More Than I Ever Imagined {London Marathon Race Recap}

As race mornings go I woke up relatively late, which isn't to say I was rested since I tossed and turned for most of the night. But once I was up I got dressed quickly and then Sanya (my twin sister) and I were out the door.

We walked to Westminster station and took the tube and then the train to Greenwich station...

Then we commenced the walk to the start....

Which was longer than I thought it would be...

And then a little longer than that...

By the time we got to the Red start zone I was already tired (but still smiling)...

San wished me luck and I headed into the start area, found a patch of grass that wasn't damp to sit on and tried to "rest" my legs while I watched the elites take off...

But while I was there it started to drizzle cold rain and I immediately regretted giving San my rain jacket to hold. Fortunately San called me before it got to be too miserable and said she would meet me back at the Red start if I wanted the jacket. She was a total life saver! So I headed back and we stayed there for a few minutes until my start zone opened up...

Then it was time to go...

Once back inside the Red start I lined up with my fellow runners and we walked a bit and stood around some more while waiting to make our way to the start line. A lot of people were running for different charities and many people were decked out in costumes... some of which were more interesting than others...

As we got closer to the start I found the 6 hour pacers...

And the other 6 hour runners and I discussed the plan for the race with the pacers while we waited to walk the final stretch to the start...

My plan was to stick with or stay ahead of the 6 hour pacing group. I had an interval strategy in mind but it was a bit different from what the pacers were doing. I figured I could adjust my strategy to fit theirs as long as it would get me across the finish line in under 6 hours.

About two miles into the race I realized I was wrong. The pacers were running a bit faster between the inclines so that they could walk up the inclines (yes there ARE hills in the London Marathon). Other walk breaks were thrown in as well but they were not (or at least they didn't seem to be) very structured, so it was throwing me off. I'm usually pretty steady with my pace/mile so I decided to abandon the "stick with the pacing group" idea and just try to stay ahead of them.

San and I planned to meet at the NSPCC cheer points along the course so the first time I saw her was around mile 6...

I was feeling pretty good at that point (still able to smile) so after a quick picture I headed off again. Meeting up at the NSPCC cheer points didn't work out exactly as planned so the next meet up was planned for mile 13 at Tower Bridge. As I approached the half marathon mark blisters were really starting to bother me and I felt like I was struggling a bit... not how you want to feel with another half marathon to go. But the crowd build up as I approached Tower Bridge was great...

I saw San as I approached the top of the bridge...

Stopped for more pictures...

And to spray Biofreeze on my knee...

Then I took a cereal bar from her and headed off again. I was in pain (the blisters mostly but my left knee was also mildly tight), and tired, and hungry, and had no idea how I was going to make through the second half of the course.

Most of the second half was a blur. I saw San again at around mile 19 but I was so close to tears that I didn't stop. San asked "what do you need?" and all I could think of was "I just need to finish".

If you've run a marathon before you know that it's more a mental game than anything else at this point. I had already seen the 6 hour pacer pass me, I had dropped my intervals to very short run:walk durations, and I was struggling not to cry. 

But then I saw some of the messages that my family and friends had been sending me. Those messages honestly gave me the extra push I needed... and then I caught up to the 6 hour pacer!

When the pacer saw me he said "I knew you could do it! Keep going and stay ahead of me!" so that's exactly what I did. 

The NSPCC charity I given me grandstand tickets for the finish line so Sanya was there waiting for me...

And I made it through the finish in my sub-6 hour goal time...

Despite the blisters and the mid-race periods of discouragement, London was a pretty amazing marathon experience (nothing has topped Chicago so far, but it's pretty hard to beat running in the city that I love the most).

I made it through the race without injuries (just a few blisters), I ran for a charity that I love, and I'm absolutely proud of my sub-6 hour finish!

San met me at the family meet up area and we slowly walked towards Westminster station and back to the flat where we were staying.

After a long shower and gingerly tending to my poor blistered feet, we went out for a celebration dinner at Dishoom Indian restaurant... the perfect cuisine to end an amazing day!

Overall my London Marathon experience was incredible, more than I ever imagined it would be. I would do this race again for sure. In fact, if I could, I would do the London Marathon every Spring and the Chicago Marathon every Fall! But until life can accommodate that it's time to plan for the rest of the year. Up next... the 2019 Marine Corps Marathon!

I'm A Runner of Steel!!!! {PGH Marathon Race Weekend Recap}

I got to PGH late Thursday night (05/03) so there wasn't much to do except head to the hotel and go to bed. I stayed at one of the race hotels so they had all the frills for the runners checking in...

Once I got enough sleep, I was off to the race expo for packet pickup and other fun stuff on Friday morning...

Last year I ran with a group during a work related Pittsburgh trip and met Tonya, who I was happy to see again at the expo...

We spent time walking around the expo, checking out the different vendors, and shopping. By the time I was done I had collected quite a few race goodies...

[there may or may not be a few tops and a medal rack not featured here 😊]

Then it was time for the PGH Marathon VIP Reception (and Official Blogger Meetup) on Friday night...

