Marathon EXPO & Morning of the Race

I have so much I want to share that I thought I would break down my posts regarding the Marathon. 

First off, I wanted to paint my nails a festive color.  I found this beautiful, glittery Mardi Gras green and had to have it.  I really wanted purple but I didn't like the shades.  Boo...  Click on the picture to get a much better look at the color. 

I, also, got a headband with the jester swirls on it in the three Mardi Gras colors but decided not to wear it since I pulled my hair back. 

There were so many notables that were scheduled to run in the Half Marathon!!  It was such an honor just to be on the same turf as them.  As usual, with the Rock 'n Roll Race in NOLA, they have some of these, as well as others of interest to the running community, speaking at different times.  First one we came up on was an interview with Kara Goucher.  She looked great AND strong.  Well, duh!!  Of course, she's great looking! 

 

As we were leaving the area, we saw Frank Shorter stopped by someone asking him questions.  He was scheduled to be interviewed about an hour later.  We didn't stay for that as we were already tired from all the walking around.  These people are amazing looking.  So strong and powerful...and, yet, they are all so friendly and willing to help out another runner no matter their skill level.  This is one thing I love about runners.  They've all been just where you are at some time, and understand, AND want to lend a hand to assist any way they can.  It's a family.  You just haven't met them all yet.

There were so many photo ops this year!  There are always areas you can have your picture taken but this year seemed to have been full of them.  Here are some my hubby got of me while at the Expo.  Missing my marathon buddies from last time...sniff, sniff.

They had these mirrors set up that had cool sayings on them.  I loved them.  These 2 were my favorite.

 

A sweet lady came by and offered to take our picture.  Kent said NO!  But when I realized what she was asking, I immediately said YES!  Guess that's the way it goes with men and pics.  But, I won hands down!!

Then there are the cool dressing rooms.  Haven't been in one but I surely hope they are MUCH more roomier than the real things!  Maybe they are just for looks.  Still a cool idea.

The Brooks booth had giveaways.  We selected our card and went to see what we got.  Surprisingly, we got the best gift...BOTH of us got shirts.  The first picture is the front of the shirt.

I had to get up very early [4:00 a.m.] to eat, get dressed, leave so we could get parked as the last shuttle leaving for the starting line was at 6:30.  We had to leave BY 5:30.  That's even early for me and I'm a morning person.  The bad part of it all is that we hardly got any sleep.  There were rowdy people in the hotel who slammed doors and were loud ALL night long.  So not the right night to be doing this!  Anyway, the race started at 7:00 and you had to walk several blocks to find the corrals and then to weave back to yours.  I was in the 14th corral out of 20.  Here are a couple of race day photos.  I'm ready to rock and roll!!  Nervous, but ready.

This is all of this post.  I will be posting the race day article soon.  It's going to be hard to select the photos I want to use.  There were so many taken.  I can hardly wait to get started on my second marathon scrapbook.  I thought this one was not going to be very big but due to all the pics taken by my friend and the race photographers, it's going to be much better than ever expected.  Woo-hoo!

Sweetheart 5k/Tapering/Ailments

Saturday was gorgeous but was VERY windy, making it quite cold. The Valentine's Races were a 10k, 5k and a 5k Walk.  There were 500-600 people that participated.  First a couple of pre-race pics. 

A little nervous but ready to go.  This was Kent's first race since his surgery in mid December. 

This large group came out even with all this wind.  Racers gather up to start the race.  Just look at how everyone was bundled up. 

And the runners are off...all 10k and 5k runners started first.

Then the racewalkers were lined up...and off they went.  There were about 160 of these. 

Kent has on the blue shirt and is on the other side of the guy you see here in the red shirt and leggings.

It was at this time that I headed back to the car.  When I got to the redlight, I came up on a friend.  We race against one another all the time.  She called me to the side and told me that she had breast cancer and that it had mestasized into her lymph nodes!  I was saddened to hear this news.  I've told some of my praying friends and we will be praying for her. 

I crossed a parking lot to go to the car to put up my gloves.  When I began to remove my right glove my camera strap slipped off my wrist with the glove and hit the pavement.  It stopped working!!!  I cannot get it go come on or operate.  I am so upset with this stupid move.  I missed getting Kent's picture when he came across the line.  He received the Senior GrandMasters RaceWalker Award.  I'm so proud of him.  Congrats, Honey!!  What a great way to return to racing!! 

Update from last week:  Had good runs all week.  Tuesday was to be my long run for the week and when I got halfway out, the rain started and I got soaking wet.  On top of that, a large 2' snake cross my path on the trail going out and shortly afterward a small rattler was in the middle of the adjoining trail.  No one was around when I saw the two footer, but there were very many around the rattler.  It had been run over by a child on his bike.  It was still alive and striking at anything in it's path and shaking that rattler of his!!  Guess they were on the move this day.  I worried about coming across others on the return part of the run, especially since I was mostly on the trail alone then and soaking wet.  I had to cut my run a little short that day but felt good the whole time. 

At the end of this week, my left shoulder began hurting.  It just kills me especially at night when I'm trying to sleep.  It keeps me awake and I can hardly move or use it.  Yesterday, I put ice on it and took a Naproxen Sodium and it felt better by bedtime.  Today, my shoulder seems to be better but now the pain has gone down into my bicep.  I just can't figure this out.  I hope it doesn't hurt during the race next week.  I will be so disappointed.  Sounds like ice and drugs are on the agenda this week.

