For Real This Time: Last Ones!

I just realized I never specifically showcased the bling from last weekend's race! Take a look:

It seemed appropriate to show this today as I promised two weekend stories, both of which were in the very, last stretch of the run!

Story One: So, there I was, having finally found and rounded the corner to the finish. From corner to finish line was that last tenth everyone loves and hates. Both sides of the street were lined with people anxiously looking for their loved ones. I knew mine were there somewhere especially as I'd already heard, but not yet seen, Aaron (not an unusual situation in our family!).

As I got closer to the finish line, the crowd cheering notably escalated. I could hear the announcer but was paying no attention to what he was saying. As far as I knew, he was calling out the names of those finishing, but I was not quite there, so it meant nothing to me. As I got closer to the finish, I clued in to what was happening: The winner of the marathon had just come up behind me (in the marathon lane) and was about to cross the line. And, before I quite got to the finish, the second place marathoner crossed. Right there next to me. These two dudes just finished a full marathon seconds under my Personal Record finish for a Half.

I think that makes three in a row across the finish line in spectacular form, don't you?

Story Two (which is also my favorite): I love and hate something else about these races, and that's the few moment right after crossing the finish. The love part is probably obvious; the hate part comes from the fact that all of my leg muscles start to clench and scream and make me want to sit down only to hurt to sit for long only to really hurt when standing back up ... It's a little dance my body does. An awkward dance. But, it's well earned, and my family is used to it enough by now that no one worries if I'm okay or if I totally broke myself on the course.

As my internal body parts were going through their own motions, I enjoyed spending a good spell of time on some stairs (stairs = awesome. It's easier to get up.) sharing my post-race food with the Crew. I pointed out the man in the "I may be 60 but I feel like 13.1" shirt to my fam, and they made sure I noticed someone just got engaged near us on the stairs. We checked out the food trucks and got our respective Kona Ices and smoothies before meandering back to the racing field.

We passed right by the finish, so I took the opportunity to stop along the gates and watch people come in. For perspective, I must mention these runners were an hour behind me. Most wore that hour on their faces. Some of the marathoners were bounding in (um, how, exactly?), a handful of marathon relay teams were smiling and laughing while trotting 4-across together to the finish, an older couple finishing the Half was shuffling along together, and every, single person had their heart on their sleeve.

One Half runner caught my eye. If you looked only at her body language, you'd think she was in incredible pain. Her knees were together, her feet were barely propelling her forward, and her arms were clenched tightly to her sides. And, then, you look at her face: She was beaming. And, then she saw her crew which was a group of about 10 people crammed together and leaning as far as they could over the gates to hug her. Just when I thought her smile couldn't get any bigger, she stopped and hugged them all. And, she cried. She was probably 15 yards from the end, and she stopped. Those hugs meant more than whatever time she earned. It took her a moment or two to peel herself away to go finish, and she did so with a smile bigger than I've ever seen. The whole scene was absolutely beautiful.

This is for her:

Have a great slide into Friday, and I'll check in tomorrow ...

Wrapping Up the Weekend Round Up!

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 344.9 (running: 237.5; walking: 13.6; biking: 93.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $32.58

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 344.9 Aaron: 264.4 (b: 242; w: 22.4)  Elly: 64.1 Total: 673.4*

* Average monthly mileage required to hit year-end goal: Completed!

Here we go, here we go, here we go again!! Let's talk stuff as it pertained to the running weekend! Come with me through THE EXPO!

We had business to take care of first -- bib and shirt pick-up! Hey, do you know it's super-helpful if you arrive at the Expo with your bib number? Yeah, they even sent it to me ahead of time. I seemed to miss this detail. But, because I am not the only tool in the box, this is a predictable situation to the race directors who wisely set up laptops so we can first retrieve our numbers then get in line. Whoopsie!

Well, whatever, it was taken care of, and we were IN!

TIME TO SCOPE THE STUFF!

The Expo here was pretty fantastic. We finished taking care of business with the The Crew getting their shirts ...

... and, I got mine!

LOVE my shirt. Everything about it was
awesome! I love when that happens.

With business behind us, it was time to scope! There were a handful of new (to me) vendors there as well as a number of predictables. You know I love checking out the shirts, so let me share some of my faves this time:

Elly approved.

That really needs to be on the back of the shirt, just sayin' ...

I don't know why so many on black caught my eye, but there you go.

