MARINE CORPS MARATHON -- DONE!

I finally finished my first marathon, the 39th Marine Corps Marathon, on October 26, 2014!! One of the hardest things I've ever done!

There was SO MUCH that preceded this day - training, injury, fundraising, traveling... which I'd like to write about at some point, but I just want to document this day before it isn't fresh in my mind anymore...

Pre-race:
Shonna and I stayed at the Ritz (woohoo!) at Pentagon City - one metro stop away from the Pentagon. Woke up around 5am, ate a banana with maple almond butter. Tried to use the bathroom, no luck. Oh well, we had to get out of the hotel and on the metro! Loaded up our gear for the race and headed out! For this race, I used Tailwind - 2x 26oz in my Orange Mud quiver (had to refill my bottle once during the race) and Advocare gels (used 3 during the race).

Getting on and off the metro was not hard, however there was about what seemed to be a mile walk from the metro stop to the slight bottlenecking getting to security. Once we got in, we found and met up with Gail and Kim and headed to bag check, which was also surprisingly easy (no lines). Then it was bathrooms, pictures, lining up. Shonna and I parted ways since we were running different paces. I found Amy and we stuck together at the start.

Right before the start of the race, there were paratroopers coming down with American flags... such an amazing sight. Then 7:55am finally rolls around and it officially starts! Woohoo! But it took us about 15 minutes of (more) walking to actually cross the start line!

Miles 1-3:
Amy and I stuck together for these first few miles which included passing the finish at Iwo Jima (see ya in about 5.5 hours!) and the trek up the hills of Rosslyn. I tried to keep it at an easy pace, to save energy for later! We walked up most of the huge (steepest) incline and then enjoyed the downhill part! During the downhill on Spout Run to the GW parkway, there were many guys peeing on the side of the road in the tree line. Like a LOT of them.

Miles 4-5:
Amy and I split off at this point. I enjoyed having someone to chat with at the beginning! :) I started my 4:1 intervals at this point. Well, I started them after my walk up the ramp to the Key Bridge into Georgetown. My plan was to use intervals until the halfway point, and then decided on what to do after that.... Around the start of mile 5, I took my first gel.

Miles 6-9:
This was the out and back on Rock Creek Parkway. I remember seeing the 3:45 pace group go by when I approached the start of the parkway... fast people!!! I tried looking for people I knew on the other side, but I never saw anyone. This stretch was nice and shady and FLAT, with trees lining the roads. I was keeping a good running pace to my walking... 11ish minute miles on this stretch! I was feeling good!

Miles 10-15:
We passed the Lincoln Memorial and headed onto Hains Point -- this stretch seemed to be the
longest, and hardest since we had been on the same long stretch of road with no turns for what seemed to be forever! Around mile 10-11, some lady's foot ran into mine and kicked my left shoe off! I remember my feet starting to hurt at mile 11. And then reaching mile 13 with spectators cheering, "you're halfway there!" --no not technically... especially when my Garmin reading was .25 miles early than the course mile markers at that point! I stopped on the side of the road to take a gel and refill my water bottle with a new baggie of Tailwind (the wind blew some of the powder all over the place!). The best part of the long stretch to Hains Point included the "Run to Honor" section with signs of photos of fallen service members followed by a line of American flags. The 5 hour pace group started passing me at the U-turn! I wanted to make sure I was ahead of them (in feeble hopes of getting a sub-5 hour time), so I tried to speed up to distance myself. I started running opposite intervals with a girl with a Team in Training jersey on. I made her my rabbit for a while... as well as a group of 3 ladies in purple. The signs along the road after the U-turn were pretty funny... done by Pacers (a local running store in DC) - those kept me entertained for a little bit.

