Race Ramblings

Saturday, April 24, 2010 I ran my first Mini Marathon! (Don’t know why they call it a “mini”….13.1 miles does not seem mini to me!) What an amazing experience it was!! It wasn’t quite what I thought it would be in some ways, and it surprised me in others.

Friday, the night before, my friend Sarah and I left Wilmore around 4pm to drive to Louisville. We stopped at Buca di Beppo’s to eat dinner out! This was WAY exciting – as Sarah and I never get to eat out together, let alone BY OURSELVES! (Plus, I had a $10 off coupon, which made the meal even tastier!) The company at dinner was splendid and the meal divine. (For those food lovers out there: We ate an amazing Granny Smith Apple & Walnut Salad and Gnocchi: served family style) I tried to get Sarah to stay on a “race themed” evening with me…throwing race lingo into our conversation at unexpected moments, but that didn’t last too long. One enjoyable part of the restaurant was the bathroom – they have hilarious vintage posters covering the walls. We stood in there and laughed for quite a while!
After dinner, we drove on to the Expo to pick up our race packets, which included our race bibs. When we parked and started walking in the nerves began! It was exciting though. I felt a bit out of my league with some of the people there, but most of the people looked pretty normal! We picked up our packets and walked through the vender tables. Sarah and I both bought a running belt to wear – it has 2 zipper pockets to hold your phone, key, Mp3…whatever. I like to call it my Running Fanny.
Then, we decided it would be a good idea to drive the race route to get a feel for what to expect. Maybe that wasn’t a very good idea, actually. The route was very FLAT. Driving it made it feel pretty long and Sarah and I may have both had the “deer in the headlights” look on our faces. Not to mention the small little detail that we managed to get ourselves lost around Iroquois Park. Thank goodness for a GPS!!
We spent the night at my cousin’s house in L’ville. Jennifer had a guest room all ready for us! Sarah and I were thankful to sleep in her house vs a hotel. Not to mention it was seriously the most comfortable bed either of us had ever slept in. The comfy bed made it into many a joke for the remainder of the weekend. (calling it “the happy place”) Unfortunately, neither one of us slept more than two hours that night in that wonderful bed - - nerves are an awful thing to try to sleep through!

Saturday morning we stumbled out of bed at 4:45am so we could leave by 5:15am. We were parked in downtown L’ville and on the bus for the starting line by 6:15am or so. They were calling for RAIN on race day. Actually, thunderstorms. I was mostly nervous about the rain. I was terrified of running in soggy conditions for so long. It was pretty rainy as we were preparing for the race, but I was really praying for it to clear up! I was not prepared to see the Porta-Potty lines. WHA?! There must have been 50 stations set up – with about 30 lines of people waiting. Sarah and I were in line for 30 minutes waiting. During this time it POURED on us! We stood there huddled together, shaking from the cold, and wishing we had purchased the $7 poncho from Rite Aid the night before. (Both of us were too cheap to spring for something we’d end up throwing away) The rain didn’t last though, and by the time we found our “corral” to start in, the rain had stopped. (Praise JESUS!)

Sarah and I were in Corral C and were soon joined by Lindsay Aja – another Wilmore running buddy. Lindsay decided to torture herself and run the FULL Marathon! Wow! – 26.2 miles!!! She did an amazing job, too. We stood there waiting, stretching, praying, and texting. I had heard that my fam had just made it to L’ville and were planning to be around Mile 10. (This included Ryan, Mackenzie, Nate, Addelyn, and Mom & Dad!)

I divided the race into 5 sections – for my own mental state of mind:
1. Iroquois Park – first 4 miles. Hilliest section
2. Miles 4-6
3. Mile 6 – Churchill Downs
4. Miles 7-10 – Looking for family during this section
5. Miles 11-13 – the final section – thru downtown.
I was hopeful that this would help me mentally tackle this race.

