2013 Empire State Building Run Up

Two numbers have haunted me for over a month:  86 and 1,576. 

In late December, I found out that I "won" the lottery for a spot in the 36th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up (ESBRU) on February 6.  This lucky spot gave me the opportunity to run up the 1,576 stairs from the first floor of the Empire State Building to the observation deck on the 86th floor.  (Note:  According to the New York Times, there were 1,955 applicants for 650 lottery spots, so luck was on my side.)  

My walk to the ESBRU

Over the course of the next month, I felt like the ESB has been taunting me.  It sure pops up on TV and movies A LOT.  There I sit after a run, in front of the TV, and a shot of the NYC skyline would appear.  I felt like it was saying "Shouldn't you be training on some stairs right now?"  It was simply a challenge to find time to train for this run-up.  I ran the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge in early January and needed to taper for and recover from that.  In the end, I maybe did about six or seven actual stair training workouts:  two on real stairs, the rest on the stair climber at the gym.   Definitely not the two a week that my coach recommended, but I just couldn't figure out a good place to run real stairs without getting risking getting kicked out by security.  The stair climber helped me figure out how big of a challenge the ESBRU would be on a cardio level; after training on the real stairs I became frantic about my ESBRU mission because I could barely walk when I was done with a workout.   The stair climber was absolutely worthless for training for a real stair climb.  By the way, a 5-story building is not really sufficient for training either? 

Enter February 6.  6:30 p.m.  There I am, walking down 34th Street to 5th Avenue.  Looking up at the beautifully orange-lighted ESB to celebrate the New York Road Runners (NYRR) and all of a sudden I am stuck in a throng of people, feeling like a fish trying to swim upstream.  I was in front of a Victoria's Secret and I guess some of the models were making an appearance in the store or something.  I like to thought I'd never get through that mess! 

Hanging out with Jackie before the start

Finally I made my way to 5th Avenue and entered the well-known lobby of the ESB and headed upstairs to the second floor to pick up my packet.  It was kind of funny when I picked up my packet.  A few participants saw my Kansas license and were shocked I'd come "all the way from Kansas."  (Looking at the results, there were only a handful of runners that were not from New York or New Jersey.  There were a few from Florida then California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Hawaii.   I felt proud to represent flyover country.) Once I had my packet, it was time to wait for my turn to head up the ESB stairs.

The ESBRU is held from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.  Lottery runners start at 8:30.  The runners are called by number in groups of 100 and lead back down to the first floor of the building, down through the lobby and around to the stairwell.  Runners are released one runner at a time every 7 seconds to prevent mass chaos in the stairwell.

Unfortunately, I was bib number 1044.  This meant that I didn't get to launch until 9:30.  It was a long wait from picking up my bib at 7:00 to getting to start the event.  It was a long time to be anxious.  I was excited, though, that I was able to meet a fellow Marathon Maniac, Jackie, that I've met in the past and see on Facebook frequently.  We hung out until it was her turn to line up for the run-up.  Otherwise, to occupy myself, I talked to other runners and sat around.  I also got to rub elbows with Kelly Ripa, who was running this for charity.   Okay, okay.  So I didn't talk to her, but I did watch her head off to get ready for the run up. 



Kelly Ripa and Gelman


 When it was finally my turn to head downstairs for the run up, I made sure I was in the front of the line.  My patience was wearing thin.  I was tired from getting up for my flight at 4:30 a.m. and then walking around site seeing in the City for 3 hours that afternoon.  I was tired and ready to go to bed. 

When it was finally my turn, I stepped up to the mat, and took off for the stairwell at a slow jog when I heard the word "go".  It was really bizarre stepping into this seemingly empty staircase in this super famous building.  I was excited and nervous...and here's my first mistake.  I took the advice of several runners and took off for the first few flights two steps at a time.  I've never tried to run 2 stairs at a time.  By the 5th flight, I was so out of breath it was pathetic.  I was kind of like "Uh oh.  How am I going to make up it 81 more flights?"  Other runners started passing me on the left, and I convinced myself to ignore them and just started taking the steps one at a time on a quick pace. 

By the time I got to the 20th floor, I was really huffing and puffing, but I felt like I finally had a system down.  At the 20th floor, runners change stair cases and there is a little aid station, so I caught my breath and headed for more stairs.
 
My method for the first 20 flights was messed up when I got to floors 20 through 65.  These floors had two little stairs, a turn, 20 something stairs, a turn, a walk across a landing, and then the pattern repeated.  I welcomed the walk across the landing, and I came to dread the two steps and turn.  It was amazing to me how much energy the two steps and then turn used.  On the long stretch of stairs I would pull myself up with my right arm, and when that arm got tired, I would switch back and forth pulling myself up with my right arm and left arm.  All the while I am getting passed by other runners (and eventually passed two myself). 

The starting line!

The stair wells are dark grey and dimly lighted.  Someone in a New York Times article compared it to the inside of a battleship.  Sometimes you are completely alone on a flight of stairs...all you can hear is your breath, your heartbeat, foot steps and the huffing and puffing and gasping of fellow runners on other flights of stairs.  Oh...and your lungs feel like they are going to pop out of your mouth.  Also, you cannot see the dust but by the 43rd story, I knew I was inhaling dust.  My respiratory system was on fire.  Partially the cardio.  Partially the dust.  Thankfully Jackie had told me to chew gum during the run up to keep my throat from getting dry.  It was probably a lifesaver.  Even with gum, by the 50th floor I was so ready to get water at the 65th floor.

