Marathon Success

Five years ago I ran the Green Bay Marathon in a (somewhat) disappointing 4 hours and 41 minutes. I mean, it was exciting to run around the inside of Lambeau Field, and I was pleased that I crossed the finish line, where I was then greeted by cheese, bratwursts, and beer (all seemingly disgusting at that point), but I definitely "hit the wall" around mile 21 and had to walk awhile. That total time divided out over 26.2 miles makes for a 10 min-44sec per mile pace. I've always had that little urge to try just one more time because I thought I could do better - and this year provided me with the perfect opportunity to have the time to train to do just that.

Back in September, I found this quaint marathon online with great reviews in Abingdon, VA. (And by quaint, I mean trail course in backwoods Appalachia that caps at the first 100 people registered.) It is advertised as a "low-frills" event - no timing chips, no medals, not even a T-shirt (but you do get a handy paperweight instead) - all for the "low-frills" price of $10!!!!!! That's right, it's not missing a zero, the cost for the marathon was $10! For those of you not familiar with marathon prices, that is unheard of! Most cost $75-100!

Not only that, but they also have a pretty sweet deal with the Days Inn so that "packet pickup" is when you check in, and you get a 4:00 check out the next day. Granted, the hotel is ...well... let's just say less than "low-frills" (aka old and run-down), but I guess it sleeps and you get a hot post-race shower in the privacy of your own room. They even think to put you in a first floor room so you don't have to climb the stairs afterwards. (However - our room had two twin beds and first floor rooms honestly freak me out a little - easy access for perpetrators and what not...paranoid, I know!) So anyway, I did manage the stairs - albeit ungracefully!

Abingdon is a cute, historic town with attractions such as the Barter Theater and the Martha Washington Inn. We had a fantastic pre-race meal at Withers Hardware Restaurant the night before. It had a great atmosphere (as it really was once a hardward store), and a great menu - so I was utterly sad when the host said we were the only people with reservations for that evening. (I guess it's just the bad economy...)

The marathon is run on the Virginia Creeper Trail, an old railroad bed that winds through the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RACE ever! If you're afraid of heights or bridges though, this is not the best option as you run over 9 different wooden trestles (that are nowhere near the ground) as you cross valleys and rivers throughout the countryside. (Check out these pics!)

The trail runs alongside pastures of horses and cows and between these great moss-covered rock formations...It's unreal! And you don't have to take my word for it, you can read the reviews from past runners as well if you're interested in more.

It's been raining here so much this week that I contemplated wearing my old shoes with the fear that I would have to throw away whatever I wore after the race was over. (Fortunately, that was not the case!) The weather was definitely less than ideal: temperatures in the 40's and wind speeds in the 16-20 mph range. Luckily, several portions of the trail were protected by those aforementioned rock formations, mountains, and trees, so it wasn't horrible the entire way.

Running in the mountains, you would have thought that perhaps elevation changes would be a factor as well, but honestly, I found them to not be an issue at all. My training runs here in Winston-Salem involved several 3-4% grade changes and one major 6% grade hill that was killer. (Data which was garnered from one of my favorite websites ever: http://www.mapmyrun.com/. It's an absolute must if you are a runner, biker, or hiker). I would have been happy with anything faster than 4 hours and 20 minutes (a 10-min pace), but my high goal was as close to 4 hours flat as I could get.

I started out fast (which for me is ~8-minutes/mile) - I know that's anti-runner advice; they always say to start out slow. But my logic is that I'd rather get a cushion of time faster than my goal so that I have some room to work with because no matter what, I'm going to get slower eventually (and my tiny bladder means I have to stop at least once to pee). I was at 1 hr 52 min at the halfway point, but I knew the infamous "wall" would hit me at some point in the next half. Miles 17-21 I ran close to 10 minutes per mile, and I was definitely getting loopy (or grouchy if you ask Chris) but I didn't ever feel the moment where I couldn't go on.

The course is laid out so that you cross over the start/finish line four times before you finish on the fifth time through (down and back, left and back, right and back, left and back, and then a really short right and back for the finish). That frustrates some people; but some people (including me) like it because you can really think about the run in sections). This also makes it handy for spectators to see you at different points on the course. Chris was able to see me at the line all of those times plus was able to drive to one of the turnarounds as well. At mile 18, he decided to join me for miles 18-25. I was thankful for his company and pace to urge me on, but I was in no mood for conversation and (bluntly) told him so (hence the grouchy comment by me).

Thankfully miles 22-25 were part of the slight downhill portion, so pyschologically, I felt more confident in my ability to pick the pace back up. The very last 1.2 miles involved a really windy section, which made it tough to breathe (especially because one of the cabins on the side of the trail had a fire going). But I had a pretty respectable kick at the end and finished at 3 hours 55 minutes 43 seconds (My cameraman was a second slow...). Which calculates to a 8 min/59.89 sec pace (I say no need to round to the nearest whole number in this case!) YEA! YEA! YEA! Sure, this is a really small race, but it's still fun to be able to say that I finished 2nd in my age group, 6th out of all of the women, and 28th overall!

Post-race is not pretty sometimes... but those shiny, aluminum foil blankets are the best! (My new favorite warmer-upper - I'm thinking about keeping it... )

I've always said that I wanted to try - "just one more time" - to see if I could I could do better than that Green Bay time. And honestly, I am very happy to never run another full marathon again. (And I say that with great certainty a mere eight hours post-race...) I guess there's a chance that might change someday, but I really do think I'll be quite happy to run every half marathon in the country instead - Rock-n-Roll Half in Virginia Beach September 6 anyone?

Busy Week!

It's been a busy, busy week!

Monday - Chris' faculty/grad student IM basketball team won the championship game. Glory, glory, IM champions again (and perhaps for the very last time...)

Tuesday - Celtic Cafe was of course jam-packed for St. Patrick's Day, so we altered plans and ended up at Foothills for the big day. Never celebrated Paddy's Day with a REAL, owns-a-house-in-Dublin, Irish(wo)man before (and might not ever again...who knows!)

Wednesday - Nothing too exciting, but we did (finally) finish our taxes! Filing in two states, realizing you weren't smart enough to bring your 2007 paperwork with you when you moved, being forced into having to identify yourself as "self-employed" because you moonlighted in an ER who chose to send you a 1099-MISC instead of a W-2, and then owing A LOT because the two measly little part-time jobs I work haven't been withholding enough money... Let's just say I'm glad that's over for another 365 days!

Thursday - Another item to cross off the list: Attending an NCAA tournament game. We went to Greensboro to watch the Texas/Minnesota and Duke/Binghamton games. Not tremendously exciting games, but fun nonetheless!

Friday - Had to watch the painfully excrutiating Wake loss --- oi!

Saturday - Chris: track meet, tennis match, soccer game; Dawn: Oyster Roast and Wine Festival with the girls from work (church) at RayLen Vineyards. Hmmm.... I think I definitely had the better day!

Tonight we're going to the Harlem Globetrotters game - very exciting (although slightly bummed because I'm missing Leann Rimes' Lifetime movie debut! But they'll be replaying it Sunday and Monday and Tuesday and... ) I think I'll catch it eventually...

Anyway - hope you're all having exciting times as well! It's spring! YEAH!

Healthy Living - (Expo and Beer)

Who wouldn't want to walk through a life-size colon, huh? If you were at the Healthy Living Expo here at the convention center (which is a block away), you could have had your big chance! With hundreds of booths, activities, and seminar talks happening, it was definitely the place to be. I love getting all of the free screenings done; Chris, of course, struggles with the sensationalism of it all. Chiropractors that can show you your spine on a computer screen and convince you they can cure any ailment; Cure-all vitamin companies who promise your best life ever if you only take their product; (and the fact that every other booth was sponsored by the competing hospital here in town didn't endear him to much of it either).

The real reason why I wanted to go though was the keynote speaker: Ali Vincent, the first (and so far only) female to win NBC's Biggest Loser. The show frustrates me with all of the drama and silly games, but the workouts, the weight changes, and the life transformations move me to tears almost every time I watch it! I remember so clearly watching that season finale and watching her win as she lost 112 pounds (some 47% of her total body weight) by the final weigh-in. How amazing is that!

As I was waiting to get a seat after the previous speaker finished up, I realized she was standing right next to me talking to the guys at the sound table. I asked if she would mind if I took her picture, and her (very energetic) response was, "Only if you're going to be in it with me!" Ummm...ok....At this point, Chris had left because he was working the Special Olympics games that day, so she suggested I just do one of those shoot-it-yourself pictures. It was like we were best friends. Thankfully someone offered to take it for us - (but as you can tell from the picture, I was a little out of sorts.)

Her message is completely inspiring - and realistic - and funny. Instead of trying to summarize here, you can check out an interview that captures some of what she said that day. She also has great blog where she's been posting some video - which is where I learned that she climbed Camelback Mountain the same day I climbed Dreamy Draw! No Way - (They're right by each other)!

Another one of the speakers was Brad Hoover of the Carolina Panthers, which obviously meant a lot more to native Panthers fans - such as this one. Whoa! To see that at a football game is one thing; to see that at a health expo where people are jammed in between row after row of exhibit booths is another. It totally cracked me up!

So after a day of learning about healthy living - including healthy colons of course! - Chris was ready to give his liver something to do. Every February, Foothills releases their award-winning Imperial Stout called Sexual Chocolate (scroll down the page if you follow this link). I am not a fan of dark beers, but this one is like something you've never had. With ingredients like chocolate, espresso, and molasses, it is DARK, and the alcohol content is 9.75% (so they aren't even allowed to sell it in a pint sized glass.) I think this might be the only beer they actually bottle the whole year - and people line up for hours before the official release just to purchase the limit of 4. Check out this beer expert's blog on his experience: Review

Healthy living is definitely the way to go! It was great being surrounded by something I'm passionate about (fitness, not colons necessarily), meeting Ali Vincent, and even having a little of a chocolate-y, coffee-y beer. Yep - it's confirmed: Life is good!

CIAA Tournament

We spent last Thursday through Sunday in Charlotte for the CIAA "Rock the Rim" men's and women's basketball tournament, a conference which is made up of Division II HBCU schools (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) along the East coast. It was so entertaining - (and tiresome)! We didn't leave the arena until after midnight almost every night!


My thought the entire weekend was: "Basketball is always basketball. Cheerleading is NOT always cheerleading." These girls stomped and danced in ways that were unbelievable. Molly - I'd like to see the Morton cheerleaders performing with this kind of energy next year :)





The cheerleading competition on Saturday morning was quite entertaining as well. Each squad had a themed performance with props set to various pieces of music. Themes included Tarzan, car mechanics, space, and the political/President Obama tribute.

The bands were amazing and had their own amount of organized dancing in the stands during their performances as well. They definitely had a battle of the bands going on all weekend long.

One of the traditions of the tournament is Mr. CIAA, this elderly gentleman who changes into an extraordinary outfit complete with matching hat, coat, shoes, and umbrella every half hour. I didn't get pictures of him every time, but these were some of the ones that I managed to capture.

There was also a Ms. CIAA pageant - one girl selected from each school competed in interviews, essays, and online voting apparently.

And, there were lots of entertainment acts at both the games and the Ford Fan Experience at the nearby Convention Center. My favorite was definitely the trampoline dunkers (although I did grow weary of them the sixth time I saw their routine...). Among others, some of the musical acts included: Yolanda Adams, some former American Idol contestant (sorry AI fans, I don't remember her name...) Robin Thicke, and ---- Nelly! We were totally bummed that he didn't perform at 3:00 like they announced he would (we're guessing due to plane delays), so I only got the picture from the jumbotron since we had to get back to the arena for the championship games.

Chris was excited that he got to see Oak Hill Academy (the #2 ranked HIGH SCHOOL team in the country) play Charlotte Christian on Saturday morning as well. Their team is unreal. Apparently all sorts of basketball greats go to this private institution to get recognized for college opportunities.

The most unfortunate part of the weekend was that the hotel they put us in was a good 20 minutes away. So, instead of getting to stay in the downtown, convenient hotels, we had to be in another town (We decided this was probably because the refs and the medical staff were put up in the same place and maybe it was safer if they were all in an impartial setting). And so, this was really all we saw of the city of Charlotte. But Uptown is definitely a cool area... I think we'll be heading back for a weekend out sometime before we leave.