Steamtown Marathon 2016 Race Recap

Well, I guess since it's been two weeks and I now have a second race that I need to recap, it's time to get into the nitty gritty of the Steamtown Marathon.

I have been avoiding this recap because I'm still a little grumpy/bitter about the race.

Pre-race at Steamtown is always nice - well-organized, plenty of porta-potties, and you can stay warm inside Forest City High School until race time.

Plus the race starts with a cannon, which is pretty cool. It made my mom jump, even though they warn you several times that it is, in fact, a real cannon.

This was the first year that Steamtown had pace groups, which actually threw me off a bit. I was behind a pace group at the beginning and couldn't quite read the sign and thought it was the 4:15 group. I panicked and sped up a bit to pass them. Once I was ahead of them I realized it was the 4:00 group. I decided to see how long I could keep them behind me.

The first half of the race went really well, I hit the half marathon mark at 1:58 and was feeling strong. Around mile 17 things started to go south. My right IT band started tightening up (which I have never had a problem with before), and soon the entire outside of my right leg was in pain. I kept hoping it would work itself out, but unfortunately it had other plans.

Tom brought his bike and popped up on the course from time to time to cheer me on. In the later miles I wasn't really in the mood to chat and he asked if I wanted him to just head to the finish line. I managed a not so nice, "yes please" so I could trudge out my pain-fest in quiet solitude.

The last few miles got progressively slower, and there was definitely some walking involved. I managed to run in the final stretch, and completely forgot about the photographer at the finish line.

This is me grabbing my leg in pain just as the volunteers at the finish line looked concerned and asked if I was ok. Sorry photographers, but I don't need a nice copy of this one.

Between the pain in my leg and my frustration with the race, there may have been some tears at the finish. It was (and still is) hard to accept that after training all summer, the race went so poorly. Tom and my mom were there to console me, and helped me hobble my way back to the car.

I had hoped to break 4 hours this year, or at the very least beat last year's time, but I ended up finishing 10 minutes slower than last year. 4:21:09.

On the bright side, I finished. I did have a few moments where I wondered how long it would take one of the bicycle medics to find me if I just sat down on the side of the road, but I kept going.

Steamtown really is a great race, regardless of how things went this year. The course is beautiful and the crowd support is amazing for the size of the race (they cap it at 3,000 runners). In addition to the actual aid stations, there are unofficial aid stations that offer everything from water and gatorade to orange slices and beer. Plus, there is a huge group of people on the final hill to cheer you on, and even a few people who run up and down the hill countless times to help suffering runners keep going.

It wasn't the best day, but I did it. And let's be honest, I'll probably do it again.

Well, I Finished Anyway...

I'm a few days after the fact, but I ran my second marathon on Sunday! I have things to say about it (not all good), but my mom is visiting and I don't feel like blogging right now. I'll have a delayed race recap for you at some point...

Marathon Training Week 16

How is it possible that I'm on week 16 of 18? I feel like I should still have so much time, but here I am, happily entering the taper!

The fall weather finally got here this weekend, so my runs were much happier than they have been lately. Humidity is a horrible thing, and I would not miss it one bit if it didn't come back next summer.

Monday - Cross Training Rest Day

I should really just call the rest of these rest days - I always have the best intentions and then don't do anything.

Tuesday - 5 miles

I took to the treadmill for this run, partially because it was gross out and partially because I was going to be right by the gym anyway picking up an age group away from the half I ran last weekend. They gave awards to 5th place in each age group, and I placed 5th (it was a small race) of about 19.

Race Photo Credit: Nin Lei

My run was generally uneventful, which I will take over a lot of other types of runs. I played with the speed a bit and was happily not sore from the half.

5 miles @ 9:10 pace

Wednesday - 8 miles

I spent most of the day thinking I had a 10 miler to run, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I "only" had an 8 on the schedule. My legs were definitely tired, and I took it easy.

I was trying to get the cool clouds and the cow and ended up with neither. 

8.12 miles @ 10:34 pace

Thursday - 5 miles 

I was ridiculously tired for some reason, so I took my rest day on Thursday.

Friday - Rest day

I was trying to get Thursday's run done, but it was humid and gross out and my legs were not having it. I could not get them to move any faster and I was having a terrible time. So, instead, I slowed down, cut the run a little short, and actually enjoyed the rest of my run.

It was also the first run in a while with my fancy light-up vest. That thing is so nice to have, it definitely helps drivers see me on the roads when the light starts fading.