Cheesy self-finishers portrait

The only cheerleaders are security guards occasionally stationed on floors to make sure all is well.  I do have to say that every one of them seemed to be enjoying themselves.  They rooted on the runners like a true spectator.  Maybe it was just exciting for them to have something to actually see while they work the night shift?

I know, it sounds miserable, right?  But I was having that kind of fun that only a marathoner could describe as fun.  Besides I was in the stairs of the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.  I wanted to be there.  These pep talks didn't help the other side of my brain that asked me what the heck I was doing to myself.   The doorways to each floor had the floor number on them, and I just found myself looking for the number on every floor and eventually had to stop myself.  It was kind of like watching the tenths of a mile go by on a treadmill.  I was driving myself crazy thinking how much further I had to keep going. 
At the 65th floor, you pop out into a hallway.  It was so bright.  There were happy people handing out water.  It just looked like civilization.  ...and then I had to go back into another staircase.  With a different pattern of stairs.  I think this one involved two shorter series of stairs and shorter landings...but I don't really remember.  Around the 70th floor I was just trying not to puke or pass out.  At the 72 floor I took a one minute breather on the landing.  (A nice breathless runner made sure I was okay.)   My legs never really got tired...but the cardio workout of going up all those stairs so quickly was wiping me out.  Other runners would be taking breathers or pep talking themselves into moving up the stairs more quickly.  It was a total mind game to keep going.    

Speaking of the Chrysler building....

At this point I was around a group of people that were counting down the floors.  That was great, except I'd either hear the number for the floor ahead of me or the floor behind me, so I really got messed up with how much further I had to go...until finally, one last right turn and the stairwell to the observation deck.  It had to be only 15 stairs but I swear to you it looked like 1,000.  I stumbled up the stairs and made a left turn and was greeted with 20 degree fresh air.  I remember gasping in joy and almost doubling over.  The run around the observation deck to the finish line was glorious.  Fresh air!  Gorgeous view!  Flat!!  I jogged on into the building and received my finisher's medal.  Nice and shiny like the top of the Chrysler building!  (Yes...I had to stick in an Annie reference.)

I heard it takes the elevator about 1 minute and 2 seconds to get to the observation deck.  It took me 24:51 (official time).  The average times were probably 18 to 20 minutes.  I was just happy to beat half an hour.   There were 724 finishers:  427 men and 248 women.  I finished 516th -  208 people were slower than me. 

Shortly after crossing the finish line, I started coughing.  I'd been warned that this would happen because of the dusty stairwells.  Let me tell you, there's nothing like a chorus of runners that sound like they've all been smoking a pack every day for 20 years.  I grabbed a bottle of water, took a quick photo on the observation deck, and headed for the elevators to the ground floor.


Race Goodies

When I got in the elevators, a traditional recording came on in a polite woman's voice:  "We hope you have enjoyed your ESB observation deck experience..." I was kind of like, "Oh, recorded lady, you don't even know the half of it."

 I have loved the ESB for years.  In 2007, it was the first thing I did when I went to Manhattan.  Yes, it was a long trip from Kansas City for a short race (thankful for Southwest Rapid Rewards points!), but it's an experience I will never forget.  For the rest of my life, whenever I see the ESB I will see it through a completely new set of eyes.  I cannot wait to reminiscence when I head back to NYC this fall for the 2013 marathon!   

 



North Face Endurance Challenge: Kansas City 50K

It's been some time since I've typed up a race report.  Looks like Utah Valley, Leading Ladies, American Discovery Trail, and New Hampshire are missing from the blog...but those are stories for another day.   Even after finishing 8 marathons in 7 new states this year, 2012 has also been a very disappointing year for me from a race perspective:  food poisoning kept me from running Napa Valley, an injury kept me from running Maine after training all summer in hot temps for the New Hampshire/Maine double, I skipped Des Moines to let the injury heal in time for NYC, and then, well, don't get me started about NYC.  After missing 3 marathons in a row this fall, I really needed something to get me out of my running race funk.  Enter the NFEC 50K.

I signed up for the NFEC 50K during the summer when it sounded like a great idea because it was "on sale" for 50% off.  Besides the marathon, the Route 66 Marathon with a Detour to the Center of the Universe was the furthest I had run in one race (and that was like 26.5 miles).  This would be my first 50K.  Going into it, I was pretty nervous, because the Kansas City Half was the furthest I had run since my peroneal tendon injury at the end of September. 

I went into the 50k with low expectations, and simply wanted to beat 6.5 hours, which seemed completely doable.  Eladio, my coach, told me to treat the 50k like a training run, and take walk breaks every 5 to 10 minutes and/or walk the hills.  After running the NFEC Half in August 2011, I knew good and well what "hill"acious situation I had potentially gotten myself into.

...cut to me at the starting line.  I ran the first six miles with Jim and Pritha, where they took a pit stop and I kept on chugging along.  They would catch up to me and pass me around Mile 14.  Until Mile 28, they were generally in my sights on the straightaways, which really helped me mentally.  With only about 200 runners doing the ultra, by the marathon/ultra split, the course was very sparse.   By the time the course reached the Riverfront Park, I decided to run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute Galloway style.  If the walk came on a downhill, I banked it and used it to walk up a hill later.  I am confident that this strategy saved me on this tough course.  (I have used it before in a marathon and PR'd.) 

