10k & Half Marathon Challenge- Little Rock Marathon Weekend

Take Two!

This recap is a long time coming. Life's been changing, and so very busy. I can't NOT post my recaps because I do them mostly for myself and I love having a digital journal to look back on. However, I am definitely realizing that as detailed as I am, I really need to cut back if I'm going to keep up with my running blog.

But I don't know how. lol

Four weeks ago Scott and I did the Little Rock Marathon- 10k and Half Marathon Combo Challenge. This was the second time I've done the combo, but a first for Scott. The weather was not great, but I have not experienced a LR Marathon Weekend with good weather. I've done the odd years, and it seems those are the years where weather is less than stellar. Even years seem to be not so bad. I guess I will need to do the races again next year. :-D

Because there is no race day packet pick up we needed to get to Little Rock on Friday for our Saturday 10k pickup. When we arrived things did not seem very busy, but there was some confusion when it came to packets. The couple in front of me seemed to have trouble receiving theirs, and Scott and I both had to wait a bit for ours. I will say, I think we were in the wrong line. I did not see a line that was for the combo racers. That is fully on me and I definitely apologized for being in the wrong line.

We had a hotel for the weekend to make things less complicated with back and forth driving. Saturday morning the 5k and 10k races started at 7:30. We were only about 10 minutes from the start line, but with the anxiousness that comes with race morning I, of course, wanted to allow plenty of time to get there and walk to the start. I don't like to deal with parking downtown, and I really don't like to pay for parking. I'd rather walk a little extra. The race started near the Statehouse Convention Center (also where the expo was held) and we parked in the lot for the Clinton Library. It was a little over a half mile walk. There was no gear check for the 5k and 10k so planning ahead for appropriate layers for feels like temps in the 30's with high wind before, during, and after the race were important. And almost impossible. As we walked from the car to the start line I could tell already that I needed to shed my top layer.

I got my layers situated as each corral started and we moved forward. We crossed the start line and it quickly became clear that I might need to adjust my goal for this race. Leading up to race weekend I had sort of been planning to give it all I had and try to PR. Friday morning I woke up with my throat swollen and by that night I was feeling pretty lousy. I was determined to ignore it, but I wasn't sure how I would be able to perform. I felt the decision had been made for me when I realized we were in a corral with mostly walkers. I will say it every time, EVERYONE worked hard and deserves to be at any race. Scott and I weaved through the congestion of excited participants for over half a mile, and things seemed to open up comfortably by the time we hit one mile. Once things opened up we were able to pick up the pace. Being in the cold seemed to clear me up a bit and the next thing I know our pace had dropped significantly and before I knew it I was suddenly on track for a PR. Scott was a great encourager, as always. The hills were killer. As we were heading back, we had maybe a mile and a half to go, we were heading towards the river which, in my head, should have meant only flat or downhill for the most part. I remember saying to Scott, how can we possibly be going up another steep hill when we are heading back and are so close to the river!? I still don't know. :)
We hit the 5 mile marker and I knew we had to be over the worst of the hills. We started a decent towards the river and I stretched out my stride. I was excited to hopefully pick up the pace even more. As we were coming up to an intersection with less than 3/4 of a mile to go and still a fantastic downhill, I noticed a large number of people. I knew by this point we had rejoined the 5k route so I figured it was a bunch of 5k finishers we would just run around. Then I realized they were stopped. Then a new realization hit. Even the runners that had just passed Scott and me were stopped. I kept running thinking surely I was imagining things in my sick and exhausted state of mind. And then I came to a dead stop because there was car traffic crossing the intersection. There was no way for us to continue. The volunteer at that intersection that was supposed to be stopping traffic was actually stopping racers. I wish I was wrong. But I wasn't. He was holding his hand up to us and waving the cars on by. To say we all just sat there and let it happen would be a lie. A majority of us, including the 5k walkers, were telling him that he needed to stop the traffic and let us go. It was unbelievable. It felt like we were stopped for at least a couple minutes. Based on my watch time versus my chip time it was not long at all. Yes, I did pause my watch. I was not about to have something completely out of my control prevent me from getting a PR. And at this point, that dead stop at an intersection was the only thing stopping me.
Most of us had started inching our way into the intersection and finally took a chance to cross in between some cars. As soon as I was safely across I took off. It helped that we were still heading down a hill. I looked at my pace after we crossed the intersection and I was running a sub 7 pace and managed to hold a sub 8 pace for nearly 1/4 mile. The last half mile has a couple short and not steep hills. I knew after we got over the second one the finish line would be in view. I was only mostly sure I had my PR. I thought I did, but I purposefully had not looked before the race to see what I needed to do in order to PR. Since I had been feeling sick on Friday I didn't want the pressure at the race. I had actually intended to just do the distance at whatever was comfortable. But after encouragement from Scott and a series of texts from my running buddy, Angela, I decided to push as best as possible. And I'm glad I did!

