Turkey Trot Half Marathon Race Report

On Saturday I ran in in the Schaumburg Half Marathon which is about 45 minutes from my parents' house. I had this on my calendar since the summer and it was going to test my speed training to see how much I've improved.

Apparently I was in the eager bunch because my number ended up being 212 out of the approximately 2000 runners. I was hopeful about my number since 12 is my favorite number and I had a sub-2 in my mind. I knew I would be able to easily go under 2:05, but wasn't quite sure if under 2 was feasible.

I had a great night's sleep and made it with plenty of time to meet Allison at the start. The race went through Busse Forest Preserve, which turned out to be quite scenic and even housed some live Elk (we saw two large ones). They had a shuttle service available to take you to the start, so Allison and I stayed warm in the car until about 8:30 and took a shuttle over. I visited the port-o-potties along with the great majority of the racers and we made it to the start with only 2 minutes to go. There were pacers for this race, so we positioned ourselves between the 2:00 and 2:10 pacers and planned to start slower and hopefully put out negative splits.

We stayed dry the first few miles, but then it started drizzling which continued for the remainder of the race. Thankfully I had my dad's "Life is Good" hat to keep the raindrops out of my face and maybe even an hint of luck as well. Allison's and my Garmins seemed to be quite off from each other as well as the mile markers, so I was having a difficult time knowing what our actual pace was. This proved to be problematic for me since I was trying to be mindful of my pace. Allison held me strong and steady and coached me along the way. It was so fun running with such an experienced racer and she kept me in line--figuratively and literally as she gave the pointer of running the tangents instead of the curvy trail that meandered much of the race.

My best miles seemed to be between miles 8 and 10 and I really was feeling good and confident about a sub-2. Not surprisingly, I started to fade the last 3 miles despite Allison's strong words of encouragement. I don't believe I could have made myself run any faster the last part of the race, but I did push myself as much as I feasibly could to get as close to 2 hours as possible. It was just a little too late as we came in at 2:00.29. This was still quite the accomplishment for me and I really appreciate the support I got from Allison on Saturday.

I was excited when I spotted the Muscle Milk station and snatched up a chocolate. Much to my dismay, though, it was not tasty at all. I think I'll stick to my usual chocolate milk treat after long runs instead.

I am a little sore today and my left hamstring continues to be a bother, so it will make my decisions for future races a bit interesting.

Veteran's Day 12 miler

Distance: 12 miles

Total time: 1:57

Average pace: 9:43

I had been looking forward to taking my long run on my day off and not having to fret about getting back to Tony and the kids. Macy and Tyler were at the babysitter's this morning, so I took my sweet time and really enjoyed the morning.

It started a little briskly as you can see. This was actually at 8:12 because we have yet to change this clock from Daylight Saving Time.

It didn't feel that cool and my first couple of miles were around 9:30s...I didn't want to push it since I am still testing out where exactly my hamstring is in all of this. I headed into Heritage Park...

and followed the path around Kaufman Lake...

and around near my school. I jumped on part of the marathon route and enjoyed the view of one of the golf courses and some of the nicer homes in Champaign...

I was still feeling pretty good at this point as I continued on to Hessel Park...

I took a quick break right around this garbage can. I ate my fruit snacks (something I think I am going to try in place of my Gus) and walked about 100 yards before continuing with my run.

I did start to feel a bit tired on my way back. Mile 7-9 seemed a bit slower and then I tried to pick up my pace slightly to make sure I stayed under a 10 minute average. I greatly noticed my hamstring the last three miles and in the last mile wondered to myself why I would even consider running a full marathon again. Of course, now that I am writing this, that thought has vanished, but I'm afraid that if my hamstring isn't 100%, I really should avoid the full.

I got pretty hot despite the cool temps and worked up quite a sweat by the time I arrived back home. It was great to get this long run out of the way and know that I can enjoy both Saturday and Sunday without needing to put in too many miles.