Mentally, I struggled with the 50k from the start.  In the back of my mind, I kept figuring out how many more miles were left.  When I was at Mile 15.5 and knew I still had another 15.5 to go, it was extremely discouraging.  It was hard to push past the Mile 26 marker, but how else was I going to get to the finish?  I told myself that I had just run a marathon, but parked 5 miles away and had to run to get to my car.  (Whatever works, right?) 

As far as race organization, I thought the aid stations were very well staffed and well stocked.  Many thanks to the Runner's Edge volunteers at the first few aid stations!   The later aid stations were equipped with bananas, oranges, chips, chicken broth, and one even had soda.  At that point I didn't care if it was Pepsi, Coke, RC, or Shasta.  All I saw was bubbly caffeinated goodness.  That was a high point of my run.  After Mile 22, I felt like I was running from buffet station to buffet station.  I definitely ate my way along the course.  (Many thanks to Todd for being along the course with Pritha's pup Kobe!  Girl Scout shortbread cookies were an extra special treat!)

Two big downsides to the race organization:  1) Beginning at Mile 8, the mile markers (when there were mile markers) were easily 1/2 mile off.  Eventually they were only 1/3 mile off, then 1/4 mile off.  By the end of the race, they seemed more accurate.  I allocated about 1/10 of a mile for the portion of the course that goes down stairs from City Market to the riverfront park.  2) The medals.  Seriously?  The 5k/10k/half/full/50k all get the same medal, but with different stamped ribbons.  Seriously?  Come on North Face, you can do better than that. 

Yes, this course is hilly.  Extremely hilly.  Like in a "Designer Showcase of Eladio's favorite hills on all Runner's Edge routes ever and then some hidden gems" - way.  However, it didn't seem as bad as it could be simply because I knew where all the hills would be.  Well, except for the hills on the ultra-only loop.  Except for Riverfront Park, the run was either up or down.  It seems to follow the trend for some of the other marathons I've done this year.  The elevation chart:

The course gives an excellent scenic overview of Kansas City:  Nelson, Plaza, Westport, downtown, City Market, riverfront, Cliff Drive, scary ghetto area, Kansas City Museum, the Concourse, more downtown, Crown Center, the KC Art Institute and Kemper Museum.  I really enjoyed the course.  There was a lot to look at. 

For local runners that want to try a 50k road race (it's tough to find 50k races that are road races instead of trail runs), I would give this race 4 out of 5 stars.  It was pretty well done, despite the mile marker glitch.  For running the 50k, I got a shirt, arm warmers, hand-held hydration bottle pack thing, and two $5 tickets for food (that I didn't use), and a beer ticket.  Not bad. 

I guess Dean Karnazes was at the finish line festival until 1:00.  I was kind of sad that he didn't stick around for the slow pokes, but he probably needed to go run himself... 

Standout moments:

*Seeing people on the course that I knew.  The ultra-only portion of the course is a loop/out and back.  The out and back gave me the opportunity to realize there were still people behind me, and I knew some of them.  It was just nice to see some familiar faces after running solo for so long.

*Galen met me on his bike around Mile 24.  Having him at each mile marker until the finish helped break up the monotony of running solo.

*Marathoners wearing their 2012 NYC Marathon shirts (and 1 wearing the bib).  At this point, it's not about the hurricane; it's about how unprofessional the NYRR is being....

*Some younger volunteers at an aid station told me I was doing "wonderballs."  Hmm.  That's a new one.

*At the Catholic church on Gillham, a groom and his two groom's men were having their photos taken.  One of the groom's men said, "You are doing great.  He's getting married today and would rather be in your shoes." 

*I passed some marathoners after the ultra rejoined the marathon course.  :)

*Running solo down the middle of the street in Downtown KC.  It amazed me that the police had the streets completely blocked off.  Since I was at the tail end of the ultramarathoners (and marathoners) t was surreal to just be running all by my lonesome down the middle of Oak Street.

*The foot pain.  My peroneal tendon acted up from the Valentine district to the Liberty Memorial, but was generally calm for most of the rest of the race.  But  my feet.  Oh my feet.  Not having run long since September really did a number on my feet.  The balls of my feet and my toes starting hurting around Mile 16.   Everything else felt generally okay, but I have not had my feet hurt like that since my early marathons. 

*The wind from the south.  By the time I was running the last four miles, all of which were to the south, the wind was coming from the south.  Great fun. 

*Mile 26.  I reached the marathon point in 5:15, which is right on target with where I wanted to be. 

*Mile 30.   Seriously...30 miles is a long way to run.

*Finishing.  Because 30 miles isn't enough...Mile 31.  It's been a while since I've been so overjoyed to see a finish line and to just be done.  I finished in 6:24:04. 

Fargo Marathon

I typed this up in May...at some point I thought I'd add to it...but there just isn't much else to say.

The Fargo Marathon was a week ago, and I am still collecting my thoughts.  The known fact is that I finished my 20th marathon in my 16th state with a 21 second personal record (PR).  The unknown that I am still pondering is how I felt about the Fargo Marathon. 

I have to say that this is the first marathon that I've run for which I cannot come up with words to describe how I felt about the race.  Perhaps it has something to do with the marathon being sandwiched in between 9 hour drives to and from Fargo?  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that it was the third marathon I'd run in less than a month?  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I had run a race every weekend from April 1 until the Fargo Marathon (consulting my calendar that is 8 weekends in a row)? 