  https://youtu.be/p-kcvP49vog?t=2301

After crossing the finish line there is a bell that finishers can ring. We had a little fun with that and then got our medals. I really like the set up for the race this year. I don't know if it was like this last year, but it definitely was not this way in 2017. The finishers area is blocked off and leads people into the lower level of the Statehouse Convention Center. Medals were handed out as we entered the building. It was so nice to finish a cold run like we had and be able to go into a warm building. The only thing was, we had parked half a mile away and still had to get back to the car. :-P
Just before leaving the finisher's area there's a spot set up for participants to put in their bib number and get the official finish time and stats. I was definitely using my watch for my time, but wanted to compare, and it wasn't until I got the printout that I looked up my last PR.

Previous 10k PR- Time 56:06, Pace 8:59 
Chip Time- 55:02, Pace 8:52
Watch Time- 54:45, Pace 8:42
Placement:
10k Overall- 116th/1169
Age Group- 17th/168
Female Age Group- 5th/104

It's been a month and I'm just now seeing the placement stats. To say I'm in shock in an understatement. Fifth!! I placed 5th in the female division of my age group. Going for a placement in a race of this size has never been a goal of mine. I don't know that it ever will be. But seeing, and knowing, that I was within TWO PEOPLE of getting an award, is pretty stinking amazing. I don't need an award. I'm thrilled just knowing I was that close. Never in my running dreams have I ever thought I'd be where I am now. 
To look at the 3rd and 4th place finishers in my age group, they were basically tied. The 4th place finish just milliseconds behind. And I was just ONE MINUTE behind them. I've been sitting here shaking my head for 10 minutes. I can't get over it. 

We left the finisher's area and Scott and I walked back to our car and spent the rest of the day trying to stay warm. We met up with my friend Andrea and her husband for dinner. Andrea was running her first half marathon on Sunday and was sharing our hotel room Saturday night. After dinner we went back to the room and relaxed. I was starting to feel bad again and just wanted to lay down. 

Sunday morning things went smoothly. I don't think I've been so relaxed before a long distance race. I can't speak for Andrea, but on the outside she seemed pretty relaxed. :) 
While the was no bag check for the 5k and 10k, there was for the half and full marathons. I was so grateful for that. We checked our bags in the same room at the Statehouse Convention Center as the expo was held and a few minutes later we were leaving the building and heading to our corral. From the moment we entered, it seemed like we were constantly moving forward towards the start line. I was so excited for Andrea to be running her first half, which I planned to run with her, and also excited for Scott because I knew he would not stay with us and I had high hopes for him to PR for the first time in 8 years. 8 years ago was the last time Scott ran a half marathon for himself. He's done every other one with me. Which I love, but I'm glad he had a chance to run on his own with no obligation to stay with me. (His feelings, not mine) It didn't take more than maybe 1/4 of a mile for Scott to take off. 
It started to drizzle just as we started running, and developed into a steady light rain quickly. The rain came down for the next hour. It didn't stop for over an hour. That didn't stop Andrea and me from making the most of the race. We talked, we watched for the elite runners to pass by (when we were at about 1.5 miles and they were at about 3), we encouraged other runners, and sometimes we kept to our own thoughts. 

Around 6 miles we began the long out and back section of the course. I was hoping we would see Scott on his way back and we did! I saw him coming and we shouted and cheered for him. He looked cold but was running strong. I was so proud! After I saw him at this point, I started tracking him on the app. I just knew he was going to PR. Sure enough, he beat his previous time by 2 minutes. If he had been more trained (he did most of his runs at my pace) and if the weather hadn't been so lousy I'm confident he would have done even better. He's amazing! 

