Fort4Fitness Half Marathon Race Report

Here's the Race Report I wrote after my last half marathon.

What a difference my second half marathon is!

The Fort4Fitness is an event in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They had a 4 mile run/walk, 10K, Half Marathon and a Kids and Senior Marathon. (for that one, kids and seniors would run/walk all summer working up to 23.2 total miles. They finished the last 1.2 miles on Friday night.) This is a race that my brother does every year (he lives in Ft. Wayne) so I decided to go do it with him.

I didn't train at all this summer for the race. Every week I'd think, "I really need to get serious about this half," and every week something would come up. My longest run since the end of May was 6.5 miles. I knew I was not in the place I wanted to be, so the big joke was that I was going to walk 13.1 miles.

The nerves I had for my first half were non-existent. I really wasn't worried - or stressed - or anything. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm a little freaked out that the thought of finishing 13.1 miles didn't phase me. (guess that could be another definition of being a runner)

The weather was perfect - mid-40's in the morning - and it wasn't supposed to get over 65 degrees that day. My brother checked out the weather channel when we woke up and he told me that if I could finish in 4 hours I should avoid the rain.

My parents also came over to watch us. This is a really flat course that goes through downtown Ft. Wayne, around a park/golf course and then back into downtown and finishes at their very, very, very minor league baseball stadium. My parents brought their bikes so they could meet us at different parts of the course.

The gun sounded and we were off. I was hoping to make it at least 6 miles before I would start walking. People obviously actually paid attention to the corrals they were supposed to start in as I didn't have to weave in and out of too many people at the start. There were quite a few walkers, but I think they actually started at the back of the pack.

Of course I started out faster then I really wanted to. I tried really hard to just slow down and take my time. Things were going really well until about mile 2 - I hate between mile 2 and 3 - it's always my hardest part to run. I made myself keep going as I knew it would get better after mile 3 - which of course it did.

The water/Gatorade stops were plentiful which was nice. I did walk through the water stops which I never really did before. This was also the first race I did where our names were printed on our bibs. It took me some time to get used to the water stop people calling me by name.  

About mile 5 my left butt cheek and my left hamstring started cramping up. I know this is because I didn't train, nor did I do any proper nutrition the week before. (traveling to two cities in two days for work makes it very hard to eat right) I made it to mile 8 before I knew I needed to walk. Up to this point, I was averaging about 13:30 minute miles which is actually really good for me.

I then walked for 1/4 mile and ran for a 1/2 mile. I did that until mile 11 when I then had to go to walking 1/2 mile and running 1/4 mile. My legs/butt were killing me. 

At the 11.5 mile mark the rain started (my brother was WRONG!). At first it was just a light mist - and then it got harder and harder - and then I was freezing. I really wanted to run to warm back up, but my legs just wouldn't let me. I started running again at mile 12.5 and ran the rest of the way.

I finished in 3:08:15 which was 6 minutes faster then May. After my first half, I had really wanted to finish this one in less then 3 hours. After not training, I had no expectations. I was very happy with the results.

I really liked this race. It was FLAT!!!! Everything was really well done and organized. I can see myself doing this one every year.

Warrior Dash Race Report

Here's my race report from the Warrior Dash this past weekend.  I haven't posted much lately because....well....things haven't been great.  My exercise has been wonderful.  I'm still doing my kettlebell class, and I've started running again.  The food - not such a good thing.   I'll get more into that later.

Warrior Dash Indiana - 2011

When the young, fit people that I work with started talking about doing the Warrior Dash, I thought it sounded like lots of fun.  So, on a whim, I signed up to run it with them.

I mean, how hard can it be?  It’s only a 5K!!

There was a total of 10 of us from my work that were going to be leaving with the 1:30 group.  We had matching t-shirts made and we were pretty excited.

Day of the Race

Because most of the people that I work with are young and single (or without kids), 6 of them (plus a pregnant co-worker) were going up together and spending the night on Saturday.  One person and his wife was going up Saturday morning with their young son, and one co-worker and her partner were also driving up on Saturday but they had been on vacation the whole week before.  So, that meant that I was traveling by myself.  I wasn’t exactly happy about it as it was a good 3 - 3 ½ hour drive from my house one way.