I always love scoping out this kind of vendor. You know, the one with all of the little stuff:

And, if you have a teenage boy, you'll understand that the Run Naked sign made us stop and laugh more than I would have had I not been with a teenage boy. It's just true.

You can see the 0.0 sticker up there, but I really, really liked this one at another booth:

I'd not before seen a vendor with shoe charms:

They were cute but too big. They were in the ballpark diameter of a penny, and I'm not down with that. Besides, I still have my awesome running girl Mary Kate got me, so I'm not in need.

Yes. I said 'need.' I'll say it again: NEED.

Pit Crew #2 has two particular parts of the Expo she looks forward to. First, there are the headband people ...

... and, then there are often food samples. There was only one actual 'dish' sample this time (not counting the beef people with the jerky sticks or the oatmeal concoction). I don't know what place was hosting this ...

Feta, pepper things, olives, tomato, garbanzo bean, quinoa,
kale, chicken ... and, I think there were some other things in
there mixed in a vinaigrette.

My verdict? It was terrible. The kale killed it. The dry chicken didn't help matters. But, I wasn't there for the sampling, so Pit Crew #3 and I passed ours to those who would eat it (guess who?!) and went on with our shopping!

I guess 'shopping' is a bit of an exaggeration because I love looking, but we as a family must be a huge disappointment to the vendors. The headband people tend to like us, but that's about where it begins and ends. I did pick up a few little things I'd not before seen with these purchases, that I got between bibs and shirts, being my top picks:

There was one more weekend purchase that didn't happen at the Expo but is a must-see nonetheless. Ready?

I saw him, and I had to. That is all.

 

Speaking of 'had to,' I found myself feeling the need to run this morning. I thought it would be a good idea to do some shaking out from the weekend, so I opted for a casual run. Besides, I had to try out my new shirt, right?!

It wasn't the greatest first half of the run. In fact, the first two miles felt like the dumbest idea I've ever had. But, the last two made me feel a little more normal again, so I'm glad I went. Every day through next Monday has rain in the forecast, so I figured I'd get a run in while I knew, for certain, I could. Besides, today's run took us over the monthly goal for our 2015 challenge, so it was most definitely well spent! I also found enough money to go past $32. Booyah.

We'll see what happens this week as I will run when I can and not worry about it when I can't! Next week kicks off the training schedule for May, and we'll deal with that next week. For now, I'll deal with what comes and make the very best of it! Thanks for running, cheering and shopping with me! It's back to normal tomorrow ... see you then!

She Believed

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 340.9 (running: 233.5; walking: 13.6; biking: 93.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $31.89

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 340.9 Aaron: 264.4 (b: 242; w: 22.4)  Elly: 64.1 Total: 669.4

So much has happened over the course of the last three days, and I have much to share!! Welcome to reverse-order sharing while I bring you to today's RACE DAY! I'm still kind of buzzing from it, so it makes sense to channel the energy instead of fighting it to go chronologically. Just sayin'.

Before launching into the details of today's big run, I want to share it happened under the following theme:

Here we go ...

As most Half mornings go, it started bright and early. I woke up thinking only the following: "I just want to take a nap." Then, I made a plan: Go run, then shower, then take a nap. I am totally not kidding; that is what got me out of bed.

The cool thing about a running morning is I can sleep until the second I absolutely need to be out of bed. Clothes are simple, hair is pulled back and there is no shower time to account for. All running bonuses. I mean, I have to get out of my cozy bed, but there is very little of me required beyond that. 

You can tell by my pics at the starting line that I really and truly was not yet awake:

Whoops. 'Didn't know the zoom was on ... let's try that again...

Indeed, Aaron's face is cut off. But, on try number 3, Pit Crew
#3 closed his eyes. In both, I look exhausted. Not a good thing
before the race ... Fortunately, looks are sometimes deceiving.

This one turned out, though:

Good morning, St. Louis!! A perfect 60-degree, no-wind start!

With a few rounds of hugs and kisses, the Crew was off to stake their cheering spot ...

... and, I was left to my own devices in the corral! In addition to pretty decent stretching (ohhh yeahhh ... I did actually do some!), I took in the sites!

You know how I love all of the pretty shoes!

And, there is often a shirt or two that catches my eye. This was today's favorite:

This dude was awesome. I high fived with
him around Mile 10, told him I loved his
shirt and that I want to be him. Meaning,
60 and cruising a Half, not that I want to
be a dude.

Then there are those in some form of costume, and I'm totally entertained by it ...

There were a lot of bunny ears this run! There were at least 7
women I saw with them. And, 7 is a lot more than the normal
zero I see ...