Hot Chocolate 15k Race Report

Listed Distance: 15k (9.3 miles) Garmin Distance: 9.63 miles

Official Time: 1:26.56

Overall Official Pace: 9:20 Overall Garmin Pace: 9:02

I first found out about this race in October of last year when the registration for 2010 was already full and I was just getting back into running. The idea of running for chocolate is a perfect match for me considering my typical chocolate eating method is shoving an entire handful into my mouth at a time. So, I verbally committed to this race over a year ago and was ecstatic when some of my friends agreed to do it as well.





There was a medical emergency at the expo Friday night when we were picking up our packets, so it took a bit longer than expected. Needless to say, we still found ways to entertain ourselves.

Once we were finally able to go in, I found a hat and shirt that I had to buy since they have the "Will Run for Chocolate" logo.

Our hotel was right across the street from the start, so we didn't have to get up too early for the 8:20 start. I debated on what to wear because I knew I would be cold waiting and warm once I started running. I decided to check my coat and pants and went with shorts. It turned out to be a perfect choice.

The gear check was a bit crowded, but the line moved fast and we were able to get a fake running shot with some of the city background.

Although I have been around large races as a spectator many times, this was the largest race I have actually run. I believe there were over 20,000 runners and this made me a little anxious. I had not submitted a time to be placed in a corral, so Jen and I both were to start in the open corral. I knew this would make my "trying to run as fast as I can--nothing slower than 9:30s" strategy a little tricky, but there really wasn't much I could do about it.

They had to re-route part of the 5k course at the last minute, so this delayed our start and we didn't make it through the actual start until close to 8:45. Jen and I spent the first two miles weaving through runners and this made me a little nervous after becoming exhausted at Allerton last week when I had to do the same thing. My Garmin went a bit crazy due to the building interference so I was again a bit anxious to know how we were actually doing. Turns out I didn't have much to worry about it because mile 1 was a 8:13 and mile 2 was at a 9:19 pace.

I went ahead without Jen (something we anticipated would happen) and continued to push myself through runners. I felt great the whole time, barely noticed my hamstring, and got a few laughs. My favorite conversation I overheard was near mile 5 when a girl asked the guy she was running with, "So, how long is a 15k?" The guy replied, "I don't really know, I think it is like 10 miles or something." To which the girl said, "No, I think it is like 7...we're almost done."

I continued passing people and felt like I was picking up my pace even in the last few miles. The last mile and half did seem to go on for awhile, but I actually clocked in faster times...8:32 and 8:41 for the last half mile. This made me happy considering I'm trying to use this as a time indicator for an upcoming half marathon.

We were in a bit of a time crunch after the race since we had to check out of the hotel at 12, but the event was well organized and the lines for chocolate went quickly. The fondue and hot chocolate hit the spot.

There was a stage with live entertainment and plenty of space for the post race party.

Overall, the race was good. It is a great distance and runners receive a jacket (that runs small), which is a nice alternative to a race shirt. If I were to do this again, I would try and get in a corral. I would also see about a late check out that doesn't cost $50 so that I could get as much out of the post race party as possible.

Happy 1 Year Runniversary!

Today, well tomorrow, marks my 1 Year Runniversary of more serious running. Last year I ran Allerton with Jen and Marissa and had a blast in our pink tutus. This year I tried it solo and for the first time ever, raced.

I met up with Mike (pace leader from the marathon) before the race and asked him about his goal time. He was hoping to keep at least a 9:30 pace and I was excited to hear that.

After the race got started, I tagged along and kept close to him as he aggressively passed MANY runners. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have been stuck behind people and would have been no where near a finish pace of 9:30. I am not too familiar with trail racing so the single track parts were interesting. We exerted a lot of energy in the first two miles running between 8 min and 8:30 min. miles and I was worried I would be pooped before the race was over.

Fortunately people started settling into their paces and we were able to get to our comfortable pace as well. Mile 2-4 were still hard though because I was much more tired than I thought because of the speedy first 2 miles.

