Gobbler Grind Marathon

Typically after a marathon, I blog about my race experience.  Still being irritated with Mother Nature for hot temperatures at the Chicago Marathon, I have yet to blog about Chicago.  Maybe in the weeks to come, I will share my Chicago race experiences. 

Yesterday, I completed the Gobbler Grind Marathon.  This was my eighth marathon in my seventh state.  After running Chicago in October with 45,000 of my closest friends, the Gobbler was quite a different experience.  It's a small race (241 runners), primarily run on the Indian Creek Trail.  My pros and cons about my race experience follow:

Pros
*With a small marathon, there is a lot of camaraderie among the runners.  There were two out and backs where the runners were able to cheer for each other. 
*There were lots of 50 Staters and Marathon Maniacs at the race.  Both groups are incredibly supportive and chatty.  Many thanks to Maniac Patrick who left me draft to get out of the wind and paced me from Mile 7.5 to Mile 15-something when I had to take a pit stop.  Now I have some crazy "Maniac" ideas for 2011....
*It was a hometown race.  Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed.
*Thanksgiving costumes.  I saw a turkey hat and an Indian headdress.
*This was my first race where I was cheered on by a dog.  Thanks, King Kobe!
*The best volunteer crosswalk guards.  Thanks, Todd & Pritha!
*Since the trail was open to the public, Galen was able to run with me for a while.
*With only 241 runners, when you run the last 0.2 miles, the few specatators ringing cow bells and cheering are cheering for YOU. 
*There's a turkey on the medal! 

Cons
*I think I'm jinxed.  Weather conditions were not in my favor.  The weather at the start was 60 degrees, humid, cloudy and windy.  The weather at the end was 70+ degrees, sunny, and humid.  Apparently there isn't much shade on the Indian Creek Trail once the trees have lost their leaves...
*The marathon, half-marathon, and 5K all start together.  There were 241 marathoners, 1110 half-marathoners, and 476 5K participatnts.  This means that all the little kids that are running the 5K are running the first three miles of your marathon with you.
*It was a hometown race. Running on the trails that you train on can get old.  (Note:  I'd never noticed how uneven the trail actually is until my feet got tired and I noticed myself tripping up a bit.)
*Small race = less aid stations.  I was glad I carried my own Fuel Belt.
*Since the trail was open, I had to dodge some little kids on bicycles.  I found it harder to dodge after Mile 20. 
*Snakes.  When the stick I was about to step on between Mile 21 and 22 wiggled, I used a good mile worth of energy shreeking instead of moving forward.  (Flashback to the snake on the trail during the Country Music Marathon)

Overall, the Gobbler was a favorable experience.  It is a great marathon for a training run for another marathon or a great way to cross Kansas off your list. 
 
'Til the next blog entry,
Gobble Gobble

I'm Not a Maniac...Just a Little Goofy

Since my last posting, I've finished the Lincoln Marathon, four 1/2 marathons, and the Garden of the Gods 10 Mile Run.  You'd think this would make me a running maniac. 

Since my last posting, I have also committed to the Chicago Marathon, the Goofy Race & a Half Challenge, and the Flying Pig Marathon.  Oh, and how can I forget,I will also be run/walking the Gobbler Grind Marathon with the sole purpose of training for the Goofy Race & a Half Challenge.  You see, the Goofy Race & a Half Challenge is an event in which one goofy person runs (or walks) the Disney World 1/2 Marathon on Saturday and the same goofy person runs (or walks) the Disney World Marathon the next day.  You'd think this would make me a marathon maniac.

(Are you singing Michael Sembello's "Maniac" song yet?  I know I hear it in my head...)

Thankfully, the Marathon Maniacs have kindly defined the term "marathon maniac" and, while it will be close, I will indeed, not be a maniac.  To be the basic bronze level Marathon Maniac, a runner needs to run 2 marathons within 16 days or 3 marathons within 90 days.  Unfortunately, my 3 marathons are 98 days apart.  Come January, I will not be an official maniac - just goofy, and well, that's not really a surprise to those that know me well, is it?

Rocking the Little Rock Marathon

Five is a magic number!  Yes, it's a magic number! 

On March 7, I ran my fifth marathon in Little Rock and ran a sub-5 hour marathon for the first time.   Since my first marathon, I have typed up random (and I mean random) thoughts and experiences during my marathons, more so I will remember them for years to come, but I am sharing it on my blog in case anyone is interested. 