4.15 miles @ 10:35 pace

Saturday - 4 miles

I made the drive down to meet up with the Rivertown Runners for some trail miles. I was taking it easy and some of my usual running buddies were trying to knock out a long run, so I ended up running with some different people, which was fun. My gps lost me for a bit (there are a lot of trees), so I disagree with the distance/pace, but it was a fun run!

6.78 miles @ 10:32

Sunday - 12 miles

This was my last double digit run on my training plan! Guess that means race day is sneaking up on me!

If I'm running on my own, I usually just head out the door and start running  It seems silly to drive somewhere just to run by myself, but Tom told me I should check out the rail trails near us. I wish I had listened sooner!

The trails are beautiful and mostly flat, only a few (not busy) intersections to cross, and there are (clean!) porta-potties every few miles. Pretty fancy.

I felt good on this run! It could have been the combination of the cool fall weather that finally arrived and the flat trails, but whatever the reason, I will take it! It was nice to have a good run again. It has been a while since I really enjoyed a run.

12.02 miles @ 9:49 pace

Weekly Mileage - 36.07

Marathon Training Week 1

This training cycle really snuck up on me. Not being able to run much the last few weeks makes me feel a little underprepared, but I have 17 more weeks to get back up to speed.

The bold headings are what my training plan called for, the notes underneath are what actually happened. :)

Monday - cross training

I did an hour of yoga with Adriene videos. She's still my favorite YouTube yoga teacher. I swear I have actually tried some others, but Adriene just speaks my language. And she's hilarious.

Tuesday - 3 miles

It was HOT out. I'm finally starting to feel normal again, now I just need to get used to running in the heat and get my pace back. I also got in 20 minutes of yoga and some foam rolling.

3.01 miles @ 9:59 pace

Wednesday - 5 miles

Much cooler out, I actually ran in capris! It's my longest run in over a month, and I was just glad to be back to some decent mileage again. Plus I have to be running at least 5 miles to get to see this view on my run:

5.01 miles @ 10:15 pace

Thursday - 3 miles

My stride rate (cadence) is definitely down right now, and I feel slow, but at least I'm running. That's sort of my mantra for the week: at least I'm running.

3.02 miles @ 10:04 pace

Friday - Rest day

I'm so good at rest days. I took my fourth trip to the magician chiropractor and started a crafty project that I have already had to restart once. I may finish it in time for the holidays. Maybe.

Saturday - 5 mile pace run

I was actually excited to wake up early. I was out the door at 7 to meet up with the Rivertown Runners for a run on the trails of Rockefeller Preserve. I haven't been able to run with them for over a month, and I really missed them! I have no problem running on my own, but the miles always go by faster with friends.

I planned on seeing how things went and possibly taking a few shortcuts if I needed to, but I ended up sticking to our usual route. It was definitely tough, but it felt so good to get back to my normal routine.

6.87 miles @ 9:46 pace

Sunday - 10 miles

This just didn't happen. I helped Tom finish installing the hardwood floors upstairs (and by help I mean I moved things around and tried to stay out of the way). ;)

I'm not worried about missing this mileage because I have plenty of time to get up to speed. I would rather start this training cycle off easy and make sure I'm being smart about my running.

Weekly Mileage - 17.91

I've got to (re)start somewhere!

Marathon News and Paint

So, I didn't get into the Marine Corps Marathon for this year. I'm not terribly sad about it though. I already registered for The Steamtown Marathon and have hotel rooms reserved.

Part of why I'm excited is that Steamtown will be during my mom's visit in October, and she's going to come with us! It will be fun to have here there, and then I won't be trying to train during the rest of her visit. We usually only get to see each other once a year, so I like to be able to make the most of her visits.

I have been taking it easy this week when it comes to running. In fact, I've only actually made it out the door twice this week. My calf/shin, which gave me a pass for the race over the weekend, tightened back up early in the week so I am trying to actually let it recover.

My next half is only a couple of weeks out at this point. There really isn't a lot of information out there on how to train in between races, but I found this website and have been loosely following the 3 week plan.

We started getting the living room ready for painting the other day. I swept the drywall (including the ceiling) to get the majority of the dust off and ended up looking a little grey.

Tom's mom came over and helped us get started painting today. It went pretty quickly with all three of us painting!

We have the primer up and will hopefully have the room fully painted by the end of the weekend. I took these pictures while the primer was still drying, so there are some patchy looking areas.

Buddy has been helping me with my yoga lately. He's not in the way at all.

Good thing he's cute.

The Great Marathon Debate

So, I'm having a debate about my fall marathon.

