Marathon #10 - Illinois

I first found out about the Quad Cities marathon at the tiny "race expo" at the Wisconsin marathon.  They were one of three different tables at the Wisconsin marathon packet pickup.  At the packet pickup, the Quad Cities folks displayed the swag that the runners would get.  I saw the gloves, found out it started in the city where my uncle lived, and decided I was going to run the race.

The Race: Quad Cities Marathon, Moline, IL, September 2012

My Training Plan:  For this race, I relied solely on the Runners World training plan app.  This training plan has a considerable amount of tempo runs, allowing me to get used to the idea of running fast for a longer period of time.

Weather:  Cold.  It was cold when we started.  It was cold when we finished.  But then again, I had trained in heat and humidity through the Atlanta summer.  To folks who live up there, it was probably no big deal.  This was the first time I had breathed in cold air while running in at least seven months, so it took a little getting used to.  The first few miles, I was coughing as my lungs adjusted.  At the start it was about 37 degrees.  At the finish it was about 49 degrees, I think. 

Running Attire:  As I always do when I go to these destination marathons, I brought clothes for every possible scenario.  When I woke up on race morning, and it was cold, I opted for my running tights, purple long sleeved technical shirt, black throw-away gloves, pink Nike visor, and iFitness belt.

Who I ran with:   Since I was at the race by myself, my goal for this race was to set a new personal record (PR).  My previous PR was 3:51, so I decided to start with the 3:45 pace group.  This was a bit of a stretch, since knocking six minutes off your time in your 10th marathon is pretty hard to do, but I figured I could always fall back if I had to.

There were five of us that lasted the first 20 miles at the 3:45 pace:  me, Nathan from Newton, IA who is trying to run ten marathons before he turns 30 (Quad Cities was his 5th), Andrew from Chicago who was also trying to get to the 10 marathon mark, Chris who is a graduate student in microbiology at a college in Iowa (I forget which one), and Mark who I didn't talk to much, so I don't know much about him.

The Course:  The course goes through four different cities and onto an island.  It is well laid out and has some rolling hills.  Some of the course is run along narrow bike paths, but that is far enough along in the route that it's not too crowded at that point.  Most of the course was closed, so traffic wasn't an issue.  The course also runs along the river for some nice views.

Organization:  For a smaller marathon, the organization was pretty good.  My one complaint was with the packet pickup.  There were lines, and it was confusing what line to be in.  You had to bypass one line to get your bib, and then go back into that line to get your gloves, shirt and poster.  The signage wasn't very good, so I ended up standing in the wrong line for probably 10 minutes before realizing it.

Other than the confusion at packet pickup, the race was well organized.  The water stops were well stocked with water, Gatorade, and volunteers to hand them out.  They had at least four different GU stops along the way and two different fruit and candy stops.

The expo had plenty of parking and the expo hall was a good size.  There weren't a whole lot of vendors, but it was a pretty good mix.  They also had bus tours of the course during the expo.

Swag:  This marathon had the best swag of all the marathons I had run so far.  There was the traditional long-sleeved technical shirt and race medal.  They also gave everyone a pair of very nice running gloves, a poster, and a running belt.

Starting Line:  The starting line was at the same place as the expo, which made it easy to find.  They had pace teams, so it was easy to gage how fast the runners were going to go.

Fans:  The fans were typical small race fans.  There were a lot during the start and finish, but not a lot along the course.  Every now and then there would be a pocket of folks cheering you on.

Personally, I had some of the best fans cheering me on, both in persona and from afar.  My uncle was one of the best fans around.  He was excited about having me there and about the race.  He dropped me off at the start line and was looking for me to finish.  Unfortunately, he missed me finish, but his enthusiasm about having me there and the race in general helped carry me to the finish.  My cousin and her daughter also came to cheer me on.  I saw them toward the finish line and they were awesome, cheering me along!

Finish Line:  The finish line was a little confusing initially.  I ended up passing by the Mylar blankets, and it was like pulling teeth to get the volunteers to let me back through to get one.  But once you got out of the shoot, there were a lot of vendor tents set up.  They had a place where you could go to get your official race results printed out for you.  They also had a ticket on the bib for a beer, a soda, and a sandwich.  In addition to that, they had bananas, cookies, and bagels.  There was a stage set up with a band and benches to sit to watch.  I used one of the benches to lie down and shake my legs out before going to stretch.

How I felt:  I stuck with the pacer the first 20 miles and felt amazing.  When the pacer ditched us at mile 20, I was still feeling fine, but had no idea what pace I was going.  Our group of five ended up spreading out.  Andrew and Nathan ran ahead.  Chris hung with me for a little while, before he took off too.  I ended up finishing fourth in the group, followed only by Mark.  By about mile 23, when we turned to head back to the finish, my legs and feet were aching.  I kept telling myself "the faster you run, the faster you're done."  At the finish I was exhausted.  I'm not sure if I could have made the 3:45 if the pacer hadn't dropped out.  I think just having the group together and knowing my pace would have helped.  I may have had to drop back for the last mile, but I may have been closer.  Either way, though, I had set a new PR!

Travel/Tourism:  I was able to get a direct flight to Moline, IL from Atlanta on Delta, although my flight back connected through Detroit.  I stayed with my uncle, so I can't provide any advice on hotel accommodations.  The town is small and quaint, but it has everything you need.  I ate at the IHOP for my traditional pre-race meal, and was able to get a bagel and banana from the grocery store for my morning breakfast before the race.

