Sunday, October 7, 2012
OK...so you know I love lists...so here it goes!
20 thoughts, reflections, lessons, and funny bits from My First Marathon - The Bank of America Chicago Marathon - 10-7-2012!
1. I love Chicago!! I lived 30 minutes from Chicago and 2 hours from Chicago for a number of years and visited several times, but never REALLY knew how awesome of a city it was. It's cold...it's windy...but with the right situation it could be a phenomenal place to call home. It's HUGE....I mean it made Atlanta seem so small to me. The city was buzz for the marathon even with all of the 1000 other things going on in the city.
2. As a race director, you know I was checking out every logistical thing that I could. The race organizers did a great job and this race was planned down to the T. I read somewhere prior to race day that "They make it so you don't even have to think", and that was so true. By now you have heard about the unfortunate happening that over 1,300 people did not receive a medal. This hurt my heart tremendously when I heard this, and particularly because one of my greatest run buds was amongst the many that did not receive a medal. I was mad at first, and still am for her, however I KNOW that this was not the Race Director's desire and he is probably in agony over this occurance. I don't know how it happened, but best believe, they will make every effort to assure that those 1,300 are taken care of and compensated, and this will NEVER happen again. At least they better!!!
Ok...On to the Marathon!
3. It was cold as hecky darn at the start. I had on my race outfit (CWX pants, lululemon long sleeved luon shirt **awesome shirt**, swiftwick socks, asics, lululemon bra, lululemon headband that covered my ears, cheap gloves with hand warmers, ipod sleeve, and a spibelt **we'll talk later about that spibelt!!**) For extra pre-race insulation, I had a runningnerds 5K shirt tucked under by shirt that i would take off and give to a kid along the route, my jingle jog long sleeve shirt, and a lulu coat and pants that I took off moments before the race and put in gear check.
4. Corrals.... The corral line up was a blast. A few of us met up before we went in, did a quick good luck and hoorah and went inside. Some ladies went with Darlene to start with the 5:00 pace group. Me, Tamara, Shanta, and Shirmel moved up and were able to get just behind the 4:40 group. I wanted to move to the 4:30 group but it was too crowded to get through...Lesson: Get into the start corral earlier so that you can get with your desired pace group. We made new friends in the corral. Lots of first time marathoners and people from all over the country and world. One thing we all had in common at that moment...we were excited and cold! I shed the Jingle Jog shirt before we started the race so I was down to pretty much my base race attire with the rn5K shirt underneath.
5. The Start...Our corral started at 8 and we crossed the start line at 8:17...we were off!! What a great feeling to start a 26.2 mile journey!! Just awesome. The spectator crowd wasn't as thick as I thought it would be and honestly, there was plenty of space to move around once we got started. We werent packed in like sardines as I was told it might be. Shanta ran with us for about .25 miles and then she went on to chase her eventual awesome 4:11 finish!!! We wished her well and off she went. Tamara stated after .40 miles or so that we were almost done...and I replied...Tamara we have a long way to go. lol
6. Phantom Pains...These jokers are real! Within the first mile my right foot went numb, then was throbbing, then my left knee started acting crazy for a few seconds. I just ignored it and it went away. I was like...no I am not about to run 26 miles with a bum foot. Phantom they were...and by the end of mile 2 I was good to go.
7. "Start out slow", "don't go out too fast", "The energy of the crowd is going to make you want to go fast at the start, don't do it" - Most consistent advice I received about the marathon. This is all I was thinking for the first 3 miles. The first mile was 10:51, which in hindsight I think might have been too slow. The next few miles were about 10:30-10:40. It was tough to break out of the pace once it got started. It's so hard for me to believe that I am capable of running a 8:45 pace for a half marathon because I have been running so slow the last few months. My first 5K split was 33:43, which again, was a bit slower than I needed, but followed the rule "don't go out too fast" so I was cool with that.