There were quite a few more ups and downs than I remember from last year. I really gave it my all and have never done that before. The finish could not come soon enough and I really thought I was going to pass out with only .5 miles left. I had no kick in the final stretch and was passed in the last 30 seconds by about 5 people. Nonetheless, I came in around 52:40, which is about 10 minutes faster than last years time. My Garmin also registered a course of 5.69 miles instead of the 5.5 miles it is listed as. I think it is partly because of my weaving in and out to pass people in the early miles.

Mike and I visited afterwards and enjoyed a donut from the wonderful food station provided by racers. They encourage racers to bring an item to share, needless to say, I mooched and didn't bring anything this year.

*Note to self, bring something next year.

Some upcoming races

Looks like my hamstring (fingers crossed) is on the mend. It is definitely not 100%, but it is coming around. I participated in a 5k muddy obstacle course race and had a lot of fun. That got me the running bug again and I'm now signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15k in Chicago on November 5th and I'm eyeballing a Turkey Trot Half Marathon in Schaumburg on November 26th. Conveniently, the half marathon training program I found has my running a 15k race the exact weekend of the chocolate race, I think this must be a sign!

I did my first speed training yesterday and it went quite well. I even saw a few 6s in my mile/hour at various points in the workout. It was just a short one..5x400, each week gets progressively longer. I'm keeping an optimistic mind as I enter those runs!

I'm still running...even in the rain!

I know it has been awhile since I've posted. I've consistently been running about 5 miles a few times a week and try to do a little longer run on some weekends. It has worked out for the most part.

This morning I was scheduled to run with Donna and it was sprinkling when I left the house. Needless to say, within five minutes it was pouring and after about 5 more minutes it was thundering and lightning.

I really have only run the rain one or two other times, but it was not this heavy and it was colder out so I had a rain jacket on. Here I am SOAKED after cutting our run quite a bit short.

Tuesday Track Workout

I managed to convince Mary and Cass to try out the track for a workout this morning. I was glad they were game because I knew I wouldn't do it by myself.

We met for our regular Tuesday 5:30am run near my house and ran the 1 mile to Parkland's track. I did not fully disclose what we would be doing because I wanted to leave some suspense. I actually dumbed down a workout that I did with Second Wind just because I didn't want us to kill ourselves the first time trying it.

So, we attempted a 400 at a quick clip, with Mary and I coming in around 1:31. We were exhausted...that was a bit too fast for us.

We slowed down the second attempt after a quick breather and pulled off 1:51, I believe. This beat the range I thought we were capable of doing 1:55-2:05, so I was pleased.

On our third lap, we came in at 1:47. I informed the girls that for our last 400 we had to beat our best time by 2 seconds. We were all able to do that.

We are hoping to try and do this once a week to see if the speedwork helps are regular pace. Each week we will switch it up a little bit or at least add on an extra 400. Today we just ran back to our respective houses, although Mary did crank out an extra 2 miles.

We did all meet up again later today at the gym for our Cycling Interval class. This was our second go at this one, and I think I'm hooked. It consists of 30 minutes on the bike followed by a 30 minute Cross-Fit typed workout. Today we spent 10 minutes getting through 20 squats on Bosu balls, 20 push-ups, and 20 core cross overs with medicine balls as many times as we could. I think I made it through each activity 3 times and did the squats a 4th time. I felt much better doing it tonight than I did last Thursday, so we shall see how it goes this Thursday.

The last part of class was devoted to balance work combined with stretching. If you want to see something funny, just come and watch me try this. I have known that I don't have very good balance, but it became quite evident last week when I tried this. I showed some subtle improvements, but I still have a lot of work to do.

This class seems to be the perfect fit for me and I'm glad that I tried it out last week.

Madison Half Photos

And I'm Back!