I left the house at 8:15 and started the drive.  I made sure that everything I had on I was willing to throw away.  I also had towels, a sheet, a couple of large garbage bags, a change of clothes and baby wipes!

I had a very uneventful drive to Crawfordsville (which is in the middle of nowhere, by the way).  It actually was kind of nice to listen to the music I wanted to and not the Disney or Hannah Montanna channel on Pandora.  

I talked to my co-workers just as I was coming into the town and found out they were about 30 minutes behind me.  I told them I’d check everything out and then give them a call.

Followed the traffic and signs back to the marina.  I was seriously waiting for the banjos to start playing!  Pulled into the parking lot and realized I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.  There were TONS of cars, tents, a big inflatable warrior helmet, beer tents, food tents, port-a-potties and the start and finish line for the race.  

It did cost $10 to park which I thought was kind of a crock (but something I was aware of beforehand).  I thought the volunteers did a good job of moving the cars into the parking lot and getting everyone parked pretty quickly.

I grabbed my ID and waiver form (did you know that I had to initial that I understood that I would be running through water that hadn’t been tested for chemicals or diseases as well as that there may be wild animals and insects on the course!) and headed to the packet pick up.  There was no line and I got my race bib, timing chip, t-shirt and warrior helmet.  I headed back to the car to drop everything off and went back to wait for my co-workers.

There was absolutely NO cell service so I had no way to contact anyone and let them know where I was or to find out where they were.  I stood out, in the sun, for about an hour.  You know it’s bad when you are sweating even before starting the race.

Eventually everyone showed up, got registered, hit the potties and had our pictures taken.

It was then time to line up for the run.  Our strategy was to just get to the obstacle and then everyone would wait for the whole group and do the obstacle together.  This turned out to be a very good strategy for me.

Race Time

The count down started and we were off (underneath a bunch of fire).  Although I totally understood that this was going to be a trail race with obstacles, I don’t think I truly understood what that meant.

The “trail” (and I use that term VERY lightly) was insane.  I’ve never even hiked on trails like this before, let alone trying to run!  I took off way too fast as I was just trying not to get run over.  I was so afraid that I was going to fall, or sprain something.

We came to the first water crossing.  I was walking through the water, hit a tree stump and down I went!  My sunglasses (prescription) went flying off of my head.  My first instinct was to grab for my glasses (which I did - and caught).  A guy behind me took my hesitation to get back up to mean that I was hurt.  He stopped his running and helped me up.  I have no idea who that guy was - but I want to thank him!  I wasn’t hurt at all - just soaked from head to foot and I wasn’t even ¼ of a mile into the race.

I kept running until I came to big hills.  At this point, everything is kind of blur.  I was having a really hard time catching my breath.  I think it was a combination of going out way too fast, the rough terrain, and the hills.....oh dear my the hills!!!!

The first major obstacle was a wall that went straight up.  There was a “ladder” type thing to get up the wall, then a pretty tall top part to get yourself over, then a couple of slats on the other side then large pieces of plywood to slide down.

Our team decided to go boy-girl-boy-girl so that we could help each other.  Climbing up the wall wasn’t too bad.  But this is when my fear reflex took over.  I have a HUGE fear of heights and I also have a horrible sense of balance - I’m always afraid I’m going to fall.  I got one leg over the top part, but I wasn’t tall enough to have one foot on either side.  So, I had one leg over the top of the wall just hanging there and my other foot on the other side on one of the slats.  I needed to just push myself over and put my dangling foot on the slat on the other side.

Instead....I froze.  Seriously - shaking and so scared!!!  Luckily one of my co-workers as hanging at the top with me and another one was right behind me.  One held my arm and the other gave my rear a push and over I went.  I crawled down the two slats hung on with my arms and let go!!!  I did it!!!!  My first big obstacle!!!!!

On we went - but I didn’t run for any of the rest of the race.  I realized pretty quickly that I was not prepared to run in that type of terrain.  Plus, I knew that I needed to save ALL of my strength and stamina for the obstacles.

I won’t bore you with tales of all of the obstacles - let’s just say they were insane!!!!!!!

(Rappelling up and down hills, crawling over cargo nets, crawling under a tarp, running though a river, crawling over wrecked boats, climbing up and down a cargo net, etc.)

I will talk about a couple more.