8. Enjoy the Race!!...and that I did. I tried to take it all in for the entire 26.2 miles. I run with music, but I kept it low enough so that I could hear the crowd. Several times took one ear bud out, and blasted a good song when I needed a little boost. I tried to hit every hand that was extended, especially the little kids, read every sign, pump my fist to every band, dj, and dance troupe, and sample all of the great treats that people were offering along the course. The crowd support is indeed amazing. To think that a 26.2 mile course has SOMEONE at every stretch is remarkable. Again, the city of Chicago is breathtaking and a great place for a race. The course was AWESOME!!!
9. You gotta do what ya gotta do!.... No, I did not poop my pants (btw there was a person with a sign at mile 23 or so that said "don't Poop your Pants" Hilarious) However I did have to "go". I made 3 stops. The first was an epic fail...waited in line for the portapotty for 3 precious minutes...no movement, so we decided to keep it moving. The second time I dashed into a restaurant that had an open door. The owner yelled "in the back, to the left" as I darted past him. It was clean, enclosed and no line...perfect. That stop was about 1.5 mins. The third time was somewhere in the 20's. I saw an open portapotty so I took advantage. That one was about 3 mins or so and MUCH NEEDED. So yes...7.5 mins of my marathon was dedicated to bathroom breaks. Funny because I have only had to stop 1 time in my 8 half marathons that I have ran. Gotta work on that.
10. Get your cheer squad logistics down!....So one of the funny stories of the day was all of our (Fall Marathon Mafia) expectations were that we were going to see our Sole Sister Marathoner Support System Jania Hoover & Natalie Miles Reed at approx. Mile 3 and then again at 12. This is what we were told.........We knew Natalie would have her camera and Jania would be hype. So we prepped ourselves from miles 2-4 to see our run buds and definitely were excited to see them early on in the race to get us hype.
Well....mile 3 came and went, mile 4 came and went....by mile 5 there was a silent let down of disappointment and we gave up looking .....(this is where you are supposed to say awwwwwwww.....) No but really....We did see Ainka Gonzalez which was AWESOME and we saw Mel and Yolandas Cheer squad early on as well. Long story short, there was apparently some mis-information given to us a the start about where they were going to be located. We wont assign blame or call out names....but Lesson: Get ya Cheer Squad Logistics Down!! We did eventually see Jania and Natalie at about mile 12 and it was phenomenal to see their faces and receive their support and energy. Thank you ladies so much!!!!
11. Run Buds or Run Solo...But RUN YOUR RACE!! I have heard the phrase RUN YOUR RACE a million times. This applies to a 5K, 10K, Half, any distance and even to life. It is so true and there is really no other way to approach a marathon. Tamara and I ran the first 13.1 together. We played games, enjoyed the crowd, talked, made jokes with the surrounding runners, and kept a steady pace for the whole first half. Shirmel was also in sight throughout the first half. We all parted ways just after the Half Marathon mark. I was feeling it so i sped up a bit. I told myself that the half marathon was basically a warm up. The 2nd have of the marathon I ran solo and it was JUST as enjoyable as running with a friend. I continued to enjoy the crowd, make jokes and laugh with fellow runners, pump my fist to the bands and music, and took my breaks when i needed to. Either way you do it is fine...just do you!! Just knowing that I had friends out there on that same exact course, in front of me and behind me was all the company I needed. It was a great feeling.
12. A 26.2 mile buffet!!!...I ate well for the week leading up to the race. Cut my sugar intake to a minimum, no heavy starches or "bad carbs" and drank my body weight in water. On race day..it was a wrap. Those folks on the course had so many great snacks and I didnt want to be rude....so...I indulged. Here is the list of everything I ate on the course: grapes, tootsie rolls, granola bar, these mini pop tart thingys, skittles, my own GU and Shot Blocks, bananas, Cliff Gel, beer (had to...they were so hype), pretzels, and of course gatorade and water at EVERY water stop.
