​It's Feb 14, otherwise known as Valentine's day. A day as good as any other for starting, or rather, resurrecting, my running blog. I've been a runner for over 25 years and at one time, I was a dedicated runner-blogger. However, life got in the way, my website got updated and I sort of let the blog portion go. 

But today marks the end of that relaxed attitude towards writing about my passion. I've found that putting things into words on pages means they're more likely to get done and this year, I'd like to show up and perform better at Badwater 135. I have 5 months, give or take a few days, until I toe the start line once again at my dream race and unlike last year, where it was my very first time there, I know what to expect and I know what I need to do between now and then. Proclaiming it for all the cyber-world to see ensures I keep up my end of the bargain. 

So as I sit here contemplating running outside where it is literally 100 degrees colder than what I face in July, I make an agreement with myself to pick up where I left off years ago, and share my journey with the few readers who may find some nuggets of wisdom, humor and general entertainment in my words. For those looking for experience or advice about training for BW135, you've come to the right place.

Thanks for making it this far. Here's to a better (and faster) 2016. 
emily

​“Crisis” hit around mile 9 for me. I felt incredibly weak. By that time it was close to 8 am and the sun had started rising. I had water at every aid station, making sure to remind our runners to do the same but there’s only so much you can put in when the amount coming out is so rampant. Our uniforms this year included a large t-shirt (which was an XS but still large for me with its drapey, over-sized fit in a dark blue color) and a green baseball cap made of polyester, two items of clothing that did little more than make me sweat well before I even hit 3 miles. I was miserable by 9 and paranoid that I wouldn’t make it. The question was, how long could I hold out?

Surprisingly enough, I held out until about 20. I worked my way up to Marcy because by this time, I was lagging behind, barely catching up by the time we’d hit a water stop, then quickly lagging back again as she and Dave took off and left me using every bit of strength to transition from a walk to a trot. So I said "one more mile". And at 21 I said "one more mile". And at 22 I said… “I’m done” The hills are from 16 until 21 with one final big one at 23 and I knew I would never make it to the top of the 23rd mile hill because it was on the side of a major road in the direct sunlight. So I stopped at the water station and inhaled gatorade until my stomach sloshed. I then determined that I had to make it back, after all it was only 4 miles or so left and I wasn’t going to NOT finish. I just wasn’t going to finish on pace. I turned the corner to see a familiar sight – a 4:15 pacer on the median standing. There’s a switchback and rather than log the 2 miles, he was “hopping” the median to wait it out until what little was left of his team, rounded the same corner I had just travelled. We chatted and much to my surprise (and selfish happiness) more pacers had dropped than had made it. The 3:10 pacers dropped. The 3:20 had one left, the 3:30 had one left. Suddenly I realized that this was OK. We all have limits and mine had been hit and I responded in the safest fashion I could. I went on my way and focused on the big hill ahead of me. I love the miles from 23-26 – they’re my magical miles. I’m tired and worn out but I’m renewed. I know the end is a 5k (a race I’ve never attempted) and that I can run this distance any day of the week (and often do before boot camp starts up) So I faced the hill and began the trek up.

And then the Frederick marathon angel paid me a visit and brought a nice, middle aged woman cussing up a storm, also trekking up this hill at the same rate. I came up next to her and politely asked “would you like a personal pacer?” By this time, I had removed my pace shirt (as per the rules of when you drop your pace duties) and was left in a little black sports bra and soaked black skirt. She smiled and said yes – she had been on my team earlier but had fallen off. I laughed and said “me too!” For the next 50 minutes, I transformed myself into her biggest fan. With a slightly slower pace (about 11 minutes per mile) and a mere 5k to go, I knew that it was time to turn on the “Emily Pace Show”

We rounded the corner and approached the stadium amidst loud cheers and her two children, a 14 year old daughter and a 19 year old son, along with her parents. She was 44 years old and divorced and decided that she wanted to do this, for her. Her life was good but she liked challenges. Running today was definitely a challenge and one that I hope she will never forget. We hugged at the end, her promising to try another (she was only a few minutes of her Boston qualifying time, even in that heat!) and me feeling that I had redeemed myself. I’ve been in a lot of tough situations but today was hell. However, as with all bad things, hell comes to an end and we quickly forget how tough it was. My final time was 4:11, definitely not one for the records but sometimes you have to have failure in order to recall how wonderful success can be.

This past weekend I decided to run back-to-backs again. It had been a while since I did that and I realized that in my quest to get back to the Beast in August, I need to start focusing on runs that will help me reach that goal. For any major event like a 100, back-to-back weekend long runs are a must do in order to properly prepare your legs for the hours of fatigue and general torture they’re going to endure. What better way than to give them a bitch slap after 3 consecutive marathon or longer weekends!

Saturday was marathon #20 for me, the National Marathon. In its 5th year, I was a bit hesitant to sign up for it under my own name and pay the ungodly entry fee so I bought a woman’s bib off Craigslist for 40$ and took on the persona of Dina Ashley. In the past, the race has been sucky, to say the least. I’ve never run the full but the course runs through the ghetto and the medals and finisher festival was always lousy. Plus, the goal was to pace my friend Matt through his first full marathon. I wasn’t sure what the results would be so I felt like running under someone else’s name would prevent my current times from getting marred, should we end up having a rough go of it (no offense Matt, really, but I’m anal that way…) I also was not going to leave him behind so this was my first race I ran solely for someone else, my partner for all 26.2.

​We started off well enough – his goal (besides finishing) was a sub 4 hour. I kinda thought after this winter that might be a bit tough but I’m not about to tell someone else how to run their race so I agreed to the pace and we were off. It worked through the first 2.5 hours. Then the wheels came off. Like any first timer, he was surprised at how bad he could feel after running for that long and at 17, he proclaimed it was time to start a walk break. And we did. Many times over. We’d run a bit, then walk a while. Run a bit, walk a while. I could tell it was rough for him as he got quieter and I started trying to be more talkative to keep his mind off the pure hell that is a first time marathon. It’s really hard to get excited when you’re physically spent, mentally exhausted and the loud mouth cheerleader next to you keeps saying “you can do it Matt! Only 8 more miles!!!” In looking back, that was probably not what he wanted to hear. The thing is, I knew he could do it. I knew we’d finish it. It’s just at that moment, it’s incredibly hard to convince someone else of that. He’s a born runner, particularly a distance one, so I knew this would be the worst he would ever feel. As any long time marathoner knows, they do get better, faster and easier.