We came to another wooden wall.  If I had to guess, I would say that this one was at least 14 feet tall.  (I may be exaggerating, but I don’t think so)  Again, this one went straight up.  There were slats on the plywood but they were only wide enough to brace your foot - not wide enough to get a hand grip or use it like a ladder.  There were ropes hanging for you to use to pull yourself up.

Most of my co-workers had already finished this obstacle.  Again, one of my co-workers was waiting for me at the top.  I put my foot up, grabbed the rope and immediately realized that this was not going to work.

I didn’t have enough upper body strength to keep me up against the wall, so my body fell back and my arms were completely straight.  This also meant that I couldn’t pull myself up the wall.  I tried about 10 times and just couldn’t do it.  I told my co-workers that it wasn’t going to happen and I was just going to skip it.

They weren’t going to let me.  :)  So, a couple of them came back over to me and decided how to help.  I had one person on each side of me and as I got myself in position, they held me against the wall.  That gave me just what I needed to move up to the next foot hold.  They keep climbing with me helping me stay close to the wall.  The guy that was waiting for me at the top was still there talking me through the whole thing.  Luckily it was just a ladder coming down the other side.

I did it - and I can’t even begin to tell you how that felt.  In fact, just typing this up I have tears in my eyes!  I’ve never felt so bad-ass as I did right then and there.  And I’ve never felt so grateful for my co-workers.  

We continued on - a few more obstacles including jumping over fire!!!

Then I got to the last one - the mud pit.  This was about 3 feet of sticky nasty mud that I had to crawl through.  And I had to crawl because there was barbed wire over the top of the pit.  The best way to get through it was to lay on my stomach keep my feet up off the bottom and propel myself with my hands.  It was NASTY.

As I crossed the finish line I got my medal and some water.  We then posed for after pictures and then headed to the “Warrior Wash” to get cleaned off.  Think about the nastiest, muddiest pond you have ever seen and that’s what we got to go into.  It smelled like pig mud - but it was better then what we were covered with.

I then headed back the car, changed my clothes in the middle of the field (oh yes I did!) and then we went back for food/drink.

I headed for home at about 4:30 - and because of a DQ detour, a stop at Wal-Mart because my driver’s side windshield wiper decided to fall apart, and dealing with a shut down 64 because of the storm that blew through, I didn’t make it home until about 8:30.

I have bruises, scrapes, puncture wounds, contusions and other gross medical stuff I don’t understand.  I’ve counted at least 10 places where my body is beaten up.  I’m sure more will be making themselves known over the next few days.

My Thoughts

If I would have know then what I know now, I don’t know if I would have ever done this race.  It was 10X harder then I thought it would be.  

That said, I did finish it - and I did every single obstacle.  I do feel like a warrior.  I do feel empowered - and strong - and for the first time in my life - I feel like an athlete.  (I still had a hard time typing that sentence)

I did something on Saturday that couldn’t have dreamed about doing a year ago - 6 months ago - and really - 2 months ago.  The kettlebell class I’ve taken for the past 2 months is the only reason why I was able to do this.

I finished in 1:05:36 - 5,951 out of 6.726.  (Yeah!  I wasn’t last!!!)

Just for reference - the guy who won finished the course in 21:51:35 - Seriously - I don’t know how that was humanly possible

Race Report - Barnyard Dash (10K)

On Saturday, June 11, 2011 I ran the 9th Annual Barnyard Dash 10K at Huber's in Starlight, Indiana.

When I signed up for this race I was a little worried about doing a 10K only three weeks after my half marathon.  My recovery from that race went much better then I ever expected.  I didn't expect to be recovering from kettlebell!

I went to this race with my friend Tami.  We had a nice drive up to Huber's that morning.  I ate my banana (which has become my tradition before a race now) and we picked up our race numbers and shirts.  (they are BRIGHT pink!! Jay asked me if it came with its own battery!)

This was a much smaller race then the ones I had done up to now (300 or so runners compared to the 1,000s in the other races).  It was kind of nice to not have as many people to deal with.

The race started and I immediately realized that I was already pretty much at the very back of the pack.  All of a sudden I got scared that I was going to come in last.  I don't know why that would bother me so much - but it's one of the things I'm the most scared of.

I started out way too fast.  I could just tell - but I couldn't get myself to slow down.

