let's get back to me running. :)

After I saw the fam, I headed down a bike trail. Here, a man in front of me took a nasty spill, likely due to walkers.

I need to get on a little tangent here. I love marathon walkers: my mom and my sister are marathon walkers, and I am so incredibly proud of them. And, I know that they have race etiquette. There were so many walkers on this course that walked right in the middle of the road as opposed to on the right side, so runners were constantly having to dart between them. There were also many walkers who walked two or three across so that it was very difficult to pass them, especially in a narrow area like the bike path. (There were two that walked two-across but with one just a bit in front of the other so that it was nearly impossible to get around them.) And third, there were several people who were doing a run/walk like I was but who would stop in the middle of the road/crowd to walk.

This is not okay!

And, I'm pretty sure this is why the poor old man stumbled: he likely tripped over a walker. Anyway, he had a couple of people assisting him, and I ran ahead to get a police officer.

And this leads me to my only other complaint about the Lincoln Half Marathon: there was not a lot of course support. There were a few cyclists, but not too many, and none offered to help runners (at least that I saw); in Des Moines, cyclists often ride next to runners to ask if there is anything they need (Kleenex, Ibuprofen, ice, candy, etc.). The water stops in Lincoln were great -- tons of tables at each one -- but there were not enough. For instance, the first water stop was not until mile three, and there were stops about every 2-2.5 miles thereafter. It'd be nice if there were fewer tables but more stops.

While I was on the bike trail, I passed a man who was wearing a t-shirt that said, "For this race, I'm carrying so-and-so (likely someone who had passed away). We all carry something. Who are you carrying?" The emotions were already running rampant, and that sentiment really got to me.

Shortly before mile ten, my iPhone decided to completely shut off. So, I lost my iSmoothRun stats, my music died, and it totally broke my rhythm. I finally got it to turn back on, but like I said, my rhythm was shot.

At this point I was walking quite a bit more than at the beginning, too.

But, luckily I was on a running stretch when I saw the fam again:

Pic stole from Aly @ Here Comes Happiness

All I remember saying at this point was, "I don't like Gatorade right now. All I want is water." Why I felt the need to share that with them, I don't know. But it was true: Gatorade made me want to puke.

That last 5k was really, really hard. I was mentally beat, and my blister was pretty much raging. But, around mile 11.5, one of my super great friends from kindergarten through high school ran into me. Becki and her friend and I ran together off and on for a little over a mile, and it was so nice to catch up with her and to have some company on the run. Thank you, Becki!

During that last 5k, I also passed a Native American man who was holding up a sign that said, "Remember the Trail of Tears. You can do this" (or something to that effect). Again, I got quite emotional and kept on trucking.

Finally, I approached Memorial Stadium, home of the Huskers. The finish line at the Lincoln Half Marathon is pretty amazing:

Yep, the 50-yard line of the field -- with your picture broadcast hugely on HuskerVision. However, I was too delirious to really appreciate this fact at the time.

I was so delirious, in fact, that I didn't really realize I was done running. I stopped across the finish line and really felt like I was not done yet, that I still had more to go.

Cuckoo...

After I finished being crazy, however, it was hard not to get emotional for the bazillionth time that day. The patriotism was running rampant: it was nearly impossible to not be a proud American at this event. The field was lined with huge American flag, and there were military men and women everywhere -- they lined the chute, too, which made me super emotional (and, despite being utterly out of breath, I was sure to thank each and every one of them on my way to the finish).

I tried to find my family, but they were stuck in traffic, so I sat down on the sideline and stretched for a bit before leaving the stadium.

Oh, and of course I had to take a finisher's selfie:

This is the first Mylar blanket I've gotten after a race. Those things sure make a difference.

Finally, I reunited with the spectators:

Pic stolen from Aly @ Here Comes Happiness
I finally have a picture with my sister-in-law, which means I can stop stealing them from her Facebook page whenever I talk about her! Now we just need one where one of us is not covered in sweat.

We cheered my mom and my sister across the finish line, and then we all headed back to Aly's parents' house for a hot shower and an amazing brunch spread. (Thank you so much, Lucy, for such a wonderful post-race gathering! It was so greatly appreciated!)

My official time was 2:45:20, just 36 seconds off of a PR. Considering I was sorely underprepared for this particular race, I am not disappointed in the least. I know that I will be much more prepared for Dam to Dam (at the end of May), the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon (at the end of July), and for sure the Des Moines Half Marathon (at the end of October). I'm hoping I can hit 2:30 at one of those.