Marathon #9 - Wisconsin

My sister, Stephanie, lived in Wisconsin for the better part of her youngest's (who is now 11 years old) life.  Last year, they found out that they would be moving to Missouri.  As soon as I found that out, I knew I wanted to run a race in Wisconsin as soon as possible, before she moved.

At my other sister's house during Labor Day, Stephanie, mentioned that one of the guys from the Bible school where she worked was planning on running a marathon in Wisconsin around Memorial Day.  Memorial Day is reserved as my dad's weekend with Alan, so I knew I couldn't run one that weekend.  I took a look at the races in Wisconsin around that time, and found the Wisconsin marathon the first weekend in May.  I had already run with her for her first half marathon a couple of years prior, so running with her for her first marathon sounded like fun.  We scheduled the race.

When we told my other sister and sister-in-law about it, they thought it would be a good idea to all go and run together.  I had run with Amy for the Outer Banks marathon, and it was a lot of fun, so getting all the girls together to run sounded even better.  It became a mini Luce reunion.  We would all come up to visit Stephanie.  Amy and Mimi were going to run the half, and Stephanie and I were going to run the full.

The Race: Wisconsin Marathon, Kenosha, WI, May 2012

My Training Plan:  I have to admit that, between the Columbia and Wisconsin marathon, I didn't do a lot of speed work.  I figured that since it was my sister's first marathon, I wouldn't need a lot of speed to get through it.  Her goal was to finish, and to finish better than mine or Amy's first marathon time (so better than 4:21).  I was still half-heatedly doing the Minute to Win it contest (since I knew I had lost, I was a little discouraged and didn't exercise as often as I had early on in the program), so I was still doing quite a bit of cross-training.  I followed the Yasso plan for long runs and the Runner's World app plan for weekday runs.

Weather:  The weather was cold and rainy.  The day before it had been highs in the 50s and windy.  Then the rain moved in overnight.  It started out in the lower 40s with mist and got up to about 50 toward the end.  Anytime we ran next to Lake Michigan, the wind blew off the lake, making it even colder.

Running Attire:  I started out with a long sleeved technical shirt (borrowed from Amy) and the Luce reunion shirts that we made for the race.  I also had my black running tights, my pink Nike visor, and my iFitness belt to hold my phone.  At the half marathon split, I gave Amy my long-sleeved shirt, and regretted that decision when we turned into the wind at mile 19.

Who I ran with:  As I said before, I ran the entire race with my sister, Stephanie, for her first marathon.  The first half of the race, Amy ran with us as well.

The Course:  The course ran along Lake Michigan most of the way, so there was a lot of good scenery.  In fact, that may be the best thing about this race - the scenery.  It was mostly flat, with a few small hills.  There was one section right along the Lake that had a lot of potholes, so you really had to pay attention to where you stepped.  And that same section was a little flooded, due to the rains the night before.  I tried to go around the huge puddle covering the entire road, and ended up swishing through mud.

There are a lot of out and back places in this race, and there were no chip checks/mats at some of the turn-arounds to make sure people went the full distance. How can this be a Boston Qualifier if you can't be sure that people didn't skip some of the route? 

Organization:  This was a small race, so I didn't expect to see great organization like one of the bigger races or a Rock 'n' Roll race.  There were some good and some bad things about the organization of this race.  They let you use headphones, which was good for Amy, since she runs with music.  The race hotel was close to the start and finish lines, and they had breakfast early for the runners. The packet pickup was super easy. There were actually several different places to pick up the packets (even in different cities), and if you were a VIP and stayed at the race hotel, you received your packet at check in - very convenient!  They also had plenty of emails ahead of time to let you know when and where to pick up the race packets and other details about the race.

Now for the bad things.  My biggest gripe is that I paid for a VIP package at the race hotel, and they didn't offer late checkouts. In fact, there were no options at all for late checkouts. Seriously? How am I supposed to check out at 11 when I will still be running then?!?  The water stations were not shown on the course map, so it was difficult to plan for them. There was no expo; there were only three tables at the packet pickup. There were no corrals or pacers, so people of all different speeds were all over the place. It was difficult to weed through the slower people at the beginning with the narrow road at the start.  There were not enough volunteers. I had to pick up my own water off at least one of the water tables.

Swag:  The shirts were nice. I like that they had ladies and men's shirt sizes. They also gave the VIP runners a free apron with the race logo, which was really cool.  And of course they had the medals for all the finishers.

Starting Line:  The start and finish were in the same place, and were a short walking distance from the race hotel.  Both the marathon and half marathon started at the same time and place.  We didn't get to the start any earlier than we had to since it was so cold outside and was misty.  From what I heard, they did have some tents with heaters for those that got to the start early.

Fans:  I really don't remember a lot of fans along this race, but I wouldn't expect a lot due to the cold, rainy weather and the small size of the race.  There were pockets of fans here and there, particularly around the half marathon split and the finish.

For this race, I had some more awesome fans cheering Stephanie and me on.  Amy stuck around to cheer for us.  Jason came and brought the kids.  The girls made posters to hold up and cheer for us.  Dorian ran along side of Stephanie toward the end (off the course, but along side the road).