We finally came upon the finish line and true to form, he perked up and began the tough but exciting last .2 to the finish line. As his partner, I was shouting and cheering him on the entire final leg. In looking at the photos, he’s focused, I’m ecstatic. And then it was over. And I felt as proud as a parent watching their child do something amazing for the first time. I always run for me, but that day I ran for him. We finished in 4:30, my slowest, but one of my most meaningful race experiences (third only to my two Boston qualifiers, of course)

I had to take off not long after that in order to get cleaned up, and get down to VA Beach, 3.5 hours south of DC, for the Shamrock marathon, the next day. That race, too, was ridiculously expensive so I bought another bib off CL, this one for Ashley Beebe (yes, TWO Ashleys! What are the odds I’d be running as Ashley in both?) I made the mistake of getting the cheapest hotel room I could find, a drug den in the bad part of Norfolk. On the upside, staying in a really shady hotel ensures that you won’t miss your wake up. I actually was wide awake at 3 am after listening to my neighbors squabble outside my door over whether or not he was going to leave his wife for her. Needless to say, I was up and on the start line at 5:30 am. For an 8 am race. Literally, the only people there were the night shift cops and the sound engineers setting up the start and finish lines.

I waited around for the start on the second day, of an unseasonably warm weekend. This was good though because if I had to sit on the start line in the freezing cold, I would’ve probably passed out in my car and missed it altogether. Gun goes off and we’re heading down the main drag and I realize, crap, I’m in the middle of a second race and I’m just worn out. Oh well – no time to think about that so rather than obsess on it, I found a few new friends and started chatting.

One woman (her name escapes me now) told me in great detail how she’d started running and wanted to make it to Boston. Today was her day – she needed 4:05. So I agreed to be her partner because I didn’t care what time I got. Sub 4 would’ve been nice but really, this was all a training run. We managed to get behind the 4 hour pace team which puzzled me. I do this 5-6 times a year, professionally, we shouldn’t be slipping behind. I didn’t have my Garmin but hell I know what a 9:09 feels like. She informed me that the team captain also was not stopping at ANY water stop. I have to get on my soap box here and give the proverbial smackdown for this. Bad pace leaders frost my ass and this guy was very obviously trying to “bank time” which is a BIG marathon no-no AND he was skipping water stations, which, for a 3:15 group, I understand. A 4-hour group often has newer marathoners and skipping stations does little more than stress out runners who stop, then attempt to sprint back to catch up. So I informed her of all of this and she sticks with me. She begins growing very agitated around 11, saying that her watch said we were “off” – too slow. I tried to reassure her we weren’t but she didn’t listen. Fine, we’ll speed up I said. I was trying to be a good partner but this was rid— :: BLECH.:: I hear an odd sound and look over – she’s gagging and dry heaving. I knew we were well in the low 8 minutes, it was hot as all get up and she’s now starting to throw up. Thankfully we were on the boardwalk and there were enough people and aid to take over. I wasn’t about to take care of this woman at this point when someone far more experienced than I was around. Plus, dammit, don’t bust on my mad pacing skills! I PROMISE I WILL GET YOU THERE, PEOPLE! I do this for running companies on a national level. I know what I’m doing, really.

Anyway, I continue on. I’m feeling surprisingly well for a hot day. We weave around through the beach area, then up a beautiful wooded area and into a military base. We’re at mile 21 or so by now and I start to realize that I’m bored. You see, even though I DO run for me, I’m a social runner at heart. I need stimulation and people to talk to. 4 hours of repetitive anything can be boring. I try to jump into a conversation with some people around me but there’s a lot of issues going on. A woman has collapsed at 21 and the paramedics are working on her, the guys behind me are having gastro issues and the men next to me are either chatting about WMDs or plumbing installations (seriously). YAWN. So I did one thing I’ve never done before – I plugged in my ipod and decided that it would be a great time to get in some speed work. And I took off.

There is nothing so wonderful as finishing a race on an upswing. I love negative splits for just that reason and I decided to make each mile a shade faster for those last 4, choosing to sprint the very final .02. Passing all those people, feeling strong and steady, hearing my name getting called out over and over – oh wait, but it wasn’t me. “ASH-LEY! ASH-LEY!” At first I ignored it but then I would smile and wave and say “thanks!” really loudly because the Rocky theme was blasting out my ear drums. And then I crossed the line, 3:58. My weekend was now done and I felt great.
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I came home and quickly changed again, this time for an awards dinner with Bill Rogers as the speaker. “Boston Billy” as he’s known didn’t say much of anything insightful or interesting that night. He’s never coached, he doesn’t like talking to people and he only wants to beat Joan Benoit again at some point in his life. Definitely not who I am. However. I knew that as different as we were, we had a partnership as well. We both run because it’s who we are, two, of many, peas in a pod. 

I do tell better jokes, though.

This past weekend I ran the lower potomac marathon. It was a tiny local marathon that many have raved about due to its no-frills course and all you can eat pasta buffet. Both were accurate representations of this small race.

Since it was so low key, my post is low key. The positives:
- gorgeous first half
- abysmal second half
- really good food at the end with really nice Seaman School cadets to wait on us
- wonderful volunteers

The negatives:
- ultima
- ultima
- ultima

Ultima is a no-calorie electrolyte drink. It causes insane gastrointestinal problems.
At the end of the day, I dropped about 3 lbs in weight due to abdominal cramping and explosive diarrhea (hey I never said this blog was pretty.. only my legs as a result of all this running) BUT I also won another age group award – I came in second with a time of 3:58 in my age group which was a 10 year block (whoo hoo!) and got a lovely marble plaque. I also was the 9th female overall. I also got to see Michael Wardian who’s just an unbelievable feat of running nature. And as usual, I made some very nice friends besides those next to me in the bathroom at the end of the race.
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It was a day of highs and lows but it didn’t leave me low in spirit.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of pacing at Albany, GA in the 5th annual Snickers Marathon Marathon. The candy company makes an energy/protein bar called the “Marathon” bar and since they have a large facility in Albany and Albany is known for its peanuts (and Ray Charles, I found out!), it makes perfect sense for this small town 3 hours south of Atlanta to have a marathon (they also are located next to the grit capital of Georgia, Warwick but my love for grits is not comparable to my love for running… I’m also digressing) 

As you know I’m coming off a weekend of extreme highs and lows with the Beast. I felt good after it but this week has put me back down into the dumps. I didn’t finish it and often, runners experience what’s known as “Post-race Depression” It’s akin to having a baby or getting married where you get all jazzed up for the big event, it comes and goes and then, well.. nothing. Life resumes. I had this after my first marathon, after my first 50 and now, after my first attempt at 100. I had been crabby and edgy for the better part of the week. I wasn’t even that optimistic about this race until I got to ATL, arrived at the marathon expo and looked at all the apprehensive, excited, tired, happy and just plain terrified faces mulling about. It’s a very quick and easy way to take one’s mind off whatever is bothering you as you suddenly realize that you are not alone in your thoughts. 

