Boston Marathon

Boston

The marathon excitement started long before I even bought my plane ticket....

Last summer, my friends Peter and Melissa told me that for the last few years they have run Boston Marathon for a charity but this year they would be taking the time off, they needed someone to take their place and said that I could be that someone. I was beyond stoked, and honestly a bit skeptical... I didn't qualify for Boston, but it had always been a dream of mine, so I tried really hard not to get excited, just in case... But, true to their word, they hooked me up with the Michael Lisnow Respite Center Marathon team coordinator. I read the team handbook and submitted the application. Two days later I got an email saying that I was in and could register for the Boston Marathon! The only catch was, I had to pay $310 for registration and then raise $4000 for the Respite Center. Knowing it was a worthy cause and that I know a ton of good hearted people, I took the challenge and immediately set up my website and began fundraising. I solicited Facebook, those I work with, my friends and family. I sold cans of soda from Sams Club for a dollar and I asked everyone to start saving aluminum cans for me. By the time I boarded my plane for Boston, I had raised $5020!!

At the Marathon expo, there were tens of thousands of people so excited to be there, and I kind of felt like a cheater, I didn't run fast, I didn't have a qualifying time, I didn't deserve to be there. I quietly got my packet and wandered around all the booths, only buying a patch to commemorate the experience. I went back to our friends' house feeling a lot of apprehension.

Later that afternoon was the BBQ for the Respite Center, I got to meet the 95 other respite team runners and the families who used the Respite Services. The kids did a song in sign language for us and everyone was so thankful for us running for them, I was just thankful they let me! Everyone from the center and in the town of Hopkington, MA were so genuinely nice and welcoming, I forgot about my nerves and was just excited to be there. These people didn't care how fast I ran, they were just thankful that I was willing to put in the effort to help keep their non-profit organization going. The only way I was going to let them down at this point was if I never started at all. I left with a lighter spirit, ready to take on Boston!

The night before the marathon, we stayed with Peter's aunt and uncle, Isabel and Don, who lived only blocks from the start line. Isabel made us dinner and I was convinced that she had mistaken the fact that were in the Army and thought that we were bringing an Army! There was so much delicious food and great conversation over beer, we lost track of time and when we noticed it was late, Aunt Isabel shooed us off to bed. Since the marathon didn't start until 1000, we got to sleep in until 0600.

Early the next morning Uncle Don drove us to the Respite Center, which was only 2 blocks from the start line. They had breakfast waiting for us. Most of the runners for Team Respite were there getting ready for the big day. We were all in our red Team Respite tshirts, stretching and prepping. Everyone was sharing their strategies and marathon experiences. A few of the girls were writing our names on our shirts, something I've never done and didn't really understand, they said "trust me, you'll be glad we did," I let them do as they wished. At 0900, the opening ceremony began on TV and we all gathered around and watched, getting more excited. We took our group photo out front of the respite center, and walked to the start line as the staff cheered us on.

It was chilly standing around, a brisk 47 degrees. We watched as Wave 2 took off and then filed into our corrals. Our wave was to start at 1040, over an hour after the elite females sprinted down the course. The announcer took a minute to explain that most of the 9,000 runners in Wave 3 were charity runners and stated that this year, over 6 million dollars had been raised by us. It was right then that I felt I deserved to be there. Perhaps little ol' Reen didn't qualify, and maybe the 8,999 other people standing all around me didn't either. Maybe $5020 isn't much, but the big picture suddenly became clear. A combined effort of all these people had made a significant difference and I was doing my part simply by being the change I wanted to see in the world. I don't have $5020 to donate to a good cause, but what I do have is two strong legs and the courage to do what I can. I got pumped! Now I was really ready to take on Boston! I wasn't feeling tired or unsure anymore, I wanted to get to that finish line and see the people I came here to help! I heard someone yell my name to my right and turned and there was Don and Isabel and all the kids from the Respite Center in their black tshirts that matched mine, I waved and they cheered.