Andrea ran a strong race. I don't know how much she was keeping track of our pace, but I'm thinking not as much as I was based on her later reaction at the finish area. As best I can remember, we didn't walk once, not even on the crazy uphills in the last half of the course. I say "we". She didn't. Twice I dropped something and had to stop and pick it up. I felt horrible for being in the way of the other runners. We had dry conditions for about 4 miles and then around 11 miles the hail began. At first it was so seldom that I thought it was small petals coming off trees that were starting to bloom. But then about half a mile later those "petals" hit my face. And it hurt. I felt pretty ridiculous when it was pointed out that it was hailing and not raining flowers. 
About this same time is when we saw Andrea's husband and kids. They were just getting out of the car on a corner as we made a turn with a little over a mile to go. Andrea and I didn't really talk about it, but I think it was a pick me up and just the right time to focus and bring it home. I noticed she kept picking up the pace, and we would pull back. We made the same last turn that Scott and I did for the 10k and another runner asked how much further. I did my best to explain the last bit, we could actually catch glimpses of the finish line even with those couple rolling hills still looming ahead. 
Andrea picked up the pace and I told her to pull back for a little longer. I knew she had an incredibly strong finish in her, but I didn't want her to start too soon and lose it before the end. She started to surge one more time just before we hit the 13 mile marker. I told her if she was ready let's go for it. And boy did she go for it! As we approached the finish line all I remember is being so very very proud of my friend. My friend who all through training, followed her plan, did all the right things, still ran through pain, and still ran a stronger race than she knew possible. I heard the announcer say her name, as if he knew this was Andrea's first half marathon. I  know he said other names. There were just a few other people around us, but Andrea was in the "spotlight".  She ran her race and she deserved it. 

https://youtu.be/15N8_i4vg-g?t=4538

Between the finish line, and printing our results, amazingness happened. We got our medals of course, with me making a pit stop at the challenge table since I had done the 10k also. Then we made a turn and the finishers line made its way around a buffet of sorts. It. Was. Awesome. We were given a little bag and there were so many things we could add. I smelled food. There was pasta. It was so good! I have no idea who supplied it. There were so many drinks. Milk, pop, beer for those who drank it, orange juice... all the stuff! My word, I couldn't get my hands on the food fast enough! As we exited the finishers area into the reunion area I found Scott. It took me a minute to realize where we were. Turns out, we exited into the same room where bag check was. Of all the convenient parts of this race, this may have been my favorite. No searching, or walking all over creation in the cold, to find my much needed layers. We got our bags, then stopped at the results table.

Total Time- 2:21:21
Avg Pace- 10:47

My favorite part about running this with Andrea, well, I actually can't pick just one, but a stand out moment was when we printed our stats and she officially saw for the first time her finish time and pace. Tears were shed. Hugs were given. Pride was shining so big I felt the whole room (and it was a BIG room) could see.

We probably spent too much time inside, knowing that we had to make the half mile walk back to the car. Like a dummy, I didn't bring a change of clothes. I promised myself after my Hot Chocolate 15k St Louis experience, that I would be more responsible when it came to winter races. I don't know why I would uphold that when I'm not very responsible in most other aspects of running. I try. I really do. :) Anyway, NEXT time, I will bring a full change of clothes. Seriously. Everyone should do it.

Overall impressions: This was the best experience I have had with the Little Rock Marathon weekend. I loved that the finisher's area was indoors, and the food an beverage options were far better than what has been offered before. I'm wondering if things happening in the Statehouse Convention Center have been happening for a while and I just hadn't realized it in the past. Two years ago we definitely didn't finish and get led into the building. Whatever the case I'm really loving it! The whole experience was so great that I'm anxious to register for next year. :-D 

My training doesn't end there... In four weeks I'll be running the RussVegas Half Marathon, followed immediately the next weekend with the National Women's Half Marathon in Washington DC. I'm super excited for both! 

Hot Chocolate 15k Nashville

Racing in the winter is a funny thing. The fact that I even planned to do a race (two actually) in the winter is an even funnier thing. Training through the winter is one thing. I can push a training run to a different time or a totally different day if the weather is not good. Race day can't be moved. After my last race experience at the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis I was really hoping that we would get lucky with the weather in Nashville. I started obsessively looking for other running blogs that would maybe mention the weather for past years. The weather was all over the place, ranging from below 30 to over 60 degrees. As soon as I was able I started watching the 14 day forecast. At first it was saying mid 40's and no rain for the low temp leading into race morning, with a high in the 60's. This seemed pretty optimal, especially for after the race. I was really wanting to show Scott my favorite parts of Nashville. By the time race day came, the numbers had dropped quite a bit and it ended up raining most of Friday and up to a couple hours before the race.

Scott and I really try to not pay for parking when possible and really don't mind walking to get where we need to go. So even though there was a heavy drizzle when we arrived downtown for the expo, we parked across the river and walked a little less than a mile to the Musicians Hall of Fame for packet pickup. The process was pretty much the same as it had been for the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis. We showed our proof of registration email and a sticker was printed to put on our bib. The sticker had our name and corral assignment. When the volunteer handed over our bibs I was completely shocked to see we had been assigned to corral A!! Never ever would I have thought that would happen in a race of this size. My guess is that probably not as many people submitted proof of time. Or rather, based on the pacers I saw in that corral (10min/mile on up), maybe the number of people submitting for those ranges was small enough compared to the others. Whatever the case, I was ecstatic!
After we got our bibs we went over to the goodie bag area and got our hoodies. Since I had signed up for the female cut hoodie in St Louis I chose the the other one this time. These hoodies are super soft and comfortable. I love that we get them with registration!