Miles 16-19:
This was around the time I felt something in my right foot... so I had to slow it down and walk more. My feet were still hurting, I could feel blisters forming. I told myself that I would be feeling this until the end and tried to block that out. This stretch included passing the Washington Memorial, running around the National Mall and Smithsonians up to the Capitol building and back. On the way up to the Capitol, I heard a "JACY!!!" and it was Dave!!! Then a little further up, I hear another familiar voice calling my name... It was Rene!! She ran the Marine Corps 10K (that started at the Smithsonian) that morning and found me to cheer me on! I walked and talked with her for a little bit and then went on to the Capitol! I got a surge of inspiration after seeing my 2 friends! And then to add to that surge, a high school band at the Capitol started playing the Theme to Rocky (or was it "Eye of the Tiger"?) and I got really pumped up!!!! After making the U-turn at the Capitol, I saw Rene at the sidelines again and she cheered me on again! :) I then saw the mile 19 marker and realized that once I pass it, I will have completed a new distance PR with every step I take after that!! Not too much longer!!

Mile 20:
When I saw the 20 mile marker, I knew it was almost over... this is the last 10K! As I approached "THE Bridge", I decided I wanted to try to run until the end. No more intervals. On the bridge, I took my last gel. This bridge was windy and long... a lot of people around me were walking. At the end of the bridge, there was an incline that I decided to walk up (too tired at this point to use energy to make an uphill climb). At the bottom was the start of Crystal City.

Miles 21-23:
Crystal City!! The last part of the race! Or second to last part anyway. A huge MRTT cheer squad was at the bottom of the ramp! Woohoo! A little boost! I got my water bottle filled up and decided not to use any Tailwind...my mouth had that gross aftertaste of gels, I just wanted water! Crystal CIty was packed with spectators. My godmother Michel told me she'd be out there in a 'Cat in the Hat' hat so I kept an eye out for her... I passed another MRTT cheering section before the turn around. Awesome!! :) At the turn around, there was a mist sprayer which seemed like a great idea, however, I wasn't that hot and the water just made me cold! I saw Michel just past the mist point! I stopped and took photos with her and she gave me some encouraging cheers and then I went on my way....

Mile 24-26:
The END is near!!! Mile 24 included a Dunkin Donuts fuel station... I grabbed a cup (had 2 in it), and ate only one... which was hard because I had cotton mouth! Around this point, a kid on the sidelines tried to cheer us all on by chanting "One more mile!!" Oh boy... I didn't say anything, just laughed to myself... and so did some others. One person kindly corrected the kid... After that we went under an overpass and there was a marine in the median yelling out some "motivation": "Don't start walking now, you're almost there!! Less than 2 miles!!" We were next to the Pentagon and we were running along the road where the starting corrals were... this mile seemed to be the longest... I kept going...

Mile 26 to the FINISH:
ARGH, there's a damn HILL to the finish line, WTF?! I kept running up that hill... then there was a straightaway to the finish arches!!!! "What Does the Fox Say" was playing as I crossed the finish line (my new power song, lol). I am DONE!!!! Official time: 5 hours 15 minutes 44 seconds!!! I didn't cry like I thought I would... I high-five'd a few fellow runners that crossed the line around the same time I did. Then kept walking to shake hands with a long line of Marines congratulating all the finishers... what an awesome feeling!!! Then I got in a line for my medal!!! A cute young Marine put my medal around my neck and shook my hand. He didn't salute me, like I was told they would... I didn't care, I gave him a huge hug and took a selfie with him!!! After that, I got in line for the finisher photo with the Iwo Jima memorial! My feet hurt pretty badly, but made my way through the food line and had to WALK what felt like a mile (uphill!)to get out of the finishers area. Met up with Pam for a victory pic! She Boston Qualified!! Then met up with Shonna and headed home... what a morning!

Other notes:
- It was pretty packed all along the entire course... there was a lot of weaving though and slowing down or speeding up to get around people.
- Water stops were crazy. Cups everywhere!!!
- LOTS of spectators and music (either bands or DJs) along the course. Loved it!! The only part of the race that didn't have any spectators along the sidelines was the Bridge at mile 20.
- I saw a lot of big-heads --- huge cut outs of people's heads. And signs that said "You're running better than the government".
- Volunteers/Marines were AMAZING...
- Got lots of compliments on my skirt - which is actually Katie's skirt that I borrowed. I borrowed another sparkle skirt from her for last year's big race (RnR Savannah Half 2013) and did pretty well. I figured it would give me power! :)
- I wore my grandma's ring for good luck too. :)
- NO TUMMY ISSUES!! I was so happy!!!