Finish Line:  The finish line was pretty well organized.  I loved that all the post race food (bananas, bagels, etc) were in one place in a bag at the end.  The post race party food (brats) was good too.  Because the race was small, it was very easy to find your family after the race was over.  We all met together for a few quick pictures before heading to the hotel to clean up and check out.  

How I felt:  The beginning of the race was business as usual.  I felt fine.  The adrenaline was going.  Once we turned around at mile 19 to head back toward the finish, the wind and cold started to get to me.  I wasn't too bad off until about mile 24, when I was beat.  Stephanie was amazing throughout the entire race.  Toward the end, she actually had more energy than I did, and was pushing me to go faster.  If she didn't stick with me that last mile, she probably would have made it a few minutes faster than she already did.  I learned that even if I wasn't planning on running a fast race, I need to do some speed work just to maintain a good pace throughout.

Travel/Tourism:  Kenosha is between Chicago and Milwaukee, so there are several options of how to get there.  It doesn't seem like there's much to do in the town, though.  There is the Mars Cheese Castle, which I heard is good to go to, although we didn't go.  The town is right on the Lake, so I'm sure it is nice to visit when it is warmer in the summer.

I flew into Chicago for this race.  This was the first (and only) flight that Alan has been on, so it was a bit of a challenge to come by myself with an almost 2-year-old.  I took Southwest (which I don't recommend with a toddler with a car seat).  We stayed with Stephanie in Waukesha most of the weekend, but did stay at the Best Western in Kenosha the night before the race. The hotel was okay, but nothing to write home about.

Marathon #8 - South Carolina

Since I wanted to do several marathons a year to try to get to my 50 states, for my next race I was looking at states where I had family (so I could try to keep the cost down). My sister-in-law, Alison, lives in Sumter, SC (about 40 minutes or so outside of Columbia), so I looked on marathonguide.com for races in South Carolina.  I had originally wanted to do the Myrtle Beach marathon for my South Carolina race, but after failing twice (once due to the snow cancellation and once due to not being ready after having a baby), I figured maybe it was time to look elsewhere.

I found out that Columbia, SC hadn't had a marathon in probably a decade, but that they were going to bring it back in 2012.  It happened to be in March, which wasn't too far away from my nephew's birthday.  I asked Alison if she might want some visitors for the weekend, and she seemed very excited about it.  So South Carolina became my eighth state.

The Race: Columbia Marathon, Columbia, SC, March 2012

My Training Plan: I decided to try something a little different.  I knew I needed speed work to increase my speed and break 4 hours again, but the Yasso plan I had used for the Richmond marathon had failed me twice.  It had gotten me close to the 4-hour mark, but I hadn't been able to break it since before Alan was born.  While Yasso 800s are probably my favorite speed workout, they didn't seem to be working to increase my overall time for longer runs.

So I downloaded the Runner's World Smart Coach app onto my smartphone.  With this app, you plug in your goal time, the date of the race, etc., and it will populate a training plan for you.  In this training plan, there are a lot of tempo runs and mile repeats.

Another thing I did during my training for the Columbia marathon was add a significant amount of strength training.  During this time, they had a competition at work called Minute to Win It.  The competition was to get the highest number of minutes of exercise during a 90-day period.  I did some form of exercise (running, strength training, and other cross training) six days a week.

Lastly, I knew that Columbia was going to be hilly.  Up until this point, I had pretty much trained for my marathons on a flat course near the Cochran Shoals river trail.  Knowing that the race was going to be hilly, I started training around our house in Norcross and Duluth where it is anything but flat.

Weather:  The weather started out cold.  I believe it was in the lower 30s to start and may have gotten up to the 50s by the end of the race.  But it was sunny and not too windy, so it made for good running weather.

Running Attire:  Because I like being warm when I run, I wore a purple long-sleeved technical shirt, black running tights, my iFitness belt, pink Nike visor, and light gloves.

Who I ran with:  I started out with the 4:00 pace group.  I stayed with them for awhile, and then lost them during a water stop.  At about mile 19, I met a guy who was from the area and ran with him until about mile 25.  When we got to the last hill and I started to fade, he broke through and sprinted to the end.

The Course:  Nice scenery on the course. It was mostly residential with flowering trees and a lake/river to pass. It was a loop course, so you know what to expect the second time around, including the pretty big hills toward the end.  I would categorize the course as having "rolling hills" which is actually the best type of course to run, in my opinion.  The race began and ended downtown near the Convention Center.  Both the marathon and half marathon started at the same time.  When the first loop was over, the half marathoners pealed off to the right while the marathoners continued to the left to go around for a second lap.  The course went through the college campus and through some very nice neighborhoods.  

Organization:  Even though it was the first year of the race, the organization was excellent!  The  volunteers were amazing.  They had great local support. It seemed like everyone knew everyone else, and the locals were very friendly.  The expo seemed a bit small, but that is to be expected for a first year.  The pacers were from the local running club and were great.  My favorite thing about this race were the great options at the water stations (various flavors of Gatorade provided, bananas, GU, and porta potties at almost all stops).  The water stations were so frequent, at least every mile, if not more frequent.  The water cups were plastic, though, so it was hard to pinch and drink while running.

Swag:  Nothing special in this category.  Technical shirt and medal was the extent of the swag, as with  most races.  I can't remember anything else extra that was given.

Starting Line:  Another thing I loved about this race was that the expo hall was open the day of the race, so racers could keep warm inside and have nice bathrooms both before and after the race.  The starting line was right outside the convention center, so you didn't have to walk far after leaving the warmth of the building.

