Blue and Gray 5k and half marathon. 44.3 miles total.

This morning, J, B-Dad and I will put a big bump in our total.  They will take on the Blue and Gray 5k in Fredericksburg while I tackle the half marathon. Race starts at 7:30. Snow will start between 10 and 11. This is going to be fun!

Post Race Report-

Early weather reports had us running in anything from snow to freezing rain. We woke up, checked the skies (cloudy), the ground (dry), the weather report (good until 10 or so), and most importantly the website (race was on!) 

My parents were nice enough to stay with us to watch C, K1,and K2 so we could drive to town for our race. We made it with just enough time to park and get this picture before the half marathon started.

I lined up toward the back of the pack of around 650 runners. The half marathon started on time at 7:30, but it easily took me a minute to cross the start line. 

The course started through the Central Park retail area, then down Cowan Blvd toward the hospital. The first two miles are basically down hill, making for a great start. There was a little of everything, from trails ...

to neighborhoods...

and a lot of Rappahannock River views.

This course is largely out and back. For me, that means that somewhere between miles 4 and 5, I start to see runners on the way back. 

And if running in the snow and ice earns you some respect, this guy earned it tenfold.

Another river view.

The icy boardwalk was cause to more than one runner spill. Notice the cars stopped along Fall Hill Ave waiting for runners to cross.

One more river view.

Once we were off the trail, around mile 11, it was on to hospital hill. This thing is no joke.

Mile 12 along Cowan Blvd. This hill may not be as long a hospital hill, but it is much tougher.

The top of the hill is the bridge over 95. I slipped on my first step on the bridge, reminding me to be extra careful.

After the bridge, it wasn't far to the parking lot...

And the finish line...

And a happy finish.

Long before I finished, B-Dad and J crossed the finish line for the 5k. I'm sorry I missed their finish. Because of the weather, they had to head home early and missed my finish as well, but B-Dad shared this picture with me.

It isn't easy to get out there in the cold and run. I'm so proud of J for getting through it. 

So there we have another 19.3 miles for a total of 44.3 miles. Journey on!

Sunday run at Lake Junaluska - 25 miles total

  I am trying to follow a training schedule for a marathon next year. most of my runs the past two weeks have been on the treadmill in our basement. I don't include these in our total as it just seems like exercise running on a treadmill watching TV.

  This weekend included a 6 mile run on my training schedule, but I was at my brothers house this weekend helping him with childcare as he worked. He and his sister-in-law suggested I try running at Lake Junaluska, so I plugged it into Google Maps and headed out on Sunday afternoon.

  I may be getting this completely wrong, but I believe the Lake area is owned by the Methodist church and used for conferences and such. I was here before once because my brother and his wife had their wedding rehearsal dinner at a restaurant on the lake. 

  Once I reached the lake, I drove around for a while until I found a parking spot. This my the view starting out.

There is a nice path around the Lake, used by walkers, runners, some dog walkers, a couple stroller walkers, and a few bikers.

It was a beautiful 55 degrees out with just a slight breeze. It was a bit chilly in the shade but otherwise perfect weather for a run.  The Christmas decorations seemed a bit out of place.

Parts of the trail include named walking paths.

Another walking path

This bridge marked the 2 mile mark of my run.

A beautiful walking bridge.

Followed by quite a hill.

As I finished one lap, I found it to be around 2.25 miles, so I decided to make it three laps so I could round the total up to an even 25.

  After two more miles, I faced the bridge again.

The other bridge on the path included a driving path that was closed to traffic. I'll admit, the first time I crossed, there was no one on the bridge and I was a bit apprehensive, but by the third time, I bounded across with confidence.

One third and final glimpse of the walking bridge.

Wrapped it up at 6.8 miles.

And had an amazing view for stretching.

Not to mention some company.

  

  This run was obviously different than the others I've chronicled so far. For one, it was a solitary run, my first without a bib.  But I wasn't alone. A simple smile, a "beautiful day", a joke with an older couple about who would crest the hill first. Each of these things warmed my heart, and made the running just a little easier.  

  This was my first run here. This is where my brother lives, this is where his wife's family is. It is easy for me to go on with life as usual at home, but coming here it is real. Her absence is real. Their pain is real. 

  It has been a month since my sister-in-laws died. Her daughter is almost 6 weeks old.  Her husband is working, her son is in school. Life is normal, a new normal.  It wasn't supposed to be like this. I can't imagine what it is like for them. It is just starting to sink in with me that she is gone.  It hasn't sunk in. It all just seems like a bad dream. Even after a month.  

  Even though I drove 540 miles to get here (coming from my Moms house). Even though I spent two full days caring for my niece before the run, it just started to hit me that this is how it is now. My running voices drowned out the Terri Gross podcasts streaming from my IPod.  They let me know that this is just how it is. 

  One thing kept coming up again and again. Sadly, I've never really been close with my sister in law. And I'm sorry that I'll never get the chance to be. 