The gun went off and we shuffled forward. I put my phone on airplane mode to save the battery, turned on my music and trotted off. There were so many people cheering and it didn't let up, at mile marker two I gave up on the music and turned it off. There were hoards of people, cheering and high fiving, I just ran on by. People were cheering me on by name, suddenly it made sense why they had written it on my shirt! At about mile 3, the crowd of runners thinned out as we all eased into our pace, I found myself hugging the right side of the trail, as I stopped to walk for a minute at each mile marker, so I was right along the crowd of spectators. I couldn't resist and what Peter had said before the race started was stuck in my head "you aren't winning that race, so don't worry about your time, enjoy the course," so I started high fiving every hand that was sticking out waiting for one. Every time I fived a hand the kids cheered louder. I was so busy high fiving, I didn't even notice the miles go by! At mile 6, a group of college guys gave me a solo cup full of delicious cold beer (Sam Adams, Boston Lager I think) and a few hugs for actually stopping to drink some with then. At mile 8, I stopped for a bathroom break and noticed my time was quicker than I anticipated. I thought about slowing down to conserve energy, but I felt awesome so decided to just do what felt comfortable. I continued on, high fiving away and hardly even noticed when I hit the halfway point. All the Wellesley College girls were holding their signs for kisses and cheering so loud, I had to give one or two a peck on the cheek! I was making excellent time and was feeling strong.

At mile 17 I was beginning to feel tired, but my time showed I wasn't slowing down and the energy of the crowd wasn't either. The "hilly" part of the course had begun, Heartbreak Hill, but I run the mountains of El Paso 3 times a week, so I didn't even notice the slight incline. On the way up, at mile marker 20, the hashers were waiting with cups of beer. I stopped and had one and dropped my long sleeve shirt, the weather could not have been better for running, it was nice and cool with a breeze, but warm in the sunshine. I had another cup of beer and headed along on my way. I had planned to hang out there longer, but I was on pace to set a PR, I had to go! As I ran past Boston College, there was a line of drunken college kids cheering louder than any other section. The barriers were hardly containing them and there was a straight two miles of high fives and college kids cheering my name. It was as if I was soaking up their energy thru the high fives, I didn't even notice the mile marker and didn't stop for my walking break, then before I knew it I was at mile marker 23! According to my watch, I had an hour and 20 minutes to complete the last 3.2 and still set a Personal Record!

I, once again, stopped to use the bathroom and took my phone off airplane mode to let Brandon know that I was "at mile 23, feeling wicked awesome, here comes a PR!" My phone was attacked by a barrage of texts, voicemail alerts, and Facebook alerts, i didn't have the time to read then, so I closed them all out and continued to run. At mile 24, I texted Brandon to find out which side of the course to run on to cross the finish so he could snap a photo when I noticed his last three texts "there were two explosions, call me," "call me NOW, please," "CALL ME!!" I attempted to call and the phone wouldn't even ring. With no time frame of when those texts and calls came thru, mid marathon and about to set a PR, I figured it would be quicker to just run to him.

I tucked my phone away again and headed, as fast as I could, to the finish line. I crossed the 40k mat at 4:31:00 and charged on. As I rounded mile 25, I noticed everyone on their cell phones, spectators, the cops, and other runners. Still not sure what was going on, I headed forward. I came to a sign that said "1 mile left!" and the crowds were getting thicker, it smelled like smoke. I jogged forward while I pulled my phone out. I tried to call Brandon again while I ran, but it wouldn't go thru. I held on to my phone and turned the ringer up, my phone was lighting up with texts and voicemails and Facebook notifications, but no calls coming in or going out. At 25.5, a fellow respite runner "Crazy Jeff," with no medal on came running toward me and said that the finish line was "shut down, there have been explosions." I asked what we should do and he said "I don't know, I'm waiting here." We were below the underpass and I was so close to the finish that I decided to keep going just in case he was just teasing me. I jogged along for another quarter of a mile until I saw men in uniform and full bomb gear carrying M4s breaking thru the barricades. I stopped, I knew then that Brandon's text wasn't referring to an explosion of runners finishing and that Crazy Jeff wasn't kidding.