This expo was in the hotel which also served as the start line for the race. As pacers, the group is assigned specific times to man the booth at the expo, often answering questions and helping people choose their goal times. I was on from 6-9pm but by the time my shift started, there were very few people coming. Most had come earlier in the day, eager to get home and try to spend the evening relaxing. Nevertheless, I had several eager runners approach and chat as well as a number who came back when they were told the 4 hour pace leader wasn’t there yet. My favorite was a woman who came down from her room with a piece of paper in hand. She was sent down by her roommate who was running with a list of questions for me. The woman patiently wrote down the answers to the questions and even filled out her friend’s bib with her name and “4:00” on it. I had to chuckle – it was like the roommate running was a celebrity and this was her personal assistant. I had another gentleman, well into his 60s, sign up, Warren. He said “How many men do you think are running this race over 60?” I said I figured not too many which made him brighten up when I added that no matter what his pace, he’d might get an age group award. There was Robin, an experienced Ironman competitor who wanted to qualify for Boston and at 45, she needed 4 hours. I told her she was only doing part of her “normal” full race, that it would be easy for her – she still looked incredibly nervous. I mean, an Ironman! My god those freak me out… Then there was Caroline who was British (with a gorgeous accent) from Florida, attempting her 6th try to get into Boston. I assured her that we would do it together. After a while of this, it’s easy to see how you can suddenly feel a renewed sense of self-worth. I started my shift sullen, I finished it smiling. 

The next morning, we all met in the lobby at 6:15 dressed in our new outfits supplied by runningskirts.com. This would normally not be anything out of the ordinary except for the fact that the men also were donned in running skirts. If you’ve never seen 5 grown men in very short tight lycra running skirts, you’ve missed out. Male runners tend to have nice legs and this crew was no exception, however, there is something just goofy in seeing a cheetah or a plaid print skirt set atop of two muscular hairy stems. The plaid wasn’t so bad – it looked almost akin to a kilt but the cheetah print that several opted for was just, well, bizarre. One of the runners in my pace group commented that they looked “ridiculous”. I thought it was rather humorous myself but to each his own I suppose. 

​We started off in the early morning twilight with the sun rising over the river. It was absolutely beautiful. I fell into my pace and began chatting with the few people on either side of me. I happened to look back as we rounded the first corner and saw a sea of runners, all beautifully lined up behind me. There was easily 40 or so and I recognized most of the faces. The ones who came up, talked to me and wore a bib as well as those who gave the expo table a suspicious and fleeting glance the night before, choosing to scurry past rather than approach. Here was my army of many and I was thrilled to be leading them into victory.  

As the miles ticked off, I learned a little about most of them. Caroline, as I had previously mentioned, was really going to make this THE day – she had done everything right, carbo-loaded and was feeling good. Robin was in her zone and decided to stay ahead of me, with an occasional comment on a story I was telling. She had done her last Ironman in just under 11 hours and was hopeful that work would pay off in this race. Warren would occasionally get up beside me, grunt a bit, then fall back. His daughter was an art teacher who graduated from Hollins college, a small all-girls school located in my hometown as listed on my bio. Brett was a lawyer and this was his second marathon and he wanted to break 4 hours the first time but just missed it. This was retribution. Pauline was a single mother with a teenage son and with 4 hours, she could make it to Boston, but she admitted that she couldn’t afford to go. And how could I forget Randy, who was 44 yesterday and for his 44th birthday, he wanted to break 4 hours? 4 was his lucky number, he said. 

In those 4 hours, we talked about ourselves, our families, our lives and jobs and most of all, our passion for this sport. I don’t think I can put into words how attached you get to these individuals, each with their own lives and goals. I never leave a race less enlightened than I came. I truly enjoy the minutes I spend with everyone that I come into contact with and to know that several of them did it only serves to put meaning into my race. I’ve done my fair share of marathons and I’ve achieved (almost) every running goal I’ve ever had. Sure, new PRs are nice and I hope to finish a 100 miler soon, but as the years and races go by, I’ve learned to care less about the moment and more about the impact. Yesterday was no different. 

At mile 8, a cute young woman came skipping up, seemingly high as a kite, laughing and carrying on and jumping around. Her name was Cassie. I will never forget her because she taught me a lesson. She had talked to me the night before at the table and I convinced her that as her second marathon, she should go conservatively. Her first was a few months prior and she ran a 4:24. She had been training and doing speed-work so we agreed that she would start with the 4:15 group and if she felt good, to move up to my group around mile 10 or so. If she still felt good around 23, then she could go ahead and ratchet it up a notch. So it’s no surprise that at mile 8 when I heard her approaching, I was instantly nervous. It’s my inner “pacer mom” and when I see people that wired up that early, I worry. Most marathoners will hit a wonderfully high point from about 8-13 or so. The blood is pumping, the adrenaline is high and life is GOOD. REALLY good. Then reality hits. They start crashing and by 19 they feel like death. I know – I’ve been there. And I’ve seen it happen a lot. So as Cassie was swinging her arms and yelling at every single spectator and clapping, I kept warning her. “Cassie, save some of that!” “Cassie, slow it down a bit” I didn’t want her enthusiasm to get the better of her. I managed to convince her to carry my sign for a bit. She loved it. She loved it so much that around 18 I happened to look up and notice that she was a good quarter mile ahead of me. Oh shit. I can’t ask her to slow down and bring me back my sign. I looked at my pace group and said you all stay steady, I have to go get that damn sign. So I sprinted up to her. She looked at me, handed it over, laughed and said “Emily, I feel so good. I know it’s only 19 but can I go ahead??” She looked so excited and intense and at that moment, I could see the focus and determination in her eyes. This woman was on fire. YES! YES, go! You look great I said. And with that, she did. Never would I have thought she would’ve lasted that long but sometimes the will is stronger than the skill. 

I ran back to my group like a prairie dog trying to heard up the cattle. This was good because I could assess once again, where everyone was at. Robin was great, smile plastered onto her face, Warren had slid back a bit and was sweating. He was working HARD but he was quietly moving forward, still plodding along, one foot in front of the other. Randy was smiling and leaning forward, his form having fallen off miles before but he was happy. It was his birthday! Brett was waiting for me and moved over so I could fall back in next to him. But I was missing two. Oh no, my ladies. My Boston ladies. Pauline and Caroline. They were back just far enough that I could make them out but I couldn’t see them being able to surge ahead. This is the one downside to being a group pacer. You can’t sacrifice the group for a single individual. I wanted to run back. To round those two up, rally them, help them channel their inner Kenyans but I couldn’t. I still had about 11 or 12 to tend to plus a promise in my contract to hold my pace as best as I could. I had to let them go. 

Around 24 I started pushing people ahead of me – I let Robin go, I pushed Randy on and Brett finally agreed to leave my side at 25 as I chanted you can do it! You can do it! Go Go GO! I was doing great on time and hit 26 just right. I had to sprint in the last .2 miles, though. I had a bit of a slow SNAFU (SLOFU?) due to the jump up onto the sidewalk to wrap around the final bend. It’s a big step up onto a sidewalk curb and the tip of my shoe caught it just right. I didn’t go down but my recovery took a few seconds to come, steadying myself back up and wincing as I pulled hard at a hamstring. OUCH. It was already a bit tender from the previous weekend but I wasn’t expecting what amounted to a donkey kick in the back of my thigh right then. I saw the finish line and ran it in. I ended up a few seconds over which is never a good thing, although I was thankful to have pushed my runners ahead of me. I crossed and was greeted by 9 or 10 familiar faces and a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I’ve never had so many sweaty hugs nor have I had a line of people waiting to talk to me, thanking me for my help. It was MAGICAL. I stayed longer than I had planned and enjoyed hearing their stories, meeting their significant others and toasting (with a water bottle) to their successes.  