I would have had a donut too, but it was on the other side of the street and I didnt' want to trip anyone up trying to get to it. Im sure I forgot something, but there was plenty of opportunity to snack the entire stretch! The med stations were also phenomenal...my consistent needs were vaseline for my dry lips and tissue for my running nose. They were on point...and even some of the spectators had things for the runners which was clutch.
13. Walk It Out...My plan was to walk all of the water stops. I don't remember how many there were, but I stuck to this faithfully and it really does help. At the beginning you don't feel like you need it, but do it anyway to establish the pattern. By the end YOU WILL NEED IT!! Also, if you need to stop and stretch and walk a bit...DO IT!! I would say I walked a total of about .75 miles...so what....Id rather walk a bit to prevent a crawl at the end!! My goal was to feel like I could push in the last mile and finish looking strong. Now that last mile might have been a 12 min pace..but my form was looking good and I had a little kick at the final turn. I attribute that to my short walk breaks for sure!!!
14. Shit got real at Mile 22!!! At mile 13 I said "I would definitely do this again", At mile 19 I said "But not anytime soon!!" At mile 24 I said "Definitely not ANYTIME SOON!" At mile 26.2 I Said "I owned that Shit!" Self talk is a powerful weapon for a marathoner. Everyone knows that I am a positive person, but I am also a very realistic person so I try to keep it real with myself. I remember thinking around mile 16..."this really isnt that hard" and I KNEW that thought was riduculous and that I would very soon renig on those thoughts...and like I said mile 22...Shit Got Real. What do I mean by that? This is where I started to feel the legitimate muscle fatigue. This is where I had to dig deep and summons all of the quotes, advice, training runs, motivation, that I had enternalized and push through to the finish. I was waiting to hit "The Wall" and I am happy to say I never did.
I was waiting to have some crazy pain that would force me to walk or have to stop dead it my tracks..never came. My muscles were tired. My legs were tight. But overall, there was nothing that kept me from pushing forward. In the last 4 miles I stopped about every 3/4 mile to stretch and started setting little goals..."run to that pole before you can stop and stretch" It seemed like the water stops got more frequent and i was NOT mad about that. Remember, these were my designated walk breaks and they were much much much needed and welcomed. I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to finish the marathon. Finishing strong was the mystery that began at mile 22. A marathon is NO JOKE!
15. Back Track to the night before....I can't say I was ever nervous about doing this marathon. I was anxious and the days leading up to leaving for Chicago I was giddy and tried to keep my mind and time occupied so I didn't think about it so much. Even Thursday-Saturday I was pretty cool and collected and ready for some 26.2 action. The Night before.....OMG...all of a sudden I can't sleep and all I could think about was the last 6 miles. I layed down at 11, didn't really fall asleep until about 1 and that was choppy at best. Our alarm was for 4:45 so that was about all the sleep I got. I think it was more excitement than nerves. Sleep is overrated anyway!!
16. Be light and fancy free....I decided last year while I was training for my first Half Marathon that fuel belts were NOT for me. I would rather suffer for water for a few mins than have to carry that bulky bouncing thing on my waist. I have never worn one for a race and I knew that the water stations would be suitable for me to stay hydrated. I also took a couple waters from spectators in between stations when needed. Honestly I don't get winded when I run, It's mostly just my legs that get tired. With that said for the marathon I decided to wear a spibelt, which is a very comfy waste band that has an expandable pocket that I used to carry my gels and shot blocks. The only other thing I carried was my ipod which I wore in an arm band and the gloves I was wearing. I like to stay light. All was good for the majority of the race until about mile 16 that damn spibelt started getting on my LAST nerve. I kept having to adjust it and pull it down. I put some extra Cliff Gel packs that they handed out on the course in it and that caused it start bouncing around. At mile 23 it was annyoing me so much that I tossed out all of the gels and that left it pretty much empty. I wasnt about to toss it (those bad boys are $20 bucks) but Lesson: be sure to train with EXACTLY what you are going to carry and don't add anything to it on marathon day. However, I will say all that fidgeting with the belt did give me something to focus on other than my tight hammies!
