Tag Archives: marathon

16 February 2012

A Year Ago

By Nicki

One year! Just last year at this exact time, I spent the day trying to fit all the “stuff” into the car. My two youngest sons – then 16 and 20 – were heading with me for my initial marathon. Part of the attraction to come with mom lay in the location of that first marathon. I ran the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon last year in February. My then 16 year old rode a 100K bike ride the day after the marathon.

Into the car went his bike. This item had to be in the car as the weather was questionable up north here. Consequently, to keep the bike in good shape, we took the wheels off and put them in the trunk. The bike frame itself rode in the back seat with my son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make things just a bit more interesting – as we all know what happens when we make plans, my youngest is in a vocational education program for culinary arts. He, just as he is today, had a skill competition that would see him arriving back at BOCES approximately 7 pm. We could not leave for South Carolina until he returned. I did consider leaving from the competition site but that would have been a longer drive.

So, at 7 pm two days before my first marathon, my sons and I set off for the drive to Myrtle Beach. Thankfully, the 20 year old could split the driving with me. We literally drove through the night, taking turns with driving duties and sleeping in the car – probably not the best idea for the night before the night before the marathon. Oh well!

I am missing the thought of heading south right now. Good luck to all of you running in Myrtle Beach on Saturday!

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5 October 2011

Wineglass Marathon – Race Recap II: The Actual Race

By Nicki

Sunday morning dawned – actually pre-dawn – wet and cold. A quick check of the weather web site indicated it was 41F and raining at the start line. Better yet, the wind chill was 36F. Now came the big decisions. Keep the short sleeve shirt? Hope the rain will end? Wear a jacket? I put on my shorts, shirt and shoes and went to the kitchen to make my oatmeal with ground flaxseed in it. I was concerned I wouldn’t want to eat this as it would be too warm out but no chance of that being an issue.

The past two years I have not run but have spectated at Wineglass. Because of this, I have always driven to the start just outside of Bath, New York. This year would be different. Steve and I would drive to Corning, park and take the shuttle bus to Bath. Buses were lined up and filling as we came out of the parking garage. Many had coffee from the $5 breakfast that could be purchased. A race official poked her head in the window. She had an Olympic trial qualifier, actually someone who was trying to hit the time for this, and her pacer. There was a bike involved. Our driver seemed a bit perplexed at first but finally said meet me at the back of the bus with the bike. The bus filled and off we headed. It was still dark and still rainy. Thankfully, the bus had heat.

Here would be my first issue. When we arrived at the Philips facility in Bath, there were only five porta-potties. I knew this must be a mistake. In previous  years, there had been rows of them. Also, on the bus ride, I had sat with a man from outside DC. He had been at the start line on Saturday and said there was a large white tent. No tent was visible at the facility. I opted to use the bathroom while I could. It was still more than an hour before the race start but I was sure I would have to go again. Then, I understood. There was shuttle from the Philips plant to the new start line about 6/10ths of a mile up a side road. The biggest issue in the buses in my mind was that none had any signage. I do seriously believe that a sign in the bus window of those in Corning that indicated whether they were headed to the marathon or the half marathon start and in the shuttle to the start in bath bus would have made a lot of difference. Because there was no signage and no real communication of the fact that the bus from Corning was not dropping runners directly at the start line, there was significant confusion at the start area.

Now, the marathon sold out with a cap of 2,000 runners. There was hardly any place at the start line to keep these people out of the elements. We huddled together under the white tent prior to moving to a garage that someone opened for us as more runners arrived.

Even the Pacers were cold

So cold couldn't hold the camera steady

Binghamton Runners in the Garage

The final decisions were made and I kept my Nike jacket on and a rain poncho like the one Steve has on in the photo above (thanks, Steve, for having an extra around), shed my warm up pants and put my bag into the truck to go to the start line. This truck was not manned by anyone but maybe the organizers didn’t think this was an important item.

About 7:45 am, I headed up the hill to the start. I went past all the pacers as I was going to start at the back.

The 3:05 Pacer

Then, comes complaint number two. Because of the confusion about getting to the start line and the shuttle bus, people were still down at the Philips location – the start for the previous 29 runnings of the Wineglass Marathon. I will say that the start line being different had been well communicated. I realized this point but had not realized the end was different until I got a good look at a map of the course. The start, with a good majority of us standing in the rain getting very wet and cold, was held up for 10-15 minutes due to getting all the runners to the start line. This has to be rectified in future years. Hopefully, the weather will not be as bad in the future but that time in the rain and cold is sure to have put the PRs or qualifying times of many “on ice.”

Eventually, the gun went off and we all started moving. I had partnered up or was close to Dawn. She is from Binghamton and we had run the beginning of two half marathons together in August. I knew she would start out faster than I really should but it is nice to have someone with you.  My plan – weird as it may seem – was to be sure to run two two hour 10 milers and that would leave me an hour and a half to get the last 6.2 miles in. My normal 10K race time is about one hour and 12 minutes. My 10K training time is one hour and 20 minutes. I figured this would work.

