Never, NEVER, Say "Never"... Little Rock Marathon, Part Two!

Part one is Here.


On to the really good stuff. :)

The further into the race we got the more the temperature dropped. We were counting on the mostly continuous hill between miles 14-17 to keep us semi warm. Shortly into mile 14 we "ran" into my parents. There they were shouting at us from the side of the road with the most awesome Epic signs for us. We stopped for a quick photo opp and were back on our way. There was very little talking while we worked our way up the hill. I kept thinking about the runners passing us and how amazing they were to do this whole thing, but also run UPHILL for three straight miles. Incredible! We saw my parents again about a mile and a half or so later. This time they had specially ordered cookies for us. The little details our support team put in were so wonderful. Scott and the kids would have been there too, but it was already pouring rain in Searcy and they didn't want the kids to be in the cold rain any longer than necessary. Somewhere just after we hit 17 miles our uphill ended. Sweet relief!! We were walking down this hill and then started jogging. It felt good to use different muscles! At the bottom of the hill my parents were waiting again. This time not only were they shouting at us, but we were shouting back. We were tired, we were aching, but at the same time we still felt really good! We truly had the BEST and most fantastic support team out there. Everyone around us said so. And I whole heartedly agree!

Between mile 18 and about 23 1/2 the course is out and back. So we cover that same road twice. I had heard that this part of the race was the worst. In my head I almost scoffed when I'd hear that. How could it possibly be worse than all the hills we had done in the 18 miles leading up to this point? How could the last 8.2 miles on mostly "flat" roads be worse?? Well, they were right. Especially in our case as the temp had dropped at least 10 or more degrees and our light drizzle had turned to a light rain. Mom and Dad showed up again a little past 18 1/2 miles. That one was fun because Aunt Tee and I had made some friends along the way and we got Mom and Dad cheering for them as well. As we worked our way towards mile 20 I was anxious. 20 miles was the furthest distance I had done in training. Past that it was all new. I also knew that meant only a 10k left. 6.2 miles. I could DO that! But it took for-ev-er. The road didn't change much. Everything looked the same. It was almost like being lost. I had no idea where we were in each mile. I was cold. I was tired. I had a blister the size of Texas. But again, I still felt good. Adrenaline from racing is amazing thing. :) With our hands balled up in our coat sleeves we pressed on. Finally we got to mile 20. There was a large arch with a time clock that showed our 20 mile split and some fantastic 80's music playing. It was just the pick me up we needed!

A little past 20 1/2 we finally made the turn around to head back. All things considered I still felt fairly energized and felt like the final stretch was in the bag. We past 21 and I thought, 5 more, ONLY 5 more miles! It's crazy how quickly everything changed.

As we came up to the 22 mile marker, which was also an aid station, there were people holding up signs. I didn't think anything of it and was kind of in the zone so I wasn't really paying attention to what they said. Just 4 more miles. All of a sudden I hear a volunteer saying the race has been cancelled. ...I'm sorry. What?!? Cancelled? She did NOT just say that. I vaguely remember asking her if she was serious and realizing the sign she was holding wasn't a sign for encouraging the racers. The directors have a sign system for weather alerts. There are three levels. Needless to say, the black sign being held up means weather conditions are very bad and the race is cancelled. I just couldn't believe it. It was hardly raining. Yes, by this point I couldn't feel my hands, but I've never heard of a race being cancelled for cold. I knew it was coming, but this seemed crazy. After a minute of shocked processing I was full on angry and completely lost it. I covered my face and just sobbed. While walking. There was no where to go but forward. After a couple minutes I heard again that the race was cancelled and we needed to find shelter. Shelter?? I'm in the middle of nowhere. There is no shelter. Aunt Tee and I decided to keep going. We had not trained so hard only to get so close and not finish. And we wanted our gargantuan medal! We didn't know what to expect at the end. The finishers chute could be taken down and no medal there waiting for us. But I knew I could not stop. I still cried. It was an all out tantrum actually. At the time I didn't care. I'm slightly embarrassed now. About half a mile after we heard the news we had reached the point where my parents had been on the way out. Still standing there. In the rain. Cheering us on and expecting us to be all smiles as we had been every other time we passed them. Instead I threw my hands in the air and told them the race was cancelled. I don't remember what they said. I was too mad and just kept walking.