Fans:  The fans were great toward the beginning, halfway point, and end.  There were definitely some areas with few fans, but the loop course made it easy for fans to see their runners and go from place to place.

Personally, I had some great fans for this race.  Rob, Alan, and Rob's family (his parents, his sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece) came to cheer me on.  They met me around mile 20 with a high five and again at the finish line to cheer and take pictures of me running in.  Also, my sorority sister, Courtney Congleton, came to cheer me on at the finish line.  It always gives me extra energy to have people I know care enough to come see me run.  Their energy carried me all the way to mile 25 before I started feeling the effects of the run.

Finish Line:  The finish line was close to the convention center, so I was able to go back inside to use the bathroom instead of having to use a porta potty.  It was very easy to find the family with the size of the race and the way the finish line was set up.  There were also plenty of places to stretch. The food was pretty typical race food - bananas, bagels, etc.

How I felt:  For the first time ever, I felt really good all the way until mile 25.  There was a clock set up at mile 24, and it said I was at 3:30 at that point.  I remember thinking that I could run 15 minute miles and still break 4 hours.  When I got to that last huge hill around mile 25, I started feeling it.  I sprinted (as much as you can sprint after running 26 miles) through the last quarter mile to the finish line, and when I crossed the finish line, I wasn't hurting nearly as bad as I had been in previous races.

Travel/Tourism:  This was less a destination race than a family visit, so I didn't spend a lot of time in the city or touring the state.  We drove from Atlanta to Sumter, a four to five hour drive, and stayed with family.  The race is run in the state capital, so going to the start line, we passed the capital building.  Interestingly, there is a confederate flag flying proudly right outside the capital building.

Marathon #7 - Arizona

Back in 2006 I took a trip with my best friends to Hawaii.  While we were there, we saw people on the streets advertising for a free luau if you went to a timeshare presentation.  We all wanted to go to a luau, so we took them up on the offer.  When we got there, they saw how young we were and basically discounted us for just going to get the free luau (which was our actual intentions anyway).  Well, we sat through the presentation, and I ended up buying a timeshare (I'm a sucker).


So, now I have a timeshare.  Every now and then, the timeshare company calls me up with a great deal for lodging at one of their resorts in return for a two-hour timeshare update presentation (where they try to get you to buy more points).  Last year, they called me up and offered a pretty good deal on a place near Phoenix, AZ.  I hadn't run a race in Arizona yet, so I decided to use the deal for the lodging for the Arizona race.  That is how I decided on Arizona for my seventh state.

The Race: P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon, January 2012

My Training Plan: I used the Bart Yasso created training plan that I had used for the Richmond marathon. I figured that, until I broke 4 hours again, I would try that training plan since it had worked before.  My longest run during training was a 22 miler.

Weather:  The weather was chilly and overcast the entire time.  The race started in the 40s and ended in the upper 50s.  Cold getting there, but perfect running weather.

Running Attire:  Pink 2 Timothy 4:7 technical short-sleeved shirt, pink Nike visor, and black Mizuno shorts with pocket for food, and iFitness double belt to keep water, my phone and food in.

Who I ran with:  I was by myself for this race.  Although I talked to some people along the way, I don't remember anyone that I stuck with for any length of time.

The Course:  The course was flat for the most part, with some hills toward the end.  We ran past Camelback Mountain, which was nice and brought back memories of my three-month stint in Phoenix while with Ernst & Young (I hiked Camelback Mountain back then).  But other than that, the course was pretty boring. 
Organization:   I was a little disappointed in the organization of this race.  This was my first rock 'n' roll marathon, and I've always thought highly of them prior to running one (due mainly to my experience with the Nashville 1/2 marathon, which was very positive).  The expo was very good.  They had a lot of good vendors and goodies.  I purchased an iFitness belt to carry my phone and food, and I use it almost every time I run now.  They also had the 110% vendor that sells clutch tights with pockets to put ice packs.  It's like an ice bath without actually having to get into the cold bathtub!  I met some former Biggest Loser contestants at the expo.

The morning of the race, there were not enough signs to direct runners to where to park.  Runners had certain parking lots that were free to them,  I tried to follow the map, but when I got closer and roads were closed, it was harder to figure out where to go.  Because there were no clear signs, I started following cars, and ended up at the half marathon parking garage.  I had to ask the volunteer who tried to point me in the right direction.  I got lost one more time before finding the right parking garage.  Once I got there, I took the train to the start.  The train was free to runners, so that was a plus.  When we got off the train and arrived at the start, they announced that due to the train schedule they were delaying the start.  Apparently the train had gotten in the way of runners last year so they wanted to make sure it was out of the way before starting.  Our 7:30 start ended up being delayed until about 7:50.  The water stops were fully stocked with both water and sports drink, so no problems there.  But there was no water stop between mile 24 and the end.

Swag:  The technical race shirt and medal were both nice.  We also got a bumper sticker that said I Rocked 26.2.  They also had sunscreen and lip balm in the swag bag.  I want to say there were some other goodies in the bag too, but I can't remember what they were.

Starting Line:  The starting line had a row of porta-potties close by, which is always nice.  Like I said before, they ended up delaying the start to wait for the train to go by, so that was a little frustrating.  They had both corrals and pace groups.  The corrals were set up to align with your estimated finish time, so it was easy to hop into the 4:00 pace group from my corral.