As is the norm in a race situation, I went out way too fast. My first five miles had a slow mile (mile 5) of 11:30. I know you all are thinking that is slow but that is about average for me. My first mile was 10:25. Whoa!  I hit five miles in just over 55 minutes. I knew in my mind I was going to pay for this at some point in the day. Even in fast training, my best five miler was 57 minutes. About mile 4 I had gotten so warm that I had peeled off my rain poncho and left it along the side of the road. I tried hard to leave it in a pile with others just so it was less pick up for volunteers later. I am not one to throw my energy gel containers or other things on the ground so this was a hard thing for me to do.

The next five miles were in about 59 minutes. I hit ten miles in under two hours. I had four minutes to spare. The plan was working. I had forgotten the whole “I was going too fast” thing. I was very happy. The only thing I could think at that point in time was I was working my plan.  This was regardless of saying earlier in the race, to Dawn, that I didn’t know whose race I was running but I was pretty sure it wasn’t mine.

The weather these ten miles and at least another four was ugly. The rain would go from a spritz to a downpour. I had on a jacket that was totally soaked through. My arms and core were cold even though I knew the temperature was rising a little. When the wind would blow – and it did, I was downright cold.

Miles 10-13.1 were slowing but I checked my Garmin at the half way point – a part of my spectating the past two years – and I was about 5 minutes faster than my previous half marathon best time. It was 2:33:58. The good news from this is that I do stand a chance of breaking a 2:30 half marathon in the future. My miles were getting slower, though, and I was concerned.

Rain stopped so I could take a photo in race

At the next water stop after the half way point, I ditched my water bottle. I couldn’t stand to hold on to it anymore. Of course, right after that it stopped raining and I wished I had it with me. Miles 13 -20 were tough. I used up that four minutes I banked in the first ten miles and ate up an additional 16 minutes before hitting 20 miles.  I remember passing the 16 mile marking. I had been playing leap frog with a guy and I went past him and said something like only 10 more. That sort of inspired me. I looked at my watch and thought only 10 miles, I can do that. The nagging question in my mind is can I do it in two hours.

Suddenly downhills were starting to hurt. I had to stop and fix my soaking wet sock twice! I was falling apart but was going to finish. About mile 22 I had a small asthma attack. I am not sure what precipitated this. I had not experienced asthma problems since my second half marathon in 2010. This caused me to walk for a quarter of a mile. As I ran under an underpass and onto the bike path, there was a runner sitting in a chair with a volunteer. I was unsure if he was stopping totally or just had some issue he was trying to fix. Trust me, the whole sock issue was easier to fix sitting on the guardrail the second time than trying to balance the first time. He would catch up to me about mile 25. We would urge each other on and he would then head across the final bridge just ahead of me.

Once across the bridge and turning onto Market St, I heard a yell of “Go Nicki.” It was Kristy.  Kristy and Dan had had water and food at about mile six for the TCRC runners. I am so slow I missed them at mile 16 but she was there.  She had rain boots on and still ran a block or two down the street with me. I was so happy to see her.  Just before my family in front of the finish line was Dan with Quinn, his dog. A quick high five to Dan and then realizing my niece Logan had come with my sister and daughter and I will be lucky if there is a picture of me at the finish without tears.

Upon finishing, I was immediately wrapped in an aluminum blanket. This did help me to warm up a bit since I was soaked through every layer I was wearing. Then, the beautiful medal was put over my head and around my neck. This was so much lighter than the medal from my first marathon.

Home, showered and warmer

I am sure I am missing thoughts I had along the race. I know I talked to several other people along the course and I will do some small posts on these people in the future. Good news! While my legs are sore, I am already planning my next races and, yes, my next marathon.

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4 October 2011

Wineglass Marathon – Race Recap I

By Nicki

I have wanted to run Wineglass Marathon for over a year. I decided in July 2010 I was going to run a marathon. I just didn’t get registered in time to run the 2010 edition of Wineglass. Fate had it that my first marathon was the 2011 Myrtle Beach and Wineglass – a local marathon running its 30th race – was my second.

As I decided about Wednesday or Thursday, I prefer the destination marathon. Once I leave the house for the destination, the trip is all about the race. Here, running a race that ends about an hour and fifteen minutes from my home has lead me to get caught up in daily life. I had a college kid home who needed to get back to college on Saturday. I had a high school son who had SATs and play read through on Saturday. All I wanted to do was go the expo, pick up my bib, stop for lunch at Market Street Brewing Company and rest.

Good news! Enter my friend Steve who was also running Wineglass. He has a spare room and transportation to the expo and to the buses to the start. To top it off, we haven’t seen each other since he ran a half in Binghamton back in May so this offers us a chance to catch up.