Scott and I didn't stay long at the expo. Our goal was to get checked into our hotel and chill for the rest of the day. Our morning began at 4:00am so we were tired and on top of that Scott was recovering from the flu. Yeah, let's talk about the stress that caused.

I know we aren't the only people in the history of racing to deal with sickness leading up to a race. :) I do think this is the first time for us though. That it's been this bad anyway. I always get the sniffles or a phantom sickness when I'm tapering, but nothing that has prevented me, Scott in this case, from finishing up training.
I've actually been dual training. I have a 10k/half marathon challenge two weeks after this 15k. The distance worked perfectly to throw this race in as a bonus "let's get a medal for training" type of race. I'm running the half marathon with a friend and I'm doing the 10k with Scott. Which means it will be a faster pace. I have kept speed work in my training so I'd be prepared to stay with Scott. Our training had us on track to run a pretty fast (for me) 15k. About three weeks out Scott got a cold. He decided to not run for a few days so he would recover faster, and he bounced back quickly. But then the Sunday before the race he got hit out of nowhere with an even worse cold. That's what I was telling myself he was dealing with, because I could not accept that he had the flu when we had special plans. Not only did we have the race on Saturday, but we had planned to make a weekend getaway out of this trip to celebrate Valentine's Day and Scott's birthday. All week long I stressed about whether or not we would be able to even go to Nashville. Scott didn't leave the house, and hardly left the couch,  all week. After the worst of his sickness passed Scott said he would be doing the race, but would have to decide on the goal later. I knew I wanted to run this one with Scott no matter what so I told him it didn't matter what we ended up doing, even if we walked the whole time. I was just glad he was feeling well enough to consider doing the race.

Our hotel was one mile from race central at Bicentennial Park. Again, because we didn't want to pay for parking, or really worry about looking for a spot on race morning, adding to any start line anxiety I would inevitably have, we walked from the hotel to the park. We could feel the wetness in the air from all the rain and it was cold. It definitely was not as cold as the St Louis race though. Our walk was faster than I expected and when we finished going through gear check we still had nearly 30 minutes until the race started. Since we had taken off a layer to leave in our bag, the cold was obviously more noticeable. We decided to keep walking around until the corrals started filling up.
It felt weird walking through the opening into corral A. I was definitely having feelings of inadequacy. I was also worried about Scott. He'd kept pretty quiet and I was wondering if he should even be outside. I asked him if he was at all excited and he said yes. That helped for some reason. I felt like I could be excited and happy to be there. I did not have any pre race jitters, although I did have some wariness about the hills I knew we would be running. I did a long run in the outskirts of Nashville back in September and I was shocked at how hilly it was.

As usual the wheelchair start happened first. In addition to those in wheelchairs, there was another group of participants with disabilities. Not all were visible to just anyone, but each of them had a guide. I absolutely love seeing how nothing stops these amazing people. Just a minute or two later it was our turn. It happened so fast. I'm used to waiting at least a few minutes before it's my turn to cross the start line. That was good though. Those last few minutes are when I tend to do the most over thinking.

I think I underestimated how Scott would do at the race. I should have known better. My fast is his comfortable. And he can be a little stubborn. :) Barely half a mile in and I was falling behind Scott. I went back and forth on what layers to wear before we left the hotel. There were so many things to consider. Finally after struggling up a couple hills I knew I needed to shed a layer if I was going to run well. It was a good decision, at least for the moment. I felt free, and it showed in my splits. Mile 3 was my fastest of the whole race and I was able to catch up with Scott.
Around 3 1/2 miles Scott stepped aside to get some water and that's when he told me that he didn't think he would be able to continue running the way we had been. I reminded him that our goal was to finish the race and that was all.

Miles 2 1/2 to almost 4 1/2 or so are part of a long section of out and back. Near mile 4 the course enters Centennial Park. Through the trees we could see runners heading back to the out and back long stretch. I was unfamiliar with the course and the number of out and back sections really surprised me. In the moment it wasn't surprise though, it was frustration. It was mentally draining. More than that, the turn around points were sneaky. Now, I realize that is not on purpose. I just don't have another way to describe them. The hardest were between miles 5 and 6. As we were heading up another hill we could see that the course made a T. At the top (or so we thought) of the hill we were on, we would turn left but we could also see  that there were runners crossing our street and continuing to the right. And then runners were coming from the right back to the road we were on.