Afterthoughts and Take-aways:
- Surprisingly, I don't think I ever hit a wall...not even at the mile 20 bridge. I was just focused on finishing and putting most of my energy into doing so as quickly as possible. I never really thought about it during the race, I mean there were times that I needed to stop running and walk, however I never really lost much momentum since I was doing intervals throughout most of the race. It just shows (me) that the "wall" only exists if you believe it to be there.
- I have learned that it is possible to finish a race with only a 19 mile run as your longest run before the marathon. I guess it helped that the 19 miler was a SUPER HARD trail run that really helped train my brain on the mind over matter approach to get through the run when the going gets tough.
- I also learned that you can recover from injury and run a good, respectable race with the last 4 weeks of marathon training happening primarily on an elliptical machine! You just have to stay on track and get the training time in.
- I am happy that I accepted the fact that I wasn't able to run my goal time due to the injury setback. I took the advice of many to make my first marathon an enjoyable and fun one, and not to push too hard. Last year at the RnR when I hit my PR, I was pushing myself the entire time, but felt ill the entire afternoon afterwards. For this marathon, I felt great... well other than having trouble walking due to blisters and a tendonitis issue on my right foot afterwards... lol. I felt WAY better than I expected to feel, anyway!

Adding pics later.. just wanted to get this written. :)

Week 4 of Marathon Training

I'm on week 4 of the Run Less, Run Faster novice marathon training plan for the Marine Corps Marathon. Which means it's only a little under 12 weeks away!! The training runs are getting tough, well, they started off pretty tough. Very demanding runs. For instance, I am set to run 6 miles today - 2 miles easy, 3 miles at Short Tempo (ST) pace, 1 mile easy. My ST pace is 8:29. OMG. Last year, like right before the half I was probably close to that for a short run. 2 days ago I just did 3 x 1 mile repeats at 7:56 goal pace... but totally didn't hit that. The closest I got was for the first one at 8:07 or something.

These runs are tough, but I do like it because I'm being pushed outside my comfort zone. Which we all know - that's where the magic happens! My long runs have been extra rough. I'm thinking it's because I have been doing them downtown and throwing a huge bridge in there at the beginning and end of the run. My Achilles have been sore, so I am thinking I am going to to this week's 12 miles on flat land.

I also might have to add in a 5K after I do that... the Homestead is in a little over 2 weeks! And I know I'm not prepared. But I'm still looking forward to it! :) My fist 50K!

Exciting races on the horizon!!!

Hwy 1 - the Pacific Coast Highway

I haven't been posting in a while, but I'm deep into marathon training now. Yes, you read that correctly... MARATHON training! Gearing up and preparing for my first marathon on October 26, 2014 - the 39th Marine Corps Marathon. I'm following a 16-week a plan from a book called Run Less Run Faster which I am very happy with since it only has me running 3 times a week -- challenging runs, but I love it. Last year for the half, I only ran 3 days a week, but my effort was consistent throughout. With this program, I have speedwork one day, tempo another, and then a long run on the weekend. Goal times/pace of each are determined from your most recent fastest 5K or 10K time, which will give you your goal marathon pace - for me it is 4:08! Wow! That's super fast. I am hoping for a 4:30 or better on my first (gotta beat Oprah!)!

Anyway, since I'll have this race under my belt by the end of the year, I figured that next year would be the best time to finally cross a bucket list race off my list: the Big Sur International Marathon! In April 2008 (pre-kid times), Joel and I took a trip out to California to visit friends and finally see the other side of the country. We rented a car and drove from LA up to San Francisco, with part of the way traveling up the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was the most amazingly beautiful and breathtaking drive I've ever done. I LOVED it. We stopped multiple times along the course to take in the Pacific air and photos. The one above is one of my favorites that I took. I dream of going back out there... and living out there! When I found out there was a marathon on the PCH, I was excited and knew I had to do it. So, BIG SUR, HERE WE COME! I even managed to get Joel to do it with me!! :D It'll be his FIRST marathon. Crazy, huh?