There was a lot of confusion as to what was happening because we still saw people coming towards us on the out part of the course- the part we had already been on. Scott called me (after my mom had called him to tell him what I had heard) to reassure me there were people still finishing and they WERE still handing out medals. Aunt Tee kept encouraging me to run the final stretch. But I was hesitant. For one, I've said from the start I would finish with her. I WANTED to finish with her. This was OUR race to do together. I also didn't want to push myself that hard and run, only to get to the finish line and not get a medal. I did want to finish though, having done the whole course.

We continued to see people passing us on the out even though we also continued to hear volunteers and police officers say the race was cancelled. Then we got back to the point where the out and back started and there was an officer at the intersection re-routing runners, telling them to go right (towards the finish line) instead of left (the out and back). Some people were following his directions, others were ignoring and going the way the course was supposed to be. I guess that's why we kept seeing people. They were determined to do the whole course even though the race was cancelled. We kept going. The temperature kept dropping. The rain kept coming. I kept fighting an internal battle. I was still saying I was going to finish with Aunt Tee but it was not as firm as it had been. And then, I heard someone say something. I have no idea what it was but whatever it was sparked something in me. Finally just before mile 24 I looked at my aunt and she knew. She nodded encouragingly as I tearfully told her that I was going to run on.

And so I ran. 2 miles. TWO! I was so close. And so worried I was going to finish and there would be no finish line to cross. I texted Scott two or three times checking to see if people were still finishing. He always answered with something encouraging. I ran harder. There were two fairly steep hills. I walked up those. The second was where I passed the mile 25 marker. So. Very. Close. And this is where the rain started coming down. To the point where it was hard to see where I was going. I ran harder. I have no idea what my running pace was. I just know it was hard. Really. Really. Hard. There were a couple short rolling hills that I had to walk up, but I ran otherwise. There was a short section under an overpass near the end that I did walk for about 15 seconds, long enough for three deep breaths, so that I could run in the last stretch as strong as I could. I hit 26 miles as I came out of that and took off. In the pouring down freezing rain. I took the curve into the barricaded finishers chute, saw the finish line, and from somewhere seriously deep down, but also out of nowhere, I just booked it. I ran as fast as I could. Until I thought I was going to trip over my own feet. I crossed the finish line with my arms raised... or so I thought. After seeing my finisher pictures my arms are barely away from my sides. But I felt like a champion in my head, so it doesn't matter how silly it actually looked.

By the time we finished the temp had fallen to 32 degrees. Almost 25 degrees over the course of our racing. Epic is right. This will be a race I will never forget!

According to the results page, I placed 17th out of the early start walkers (9th place out of the women walkers) with a finishing time of 6:24:09. Aunt Tee finished fabulously and right in range of where she had set her goal finishing time at 6:36:39.

This was such an amazing experience. Even with all the crazy stuff that happened. The volunteers are incredible. The support from the aid stations was perfect. The spectators, even the ones who don't even know you, call your name and encourage you. And the camaraderie among the other runners, including the ones who started at 8 and passed us, was something better than I've ever experienced.

This one will be hard to beat. And I will certainly try. Yes. I will do another full marathon. I knew before I even started on race morning that I would do it again. Maybe not next year. But I will do it again.

Never, NEVER, Say "Never"... Little Rock Marathon, Part One!

Warning: This could get long. Really long. There's a lot to say about 26.2 miles. :)

The theme for the Little Rock Marathon this year was "Epic". There couldn't be a more fitting theme for my first marathon. From the start of my training, to crossing the finish line, there was no end to the challenges I faced.

This absolutely crazy marathon adventure started last summer when my Aunt Tee and I were just casually talking about the half marathons she wanted to do. In the course of the conversation, mostly via Facebook comments, she said she was looking at the Little Rock Marathon because it seemed to be one of the only marathons that allowed walkers. I thought I'd be encouraging and say, "If you sign up, I'll sign up!" Not really thinking she would actually do it, or about what I was really saying. Let me back up just a little. Like, 3-4 years a little...