(we took serious pictures also I promise)

I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Erin, who was my main PGH Marathon contact as an official blogger for the race...

And I met Patricia, the PGH Marathon Race Director...

And Aliphine Tuliamuk, elite distance runner...

And of course Chelsea! Chelsea and I were race ambassadors for another race series for a few years and were both official bloggers for the PGH Marathon (I actually met Tonya (from the expo pic above) through Chelsea's running group)...

On Saturday morning 4000+ runners gathered for the PGH 5K event (and part 1 of the Steel Challenge)...

My goal was to walk most of this event because I wanted to ensure my legs were rested for the marathon the following day. I can't say the course was scenic but the event itself was nice and the runners/walkers all seemed to be having a good time. At the end of the event though, I was ready to exit...

After the 5K I went back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the day and I woke up bright and early on marathon morning at 4am. I had a routine planned out that allowed for more than enough time to get ready and walk the mile (or so) under overcast skies to the start corrals... 

Once I got there I waited around until I saw the pacers... 

My first stop was the 6:30 pace group. It was the last official pace group for the race and with no time goals in mind (well... except to finish before the 7 hour course limit) I figured joining a group and having company for the race would be ideal. Unfortunately the 6:30 group was going to be doing intervals that I hadn't run in years so my next stop was the 6:00 group. And I lucked out! They were doing 1:30/30 intervals (which is what I used in training) and they were going to walk all the inclines (including the major hill at Oakland). It was a match made in heaven...

We started about 20+ minutes after the official start time and I had a great time talking with the other runners and getting to know my pace partners...

Well, up until mile 15. After that my left knee started bothering me so I slowed down and adjusted my intervals to 1:00/30. This was when the first wave of self reminders started: "Just finish. It's all about the experience. No time goals remember?" Despite the reminders I tried to keep the pace group in my line of sight for a while. Eventually I gave up on that and just concentrated on keeping my breathing steady and not focusing on my knee pain. By mile 19 I gave up all thoughts of running and started to walk. By that point it felt like I could walk faster than I could run anyway.

I spent the last 7 miles of the race walking, greeting people who were still kind enough to brave the overcast and rainy weather to cheer us on, and blasting "Girl on Fire" from my phone. At a couple of the aid stations the volunteers sang along as I walked passed. It was awesome!

(this music saved the day)

I didn't attempt to run again until I turned the final corner and saw the finish line on top of a small mountain hill (whose bright idea was that by-the-way?!). I ran the final stretch and got cheered through the finish by Chelsea and some of the other bloggers/runners...

And just like that marathon #4 was over and I was officially a runner (walker) of steel!

By the time I was done most of the finish line festivities were over so I went to collect my steel challenge medal...

...and walked the mile back to my hotel.

It's been a little over a week since PGH (therefore I've had lots of time to reflect) and the weekend was definitely among the best race experiences I've had. The people were amazing. It wasn't lined with crowds throughout all 26.2 miles but when the crowds were there they were great. The water stations never ran out of water, and the volunteers were happy and encouraging.

I'm not sure I would brave the PGH hills again (certainly not for a full... maybe the 10miler), but I am so glad I did this event!

Key West Virtual Half {"race" recap}

To kick off 2018's running calendar I decided to sign up for the Key West virtual Half Marathon...

Normally I wouldn't register for a race before the Miami Half Marathon race weekend (which is usually the weekend that starts my running calendar); but once I saw the medal I really had no choice but to register...

(The. Lighthouse. Lights. Up!)

I'm a real sucker for cool race medals. I won't even pretend to deny it. The first thing I think about when I'm considering registering for a race is "what does the medal look like?" Well actually, the first thing is probably do I get a medal? and then I determine if it's pretty enough to justify the race entry fee :)

Anyway, since my heart felt obligated to run for the lighthouse, I signed up for the virtual option and ran it this morning...

I ran with Jani for the first 6+ miles and then Mimi and I ran the last 7+ miles. During the first 6 Jani and I encountered a guy who was wearing less than ideal clothing for the 50 degree weather we were having and utilizing the sidewalk as his personal urinal. Not cool. We ran on the road to avoid having to run by him on the sidewalk (especially since he also appeared drunk/high on something). We also dealt with a pretty strong headwind for the first 3 miles, but other than that the first half of my virtual half was great.

When Jani and I got back to our cars, Mimi and I headed out for the second half of my half. We decided to add a change to our normal running route and included a highway overpass as part of an out and back section. Garmin claims that I started at high elevation for this run but I can guarantee you the route was pretty flat apart from those last two "hills" when we ran over the overpass and back...

Fortunately Mimi and I didn't encounter any unsavory characters on our route and we finished faster than I anticipated with a negative split (i.e. second half of the race was faster than the first half)...

Now I just have to patiently wait for my lighthouse medal to come in the mail! And start getting ready for the Tropical 5K and Miami Half Marathon coming up in two weeks!!!

Do you run virtual races?

What was your favorite virtual race (and why?)

What's your biggest motivator for registering for a race?