I don't anticipate updating as regularly as I had been, but I haven't stopped since the marathon. My runs have drastically decreased in length, but I've been managing to run 3-4 times per week. 3 weeks after the race, I put in an 8 mile run on the weekend for my first long run. I have since done a half marathon while up in Madison. It felt great to be back running and I wouldn't have put in that distance if I had not been part of a race. I have my eye on quite a few races coming up, all different distances. I intend to work on my speed a little more, but have not been tied to a plan just yet.

Done and Done

Four months ago, when I started on this journey, my goal was to finish the marathon. In my head, I had said I wanted to make sure I finished in under 5:30 hours.



As my training progressed and I became more comfortable with my marathon pace, I realized that I could probably make it in under 5:00. I knew that I have always told myself that if I was to actually run a marathon, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to truly run as much of it as I possibly could. In order to do that, I followed my training plan nearly to a T and, quite frankly, became obsessed. I tried to read as much as I could, talk to as many people as possible to get tips, and find inspiration through reading, going to running movies, and even running with a man who has been considered the most fit person on the planet.



While my running roots have always centered on "Running for Pride," this mantra came full circle towards the end of my training. As mentioned in a previous post, one of my later long runs was done with Allison and I used it as an opportunity to pick her brain about running marathons. I mentioned to her that I didn't want to finish the marathon thinking I could have done better. She said something that stuck with me, "You'd rather finish your first marathon smiling and feeling good, than come in barely finishing and feeling horrible." I took this advice to heart, and listened to my body, ran conservatively, and truly finished with PRIDE.


I ran as much of the race as I possibly could, which was nearly the whole 26.2, and passed a lot of people in the last 4 miles.



After the race yesterday, I couldn't quite wrap my head around what I had just done. Nothing had really sunk in. It all seemed a bit surreal. It wasn't until today, when I took a close look at these last few pictures, that I knew I did what I set out to do.


You'll have to enlarge these pictures, but I think you can see that I finished by Running for Pride. I came in with a smile on my face, just as my dad had predicted.

I enjoyed the moment, just like my friends told me to do.

I celebrated with those that had been a part of my journey.

(waving to my family and friends in the picture above and high-fiving my running mates below Mike in green, Donna in greenish, and Del in white--throwing water at me)

I finished strong...look, I actually have a stride, unlike any of the other pictures from the race when I'm in my "slow mode."

And I am proud.

4:56.39 will have a new meaning for me and that is thanks to all the people in my life. Thank you.

Post-Race Pictures and Celebrating

I have many pictures hugging Mary, but only am including this one. We must have hugged for a long time since my family was able to take so many!

I needed to stretch almost immediately.

Macy was the first of my family to congratulate me. She doesn't mind my crazy hair.

Cappa Clan...never got everybody to look the right way!

My family...Dad creepily hiding in the back.

Daddy's little girl isn't so little anymore, especially when I'm one step higher! Gee I wonder where I get my height from?

Allison and Kristin and Me

Tony's Dad and Karen with me

After cleaning up, took me a little while to actually to move from the couch.

27th Mile party...never got a good shot of everyone with their eyes open!

I could go into great detail now about every person who was a part of my marathon experience and how thankful I am to have you as part of my life, but that would make me cry, once again. So I'm taking the easy way out and saying THANK YOU to EVERYONE who has been a part of my whole life, you've contributed to my experience and I am so grateful to have shared this with you. In some way, you have inspired me and I could not have done it without you. Whether it was a phone call, a text, an email, a comment on the blog, an actual run, food, or other, I appreciate you making this experience so special for me. THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU!

Race Report

The race started promptly at 7, but I barely realized it. The wheelchair racers took off and the runners followed a minute afterwards. I never heard the go, but started off with the rest of the runners. I positioned myself just ahead of the 4:45ers because I wanted to run around 10:30miles and the 4:45ers were shooting for 10:53.

Mile 1--Fairly uneventful, made our way past Memorial Stadium. At this time there was no wind, that would come to haunt many runners a few hours later as we finished the race. Saw my mom and sister, that was a pleasant surprise. My sister asked me if I needed anything and I thought to myself, "Dear God, if I need something now, we're in trouble!" A lone frat boy sat outside one of the frat houses and cheered his little heart out. We all got a laugh out of that since clearly he had not slept last night early.