I am thinking about signing up for the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) lottery later this week. The race is at the end of October, and I have only ever heard good things about it. Several of my friends from my running group are also entering the lottery.

I have never been to Washington DC, and the marathon would be a really fun way to see the sights. Plus, it's always fun to run different races.

But, I'm also considering running the Steamtown Marathon again (instead). I am a small race lover at heart - give me short lines, small towns and friendly runners. I really enjoyed running Steamtown last year and I would love to go back.

Part of my debate also centers around my mom's visit in October. If I get into the MCM, I will be training while she's here. On the other hand, if I run Steamtown, she could come to the race the first weekend of her visit and then I could be less running focused for the rest of her trip.

And really, there may not even be a debate to be had, since MCM isn't a sure thing.

Decisions, decisions.

Steamtown Marathon 2015 Race Recap

I ran a marathon!

I still can't quite wrap my head around it, but my body is quick to remind me that something extreme happened yesterday. Stairs and I are not friends today.

This recap got long, sorry!

Saturday morning we dropped Buddy off to be boarded for the night and hit the road. Scranton, Pennsylvania is only two hours from our house, so it was an easy drive to the expo. The expo itself was fairly small but really well organized. Packet pickup was a breeze, and they had a spot to check your bib to make sure your timing chip was working correctly.

I used my birthday money from my grandma to get a snazzy marathon jacket and pint glass. I only get one first marathon, so I definitely wanted some extra goodies to commemorate the event.

They had a panel with the race director Bill King, and runners Jon Sinclair and Kim Jones (who are both crazy fast!). They talked about race strategy for the course and answered questions. The course advice boiled down to this: hold back and take it easy for the first half of the race. The first half, especially the first 6 miles, is mostly downhill, and it will absolutely kill your legs if you go out too fast. They all recommended running an even split rather than trying to bank time in the first half.

Tom came up with the catch phrase, "It's better to have gas in the tank than time in the bank." It popped into my head several times on Sunday, and brought a smile to my face while I was counting down the miles.

We tried to go to a pub for dinner, but they were having some big fall festival thing and had a cover charge just to get in. Since I wasn't planning on even having beer with dinner, it didn't make sense to spend extra money just so we could get something to eat.

The second place we tried was closed (seriously?).

By this point I just wanted to eat something, and since we had already paid to park, we found a pizza place that was in walking distance. Then it was off to the hotel to get organized and get to sleep. We somehow both forgot to pack our phone chargers, so we took a field trip to CVS to pick a couple of cords up. On the bright side, that was the only thing I forgot to pack, and it was easily fixed.

On Sunday morning we woke up bright dark and early and made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and a bagel. Then we were off to the start at Forest City High School. The starting area was great! They had the high school open so we had a warm place to hang out until the start (which was nice because it was 38 degrees out), handed out water to the runners, and had a totally reasonable number of porta potties.

I don't have a mile-by-mile recap for you, because that's not how my mind was working on Sunday, but here are things I do remember:

The race starts with a civil war cannon! They warn you several times that the cannon is real, and it will be loud. Apparently it has startled people in the past.

There are a lot more rolling hills in the beginning of the race than the elevation chart would have you believe. We set off through the first of many little towns, and already there were tons of people out to cheer the runners on. The high school band was playing Thriller as we ran through Forest City.

I had GUs all over, creating really attractive lumps.

I did a really good job of keeping my pace reasonable at the beginning of the race. Even as early as mile 4 there were people breathing really heavy around me, while my breathing was even and I was feeling strong.

There were a couple of viewpoints where I got to see Tom. The first was around mile 8, he jogged along side me a little ways and told me I was doing a good job at not going out too fast.

Spectators were plentiful on the course, especially considering the size of some of the towns we ran through. Their signs were hilarious, and had me smiling and laughing, even into the later miles. There were a lot of unofficial aid stations set up too, offering everything from water and sugar to ice pops, gummi bears, orange slices, and even beer! There's a bit of a hill around mile 23, but you hardly notice because there is a huge block party going on! They had a hose misting over the street (heaven!), water, snacks and music - they were having a great time and it was a nice boost toward the end when we were struggling.

There is one quiet stretch of paved trail that a lot of people were complaining about ("here's the boring part," I heard one girl say), but it made up for the lack of spectators with absolutely gorgeous scenery. We ran alongside a stream and were surrounded by some serious fall foliage. I really enjoyed it! We hit the halfway point out on the trail a little after the 2 hour mark. I had not so secretly hoped to finish around the 4 hours mark, but at that point (with the hills ahead of me) I figured that wasn't going to happen.