The Little Rock Marathon is nice because it is a small race with approximately 1,500 marathoners and 3,000 half-marathoners.  This makes for nice conveniences prior to the race start:  incredibly short port-a-pottie lines and medical teams that are able to pass out sun-screen (which I had forgotten) throughout the corrals.  I was approaching the marathon as a training run for the Lincoln Marathon in May and had heard that the Little Rock Marathon has THE biggest marathon medal.  Dangling race bling is front of me is like dangling carrots in front of a bunny.  I decided to wear a 4:55 pace band which would allow me to run slower than my regular Saturday training pace, but still set a PR or maybe even break 5 hours.  I wasn't holding my breath for miracles though, since I was recovering from a shin injury.  I had also woken up and had one of those days where I just didn't feel like running, and 26.2 miles just felt so long.  I made the ultimate mistake of thinking it would be 1:00 p.m. by the time I finished the marathon, so the head games started early on. Galen (who was doing the 1/2 marathon) stood with me in the corrals until the race started.  The race got off with a confetti-bang, and it only took me about 1 or 2 minutes to cross the starting line.  After crossing the starting line, Galen the Speedster took off.  I would not see him again until I got to Mile 24 of the marathon and he had showered and changed from his race.

The marathon and half-marathon courses start on President Clinton Avenue.  The first mile took me past the William J. Clinton Presidental Library and park, and then headed west along 3rd Street to Broadway.  I ran under a suspended American flag to the Broadway Bridge and crossed into North Little Rock.

On the Broadway Bridge, a couple that lived in Little Rock approached me and asked how Eladio Valdez (my running coach) was doing.  They had lived in Kansas City run with Runner's Edge back when 50 people were in the group.  I enjoyed talking about the local Kansas City races with them, until we separated around Mile 3.  At Mile 2, I saw my first ever pink fire truck.  (It was early enough in the race, that I promise you I was not hallucinating.)  Miles 2 through 4 were flat and wound through "scenic" North Little Rock.  It wasn't the prettiest part of town, but the race was able to showcase the Verizon Arena and the quaint Argentine district. 

Mile 4 included the trek back over the Broadway Bridge (which was a rather long, but managable incline).  A spectator held a poster that reminded me:  "If it was easy everyone would do it."  A kind spectator During the climb, a guy asked me how Eladio's training was working for me.  He told me that he ran with Runner's Edge of the Rockies and we enjoyed a brief chat before wishing each other well and going our own pace. 

Miles 6 through 8 wound through downtown Little Rock.  I do not really remember too much about these miles.  I spent a lot of time looking at the ground.  Little Rock still uses a trolley system.  Between the trolley tracks, manhole covers, and rough road I was making sure my footing was secure. I was feeling good and ahead of my pace band by 3 minutes at 6.2 miles.

After passing the mile marker for Mile 8 as I headed west on Capitol Street, I thought to look up and had a beautiful view of the Capitol Building.  The course head back south and entered some old neighborhoods with beautiful southern homes.  The Governor's Mansion is located at the end of Center Street. 

Before Mile 11, the half-marathon and full-marathon courses split.  I continued to head west and got to run by the historic Little Rock Central High School.  There was a great group cheering on the marathoners in front of the high school.  They said they would see us again at Mount Saint Marys and hoped Kavanaugh was too bad.  (It's probably a good thing I didn't know what they were talking about.  I would understand about 30 minutes later.) Strangely, the half-marathon course rejoined the marathon course at Mile 12 before the two courses split again around Mile 12.5. 

At this point, I was surprised at how generally flat the marathon course actually was.  The race is advertised as being relatively hilly.  A good portion of the course up to this point had been rolling hills or slight inclines.  Nothing like the crazy hills in the Kansas City Marathon or Hospital Hill.  Little did I know that I had a special treat waiting for me.  In hindsight, I suppose most capitol buildings in most capitol cities do seem to be situated on higher ground....

After Mile 12.5, the course started climbing upwards slightly.  I turned a corner and there was the capitol building.  The grounds were beautiful, the weather was slightly overcast, there was a gentle breeze.  I was feeling great.  I crossed the Mile 13.1 mat 5 minutes ahead of my pace band.  A few of the runners around me started to say that it sure felt like it was taking a long time to get to Mile 16.  (I started to get kind of worried about what I might be in store for over the next 2 or 3 miles.)

I don't remember much about Mile 14.  Oh, but Mile 15.  What a treat.  I passed by the Arkansas School for the Deaf and then went up. Up. Up. Up. A lot of people were walking but I kept chugging along.  I passed two ladies that were walking the marathon and wished them well.  Chug. Chug. Up. Up.  I could hear some beautiful church bells as I neared the top of the hill.  (I later learned that was Mount Saint Mary's Church.) I turned the corner and...uh oh...more up.  I got to the aid station at Mile 16 and finally saw a downhill.  I set off down the hill, turned the corner and thought "you.have.got.to.be.kidding.me."  A short, steep up.  The rest of Mile 17 down to Mile 18 was downhill.  Steep downhill.  Watch your knees it's so steep down hill. 