 

Saturday morning I get the boy up and off to his SATs with the reminder he needs to find a ride home after play rehearsal. I come home, pack all the stuff I have had laying around since Friday night and wake up the college kid. He is going to take me west and then come home before heading back to college.

Steve and I headed to the expo about 1:30 Saturday afternoon.  I have been to Wineglass twice as a spectator so knew what previous expos were like. I realized that they have just one sponsor at the expo and that it is a small race, even though the numbers have increased drastically in the last two years.  Upon entering the YMCA in Corning – a new and indoor location as opposed to a tent outside – a volunteer instructed us to check the wall for our bib number. I knew mine so proceeded on to the next line while Steve looked his up.

Look Up Your Bib

We then proceeded to get our bib numbers and timing chip in a cellophane bag. Next we received a blue, reusable bag stuffed with information about the area and a course map. We used these bags to put our shirts in and then looked around at the expo.

Once we left the expo, we had to head over the pedestrian bridge that use to be home to the finish line to get our champagne split and wine glass. Reason behind this was put to us quite simply by one of the volunteers at the YMCA. Y’s do not allow alcohol on the premises so those could not be given out in that location.  Truthfully, I am not exactly sure where they would have put more tables. Also, in the information center where the glasses and champagne were handed out, runners were able to purchase a $5 breakfast ticket if they so desired. A representative from the local UPS store was available to bubble wrap the glass and bottle if you desired and I was very happy to take advantage of this since I was unsure when I would be arriving at home with my goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the tradition of the last three years would have it, once the pick up was finished, Steve and I headed to one of my favorite places in Corning, Market Street Brewing Company. A brew pub is always on my list of places to visit when I travel and to have one so near the finish line makes me happy. The food is wonderful, from past experience, and I love a good beer.  Even better, the last two years, Octoberfest was not  yet released so I could not sample it but this year it was. Yippee!!

 

After lunch, Steve had to go back to work. I had time alone to go over my race plan and get my stuff all laid out. I am rather anal about organization. I also still had to make some sort of decision about what I was going to wear. Yes, I had long sleeves with me but I truly did not want to wear them. The thought of getting a long sleeve shirt wet and then having to keep it on did not move me at all. I laid out my outfit and put my chip on my shoe. I unwound a bit with some internet time and reading. I am trying to finish Howard Schultz’s Onward about his experiences with Starbucks. Basically, I wanted to be in bed by 8 and asleep by 9 pm. Plans were to be up by 4 and eating so we could be on the road to Corning by 5:30 am Sunday morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stayed tuned for part two which is the actual race. :-)

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24 February 2011

My First Marathon – Part II

By Nicki

Atlantic Ocean

 

As I ran along Ocean Blvd for about 9 miles, there were times when I could spy the ocean.  A lot of the view is obstructed by hotels but there are a few piers and off to the left here one of the views.  Believe it or not, it was probably close to 70F by the time I was seeing the ocean.  The day was heating up and I am not use to running in the heat at this moment.  I don’t mind running in the heat in the summer but I was not happy to be running in it now, not when my last training run was in 12F weather.  There is the ever present north wind along Ocean Blvd also.  I am very thankful for that as I do not know if I could have completed the race if it were not for the wind.  It kept me cooled off a bit.

 

 

 

There was a good crowd along Ocean Blvd until about mile 11.  That photo above was at about 11.5.  At mile 11, the half marathoners turned left while those of us doing the full kept going along Ocean Blvd.  I had had lots of running company up until that point.  Now there were not so many of us still there.  Unfortunately, I was not paying the attention I should have been to my body.  I got some Powerade at mile 12 but did not go to the portapotty.  (Female runner alert – meaning you guys may want to skip over the next few sentences.)  I was having my period during the marathon.  I knew that somewhere along Ocean Blvd I was going to have to use a portapotty to change protection.  I had meant to stop at mile 12 and do that but didn’t even see the portapotty.  About mile 13, I was sure I had waited too long but I managed to hold out until mile 14.  About a half mile before 14, there was a house having work done on it.  There was a portapotty in the front yard.  Two men running in front of me stopped and used that one.  Had I not needed to wait in a line, I would have done what needed to be done there.  Instead I kept going. Mile 14 came and there was no line and I was in and out of the portapotty. (End discussion of my female issues.)

 

After going down Ocean Blvd, the road curves a bit to get closer to the ocean.  I had been going back and forth with a woman who was a Team in Training member and whose significant other was riding a bike along the course as support.  I saw her head up the hill through the intersection at the Cherry Tree Inn.  I was pretty sure I needed to go right but there was an officer directing traffic.  He let the woman run right in front of him.  I started to and he told me that was not the rifht way.  I pointed her out as I was not sure how loud I could yell at this point and continued on the route.  When I first turned, the sight was beautiful.