But, like I said, I'm so very proud of my Lincoln race. I pretty much kicked its ass.

And, now let's talk about that blister, shall we? (Warning: graphic pictures ahead.)

Here's what I looked like at school yesterday (and what I'm planning on looking like at school today):

Not so bad, right? Well, that is until I noticed later in the day that I was both oozing and bleeding through my bandage (zinc oxide covered by gauze held together by pre-wrap).

When I got home, I saw the disaster that was underneath:

Yep. That'll be fun to run 10+ miles on this Saturday.

But you know what? It's a battle wound -- and I totally earned it.

Pre-Race Weekend Recap

Hello, friends!

I'm so sorry that I've been missing since Saturday morning, but I've been awfully busy. You know, those half marathons don't just run themselves. :)

As you know, I headed hOmaha this past weekend. My sister Erin and I left Friday after school and got home just in time for dinner: delicious gnocchi. We then chilled with the parents for a bit, and then I persuaded my dad to watch a movie with us -- and then promptly fell asleep about 30 minutes in.

After sleeping in for a bit on Saturday, my mom, my sister, and I headed to Lincoln for packet pickup and the race expo.

Weird photo, but oh well.

I absolutely LOVE race expos, but I wasn't really looking forward to this particular one because when I ran Lincoln in 2012, the expo was pretty darn lame. This year, it was much, much better. I bought two Bondi Bands (I buy one for each major race I run, so I bought one for Lincoln and one for this week's Market to Market) and a Run Nebraska tank top:

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I mean, you can never have enough t-shirts to show your state pride (especially when you live in a different state), right?

My sister also bought the three of us shoe charms:

Thanks, Bear!

After checking out absolutely everything at the expo, we headed to the Haymarket neighborhood for a bite to eat at Old Chicago and an ice cream cone at Ivanna Cone, the cutest little ice cream parlor. Side note: it's always a good idea to have an ice cream cone before a half marathon, especially when you haven't had dairy for about three months...

How cute was this message on the stairs leading up to the ice cream parlor?

Then, we headed to Aly's parents' house for some family time with Alex, Aly, and this little guy:

Look at the size of that hand! (I mean, I know there's the whole closer-to-the-camera thing,
but still: that's the hand of a big boy!

Is he a beautiful baby, or what?

I seriously don't think I could love Brody any more than I already do. And, I do have to say that I'm pretty sure he loves me right back. Now I just need to figure out a way to see him every few weeks so that he doesn't forget who I am...

When Brody went down for a nap, it was time for us to head back to Omaha. I spent a little time outside, soaking up the glorious sun:

Oh, how I wish I had a patio at my apartment. I would spend all summer like this.

After not too long, I decided to make sure everything was ready for The Big Day:

Clockwise from bottom left, I had two GUs, my Spibelt, my earbuds, my Garmin, my Brooks, my drugs (Ibuprofen and Immodium), two fruit chews, socks, Vaseline, the earrings and bracelet (miles to go before I sleep) I always wear, my hair tie, my new Bondi Band, my capris, my sports bra, and my running top with bib pinned and ready to go.

We had a fairly early dinner of spaghetti, salad, and bread:

Then my mom, my sister, and I crashed super early, as we had a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call.

Stay tuned 'til tomorrow for the actual race recap. :)

Five Favorites -- Running Edition

As we enter race season (in which I plan to run five half marathons) and as I prepare to run my first race this weekend, I thought I'd do a Five Favorites -- Running Essentials Edition.

This is quite a lengthy Five Favorites post, however, as I crammed about 18,000 things into five categories: bear with me.

1. Shoes

First, the most important thing is a good shoe. And, a good shoe for one person is definitely not necessarily a good shoe for all people. Because I know what I like and what works for me, when I need a new pair of shoes, I simply head to Scheel's or just order online if I can find it somewhere else cheaper.

If you are new to running and/or don't yet know what works for you, I highly recommend hitting up a specialty running store (here in Des Moines that would be Fitness Sports or the Running Room). The salespeople at these stores will analyze how you run, look at other shoes you own (to check the wear and tear), and suggest a running shoe that will be best for you.

Currently, I'm running in Brooks PureCadence 2s, although I occasionally switch it up with my Asics GT 2000s, the shoe that I have used for the past several years (and have worn through several times over).

