Utah Valley Marathon, June 2015

Saturday, I ran my second full marathon, the Utah Valley Marathon.  Pain you enjoy they say..... I picked this race for a few reasons.  Some friends were training for it, and it was highly rated online, and even in Runners World.

My Marathon Recap - Part 2

Welcome to Marathon Recap Part II

More of a running recap than a race recap.  

Let me start by saying something shocking.

This wasn't as hard or as glamorous as I thought.

Yeah yeah, it was a small race, It wasn't Boston or NY, it didn't have the huge crowds, nostalgia or hype.  But it just didn't feel like I thought it would.  I mean, don't get me wrong, it was 26 miles and I was tired by the end, but at no point did I feel like I couldn't go on, or something hurt really bad, or that I never wanted to run again.  Your normal aches and pains, normal wanting to be done running, but I think I kicked this marathon's butt. 

I drove to Providence on my own for the 7:15 lineup of the race.  At the start line I turned on my GoPro and I was off.   We left downtown Providence and headed out towards Barrington, Rhode Island.  Instead of going into exhausting detail mile by mile, I will just share some funny excerpts, aka conversations I had with myself throughout the run.  I also had my go pro on my head the entire race and I took some clips/pictures of my race-  SO easy to take picture when your camera is on your head.  Will put together a little video at a later date. 

Lace up your sneaks.. here we go!

Mile 1:  Yay look at all these people running a marathon.  Oh my god I just passed two visually impaired people running this marathon with guides.  The only thing worst than running a marathon has to be running a marathon with your eyes closed.  I officially have no right to complain.

Miles 2-3:  Wow this is depressing.  23 miles left! That is a sad thought.  Shut up, Katie, you just saw the visually impaired runners and said you would stop complaining... that didn't last long.

Miles 3-5:  Hey legs are starting to warm up... this isn't so bad..... I just want to get past 6 and out of the 20 miles left category because that is just so depressing.

Miles 5-8:  I AM SO HUNGRY- I don't want GU or Shot Blocks, I want real food.  This marathon is really interrupting my normal breakfast time.  No Me Gusta-  Hey, pretty water. 

Miles 8-10:  IT'S A DUNKIN DONUTS!!!!! RIGHT THERE ON THE COURSE.  I could go in and just get half a bagel, you know, some running fuel I am really hungry.  Oh wait I didn't bring any money with me- stupid stupid.  Wait, maybe if I go in and tell them I am running a marathon and I am hungry they will feel bad for me and give me a bagel.

Miles 10-12:  Bagel was a no go- realized not the best idea. I heard there are bananas on course,  I need to find some real food.  Fine I will settle for a Shot Blok.   Oh more water views. 

Miles 13-15:  YES! Half way there.  this is usually when I cross the half marathon finish line and say "wow I could never do that again- I will never run a marathon".  But here I am.  Oh my friends should be here any minute.  I hope to see them soon.  Oh this bike path is so pretty la de dah.  Wish I had a bike....

Miles 15-17:  I can't find my friends.   Where are they?   Note to self: call them.  I am running slow enough.... This is a nice neighborhood.  I am really jealous of everyone sitting in chairs.

Mile 18:  Oh hey look it's my parents aunt and uncle!  And cousins!  With a cow bell!   Nice little boost of energy at mile 18 just when I need it

Mile 19:  While the water is gorgeous, I am running down a path with water on both sides, with (what feels like) tornado winds.  I think I am running in a vacuum.  Am I moving forward?  Call friends, Liz says they are at mile 20.  Yay one more mile till I find them!

Mile 20.5:  Where are they... they said 20....

Mile 21:  LIZ WHERE ARE YOU GUYS -  Oh at mile 23... oh okay... that's really off but that's fine.  Oh hey... it's marathon Larry!  This guy has run over 1300 marathons.  Wow that's like... a lot a year.  I get dumb when I run. No math for me.  See ya Larry. 

Mile 22:  This hill really sucks.  I mean look... everyone is walking... in fact I have barely seen anyone running after mile 20.  I am walking up this hill too.  Lazy runners unite.