Lots of fancy-schmancy skirts were happenin' this run!

I also noticed these ladies ...

... all three of whom came waltzing in to their corral with coffee in hand. Cracked. Me. Up. And, I hope they enjoyed the porta potties along the way.

Of course, I noted one of the most important aspects of any race -- the support systems on sides:

Those weren't the only huge balloons I saw today!

As I took in the atmosphere, I couldn't help but occasionally look over my shoulder at the sky:

Looks like I'm not the only one wondering if the 1% (for real)
chance of rain is accurate ...

Rain or not, this gig was about to get going!

Almost there! And, that high five in front of me was an
almost-hit! Whoopsie ...

I saw my Crew on the side long before they saw me.

There's PC#3 keeping his eyes peeled when the race started!
I'm not in this group; these are the super-speedsters!

They were easy to spy from a distance with Aaron's "Only 13.09 miles to go!" sign! I managed to blend in this time, though, so I'm not even sure what got Aaron's attention before I flew by!

HA! Almost missed me!

That 'flew by' thing isn't completely exaggerated which goes back to today's theme. While I did not set out to meet a certain time, I did set out to give this run every, single thing I had so I could see where I'm at. I wanted to know if I could yet sustain a faster pace, or if I needed to taper like I usually do. I wanted to run this race without stopping on a hill. I wanted to get through Miles 7-9 without wondering, for even a second, why I keep doing these. And, most important, I wanted to try as hard as I could without losing the fun of it.

With all of those thoughts in mind, I admit I wanted to hit a Personal Record. I knew if I gave it all I had, I would not be disappointed with the outcome whether I PRed or not. But, I also knew it was in my reach. I didn't so much picture a PR as I did its very strong possibility. I absolutely believed it to be possible even during those moments on the course when I thought for sure I'd fallen out of the pace that would get me there. No matter how I was feeling, though, not once did I lose belief in myself. And, that was my entire focus today.

Well, that was my internal focus. Of course, none of this was going to happen without focusing on the historic preservation of the event, duh. I did not photo for record the woman who fell almost immediately out of the start which is a pretty scary thing when there's a stampede behind you. She was just fine hurting her pride more than her body for sure. I did not stop for nor photo the nickel I found in the first few hundred feet. And, I almost, almost snapped a shot of a group of boys (very late teens) in front of me running in a group because one of them kept turning around and running side stepped or almost backward looking for someone they'd passed. It wasn't that his performance was picture worthy; it's that I was tempted to show there are fools around many of the bends. Anyone want to put money on if he fell or not? Well, he didn't, but he had a huge side-step stumble that almost took him down. The running gods are the only reason he stayed up. He looked straight ahead from then on while his buddies chided him for being an idiot. Someone had to do it.

So, those were the non-photos. Here we go with what I did take! This was one of the very first visuals on the course. It was pretty sweet.



I was cruising along in the first two miles. I could tell I was going faster than usual by the way I felt (which is what Race Day tends to produce), but I also knew because there was a 2:30 pacer right in front of me. I had already made peace with going along on this run by letting my body do what it was going to do (with some encouragement from my brain if I had it to give), but I did use the pacer as something of a carrot. At the very least, it gave me some focus and something to reevaluate each mile.

My thoughts on the pacer totally went away when we passed Mile 2 as there was a group from a local Baptist Church cheering, singing and high fiving. It was lively, and it was fantastic. I would have appreciated even just one of them going along with me for the rest of the course!

Just after that group, the 'race within the race' began which was a 3.5-mile out-and-back across the bridge to Illinois ...

I loved this bridge because we could
actually see water, unlike running over the
ones with the concrete walls at just the
right height to not see a thing.

Take that, color run ...

... then back again!


We were timed separate for this race within ... Do you know how tempted I was to proclaim, "I WIN!" when we crossed the timing strip? I refrained. But, I was super-tempted.

It was between bridges that the rain started, too, by the way. Everyone around me seemed to voice displeasure or other indignant sentiments. It was then I was glad to have a super-trusty Ziploc bag in my pocket to protect the camera. I can get wet; the camera, not so much! Lesson: Just be prepared, and there's no need to panic!

Okay, my pace was still chugging along (confirmed by the pacer who was still around) when we came to one of three turn-back points. I usually hate these because you see runners coming back your direction, but I tend to not know how far down the road they are. Meaning, I see them and think, "Oh, hey, there must be a turn right up there" only to usually find out 'right up there' means those runners are miles ahead of me but the course happened to align there. It's totally mean. Today's first of these experiences was unlike any I've run because I saw runners coming back the other way and immediately saw the turn!