We turned left and our hill continued. I made an assumption that the turn around was at the top, but it turns out, once at the top we go right back down a hill, and the turn around was at the bottom. It was a very tight turn around leading right back into the up hill. That was painful. The road leveled out briefly at the T, but then we went up another hill. This one curved so we didn't see the turn around to go back until the top of the hill. I was honestly a bit devastated to see the turn around was at the bottom of the hill. Again we had a tight turn leading right back into an uphill.
This was obviously a very hard race. The course with its hills and out and back sections and the weather being wet and cold made it pretty difficult to enjoy. And that's just how *I* felt. With Scott recovering from being sick I knew it was so much worse for him. We walked a lot in the last 2/3 of the race. I welcomed those walks, but it's unusual for Scott to walk so I knew he needed them. Through all this, I really wanted to be for Scott whatever he needed me to be. I probably over compensated to the point of annoyingly overbearing.

Just past mile 7 we turned back onto the long road. I began counting down the distance. Through the last couple (still hilly) miles, our walks grew closer together, but we were moving and however it happened, it got us closer to the finish line. We had a nice downhill as we finished the ninth mile, but we must have taken it a bit fast because then we did one last walk. The encouragement from other runners is one of my favorite parts of any race. I try to make a point to be encouraging, but I know I could do better. With 1/3 mile left we had a good handful of people, runners that passed us and runners that had already finished, tell us how close we were and other happy thoughts. I got focused on looking for the finish line. From the last turn it was maybe not quite 1/4 mile. It seemed to take forever. And then I heard our names and it was like something clicked. This is why I race.

Even when conditions are far from optimal. Even when my husband has been sick but still wants to go. Even when I decided mid race that I probably wouldn't do this one again because it is THAT hard. The pride and accomplishment I feel when crossing the finish line is worth all the hardest courses in bad weather. And for the record, I WOULD do this race again.

Scott and I crossed the line together and I believe our finish line pictures tell our recap fairly well.

The goal when we finished was to first, find a photographer because I wanted at least one picture of us together and smiling.  The pictures are free so why not?? Our next goal was back to gear check. If I learned nothing from the St Louis race, it's that I should not stay in my sweaty wet clothes if I plan to be outside much past the finish line. Did I take care of myself? Of course not. I put my coat on and we tip toed across a muddy field toward the tent where hot chocolate waited. The closer we got to the finisher mug tent, the worse the mud got. There was no tip toeing around. Trudging was more like it. There was not a sign of grass. It was kind of fun, but I was truly worried about slipping and hurting myself.

I was not miserable like I was in St Louis, but by no means comfortable. It was still barely 30 degrees and we had our mile walk back to the hotel. While we didn't stop for many pictures, there were still a couple I felt were necessary. :) Maybe next time I will actually follow through and change my clothes. ;)

While Scott and I were resting before checking out of the hotel we were talking about the race. I truly couldn't get past how hard this one was. I did say a couple different times that I would not do it again. I think though, I would. I won't forget the difficulty, but I think I could train to embrace it. Even though I welcomed the walks Scott and I did, I think I could have pushed myself to run at least 75% more of those walks than I did. Even with our walks though, I still PR'd by almost 3 minutes.

Yep, I can train to embrace it. 

My First 15k Race!

This race weekend was a weekend of firsts for me, the best of which was finally running a full race with my running buddy, Angela.

Angela and I have talked many times about traveling to do a race together, but have never followed through. A couple months ago it came up again and I told her I knew the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis was coming up. Next thing I know, we're both signed up. :-D We decided to make a weekend of it and made the 5-6 hours drive Friday night. Our first night we stayed with Angela's parents who live across the river in Illinois. Two firsts right from the start- for dinner Angela introduced me to a St Louis original, Imo's Pizza (delicious!!), and our stay at Angela's parent's house. I've never been to Illinois before. :) Saturday Angela gave me a tour of her hometown before we went into St Louis.

Our first stop was Union Station where the expo for the race was being held. This expo was pretty great. Not for the amount of vendors, or any freebies that were given out, but because it was very well organized, even with the large number of people wandering around. The volunteers were well informed and were able to guide racers from one station to the next to gather everything through the check in process. Another thing I really liked was that there was a whole table for trying on our race hoodies (Hoodies, not t-shirts!) without having to take yours out of your swag bag. Then there was another area for exchanging if needed. Everything flowed very nicely!

Once we were done at the expo we decided to get a feel for the course and drive it. Angela has done the Hot Chocolate 15k in St Louis twice before, but since her last time running it, the course has been moved from the downtown area to Forest Park, with a couple miles outside the park. This actually was not as easy as we expected because of a couple areas we were unable to drive through, or signs we missed for turning. We got a good enough idea of the course that once our drive got us back to the park we decided to move on with our day. It was past lunchtime and we were hungry! The plan for lunch was to try out another local place called Fitz's where they make and bottle their own root beer (in a huge variety of flavors!). The food was delicious and it was really neat to see the bottling process. It was a fun place to visit!