17. I never experienced the hip flexor soreness that I had on every last one of my long runs in August and September. Either the cwx pants worked, or the rest in the last week worked. I was happy about that.
18. The Taper is so necessary!...as I mentioned above, I rested a lot in the last week. Actually followed the plan exact. Monday rest, Tuesday 3 miles, Wednesday 3 miles, Thurs- Fri Rest, Sat 2 miles easy, Sunday Marathon. Even the 2 weeks prior the mileage drops and you feel very weird that you aren't running the volume of miles that you once were at the peak. However, trust the taper because it really does help you get to the starting line fresh and healthy!!! At least for me it did.
19. Pace Groups are Cool, Time Goals are Cool, Running YOUR Race is the Coolest!!....I had played around with time goals and trying to guess where I would finish in the marathon. Everyone had their opinion about where they thought I should finish. I heard everywhere from 3:30 (HA) to 4:30. I am a pretty strong 5K runner, an above average 10K and Half Marathon runner, but this marathon bizness is totally different. I personally don't think a calculator or formula can accurately predict where you will finish. There is just too much that can happen after 3-4 hours of running. But with that said, I thought that I could finish somewhere between 4:15 and 4:47 based on my training runs and what I knew my body was capable of at those distances.
We tried to get up with the 4:30 pace group as I mentioned earlier, but the 4:40 group was the only one I could manage to catch, pass, and attempt to keep them behind me. At mile 14 or so I set a goal for myself to catch the 4:30 group by mile 20. I covered up my watch (don't use a garmin, just a simple ole timex watch), and ran as smart and as hard as I could, still keeping my water walk breaks in there, and at least 1 bathroom break. At mile 20 I looked at the watch and I was 3 mins behind goal. At that point I knew that It was going to have to be a miracle of the body for me to catch the 4:30's so I reset my goal to 4:35.
By mile 22...when shit got real...I knew I wasn't going to beat Oprah. I was a little disappointed about that, but just convinced myself that her time was some BS and that there was no way she ran a 4:27 I STILL WANT PROOF!!! So my new goal was not to let the 4:40's pass me!!! That would have killed me. I don't know where they were but, even the thought of them on my tail kept me running in that last mile. I even turned around a few times to make sure they werent creepin up on me. I finished at 4:40:59!!! If you ask me...I'll tell you I ran a 4:40....the :59 is irrelevant! HA!
20. The Finish!....I don't care how you finish, how long you take to finish, what journey you took to get to the finish.. The Finish is emotional and it is something you will never forget! The finish to this race included a turn, a hill, and then another turn with the finish line about 100 yards ahead. At my point in the course the crowd was large, however PEOPLE WERENT JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND CHEERING. I was like "Hey Folks, we just ran 26.2 miles, get on your feet and open your mouths!!" If you are going to be at the final stretch, you can't just cheer for your 1 person that you came to see. You have an obligation to cheer for everyone!!! So that was kinda pitiful, but I didn't let it bother me. I started lifting my arms to encourage the crowd to get hype. I looked up that Hill that Maurya warned us about and said to myself "I'm from ATL this is nothing"...then said "But this is still some BS"..LOL Just before we turned the corner of the final stretch I turned to the lady running next to me and said..."If I don't see this finish line when we turn this corner..I QUIT" She let out an eek of a laugh (I could tell she had put her all into this race). We turned the corner and there it was THE FINISH!!!
If you ask me I was sprinting that finish like Sandra Richards Ross...but I'm sure it probably looked more like Betty White!! I crossed the first mat...kept my stride then crossed the 2nd mat!! I was DONE! I had OWNED CHICAGO and completed 26.2 miles running in in 4 hours and 40 mins!! I looked up to the sky....said "Thank you Jesus" and started to cry....BUT...then I started hyperventilating so I had to stop the crying immediately...LOL!!! My chest started caving in and I almost passed out. In my mind I was laughing at myself "no you are not going to pass out AFTER the race Tes...com'on maaaaan!" So I just put my hands high up above my head and took slow deep breaths my breathing got back to normal. I looked for someone who I could relate to to give me my medal.