Unheard of!! And, YAHOO!!
(I got hosed later in the course, don't worry.)

Okay. On long runs, I tend to not like a middle block of miles. Today was no exception as I was a little numb in the brain from Miles 7 and 8. I was visually stimulated when we ran by a dude dressed as a priest who was whisking 'holy' water at us, and I was very entertained along the same stretch because there were a multitude of signs:

My fave was in the middle. By the way, PC#2 said she saw
one that read, "Run like there's a hot guy in front of you and a
creepy one behind you." HA!

I had absolutely no idea where I even was during this stretch of miles which is often a blessing. There are new things to look at, and I don't really know what to expect so I don't dread anything. That bubble burst going into Mile 9. We were on an out-and-back I've run twice before. It's always been super boring made more so by having to do it twice. When I realized exactly where I was, it was all I could do to not pull over into the median, fiddle with my shoe and sneak into the heading-back flow. I didn't. I just kept thinking about it.

I found that pacer sign. I lost track of it along the way and didn't really realize it until I saw it again. Strange thing, though: the pacer wasn't the same person. I started out watching a short woman, but I was now seeing a tall man. Weird. I didn't have the capacity to crack the code, but I did have enough in me to realize he had come from behind me. Instead of being bummed that he was passing, I congratulated myself for having gotten past him. Whenever that happened.

Okay, so the stretch itself: The first part sucks. Period. The turn-around point is decent. There's good stuff to see like ...

People stopping and taking pictures with the Clydesdale
cracked me up!

And, then there was this usual crew:

It's a strange group indeed!

At Mile 11, we were given -- get this -- chocolate! I do love chocolate, but I have to admit it sounded just terrible at that moment. A local candy place provided Nonpareils. I took one with the intention of holding on to it until the end, but it was only when it was handed to me that I realized they weren't wrapped (of course they weren't ... who'd want to clean up that mess?). I ended up flinging it in the grass; I felt bad, but not as bad as my dry mouth would have felt with a piece of chocolate, no water stations left and 2 miles to go! After my chocolate fumble, I looked ahead to see the pacer far enough away that I knew I'd have to let him go. Funny thing, though; the original woman I saw came up right behind me! There are often two in a pace group, one to lead and one to sweep that time. Apparently, I was still within this pace range. It was hard to believe even with actual proof staring at me on a sign taped to a dowel.

Onward I went, up a hill and down a stretch until the marker for Mile 12 was right in front of me. That, by the way, is the very same moment I completely lost the pacer. Both of them. They were just gone. I did wonder what I'd ultimately end up turning in, but that soon became the least of my concerns as I got to that, "I really, really just want to finish this!" state of mind! Had I actually known where the finish was, I wouldn't have started to get antsy. But, I didn't, so it was a perpetual guessing game, and one I don't like to play at that point in the game! I finally saw a banner that looked just like the mile markers, but noooooooo, it was one denoting the turn for Half Marathoners (while the Marathoners went straight). Turn? TURN? That's supposed to be a MILE 13, not TURN! Oh, drat!

I'm in the purple almost connected to the hair of the lady in
yellow in the foreground. SHE already passed the dreaded
turn-not-13 sign. Lucky duck. By the way, I totally heard
Aaron yelling at this point. I had no idea where he was, but I
most definitely heard him all the way over there!

Okay, finally, it was time to turn and finish! Wow, no time to pause for photos; it was time to finish this bad boy!

Whoop-whoop!

DONE.

Better yet -- with my Crew!!

I love this sign for its sentiment and for the
fact that Aaron holds it high at the finish so
I can find them!

The result? I believed, and I did! New Personal Record for me, 3 minutes faster than my previous. I was seriously pleased!

I was also pleased to sit and have a Kona Ice with my boy ...

I noted that our selections both matched my shoes:

... to which he responded, "Mom, everything matches your shoes!"

I know that has, like, nothing to do with running. But, not everything does. Even today wasn't just about the run itself. It was way, way more than that. It's nice when you dig really deep to survey what you're made of and find out that you're really happy with what you find.

And, that you have people who love you no matter what you may look or smell like at any given moment:

I'm so thankful for what I'm able to do, but I'm most thankful for the support. Thank you for coming along this ride with me!! I hope you're ready for another ... it's coming fast!!

More weekend roundup tomorrow!! See you then ...!