Fargo is flat, fast, and friendly.  The spectator support is incredible.  The course is incredibly flat.  The race director is one of the quickest to respond to email questions that I have experienced.  I ran the 5K the night before and came home with a 5K finisher's medal, a marathon finisher's medal, and a Go Far Challenge medal.  Bling is always good.  The race shirts and the sackpack we received with registration are incredibly nice.   The course is just so....  so...  dull.   Unless a friend is running the 50 states, I just cannot recommend going out of the way to run this one.

The Next Best Thing to Race Bling

As most people know, I am a blingaholic.  I live for race bling.  However, I have also developed a second collection of race memorabilia that is close to my heart.  No - I don't mean race jackets and T-shirts, although that collection is also quite impressive.  My home has become a marathon poster art gallery.  Enough so that I have moved the majority of the marathon posters to adorn the walls of my garage. This blog post is a celebration of my marathon posters.

I discovered early on that it is way way way too expensive to frame inexpensive or free marathon posters.  I simply go to Michael's and buy a premade frame in the closest size to the poster.  Slightly tacky, yes, but for a garage gallery a $10 frame beats a $100 frame. 

Poster 1:  Kansas City Marathon 2006

The Kansas City Marathon is dear to my heart.  It was my first marathon.  Oddly, it took me until 2010 to actually frame the poster.  I have always liked the play on running and jazz.  The runners are the music notes on this sheet of music. This poster hangs in the entry way from my garage.

 Poster 2:  2009 Country Music Marathon

The 2009 Country Music Marathon was actually my third marathon.  The experience was horrific.  I ended up walking almost the entire 2nd half because the temperatures were excessively hot for the end of April.  This is the only one of the posters that I paid to have custom framed.  After paying $10 for the poster and $90 for the frame, I decided buying the el cheapo frames at Michaels that somewhat fit the posters works well for me.  This one actually hangs in my bedroom, which is kind of funny, since seeing it always reminds me of that nightmarish marathon.



Poster 3:  2009 Twin Cities Marathon

The Twin Cities Marathon was my fourth marathon.  I absolutely love the course, and I absolutely love how they captured the fall colors in this poster.  This poster has the honor of hanging in a cheap frame from college, but has the prestige of hanging in my home office. 



Poster 4:  2010 Little Rock Marathon

Huge medal.  Teeny tiny free poster. 



Poster 5:  2010 Lincoln Marathon

I was on a roll for free posters in 2010.  The Lincoln Marathon was my sixth marathon.  This poster plays off the Gettysburg Address.  "One Score and 6.2 Miles of Perseverance."  I like the creativity of the poster, but it's nothing much to look at.  Even so, since it was one of my first posters, it is hanging in my home office.



Poster 6:  2010 Chicago Marathon

Yikes.  This bad boy was a freebie.  I used to have in the laundry closet, but it kind of scared me when I would open the doors.  Now it's in the garage and is one of the first things I see when I pull in.  Did I mention it was free?

Poster 7:  2011 Walt Disney World Marathon

This poster is a celebration of the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge.  It's in my basement along side all of my marathon medals.



Poster 8:  2011 Flying Pig Marathon

This is just a fun poster. I love the piggie, so it also is showcased in my home office. The Flying Pig Marathon is great in that they give you a nice free shirt, a wonderful free backpack, a free poster, and an awesome piggie medal. I love the pig.

 















Poster 9:  Missoula Marathon Poster

I started running out of room at home, so this one is on my desk at work.  The Missoula Marathon is my second favorite marathon next to Disney.  This poster reminds me of the beautiful scenery running over the bridge on the way in to Missoula.



Poster 10: 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon

This is the only half marathon poster that I have in my collection.  I bought the 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon poster to balance out the 2011 Disney World Marathon Weekend poster.  It hangs in the basement on the wall with my half marathon medals.  Along with the Disney Coast to Coast medal, it is a fun reminder of my year of the Disney races.



















Poster 11:  2011 Kansas City Marathon

This poster is currently in the stage of getting flattened so that I can place it more evenly in the frame.  I like how this poster is a running shoe print with all of the KC landmarks featured.  Unfortunately the poster is such a funky size it is next to impossible to find a premade frame that somewhat suits it.  This poster will end up in the garage.



Poster 12:  2012 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon

My latest acquisition in the "free" category.  You get what you pay for...  The poster is SO much better than the shirt.  The free shirt tried to feature this shoe with the Pegasus wing and shape of the race course.  It works better on the poster.  I like the faint outline of the Louisville skyline in the background.  One I get it better situated in the frame, this one will reside in the garage gallery.

Get Down and Derby!

It's been a while since I've posted any race reports.  Spring has been busy with the Indian Creek Half, the Easter Egg 5K, Rock the Parkway Half Marathon, the Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz, and the Kansas Half Marathon. 

Adding to the list of running business, I completed the Kentucky Derby Marathon in Louisville, Kentucky  on April 28, 2012.   The Kentucky Derby Marathon was my 19th marathon in my 15th state.  (Yep - ONLY 35 more states to go!)  As always, these are my random thoughts, more for me to reminisce in the future about the race, but here for all in case one is interested in participating in the future.

Going in to the marathon, I had heard several poor reviews about the event.  I felt that the event didn't live up to those standards, but with every marathon I've done there are pros and cons.