Full from lunch we went to do a little shopping. We had fun and lost track of time, which had us getting a late dinner and checking into our hotel later too. This is probably the latest night I've had before a race, but it's pretty worth it to have the time with Angela. We spent a quite a bit of time gasping over our view before getting our stuff laid out for Sunday morning.

I didn't sleep much Saturday night. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but I woke up long before my 5:15 alarm. When we were both ready, we went down to get some breakfast (breakfast at the Hampton Inn is SO good!) and then drive to Union Station where we would catch a shuttle (another first!) over to Forest Park. We hit every red light in the mile and a half between our hotel and Union Station. I was starting to get a little nervous. The last shuttle was scheduled to leave at 7, and with a start time of 7:30 I felt like we were cutting it close already. We got super lucky finding a parking spot about 2 blocks away, not only that, but it was free. In a city where it seemed impossible to find a place to park that didn't have a fee, we happened to find one quickly and at a time that my anxious self needed most. Right at 7 our shuttle (school bus) left Union Station.

Even though I was still anxious (Start line anxiety is real, people!) I felt better once the shuttle was moving. I knew that no matter what I'd cross the start and finish line. It was still difficult, but I think... hope... Angela could tell I was trying. lol I think I was even able to remain fairly calm when we arrived at the park but had to wait our turn in the line of buses to get to the drop of location, even though we were in a roundabout area with no traffic other than the busses. I really was just wishing they'd open the doors to all the busses and let us off. I'd have rather walked 50 more feet than sit on the bus any longer. Finally it was our turn. We were 10 feet off the bus before Angela and I started jogging to the gear check tent... except we couldn't find the tent. There were so many people around and I was really surprised considering the race was about to start. Why wasn't everyone in their corrals!? So we followed the crowd of people into a building packed full of racers... where there was nothing happening. We asked a number of people if they new where gear check was and no one had a clue. I was looking for race volunteers, while Angela had a better idea to look at the bibs of people to see if they had the gear check tag taken off. No one did. It was like the tent didn't exists. We were leaving the building and as we stepped out heard the National Anthem being sung. We stopped moving, and as soon as it ended started jogging again. I noticed a tent on the other side of the corrals, so we tried to go that direction. I have no idea how people got to the gear check tent before the corrals filled up. There had to be a way around, but we couldn't find it. At this point the race had started... Actual, for real, countdown and all, started. Definitely a first. I have never missed a start. And we still had not made it to gear check. I was about to run the whole 9.3 miles with my bag. I didn't even care. We found a place where the corral gate was separated and went in, and basically worked our way across the corral, like a fish swimming upstream, while that section moved forward, waiting for their turn to start. I felt horrible and it seemed to take forever to get to the next open section of gate, but we got out of the corrals and started jogging again to the tent. It took very little time at all to check my bag, so we made a fast stop at the porta potties that were right behind the gear check tent and just before the corrals. I had been listening to the MC announce the start of each corral and at this point he had called through C. We were in corral E, and based on all that I guessed where our corral people had moved forward to and found an opening in the gate. Turns out, I guessed correctly. We were right with the others in E. We had missed the official start of the race, but not the start for our corral. I was truly amazed. We had just enough time to get my traditional start line selfie before our group moved up. Within 2 minutes of joining the corral, we were crossing the start line. It was such craziness, but we made it. :)

The course for this race is very nice. As I mentioned before, most of it is in Forest Park.

What I remember of the area through the park at the beginning, and it's probably because we drove it first, is all the bridges. They were beautiful! If it weren't so cold, I would have taken pictures. My gloves have lost the ability to be able to touch the screen effectively on my phone. It's pretty disappointing given how much I like to take pictures when I race. Anyway, it was so pretty. I love running by water, and all the bridges we crossed were over water. There were aid stations every couple miles and a couple of them had special treats. The first one I remember, a little before mile 2 I think, had large chocolate chips, and another one had marshmallows. I have no idea if all the stations had treats.
We left the park at about 4 1/2 miles and shortly after mile 5 we entered The Grove. I had to look it up, but I figured it was a big landmark for St Louis because there were big light up signs at either end of the main road. It's a business district, but from what I saw there's a lot of art and diversity as a part of the area.