Fans:  The fans were not as good as I expected them to be.  Being a rock 'n' roll marathon, there were bands at every mile, but it seemed like they were always on a break when I was running by.


Finish Line:  The finish line was pretty good.  They had lots of food and vendors at the end.  You had to weave your way through the vendor tents to get to a more open space.  It was a little difficult to find a place to stretch afterwards, because the finish was in a huge parking lot with not a lot to lean up against.  It was also a long walk back to the car.

How I felt:  I started out with the 4:00 pace group and felt pretty good.  Around mile 21, though, I could feel myself slowing down.  I slowed down for a water stop to fill up my water bottle on my belt.  The pace group got further and further ahead of me, and I was too worn out to catch back up.  I knew it was going to be rough going toward the end with the limited water stops.  I had brought some Jolly Ranchers to keep my mouth from getting dry toward the end.  I must have looked pretty rough at the end, because after crossing the finish line, a volunteer came up to me and asked if I was okay.

Travel/Tourism:   I love Phoenix.  It was one of my choices for where I wanted to go after I graduated college.  It has great weather (I love the heat!) year 'round.  The city is easy to get around because it's set up in a grid, for the most part.  If there are problems on one block, you can go over a couple of blocks and have no traffic.  I spent May through July of 2006 in Phoenix while with Ernst & Young, and loved my stay (although the work conditions weren't the best).  Sometimes when I run along the Cochran Shoals river trail it makes me think of my runs along the canal in Phoenix.

Traveling to Phoenix is pretty easy.  The Phoenix airport is average size and set up pretty well.  We stayed at my timeshare resort, which wasn't too far away from the airport.  We went bowling and to a restaurant at the top of the mountain that had a bull outside, live music and a slide inside, and some amazing steak.  We also went to In and Out Burger while there - Rob's first In and Out Burger experience.

Marathon #6 - North Carolina

My sixth marathon was going to be the Myrtle Beach Marathon in South Carolina in February of 2010.  At that point, I was three months pregnant with Alan.  It was going to be my last marathon before having him.  It was also going to be my sister-in-law, Mimi's, first marathon.  My sister, Amy, came to run the half marathon.

We (Mimi, Matt, Sam, Amy, Rob, and I) traveled to Myrtle Beach and stayed at a cheap motel (about $6 per person per night).  There had been a huge snow storm that was heading our way.  It had dumped a foot or so of snow on Dallas on Thursday before the race, and was coming our direction.  By 10pm Friday night, the race organizers and director were unsure if the race would go on.  Flurries had started to fall by that time.  It was the first time it had snowed in Myrtle Beach in 10 years.

We woke up Saturday morning to see if the race would go on.  Looking out the window, we could see snow covered trees.  The grass was covered, but the roads were clear.  There was still hope.  We turned on the TV to the news, and much to our dismay, they were announcing that the race was cancelled.  No doubt that, after training for several months and traveling the eight hour drive to Myrtle Beach, we were disappointed. 

But we wouldn't let that stop us completely.  Since our hotel was right on the course, we went out anyway and ran the last nine miles of the course.  We met some runners who were doing the same thing.  They were from Ontario, and traveled down just for the marathon.  I felt so sorry for them!!

After the disappointment of the cancelled race and with my growing baby, I had to take some time off from running marathons.  I still ran, though, throughout my entire pregnancy.  My last long run was 12 miles when I was eight months pregnant.  After that, I limited my runs to about 5-8 miles.  I even ran three miles on the treadmill the day before Alan was born.

After Alan was born in August 2010, it took me another year before I was ready to jump back into things.  I had actually planned on training for the Myrtle Beach marathon the following year, since they offered us $25 registration the year after the cancellation.  But trying to fit training around nursing and raising a newborn, post-partum depression, and sleep deprivation turned out to be harder than I could handle.  I was definitely not ready by February 2011 to try again.  So I set my sights on the Outer Banks Marathon in November of 2011.

The Race: Outer Banks Marathon, Kitty Hawk, NC, November 2011.  I posted a blog right after finishing this race.  It's not nearly as comprehensive, but you can view it HERE.

My Training Plan:  Since the Runner's World Challenge training plan had worked so well for me in Richmond, I used it again for the Outer Banks Marathon to try to get back to breaking the 4-hour mark.  I did two 20 miler training runs and one 22 miler training run as my longest runs.  I also did some speed work and marathon pace runs during the week.

Weather:  The weather was partly cloudy all weekend in the Outer Banks for the marathon.  The temperature started out in the low-40s and got up to around 60 degrees toward the end.  By the middle of the race, most of the clouds were gone, and the sun was shining, making me feel warm.  It really was the perfect weather for me.

Running Attire:  Pink short-sleeved technical shirt and white long-sleeved throw-away shirt, black running tights, pink Nike visor, and OBX running belt.  Toward the end of the race, I wished I had worn shorts.  But running tights are pretty breathable in warmer weather, so it wasn't too bad.  I'm used to training in the heat and humidity of ATL, so I like being a little warm when running.

Who I ran with:  Both Amy and Sam came with Rob, Alan, and me on this trip, along with Amy's friend Sara and her husband Ryan.  Amy and Sara ran the half marathon, while I ran the full marathon by myself.  Along the course, I met a guy who had run the inaugural OBX marathon in 2006 and was back to run the fifth anniversary race in 2011.  He was telling me about how cold and rainy the 2006 race was.  He also gave me some insight about the course.  I ran with him for awhile, but ended up losing him in the trail part of the race when I slowed down (I am SO SLOW when running trails).