I could not remember where the second viewpoint was. Mile 9? 15? I kept waiting for a large group of people, because I knew Tom would be there. It was mile 17. I was still feeling good (though obviously tired) and it was a nice boost to have my own personal cheering section tell me I was looking strong and keeping a good pace.

I kept some of the most even splits I have ever run until about mile 19. There was a gravel trail that I didn't know was coming, and everyone around me slowed down. It seemed to throw everyone off.

I completely forgot to stop my watch until long after I finished.

My left big toe started hurting somewhere around mile 20, and my right hip flexor started cramping up shortly after. Both were manageable, but annoying.

The hills really aren't that bad, it's just that they're at the end of the race. I had a huge grin on my face when I read "last turn" spray painted on the road. Unfortunately, the biggest and longest hill is around that turn. The first half is steep, but even when you get past the steep part, you're still going uphill. The spectators are amazing on that hill - they definitely kept me going! That, and the knowledge that once you get to the top of the hill there's a quarter mile of downhill, and then: the finish line.

As much as I was exhausted, I wanted to finish strong, so I picked up the pace on the downhill and finished with a smile on my face. I excitedly received my space blanket (I was weirdly excited about getting one of these because I've never gotten one before) and told the woman who put my medal over my head, "I've been looking for you all day!"

I finished with a chip time of 4:11:23!

I tried really hard not to curse at the runners in the food tent who had come to a complete stop. Couldn't they feel their muscles locking up? All I wanted was to get through the tent so I could keep walking. Tom met me outside the food tent and we walked around a bit before heading back to the car. I was tired and done with the crowds around the finish.

We drove home, picked up the pooch, had Chinese food for dinner, and I fell asleep on the couch around 9:45.

I didn't open it until lunch today, but this was seriously my fortune. No joke!

Tom was the best marathon buddy ever this weekend. He drove all over the place to see me at the viewpoints and at the finish, and put up with my moody nervousness like a champ. He even sat through the expo panel with me and hung out in a cafeteria full of runners doing strange pre-race things at the start. Plus he met me at the finish with this magnet:

He's kind of the best.

I'm a Marathoner!

I will work on getting a race recap up for you guys soon, but for now I just want to say - I'm a MARATHONER!

For tonight, I'm eating, relaxing on the couch (and getting up for walk breaks so all my muscles don't seize up on me), and probably falling asleep while we watch football. Fortunately I don't have to teach any classes tomorrow!

Marathon Training Week 11

Oh, hey! I have been very busy spending all my time hanging out with Tiny this week. We picked her up at the airport on Wednesday, and I've barely touched my computer since she got here. There has been a nice balance of relaxing and visiting at the house, and playing tourist around the area and down in NYC.

I managed to have a pretty successful week of running (I did skip one run) and finally hit that notorious distance of 20 miles.

Monday: Cross Training. Monday feels like such a long time ago, but my training log insists that I did an hour of yoga on Monday.

Tuesday: 5 miles. It was super humid out, but I was much less sore from my (short) long run than I was last week, which was nice. 5 miles @ 9:41

Wednesday: 8 miles. I woke up early to get this run in before work. It was cooler, but still humid out. I had a serious negative split and came up a little short on mileage because I was running out of time and had to book it back to the house. 7.46 miles @ 9:23

Thursday: 5 miles. I was very busy visiting with Tiny, and it was also ridiculously hot out, so Thursday ended up being a rest day. And an eat saltwater taffy day, because Tiny brought some from Oregon.

Friday: Rest Day. Squeezed in Thursday's 5 miler on Friday. I didn't write any notes about this run in my training log, so apparently it was pretty uneventful! We also did a little hiking around on our property. 5.03 miles @ 8:52

Saturday: 5 miles. This run didn't happen. We took the train down to the city to take Tiny to some touristy places. We had lunch at Katz's deli, rode the Staten Island Ferry so she could see the Statue of Liberty, and made a quick stop at Central Park. We walked all over the place, and were pretty much on our feet all day. Totally what you're supposed to do the day before a long run, right?

Sunday: 20 miles. I turned my alarm off in my sleep. I never even heard it. I woke up to the coffee maker beeping. It was still mostly dark out, and it was actually almost cold. I managed to get out the door at 7 and began chipping away at the miles. I mentally broke it into two 10 milers: 10 miles out, 10 miles back.

I actually felt pretty good for most of my run. I was better about taking in fuel than I have been, and had my audiobook (The Pillars of the Earth) to entertain me. The last couple of miles were a little warmer than I would have liked, since I started a bit later than usual, but I did it! And holy cow, the elevation!