I had just passed a major intersection at CharlesGate and Boylston. There was a giant statue and I decided to go stand by it and try to find Brandon. No calls would go thru, I had to rely on text to contact him, which was difficult with all the notifications of the texts and Facebook messages that kept popping up. In an attempt to reduce the number of notifications so that I could use my phone, I posted a Facebook status update letting people know I had no idea what was going on, but that I was alive among the chaos; it only resulted in a new assault on my phone including phone calls and back to back texts, rendering my phone useless. I decided to stay put, hoping Brandon would find me. As I looked around, it was evident that everyone else was just as confused as me. Everyone seemed scared, but calm, there were hundreds of people and a few were crying, but I didn't see any hysteria. Brandon had been only a tenth of a mile from the blasts, waiting for me until the explosions happened, then his concern grew and ran backward down the course to find me. My phone suddenly rang, Allison's call had come thru. I answered and was really glad she didn't ask for any information, because I had no idea what was going on, she was just glad I was okay and asked if she should try to call Brandon or my Mom. As I was talking to her, Brandon finally saw me at the statue and ran toward me, Allison's call was dropped. We immediately headed to our car where we sat and returned calls and texts and listened to the radio to find out what was going on.

I was hungry and thirsty and cramping, but safe in the confines of our rental car. I have never run such a great marathon, the energy was incredible. I have never done so well at a marathon and I was still proud of myself. I was disappointed to not be able to finish, but I have never been so happy to be in the last wave or to be a slow runner. I am so thankful that I got to raise the money and come adventure Boston and run the race that has been a life dream of mine. I am humbled by the people who sponsored me and the strangers that took us in here. I am sad for the 179 people and the families of those who did not have the joyous experience that I did. This was a once in a lifetime experience that I'm fine with leaving as-is. As horrific as the attacks on the marathon were, I have no doubt that Boston and the whole running community will not let a few terrorists win, we will outrun the tragedy and run for their memory.


"I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards." -Alberto Salazar

Bataan Death March

Everything you ever wanted to know about yourself you learn in 26.2 miles....

Today I attempted Bataan Death March. Cyn, Joy, Amanda and I met at the start line. Joy and Cyn were doing military heavy, ready with their 35lbs ruck sacks. I was doing military light, there to be the snack mule and provide morale support, my snack pack only weighed just over 30lbs. Amanda was just there to participate.
2 miles in, we waited almost a half hour in the bathroom line that put us in the back of the pack, being passed by Bataan survivors. At mile 5 I performed trail side treatment on Joy's blisters. At mile 7 she stopped at the aide station to have then better taped, which took over 45 minutes. Once we started up again we were making slower time because Amanda was nauseous. When we realized she wasn't sweating and had goose bumps, we knew she was experiencing a heat injury and she admitted she hadn't drank any water since mile 3 so that she wouldn't have to stop to pee. We knew she was in trouble and made her be assessed at the aide station at mile 10. They gave her some fluids and we very slowly marched on. At mile 12, we stopped at the aide station where she was treated for over an hour, time slipping by quickly, we knew we would have to hurry to make up for lost time, the course was only to stay open until 2000 and it was already 1400.

We were the very last competitors and we were told there would be little trail support, aide stations were beginning to close down. Amanda was released and we marched on. We crossed mile 13 a half hour later. Cyn and I did the math, we had to gain a half hour and not take any breaks to even make it to the finish before time was called. Both Joy and Amanda were almost a half mile behind. When they caught up it was almost 1445, there was no way we would make it. The cop in the trail car notified us that if we didn't make it to the next checkpoint at mile 15 by 1500, they would give us a ride back, that gave us 15 minutes to ruck 2 miles. After much deliberation, we accepted the DQ (disqualified) ride of shame back to the start point.