The Course:  This course is a point-to-point, mostly flat course along the sound, through some neighborhoods, past some monuments, on a trail (the hilly part), over a bridge, and to the finish.  There were some beautiful views of the sound throughout the race.  Overall, it is a pretty good course, but it did have some areas that made it interesting.

There is a couple miles on a trail through the woods right in the middle of the race.  The trail was tough. From miles 10-13 it was pretty hilly for a 'flat course,' and zapped my energy, which was hard to regain afterwards.  Mile 22-23 was a monster hill on a bridge over the sound, which sucked the last bit of energy from me. 
Organization:  The race isn't too big, so you don't get lost in the crowd.  The emails ahead of time and the  information in the race packet kept you informed about how to get to the start and what to do. The EXPO was excellent for a small race. Being an ECU grad, I loved the pirate theme.

The water stops weren't right at the mile markers toward the end of the race, which was disappointing.  I remember reading in the race packet that there would be water and Gatorade at almost every mile from 20 on (with the exception of mile 24, which was strange), but when I got to the mile marker, it was still another quarter of a mile before actually getting to the aid station. By that point, I was living mile to mile, and it would have been better to at least know that the water/Gatorade wasn't going to be there until a little ways after the mile marker.


The volunteers were excellent! There wasn't an aid station I didn't easily get water/Gatorade, and there wasn't a place on the race where I was confused as to where to go.
Swag:  This was the first race I did that had some really good swag.  In addition to the technical shirt and medal, each participant also got an OBX running belt and a necklace with a 26.2 charm.

Starting Line:  The starting line was easy to get to.  I had Sam drop me off at the start after he dropped Amy and Sara off at their start.  The half marathon started at the same time as the marathon, but their starting line was around the 13 mile marker of the marathon.  Because of that, there wasn't a huge crowd at the marathon start.  I really liked that!  There was plenty of space to warm up, stretch, etc. around the start.

Fans:  The fans were great when they were there. Being a smaller race, there weren't a lot of fans. There were many times toward the end where I was the only one around.
Finish Line:  The thing I disliked the most about the course was the finish line - and more about the location of the finish line than the goodies and finish line party itself.  You couldn't see the end of the race from a distance. There were fans telling me that I was half a mile from the finish, but I still had to make three or four turns before even saw the finish line. It is a little demotivating to think it's right around the corner, and at every turn not see the finish. They make shirts that say WTF?!? Where's The Finish. Those shirts definitely would have been appropriate for this race.

As far as the race party and goodies at the end, it was pretty good.  They did have beer for those that wanted it.  They also had the normal bagels and bananas.  I think they had a barbecue sandwich for the runners also.  There was a band playing and lots of activity. 

Parking at the finish line was not convenient.  Rob had to park at a local school and take the shuttle with Alan to the finish to get me.  The shuttles were running pretty constantly, but it isn't an easy trip to make with a stroller and a one-year old.  There were also multiple shuttles, since the race was a point-to-point race, so you had to make sure you were getting on the right shuttle for where you wanted to go.
How I felt:  I felt pretty good going into the race.  My plan was to keep running the entire way, grabbing Gatorade and/or water from each station and eating a bite of my Snickers Marathon bar every five miles.

I left my Garmin in the car, and there were no pace teams, so I couldn't pace myself well. I went out too fast, feeling really good.  I was cheering the crowds on, because they weren't being much help, which used a lot more energy that I should have used in the beginning.  I burned out toward the end. I think part of the reason for the burnout was the hilly trail in the middle of the race.  I hardly ever run on trails, other than the wide, packed gravel trail at Cochran Shoals.  The trail in this race was a narrow (barely enough room to pass anyone), dark, wooded trail with lots of pine straw, leaves, and roots.  I probably went from 9 minute miles to 10 and a half minute miles during this part of the race.

I also had to stop and wait in line at a porta-potty near mile 18.  I was on pace to hit four hours, but my stomach started hurting around mile 17, so I kept an eye out for the next porta-potty.  As I was approaching the ones at mile 18, there was no one in line.  I thought, Perfect!  But as I got closer, some woman who had already passed the porta-potty backtracked and got in right before I could get there.  I thought about trying to make it to the next one, but didn't want to take any chances.  So I had to wait for her to finish.

I hit the wall around mile 21.5, right before the monster bridge hill.  So it took all my effort to keep running up the hill and through the rest of the race.  I did stop to walk through each water station after that, but ran the entire rest of the way.

Travel/Tourism:  As far as a destination goes, it was very nice.  There is a lot to do in the Outer Banks, so it is a great destination race.  While there we visited the Orville and Wilbert Wright monument and museum and saw where the first successful airplane flight happened.  We went to Cape Hatteras and saw the Hatteras lighthouse.  Unfortunately, the lighthouse was closed for the season, so we didn't get to go to the top.  It would be better if they could get the lighthouse opened for the weekend so people from out of town could get the full experience while visiting this great area.
 