Mile 23.5  WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS-  They hate me.   They must be at the wrong marathon.  Why are they doing this to me.  I HAVE NO FRIENDS  they lied to me.  This is the meanest trick ever.

Mile 24:  Yeah they aren't coming.  They hate me.  I just want to finish this stupid race and go home.   Oh look at that boxer in the car... Hey its Courtney's dog Leni...  but who is that guy.  OH MY GOD SOMEONE STOLE LENI.  

Mile 25:  No one stole Leni- you have just lost your shit.  One more mile and change and then you can get some grub.  Maybe a cheeseburger... or a Turkey club.. options are endless.  GIVE ME ALL THE FOOD.

Photo Cred:  Gameface Photography.  

Mile 25.5:  THERE THEY ARE!! ITS MY FRIENDS!!! THEY LOVE ME!! THEY CAME!! THEY MADE SIGNS!!! They were off my five miles but I DON'T CARE LIFE IS WONDERFUL.  OH here take my sweaty arm bands and my sweaty camel bak.  See ya at the finish. 

Mile 26:  Okay.. I am at 26... and the finish line is no where in sight.  That was a long half mile and  wow I didn't know .2 was so far.

26.3:    I SEE IT! The finish line!  Hey dude-  PASSED YA BITCH -  cruising cruising... OH MY FRIENDS!!! Cheesy wave and smile... Courtney Kristen and the boxers, oh there is Ashley and Jon and Lilly, oh and my parents.  Aunt uncle and cousin- wow I am loved.  If you want to see how many amazing friends and family you have, run a marathon.  Wait I minute...26.3? I have been cheated....Now I can eat.

I had visions of me tearing up as I crossed the finish line,  an item off the bucket list, overwhelming pride an joy.  Yes I was happy, and excited, and all my friends and family were at the end, and the crowd was fantastic, but I just felt... normal.  My father is impressed by my post marathon status... and tells me how big of an accomplishment it was.  I sort of over think it and think its kind of silly... I ran 26 miles and ended up in the same place.  I remind myself its not the race but all the miles leading to this race that counted.  That made me a marathoner.  Those miles were the real struggle. 

I grabbed my foil cape, a water, 1/4 of a wrap, and hung out while I found my family.  I saw people hobbling and stretching, crawling and stumbling.... but I felt okay. 

I think my "success" was in my run walk program.  I ran 2 miles, walked 1 minute throughout the entire race.  This gave me legs a quick break, not pounding on the same muscles for 4.5 hours, and allowed me to break the race into 2 mile intervals.  Below are my splits (this time includes the walking). 

It doesn't feel like it really happened.  I mean my watch said 26.3... I had a medal... I ran all of the miles.. But I don't feel any different.  Hah oh well.  Now I never have to run again if I don't want to.  Best. Feeling. Ever

If I ever run again I think its going to be 5k 10k stuff.  I mean the marathon didn't feel so bad but the 4+ months of training and long run weekends is something I rather never do again. 

Well, thanks for following me on my marathon journey.  And thanks for all your support along the way.  Now that the race is over, I am going to focus on shorter distances, some speed work, and get back into Body Pump and weight training.  

Onto bigger and better different things!

Cox Providence Rhode Races- Marathon Recap (Part 1)

I ran a marathon and then disappeared from the blog world for a week. 

 Surprise! I am still alive.  Although my phone did die at mile 26.1 and someone tracking me from home thought I died .1 miles from the finish.

It was just a hectic week with moving out of my apartment and an overnight horse show up in New York for a few days.  BUT Sunday I found some time to recap my race.  Being my first marathon, I have SO much to say-- so I decided to break it into two parts, the first part more of a review of the race and how it was held, an the second more of a running recap.

  It is long, so sit back grab a coffee and enjoy.  