I have come in dead last, but I have never not finished. Failing is probably a worse feeling that doing 26.2 miles and ending up with hamburger feet and an aching knee, and chaffed thighs and raw hips and completely exhausted and sunburned.

I have decided I will train and conquer Bataan Death March 2014. The marathon distance is more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge. It is one that had taken me 8 times to fully respect it. I no longer fear the distance. I know I am capable.

El Paso Marathon

Today was my second attempt at the El Paso Marathon. A year ago it was my first marathon and it broke me off. Brandon and I went into it knowing we were not prepared. Injuries have left us undertrained and we were already in pain at the starting line. We had decided to run together at a nice 10 min/mile and stay together until the end. I was impressed that we were able to keep pace. Brandon was in charge of timing the walk breaks and making sure we stopped at each mile, I was in charge of keeping the pace. the hashers (Butters and CDG) came out and made beer checks for us at 4.5 miles, 8 miles, 16 miles, and at 26 miles, I crossed the finish line with a full beer!
We did the Galloway method and all was well until about mile 17 when Brandon's knee locked up. We ended up walking off and on and then when our jog started to become slower than our brisk walk, we dropped to walking and chatting. With 6 miles left, El Paso decided to deliver us a sandstorm that did not let up and we were walking right into it! We finished the marathon in a time we will never be able to brag about, but better than my personal worst. Somewhere around 5:45, I didn't even pay attention.
McLaughlin did so well for his first marathon! He ran it in 3:30 and won second place for his age group!
Joy and Cyn rucked the half marathon and Cobb came out and paced MILFY in the half! Hag Banger, Fluffer, and Portugal ran the 5k and then helped host a beer check for us!
Then they ALL stayed and waited for us to finish, the support was pretty amazing! I am so excited to have so many people come out and support us.

After the marathon, we went to Whataburger for some sustenance and then we were off to lay trail for our one year anniversary hash. Even Cobb and Cyn came out to run our shitty trail. We prelaid about 2 miles of it, walking, but ran about 1.5 live. The wind was blowing so hard and it was so cold that we made circle super short. All in all, it was a good day running!

Recovery Run

Just a nice slow marathon recovery run. As I was chugging along I was reflecting on how much I have learned over the last year. The El Paso Marathon last year was my first completed marathon. I was so sore afterward and decided I earned time off from doing anything. I remained so sore that I could hardly walk, it only got worse until I ran the Spartan race the following weekend, which cured the pain. I never believed in the power of the recovery run.
I was reflecting on all the things I have learned, mostly by trial and error. I have learned the value of a recovery run. I have learned that you have to respect the marathon because it does not respect you. I have learned the difference between sore and pain and which ones to push thru and which ones to listen to. I have learned to listen to my body, it will tell me what to do. I have learned the difference between not WANTING to go the distance and not being able to. I've learned that fearing the distance is all in my head. I've learned that 26.2 is not the whole distance, it's just the race distance. Most importantly I've learned that I can do more than I ever thought if I just try.
I have fought with myself, I have fought with running, I have loved it and hated it and continued to do it. I have had a million reasons to run and a million reasons not to and I keep chugging along. I've learned that those miles are patient and they will lay there and wait for me to run them.
I have learned to believe in the strength of my own legs, the power of my own lungs and the courage of my own heart.

Puzzled

On Friday night when I logged on to raceadventuresunlimited.com to register for the Race Against Racism 10k on Monday, I was distracted by the link for the El Paso Puzzler Trail Marathon that would take place the next morning. How did I not know about a local Marathon?! Naturally I debated it and made the logical argument that I have not been Marathon training and that this would be in the trails of the Franklin Mountains. I told Brandon about it, who is the biggest enabler I know, and of course he suggested I do it. Cobb was running it and reminded me that I had already done most of the trails between his race last year and the Jackrabbit Trail race that Amber and I did. So I skipped over to packet pick up and did on-site registration. Since it would be the next morning Brandon and I did the only logical thing and ordered pizza and drank some beer and went to bed at 2230 to be ready.