Our hotel was right on the beach, so we had a nice view off the balcony.  There are several other lighthouses in the area as well that we were able to see from a distance (but didn't go to due to time constraints).
My favorite thing about the Outer Banks was a breakfast place that we went to for lunch after the race.  It was called Stack 'em High.  This was, hands down, the best breakfast place I have ever been to!  It had every possible type of pancake and waffle imaginable.  I had the Chunky Monkey waffle (chocolate chip waffle with bananas on top) and Alan had the blueberry pancakes with strawberries, bananas, and blueberries on top.  It was delicious!!

Marathon #5 - Virginia

I chose Virginia for my fifth marathon primarily because of the Runner's World Marathon Challenge.  The Challenge is basically a race that the editors and staff of Runner's World (the best running magazine in the world!) choose every year to run themselves and challenge their readers to run as well.  They provide some perks if you sign up for the challenge (which is not without cost) such as free massages at the end, a nice place to stay warm at the start with bathrooms and bagels, a technical training shirt, and a training plan designed for your race finish goal.

 

The Richmond marathon was selected in 2009 to be the marathon for the Runner's World Marathon Challenge.  My goal this time was to break 4 hrs. Yes, for all you runners out there, that may seem pretty easy. But alas, I am slow. I will never deny that. After four marathons my PR (personal record) was only 4:20. Eventually, I would like to qualify for Boston and run that as my Massachusetts marathon, but that is probably a few years away. (The qualifying time for a woman my age is 3:40, I believe.)

The Race: SunTrust Richmond Marathon, Richmond, VA, November 2009

My Training Plan: This is the first time I really strayed from the Hal Higdon training plans.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with Hal Higdon's plans.  I actually love them, and have used them for every first race of a new distance.  But I needed to change things up a little.  If you always do the same thing, your body gets used to it and plateaus.  This race is also the first time I did speed work and ran longer than 20 miles for my longest run.  I used a training plan designed by Bart Yasso for the Runner's World Marathon Challenge participants.  My longest run was 22 miles, and I did two 20 milers as well. For speed work, I did one day each week with either Yasso 800s or mile repeats on the track.  I also did about one marathon pace run each week for my middle distance run.  I was probably averaging about 40-50 miles each week.

Weather:  There was some concern about the weather and if it would rain.  It had rained consistently the week leading up to the race.  I actually drove through a lot of rain on the way up to Richmond.  It had rained so much that part of the race course was flooded, so they had to  re-route it at the last minute.  The race itself was chilly and wet, but not rainy.

Running Attire:  I wore my black Mizuno shorts with the pocket for my Snickers Marathon bar, my Marathon Challenge technical short-sleeved running shirt, and pink Nike visor.  I also wore a throw-away long-sleeved shirt that I didn't end up throwing away because of the weather, although I did take it off and tie it around my waist. I had my race bib attached to my All 3 Sports running belt.

Who I ran with:  I started off by myself, but picked up some of the Marathon Challenge guys along the way.  One was named Nils.  I had met him on the bus tour at the expo.  He was there running his third or fourth marathon attempt at breaking 4 hours also.  When I caught up to him and a friend along the course, I was happy to run with him toward the same goal.  He ended up falling behind, but his friend (who I forget his name, unfortunately) was running his first marathon, and amazingly was able to hold on to the end, breaking 4 hours with me.

The Course:  The course takes you through many of the historical landmarks in Richmond.  There are definitely some hills, so if you're looking for a flat race, stay away. But they're  rolling hills, so they're manageable. The roads on a lot of the course are slanted, so IT band issues could present a problem (although they didn't with me). 

Organization:  This race had better organization than any race I had run in the past.  I couldn't say more good things about the organization of this race. With PowerAde and water at every two miles, and "junk food" twice along the route, I almost didn't have to carry anything with me. I loved the fact that they had bus tours of the course running pretty consistently the whole time the expo was open. The bus tours of the route really helped to know which miles to save your energy for, and the bus tour guide also provided a little bit of history about the city along the way.

Swag:  We didn't get anything special at this race.  The shirt was a long-sleeved technical shirt, and the medal was nice.

Starting Line:  This race was a little unique, in that my start and finish experience are probably not indicative of the normal start and finish experience due to the extra perks of the Marathon Challenge.  For the Marathon Challenge participants, they had a building near the start open to keep warm.  They had bagels for us (and possibly other food as well).  There were very nice bathrooms that we could use too, instead of using porta potties outside.

I always love it when races have pace teams.  I did use the pacing team some, but not for the full race.  But just having them there, helps to know about where you should line up.

Fans:  The Richmond marathon has been deemed the world's friendliest marathon.  This was evident in the attention to detail that they gave to the spectators.  There were several spectator "party zones" throughoutt the course.  The race provided directions for spectators to get between the start, three spots along the course, and the finish, so there was plenty of cheering along the way. 

I had some of the best spectators in the world for this race - my dad and stepmother.  They drove down from the DC area to Richmond just to see me at the race.  They were at every spectator party zone and even took pictures and video of me running by.  It meant so much to me to have them there, and with such enthusiasm!

Finish Line:  I didn't stay long at the finish line because I didn't want to keep my dad and Mindy waiting in the cold.  I loved the fact that they allowed you to look up your exact results right at the finish line.  We all went to the Marathon Challenge finish area, which had free massages (of which I partook) and sitting areas to rest awhile before leaving.

How I felt:  My right foot was bothering me a few days before the race, but I think it was just race nerves making me think something was going to go wrong.  It didn't end up hurting during the race at all.