The majority of cons in this case  were packed into the packet pickup at the Expo.  Approximately 3,000 people run the full marathon and 15,000 run the mini-marathon.  Upon arriving at the Expo, there was one line for the marathon approximately 40 people deep and 21 lines for the half marathon with hardly anyone in line.  (Yes, I stood there and counted.)  The mini-marathoners also got practical hunter green short-sleeve shirts.  The full marathoners got what I considered a puke gray color, if puke could be gray, long-sleeve shirt.   I won't even go into the logo.  Guess a gal always needs a throw-away shirt.

Race day did not disappoint.  There were ample port-a-potties, the corrals were marked well, and the general start line area appeared to be organized.  I met up with Marathon Maniacs and 50 States Marathon Club for our pre-race photo and caught up with some friends before the race.

Since I had just run a full/half weekend before this race, I decided to just have fun and go with the flow.  I carried a camera with me and took a few photos the first half of the race.  The first 8 miles of the race are very flat and go through scenic portions of Louisville as the course winds it way to Church Hill Downs.  At Mile 5, all of us got a good scare when the skies opened up and literally poured for about 2 minutes.  Then just magically stopped.   Around the same time, I saw my favorite spectator race sign of the day:  "You trained for this race longer than Kim Kardashian's marriage."  Ha!  Creative!  There were a few overpass bridges we ran under, and I remember needing to watch my footing.  The road  surfaces were really uneven. 

Church Hill Downs is THE highlight of the race.  At Mile 8, runners enter the gates of Church Hill Downs, run under the grand stand past the wagering windows, and through the tunnels beneath the race track.  Runners can go off course and peek in at the track where jockeys were exercising the horses.  It was definitely a fun mile to see Church Hill Downs and watch the horses on the track.  I actually forgot for a moment I was in the first half of a marathon and needed to move along.  Leaving Church Hill Downs, and approaching Mile 9, was the course split.   I think I will always remember the monotonous chant "Course. Split. A-head.  Mar-a-thon-ers.To.The.Right.  Mi-ni Mar-a-thon-ers. To. The. Left."  (Say it kind of robotically and you have it down.)


Me taking a breather in Church Hill Downs



I was slightly relieved to leave the half marathoners behind.  The course was somewhat crowded and it reached just the perfect level of participants at the split.  Miles 9 to 11 or 12ish are a primarily gentle decline out-and-back to Iroquois Park.  On my run to the park, I was able to cheer on the Maniacs and 50 Staters already heading back out of the park, so that helped the time go by.  It was also around Mile 10 that I heard "Macarena."  Heeeeeey Macarena.   Yep - that stayed with me a while.

Iroquois Park is a hillacious beast of 4 miles.  Since I like hills, it was a nice break from the flat and gentle downhill incline, but it is definitely an up and down four miles.  I enjoyed the serenity of the park.  There weren't many spectators, but you could hear all the birds chirping and the woodsiness of the park was very pretty.   The aid stations in the park handed out mini bottles of water that we could carry along with us, which was nice.  Two pegasuses  (pegasii? what is the plural of a pegasus anyway?  if there are more than two is it a herd?) were dancing at the Mile 15 aid station.  No - I was NOT hallucinating.

The park seemed to go on for a while, but I was still feeling strong when I popped back out onto the out-and-back portion of the course.  This became a gentle incline from Mile 16 to Mile 20.  Around Mile 18 we merged back with the half marathon course, where half marathoners were still walking the course.  At Mile 18, I was started to need a little musical stimulation so I finally started my iPod.  Around Mile 19, I stopped to take some photos of the University of Louisville.

And then came Mile 20 or 21.  The armpit of the race.  It seems like every marathon must test the strength of the marathoner and expose them to a not incredibly scenic, not very shady, boring section of town.  That summarizes Miles 21 to 25.  Except for the big hill at Mile 23 .

By the time I reached Mile 20, I was really surprised that I was still feeling great.  I wasn't tired.  My feet didn't hurt.  My quads were only a little sore.   I had been carrying a 4:53 Races 2 Remember Smart Pace Band in my pocket, and I had generally memorized the 13.1 and 20 splits.  However, the last 10 marathons I have run, I have been pretty consistent with hitting the 13.1 and 20 mile splits that I would need to run between 4:45 and 4;50.  I either don't care, or I've gotten so tired (usually due to site seeing the previous day) that I just try to finish and don't care about my pace. 

At Mile 21, I could have easily finished the race near 4:45 but I didn't start mentally negotiating pace with myself until Mile 22.  By Mile 23, I just decided to see what I was made of and went from running 11:00+ minute miles to 10:18, 9:49, and 10:40 minute mile.  I passed several 50 Staters or Maniacs but I was just so down to business that I didn't even muster up a grunt to say "Hello."  (Sorry guys.)  Around Mile 25.5 was a straight away to Mile 26, and 26.1 with one right turn to reach the finish.  I just started ticking off runners that had succumbed to the "death march", ran down the yellow line in the center of the road, and stared straight ahead.  (And tried not to laugh when Dancing on the Ceiling came on my iPod.)  I finished in 4:49:25, a 5.5 minute PR over my 2011 Oz Marathon time!!!  Heeeey Macarena!  (It's STILL stuck in my head.)

This is the first marathon where the only walk breaks I took were through the aid stations (or to have my photo taken at Church Hill Downs).