Mile 2-Went through Campus Town. Volunteers were awesome and supportive, not too many spectators. I was feeling good and keeping my 10:30 pace and was very thankful of the Garmin Allison loaned me because I caught myself trying to speed up and forced myself to slow down a bit.

Mile 3-4-Continued through Champaign and moved into Urbana. I continued scanning in front of me and behind me for my running mates, but couldn't find them. I put my best smile on any time I saw a camera, just in case I'd see the photo again.

Mile 4.?-Saw Tony, Allison, Macy, and Tyler for the first time. Macy looked less than thrilled to be there, but I was sure thankful. It put a little more pep in my step and made me forget about what I was doing for just a few moments.

Mile 5ish--Saw my dad and Steve for the first time and that felt good. I continued on pace and was feeling great. Started to get a little irritated with the Relay participants who were walking. Towards the end of mile 5, I saw Dave and Karen for the first time holding up signs to support me. Once again, this helped me pick up my pace for a stretch and got my mind off of the next 21 miles.

Mile 6-The first of the wind. I knew this would be a windy part because it goes through open land in Urbana. I had run this stretch at least twice in my training and even on non-windy days, it's windy. Add the 15mph wind we had at that time and it was reason enough that I started to see marathoners walk through this part. I enjoyed my first of many Gus here and was surprised to get passed by the first male 1/2 marathoner at this point. I had calculated thinking it would happen closer to mile 8 since they started a 1/2 hour after us, but they were faster than I thought they'd be.


Mile 7-8-Got in line for one port-o-potty to go pee, but decided it was taking too long so I got out of line and continued on. Fortunately not too long afterwards there was another one and this one didn't have a wait. Saw Mandy and her cute little baby here, along with quite a few other spectators during this part.

Mile 8-10-Headed into Meadowbrook park and must have just missed Jen and Marissa, but didn't miss all the half marathoners that started to come in larger groups. I felt phenomenal during this part, I put on my headphones, enjoyed the Marathon Mix that Mix 94.5 had playing (which was PERFECT), and lived it up. I sang to myself, smiled the whole way, and took a minute (or few) to enjoy what I was doing. I saw Tony, Allison, Macy, and Tyler near mile 9 and even saw our Superintendent as I headed out of the park. I spotted Jim and gave him a high five and kept my eye out for Marissa and Jen, thinking they'd be near Jim.

I quickly went from my high to a minor low just after this point because I was running low on fluid and was not enjoying my Gatorade mix that I had trained with all along. I just wanted water and didn't have any. Of course I got some at the stations, but I am a sipper and need it on demand!

Mile 11-Saw the fam and informed them that I needed to switch out my water bottle at the next one. I was still staying on pace and feeling good, but mentally started thinking about how many miles I still had left in the race.

Mile 12-Split with the halfers and saw Cara, John, and Ashlynn. Again, another boost of happiness...thanks, guys!

Mile 13--Really wanting water, took another Gu, got passed by the 4:45ers who seemed to come out of nowhere.

Mile 14ish--Saw Angie from work, gave her thumbs up and felt pretty good thanks to the Gu from mile 13.

Mile 15-Started looking forward to seeing my family again. I kept my eye out for my sister because I knew she would be running a bit with me. That didn't seem to come soon enough, my pace started to slow, but I still hadn't walked yet other than quickly through a couple of the water stations.

Mile 16-17-All kind of a blur, but got the biggest surprise of the day...Kristin shouting from the sidelines! I was shocked that my bestest friend growing up, who happens to be 38 weeks pregnant, had driven over 2 hours (against my advising and knowing) to cheer me on in my first marathon. She gave me a big hug and, of course, I cried, but it was AWESOME! Kristin ran with me for a little while and my sister continued on with me. I was so thankful to have her by my side, something I had in my head throughout the process. I refused to talk, so she amused me with small talk and then let me on my way. My student teacher, who had just finished one of her teaching exams, was standing outside of the high school and cheered me on.