Leaving the grove we made a somewhat tight U-turn in a courtyard type area to head back towards the park. Around this point is where we had decided to stop driving the course on Saturday, but I knew once we were in the park it was mostly a reverse of what we had already done. Up until now I had been feeling ok. The temperatures were so cold but I was trying to ignore it. I actually did take one layer off around 2 miles, and I didn't feel TOO cold unless we were running into the wind or a big gust would blow through. But around mile 7, with a little over 2 miles to go, I was starting the positive self talk, and at the same time, hoping I was the encouragement Angela needed to get us through the next 20+ minutes. Angela had mentioned being prepared to walk if needed and while I fully believe there is no shame in walking, I was fairly sure Angela didn't need a walk. So I worked on finding out what we both needed to get to the finish. I cheered on runners we passed as they were heading out and we were heading in, we both put on music, and with just over one mile to go I told Angela to start counting "roadkill" (runners you pass on a course). Roadkill is something Angela has told me about for her Ragnar races. It's kind of stuck with me for the last couple years, but I knew it was something she would relate to. So we started counting. It's actually kind of amazing how much more you notice about the runners around you, when you're counting them as you pass by. Two distinct people I remember in this last mile- One lady was walking, and we had such a minimal distance to cover, compared to what we had already done, so we both were telling her to keep going. She told us her asthma was acting up. Ugh! No good. I didn't count her in our roadkill count. The other one was a little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old. She was with her dad or other adult family member and I was just amazed that she was more than 8 1/2 miles in to this 9.3 mile run. She wasn't the first kid we had seen either. I can't even remember the number of kids we passed, either going the same direction or passing on the out and back section. In fact, there were at least two the passed US on the way back as we were on our way out. It was the coolest thing!
I was counting down the minutes as we got closer to the finish line. It's been a while since I've done a race that I wasn't able to picture the finish line. Having no idea where the last turn actually was, or what it looked like was odd. So I just kept counting down and looking. I saw the mile 9 marker and new we had 1/3 mile to go. I saw the mile 3 marker for the 5k runners and knew we had just 1/10th to go. It was about that time that I saw the finish line arch through some trees. Angela said it was so far. I felt that. But said no way, it's right there! We were tired and we were so cold, but we were also 45 seconds from being done!
We crossed the finish line and I remember passing quite a few people before I going up to someone holding out a medal and trying to smile while saying "me, me, me!" :-D But we were not so done and out of it that we didn't see a photographer and stopped for a professional picture. Oh, yes... FREE pictures! Oh how I love a race with free pictures!!

From this point on, for the next hour or so, things are slightly foggy. Well, anything after the first 15 minutes post race, that's what is foggy.
We received our medals, and along with that there was a guy standing towards the end of the finisher's chute with a basket of Nuun samples. I immediately opened one and practically broke a tooth biting it in half to get in into my bottle, but I wanted to do what I could do stay hydrated and sane. I had planned to have more water through out the race, but the one time I grabbed some, it was literally frozen. In addition, I didn't bring my own water bottle or fuel of any kind. Probably that wasn't very smart, but in the packing moment I thought I'd be ok. So by the end of the race I was definitely needing fuel and hydration. I practically drank a whole bottle of water right away while I waited for a Nuun tablet to dissolve in my next bottle of water. Our first stop was the gear check tent (which was WAY easier to find at this point than it was before the race when there were thousands of people around). We both had dry layers in our bags. The difference in how things went from this point on is that Angela went into an oversized porta potty and changed nearly completely, while I just took off my running jacket and added a couple dry layers to my already wet self. Note to anyone reading... this was a bad, BAD, idea.
After changing and adding layers we went to use our coupon and get our finisher's mug of goodies. Thankfully there wasn't a line and we got our mug quickly, but things went downhill for me so quickly that I didn't even enjoy all my stuff. There were many blow up photo ops and I had planned and hoped to get pictures with all of them.

Pictures with all of them did not happen. With each step I felt myself freezing up. Shaking a little more. We got our picture with the one giant chocolate bar and I told Angela we could leave. She told me it was fine and we could stay for more. I believe she meant that because she thought I was thinking she needed to head to the shuttles. I'm sure if I had been in my right mind, that would have been a part of my thought process. All I could say to her was, No. I have to go. I needed to get out of the open air. Where I expected the shuttles to be was actually only the start line, and when I realized we still had a ways to get back (not actually that far, but it felt like way too far) it was all I could do to not start crying. Angela was talking to me. I truly have no idea what she was saying. I was trying to pay attention but the cold and pain was getting worse and worse. I was carrying my finisher's mug of goodies but couldn't figure out the best way to hold it so that it wouldn't hurt or so that I wouldn't drop it. The shaking was so bad my hot chocolate was sloshing over the sides of the cup. I saw the busses but there was a short line. I vaguely remember Angela saying something about having to wait in line, but did we actually have to since there were a number of busses there waiting. I'm pretty sure she made a decision to not wait in the line of only about 10 people, but it was 10 people too many because at this point I had started crying and was not able to get it together, and we moved on just passed the first bus and got on the second bus with two other people. We went straight to the back where I proceeded to cry. I couldn't figure out what would best make me feel better. I took off my gloves so that I could maybe use my hot chocolate to warm up. Before I even got to wrap my hands around the cup I was jerking uncontrollably. It would't have mattered, it took less than 5 minutes for the hot chocolate to go from scalding to lukewarm. The outside temperature was just too cold. Some time between when we got on the bus and when the bus started heading back to Union Station, I began to have some clarity. I was still cold, but I could control my movements again. I was able to have a little bit of the treats from our mug and fondue. Angela was so sweet and opened a few of the treats for me. I was even able to finally answer some texts and messages from my family and friends.