2. Clothing

After a good running shoe, the second most important thing is quality running clothes. I used to purchase expensive, quality brands (specifically Under Armor and Nike), but now ever since I have discovered Old Navy Activewear, that is really all that I buy. Seriously, their compression capris/tights are the absolute best: they don't fall down your booty as you trudge up hills, they're cute and flatter, and most importantly, they're thick enough to not show your goodies as you bend over to stretch.

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Seriously, I cannot get enough of these workout clothes, and they're pretty much the only thing occupying space in my closet as we speak.

The only piece of clothing that I don't buy from Old Navy is socks. Because I am so blister-prone, I get special blister socks, and the ones that I like best are from Nike:

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They're the only socks I trust for long runs.

Yet another essential clothing item is something for your head, something to wick away the sweat and, if you're like me, to keep the wispies out of your eyes. As I mentioned in one of my Five Favorites posts, I personally prefer Bondi Bands for this very purpose.

Bondi Bands stay put no matter how strenuous my workout is, they wick away the sweat no matter how humid the workout is, and as an added bonus, they keep my ears warm if needed.

Finally, a SPIbelt is an absolute must for long runs.

I look exactly like her as soon as I put my SPIbelt on.
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Basically, a SPIbelt is a tiny little fanny pack that is quite expandable, perfect for holding my iPhone, a couple of GUs, some emergency Immodium, and whatever else I deem necessary the day of a long run.

3. Technology

First, while not absolutely necessary, I really enjoy running with GPS. I used to prefer my Garmin:

Pictured with my SPIbelt and yet another running essential, my motivational bracelet.

However, the watch is pretty bulky and makes my arm a bit sweaty, and I find that I'm constantly looking at it when it's so readily available. So, I decided to put it away for a while.

In its place, I've been using my favorite running app, iSmoothRun, instead. (I previously mentioned this particular app in a Five Favorites post a few weeks ago.)

I like that the app is customizable: I can have Carmen (the Garmin voice) talk to me according to time or distance (I have her set to notify me at each mile), I can have her tell me when to run vs. walk according to the Galloway method, I can have her give me a warm-up and/or a cool down, etc. And, it's more accurate than older versions of other running apps.

In addition to a good form of GPS, a quality playlist is yet another technological item on my running essentials list. I've mentioned it a few times, but inspirational songs as well as songs that remind me of friends and family are very important motivational tools for me.

4. Drugstore Items

There are three things that I always make sure I have on hand prior to any long run and, especially, big races: Vaseline (as previously discussed in a Three Thanks post), Immodium, and Ibuprofen.

Vaseline is a super-cheap version of Body Glide and is imperative in preventing chafing. I personally slather that crap all over my feet (arches and heels), my boobs (since I chafe so badly there that it looks like I have implant scars), and my inner arms (since they rub my tank-top seams, apparently).

I always take two Immodium prior to racing, regardless of how my tummy feels. And, I always carry a couple more in my SPIbelt, as I want to do everything I can to prevent Bridesmaids-ing in the middle of a run.

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Finally, I take two Ibuprofen prior to running, just to ward off the stabbing pain that I just know my kneecaps are going to be inflicting on my calves in the middle of the run. (I also know that this is generally a discouraged practice, but whatever: it works for me.)

5. Fuel

One of the best parts of running long distances is the fact that it's not only socially acceptable but also strongly encouraged that you eat during your workout. Apparently the body needs some quick and dirty energy or something.

Prior to starting this Whole30 / Paleo lifestyle, my mid-race fuel was GU:

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Essentially, it's a packet of carbohydrates, amino acids, electrolytes, and caffeine, all of which form the consistency of hair gel. You're supposed to take a shot of GU 15 minutes before the workout and then every 45 minutes during the workout.

My pre-Paleo fuel also included Twizzlers, gummy bears, and sports beans (Jelly Bellies) -- anything to fill my body with sugar.

Now that I'm trying to eat a wholly clean, unprocessed diet, however, I have had to rethink my fuel. Target makes a great brand of clean fruits snacks (that I discussed on a previous Five Favorites post), and I've also found some pouches of baby food that should work well.

Expect an update on that next week.


What are your "must-haves" for long runs and races?


Find previous "Five Favorites" here:

• Five Favorites 8
• Five Favorites 7
• Five Favorites 6
• Five Favorites 5
• Five Favorites 4
• Five Favorites 3
• Five Favorites 2
• Five Favorites 1