Speaking of Joel, I've managed to drag him into a lot of crazy races lately (with surprisingly little resistance)... In fact, next month we are both signed up to do an Ultra! The Homestead 10x5k in Ridgeland, SC. Its a 10 hour race that will have participants running a 5k every hour on the hour! I'm pretty excited for it! I'm not really training for it... just using it as an endurance/training run for marathon prep! They add up your times for each 5k for your total finish time. I estimated 6 hours, but would be very happy if I came up less than that. I will run as long as my legs will carry me and hope for the best! Walking *is* an option for me... I really don't want to hurt myself!

We are also signed up for a 6 hour relay in September - the Chase the Sun Ultra in Savannah. I have 18 miles to do that day for my long run, so 3 hours should be enough time - well, I might need a little more than that ;) but Joel will run the remainder of it, which will probably be his longest run to date, if he decides not to split up the time, anyway. (You can divide up the time as you wish)

That's about it on the race front. Oh wait... I also signed up for Savannah's first Women's Half marathon - the Publix Savannah Women's Half and 5K in March of 2015. And I have the Bridge Run Double pump on my birthday this year! :)

I'm still crossfitting, although sad, sad news last month when my beloved gym closed (R.I.P FTC/CFO). :( My "Gym Wife" (friend and Savannah Derby Devil) Skoolyard and I have joined another local crossfit gym in the interim. It really has been a devastating loss on our end, as we didn't know how good we had it at our old box (programming-wise and coach-wise). Well, we definitely DID know because we absolutely LOVED it, but this other gym is just nothing like our old one and we are sad. I'm only going twice a week now, which I think is a good move because I want to keep my strength, however I don't want to be sore all the time. The training runs on my plan are taking a lot out of me and I need the recovery time. I feel like I've lost strength, but I have to realize that I have committed to certain goal and need to train for that certain goal. I still do have plans to do a crossfit competition in the future... just not any time soon. Plus at that time, I hope to be a part of a gym that feels like home again. Sigh...

I am also in the middle of my own Whole Life Challenge... which helped me out a ton last year when I was training for my half. I gained the weight back, but since I started the week of July 4, I have already lost 4 lbs, putting me less than a lb away from being back in the 120s. I actually don't really care too much about losing weight for looks... I have been pretty happy with the way I have been looking and feeling (fit and strong!), but I want to get back down to the mid 120s for the race. Less weight means less effort to move my short butt on the pavement! I want to get faster! I definitely lost my speed from last year, and I want it back!

What Happens When You Don't Train

Joel and I at the end of the race! One of us got a new Half PR! Hint: not me

Yesterday, I ran the Palmetto Bluff Half Marathon. It was my 8th half marathon and my 3rd fastest. HOWEVER, I chose not to properly train for this run. Well, I think the lack of training was due to EXCUSES for not wanting to run. I haven't been keeping up with my weekly runs. I was keeping up with my cross training (crossfit), but my short runs during the week were suffering. Excuses included being out of town, being too cold, it was raining, I was sick...etc. I was very busy last month!

My long runs on the weekend ranged anywhere from 5 milers to 13 milers. I had no rhyme or reason to how many miles I did. I was winging it.

Leading up to this race I was also eating CRAP. The night before I had a few beers and little sleep. I also ran a hard 4 miles the day before. I also meant to switch out my current running shoes to a new pair (and break them in the week prior), but I was lazy and didn't want to re-lace my shoes (I use and LOVE Lace Locks). Eh...

So I decided last minute that this would be the race that will show me how well/poorly I can do when I have not properly trained. I would run it the best I could.

