Run the BlueGrass Half Marathon March 30, 2013

Geniene's story:

BACKGROUND:

So yesterday I completed my first half marathon! I don’t remember exactly when I added this goal to my bucket list – but I have had friends in my life run full marathons and in the back of my mind I have always wanted to be able to say I did that! Well the problem with goals and dreams like that is you have to start somewhere – and in this case, you have to start running. I have NEVER enjoyed running. As a child I stayed away from running. I was an active team sports player (tennis, swimming, diving, racquetball and basketball) but never pure running. Our school had to run cross country every year as a big event and I never ever tried – always walking in last. I just didn’t like it! I tried a few times since school and always quit. Like most things in my journals that I look back on that are health/fitness related on– I just wasn’t able to succeed with this running thing. Well that cycle of failure has come to an end J

In January of 2012 I started Get Fit, and as soon as the weather became decent we would head out for the one mile run starting at HLC around Conner Campus and back again. I literally thought I would die! I said to myself that if every boot camp was going to start with a mile run – that was the end of boot camp for me. But in the back of my mind I kept toying with the idea of, ‘what if I could do it?’ I met fellow boot campers – Lenah, Amy Schroder and Kendall around that time and they loved running. You could tell! And after hearing their stories I kept thinking – “if they can, why can’t I?”

However in March of 2012 I started having left knee pain that went from a diagnosis of stress fractures, torn meniscus to bone death (apnea) and the results left me immobilized in either a cast/brace until June. The final orthopedic I saw told me that I would never run again, and to give up that idea. Hmm…. Those are fighting words. But he is a doctor, so what to believe now? Needless to say my activity level dropped back to about zero and so I focused on nutrition. I could have quit right then, but I refused to believe this was it for me. I had attempted running the fall before and my journals are a series of excuses and feelings of being defeated. I was SO sick of the cycle of negativity.  In fall of 2012 I started the new session of Get Fit with a healed knee (chiropractor insisted I removed all braces and to get moving). The more I moved, the more the pain went away, with the help of biweekly ankle and hip adjustments.  I was determined to run a 5K! Then I met Amber! I saw her running pace matched mine at the track and I asked to be her vet buddy. In October we ran our first 5K and set our sights on a half marathon in March of 2013 and the Turkey Trot 10K in November as a measure of if we could get going.

And we set out …… and ran and ran and ran. With the Turkey Trot 10K (longest run to date) complete in November we ran some more, in snow, freezing temperatures and rain… at 5:30am, at 5:30pm – we put it on our calendars and just did it! If she couldn’t make one day – I would run solo and visa versa.

Then we realized we were running too much (oh the irony of it all). Our bodies were becoming exhausted. So after confirming with our running pros in Mel’s Running Club, we cut down to 3-4 days a week instead of 5.  Around week 6-7 of our training Amber started having bad leg pain (due to a pinched nerve in her back) and then had lung troubles and so my running was either solo or with pick up groups at Running Club. We were both determined to finish what we started though – and Amber was determined to finish the race no matter what!

I successfully completed a 12 mile training run – right on target after increasing my mileage each week – with Staci, Sara and Leslie. I was ready! I felt confident and prepared, physically and mentally.

RACE WEEK:

We had ordered group race shirts that say: “13.1 only HALF crazy!” on the back. Once I picked them up on Wednesday the jitters began. We now had a group of about 14 going – 3 running the 7 mile and the rest running the half. It was great to have a bigger group and I even had more training buddies now after pushing my pace up a bit. Friday some got to go down to the expo and being in contact with them hearing about the medals and activities got us all very excited.

The night before I had everything prepared.  Protein muffins for post –race refuel for the group were in one cooler. Lunch for me and Patrick, as we were on the ‘no eating out challenge’, was in the other cooler. All my race gear and clothes were laid out. I hydrated all week and made turkey burgers with sweet potato fries to duplicate the dinner I had before the 12 mile training run. I also duplicated breakfast the next morning (blueberry bagel with peanut butter). I wanted everything to feel the same and go as smoothly as the 12 mile training run did two weeks prior.

RACE DAY:

Nervous anticipation is a good way to describe my mood that morning. I wanted the coffee to kick in so I would have time to use the bathroom and not a porta potty (the little things that count). As I waited with Patrick in the Impact parking lot – we anxiously checked over our gear and talked about playlists and other race related items. Thankfully I got to run in and use the bathroom so that was another thing to mentally check off the list and not to worry about during the run J We were unsure who we were meeting and when exactly we were leaving, but as the minutes ticked by – I just wanted to get down there. Finally on the road and the chatter was fueled with nerves and joy. I loved the tangible energy of the carpool ride – and while we were trying to be in our own mental preparation bubbles, we enjoyed the social aspect of being together. Rachel’s husband drove us (Rachel, Patrick, Lisa and Danielle). The traffic from the exit to the parking lot was nightmarish, and for a while I thought we might be terribly late. Finally close to 8:30 we unloaded, awaited our turn in the porta potty lines and headed to the corrals for the start. Thank goodness for the bright green shirts ~ it made finding everyone so much easier. I got my bib and bag from Amber, and the photo frenzy continued. My parents got stuck in the same traffic and as I was taking a final walk up the corral line I met my mom walking down. She was able to take my bags and wish me well as the race began and we started our shift towards the starting line. The actual start was delayed due to fog, which gave everyone a chance to relax a bit more.  As we headed towards the start for our corral (I) to begin, my dad hopped into the crowd for a quick hug. Having my parents there meant the world to me! Before we started I saw a friend’s husband who gave us the 411 on the course. He warned us to take it easy on the first set of hills because they were just the warm up inclines. Once we passed the chicken farm the real hills would begin and then the course ended in some flats. I thought we would heed his advice as we could see the first ‘incline’.