It was a hot day when we started (8:00 am start was a little late for my liking) and I knew I was going to have a tough time right from the start.  By mile 2 1/2 I started walking.  I've come to realize that I just can't handle the heat.  When I get overheated I have a hard time getting my breath and I just tire out.  It might be that I'm not hydrating correctly - or I it just might be that I have a lot of weight I still need to lose so I don't get so hot.

I decided to just suck it up - walk when I need to - and just walk fast.

For the first time, I decided to really try to pass certain people.  I would pick out someone far ahead of me that was walking/running slowly and work to pass them.  I have to admit that it felt really good when I was able to pass them.

I also realized about half way through the race that even though I was walking for quite a bit, I was still maintaining a really good average pace.  Around mile 4 1/2 I realized that I could possible PR (personal record) this race.

I just kept at it - walking some - running some - and trying to maintain as fast of a pace as I could.

I finally crossed the finish line and knew that I was close.  I couldn't remember my official 10K time from the spring so I had to wait until I got home to know for sure.

I found my friends (both Tami and my friends from Runtheville ), got some water, a banana and some strawberries and sat down to wait for the door prizes.  This race was started by a running store in Southern Indiana and they give out cash!  This year they were giving 10 $50 bills.  Unfortunately, none of us won any money, but it was kind of fun to see people winning the money.

Results - Time - 1:24:44 (21 seconds slower then my last 10K) Average Pace - 13:25

Observations:

1.  I used to think that run/walkers were annoying.  I'm now beginning to realize that I might be able to go "faster" if I started running and walking my races.  I may need to start looking into this more.

2.  I think I've finally realized that I'm a runner.  Me....I'm a runner!  I did a 10K without even really thinking about it.  6.2 miles - no problem!

3.  Strawberries after a race are really good!!!!

4.  I think I need to get a hydration belt or one of those hand held water bottles.  There were not enough water stops in this race (only two!) and I think if I would have had water with me it would have helped.

(I don't have any pictures from this race because I'm stupid and didn't take any!)

Geist Half Marathon - Race Report

(This is the race report I wrote just after running my first half marathon on May 21, 2011)


This whole week I’ve been a nervous wreck. I think part of it was the uncertainty. A lot of it was that my whole family was going to be there. My brother (who runs 2-3 halfs a year) was going to run the race with me, my sis-in-law and mom and dad (as well as my husband and son) were also going to be there.  I just wanted to finish - and not get picked up by the slow bus.  

We got to Nobelsville, IN by 1:30 Friday afternoon. We couldn’t get into our room which stressed me out (traveling with a five year old will do that to you). We finally got into our room and immediately went to into the pool. After about 30 minutes I realized my iPhone started randomly playing J. Lo’s On the Floor. I soon realized that my iPhone wasn’t working right. I freaked out - how was I going to play my music and have my Runmeter work???? I got changed, (where I realized that I had still had my underwear on underneath my bathing suit - seriously? who does that????) and went to the Verizon store that was close. They couldn’t figure it out so they sent me back into Indy to the Apple Store. I cried the whole way. (can you say stressed?)  

They figured out that I had way too many apps open in the background and I had hosed the memory. They got me fixed and I calmed down just a bit.

Packet pickup was very smooth Friday night. It was pretty cool to walk over to the half marathon section instead of the 5K section. 

My brother and I decided to meet at 6:30 to get down to the parking lot before walking down to the start. It was a nice morning - clear and not too hot. We made our way to the start line. My brother wanted to start with me and he said he was going to run with me. I knew that wouldn’t work as he runs much faster then I do. I didn’t want him to pull back and I was afraid that I would try to run too fast. I was pretty emotional at this point. I still couldn’t believe I was doing this and doing it with my brother.

Chris and I before the race

Just before the race started we noticed a couple ahead of us - you know - one of those that just makes you want to tell them to get a room. They were all over each other and then I noticed that they had a scarf tied around their wrists connecting them together.  Are you kidding me?   

The race started - at about the .25 mile mark I convinced my brother to just go on. He was gone and I was on my own. The first three miles were nice and easy. My pace was pretty good (a little fast - but not too much). I saw my mom, dad, sis-in-law and her parents at the 3 mile mark. My mom was crying - which made me very emotional and it took me about a half a mile to recover.