The race began at 7:30 – and we crossed the Starting Line at 7:44am. About the time I crossed the start line, I heard the loud speakers announce that 11,000 runners had already crossed. That’s a lot of people, folks! (There were 15,000 people registered to race) My feet were soaking wet from the Porta-Potty rain episode and they felt gross – it doesn’t get much worse than wet socks! It rained off and on for the first 4 miles, then was overcast until the last 20 minutes full of sunshine. I did all my training in Wilmore, which is littered with hills. The first 4 miles of the race was in Iroquois Park – supposedly the hilliest part of the race. I felt great throughout this part. The hills were not a challenge at all, I actually loved this part because it was gorgeous through there. I had thought a lot about how it would be running with that many people. But, I really wasn’t quite prepared for how frustrating it would be. Throughout the first 4 miles there were so many people walking or at different strides, that it made it incredibly difficult to find a good pace and we spent a lot of energy trying to dodge in and out of small pockets.

Once we exited Iroquois Park people were able to spread out much more. This led to a new problem, though. Flat Streets! Who knew that running on flat streets could pose itself as a problem to me?! Maybe it was boredom, or maybe I really DO appreciate climbing a hill for the sole purpose of finding some reprieve as I go down a hill. Anyway, I would say that miles 4-6 were very mentally hard for me.

At mile 6 we got to go into Churchill Downs and run the inside track. (Where the Kentucky Derby is run) The only good thing about this was that it was a nice distraction to the aforementioned Flat Streets! We did get to see some horses running the track a little bit, but mostly we couldn’t see much of anything. I saw the big bell tower and told Sarah to remember it, because in a week when they ran the Derby we’d be remembering this run! My Dad is from L’ville and I grew up watching The Derby, so that made this part pretty cool to me. At this point, I could feel that my wet socks were creating new blister points. They were slightly annoying, but not super painful yet. My mind kept going back to the fact that my feet were wet – it was a struggle to try to forget about it.

Once we exited Churchill Downs we knew that we could start looking for our families – this gave us a reason to look around and get excited! We saw Jason & Cora, Sarah’s family right at Mile 8 – it was SO fun seeing them! We clapped and cheered and it really gave us some much-needed energy. I spent the next 2 miles searching for my family. My coworker and Saturday morning running friend, Kelly, gave my kids little windmills to hold in the air. It was a great idea and gave me something to look for as well. I was searching so hard and was afraid of missing them. Right when I was starting to freak myself out that I wouldn’t get to see them - -there they were! Around mile 10.25!! I saw them pretty far out (thanks to the windmill) and threw my hands in the air waving! Didn’t want them to miss me or anything. ;) They cheered for me and I cheered for them! Mackenzie was first in line, holding her sweet sign that she made for me! (“Way to go Mom!” and “You Rock A Lot!”) Before I could stop myself I grabbed her and kissed her, then kissed each and every one of them! It took all of 3.2 seconds and I continued on my way. What a rush. That was my very favorite part of the race. Knowing they came for ME. Stood on the side of the street and watched for ME. Cheered and encouraged ME. I loved them immensely in that moment and was SO thankful that I was able to see them. I really felt the hard part of the race was behind me and there was only a little bit left.

And here they are: The family waiting at Mile 10:


The first spotting...

Mackenzie was out front and waiting!

My "run-by kissing"...


And I'm off again.