I made a number of new friends yesterday and I had a wonderful experience. I feel as if the ability to run and help other people when they’re running is a gift and there’s a great saying that goes “Never apologize for the gifts you’re given. Only apologize for not using them.” To my runners in the group, I’m glad that I was able to help you out. In return, you gave me back something too. In the end, we all got a gift.  

“My back is broad but it’s a hurting…”  Even though it’s a song lyric, never were truer words spoken. This past weekend, I traveled to Buffalo, NY to participate in a winter race called the Beast of Burden 100 miler and 24 hour ultra-marathon. This was the first year for this race and it is touted as the only “winter 100 miler” in the US. My friend and fellow runner (and experienced 100 mile finisher) Marc Griffin was going. He was looking for company and since Mother Nature has been shitting on us lately in the form of snow, I figured that the lemons life was handing my passion for running, deserved to be made into some frozen lemonade. That would be false assumption #1. 

The extended forecast seemed benign enough – a few snow showers but relatively higher temps and lack of heavy snow covering would be gracing the area. Fantastic I thought! I’ve spent a lot of time lately running around in the local blizzards and post-holing up and down the Mt Vernon Trail – how hard can it possibly be? False assumption #2.

The day before my arrival the northeast was hit with one hell of a whallop and the gods decided to do more than dump a foot of snow. They also sent in some strong winds. I knew because this race was on the Erie canal there would be *some* wind. I just hadn’t planned on a non-stop bitch slap. The course is an out and back, 4 times with about 25 miles each time, starting at Lockport NY which is about 20 miles from Buffalo and extending northeast to Middleport. You pass through Gasport in the middle which laid an excellent out and back aid station set-up. First aid station at the start/finish, Gasport 6 miles up, Middleport 6 miles further then turn around, hit Gasport, then back to Lockport and do it all over again, each time with feeling! Completely flat, net elevation gain/loss of 70 feet, really, besides some snow, what’s there to worry about? False assumption #3.  The week leading up the event was hectic at work which was great because it kept my mind off the impending doom but it didn’t get me in the race mindset until I was on the plane, with little more than 12 hours to spare before the gun went off. We were lucky to have gotten out but once we landed and I saw the howling wind and swirling snow, I knew this was going to be quite a challenge.  

The evening went off easy enough and Marc and I hit the sack before 10. I slept like a baby, and was lucky enough to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go. Plenty of sleep, plenty of food the week before, plenty of fluids. Or so I thought. I would be proven wrong in fairly short order.  We got to the start line and it was still snowing. The trail had been more than a foot deep so the night before, the RD and his crew decided to drive a couple of snowmobiles over it to at least give us runners a fighting chance. NO ONE would finish if we had to slog through knee-deep snow for 100 miles or 24 hours. So two narrow but seemingly manageable ruts were carved out leaving about 6 inches to run in. We started out and all was right with the world. It was snowing but pretty and the serenity afforded by the sheer peace and calm was just delightful. It wasn’t that cold and I had managed to layer just the right amount of clothing and socks.  Felt good, strong – dare I say, confident – in my abilities to make this race. I’d log another false assumption on the meter but I’m pretty sure you can see where this is going.  We made small talk and I had the pleasure of meeting the other 6 or so females who were bold enough to enter this race, including Canada’s top 24 hour racer, Charlotte Vasarhelyi. The gun went off and much like another other ultra, we all shuffled forward looking more like little old people covered in neoprene than ultra-runners. We had to do an initial out and back of 3.7 miles in order to make the 100 miles perfect since the last aid station was about 1/5 of a mile too close. And when you’re doing 100 miles, 96.3 won’t cut it. This was good – it allowed us to test out our clothing and shoe choice as well as get a feel for whether or not we needed the assistance of microspikes or yax trax. Feeling like I was a total pro at this, I kept my selections when we came back to the start to turn around and begin the “real loops” choosing to shed only my heavy snow mittens for light running mittens.  You can see me at the end of this line:

​I felt good for a long time. At some point, I didn’t feel great but I chalked it up to the mental roller coaster known as long distance running head games. I don’t typically have a long time in most races where I feel down. Often if I do, it’s fleeting, popping up occasionally but for never more than a few minutes at a time, separated by much longer highs. However, there are multiple factors which can shift this balance including physical factors, environmental factors and what I like to call, FUBAR factors. Physical factors include the time I decided that greasy pizza and beer would make a great pre-race dinner (SEE MCM, 2008) Environmental factors include long days that start warm but perhaps end cold with brutal terrain (SEE TWOT, 2009) Then there’s FUBAR factors where not one goddamn thing goes right and everything becomes a factor, an endless set of obstacles to overcome, each harder than the one before. I have been lucky thus far – I’ve never had  a FUBAR factor day… until this day. It was windy, very windy. It was snowing, then sleeting, then snowing again. It was damp and cold and miserable. This would’ve been possibly manageable except as previously mentioned, I started to not feel so good. Around mile 22 or so, I stopped at Gasport which had a wonderful warm, toasty RV. I realized that I had drank a LOT of fluid but had yet to even have an inkling of a bathroom break. My lower back was also oddly achey which I had chalked up to my camelback with its 100 ounces of water until I decided to “test the waters” by visiting the tiny little bathroom on said RV. And they were not good. I was peeing blood. Yikes. Well, ok, I know enough about my general health that your body is not designed to do that. However, I had come all this way and dammit, I wasn’t going to let a little bad urine get in my way. So I trudged on.  

I made it back to Lockport, having completed one “official loop” plus the start loop, about 28 miles. I was soaking wet and bitterly cold so I changed out of what I needed to and grabbed a cannoli (seriously… someone brought CANOLLIS) and half a banana from the aid station. I will never, ever turn down a cannoli with chocolate chips on it. EVER. In the south, we don’t have those things around very often and when we do, they typically take the form of doughnuts with cream in them. This is upstate NY. I’m not passing up one of my all-time favorite treats just because I feel bad. 

Anyway, my cannoli and I were on our way and I felt better. I was at least warmer and drier and I trudged on, this time making sure to take my ipod shuffle . The afternoon sky was flattening out and the white on white was pretty sterile and depressing. It was still snowing and I found myself counting the mile markers, each appearing to grow further apart. My friend Marc had gone ahead of me – my speed slowing and my steps grew heavier. I couldn’t keep up and he seemed to be unstoppable. I got back to Gasport again, curious as to what might be going on in my body. Once again, I visited that little RV crapper. And once again, I was with heavy heart. Not much had changed except for the fact that I had drank MORE water and had less pee. My body seemed to be taking it in and where it was going was beyond me. I felt a wash of doom. I left, having mentioned my condition to the nice aid station ladies, only to regret that later. You see, it didn’t occur to me that they have cell phones and actually know the phone numbers of the people at the NEXT aid station.  