Atlantic Ocean

As I was running along this portion of Ocean Blvd, I spoke with a guy who was running pretty strong but stopping ever few minutes to walk for a little bit.  He and I talked for a while.  He was driving to Gainesville, FL Saturday afternoon to run a race on Sunday.  I was in total awe.  I could not imagine at that point, as I was struggling a bit to put one foot in front of the other, running a race on Sunday.  He hit a run segment and took off about mile 16 as his running partner – a man who was heading to Maryland to run a Sunday race – stopped at the mile 16 portapotty.

 

A little aside that I noticed back about mile 3 – I was hearing a cacophony of beeps.  I am really amazed at the people who not only had a plan but it was to walk and run.  They had their iPods, their Forerunners, their sports watches set to remind them of when they needed to walk.  I was equally amazed by the number that were advertising their method by wearing shirts with www.JeffGalloway.com on them.

 

The race turned up Grand Dunes Blvd and the wind did not stop.  After crossing US-17, there was the mile 18 medical tent and a water stop.  At this point, the medical personnel were trying to get a verbal response out of people as they went past.  One even swore the wind would end when we turned around at up the street and headed back towards the ocean.  It seems that developments in Myrtle Beach all have ponds with mechanical water spouts in them.  The breeze made it so that a gentle mist would occasionally get me and the other runners.  This was nice as it was cooling.

 

Heading back to US-17, I passed a man in a Marathon Maniacs shirt.  I had watched him for miles as he ran and then his timing device would beep and he walked.  I had noticed, as I was trying to run through two of his run and one of his walk times before walking a bit, that he had been doing nothing but walk lately.  I asked if he was okay.  He said no.  His upper leg was sore before the race started and on the turnaround it had gotten considerably worse.  He was going to walk the rest of the race.  I wished him luck, told him I hoped it wasn’t too bad and ran on.

 

 

It was somewhere in this area – mile 18-20 – that I saw two women who were running together.  I had passed these two somewhere on

Inspiration!

Ocean Blvd (around mile 9, I think).  At that point the older woman had been overheard saying that she was doing good now but would slow down.  Evidently, so did I.  The younger of the two women was probably in her late 20′s or early 30′s.  The back of their shirts were labeled – daughter and mother.  You can’t see the writing on the shirts but this shot was taken about mile 20 or just after that.

 

 

 

 

 

At mile 20, I reset my Garmin. I wanted to have good mile times for the last 6.2 miles.  I have to tell you those last miles were not good miles.  At one point along the bike path close to mile 22, a woman with a temperature app on her iPod touch checked the temperature.  It was a shady area – one of the few as most of the course is along streets and highways – and it was 70F in this area.

 

There was another up the street and back with an aid tent in the middle.  This was my last portapotty stop.  I ran past the portapotty and up to the turnaround before realizing I really needed to go.  I crossed over to the portapotty on the way back.  I don’t know that I have ever used so many different portapotties in one day.

 

The  last 6 miles are seriously just a blur in my mind.  I recall the trail area but that is it until I saw Broadway at the Beach.  I knew I was close by then and was not going to take a break but was going to move.  When I hit the end of the race, I wondered how many different people could fit in a chute if there were a lot of people finishing at once.  As I came to the turn, I saw Rob’s wife waiting for him.  I waved.  I handed my water bottle off to Ben as I saw him.  He had everything with him I wanted him to bring, except I had forgotten to remind him to bring a camera.  I allowed a young man to put the finisher’s medal over my head.  Wow! was all I could think.  That medal is heavy.

Woo hoo!

The race was over. I was trying hard to not cry as I had felt tears several times along the route, including just before the finish line.  I walked and walked some more.  I went to get food and drink – water, Powerade, chips, bagels.  I waited for a massage.  My legs were tight but not overly painful.  Then, Ben told me the car was about a half mile away.  I was not sure I liked him anymore (LOL!).  The walk was fine and my legs are still functioning.  Now on to the next race…..

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23 February 2011

My First Marathon – Part I

By Nicki

The plans for my first marathon were hatched shortly before my first Boilermaker - the 15K road race, not some alcoholic drink.  My friend I was traveling to that race with asked me if I had ever contemplated doing a marathon.  I had already run two half marathons at that point and several other races.  I hadn’t really thought about a marathon, at least not right away.  Then, I did.

 

I started training last July to run a full marathon in October, only to get closed out of registration.  Wineglass is very popular and a nice course.  It had not filled up the year before but last year, registration closed in August for the October race.  My first non-form or actual running-related lesson – register early!

 

So I toyed with Hartford but decided no.  Then, my sister asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  This was mid-October.  I said register me for the Myrtle Beach marathon in February.  Her first question was you are going to run it, right?  Of course was the immediate response and I chose a training plan that started the Monday following this phone call.  It was on!