And this might be where the mental breakdown began. There were no milemarkers during the race. I only saw two of them actually, and I heard afterwards that some of them were stolen. Either way, they definitely weren’t even big enough for runners to see. That was a huge challenge. I had no idea where we were in the race and it also made it hard to stick to a pace. Around mile 11, we thought we were at mile 12. That’s not a good thing! So, the last 20 minutes or so felt so painful. Around every turn we were expecting to see the Finish Line and had no idea where it was. I remember my body aching. It started with my feet. At mile 8 they started tingling – as if they had fallen asleep. (maybe the wet socks?!) By mile 11 they were hurting incredibly bad. The pain crept up to my calves. Then at mile 12 or so, my back started aching. I tried to find a new mental ground – I could tell this was going nowhere fast! I pulled myself together a bit, or at least tried to, and thought about how far I had come. I really couldn’t believe what I was accomplishing, when just 4 months earlier I couldn’t run a mile. Then I thought of all the early morning runs I had put in. This led to how thankful I am to the Lord for being with me during EVERY run. For running every mile with me. For encouraging me and giving me strength. For allowing my back the strength needed to run this, when only 7 years ago I could barely WALK. The tears began to brim at my eyes. Then, my throat began to constrict and I realized that I wouldn’t be able to run and cry at the same time. So, I quickly shut off the tears.  I started thinking about Meredith, aka “Coach”. Another Wilmore friend and running mate. She is always SO encouraging and I knew that she had full confidence in me. (She was running her Full Marathon in Nashville at the exact same time.) It wasn’t too much longer before we rounded the blessed corner and saw the Finish Line waiting for us. I don’t know what took over me. Maybe it was a Churchill Downs flashback and I felt like a horse out of the starting gate, maybe it was the tingly feet…I couldn’t really feel too much, or maybe it was desperation. I took off! I ran faster than I ever have before! I hardly touched the ground! I could hear crowds of people cheering and clapping. A smile reached my lips and I couldn’t stop the cheesy grin even if I tried. And then I passed the Finish Line! 2 hours and 25 minutes after I started. I wanted to cry, but couldn’t. (once again, choice of crying or breathing – breathing won.) I wanted to hug my family, but couldn’t. (trying to maneuver 2 strollers and a 6 yr old through crowds takes a while. Plus, it wasn’t the greatest layout for the fans there.) Instead, I held onto my medal, grabbed a Powerade, and sat on the curb. I had done it. I found a goal, trained for it, and reached it. I'm honored that I was able to complete it and so thankful to Jesus for being with me.

Once Sarah and I were able to hobble out towards the crowds we found some of our group. Then sat by a playground and waited for the rest. I imagined a tearful reunion with Ryan. We had both anticipated this day and moment for so long. But, I was so tired and hungry that all I needed was to hug him. He said all the right things, once again. I’m so lucky to have been matched with someone who is so supportive of anything I do. I hugged my parents and felt blessed to have them as mine. I’m still stunned that they realized the depth of this accomplishment of mine and came to support me. And, of course, I hugged each of my children. I am so proud of them and could see that they were proud of their Mother. Maybe that is what I wanted to see all along.

World's Greatest Husband and Kids:


My parents and I:


Sarah and I wearing our medals proudly!




I rested for a bit and then began the trek back to the van. (I think it was at least a 5k) The kids took turns trying on my medal. We made it out of there and headed to Red Robin for lunch. Talk about delicious! (Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!) We drove home in the POURING rain. We couldn’t see the car in front of us – I was once again amazed that God had given me sunshine during my run!! Once home, I showered and fell asleep on the living room floor. I was told that Nate was climbing all over me and talking in my ear…I don’t remember that at all! Dad took us out for a Dairy Queen blizzard…what a wonderful treat!!

Addelyn was asleep before we could get back to the van...


Nate (the animal lover) was okay as soon as he found a cool piece of art.


A delicious meal at Red Robin!:



The competitive side of me is never completely satisfied. I was instantly disappointed with my time. Everyone says that your goal on your 1st race should be to finish – to not even put a time on it. Whatever. Everyone knows I can’t do that. So, I began to analyze it right away. For the next few nights it kept me awake even. How could I have done better? What could I have changed? There were a few unexpected things I hadn’t considered before hand:
-wet socks. I know that slowed me down.
-no mile markers to set a pace to.
-the crowds in the beginning and weaving in and out through them.
-miles 11-13 were so mentally challenging.

So, that made me feel a bit better in a “maybe that makes a little bit of sense” kind of way.

But, for me, it really comes down to this: I ran the race. Just like anyone, adding anything onto my schedule is a challenge. As a wife, mother to 3, and part-time employee my life is pretty full already. I came a long way – and I’m happy to have reached my goal. The first 4 weeks of this experience in January, I kept a running journal. Here’s a quote from the very first day: “Monday, Jan. 4, 2010 = Ran 1.25 mi outside in 20 deg temps. 5:15-5:30pm. Thought I might die and my esophagus did burn the rest of the night! Made it though.”



I’m so happy to have this experience to reflect on. And, it’s not over yet…this morning I went for a run.