Mile 18 was the start of another treat.  An infamous out and back.  I was still feeling pretty good at Mile 18.  I was about 4 minutes ahead of my pace band.  The mind starts to pull tricks on you when you are at Mile 18 and can see people head back in the opposite direction to Mile 24.  Around Mile 19 I decided to walk for a minute. And then two minutes.  And then three minutes.  I started to hear this funny chuckling sound.  I look to my left and see a boggy swamp area.  I kept expecting some sci-fi creature from the black lagoon to emerge.  The rhythmic "hee-hee-hee hee hee-hee" (from what I concluded must have been frogs) kind of creeped me out enough to start running again.  I walked for a minute at Mile 20 but forced myself to keep jogging at least until I got to the turnaround.  The pace band was starting to stress me out so I removed it and reminded myself that this was just a training run and I didn't need to be stressing out.

Around Mile 20.5 I got to turnaround and was headed for the home stretch on the out and back. My brain had stopped doing math around Mile 21.  In a conversation with Galen (who was waiting for me at Mile 24), I told him I only had four miles left.  It was my friend Pritha, who told me via cell phone, that I actually had five miles left.  I still had 1 hour to make to to the finish line and beat 5 hours.  I tried to push myself through to Mile 24.  At this point the marathon becomes a test of how much you can endure pain and keep pounding the pavement. The sun was really coming down on the asphalt, and I was starting to feel really warm so I took several 30 second to 1 minute walk breaks.  When I was jogging, I felt like I was really moving along and would get discouraged when my Garmin told me I was only doing a 12:00 minute pace.  Regardless, those loud, creepy frogs kept me moving on to Mile 24.

At Mile 24, I saw Galen and was all ready to stop for another walk break, but he had the camera out so I had to keep jogging.  At this time I was about 25 minutes away from breaking 5 hours, and I had high hopes that I could accomplish the goal.  Then I saw that I had to climb an overpass.  Galen said it was no big deal, that there was only one more hill after the overpass.  @#$%!!!  I was tired. My knees hurt.  My quads were cramping.  (Shin felt great though!)  The last thing I wanted to do was climb hills.  I pretty much settled in my mind that I would set a personal record but not beat 5 hours.

I walked up the last two hills.  Let me just say, the hills would not have been bad if they were located anywhere else in the marathon.  There were a bunch of supporters at the top of the hill at Mile 25.  "Low Rider" was playing and a guy rang a cowbell in my face, fist pumped me, and told me to earn more cowbell.  I was feeling reenergized at the promise of no more hills.  Lots happened in that last mile.  First, I realized I had about 15 minutes to make it 1.2 miles, and I could still finish sub-5.  I felt like the clock was speeding up and I was moving slower.  I was focused.  The some guy offered me a beer, I smelled it, and almost threw up.  Passing that hurdle, I then had two women ask me to take their photo.  I shot them a dirty look and kept going.  They seemed offended, but are you kidding me?!?  We aren't at Disneyworld here, folks.  Who would expect someone to stop and take their picture with less than 1 mile to go?!?  At Mile 25.9, there was a Lipstick Stop.  Cute idea, but no time to be high maintenance.  My clock was ticking.  I think I still had about 5 minutes to make it to the finish, and I knew I only needed 2 minutes, but I was entering panic mode.

I passed Mile 26.  Life entered slow motion.  (Insert "Chariots of Fire" theme music.) I could hear the announcer tell the crowd that things were going to get exciting because the runners coming in were likely going to beat 5 hours.  Hearing that brought me to a dead sprint.  I felt numb.  I saw the clock said 4:58:44 and, my brain not being able to do math, I thought I only had 15 seconds to beat 5 hours.

I did it!  Official chip time:  4:57:29.  I crossed the finish line with tears of joy and relief.  Then I got my coveted medal.  It measures 6" x 7" and weighs more than a pound.  Definitely a wonderful momento of my 5th marathon and my first sub-5 hour marathon!



General thoughts: 

1. Race day weather was perfect.  The low was in the upper 40s and the high was in the upper 60s.  There was a cool breeze, and it was overcast for a good portion of the race. 
2. I would not say that the marathon was "easy" but I didn't struggle as much as I had in the past with other courses.  This was the first marathon where I didn't swear off running for the rest of my life, or at least marathons.  Most other marathons, this occurs by Mile 22.
3. No blisters!
4. I was impressed by the support of Little Rock.  The volunteers did a great job.  There was a decent amount of crowd support for a smaller marathon.  The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette actually had a pullout section for the marathon in the Monday paper.