 

I had a few second thoughts as I was training with long runs of 20 miles in single digit temperatures.  My mind kept saying I should have thought training for a February race through a bit more.  But I kept going and it all brought me to the start line. (Warning: Beware cell phone photos!)

 

The Start Line and Moon

Start lines always make me nervous.  Ben and I left the hotel about 5 am.  Yes, I said left the hotel about 5 am.  No, I was not staying that far away. I think we were four miles from the start line.  I had woken at 3 am but my alarm was set for 4 am.  I went to the bathroom and then lay in bed until 3:45.  I got up, turned the alarm off and started getting my breakfast food out.  I made coffee while the oatmeal was in the microwave.  I pulled out a bagel.  After eating, I started getting dressed.  Thankfully, One Mile More had BodyGlide at the expo.  Believe it or not, I could not find any locally before we left for SC.  I had chosen to wear a short sleeve tech shirt but was toying with changing my mind.  Good thing I stuck with my first instinct as it was cool at the start of the race.

 

Some of the streets were being shut down as we started over to the start line.  Ben got me with a block and dropped me off.  He was heading back to the hotel for some sleep.  I was heading – first thing – for the portapotty before a line formed.  I knew I needed to go. Then, I started thinking about the race.  Music was playing and others were starting to show up.  The marathon had about 1800 runners and the half marathon, which started at the same time, sold out at 4,000 runners.

 

I hadn’t printed off or written a pace bracelet on my arm.  I was hoping to keep my five mile pace to right around an hour.  That would be easy enough to remember.  I was hoping – should have had a plan not just hoped – to finish in about 5 and a half hours but I was not going to get in with the pace group.   I had trained alone and would run this my way.  That is funny!  I started talking to a woman who was also lining up behind the 5:30 pacer.  She had her times on her arm.  We talked.  A man joined us.  The woman wanted to finish in six and a half hours.  The man, who had had his gallbladder removed in January, just wanted to finish.  I kept talking but knew in my mind, I would leave them behind when we started.  The announcer kept repeating that the half marathon was to line up on the far side of the divided street and the full on the side closest to the stage.  I was all set.  I stretched and did a quick jog.  Lines at the portapotties were long but I didn’t have to go a third time.  I just tried to keep warm.

 

Instead of a start gun, the Myrtle Beach High School had loaned out the cannon that is fired on Friday nights during football season.  Every time the kids score a touchdown, the cannon is set off.  That would be our start gun.  The wheelchair start was five minutes ahead of the rest of us and the cannon went off.  The cannon went off a second time and we started walking towards the start line.  I hit the start button on my Garmin about three minutes after the cannon and was off.

 

Shortly after crossing the first intersection, I said good luck and good bye to Chris and Rob.  We had already seen the first group of tree pee-ers.  Yes, the lines were long enough that some men were stopping within the first half mile to urinate behind some palm trees.  Nice show as, well, palm trees don’t hide much.

 

The first turn came at about 8/10th’s of a mile and the direction was pointed by a line of Chick-Fil-A cows.  They all wantedhigh fives and I was more than happy to oblige – after snapping the photo below.

Daylight is coming

I was going at a good pace but it was just a normal run for me so far.  I kept going along and remembering what I had thought as we drove this portion of the course yesterday.  We turned again and were running in US-17.  The first five miles went by without any incident, except I felt like I had to go to the bathroom.  While I have never stopped to pee during a race, I was sure I would have to this race but I had not planned on doing so early.  I thought about stopping at mile 5 but the line was really long so I kept running.  I had finished the first five miles in 58 minutes and 51 seconds. My splits were all right close to each other so I was happy. I thought I was working my unwritten plan.

 

My other plan was my hydration and nutrition plan.  After all, I had eaten about 4 am and new I would not make it to the end without eating so I was stocked with Clif Shots – my energy gel of choice.  I had my first one between miles 5 and 6 – espresso.  I didn’t think I would need another one until about mile 15 or so.  You see, the hotel and my kids were between mile 10 and 11 and I had a pear waiting for me there.

 

I don’t know if the energy gel had anything to do with it or not but at the water stop at mile 6, I had to stop to use the portapotty.  No, I am not modest.  If I had not been having my period, I would have quickly walked behind said portapotties and peed but I was not doing that at this time of the month.  I waited in line what seemed like an eternity but I was in and out in about two minutes.  I figured good and that would hold me.  I had no plans of stopping more than twice to use the portapotties.

 

Band at War Bird Park

We ran past the War Birds Park.  This was about mile 5.5 and there was a band playing.  It was great to hear the music.  Between miles 6 and 7, we went through a shopping area called The Market Common.  There were people out and it was only 7:30 or so on a Saturday morning.  The sun was now shining bright and there was a timer set up at 6.2 miles.  Maybe that is what did me in.  For some reason, at 6.25 miles my Garmin stopped.  It didn’t shut off.  I must have somehow hit the timer stop button.  I have never had this happen before but it did and I didn’t notice for quite some time.  It was two miles before I noticed I didn’t have a running time.