Saturday night I laid out my clothes and gadgets to make sure I had everything I needed for race day.   The forecast was warm and sunny so I planned accordingly:  Sports bra, blue tank top, Lululemon shorts, compression socks, a nike running hat, ipod arm band, camelbak with 2 nuun tabs, Shok Blocks, energy beans, headphones, sunglasses, advil, gopro, gopro head strap.   Everything charged, packed, ready to go for an early morning start.  

I woke up Sunday morning at 4:30 to be out of my house for 5:00.  I had to drop Olive off at my parents house, and make the hour and a half drive to Providence, Rhode Island.  The race started at 7:30 but I wanted to be there for 6:30 to have time to park, pickup my bib and goody bag, get my locker, stretch, and head to the start for 7:15.   I had a bagel with peanut butter and banana (ate half) and a coffee for breakfast.  

I pre-purchased a locker online and was glad I did. (Company is called Blue Trailer- what an awesome idea).   For $7 I had a key to a locker, where I could stash some goodies I did not want to run with.  This meant I could avoid gear check all together and know my belongings were safely locked away, and I could access them whenever I wanted without a line.  

Before the race, I  read some reviews of the race and how it was organized, to know a little better what I was getting in to.  Some people complained of mile markers, port o potty issues, non descriptive shirts, running out of supplies, and boring medals.  But I will say they seemed to have fixed every complaint.   Packet pick up was smooth-  I had no issues getting my number in a timely fashion.  There were bathrooms with short lines in the convention center (at pickup)  and a ton of port o potties lined up near the start of the race.  

The shirts are cute, navy blue tech shirt with white and aqua lettering, with the marathon and 26.2 screaming across the top.  They were out of smalls and mediums when I got to packet pick up but I was planning to put it in a frame with my medal anyway (so many race shirts I don't wear and this one is special). 

As I lined up at the start, I was truly in awe at how beautiful the weather was.  It was 70s, sunny, and a gorgeous day.  It was almost a little too warm for running, but much better than rain.  The sun was bearable thanks to the 15-20 mph winds that were whipping off the water.   The race started about 10 minutes late, which isn't bad compared to many races.   The announcer was upbeat and fun and a little toy helicopter filmed the start of the race.  The national anthem played, everyone got organized, and it was race time!

The gun started and we were off.  We left from the convention center in downtown Providence and headed out.  The course was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  Right along the water, through quaint little neighborhoods, and on this adorable bike trail. 

The parts that were on the main roads were coned off and there were policemen and volunteers at all intersections and turns.  The volunteers were so helpful and so encouraging, and all of the aid stations had plenty of GUs, gatorade, water, and bananas.  I was really impresed by the organization of this marathon, before and during the race. 

There were photographers all over the course, and oh, did I mention the pictures were available online for free?    This was awesome.  There were spectators throughout the entire course.  Being a "smaller" marathon, some parts were sparse in the cheering department but for the most part, they were all over the course and very encouraging.  

The last few miles of the course were hilly, but at that point, I was just happy to be nearing the end.  As I came around the corner to the coral, I basically had the finish line to myself.  I heard and saw all my friends and family and the energy of the crowd was amazing.  I crossed that finish line with a huge smile on my face and lots of pictures to prove it.   

After crossing the finish line I got my medal, foil sheet, water and gatorade.  There were also wraps and snacks for the runners in the corral.  Attached to my bib was a ticket for a free Narraganset which I declined until my stomach was a little more settled post race.  I was easily reunited with my family and we soaked in the rest of the sunshine and glory of running 26.2.

The medals were nice, they had the name of the race and "Marathon" right on the ribbon, and the medallion itself had the Cox Logo and Providence (capitol?) on it.  

Again, I was really impressed with this race, especially after reading the reviews on previous years.  They had addressed/fixed every issue I had read in the reviews, and put together a well organized race on a beautiful course.   The timing of the marathon was also perfect, there are not many spring marathon options in New England besides Boston (which you have to qualify or fund-raise).  This race was only $100, two weeks after Boston, and perfect for my training schedule.   I highly recommend this marathon to anyone looking for a spring marathon.  If you are one of the "50 staters", then make this your Rhode Island race.  