THE RACE:
MapMyRun and wrist watch was started as we crossed under the starting line banner and Staci and I set off just in front of Lesley and Sara. As we reached the first mile marker and heard our pace time, I was nervous we were running too fast, but we both agreed we felt comfortable with our pace and kept on. When we reached the chicken farm and saw the 7mile course veer off we joked about taking a short cut but kept on – knowing that the hills were about to start. Having live music at some of the mile markers was awesome and miles 2-5 seemed to fly by – probably because we were keeping a 10/mile pace ;)

I was surprised to see so many runners stopping to take pictures – they must have run half’s before because all I could think about was to keep on moving. The estates and horses were lovely to look at and they are not wrong in describing the course as scenic. That is definitely a smart tactic to distract you from the hills. “Rolling hills” is also not an accurate description.  Some of the inclines were just plain torturous. Just after mile 7 I started to feel pretty queasy. I had a gel pack at mile 6 with water as I had before on a training run, and I began to mentally panic as I felt a wall approaching. I told Staci that I didn’t feel too great but I was determined not to stop or walk! I was so grateful for all those 4-5 miles runs that created an automatic leg feeling. My legs knew what to do – I had my mind to overcome!

At mile marker 8 there was a horse running with her foal in a huge corner paddock. They brought tears to our eyes at their natural beauty. The mother encouraging her young to run alongside her – is exactly what I needed to see and feel to dig deeper to continue on. I had remembered to meditate on my mile dedications and mile marker 8 was for my parents (so fitting) and my sister. Unfortunately a hill somewhere in mile 8 caused me to stop to catch my breath. I promised myself I would only walk for 30 seconds but I saw Staci getting further and further away from me.  I waved her on as she was in a great zone – and for the next 2 miles I struggled through intervals of running and walking. I remember seeing mile marker 9 and someone at the stop yelled – “ok you are warmed up ~ now the 5K begins”. I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry – because I said the same thing two weeks earlier, except I had felt a lot better then.  If I walked for too long, terrible cramps in my calves caused me to wince in pain. So I would run until a wave of nausea hit and then walk again. My socks were starting to bother me (this was new – and one toe felt like the nail was being bruised.This continued until mile marker 11. I seriously considered stopping when I saw a medic, but instead starting singing lyrics to songs like “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” over and over in my head. Mile marker 12 saved me!. The worst of the hills (real hills) were over and I was swept up in the undulating motion of ‘rolling hills’ along with my bodily nausea and dizziness. I started naming off everyone in one my head that I knew in Melody’s Boot camp family – every name brought an image of their face to my mind and I ran each step for you! I shed a few tears thinking about how I so wanted to be a runner. And here I was running/ and walking (and not really mad about walking) – and just wanting to finish. I had made up so much time in the first 8 miles with our crazy pace that I was still in reach of my finish time. I also knew that I could run the last mile – for goodness sake - it’s just one mile. Then I remembered my first mile I ever ran without stopping - and the elation I felt. That shared joy that I see with new get fitters posting their first mile inspired me even more. When I turned the corner with the barn in sight – I heared marching band playing to cheer us to the end, I heard someone say my name. MacKenzie and Eddie were in front of the barn cheering me on – and I remember saying “oh, my, god!” My dad was waiting for me on the opposite side of the road cheering me on and gave me a high five. Once I wrapped around the barn the finish line was FINALLY IN SIGHT. I could hear the people – I could feel the energy of the finish reaching out to pull me in. How I managed to smile on that final stretch – I’ll never know because inside I was screaming in pain, in anguish but yes in joy! I was so confused when I saw the banner time reading 2:45 but my watch read 2:38 and then I realized it didn’t matter. I had finished – a 6 month goal – a dream – I MADE IT!

I was handed my medal, and I staggered over to Staci and Danielle for a quick hug – then made it over to my mom. I was ready to drop to the floor. My legs were so tight and the shakes were starting in my stomach. I knew I needed to hydrate and refuel fast. I sipped on water and ate a banana while heading to the bathroom. I called my husband to share I had finished and that I saw a text from him that he sent when I was half way in “you’re half way home and haven’t even broken a sweat” J

After a muffin and some stretching I started to feel better but still not great. I opted to leave early instead of meeting up with everyone (which I regret now), but physically I don’t think I could have remained alert and social for too much longer. I was very overwhelmed with all the sounds and smells and headed to the back seat of my parents’ car, so thankful that I didn’t have to drive home. During the drive home, I started sharing some of the highlights and lowlights of the race and after about 30 minutes ate my sandwich and the nausea finally subsided. Once home – after some gifts and more congratulations I soaked in a hot bath and played my running playlist and reflected on my journey. It’s been a long road – and it seems like every time in my adult life that I have tried to start something in the arena of sports/health, a huge stumbling block would find its way in front of me. Well this time it got pushed to the side.  This time I would not be defeated – I would not give in to pain, or weakness or feelings of inadequacy.  I am stronger – I believe in myself and there is no looking back now!