Well, the first half was great! I was hitting sub 9 minute miles. I think I did the first 10K in 56 minutes. Awesome! But once I got to 7 miles, I hit the wall. The straightaways, despite being beautiful, mossy tree canopies...were so BORING. Mind numbing. I didn't bring music, so I had nothing to distract me from my negative thoughts of wanting to stop, "why the hell did I sign up for this?", and watching people pass me. My gels were making me gag, my legs felt like lead. It was not looking so good for me. I slowed down and had to take a moment at the next water stop. The pack that I was following for the first 7 miles slowly faded away into the distance. Once I got going again, I latched onto a couple. I decided to try to pass them, and I did. However, after about a mile, they caught up and I wanted to stop again. Good thing, because I saw some friendly faces! This was at about mile 9.5 where I stopped over with Missy and Kim (my fellow MRTT mamas) who were awesome enough to come out and cheer us on. Missy gave me an Advocare gel that didn't make me gag and assured me it would keep me going to the finish! After a photo opp and some hugs, I went on my way again.

Beautiful faces cheering me on! <3 MRTT!

This was certainly the hardest part of the race, I just really wanted to finish. The soles of my feet were tingling and numb (I cursed myself for not switching out my shoes the week before!) but the desire to finish outweighed the pain in my feet. I really wanted to walk at some points, but I kept telling myself to MOVE! Because the quicker I go, the quicker this torture will be over!

The last mile was the longest. I kept thinking about what an actual marathon would be like... would the pain be even more intense? If I was utterly miserable at just 10-12 miles into a race, how would I be able to survive 26.2? I guess that will be something I will have to conquer when I get there. Hopefully I will be more physically and mentally prepared for it!

I crossed the line about a minute and a half slower than my finish time last year. 2:04:30. Not bad for not having properly trained. But it was still one of my worst half marathon experiences, from a mental standpoint. I KNOW why I hit the wall, but I have never actually experienced it until this race. Running alone did not help. It was pretty bad. Lesson learned!

2014 - PRs, New goals

Happy new year! I have been pretty quiet on here for numerous valid reasons. Big things have happened since my last entry. I'll go through them briefly...

1.
I completed my 2nd Bridge Run Double Pump in December - and beat my time from last year by 8 minutes! Also, our Moms Run This Town group of Wonder Women WON the group costume contest!!!! I've never screamed so loud in my life. The moment we won felt like we had just won the lottery!

2.
I managed to snag a new 5K PR. SUB 25 minutes!! 24:44 at a local race in Savannah at the end of December.

3.
I did my first unassisted [kipping] pullup!!! Felt amazing... now if I can just do two in a row... or a strict unassisted pullup...

4.
I completed my FIRST 25K race at the Rails to Trails Ultra in Savannah earlier this month. I also managed to complete the 25K distance in under 2 and half hours (according to my Garmin). The course itself was long. It also became my new PDR.

5.
I will be running my FIRST MARATHON this year!!! I signed up to run with a charity (Burma Humanitarian Mission) for the Marine Corps Marathon this October... Which means that if I raise $500 by October, I WILL BE ABLE TO RUN THE MCM FO' FREE! No lottery BS to deal with. So why don't you donate? ;) http://www.razoo.com/story/Marine-Corps-Marathon-Jacy

6.
I signed up to be a running buddy for a girl's program called Girls on the Run, which empowers young women (3rd-5th graders) to take charge of their lives and let them know there are no limits! Running is weaved into the program as a motivator to fitness and they will run a 5k at the end of the program! It starts in February.



Some new goals for this year...

1.
Properly train for and complete (without dying) my first marathon.

2.
Spend more time with my family, more time doing art for myself, sign up for less races, and volunteer more of my time into the running community.

3.
Continue to get stronger with crossfit, lift more heavy things and make many strength PRs. Crossfit goals:
Unassisted strict pullup
string 10+ double unders in a row
Perform a handstand push up
More confidence on OLY lifts

4.
Running goals:
1 Mile - sub 7 minutes
5K - 24 minutes or less
10K - 52 minutes or less



:)