20 miles @ 10:29!

Miles this week: 37.5

Marathon Training Week 2

I'm still here! I've been alternately really busy and relaxing, neither of which was really conducive to blogging.

We spent the long weekend up at the lake house with Tom's family for the 4th of July. The water in the lake was warmer than when we were up there in May, so we had a lot of fun tubing. Tom even convinced me to try kneeboarding - it's hard! It was fun once I actually made it up to my knees, but it took a few tries!

So here's a look at my second week of marathon training - it sort of veered off course...

Monday: Cross training. Check it out - I actually did Piyo! The amount of pain I was in is evidence that I really need to cross train more often.

Tuesday: 3 miles. Done and done. I ran around the neighborhood at a pretty leisurely 9:55 pace.

Wednesday: 6 miles. Ok, so here's where things got tricky. Wednesday was supposed to be 6 miles and Thursday was supposed to be 3, but we were leaving for the lake house on Thursday afternoon, so instead I ran 9.25 miles (10:05 pace) on Wednesday and took a rest day on Thursday. It was hot and hilly around the neighborhood, but I managed to run all the hills. I was also smart and carried water with me.

Thursday: 3 miles. Like I said, not so much with the running on Thursday. A lot of time in the car instead.

Friday: Rest day. We spent a lot of time out on the lake, tubing and just cruising and enjoying the sunshine.

Saturday: 6 mile pace run. Nuun  put on a virtual run for its ambassadors/team Nuun over the weekend, it lined up perfectly to help motivate me to run while we were in vacation mode. So on Saturday morning I headed out for a 10k on the hilly roads around the lake house. Why are there hills everywhere I go?

It was decently warm and disgustingly buggy (one flew in my mouth - not ok), but I kept telling myself it was supposed to be a race, so I managed to finish my 10k in 55:43, an 8:58 pace! I'm pretty happy with that.

Sunday: 6 miles. Yeah...that didn't happen. I wasn't on the ball enough to run before we left the lake house, and it was after 10pm by the time we got home. Oh well.

I tried this InstaBoost from my RunnerBox the other day. It's basically energy pop rocks. Buddy was not a fan of the sound.

He's so cute.

Are you training for anything right now?

Buddy's Big Adventure and New Running Things

Buddy went on an adventure this afternoon. I had an order from Brooks (yay running stuff!), and when the FedEx man came to the door, Buddy bolted. He visited a couple of neighbor's houses and played keep away for a little while before Tom sat on the grass and Buddy came running over. Brat.

Needless to say, we need to work on his off-leash training.

I had my first official run as part of my marathon training plan today. It was only 3 miles, but in the 83 degree weather, that was fine by me. I just kept telling myself that these painful runs in the heat will make cooler weather running feel SO much easier.

This is my new tank top I bought from Brooks. It's super lightweight, and has a nice flowy fit. I'm excited to take it out for my run tomorrow.

I also ordered a new sports bra since mine are a little ancient, but I didn't read the reviews as well as I should have, and it doesn't fit. Boo.

We don't currently have a washer and dryer at the house (well, we have a washer, but we don't know if it works, and it's not super useful on its own), so I spent forever at the laundromat on Monday. Do you know how many quarters it takes to start a medium sized washing machine?

15.

You read that right, 15 quarters!

I'm pretty sure the last time I went to a laundromat it took maybe 5 or 6 quarters to do a load.

Some new goodies from Nuun arrived on Monday, I'm excited to try out the new Plus for Nuun - I'll have plenty of opportunities this training cycle!

Buddy is getting a little less freaked out when we leave the house, though he's still crying like we abandoned him.

He likes to keep us close.

Not Just Half Crazy Anymore

I'm not as sore as I thought I was going to be after the race. Don't get me wrong, I was plenty sore, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

I hit the treadmill for an easy 3 miles on Tuesday afternoon and had no trouble at all. I'm taking this week easy, and next week I'll be back in training mode. My next half is in May, and I have a 10k trail race (just for fun) coming up on April 11th.

Buddy has been enjoying the snow-free yard and the occasional sunshine. It has still been pretty chilly, but it's finally starting to feel like spring!

This is his "please stop taking my picture" look.

And in exciting news - I'm not just half crazy anymore, I registered for my first full marathon today! I'm going to be running the Steamtown Marathon in October (out of habit, I totally just typed half marathon).

I'm really excited to take on this new challenge, and also a little freaked out about what I just signed up for!