I arrived at the far aid station and when I walked in, they already knew something was amiss. I vaguely recall the experience because by this time I was dizzy and my back was killing me, I felt paranoid and angry but also spacey. I sat down and my head went down into my lap. Someone helped me onto a table and I laid there, ears ringing. Some man was asking questions. I don’t recall them and I’m not sure if it was my condition or my heart. He was incredibly cute. He just seemed so calm and rational and nice. A slight southern drawl – OMG! Everyone here speaks fast. What…? My what? He’s asking something about what I’ve eaten and if I’ve ever run before.. it blurs. I don’t remember everything but I know a nice woman was helping me get out of my clothes, another man was taking my blood pressure. I realized suddenly that my adventure was suddenly… over. I was sad. But in some ways, relieved. I was in too bad of shape to go back out – there wasn’t a thing I could do about that. Night was setting in and there was very little chance I’d make it the 12 miles back to the start. And really, as I sat there I realized it was pointless anyway. I would gain nothing except more hours of misery and the potential for collapsing somewhere on the trail and not being found. I understood then that I was done. My very first race that I’ve ever dropped out of. My first (and surely not last) DNF. 

In looking back I’m not upset. I’m proud that I tried – I persevered. Only 8 finished (and there were no female finishers) The rest dropped, some of which had medical reasons like me, others who simply could not tame the beast. I haven’t decided if I want to try it again. Time will tell – I feel like I need vindication in races that I don’t do as well as I’d like. There is talk of doing a summer version which I’d be thrilled to attempt. As for the winter one, I’m not sure. Upstate New York has a history with me that goes far beyond this blog and there’s a small part that needs to go back and face it again.  

All your sickness, I can suck it up
Throw it all at me, I can shrug it off
There’s one thing baby, that I don’t understand
You keep on telling me, I ain’t your kind of man
Ain’t I rough enough
Ain’t I tough enough 
​
Yes, you were rough and you were tough… but I don’t know if it’s enough.

This was the first time I have blogged and written the entry before I could come up with the title. I suppose that’s not all that surprising. After all, I had decided to run Harrisburg about 2 weeks ago, choosing it over NYC because I didn’t want to pay the incredible price to spend one night in the big apple for what many consider to be the greatest marathon there is. I chose Harrisburg not because I needed to PR or because I needed yet another “long run”. I chose it simply because it was there.

Harrisburg is one of those little hidden gems. It’s supposedly a flat course with a low entry fee and some decent goodies including a wind-shirt in lieu of a cotton t-shirt and an insane amount of Hershey’s candy (score!!) It’s local for those of us within driving distance of PA and it’s small, two attributes that make a race more appealing to me. It even had race day packet pickup, which, if you don’t know what that means, it means you can save the cost of a hotel stay. MCM was a distant memory and I had yet to ever go to Harrisburg so I figured why not?

I got up early Sunday morning and made the 2+ hour trek. The website said packet pickup was available at a nearby hotel. I arrived with about 40 minutes to spare only to find out the website was wrong and I needed to get to the starting line which would require a ride on the free shuttle. Except that I had just missed the last one. As a result, I was left with a slight bit of dread and relief. Often when I’m starting to wear out, I tend to jump into these last minute races with a certain sense of confidence that quickly wanes once race day arrives. I thought that if I couldn’t make it to the start, then I couldn’t run and if I couldn’t run, then I’d have a great excuse for backing out. I didn’t feel bad, I just didn’t feel great. I also had decided, once again, to try something new on race day which was proving to be a bad decision.

The day before I had made a trip to my local running shop. I was looking for gloves but also some wisdom on running with the shin splints I had picked up right after Marine Corps. I had run 7 miles that morning with my marathon training group and had tried a technique called “taping” where strategically placed strips of heavy white medical tape help to support the leg and mask the pain. I had painstakingly watched shin splint taping videos and taped up my achy leg and much to my surprise, it worked. Of course, I wasn’t convinced it would work for 26 miles. It was great for 7 flat ones but who was I to assume that I could quadruple that mileage without issues? So it was with great excitement that I picked up a pair of compression sleeves for my legs and decided to follow the advice of a rail thin, fresh faced teenager who looked like he’d never set foot on any surface outside of a high school track. He said “you can fly in these – they’re awesome!” So, Sunday morning, I taped my leg and squeezed these incredibly small tubes of heavy elastic over my bandages and figured that the inability to move my foot would wane as I started the race. I hopped in my car and took off for Harrisburg.

Upon arriving and realizing I had missed the last bus and would undoubtedly need a cab, I did what every jittery marathoner does – I walked into the glass door, dropped my sunglasses, spilled my purse and finally earned the pity of the hotel receptionist who told me that another guest was on his way down, having already called for a cab and would most likely be willing to split it with me. I firmly believe that the receptionist was charmed by my hot pink outfit and matching knee-length argyle socks and thus, volunteered this information. The socks were serving two purposes – one, they were getting a test run since I was planning on wearing them to Space Coast at the end of the month to pace in, and two, they were covering up the hideous compression sleeves, which by this time, had squeezed my calves into two tubes of human sausage. My feet weren’t feeling great but by this point, I wasn’t paying attention and ended up jumping into a cab with an older guy who was also “braced up” in several knee and ankle accoutrements. He was trying to qualify for Boston, a race he never had the pleasure of making it to and in his quest, chose Harrisburg specifically for its reputation as a “flat fast course”. We chatted a bit and parted ways, he in dire need of stretching, me in dire need of all my stuff. Luckily I found everything including my number and chip about 10 minutes before the start time and breathed a sigh of relief. I lined up in the starting corral and realized that at that moment, my legs were already hurting. I had been wearing these sleeves now for well over 3 hours and we hadn’t even started yet. Once again, the thought of ditching the race last minute crept into my mind but I was snapped out of that mindset by a nice young woman who loved my socks and wanted to discuss them.

The gun went off and we were on our way. Immediately I knew I had made one hell of a mistake. At mile marker 1 I stopped – the tops of my calves were throbbing and the pain was intense. I was able to adjust a bit and hobble on. For the first time, I really, really wanted to turn around and call it a day but I couldn’t. The problem was I stood out. I rarely stand out in a race, usually choosing to blend rather than draw too much attention to myself. I have never worn my name on my chest, never put on a costume nor a wig, never run in something silly. But today of all days, I had chosen to wear the brightest and most energetic girlie outfit I could find. I even had a bow in my hair. There was no way I was wandering off this course without someone noticing, especially since several runners had also witnessed my attempted graceful hotel exit earlier. No, I was in this one for the long haul.