The course was mostly through residential areas - and really nice residential areas. I found myself looking at the houses and not paying attention to my running. At this point it was getting warmer and warmer and warmer - and there was NO breeze. Luckily it was mostly in the shade at this point. At about mile 4.5 I finally passed scarf couple. Which was good because they were really annoying me at this point.  

I was still doing well. Taking water and Gatorade whenever it was offered. I was also taking my sports beans every couple of miles. There were people along the course - but not a ton. At this point all I could think about was how you guys would all have to come run this course as it seemed so flat to me!

Then mile 7 - 8 came. This was where the BIG hill on the course was supposed to happen. The hill started going up - and I thought it didn’t seem too bad. Then the second part of the hill came and I walked for the first time. I walked for about a quarter of a mile. 

I started running again. At about mile 9 I started hitting my wall (2 miles later then the Papa Johns!). I was SO hot - and my butt was really starting to tighten up. Around mile 9 there were water misters every few miles. That was a really nice touch. One homeowner made his own mister out of his garden hose and it was the best yet. In fact, one of the guys running near me at that point said, “There is a special place in heaven for that guy!”

From miles 10 - 12 I walked more then ran. I was a little disappointed in myself and my body was just tired. And hot - have I mentioned that yet? At mile 11 I realized that I was getting a blister on the back of my right foot. I have never experienced any foot issues before and I kind of freaked out. I stopped and pulled my sock up a little bit and it felt better so I calmed down. About this time I was getting passed by old people walking when I was trying to run. I can’t tell you how discouraging that is! It was during this time that my GPS/Runmeter started going crazy. Previous to this, I was running around 13:30 miles. When I started walking it thought I was doing 10 minute miles. Um....I don’t think so.

Runmeter thought I was done with the race already. My brother met me at about ¼ of a mile left. My mom and dad and sis-in-law were there as well. I sprinted the last bit and was so happy to cross the finish line!!!! I also had to bite my lip pretty hard for the last ½ mile or so to try not to cry. I’m such an emotional basket case. 

I got my medal, some water, a banana and some pretzels. My whole body hurt but I have to admit I felt slightly better then I did when I finished the 10 miler.

Chris and I after the race

The really funny part was my brother was going on and on about how horrible the hills were. How this was the hardest half he had ever run (although he just did the Indy 500 half two weeks ago - so I’m sure he was still in recovery from that). I thought just the opposite! Except for the horrible hill at mile 7 ½ I thought it was pretty flat!

We had to rush back to the hotel so I could get a shower before checkout so I didn’t get to enjoy the food/beer/massages that were available. 

Did lunch and stuff with the whole family before making the 2 ½ hour ride home. I was doing pretty good except for the horrible butt cramps.  

Before heading home - I put my new 13.1 sticker on the back of my car. I was so proud - I almost started crying again.

Results - Time: 3:14:27 - Average Pace: 14:51 (much slower then I wanted) - Finished 2,490 out of 2,699. I wasn’t last!!!

Observations:

1. The whole time I was running I was writing this race report in my head. I thought of all kinds of things to say - and a lot of them were really funny. You will just have to trust me on this one as I now can’t remember anything I wanted to say.

2. I need to Body Glide my WHOLE body - even if it’s not a place that normally bothers me. I don’t think I’d have the blister on my foot if I would have taken care of that.

3. Runners are some of the nicest people. (at least the ones I’ve been lucky to come across) There were two ladies that were in my hotel that talked to me this morning. The one lady has done over 100 half marathons and the other has done about 30. They gave me some good advice and when I saw them back at the hotel after the race they were so excited for me. There is also the dad of two of the kids that I’ve done musicals with that also ran the race. He has been so supportive - and even called me when it was done to congratulate me.

4. I never realized how special it would be to do this with my brother. We aren’t especially close - mostly because of the age difference. I’m so glad I decided to do this race with him. It was pretty special (and guess what - I’m crying typing this!)  

5. M&Ms help butt cramps (ok - maybe not really - but they certainly don’t hurt)

6. So does Cold Stone Creamery (is this the reason why I haven’t lost any weight in the past couple of weeks?)

7. My favorite sign that I saw was - “Great job Alex! Walk the dog when you get home.” Followed closely by - “Make the race your bitch.”

8. And although I’m sitting on the couch in pain - I’m ready to do another one.  

This was me during the last 1/4 of a mile.