Saturday morning we headed out to Bowen Ranch. There were a total of 30 people running the marathon, I decided then that I did not want to repeat the Ft Bliss Marathon and come in number 30. We took off at the start line, a nice rocky , windy trail thru the shiggy at the base of the mountain. I was taking it slow and comfortable remembering what Brandon had warned me of, this is trail not track, the point was simply to finish. so there i was just hopping along in the middle of the pack. At about a 5k, we began to ascend the mountain, I was able to cover more distance more quickly by opening my stride and walking, it seemed to be what most of the others were doing too. I chatted with a few of the older marathoners I passed. Salvador's hundredth Marathon was my first and his partner Jim told me they ran together everyday, it made the miles not feel so long. I told them that this was my fifth Marathon, but my first trail race. They were encouraging but reminded me not to expect road race Marathon times, to pace myself and get to the finish line, which was my plan from the get go. I trotted along merrily. It was a gorgeous day, when we took off it was pretty brisk but it quickly warmed up. At the top of the mountain I took a minute to turn around and enjoy the view (see pics below). There was snow all around me at the top, but the sun was warm.

I continued on my way and began the decent on the backside of the mountain. At this point I started to run into all the weekend traffic of hikers and bikers and couples on love strolls, they all moved out of the way and cheered us on. I made it to the base of the mountain at the Franklin Mountain Park about 8 miles into trail, where Brandon was waiting with goodies and Gatorade. I enjoyed my snack, took a bathroom break, stole a kiss and continued on my way.

The second leg of the course was the Jackrabbit trail. It was much more tame than the last leg, relatively flat, with low grade inclines and jagged, windy trails. More vegetation and less loose rocks. Most of the pack had gone ahead while I was still at the checkpoint so for the entire second leg it was just me, Cobb, and some other lady. We had quite a bit of distance between us, there were a few times I looked around and didn't see anyone or anything. They always say how marathons are a mind game and alone in the desert on a trail with no water, support, or mile markers I kept thinking that if someone had never run a marathon before or simply had a tiny heart, I could see how they could give up easily on this race. I turned my music off and enjoyed the rare silence. I was alone in my little world with my thoughts. I was feeling good and happy just daydreaming to the soundtrack of my feet on the trail. I started to get low on water and had no idea how far we were or how far we had left to go, but we were almost 3 hours into the second leg, I was getting nervous. All of a sudden, I could see a black jeep parked on the top of the next hill and two bright orange coolers next to it, I knew it was our next water stop! The jagged trails were a trick and what would have been a quarter mile A to B turned out to be another 20 minutes of jogging.

I stopped at the water check, refilled my water, ate a few orange slices, and had some electrolyte. They informed us that we were at 18.2 miles, this would be the last and easiest leg, 2 miles up the smallest mountain and 6 miles down to the ranch. This pumped me up, I was excited to get this done. I was at 5 hours into the race, which is a normal finishing time for a Marathon, I was easily going to make it to the finish in time for dinner. Here's where the other girl took off for the trail and Cobb decided to call it quits. I had to use the bathroom and found a bush to duck behind. When I was done and ready to go, they said "you are continuing?" I was mildly offended and replied "absolutely, why wouldn't I be?" They informed me that the "sweeper" would be following me for the last leg. I was comforted knowing that I wouldn't be alone out there but very nervous knowing that he'd be there with me, he'd be able to see me fail and stumble and he'd know when I walked. He said he'd give me a head start and he'd catch up. I took off feeling good. I made it up the hill with very little walking, my goal was to not let him catch me! At the top of the hill I looked back and saw the jeep taking off, I also saw the sweeper about a half mile from the base of the hill, even in as good shape as he was, I knew I had a solid 20 minute lead. I was happily trotting down the other side of the hill when I stumbled and twisted my knee. The brace did nothing to help, I heard the pop and felt it slip out of place. It didn't completely dislocate, so I was able to kick it back in place and hobble along. After about 10 minutes of limping along the pain had subsided enough to pick up a slow trot again. The good part about my knee hurting so much was that I hardly felt the pain in my feet or hips anymore! About a half hour later, the sweeper, Miguel, almost caught up to me. I tripped again and slowed to a fast walk on the down hill. Miguel caught up and informed me that we had 4.7 miles to go. I told him about my knee and he explained that that was the tricky thing about trail races. He chatted with me as we hiked along. Time and distance didn't seem to match, a half hour later he said "3.5 to go" how on Earth did a mile take a half hour?!!
By this time, my jog was more like a shuffle, but I kept on keeping on. It seemed like forever, but I finally spotted the ranch, Miguel announced that there was bout a half a mile to go. No sooner that he said that, I tripped again and twisted my knee so badly that I thought I was going to throw up from the pain. I tried hard not to, but I burst into tears. I was determined to finish but jogging was impossible, so I tried to walk as quickly as I could. Miguel announced that we had hit 26.2 miles when we hit the finisher's straight away, we picked up to a slow jog and finished the Puzzler in seconds under eight hours! Brandon was there to take photos and welcome me in with a cold beer, while I was busy trying to get myself together at the water cooler so that not everyone would know I was crying. I was handed my medal and a few people told me good job and we limped off to the car.