At some point, my cab friend surged by me. I knew what he was doing was utterly foolish, after all, he had never run any faster than a 4:24 and he needed a 4:15. I wanted to say something to him but I didn’t. Instead I kept my mouth shut, bitter and annoyed at my own foolishness in wearing shoes that were not broken in enough and socks that had cut off some major blood flow to an area of my body that I needed it the most. I was not flying by any stretch of the imagination. I kept trudging ahead, managing to maintain around an 8:50 pace. I knew I wouldn’t PR today and I knew I’d be tired but I didn’t realize how bad I would feel. I haven’t had a bad race day since last fall, so in some ways, I was due one. They’re good to have from time to time as a reminder that no one is invincible, no one can “fly” all the time. Bad days are what keep me grounded.

Somewhere around 11 or 12 I decided that perhaps a walk would do me some good and that’s when one of those little events occurred that changes things. Typically these are the types of things that if ignored, don’t have any adverse effect but when heeded, can change everything. That “thing” would be Robert Crowe, an older man who was wearing a ratty green 10k racing cotton t-shirt, worn out shorts and a pair of sneakers that looked like they may have been new sometime around the time I was in 8th grade. Robert came up behind me and said “now those are some nice socks!” I muttered thank you, figuring it was just an annoying old man trying to make conversation. Of course, he didn’t stop there. “Now you can do better than walk. Come on, keep running – you can do it!” I hissed that I was “trying” in that way people say things when they’re holding back a mouthful of vitriolic rage. I was trying to appear happy and content with what I was doing, knowing fully that the stranger wishing me well was right, yet I had no desire to admit it.

So I started running and caught up with him. We began conversing – it was better than staying focused like a laser on my achy legs and I find that when I run with someone that I can talk to, I’ll be more likely to finish, especially when I have very little left in the tank. For the remainder of the race which was more than half, we went back and forth both in conversation and in stride, he occasionally surging ahead, me getting in front of him, see-sawing back and forth until the last 2 miles, always saying something encouraging or just taking the moment to pat each other on the shoulder. It was at this point I realized that I was now in some serious pain and it wasn’t the kind that would just go away. Something was amiss in my legs and even my knees started buckling, almost as if suspended by some invisible puppeteer’s hands. Robert, though, would not let me stop. I didn’t have the heart to tell him my legs hurt – after all, this man had spent most of his life running (he was 62) and had not qualified for Boston in 10 years. He wanted it, badly, and he knew that at mile 24 at 3:32, we could make it in under 4 hours (his Boston qualifying time requirement). But he wouldn’t do it alone so he kept slowing up, yet still pushing me for about half a mile. Finally, I stopped, yanked those sleeves down to my ankles and said if Robert can do this at 62, I can do this. I had kept him going from 12 to 24. He was now returning the favor. So I sucked in a deep breath and started running (and it did feel better – my legs could breathe!) At 25 there is a very steep switchback up to an iron bridge. I tapped him on the back and together we ran. Halfway across the bridge his hamstring blew out. He started limping. I knew I couldn’t finish without him so I stayed, by his side, hand-in-hand, and we "ran" (really, we hobbled) in together, just under 4 hours. He hugged me and said he was grateful. Ironically, at that moment, I was too.... perhaps more so than he because we both had a lesson in why we run. However, mine held more hubris and in the end, it’s humility that keeps us grounded even when we think we can fly. 

​So Robert, this post is for you. You flew.

There are things in life that you either love or you hate and occasionally, there are a few things that you both love AND hate. I don’t have a lot of those things but there is one race that I can say I both love and hate, the Marine Corps Marathon. It’s not so much that I hate it – it’s a marathon and it’s local and it’s scenic and it’s filled with wonderful people and well, it honors our great military servicemen so I can’t say I hate it but rather, I dislike running it. Or did until this past weekend.

Like I have done for the past 2 years I signed up for the race. I actually waited for several days, convincing myself that I didn’t really want to do it again. After all, the previous two years results proved that I could not run the race well, at all. Two of my worst times were both at MCM (4:06 and 4:09, respectively) and I felt as if the race in general, was frustrating. It’s always crowded, it’s partially on a course that I love when it’s only 10 miles (the Army Ten-Miler) but the Haines Point area and Crystal City and the final run down 110 is just not my cup of tea. So I told myself that if it was still open come end of the signup week, I’d do it. And sure enough, it was.

The weekend started badly – I felt awful Friday night before the race and didn’t sleep a wink. Saturday I woke up feeling just as bad and nothing stayed in. How could I possibly get in any calories and fluids when the race was less than 24 hours and I was constantly shoving things in only to have them come back out? Towards late afternoon I pulled myself together enough to go to a friend’s apartment for one of those Tupperware-esque jewelry parties. Thankfully she had really good brownies and no surprise, those stuck with me. I then decided to trudge out in the pouring rain and pick up my “winner dinner” of turkey sandwich and french toast bagel from Panera. Both times I’ve had these two things, I have gotten my 2 best marathon times. Call it what you will but voodoo magic works. At least for me.

Sunday morning I woke up and felt surprisingly well. The weather was a tad bit cool but otherwise the temps were forecasted to be perfect and I slipped out into the morning calm, albeit a bit nervous but otherwise, optimistic. I arrived at the Pentagon with the usual thousands and thousands of other runners and we dropped off our gear and started towards the start line which, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, can be a long ways away. I skipped the port-o-john knowing that last year, that cost me a good starting position as I fell in to the walking group and had a hard time getting out of it. I thought I’d give the 3:40 group a try – I only needed 3:45 for Boston and my foot seemed to be doing well so I figured if I jumped into 3:40, I’d have 5 minutes to spare when I started sliding off that pace. I knew I could probably hit it – after all, for once I had done “all the right stuff”. I had tapered in the previous two weeks running 70% of my weekly 70-80 mile average, then cutting back to 30% the week leading up to the race. I had slept a lot and generally just did what I always preach, but rarely practice. I crammed into the 3:40-3:59 corral and shortly thereafter, the gun went off and we were on our way.

For those who don’t run large races (or any races for that matter) there is this silly moment where the gun goes off, everyone surges forward and then BOOM, dead stop. And then everyone starts running, and then BOOM, dead stop. It’s comical. We did that twice before finally crossing the start mat.
As usual, the first couple of miles are the hardest. I do not stretch beforehand and my body is usually cold. So it’s always those first 20 or so minutes where I question my decision. Add to that the throng of people around you, pushing, shoving and generally just sort of elbowing and you’ve got a recipe for crabbiness. And the first few miles of MCM are pretty hilly. I made sure not to bring my Garmin – I didn’t want the distraction of knowing how slow I was running. It was me, a pace band and my “kleiner Freund” (“little Friend” aka my Casio watch from World Cup)

I couldn’t find the pace group – it was so crowded at the start that there was no way that even if I saw the guy I’d be able to get near him so I had to employ my inner pacer and watch the mile markers and compare to the paper wrapped around my wrist. We ran through Rosslyn, then through Georgetown. On M street I glanced right and saw my coaching instructor, Mike Broderick. I gave him a high five and he in return, gave me a boost of self-confidence. He’s an amazing guy – die hard ultra-runner and running coach for some of my ultra-friends. In short, good guy to see yelling your name.