The finish line area left room for improvement.  Instead of bottles of water, the race only had teeny tiny cups of water.  Hungry?  Too bad.  You could have a banana or a bagel.  I grabbed about 5 cups of water, a banana, and then walked the 0.5 mile back to my hotel.

One of the highlights of my race experience occurred on my walk back to the hotel.  I heard a gal behind me say "Hey, 50 Stater.  Hey you!  Thanks!"  I turned around and realized she was talking to me.  This young woman had run her first marathon.  She told me how she was really struggling the last four miles and saw how strong I looked and just wouldn't let me out of her sights.  She said she knew if she stopped she would have just walked her race in.  A good majority of the runners at that point of the race were doing the "death march"/"walk of shame" call it what you want.  We've all been there.  I just thought it was the coolest thing that she tracked me down to thank me.  I congratulated her, and then I laughed.  I told her that I moved faster the last three miles of that race than I ever have in any marathon - that I was just trying to PR.  After 19 marathons, even if I hadn't PR'd, to know that you helped someone finish just made it all worth it.

Next up?  Fargo in May.  Utah Valley in June.  Do I go for another PR?  I guess I'll decide when I get to Mile 20 of those races.  The race for me really does begin at Mile 20!

Amy's Top 15

This fall, I've been so busy on my quest for 9 states in 365 days in order to earn 4 stars with the Marathon Maniacs, that I have failed to keep my race reports up-to-date.  This fall, I have run the Kansas City Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, and the Route 66 Marathon.  When I feel so inspired, I will write up some race reports.  In the meantime, since I am asked so frequently, I decided to rank the marathons I've completed.  Technically there are only 14 on the list, since I have run Kansas City twice.  The list, Letterman style:

14.  Gobbler Grind Marathon:  Overland Park, KS
13.  Lincoln Marathon:  Lincoln, NE
12.  Country Music Marathon:  Nashville, TN
11.  Chicago Marathon:  Chicago, IL  (#1 for the most overrated marathon ever)  
10.  Oz Marathon:  Olathe, KS
9.    Kansas City Marathon:  Kansas City, MO (The hilliest of any I've run so far)
8.   Go!  St. Louis Marathon:  St. Louis, MO
7.  Route 66 Marathon:  Tulsa, OK
6.  Flying Pig Marathon:  Cincinnati, OH
5.  Marine Corps Marathon:  Arlington, VA
4.  Little Rock Marathon:  Little Rock, AR 
3.  Missoula Marathon:  Missoula, MT
2.  Twin Cities Marathon:  Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
1.  Disney World Marathon (Goofy Race and a Half Challenge)

Five Year Runniversary

October 7 marks my 5-year marathon running anniversary!  On October 7, 2006, I ran the Kansas City Maratnon.  Since October 7, 2006, I have run 12 marathons....about 11 more than I thought I would ever run again.  To reflect on my "runniversary" I am posting my thoughts that I compiled after running my first marathon.  Many of my Runner's Edge friends have seen this, but I thought I'd "cheat" a blog entry with a repost.  (Note:  I could not get the photos in my original document to repost, so you'll just have to imagine photos if I accidentally left a reference in.)

The Day Before
The day before the marathon I was very anxious and excited all day. I took off work so I could go to the Health and Fitness Expo to pick up my race packet and take a bus tour hosted by my coach from The Runner’s Edge, Eladio Valdez. Eladio was also the course designer. The bus tour calmed me down a lot – just being around the other anxious runners. Eladio reminded the first time marathoners that we would only have one first time and suggested carrying disposable cameras to record our journey. Lucky for me, one fit in the back pocket of my Race Ready shorts.

Race Day
I decided to wear my Runners Edge shirt to see if it would help get me some support/recognition on the course. I was so worried about parking at Crown Center that I arrived at the Crown Center parking garage at 6:00 am. Let’s just say I got rock star parking. Lots of marathoners were arriving early, so I didn’t feel too silly. I met up with the Runner’s Edge at the Atrium around 7:00 am. As Stacie, Dana, and I trekked for our final restroom stop, Eladio gave me a high-five and wished me well. Around 7:15 am we headed to the start at Pershing and Grand.

The marathon started at 7:30 am.

Mile 1: Started running with Stacie, Dana, Marcus, Heather, Jamie, and Dan from the 11:40 pace group. Jamie and I were the only two going on to do the marathon. Mile 1 went north through downtown and came back south near Union Station.

Mile 2: Ran primarily with Stacie. In front of Union Station we saw a gentleman taking a picture. Someone in the crowd said that he had done 189 marathons. The route ran up the BIG hill on the west side of the Liberty Memorial. Stacie and I leaned in, raised our arms up, and reflected on our speed session of running the steps up and down and around the memorial. The hill seemed like a piece of cake in comparison. The first aid station was at the top of the hill.

We ran the loop at the Liberty Memorial. Eladio was there with his camera at the end of the loop.

Mile 3: Stacie and I were chatting, so Mile 3 went by quickly. We went up the short but steep hill that killed us at the end of Hospital Hill. I saw one of the wheelchair competitors going up the hill and was absolutely amazed by their arm strength.

Mile 4: We had fun running down Main Street. Dana, Marcus, Stacie, and I were back together.
Stacie went ahead of me in Westport so she could PR for her ½ marathon. Dana, Marcus, and I stuck together through Mile 6. The second aid station was at Mile 4.2. I had a lot of fun running down Westport Road.