The taper is on and I feel like I can't run 10 miles!  I know it's the reduced mileage that makes me feel this way and also know that it is all good.  I'll trust the training and be ready for next Sunday.  I'm excited and nervous.  My goal this time is to finish strong!  I don't plan to push to run it entirely, although I do want to do this.  But I aim to feel better and hopefully finish in a better time.  I've listed a lot of sayings that I want to keep in mind to help pull me through some boring periods or difficult times.  Here they are:

Focus & Finish
Finish Strong
You've Already Done This
It Can Be Done!
One Mile At A Time
Never, Never, Never Give Up
Tough People Last
Just Run
Run Your Own Race
You Can Stop When You're Done
Keep It Steady
Today Is Not The Day To Quit
All Walls Have Doors
Keep Your Form
Run, Forest, Run
Shoulders Back, Smile
Stay Focused
This Is Exactly Where I Want To Be
Trust Your Training

And, one of my favorites:
The Work Is Done, Have Fun

I'm assigned to Corral #14 and my number is #14228.  Now my next project is to purchase a camera before next weekend for the race and learn how to use the thing!  But all is good!!  We've received such bad news the last 3 days:  our Sunday School Teacher, Gene Fairchild, passed away on the 15th totally unexpected, a very dear and past Sunday School Teacher, Roland Gatlin, passed away last night, and the news that my friend has been diagnosed with breast/lymph node cancer.  It's been a tough week emotionally but we are healthy and fine and I'm glad God has blessed us this week.  Looking forward to what He has in store for our lives.  And, for now, most days include a run so we go out and

Run 4 It

Double Bridge 15k & A New PR

The day was perfect, wind at your back and the temp was cool.  The makings for a great race.  I had kinda dreaded it because the temp was suppose to be 30 with a wind chill into the 20's.  It would be the first time I'd race, much less run, in such cold temps.  Therefore, I had apprehensions but it was only seconds after it started that the race became my friend.  Here's my pic before leaving the hotel room:

Yep, I doubled up every bit of clothing I could without being uncomfortable.  Looking a little pudgy with all those clothes, huh?  I love bibs that have my name on it...it's so cool and I feel important.

My friend, Deleica, came and we ran together.  Though I'm not a fan of running with someone in a race, she and I pair up pretty good, pace-wise.  We tend to help each other and this makes for a good running partner.  Now, on with the show...

The race went well.  Each bridge was a challenge, but in a good way.  The last one had the biggest hill but I knew about midways up that we were in the 8th mile and that the end was near.  Somehow, [mentally I guess] you feel like you can catch your last wind going down the bridge to finish on the straightway.  Here are pics on the bridge and crossing the Finish Line. 

D kept me strong going UP the bridges.  I'm not sure I would have pushed myself as much had I been alone.  Then out of nowhere, going down that last bridge, I got my second wind and was feeling really strong.  I have NO idea where this came from.  I looked at my watch and it seemed as though I was going to beat my time last year.  This race was to be a "training" run for my marathon training and was going to use it for a bit of a speedwork and not run hard; but it was so easy, I just went with how I felt.  The finishing shoot was in view and I began to push harder.  I mean, no sense in letting good energy go to waste, huh?  Good air filled my lungs and I felt stronger than I have in a long time.  Running as hard as I could, I crossed the line at a 6:47 pace and with a great total time.  Notice in the second pic above that I was reaching to stop my watch. 

The race was a sell-out.  There were so many people running and cheering that I never saw Kent when I was coming in.  I was just hoping he got a shot of me.  He got a good pic of the ground, ha...where it should have been me facing him coming in.  And, another of my backside as I was closing in on the finish. 

This race was chipped and thankfully so.  Having so many people, they had us coraled and let us "out of the pen" about 15-20 seconds between each pace coral [this means that the gun time and chip time are completely different].  Therefore, my time was nowhere like the clock time.  Whew!! 

They gave us this beautiful medal as we crossed the line.  I love it!  It's so colorful.  The shirts have the same emblem on it but the shirt itself was neon yellow.  Love it, too!! 

After the race, D stopped to remove her ankle brace and I looked at my watch.  It was still on!!!!  I was soooo mad!  I KNEW I had turned that thing off; but undoutedly I didn't press hard enough.  She looked at hers and the time was amazing!  If her watch was right, I had a great PR coming to me. 

We finally connected with Kent.  He took a couple of pics of D and I afterward.  We look kinda rough...but, hey, we just ran a tough 9.3 mile race and looks only add to the fact that we worked so hard for this.  Kind of a trophy, I'd say. 

We all went and got our post-race meal.  We saw Mo there with her meal.  Kent said she crossed the line just seconds before me.  I never saw her.  I asked how she did and she told me that her watch showed 1:36:??  Now, I was really wondering if D's watch was right?  How could that be if she crossed the line before me? 

I could hardly wait for the results to be posted online.  I HAD to see what was going on.  It was driving me crazy!  The next day the results were posted.  You can find them here:  http://runresults.net/ . 

I was Runner  #1353 (out of 2259 runners), 9th out of 41 in my age group, and now my time...drum roll, please: 1:32:06 at a 9:53 pace!!!  That is 2 minutes and 24 seconds faster than last year and all done under a 10 minute pace!!  I was soooo excited and couldn't believe it.  Yep...I LOVE chip running!!!  You never know how you will do until all the chips are down...sorry, no pun intended. 

I want to leave you with telling you to always do your best...whatever it is that day.  It may be really good or it may be really not good.  You never know how it will turn out.  Now, get off that couch and go

Run 4 It