At about the halfway point I realized that I was getting “hot”, meaning my pace was faster than it should be. I had about 2 minutes in the bank which would normally be bad but I felt ok and told myself that I’d need those later. So I stayed with it. We went around Haines Point, which I’ve never liked – it’s a loop and can be dull as very few spectators are there but on that day it was a welcome reprieve from the hills we had earlier in the race. We then wound around the mall area and I noticed that my pace was picking up. I had 8 miles to go and 7 minutes in the bank. I wasn’t thrilled but I still felt really good so again, I promised myself that I’d use those later, when I needed them.

I came over the bridge and saw several more VHTRC friends including Bobby who snapped this shot of me at mile 21:

​Yes, I was feeling THAT good. I knew then that I would definitely make my time. I had 8 minutes still (from the 3:45 required time) and only about 5 miles to go. I could do nice and slow miles and still qualify. Did I? No.

I came through Crystal City (another area I typically don’t like) and still felt good – it’s flat there and again, I’ve done so much flat speed work that it paid off in a big way. I picked up another 2 minutes somewhere between there and mile 25. I now had 10 minutes extra – I could WALK the entire last mile and still qualify. But walking the last mile is silly if you don’t have (I’ve walked enough of those in the past few races with injuries) so I continued to run. Suddenly I was at Iwo Jima, charging the hill and hitting the end mat. I was astonished – 3:35. I blew away my old PR which, incidentally was set on the flattest course in the country, set when I was healthy and completely injury-free.
​
I didn’t stay to enjoy the festivities. I realized that the upside to finishing MCM around 3:30 or so is the easy ability to hop on the metro before it becomes an insane sea of spectators and other runners. Last year it took an hour or so just to make it through the line to get ON the train. So I gathered my things, trucked down the escalator (note – the big advantage to doing a lot of running is the relative ease at which you recover after such an event) and boarded the train home. And as we pulled out of the station, I happily waved goodbye to the little monkey looking at me from the tracks. Mission accomplished.

Ok, so I suck. I haven’t blogged about several races. I promise to get better about it. I think the problem is that I’m so wound up about this lingering ankle issue that actually putting the act of running into writing scares me, as if I am inviting some bad karma into my life. Just to bitch for two seconds, I am in the prime shape of my life. My resting heart rate is in the low 40s. I work out, on average, 3 hours a day. So how is it one teensy tendon wreaks so much GD havoc on my life?!?!? I could run 100 miles IF I had one new ankle. And yet, so many people have perfect posterior tiabilii and they waste them. I’m willing to pay the black market price for a brand new one. That’s got to be at least worth 5k, right? The only solace I garner is knowing that Amy Sproston, one of the fiercest ultra-runners I know and respect, also has the same issue. But it’s not fair for two awesome, hot chick-a-dees to be out of a sport where there are so few of us to begin with…

Ok, so onto this race. Way back when my foot was in a happier place, I carefully selected the race that would be my 2010 Boston Qualifier. This coming year I get an extra 5 minutes because I am now on the “downside of my 30s” and when Boston is held next year, I will be (sob) 35. And every 5 years you get an extra 5 to 10 minutes. The good news is that my average marathon pace is in the low 3:50s but I need 3:45. So I picked this little race because a) I wanted a new state (Wisconsin), b) I didn’t want to chance Erie being 90 degrees again and c) it was ranked as a flat and low attended race. Just my cup of tea. So I bought the entry, bought my flight and hotel and then bought myself a sweet, major injury.

Now I know a good deal when I see one and this gem came at a mere 300$ TOTAL. I had already amassed well over that in rehab and MRI costs so who am I to turn down a bargain when I’m mostly out of the cast and can hobble about, right? I decided, much to chagrin of my physical therapist, that I would do this race. After all, IT’S GOOD MONEY AND IN THIS ECONOMY…!! She shook her head and moaned. With that, I felt I was granted carte blanche access to the 26.2 ahead of me. She didn’t say I couldn’t do it. She merely said I shouldn’t.

Don’t get me wrong. I flew out scared shitless. I had no idea what to expect. As usual, I also gave myself 6 hours and 50 minutes from the start of the race to the moment my plane flight home commenced. You can see the potential problem here, yes..? Anyway, I arrived and hit my hotel first to settle in before heading to the expo. The hotel and the surrounding area were pretty bland however, I found this little gem just across the street:

Not only THE Appleton Curling Club location but one hell of a nice logo. Anyway, suffice it to say, that was about the extent of the excitement in this little place. It’s full of overweight people and Applebee’s. So it was early and I decided to strap on my walking cast and make my way to the the expo. I stood in a short line and then said that I’d like my number for the race. They looked down, and said “um is this for YOU!?!?!” and my heart sunk. Up to this point, I had still managed to log 50+ miles a week but mostly walking and any running was all flat on the high school track. I ran 10 miles for my long run the week before and ended up giving myself some of the worst blisters I’ve ever had. So I knew I had to go this one alone – just me and the shoe and the ankle. Frankly, I was really in a bad place. So I did what every good marathoner does – followed all of my voodoo magic and got the dinner I ate when I BQed last year, wore the same clothes (even the SAME PAIR OF SHOES) and bought my dry bagel for the morning.

Before calling it an early night, I made sure to document the awesomeness that is the runner’s schwag bag from this race:

​That’s right – it contained tissues, notepaper, toilet paper and baby wipes. You see, this part of Wisconsin specializes in paper mills. Side note… find a race in Hershey, PA next time. Side side note – my co-worker Scott lives on the route. I was expecting to see him poke his head out and at least root me on at mile 5 or so. This XL roll of TP was the closest “Scott” got to my run. Boo, Scott Lacey, Booo!

This was a point-to-point meaning you want to park at the end so you don’t have to make your way back to the start to get your vehicle. So while I drove to the finish I made damn sure to be careful with the foot on the brake pedal. HA. 26 miles of pounding and all I could think about was “don’t push too hard when braking!” From there, we were bused to the start and I found myself lined up rather early in the queue. This race is fun – there’s a full, half and relay for it. Next to me is some small creature in the form of a 8 year old boy. He’s got a chip on his shoe and a number pinned to his shirt. I am floored – I say “hello – um, what are YOU running??” thinking that I’m packing my shit up and leaving if this kid is doing the full. He tells me in a squeaky, matter-of-fact voice that he will be doing the first leg of the relay. I ask how long his longest training run has been and he says “4.5 miles” in a way that sounds as if he’s permanently attached to a helium tank. I am in love. Not with him, mind you, but with the fact that this small child is everything I wish every little fat munchkin in America would be. Devoted, determined and destined to grow up as a marathoner or at the very least, trying to be one on an early Sunday morning. God bless him.