I saw an older African American Woman who reminded me of a mother figure and walked up to her and put my head down...she said "Congratulations!" and put the medal around my neck! I got the little foil cover..wrapped it around my body and proceeded my Champion Swag Walk towards the water and bananas!! I didn't see a familiar face so I was just telling everyone around me congrats and great job. We had all just accomplished the same feat and it felt amazing. Finally after about 20-30 paces I saw a friend....I saw Shanta...I called her name and ran over to her and gave her a BIG OLE HUG and said "We did it!!!" Of course she had "done it" about 30 mins earlier, lol, but I was glad she was the first person I was able to hug! She is, afterall, the one who got me into this jazz in the first place!!
This bad boy is getting long and I am sure that I still have more thoughts that I could share. If you know me, you know I'll talk to you about this experience until we are both blue in the face so just ask me. I will leave you with the tips that I was given from several of my marathoner friends that carried me through and worked well for me. Thank you all so so so so so much for caring about me and supporting me.
Margo: Enjoy the course, Stay off your feet on Saturday, save room in your bag for all your free stuff you will bring home, take your gel every 6 miles, 3 Goals: Get to the start line Healthy, Beat Oprah, Finish Upright! (2 out of 3 Margo...and you should have seen our bags on the way home...on swole)
Darlene: Have Fun, Start out slow, I'm running 20 marathons this year surely you can do 1.
Naretha/Atl Mimi/Sha/Jenelle/Shurran/Yolanda/Mel: Sharing their recent marathon play by play stories and giving training tips all along the way. These ladies made it look doable, fun, and inspirational.
J.R. - Take a few days off!! That was the best advice I could have gotten when my knee was bothering me in the first weeks of my training. I was at an ultimate low and J.R. among others told me to sit down and do NOTHING for a week. It was the hardest week ever in my running journey, but the best thing I could have done. I have never had that knee pain again.
The gentleman we ran with at the Phidipides run....Naomi or Darlene remind me of his name if you are reading this: Drink the Gatorade early in the course. I believe this practice kept me from getting cramps! Good Tips. He also reiterated the "start slow" theory that everyone advised.
Maurya: The course is flat. Here is your course map _________________________________________^___! LOL.. I loved that. However, there were a couple of gradual inclines here and there. That last hill was just flat out mean!! Also, your enthusiasm for us and little training and nutrition tips were awesome.
Natalie Witt: Start your carb loading 3 days out, enjoy the experience, smile often
Philip Finley: when you feel like cutting loose at mile 13....don't!
Monisha: Your book was an awesome read
SPIRIT of the MARATHON!! Best Documentary Ever. This movie inspired, prepared, and validated my entire experience. Simply Awesome.
YouTube: Marathon Thoughts, Very Funny Marathon finish, & Man hits wall at 200m...as warped as it may be...these videos inspired me...LOL!!
My Mama: Enjoy yourself and don't worry about us! Thank you for taking care of my dog and also being the biggest cheerleader of them all. Love Ya Mama!
The Fall Marathon Mafia T.E.A.M.: Angela...I loved your race weekend text messages and your race tracking party on the page. You Know who you are and you know what you have done for me and this journey. Time to pay it forward!
The National Black Marathoners Association, Women Marathoners, My First Half Marathon, West Midtown Run Club, Lululemon Athletica Howell Mill, Get Fit Atlanta (Dana), RunningNerds, No Woman Left Behind, and Black Girls Run Atlanta & Chicago Facebook Groups/Pages!!: Thanks for all of the forums, motivation quotes, well wishes, and follows for my journey.
I know I have left out some things so check back for updates to this BOOK I have written. As I have said before, I write this to inspire or deter those who have ever considered a marathon!! It is not for the faint of heart!!
Once you become a marathoner...anything and everything seems possible! This is 90% true...what you do to follow up your performance is what matters even more....!!
Next Goal.....Stay Tuned!
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