Mile 5: This mile took us through a residential, shady area on the west side of the Plaza. I began to mentally prepare for the course split on the Plaza.

Mile 6: The ½ marathon course split was on the east end of the Plaza. Stacie came from no where behind me (Latte Land pit stop I find out later), and I heard Jamie calling my name behind me (she had a Quick Trip pit stop). I waved good bye to Dan, Heather, Stacie, Dana, and Marcus, and Jamie and I headed toward Ward Parkway. With all the hustle & bustle, I forget to take my first energy gel packet at the aid station.

Mile 7: The Runners Edge shirt works!! Two Runners Edge people cheer for us on the corner of the Plaza. I recognize one is Barb Rinne. Jamie and I note how quiet the Plaza is without the traffic and the sounds of the ½ marathon crowd. We can hear the shouts of “Powerade, Water” from the Mile 8 aid station, but we first get to run west on Ward Parkway and loop back to the east once we reach Pembroke.

Mile 8: An aid station at last! I take my first Carb Boom energy gel pack. Jamie goes on ahead of me since she has a slightly faster pace. I prepare for the hill on Sunset Drive. I was proud that I ran up the entire hill. The mile ends up west of Loose Park. Very scenic mile.

Mile 9: I’m officially running alone at this point. Jamie is a small speck of pink shorts in the distance. A band is playing. The lead singer jives “Hey baby, you’re at Mile 9, but that’s okay, take yo time.” I am very comfortable at this point because I had run this course with Runner’s Edge as my 20 mile training run three weeks earlier. Halfway through Mile 9, some volunteers had Russian dance music. Very upbeat. This carried me on to Mile 10.

Mile 10: The shirt works again. A Runners Edge gal with a blonde wig comes running out with a poster that says “GO RUNNERS EDGE” and loudly bursts the words out. Spiderman (yes, really) offers me water. This aid station is a bit different…Powerade, Water, and Beer. I stuck with the Powerade and water. I run into Mr. 189 Marathons at this aid station.
Mile 11: My feet are getting sore, and I am ready for a port a pottie. I took a picture of the fountain on Ward Parkway that was between Miles 10 and 12. Most of the fountains on the route had pink water for Think Pink! Breast Cancer awareness month.

Mile 12: Another aid station, another Carb Boom energy gel. I’m excited because I know my parents, aunt, and a port-a-pottie are waiting for me at Mile 13. An energetic volunteer started pushing her hands up in the air and hooting at me and insists I do as well. Her “you go girl” gives me the energy to head east on 75th Street. As I round the corner I see my parents and aunt. My mom later told me that I looked stronger than many of the runners that had come through. I was excited because I told my parents it would take me about 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to 75th & Wornall. I was right on my estimate.  After a quick stop at the port-a-potties and I think I’m hallucinating. It’s a Runners Edge aid station! With candy orange slices! Yum!!! My favorite Runners Edge snack treat! Mr. 189 Marathons is standing to my right with the white tank top.

I reached the 13.1 check point in 2 hours 37 minutes. This is my exact time for the Hospital Hill ½ marathon on June 3. Not bad for stopping to chat with my parents for a few minutes.

Miles 14 and 15: I don’t remember a lot about Miles 14 and 15. I enjoyed running down Brookside Blvd and was sight-seeing to distract myself. Mr. 189 Marathons passed me and took a picture of the Max station at UMKC. Then I saw him take this shot and thought it was a pretty view, too:

Mile 16: There is an aid station. I take a Carb Boom energy gel and water. My stomach starts to feel a little funny, but I dismiss it. I notice Danielle from the Runners Edge is a distance behind me. This mile went from Volker on to Troost.

Mile 17: Someone offers me pretzels. I decline. This mile begins the loop on Emmanuel Cleaver II Boulevard. I can see all the people ahead me heading west as I am heading out to the east. I cheer on Runners Edge folks to distract myself from the pain in my feet and my need to use the restroom again. I pass Gates barbeque. I meet up with Danielle at the aid station around 17.5. We walk together for a while before starting to jog to the Mile 18 marker.

Mile 18: We see Jamie after we pass Mile 18 and after she passes Mile 19. The marathon is starting to get really hard for me at this point. I chat with Danielle to distract myself from the pain and my desperate need for a restroom. There is no shade – and it was getting hot. I remembered I had my camera and took a picture of the pink fountain at the turnaround on Emmanuel Cleaver II Blvd.

Mile 19: Danielle and I continue to walk and jog through Mile 19. I see a gas station at the aid station at 19.5 and ask a volunteer if there is a restroom. She told me runners had been squatting in the tall grass behind the gas station and offered me some wet wipes. In an uncharacteristic move, out of pure desperation, I used the great outdoors for my restroom facility. Afterwards, I wasn’t feeling much better. At this point I realize my issue is more of a digestive tract issue than drinking too much water. Stomach cramps start. I look over and see the police escort for the end of the race. Between the stomach cramps and seeing the end of the race 2 miles behind me, I am at a mental low. Danielle is ahead of me. I try to focus on her green shirt to keep myself moving. At this point, a race director asks me if I will be able to finish. I say “yes!” without a second thought. While I was at a mental and physical low, I never once thought of quitting. I knew I could at least walk 6 miles in 1.5 hours. I dumped ice water over my head at the aid station to keep cool. Volunteers were starting to leave the course and clean up.