 

 

 

As we turned onto Ocean Blvd, the race got interesting.  I was thinking I was warm.  Definitely thinking I would change at the hotel, as this was part of my original plan, into a sleeveless shirt.  Good thing my son forgot to bring it down from the room.  I am not sure I would have wanted it as the breeze really picked up.  My times per mile went from 11:45-12:00 minutes to almost 13 minutes a mile.  While the ocean view was nice – in between buildings – it was helping the sun heat us up and there was as good stiff north wind.  I recalled those training run where I swore it felt like running with a resistance band around my waist.  The wind was not too cool, though, and it seemed like I was wicking pretty well – or at least my running attire was.

 

The hotel we stayed at was about mile 10.5 or 11.  The boys were out with “Rocky” set to play on the computer.  They handed me my

Thanks, Ben and Dan!

pear.  I was all excited to see them.  Dan, my youngest, even had my camera and got a shot or two of me.  I was a little unsure how much time I had been running when I hit the hotel due to the whole Garmin debacle.  If I figured it out right, I was about 15 minutes behind where I wanted to be.  I think the Garmin, when I discovered it, had thrown me off a bit as I tried to run and figure out what had happened.  I hit the hotel area between 8:45 and 8:50 am.  On top of the Garmin issue, about mile 8.5 I started feeling something funny in my foot.  I swore it felt like I had somehow broken a bone.  I couldn’t believe the foot pain.  I have had toes cramp up on me before but this was definitely in the foot.  It hurt and slowed me down as I was running.  By mile 12, though, the pain was gone.

 

I have decided this post is long enough so the remainder of my recap or my thoughts on the race will be in a separate entry. Hope you all want to read it, after this one. :-)

11 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Family, Fitness, Just my Thoughts

14 February 2011

The Family Vacation

By Nicki

We do not take many family vacations.  Back when there was still a dad in the family unit and there were only four little ones under the age of five (doesn’t look nearly as daunting when I spell out those numbers), we drove cross country to visit my mom.  That was the type of family vacation we took then.

After the end of the marriage and with six kids under the age of 12 or 13 or 14, the trips were much smaller.  I would load them all in the car and head to HersheyPark for the day.  Yes, I consider a three hour drive to an amusement park a day trip with six kids.  But, more recently, family trips have circled around soccer tournaments and college visits.  Well, two of the children (really hard to say as all  are out of their teens but one nowadays) and I are heading to Myrtle Beach for a small vacation.

Myrtle Beach in February?  Yes! That is a vacation but not the normal family vacation.  You see I am running a marathon on Saturday of our trip.  My youngest, 16 years of age, is doing a 100K bike tour on the Sunday of our trip.  Planning is different for this type of a trip.  I need certain clothing.  Number 6 needs certain types of clothing.  Number 6 needs his bike.  I need energy gels and electrolyte drinks.  We both need water.  We both  need sleep.

So what type of planning goes into a family trip like this?  Not much.  I did my research and booked a hotel.  Unsure at that point in time who, or maybe more importantly how many, would be accompanying me, I have a suite with two double beds and a pull out sofa.  It’s a plus that the hotel is on the ocean, although I am pretty sure my room is not on the ocean side of the hotel.  It is an additional plus that the hotel is approximately at mile 10 of the marathon.  Woot!

Next on the planning was food.  I try to eat certain things before, during and after a run that is long – even though I have never run 26.2  miles before in my life (you read that right, never).  I want my pre-race breakfast that I would have if I were at home.  I want coffee.  I want oatmeal and a bagel.  I want my pre-race Gatorade01 which is on my shopping list as I type.  I want my energy gels, in the flavors I like, that do not upset my stomach.  These are also on my shopping list.  I want my post race drink, Gatorade03.  Again, on the shopping list.  Can you see what I am doing this weekend, other than a couple of short runs?

I have places where we can all eat in Myrtle Beach.  I have checked out a brew pub online.  I have a friend whose family has an Italian restaurant.  These are all in my phone or will be soon.  I also have the GPS navigator charged and it will go in the car.  I have printed directions to different places (I hate depending on one source when I am somewhere I am not familiar with).  I am ready to go.  Now it is the last of the taper and some visits with friends and then out the door Thursday night.

8 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Family, Fitness, Just my Thoughts

1 February 2011

Inspiration

By Nicki

First, a quick apology.  This entry was started January 6th.  Here it is February 1st and I am just now finishing it off.  My blog has been ignored for some real life issues.  These have been taken care of, I hope, and I can start writing again.  Back at Christmas, I had this idea that I would write about 12 people that inspired me over 2010.  I was going to start on Christmas day and go through Twelfth night.  As you can sede from the inactivity here, I didn’t do this but I do have a few people that I am going to write about in the next couple of days.  I am going to start with Sam Felsenfeld.