  The closest I ever felt to her was when we ran together last Thanksgiving on the B&A trail. I was just recovering from my first half marathon and she said she was really into a run/walk training program. I thought maybe we had something in common we could bond over, but when she got pregnant, that was the end of her running.  

  I do miss her. My heart aches for a relationship that I'm not even sure we had. My heart breaks for those who did. I know that she had so many close friends who miss her dearly. And I know that her family is devastated. I hope and pray for strength and healing for each of them.

  

Richmond half marathon - 18.2 miles total

November 16th I had a chance to run the Richmond Half. Last year, this was my first half marathon. I had such a great experience, I signed up the next day to run again this year. In the six months after, I ran three more half marathons. Since then, however, my training has fallen off quite a bit. I knew I had the endurance to make it through yesterday, but I worried that my body didn't.

Again, there was a rough start to the day. I was supposed to pick up my neighbor at 4:30. But instead of my alarm going off at 3:45, I woke up in a panic at 5am. She offered to drive while I threw on clothes and tried to wake up. I think a banana ended up being dropped somewhere along the way. Thankfully, I had a very caffeinated energy bar to replace my breakfast.

It took quite some time to work through the traffic and find a parking spot. Thankfully, we were able to make it to the start and drop off our bags with about half an hour to spare. 

The rain was pouring. Not a downpour, but a soaking to be sure. Did I mention in my haste, I forgot to change socks and had on cotton socks which were absolutely saturated at that point? My head was filled with fear of what would come from running in that.

But, it was what it was and it was time to go. I hid under an awning for a bit, then had my fellow awning hider take a picture for me.

Friday night, Brad and I worked on putting this shirt together. I wrote the 5k on the back and will add each run. We are going to get one for everyone. I was running with a few hundred others in wave F. There were 9000 runners registered for the half, but the organization is phenomenal.

A year ago, I finished the race in under 2:30. I figured I could run it this year in under 2:15. That wasn't going to happen. So I started at the back of the wave so people wouldn't have to run around me. I usually start out at a 10mm pace anyway, so I would keep up for a while. I would have dropped back a wave, but I welcomed the opportunity to avoid side running myself.

The first two miles are a straight shot down Broad St. I was surprised how good I felt after two miles. I was still worried about my feet, the squishing in my shoes was very disconcerting, but no problems yet.

Soon after, the pace cars came cruising down the other side of the street as the lead marathoners caught up (even though we had an 18 min head start). All the half runners turned to cheer them on. 

Then the courses diverted as we went on to climb the hill to go over the interstate towards the stadium. 

This is the part of the course, around mile 4, that folds back on itself. Both sides are cheering for the other.  This is truly what I love about running races.  The support that everyone has for each other. 

The Richmond half marks the halfway-ish point with 10k time in Bryant Park.  This part of the trail is no walk in the park (see what I did there?)  Some pretty serious hills lurk in this loop.  Still, there is a pretty cool party spot for spectators, complete with free food and music.  Makes for some awesome cheerleading lines at a pretty rough spot in the course.

Coming out of the park, we come upon this display.  My knee was starting to hurt a bit at this point, off and on.  I would adjust my stride and it would fade for a bit.  8 miles down, too far to look back.

Usually around mile 9, I start to lose clear thinking.  I saw the sign below and I was touched.  This person is saying that the work that goes into being a mom is so much more than what it takes to run a half (or full) marathon.  "If this were easy, it would be called your Mom."  Yea, it wasn't until Monday morning when it hit me what that sign really meant.

One of my person favorites...

 

So, around mile 10.5, my knee started hurting with a little more persistence and a lot more pain. Changing my stride wasn't working, so I walked past the 11 mile marker.

 

I kept attempting to run again, but after a few steps, the pain would return.  So, I was able to have more time to enjoy these signs...

Around mile 12, I finally figured out that my knee hurt less if I slowed my pace a little.  I still walked a bit more, to ensure that I could run for the finish.  This sign just seemed to tease me as I walked past it.

I don't remember if I was walking or running past this photographer, I guess I'll see once the pictures are released.Last year, I ran this marathon in just under 2:30.  I hit that time around mile 12.5.  Also last year, I finished at the same time the winner of the marathon finished, even though I had a 15 minute head start and he ran twice as far, but still.  This year, the winner passed on the other side of the street as I hit the 12.5 mile mark.  ("Hi, remember me?  I waved to you about 24 miles ago, well 10 miles ago for me?")

 

And one of the best features of the Richmond race is the downhill finish.  Seriously, the last quarter mile drops about 150 ft.  Thankfully, I was able to maintain a slower pace, but lengthen my stride to finish strong with minimal pain.  

And the beautiful, the amazing finish line. 

One benefit of walking toward the finish was that I didn't feel sick after the sprint.  I collected my medal, and my fleece blanket (it is quite an awesome blanket) and headed for the party on Brown's Island.  My neighbor was just outside the finisher chute, which was nice to have a friendly face.  Traveling on my own to races means I don't get that very often. 

So I did it.  13.1 miles towards our goal, for a total of 18.2.  Some more reflections on this race to come soon.