Boom, we’re off. It’s pretty uneventful – and why not? It’s flat as a pancake, ugly and generally just, well, like a bunch of people running. At mile 3 I have to stop for almost 3 minutes to adjust my homegrown “double” ankle brace because my foot is swelling and turning purple (note: do not layer ankle braces) I thought two together would work well. Around mile 12 I stop and chit chat with an aid-station person because she’s very nice and smiley and askes about my brace, which is now partly around my hand since I removed one. Mile 18 my ankle gets achey but I forge on. Mile 23 my foot is screaming but not in the “bad area” It’s on the outside and I’m afraid I’m potentially injuring something else now so I walk a while. Suddenly, it dawns on me. I am on target to get my BQ time. How did this happen? I stopped for minutes at a time, I’d been walking and now somehow, I was pretty close to exactly what I needed. Yet my foot HURT. And this was the first race of the season. I could push it but for what? An injury to an injury? For some race that I didn’t like back in April that was over-priced and over-hyped and one which I would have other chances to qualify for? No, it was not going to be today. And I was ok with that. Sometimes things just change, in a matter of seconds or minutes and today I changed my goal with one swift decision. It was now to just finish well, and be happy that I had made it that far.

I finished in 3:49, my second best time ever. In looking back I lost those minutes adjusting an ankle brace, talking to a nice person and hobbling along for a bit. Then again, in those minutes that ticked by, I was allowed to remember why I run these in the first place. Not to win. Not to place. Not to even show. But just to run. So that day, I was born to run. Mostly.

I realize I have been remiss in posting my race recaps. For that, I apologize. Perhaps I’ll work on some of the missing ones later this evening. For now, I am compelled to write about one of my most favorite marathons, The Baltimore Under Armour marathon.

As a backstory, I’m coming off of a pretty severe ankle injury which happened at _______ (yet to be blogged about, ultra-marathon) This puppy has been plaguing me for months so to finally be back on my feet and actually running has been a welcoming experience for me. Truth be told, I didn’t really “recover” so much as I “tuned back my mileage and ran in my boot” And by “tuned back” I mean went to a normal weekly number (somewhere in the 40s and 50s) So having proven myself at _______ (another unblogged about marathon.. I swear, they’re coming) I felt confident that this fall would not have me down in the dumps missing all my road races. There are no trails in my future anytime soon, but I can swing the pavement. So I did.

For this race, I was lucky enough to have scored myself a spot on the official GEICO pace team that I coveted back in Frederick. It’s run by a couple named Ann and Bob who basically kick all kinds of pace team organizational ass. They’re in tight with UA and this being the official UA race meant very good things besides the race itself. We were treated to a fabulous pre-race dinner at the Marriott followed by goody packages of specially printed UA gear just for this race (pics coming soon) so needless to say, I looked pretty sweet come race day, which is good. Half the joy of running is maintaining a bad-ass style – there are enough sorry looking runners out there, slumped over in ill-fitting cotton and chafing in places I’d rather not picture. I wanted to look FIERCE! I wanted to look CUTE! And I wanted to look like part of the team! Which, coincidentally, was the first all-women’s pace group. Yes, I got to be a part of a little sliver of history known as “The 4 hour group is full of chicks” This was fun – it meant that any man coming in behind our group was beaten by a bunch of women.

So the race itself was delightful – Charm City really IS charming. Sadly, they took out the most scenic part – the loop around the Fort McHenry due to construction which was about the only part I remembered from the previous year. As a pacer you get a lot of questions from people about the course itself and I’ve always been terrible about looking at the actual course ahead of time so that I may better answer these inquiries. Things like “Where is Key Bridge in the mileage?” to which I said “Oh no, that’s in DC. We’re in Baltimore – you must be from out of town…” and “I see they’ve replaced the Fort McHenry miles with a loop up near the zoo” to which I replied “oh, Baltimore has a zoo? Who knew??” Race guide I am not.

I was a tad nervous because the day before it was 84 degrees and sunny which is heavenly to me to run in but hell for about 99.9999% of all other marathoners. On Saturday, though, it was a cool 60ish degrees with little sun and a fine drizzle that wasn’t enough to soak anything but just enough to keep us cool. The race started without a hitch – my group of 3 other women and I set forth up Paca St., happy to be on our way and confident of our abilities as pacing ninjas.

As I have previously mentioned, there’s always *something* interesting that occurs in a race. Sometimes I’m lucky and get to experience it firsthand, other times, I just hear about it. Today did not disappoint. At mile 1, I heard a very loud THUD, then a crack and an “OH SHIT!!!” The cracking sound had faint notes of human bones breaking and if you’ve ever heard a bone break, you know that sound well. I remember in third grade when Stephen fell off a fisher-price table at my babysitter’s house and broke his arm clear through, so much so, that it was sagging in the middle – he snapped both bones as if they were thin twigs. This was the same sound. I looked over and saw one of my pace group runners had run into a parked car. At mile 1. Clearly someone upstairs did NOT want this guy to run because he went down and we never saw him again. I got to witness this falling several more times and was reminded of the trail portion of JFK. The difference was that these falls were precipitated by the emergence of bright orange cones on the yellow lines of the road for the entire 26 mile course. I’m not sure why they were there but when you’re in heavy crowds and you are running, it’s really hard to see things on the ground, and subsequently, avoid them. So we had a lot of downed runners as a result of these cautionary accoutrements.

The remainder of the race was fairly uneventful – we had the largest pace group with about 200 to start and maybe half who held on the whole way. My teammates included Laveta, Juda and team captain Marci. They were all spunky and fun, petite and pretty and I’d like to think we had the cutest team in the grouping. We were definitely one of the loudest and enthusiastic and with each mile, we took turns regaling stories and laughing and getting to know the various runners who wanted a shot at 4 hours.

With a team captain, my job was very easy – I ran whatever pace Marci ran, so really, I was there for support but I didn’t have to watch my garmin which is always a welcome reprieve. I’ve been going far more old school lately and, as a result, am a lot happier and even better at tuning into my inner-pace clock. I knew someday that my need to always know what time it was would come in handy. Now I see why. We stayed mainly on pace, although we were a tad fast until the end. This was fortuitous, though – when you’re running that last mile, and you start passing people, there is no greater feeling. With us slowing, the other runners in our group were able to get ahead of us, thereby ensuring they would finish under 4. I think Marci was stressed but as a coach, it’s the little mental things that make a huge difference and this proved no different.
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I hung around the pace tent a while and enjoyed the nice spread of food and drinks provided by Ann and Bob. I was feeling a bit sad, though (mom, foot doctor and physical therapist please stop reading now). Last year I ran Steamtown the next day and I had toyed with doing another double but procrastinated to the point that I could no longer find a hotel room in Scranton. I even tried emailing the RD to ask for a last minute slot as the registration closed Thursday at midnight but he said no. As I slid in my car, feeling that I accomplished a lot (3:59:53) I couldn’t help but long to have the other have of my favorite marathon weekend. But then I remembered that I was lucky to have this one day and that somewhere, some poor schmo ran into a parked car at mile 1, his experience fully proving to be less charming than mine.