Last year, I ran 15 races.  Of these 15, three were half marathons.  I am unsure of races other than marathons but Sam ran 61 marathons in 2010.  He ran them all as part of Operation Jack.  I cannot imagine running two marathons in one year, though I hope to try to do so this year.  I definitely cannot imagine running 61 in a year.  Sam did so as a legacy for his son Jack and as a way to raise funds for the organization Train 4 Autism.

 

Sam is a husband and father of three children.  His middle child Jack was diagnosed with autism shortly after his third birthday.  Sam decided to run 61 marathons last year, 2010, to raise both funds and awareness of autism.  In the process, Sam organized a marathon – his last to be run in 2010.  He also qualified for the Boston Marathon.

 

As a parent, I understand wanting to do everything a parent can do to help one’s children in life.  I am in awe of this type of dedication.  I am not sure I could do what Sam did last year.  To establish a legacy for his son as Jack struggles with therapy and autism is an amazing testament to both father and mother.  Sam could not have trained and traveled to all these marathons without the support of his wife Tiffany and all three of his children – Benjamin, Jack and Ava.  Sam and Tiffany have both inspired me to be a better parent and to support others as they have by the sacrifices they made over the year that Sam ran 61 marathons.

 

I have to tell you here at the end that I am sure I have not done justice to the story behind Operation Jack and Sam’s 61 marathons last year.  Please visit Operation Jack and find out all the details.  Sam’s blog on that site is inspirational, also.

 

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2 January 2011

2011 Race Schedule

By Nicki

So I know that most people list “resolutions” at the beginning of a new year.  I have already told you all where I stand on the word resolution.  I will say that some of my 2011 goals – which are in rough form at the moment but will be here soon – involve running.  I can’t imagine my life without running.  To that end, here is my 2011 race schedule to date.

Before I let you see the race plans, let me say I intend to run two marathons, four to five half marathons (five if I have issues and only run one marathon), a hand full of 5Ks and some other races that I just really loved last year.  I am planning on topping out at 1600 miles for the year.

January 2011:   The January Freeze Series hosted by the Triple Cities Runners’ Club will be my only January races.  I am not driving to Cazenovia for the Chili Chilly this year.  I am planning on running at least one, and hopefully more than one, of these 10K races at Otsiningo Park.  I also intend – for me, the girl who swore she would never run a race – to join TCRC this year.

February 2011:  My first marathon is slated for February 19th.  This is a family trip to Myrtle Beach.  Hotel room is booked.  Kids are looking forward to the trip.  Youngest thinks he will bike the day after the marathon, just not sure how far as he doesn’t want to do the 100K ride without someone else doing it with him (don’t even think of looking at me!).

March 2011:  I am going for two races in March. I am going to run the St. Patrick’s 4 miler on March 12th in Binghamton and then travel to Rock Hill for the Celebrate Life Half Marathon.  This is a beautiful race and I fully intend to be there.  There is an outside possibility I will run the Chenango Fork XV at the end of the month but not totally sure on that race yet.

April 2011:  I am running the Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon in Ithaca on April 10th.

May 2011: I am running the Mountain Goat 10 miler the first Sunday of the month.  I am hoping that it is slightly less warm – it was 80 plus at the finish last year – than last year.  I am running the inaugural Binghamton Bridge Run Half Marathon on May 15th.

June 2011:  I am running the Vestal XX on June 18th.  I am also intending to do the Red Dress Run at the end of the month. The Red Dress Run is a 5K and is held on a weeknight.

July 2011:  I am running the Boilermaker in Utica again.  I loved this race last year, even though it freaked me out to take eight minutes to reach the start line as there were so many people registered and running the race.  I am also hoping Jeanne is putting together a 5K to benefit the Newark Valley High School cross country team.  While I am not a grass runner, I had a blast at this run.

August 2011:  My friend Chris is trying to convince me to participate in the Cayuga Lake Triathlon.  I am not totally sure about this but it is August 7th.  On the running front, I am looking at the Turning Stone half marathon on August 21st.  Last year I did the Catharine Valley Half  which was a trail run sort of.  While it was nice, Turning Stone is just a couple hours away and will help me in reaching my goal of four half marathons this year.

September 2011:  I would love to head to Delaware to run in the Dogfish Dash which is a 10K but I am hoping to run a second marathon in October so will run the Ithaca 5&10 again this month.  This will be a birthday run for me this year.  Can’t think of a better way to turn 50.