I had two options for strategy before the race: 1) There was a 4 hr pace group, so I could run with them or 2) I could break the race into three segments with "recovery" miles in between. I would run the first mile as a warm-up at about 9:30 pace, run 7.5 miles at 8 - 8:30 pace, a recovery mile at 9:30 pace, and repeat that two more times.  It turns out I did a combination of both.  I started out with the 4 hour pace group, which helped me to set my initial pace.  Then I met up with some more Runners Challenge guys, and ran with them for awhile.  Running with guys typically makes me go faster (mostly to keep up), so I ran ahead of the pace group for most of the race.

Since I knew what the course was like ahead of time, I was able to eat a bite of my energy bar before the really big hills, which seemed to help a lot.  I also realized that hydration and eating throughout the race and not waiting until you are hungry or thirsty works a lot better.  I actually felt really good all the way until mile 25.  Mile 25 was rough.  I felt like I was losing it.  But after I crossed into mile 26 and knew there was only a mile left, I got a second wind.

Travel/Tourism:  I drove up to Richmond (through the rain) the morning before the race.  I didn't stay at the race hotel, but stayed at a Courtyard (or some other Marriott affiliate) not too far from the start.  I didn't do a lot of touring.  The bus tour of the course and the race itself were the only touring I did.  But I would much rather see a city on foot than in any other way.

I love Friendly's restaurants.  That is where my dad, stepmother, and I ate the night before the race.  I got a burger, fries, and ice cream.  It worked for one of my 20 mile runs, and it worked for the race also.

Marathon #4 - Oregon

Again, I'm not sure how I picked Oregon for my fourth marathon, but I'm glad I did.  This quite possibly could have been my favorite vacation ever.  Oregon is such a beautiful state!  I took an entire week off for this race.  I flew in on a Wednesday and flew back the following Tuesday. 

The Race: Pacific Crest Marathon, Sunriver, OR, June 2009

My Training Plan: Once again, I used the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Marathon training plan. It seemed to work for my other races, so I decided to use it again.  My longest run during training was a 20 miler.

Weather:  The weather was very good.  Definitely cold at the start, but stayed just cool enough throughout the race and wasn't too hot or cold at the finish, despite it being the middle of summer.

Running Attire: Purple LIZ tank top, Mizuno shorts with pocket for food, race belt for food.  The LIZ tank top chaffed me pretty bad around the arms, so that was the last time I wore it for a race.

Who I ran with:  This race was all on my own.  Although I talked to a few people along the course, I didn't meet anyone that I ran any significant part of the course with.

The Course:  The course is a two-loop course on a narrow paved bike trail that goes through a resort.  There are some beautiful views of the mountains along part of the course.   The course is mostly flat, and is not closed to bikers.

Organization:  Organization was okay, but the marathon really takes a backseat to the other events that are going on that weekend.  The triathlons are the main events (I think there are several distances available).  It is also set on a resort where parking is confusing.  It was hard to find the expo when picking up my race packet.  At the expo I met Dane Rauschenberg, who ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks and has written at least two books about running.  The electrolyte drink is HEED, which really messed with my stomach (I hadn't trained with it), so I ended up using water the entire race after the first HEED drink.  They did have porta potties every couple of miles along the course, and had water stops frequent enough along the course (I believe every mile).

Swag:  Technical shirt and medal.  The top three in each age group also got something (non-monetary).  I actually won a pint glass!

Starting Line:  Everyone lined up at one place, and then walked together to the actual start on the bike path.  This was definitely confusing!  I'm just glad I got there in time to walk with everyone else.

Fans:  Because of the loop course, there were a decent amount of fans at the 13 mile marker and finish line.  Most of the rest of the course was spectator-free.

Finish Line:  The finish line had a band, pretty good food, and some vendor tents.  Most of the vendors were geared more toward bikers (due to the triathlons going on that weekend also).

How I felt:  I was running with a slightly sore hamstring, but it held out for the race.  I had a few massages leading up to the race to try to work it out ahead of time, and it seemed to work.  The first loop was excellent, but the second loop got a little tiring and boring (I think partially just knowing what was coming).

Travel/Tourism:  The trip to Oregon is one of my favorite vacations.  Part of that is because there are so many things to do in the state, and part of that was because I went alone and didn't have to answer to anyone else's schedule.  I flew into Bend, OR, which is a small airport in the middle of the state.  I rented a car and drove all over the state in my week-long trip.  I went hiking several times.  I visited Fort Rock and a place called Crack in the Ground (a volcanic fissure that stretches two miles and can get as deep as 70 ft) near Christmas Valley, OR.  I went to Crater Lake and hiked up to Garfield Peak around the edge of the crater.  There was still snow on the top of the crater - at the end of June!  I hiked up to Triangulation Peak and saw Mt. Hood, Mt. Washington, and Mt Bachelor.  I also hiked at Smith Rock Park, the Deschutes River, and Newberry National Monument (a former volcano).  I went to the Pacific Ocean and saw the Hecete Lighthouse and the Sea Lion Caves.  I also went canoeing on the lake near Mt Bachelor and the Sisters mountains.

One of my favorite stops was my trip to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR (Tracktown USA) - where the 2009 National Track and Field championships were held and where many good runners have run. 

Oregon is a beautiful state with a lot to do.  I didn't even make it to Portland.  The rest of the state was so beautiful and full of adventure.