Sidenote:  Here's a true story about finishing a marathon.  After I showered and changed, and Galen and I had gone for pizza, we walked back over to the finish line area to take some photos.  It was probably about 2 hours after the marathon course had reopened for traffic.  The clock was still running over the finish line.  Two volunteers were still standing there with medals.  A race director told me there were still two women on the course.  I kid you not.  It was the two women I passed on the hill at Mile 15.  They had been walking for 10 hours.  10 hours!   As they crossed the finish line, no one was around except for several people on the patio at a nearby bar.  Everyone on the patio starting cheering for these ladies.  It was a truly inspirational moment, made even more special knowing that I had actually taken the time to cheer them, and had actually told Galen about them over dinner.  Running a marathon isn't just about how fast you can do it, it's a test of strength and determination. Cheers to the Mile 15 Walkers!

Let me model this medal one more time:

Marathonmares

As yet another marathon is approaching, I cannot help but wonder if my fellow running buddies have as bizarre marathon-mares as I do in the days before a race.   After the typical dream, I wake up in a sweat with an accelerated heartbeat (as if I have, indeed, been racing).  A few of my memorable marathon-mares (which seem to have some common themes...):

1) I am looking for the restroom during a race and end up running through a shopping mall to find a restroom, then I get lost.  Then I wake up.
2) The marathon course goes through a shopping mall the size of the Mall of America, but all of a sudden the course markers disappear, and then I get lost.  Then I wake up.
3) The marathon course goes through a hilly rural course and then enters an amusement park and runs into a haunted house/fun house.  Remniscent of the video for "She's a Beauty" by The Tubes, I am trapped in said haunted house/fun house until I can answer some trivia questions.  Things are chasing me.  I run into an old lady that has been trapped in the haunted house/fun house for years.  Basically I am lost.  Then I wake up.
4) After getting lost on the marathon course (that wound through an outlet mall, kind of reminding me of the old Lawrence Outlets on the Kansas River) I finish the marathon.  Biggest Loser contestants are standing at the finish asking what took me so long, since they finished in 2 hours.   Then I wake up.  (Note:  This unfortunately, is the only marathonmare in which I actually recall finishing the marathon.)

Ice and Mud and Hills - Oh My!

Yesterday, I finished my second and longest trail race:  the Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run.  I did the 10 mile race, which was the shortest of the three options (10 mile, 20 mile,
50K).   Runners doing the 20 mile or 50K did extra laps of the course:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24691023

Of all of the local races I have done this one rated up there at the top, with many thanks to the organization of the event by the Trail Nerds.  The event was well organized, well staffed, and had high quality SWAG.  (This is where I will admit I signed up for the race because I thought the dog on the logo was cute.)

About 1.5 years ago (when I started this blog) I journeyed into the world of trail running and was chased away by tiny six-legged critters that liked to suck my blood.  What better time to try a trail run again than in February when the ground is frozen and the critters are all hibernating?  Okay, so the critters were all hibernating, but the ground was NOT frozen.  The majority of the course was covered in 3 to 4 inches of ooey, gooey, slippery, slidey mud.   To add to the challenge, the race course was very hilly and was run on bridle trails (horse dropping free in February!) at Wyandotte County Lake Park.  The mixture of mud and hills made the course delightfully challenging and a great calorie-burning workout!

A few of the race highlights:

1) By the time I neared mile 8, I started getting lapped by a few of the trail running experts doing the 20 mile  or 50K races.  I was thoroughly fascinated watching these gazelle-like creatures manuever the course.  It was almost as if they had choregraphed their race, and hardly had any mud on their shoes. 

2) No ticks! No snakes! No Sasquatches!

3) The Trail Nerds like dogs, so runners could run with their dogs.  Fun!  I was passed by a corgi-like dog.  Not so fun!  Thankfully the corgi needed water at the last aid station so I was able to gain some distance and finish before the corgi.

4) I didn't fall down.

5) I passed three people in the last 1.5 miles.

I am a road race runner through and through, but Run Toto Run gave me a good challenge to start the 2010 season.  While I nearly kissed the ground each time I ran on asphalt (which was easily less than 0.5 mile of the race), I had so much fun, and the race was so well done, that I am looking forward to taking on Psycho Wyco Psycho Summer 15 miler in July.   I'll be the one that smells like DEET, wearing two clip-on Off! mosquito repellant fans, and using two citronella tiki torches as walking sticks.