October 2011:  I learned a lesson last year when I didn’t register in time to run the Wineglass Marathon that I need to plan ahead.  Unfortunately, I am now torn.  I will run either Wineglass at the beginning of October or will run the inaugural Empire marathon in Syracuse mid-October.  I do have to take into consideration that this is my son’s senior year in high school which may come into which weekend is better for me to be running a marathon.

November 2011:  I will run the Turkey Trot 8K that TCRC has as it benefits the scholarship program they have.  Last year’s Turkey Trot allowed TCRC to give out four $1000 scholarships this year.

December 2011: Again, I will register for the It’s a Wonderful Run 5K.   Hopefully, I will not feel like crap and not go to the race.  I will also run the Y’s Resolution Run at the end of the month as that was fantastic!

10 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fitness, Just my Thoughts

19 September 2010

Goal Adjustment

By Nicki

When you set a long-term goal, how do you tell if you are making progress?  Do you break it down into small steps and check those off as you go?  I am talking about my running goalS for the year.

My first goal, which was set near the end of January, was to run a race every month this year.  To date, I have run 11 races this year: 3 half marathons, a 20K, a 15K, two 10 milers, and four 5Ks.  I am not a fan of the 5K as it literally takes me a mile or two to get going and hit my stride.  Five kilometres is just not long enough, though I run them for any number of reasons anyway.

Then, back in July, I decided I was going to run a marathon this year.  I started training for one just twelve weeks out and was pretty sure I could do the training.  The only big problem with the training has been the 20 mile run.  I have yet to finish one without a problem of some sort.  Do I know why there is a problem?  I have guessed at what has been the issue in both my failed attempts.  I have narrowed things down and rethought the very long run obstacle.  I do believe, in my mind, that I can run this distance and the distance of a marathon – 26.2 miles.  I do not believe that I should do it this year.

You see, I had never run a race until December of 2009.  I ran my first 5K then.  While I can do the distance, I do not think I am mentally ready to run a marathon.  I think part of my mental block is that I had my heart set on running a marathon that was local – Wineglass.  Evidently a lot of people have decided Wineglass is a great marathon to run.  The registrations closed this year in August.  The number of runners has doubled.  I did not get my registration done in time.  I kept training and started looking for a new marathon to run.

I settled – a word I do not like to use at all – on Hartford the weekend following Wineglass.  I have a lot of friends running Wineglass and wanted to be there to watch and cheer them on whether I could run it or not.  But now, I am truly thinking I don’t want to run Hartford.  I want to wait.  I want to go back to my original thoughts of running Wineglass and my first marathon next October – 2011 – a month after I turn 50.

Do you adjust your goals as time goes on?  When you adjust your goals, do you feel like you are failing or just resetting what you want to achieve?

14 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Fitness, Just my Thoughts

3 August 2010

Numbers

By Nicki

I probably wouldn’t be obsessing over numbers like I am if I hadn’t read all about August being Justine’s birthday month over Here Where I Have Landed.  Then, it dawned on me that my birthday month is next month.

I have always been a numbers person.  Math is one of my things.  In high school I was taking calculus in twelfth grade.  The state trigonometry test in my 11th grade year was tough and many of my good friends did not do well on it.  I had a high 90 on it.  Math is probably one of my best subjects – right up there with science, writing, oh heck!  I guess I should just admit I am a geek.

I have never been a big numbers person as far as my blog is concerned.  I don’t worry if I get 500 viewers one day and only 15 the next day.  Those 15 have probably been reading my blog from its inception almost five years ago.  I write when I want to and when something strikes me as either important or if my thoughts on it are crowding my head.  If what I post is not what you want to read, I do not mind if you just don’t bother to come by.

As a diligent parent, I have fretted over numbers where my children’s grades are concerned.  I was particularly annoyed the two times my youngest had English grades below 50 but Spanish grades above 90.  No, my house is not a truly bilingual one though I do have a couple books around in Spanish that are slightly more complicated than the Spot books in Spanish.

I fret as I have taught my children to drive over the number on the speedometer.  I try to explain that the speed limit is that – a limit.  I also try to explain that new drivers, especially if they should have a distraction in the vehicle such as music or other people, could stand to go a little under that limit as they do not have experience to call on for reactions to various situations.

I pay particular attention to numbers in relationship to my running and training.  I have run over 700 miles this year so far.  I ran 131 miles in July.  I am going to run 26.2 miles in a race in one day in October.  Yes, that means I am running a marathon in October.  But, bigger than the 26.2 miles is the other number that will occupy my mind.

Anyway, back to my original numbers thought from reading Justine’s post Monday…  You see, I never ran until three years ago this fall.  When I started running I was 46 but not for long.  I will run my first marathon three weeks after my 49th birthday.  I am having a real issue with that number.  I don’t normally tell people how old I am.  I have been today, trying hard to reconcile with my own thoughts and actions, that I am actually that old.

14 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Just my Thoughts

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