Stay tuned for my running recap of the race!

Marathon Training -Schedule and What I learned

Hey guys- Before I get started-- head on over to Sara's blog Loving On The Run to check out my Blogger Feature on her blog!!  Sara is the super cute super sweet runner and blogger who wrote a guest post for me a few weeks ago (Thanks Sara!)  She is also a marathoner and I have really loved reading her blog for tips tricks and inspiration.

Okay- Now.....Four days- FOUR DAYS!  Four days until my first marathon!

People keep asking me if I am nervous, if I think I am ready, and a bunch of other questions.   I wouldn't call it nervous, and I suppose I am ready, I guess above all I am just really.... intimidated.  26.2... that is a lot of miles no matter how much you train.

To calm the pre-marathon nerves I decided to go over my training schedule to remind myself I am ready.  Note:  I kind of did a more "non-traditional" marathon training schedule.  After my first attempt at training, and a few injuries, I really learned A LOT about what works for my body.  So I guess let's back track and share the 10 rules/things I learned that helped "shape" my training schedule.

I learned:

 1.  3 days of running is the perfect amount for my body-- anything more than this and shin splints and injuries start to rear their ugly head.  

2.  Cross training is key for those non running days to help prevent injury and keep "morale" high

3.  Strength training will help strengthen my "weak areas" and help me with running and horseback riding (hello upper body strength I never had)

4.  Integrating yoga with my long run (day before) REALLY helped, especially with random foot pains and cramps
5.  How to properly fuel during my runs (don't over fuel") and while other people really rely on Gu's and supplements, I sort of learned that less is more for me.

6.  Always carry water on any distance over 8 miles-  hydration makes or breaks a run.

7. The importance of stretching before and AFTER each run- especially on that tendinitis ankle. 

8.  ice ice baby -  Ice baths after a long run REALLY helped with recovery.  And icing that tendinitis ankle made sure that injury stayed away.

9.  Track my mileage (I use daily mile) -  It is such a confidence booster to see my mileage increase every week.  The first time I hit 100, then 200, and 300 for the year with my marathon.  Also a great way to track when it is time to change out your kicks. 

10.  Buy TWO pairs of your favorite sneakers.  That way when you wear out your first pair, the second are there and waiting, no need to procrastinate about hitting the shoe store and spending more $$$.

NOTE:  I ran 3 days a week- sometimes two if I was having some soreness or I was sick.  BUT I did supplement my running with:  Hiking, walking, body pump, yoga, and horse back riding :)

Through the month of December I did a few 3 mile runs during the week and a 6 mile run every Friday throughout the entire month.  First week of January I started this "marathon training schedule" and these are the miles I ran ( 2 shorts during the week, long on a Friday or the weekend).  My runs varied from the track, the state forest, speed work, hill work, and a few treadmill runs.

Week 1:       3, 3, 7

Week 2:       2, 3, 8

Week 3:       4, 3, 9

Week 4:       3, 3, 10

Week 5:       5, 3, 6

Week 6:       5, 3, 12

Week 7:       3, 3, 5, 13

Week 8:       3, 5, 14

Week 9:       3, 3, 15

Week 10:     3, 5, 16

Week 11:     5, 4, ?   

Week 12:     3, 3, 18    

Week 13:     3, 3, 20   

Week 14:     3, 13       

Week 15:     3, 3, SICK

Week 16:     3, 10       

Week 17:     3, 4, RACE 26.2     (Marathon will bring me over 300 miles for the year!)

Compared to A LOT of runners- this is the complete slacker plan on running a marathon-  Minimal mileage, minimal days running, minimal effort.  BUT I know what works for my body, and what works for my schedule.  My goal was to run a marathon, not win one, and I was not willing to sign my life over to marathon training.  I missed a few runs, BUT the most important thing?  I did the distance, I got to my 20 miler, and came back on the other side INJURY FREE!

So yes-  I am ready-  I am prepared- I am trained-  and I am soooo excited ;)