I am glad I crossed the finish, but I have decided that I am quite okay with being a road race runner. The trail was beautiful and running out there in the silence all alone was probably one of the most peaceful feelings I've experienced in a long time, but the scenery and serenity isn't worth the twisted joints and blistered toes. I'll save that for day hikes when I can step back and enjoy the scenery!
But its another marathon on the racks and another weekend of sleeping like a rock!
Until next time.....

500 Faster

Here's the wrench being thrown... Our Commander PCSs in April, my new goal is to meet the 500 Challenge before he goes. Bataan and my 28th birthday fall in the same weekend, which is 10 weeks from now. That's my deadline. I have already logged 38.56 miles and have 91.7 miles planned in races between now and then, leaving 370 miles to accumulate. If I have 70 days that means I have to run 5.28 miles every day between now and March 20. Normally I would say that's ridiculous, but I want that tshirt and Boston is only 3 short weeks after that. It's on.

"The gun goes off and everything changes... The world changes... And nothing else really matters" Patti Sue Plummer

Day One

Its finally here, 2013. I made the commitment to run at least one mile everyday of the year. So time to get up and strap on the running shoes....

After bringing in the New Year in snowy Wisconsin in true party fashion by staying up way too early and drinking an irresponsible teenager amount of beer. I woke up today with the first hangover of the year, hungry and thirsty and probably still drunk. I rolled out of bed, yacked up some stomach acid and resolved that my 1mile run would not be done before breakfast.
I consumed mass amounts of hash towns and coffee and attempted to force hydrate. At 3 pm I laid down for a power nap that turned into almost two and a half hours. When I woke up it was dark. I was pretty upset that I had missed the sunshine and prime running time. I hopped out of bed, still hungry and thirsty and just an hour before getting drunk again.
I couldn't miss the first run of the year, starting off 365 days of running with a 0 would ruin the entire challenge. It was dark out and I knew the temperature was dropping. I haven't run in the snow since I lived in Alaska in 2006. I layered up, running pants, knee high socks, swear pants, tank top, long sleeve shirt, hoodie. I wanted to get out the door before I had a chance to change my mind so I skipped the music and got out the door.
It was a frigid 14 degrees out, I didn't give myself a chance to get chilly, I just took off down the street, I kept taking lefts in hopes of not getting lost. I couldn't run at full speed because of the snow and ice, a it was a nice slow jog pace. I ran around the neighborhoods enjoying the Christmas lights and the sound of the crunching snow. Some sidewalks were shoveled better and I could pick up the pace, on of the hills was iced over and I almost slowed to a walk. I jogged right to the house as my Garmin announced a mike. My cheeks were rosy, my tummy was grumbling, and my lungs were full of cool winter air. I felt good and went inside to get warm. Day one complete. Time for a beer!