I've never had symptoms of hypothermia before. Another first. I wouldn't say I was actually hypothermic. That could be overly dramatic. This was by far the coldest race I have ever run. I've never felt like I did post race. And that includes my first full marathon where the temperature dropped 30 degrees and I finished the race in freezing rain and sleet. I had to look up the symptoms because I didn't want to exaggerate. On a minimal scale, I met about half of the symptoms. Symptoms or not though, I despise being cold, and this feeling was beyond miserable. Words can't compare. By the time we got back to Union Station (a 10 or so minute ride), I was just a normal cold rather than a not able to function cold. We got off the bus and started walking back to Angela's car. Angela offered for me to go inside and she would meet me on the street. I told her that was silly and I'd walk to the car. She then pointed to the street we were parked and said, that's where we have to go... it was only a block or two, but to look at it, it felt SO FAR AWAY. I didn't even hesitate. I said, ok, I'll come out when your pull up. Looking back it seems so stupid. But I really think I would have fallen back into a not good place if I continued walking to the car.
This whole last bit of my recap is not to feel sorry for myself but to seriously point out the importance of dry clothes post cold weather race. I didn't even mention the temperatures. When I say it was cold, I mean IT. WAS. COLD. A feels like of 9 at the start, and 17 when we got back to the van. Not good in sweaty clothes. Angela definitely did the right thing in changing as soon as we could! Lesson learned. We got back to the hotel and while we waited for the elevator in the parking garage I couldn't help but get down close to the space heater. I would have hugged the thing if I wasn't worried about burning my clothes. Although, that may have felt better than the cold I was still feeling.

I'll bet you're thinking this is where I wrap things up. Nope. :) While we were in the room getting things sorted and ready for hot showers I noticed that my medal was missing a piece. The top of the medal has chocolate with a bite out of it, but my chocolate was missing. Instead it was very sticky gold. I figured I would email the directors later on and see if I could get a replacement. I went back and forth about if it mattered. But really, it did. It mattered a lot. We had also talked about walking from the hotel down to the arch, a less than half a mile walk, and getting some fun pictures with our medals before leaving the hotel. I still wanted to do this, but was disappointed that my medal would not be whole in the pictures. As we walked, I decided that it was all a part of this story of firsts. We took our pictures of our medals with the Arch, using Angela's for the up close ones, and then went back to the car at the hotel. We had decided to go back to Forest Park, taking a chance that anyone would still be there and be able to help me with the medal situation. I was resigned to the worst case scenario in which I would be told I'd have to contact the director via email and then maybe hopefully they would have a medal available to send me. I had to walk all over the race area and talk to a handful of different people, but in the end the best case scenario happened. I left the broken medal on a box next to a bin of extra medals and drove away with a good one. I could have cried again I was so happy. Another first and lesson learned. If your medal is anything but perfect, take a chance and try to get one that IS perfect!

My weekend of firsts did not end there. Apparently it's blasphemous to say I've never been to IKEA... so before we even arrived in St Louis we had planned to go to IKEA after the race to get meatballs (the big thing, right?? lol) for lunch and then walk around before getting in the car for 5 hours. It was a fun experience that I look forward to doing again when I've had more sleep, less miles run, and more time to truly enjoy the walk through. :)

From new restaurants, to record low racing temperatures for myself, to post race happenings, this was definitely a weekend of firsts. Angela and I have run sections of races together, but never a race from start to finish. I'm so happy we had this experience together! I would not change a thing. Every experience helps us grow as runners. Including a compromise in paces in order to run together or temperatures that turn your hair into icicles (that actually happened to Angela!). What an experience this was. So much so that with only two runs post race and a recap not complete, I have already signed up for another Hot Chocolate 15k!! Two months to go. Let's see what I can do in that time!

Final race stats: