Dear Future Husband

Dear Future HusbandBG26.2 Marathon

Bowling Green, KY

State #33

4:07:01

 

Since my last race… I got engaged!   …To the most wonderful man, a man that is the balance to my life, that makes me strive to be the best me, a man who loves and supports me unconditionally and I man that I look up to and trust with my life.  I couldn’t have found a more perfect match.   I’ll limit my non running mush gush to that.  The question most of my friends always wondered was- will I end up with someone who is as addicted to endurance as I am.   And the answer is “No”    Everyone has their personal opinion on who they want to marry, who their perfect match is.  Some endurance athletes need someone just like them for whatever reasons they might have of relating to one another or any other reason.   I never wanted to marry someone just like me because I wanted a different balance to my life.  It’s my personal opinion that without that balance, I might as well just marry myself and stay focused on racing as my number one.  I don’t want that- I wanted someone to remind me there is more than just endurance to life but at the same time, I still needed someone to support what I do:  To “get it.”   Joe grew up an athlete.  Not a runner, but he played football, basketball, La Crosse- he is a contact sports kind of guy.  He has a passion for sports and an understanding how athletics can build character teaches people how to be committed and focused.  He understands the importance of having a passion like mine.  He gets the dedication and supports it, knows that (while not every day can be a training focused day) - weekends tend to have long runs.   And I compromise too, if we have a special event- birthday etc., I just build my training schedule around that to make sure I’m not consumed whole.  I do more than just train and race and to me, life is more fulfilling that way, to be a little better-rounded.   And that my readers, is my perfect match to my endurance addiction, keeping my addiction healthy.  And Bonus- His family “gets it” too, so my big network of support has grown exponentially.     

 We have been friends over the last 5 states, dating over the last 3 states (inclusive of this state), and this race would be the first state he joined.    So, he will be a big part of this race write up once we get to the actual race.

 But first…. since the last race, I have also been working my way back from being over trained.     It scares me to become over trained again- because it took a lot of work to get back to feeling normal!  I started with 10 mile runs, and worked my way to 14 miles and those 14 miles would feel like a marathon!   I would slow down and fight to make it through a shorter long run.  Danielle would join me and if she didn’t join, we would text to help motivate me through.   I really started to fear running.  It was like I was running out of obligation- I have this goal to complete 50 states and there’s no way I would just give up on that.

 Then there was one Friday night I remember crying to Joe, fearing I peaked, and I’m a ‘has been’ that there will be no more great milestones in my endurance life.  He was the support I needed to productively figure out how to get through what I was going through.  He told me we could focus on eating healthier together, that with age the nutrition is so important in order to keep doing what we did at younger ages.  He used information from documentaries of professional basketball players that have experienced some sort of level of what I was experiencing to help me feel better about what I was going through.  So I remember that next morning was the turning point to not letting myself be a “has been”

 Then, I made friends with one of the girls that takes my boot camp class, Lisa.    She was training for her first marathon.    Now the thing about me is I get stronger by helping others achieve their endurance goals.    So, while she felt she would slow me and struggle on our runs, she was a blessing for me to regain my confidence in my endurance.   We trained a good 1 minute /mile slower than Erin and I did for Alabama, but it was all about re-finding the passion and re-building the endurance.   The sad part of that story is Lisa got injured and couldn’t’ run her race, but she got me through my first 20 miler of 4 20+ runs I planned to help rebuild my endurance.  And so that push, got me through my training.

 Once I finished my last 20 mile run, I finally paid attention to the elevation profile- because again this wasn’t about speed, this was about getting my endurance back but once I was feeling stronger I started to have speed on my mind.  I wanted to know what to expect with the elevation.  …it didn’t look pretty! My last taper long run I tried to simulate the elevation in 10 miles….   I had to run up and down Atwater beach’s path once, the hill by collectivo 3 times, North Avenue hill 2 times and then the lake drive up to upper lake drive- once.  And that still wasn’t enough elevation to simulate 1 loop of the marathon.  But it didn’t seem so bad- so I figured- I’m solid for hills.

 Race weekend we stayed with Joe’s Parents Friday night in Illinois.    Then the drive down - it rained and there was construction for more than half of the drive so it was a long way there!  We went to the expo which was at the corvette museum and that was kind of cool and the best swag a race has ever given-  a fleece blanket, an extra shirt and a cheap but still nice to have- beanie/hat. We ended up making plans to meet up with my “ex step grandmother” so her and Joe could meet.  She drove up from Nashville for dinner which was nice! 

 The eve of the race, you could tell Joe was excited and nervous.  He wanted to be a great spectator, and wanted me to have a good race.  He made a shirt for the occasion!  A superman “T” and has decided my nickname to be “the Greek Streak” which is on the back of the shirt.   He told me the story of getting that shirt and all the effort he put in just reminds me how loved and lucky I am!

We go to bed and I fell asleep quickly and slept like a rock, while Joe tossed and turned.   … A little backwards but the thing is – since we started sleeping in the same bed, I don’t have a problem with sleeping.  He just gives me this level of comfort that I don’t have bedtime mind wandering thoughts keeping me awake….  And the night before the race, I didn’t have them because he had them for me.  What a partnership!

 If I’ve had friends travel with me- they still sleep while I prep in the morning, but Joe wanted to be up and be ready and energized to be there for me.   He walks me to the start- and we are that couple where the guy kisses the girl and sends her off- I’m sure there were haters but don’t be jealous- don’t hate.  And from there…the race starts.

 The race course was rolling hills for 6.5 miles, then a relatively flat course for the next 6.6 miles, and then you repeat that all over again. The weather was great for spectating, and a little warm for the run but not too bad.  There was a humidity in the air which was noticeable while running, but otherwise not too noticeable.

 I was a little nervous about how organized the race would be as they just got all volunteers set up for the water less than a week before the race.  I debated bringing my hand held water but decided not to.   It was a small race- less than 200 marathoners, though a lot more half marathoners.   Usually at smaller races the marathoners are more experienced or ‘serious’ runners – people like me doing 50 states, marathon maniacs, etc.    Then the real annoying part- it was not a closed course which means a car could drive on the same road you were running on- which wouldn’t be so bad if the roads didn’t have that slope to them.  Most marathons you try to run in the middle of the road so your ankles aren’t being stressed extra from the curve of the road- but you really couldn’t do this on this run and that added to the pain.

 

The race started with a gradual climb, then taking it to a 9% grade climb, then down a hill and around…  I chat it up with a pace leader and a girl who seemed to be the Kentucky version of my CARA 9:30 pace leading days of quirkiness, but I stayed on a 9minute/mile pace and pulled ahead for the time being. 

I saw Joe 3 times while on the hills.  By the time I got to the last big hill in the first loop I thought- it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.  Then we run down a steep down to finish the hilly part and that’s when I realized how much those hills killed my quads.  I figure- the next 6.5 miles is to recharge for loop #2.

My stomach starts to bother me as I wonder if I should take a porta potty stop, there is one guy around me breathing heavy that annoyed me, I worry my head is going to go to a negative place and just in time I started chatting it up with some positive happy guy who is from the area and has done the full before.  He said it’s such a torturous second loop that he decided to stick to the half this year and we laughed at the level of difficulty and commented on the humidity which just reminded me to stay positive – it’s not that I’m a “has been” it’s just a rough course.  As he was slowing and I wanted to stay between an 8:30/9:00 we said our goodbyes and I ran on.

 

I visualized where I would see Joe in loop two, where he would run with me- and I continued to try to enjoy myself.    Now this is a true two loop course-   you run all the way to that finish line with the half marathoners and turn and do it all over again-   as we split, I was the only one around me that was going on for the second loop.  I knew it would be about a half a mile before I would see Joe.  I had asked him to bring me some food as I realized I didn’t eat enough for how hills make me hungry.  So we walked up the 9% grade part and chatted and I ate a few almonds and drank some Gatorade.  He kissed me goodbye and I took off, knowing I wouldn’t see him now until mile 24 where he would run to the finish with me. 

 The hills the second time were rough.  At one point I thought I might puke, then the girl who I thought was the Kentucky quirky me- was just ahead of me (she passed when I walked a bit with Joe).   I had been keeping her in my sites in hopes to catch up and talk with her.  She was bent over dry heaving and as a cop was starting to approach her (motivation to run when they want to pull you from a race- been there!) she started running again….and slowly but surely she pulled ahead so I didn’t get a running friend.    I was done with those hills and had 6.5 miles to go.    I started chatting with another guy who said he has done one other marathon- Louisville or “lu-vulle” as they say it..and he said that one was a cake walk compared to this one.   I remember I was once going to do Louisville and dreaded how hard people told me it was.   That put this in perspective.  

 After this race I have a new rule-  if you see a porta potty and vocalize you are thinking of stopping-   then STOP…  as in this case, it was the last porta potty opportunity I had (at mile 21).   And the stomach cramps to follow slowing me down, could have been avoided if I just would have stopped.  At mile 21 I told Joe he could leave to meet me to run.  Near 22 I took a walk to text Erin and complain about my stomach and realized my quads were numb- like there is sore and there is novacane numb- and they were so sore they were novacane numb!

 I texted Joe to let him know I have slowed drastically- and then I just did what I could to get to him. Hoping for a porta potty that I never got.  Joe ended up being about a quarter mile sooner than where we said we would meet which made me so happy.  I saw him and started to tear up because...Honestly - I’m so annoyingly in Love with someone who loves me the same way- and I was just so happy he was there- and he looked so handsome about to run with me.    While my stomach still hurt- I had something to take my mind off it.

 So he joined, and we ran and we talked and I told him about some of my run, he told me about the positive support I’ve been getting from his family and facebook.  I told him what was to come how it would tease us weaving a bit and about the little run around a parking lot when you just want to turn to go to the finish.   He told me I was on the front end of the girls in the race, but I also knew a bunch passed me as I was fighting my stomach issues so I wasn’t too sure where I stood with the women rankings at this point.

 As we ran around the parking lot, we saw there were two girls behind me.   I told Joe I wouldn’t let them pass me-  and I had a “kick it” left in me!  We picked up the pace back up to a 9 minute mile as I had slowed to about a 10 at that point.   Joe told me we should pass the guy in front of me…. Oh he knows how I work!  (When I’m tired on the oak leaf I make it a game to pass people to keep going).  So we passed the guy- we made it 3 turns to the finish, 2 turns to the finish- and there was, the finish!  In that last stretch- that guy who I passed- came sprinting past me!  And so I picked it up to keep on his tail. This is something that is rarely done by me, usually the last steps at the end if I try to do that, I cramp.  But I finished super strong and happy.    

I didn’t finish under 4 hours which is the place I like to be- but I don’t think my natural sub 4 hour days are over.   This was just the warm up to my last 17 states!

 

So…my ending note- Dear Future Husband, thank you for your love and support as I have made my way back from being over trained.  Thank you for ‘getting it’.   Thank you for knowing this is a part of my life, so it’s a part of our life.   I look forward more endurance milestones with you by my side!