Mile 20: I made it to Mile 20 in 4 hours and 10 minutes. I was excited since it took me 4 hours and 30 minutes to do the 20 mile training run.

I ended up passing the woman in the yellow shirt ahead of me in this photo as I turned the corner on to Troost – and I was walking. She was telling some family/friends that the race was getting hard. I told myself that if she started running again, I would start and keep with her. She remained behind me for rest of the race. At Mile 20.7 I took a stop at the port-a-potties. This is when I knew I was in trouble. Energy gel + Powerade + nerves + heat = Montezuma’s revenge. I came out of the port-a-potties and heard a familiar voice say “Is that Amy?” It was Lisa, my pace group leader. I was so excited to see her, but I must have looked terrible as she asked me if I was okay. I told her that I was at least going to walk the rest of the race.

Mile 21 through 22: I literally don’t remember the scenery along Gillham. I was still struggling with my mental low. This was when I realized that my expectation of going to the Disney marathon in January may be too high – but then I reminded myself that Disney was flat. I felt like I was jogging with the flu, and I discovered that I could speed walk more effectively. My legs were fine, but the jostling really upset my digestive system. I also remember wondering how the Ultramarathon Man could possibly think of ordering a pizza to eat while he ran. Stomach of steel. My thoughts were so loud and so random. A group came up behind me and I used them to help me jog up the hill from Mile 21 to 22. I made it up most of that hill. I started playing some mind games to distract myself. Run to the next sign. Run to next tree. I used my Garmin to run for 0.2 mile to practice my finish. I remembered on the bus tour that Eladio referred to a quote that if the marathon wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. I kept picturing the finish line. I kept going because I remembered Stacie was waiting for me at the finish line and I was going to be a bit later than the 5 hour time I had predicted. At the end of Mile 22 I caught back up with Danielle. These 2 miles seemed longer than the 20 miles I had already covered, but I could see Mile 23 headed downhill. I probably walked at least one mile.

Mile 23: I started jogging with Danielle. It was downhill and flat. I let Danielle go ahead, and I continued to walk and jog off and on. A volunteer with pom pons came out and cheered me about ½ way through this mile. I got a “Looking good, girl! You keep it up!” I think I walked a lot of this mile.

Mile 24: This mile took me into 18 and Vine. This area of town had more to look at, so I jogged a bit more here. I passed a younger guy with a ½ marathon bib. I asked him if he was okay. He said I had just passed his sister who was walking the ½ marathon and he was pulling her through. I thought that was really cool. A band was playing outside the Blue Room. I remembered seeing Karrin Allyson perform here a few years ago and getting her autograph. There was also a leftover cow from the Cow Parade on the right side of the street. The happy thoughts were helping.

I saw slight hill and police car at the top of the hill and stopped to walk again to save the energy I had left. I was delighted when a volunteer told me that I was to turn left before the hill peaked. A had a nice downhill speed walk. On the north side of the Jazz Museum, there was a demonstration. I later realized this was something to do with Buck O’Neill. The gentleman that had asked me if I would be able to finish the race at Mile 20 high-fived me near the Charlie Parker statue. Mile 25 was right around the corner!!!

Mile 25: When I saw the mile marker, I thought about kissing the ground. I start to jog to the overpass. At the overpass I walk to enjoy the shade. A lady I had seen stretching over a fire hydrant catches up to me. We start to jog in the shade on the left side of the road. She told me that she has done 5 marathons this year and her last one was 3 weeks ago. [2011 Note:  To think I thought she was crazy five years ago!] We both commented on how hot and draining the temperature was. A volunteer told us to head for the stop lights by the TWA building. I focused on the TWA rocket. I see Danielle turn left and realize that I am about ¼ mile from Mile 26.

Mile 26: Oh the emotions! I turned the corner and see the finish line 0.2 miles in front of me. I forget all pain and all sickness. I amazingly hear Stacie before I reach 26.1. That girl has lungs!! Then I see Jamie and her pink shorts. The DJ says “Hey Amy, Stacie’s been waiting for you! Come down to the finish!” I think I saw Renee… Everything’s a blur. I wanted to cry, but I had no tears. While a volunteer cut my chip off my shoe, I looked over and Lisa was there. I hugged Stacie. Then I realized that Heather and Dan were still there. I was so thankful that so many people from the pace group stayed to cheer me in, when I was really “running late.” I was in such a daze. I finished a marathon!!! Me!!!

It took me 5 hours and 35 minutes – about a ½ hour longer than I expected – and I beat 11 people out of the 650 that participated in the marathon. As I walked through the finishers chute, I kept wondering where the person with the medals was. It dawned on me that in my daze of crossing the finish, I was handed a postcard. Unfortunately, I won’t receive my medal until November; however, at least I have a temporary postcard medal.

After the Marathon
The marathon ended in the Freight House District. After the excitement of finishing I realized I was still feeling really ill and was ready to go home. Thankfully Stacie had her car there and drove me back to Crown Center, where she dropped me at a restroom. I managed to make it home, but I was ill for about 2 hours. Once the energy gel/Powerade was removed from system, I felt okay. I actually felt a little better than I did after Hospital Hill – just really tired. On Sunday I woke up with extremely tight quads. I had my disposable camera pictures developed and was able to sit back and really enjoy the fact that I worked so hard for the last six months and I overcame so much mentally and physically in the last hour of the marathon. It was a truly amazing experience to complete my 1st marathon in my hometown.