After I finished my first half marathon I had people asking me if I would do a full marathon now. I'd laugh and say no way! I had learned to not say "never" because I said I'd never do a half, and then while training I said I'd never do a half again, and by the time that race was over I knew I would. So I would just tell people I had absolutely no desire to do a full marathon. And I really didn't. Not even a bit. The thought of training for all those miles, and then running them... GOODNESS! It's exhausting and painful just thinking about it. For 4 years that was my answer. Until one day, August 1st 2013 to be exact, I get a notification from Aunt Tee that says, "I have registered for the Little Rock Marathon! Heather have you?" (Or something along those lines :) ) Oh my word, she was serious. All those months ago when I thought we were just messing around, she was serious. Whoa. So what did I do? I went to the website and registered of course. :)

A couple weeks later I started my training for the Race for the Cure 5k (where I was hoping for a PR- Personal Record) and Soaring Wings Half (where Scott and I had just planned on enjoying the race together without going for a certain time, ended up kicking tail and getting a PR for this one!). After Soaring Wings I thought I had about 5 weeks until it was time to start training for the marathon. But then I made a very last minute decision to do another half just one week after Soaring Wings. Three difficult races in three weekends and I was definitely ready for the break I had coming. Except I miscounted. The training schedule I was using was a 16 week plan. I got one week off before I started training all over again.

I came up with a plan to get me through my long runs since I was training alone. I was with Aunt Tee in my heart, but unfortunately that doesn't help when I'm in mile 6 of 15 and want to stop. So very early on my long distance plan was to run a mile then walk a quarter mile, then from there run a mile/walk a quarter etc. I have to say, interval training for the marathon was fantastic! Some how it made the time seem not so long even though my average pace was slower than normal. It also gave me something to look forward to after each mile. When I started to feel like I couldn't run another step, I knew I just had one or two more minutes and I'd be able to walk for a few. In the beginning I was so excited because it didn't seem so bad. I actually looked forward to my long runs. Even the double digit ones. Then we entered the worst winter Arkansas has had in many many years. Certainly the worst since Scott and I have lived here. It was bitterly cold. For so long. And it always seemed like the coldest, wettest, and windiest days fell on my long run days. I later learned it would all be prep for the race.

Fast forward to March. Race weekend is here! Aunt Tee and I drove down to Little Rock on Saturday so we could pick up our packets and drive the course. Normally I don't drive the course before a new race. I'm fine with not knowing where my next turn or hill will be. In this case, I'm so glad we did.

After driving the course and getting our packets, which included our super hero Epic themed shirts (probably my favorite race shirt to date!) and our bibs, we found a place to eat and then went to our hotel. Aunt Tee was traveling with her friend and also my cousin. We were all exhausted (they had been on the road since 4am) so it wasn't hard to turn in early. We were all in bed by 7. The tv was on but it was relaxing and I knew I wouldn't sleep well anyway.

Aunt Tee and I signed up as walkers. Which means we weren't sure we could finish before 6 hours. It also means our race starts at 6am, while everyone else would start at 8. We left the hotel about 5:30 and walked the half mile to the starting line. We were there with a couple hundred other Early Starters. It was a perfect run/walk temp of 56 degrees.

Let me take a minute to explain this weather. (Because it DOES matter) I had been watching for more than a week to see what the weather would be like. I'm not kidding when I say it ranged from 30 to 60 with rain and sun and it changed daily. For ten days. By Friday I saw the low was 52 (which we hit between 5-6am) and the high was 57 (which we normally hit between 2-3pm). Perfect! I couldn't see the hour by hour until after I gathered my stuff and had already gotten to Little Rock. That was when I started hearing about storms and ice and cold. I was so confused. Turns out we had our low and high in the same hour. And to look at the hour by hour forecast the temperature was only going to drop for the rest of the day, bringing in threats of thunderstorms and lots of ice. I had not come prepared for very cold temps so I kept hoping the forecast was wrong. Or at least for things to hold off.

So we're at the starting line and there's the usual excitement buzzing around. People were in superhero costumes preparing to run! It was awesome. The next thing I knew we were lined up and the gun was going off. Aunt Tee and I figured we would aim for 6 1/2 hours but probably finish closer to 7. That's a long day of walking with some running thrown in to change things up now and then. But we were prepared.

The first few miles passed fairly quickly. They were uneventful as far as entertainment goes. Most spectators and sideline entertainment wouldn't come out until later when the 8:00 start happened. Aunt Tee and I just chatted and soon we were at mile 6. Around here is where I felt like the hills started getting noticeable. There were short, small ones in the first bit, but nothing very significant. Between mile 6 and mile 13 the hills are longer and steeper (nothing like what we would encounter later though) but we had the sites of downtown Little Rock to distract us. By now the temperature had dropped a little and now and then there was a light drizzle. We had a strong first half and made it within 100 feet of 13 miles before the Elite runners (who started at 8) caught up to us. We were quite a bit further than we expected to be when that happened. I was thrilled with our average pace... but also knew what was coming.

Current life calls. Part two coming soon!

Going a New Direction

I have decided to rekindle and revamp my old blog. I wasn't good at posting often and just decided it wasn't worth it. But lately, the last year or so, I have found myself wanting to journal my race experiences. After some encouragement from my best friend I decided I'd try doing a running blog. I'll post about my races- the excitement, the course, the emotions I inevitably have. And maybe once in awhile something else might pop in. Bear with me while I get this going. I hope it will be good for me. I found three posts in my old blog that I kept. The first (and oldest) is from September '08 and it mentions a new running record of 4 miles. In that post I said I didn't know if I would ever do 4 miles again, but I was happy I did. I love looking back and seeing how far I've come! The second one is a blog about my first 5k, and the third was my first half marathon. I thought those were good to leave. Especially since my first official post with my new blog will be a detailed play by play of my first marathon! I'm saving that for later tonight when I can really sit down and focus on it though.

I'm excited about this new adventure for me. I hope that in some way, it will benefit anyone who chooses to read along.

13.1 Miles... WHAT!?!?

This past Saturday I had, what just might be, THE MOST incredible experience of my life. (My kiddos aside of course :) ) The only way to go about this is to start at the beginning.

Back in May-ish, Scott said, "There's a half marathon in October, want to do it?" and I actually laughed at him. Then I realized he was serious. A week later a confirmation email showed up in my inbox. So there I was, a person who loves a good run, but never thought I'd run more than a 10k (6.2 miles- a distance I hadn't raced yet), being "forced" to train for a distance twice as long as I ever planned to do. What a blessing that "force" was!!

In the months following, My friend Gwen and I pushed each other through, laughs and tears, aches, pains, and injuries, until the big day Saturday.

Saturday morning we left Searcy before the sun came up to get to the course. By the time we parked, walked to the site, checked our bags in, went to the bathroom, and walked back to the starting line, there was only about 5 minutes until start time! The race coordinator started giving instructions on how the waves would work- four waves- fastest runners, faster runners, runners that just want to finish (this is where Scott, my friend Gwen, and I were) and then the fourth wave was walkers. After a few more instructions there was a prayer led by the director of Soaring Wings Ranch. Before I go on, Soaring Wings Ranch is a permanent Christian home for children that have been through unfortunate circumstances and need a chance. All the race proceeds went to support this home.

Back to the prayer. Have you ever been with almost 2000 people during a prayer and had it be SO quiet you could hear a pin drop- a mile away? 1400 participants, plus volunteers and spectators all heard the words the director had to say. It's beyond touching. This is about the time I started fighting my emotions.

After the prayers, a lady with a beautiful voice started singing the Start Spangled Banner. Again, it was touching, but it wasn't until the racers started humming softly while she sang that I completely lost it. I still get teary eyed just thinking about it. There are no words for how amazing that was!

Within minutes, we were moving. Scott stayed with me for about 2 minutes, then his long legs couldn't take it and he took off. I knew he wouldn't stay with us (Gwen and I). Scott is a much faster runner. I wished him good luck and told him I'd see him at the finish line.

Gwen and I kept a pretty steady pace for the first half of the race. The whole course was hills. There isn't a single racer that won't tell you how hard this course was! We'd go up a hill, not just a little hill, but a pretty decent sized one, and after maybe a block or two we'd go down, and this is how the whole thing went. There was not a single stretch that was longer than a couple blocks that was flat. After about mile 6, I felt the fatigue come on. The hills just seemed to get worse with less downhill each time. The one thing I new for sure was that the last mile was all down hill.

Somewhere between miles six and seven my parents and James and Evie found us on the course. I knew they would be at the finish line, but I didn't know they would be on the course. All the emotion from the start of the race came flooding back. They also waited at almost 10 miles and again at 12, and then of course they were all at the finish line.

Scott finished the race in 2 hours and 9 minutes! He's a rock star :-D Gwen and I pushed hard the last half, we walked a bit more each mile, especially on the hills. But we tried to not walk too long each time, and really tried to use the downhills to our advantage. That last mile was really helpful :) Oddly enough, the last quarter mile was hardest for me personally. Every inch of my body hurt and I could almost feel it shutting down. It was all I could do to keep running. Something sparked in me on the last turn and the finish line was right in front of me, I ran as fast as my wobbly legs would allow and Gwen and I crossed the finish together at 2 hours and 19 minutes. My whole family was right there at the finish line. I could hear them all shouting for me and Gwen and then someone announced our names and it all became official. All the training, all the running I had just done. They said MY name. (and everyone else too of course) The feeling that overcame me is indescribable. I was smiling as I crossed and the next thing I know I am sobbing and hyperventilating. I was so happy, and so proud of myself, and oh so sore, and COMPLETELY overwhelmed with everything I was feeling.

My dad was in charge of the camera. He got some really great pictures that I wish I could post, but as usual I'm having trouble. My favorite one is one that I wouldn't normally post under any other circumstance, but the emotion and vulnerability that he caught with me high-fiving Scott isn't something I am ashamed of.

Five months ago I never would have considered running a half marathon. Five weeks ago I was saying I would never do another half marathon. Five days ago I never thought I could finish a half marathon in under 2 1/2 hours...

Never say never right??

The Race is WON!!!

I did it!! I ran my first 5k race today and wow oh wow!! It was so AMAZING!!!! I could go on and on about my day, but really, all that's important is that I did it! Before it started there was a prayer... can you imagine, 50,000 people, that's right, 50,000 (I had heard 28,000 a few days ago, the Little Rock Race for the Cure, is the second largest in the country) people in complete silence while someone prays over them!? It was pretty emotional for me. Then there was a cheer that they do every year- I'll have to learn it for next year :) And then, BANG! We were off!!! My finishing time was 33:33... I figure that's lucky :) It goes along with my training times well though. I generally average a 10 minute mile. This course they had for the race was mostly up hill. I know... you're thinking, surely at some point I would go back down hill... not so much. The race started off going down hill, and then finished higher then we started. Anyway it was HARD, and hills, plus two short walks for a water break (maybe a minute each) I'm extremely happy with my time. Through out the course there were spectators along the sides and they were cheering everyone on. I LOVED it! Just when I started feeling tired, I'd come upon some more and I'd get all choked up and know that I could finish!!!  I have to thank every one of my amazing and awesome friends that have supported and encouraged me along the way to this race. You know who you are. I love you all!!! You will never know how much you have helped me get through this. I thought of each of you as I ran today!!!

My New Running Record

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I have been running. I've been training myself to run a 5k (which is in just under 4 weeks) Until today, but best running distance was 3.36 miles. Which I have been extremely proud of. Sometimes it still doesn't register that I am capable of that. I've been dragging today. Recuperating from a good, but tiresome weekend. I didn't get up at my normal 6am to go running, but I knew I still wanted to run. I could have done something else, but I want to make it a point to run every day in order to keep myself prepared for my race. So after talking to Scott, we decided it would be ok for me to go out when he got home from work. The last 15 minutes before Scott got home I was psyching myself up to push myself. I wanted to beat my best distance. I didn't even care what my time was. Well, all that to say, I DID beat it, and not just by a tenth of a mile, or two tenths of a mile. I ran four straight miles today! FOUR!!! I have no idea if, or when I'll be able to do it again, but man! I am super proud of myself!!!