Mile 18-Saw Danielle and Jeremiah, who got a great video of me telling them to never do a marathon, and passed my classroom. Allison joined me here and this was phenomenal. I was still running, but had slowed considerably and knew that the next 8 miles would be interesting. Jen, Marissa, Maddie, and Luke were waiting around the corner for me as well, so that was another pick-me-up. Towards the end of the mile, I stopped to go pee and my legs were telling me it would be a bad idea to stop again. I took in another gel in hopes that it would get me through.

Mile 19-Saw Igor, Andra, and Bilbo, who got a few pictures of me as well. I started playing some mind games, but thankfully Allison was there to tell me stories of her previous marathons. I realized that there would be a few walking breaks in my future, so I told myself at mile 20 I could walk a bit.

Mile 20-Came soon enough and I took my first walking break. I do think it only lasted about 30 seconds-1 minute, but it was worth it. I informed Allison that I would be taking some water breaks and she informed me, "That is fine, but do realize, I will be trying to get you to run!" I knew that she was right because my legs had already been telling me that I was better off to keep running.

Mile 21-Allison continued passing the time with other stories and memories of our college days together. She gave me words of encouragement and reminded me that I would forget about any pain I was feeling. I considered taking the orange slice that came near the mile marker, but feared it would upset my stomach. Enjoyed the cheers from a current student and the surprised faces of some old students who saw me during this stretch. Tony, the kids, Marissa, Maddie, and I believe my sister and mom?, were also here at a time when I really needed it. Once they cheered for me, two of my running partners must have heard my name and turned around and for the first time, I saw Matt and Sue Ellen. I found out that they, along with Del, were speed demons and had been quite a bit ahead of me the whole time! Matt was starting to cramp, but was still looking strong.

Mile 22-I took a quick walking break, chatted with Sue Ellen and Matt, and then continued on. Kristin and Dave saw me again here and gave me some more words of encouragement along with some more Gu that I used to fight the fatigue.

Mile 23--Danielle and Jeremiah caught me again and Steve and Dad got a picture of me as I ran by the mile marker. I decided against a walking break at this mile marker and pressed on. I knew I was close, had run the furthest I had ever run before, and really just wanted to get it over with.

Mile 24-25-Again, another blur, except for the gentle incline that I can say I conquered thanks to Allison, who told me to just look down and not ahead--probably the best advice of the whole race. I know if I had been alone I would have been cursing the hill and mentally breaking down. I realized I probably was going to be one of those lucky runners who didn't hit the wall, but was afraid to say it out loud in case I would jinx myself. I can say with utter confidence that this was COMPLETELY as a result of all of the support I had on the course, along with Allison running by my side during the miles I needed someone most.

Mile 25-I knew the end was so close, but it felt like the longest mile of my life. Mike ran into us and joined in, that was GREAT. I asked that Mike and Allison keep talking to me to keep my mind off the race. As we approached Memorial Stadium, the dreaded wind attacked. Wind speeds were now closer to 20-25 mph and they were horrendous. Fortunately Mike and Allison ran a little bit ahead of me and blocked the wind for me for a little while.

Mile 26-Mike announced my name to the crowd as I approached the final shoot and Kristin and Dave cheered me. Allison informed me that I had to beat the people in front of me and, at first, I thought she was crazy. I quickly got a burst of energy, though, and blew by them with a HUGE smile on my face and my hands in the air. I saw Mike and Donna (my fearless training pace leaders) and Del cheering me in and I was PROUD.

Finish--I was greeted by Mary who gave me the biggest hug I think I've ever gotten and I gave a wave to my family, who was cheering in the stands.

Stay tuned for post-race pictures with my AWESOME support team and post-race celebration pictures at the 27th mile.