I had been pretty stressed out about this race for a while. It approached quickly after just recovering from multiple injuries and I was significantly concerned about my performance. To top things off, I have a mental block about DNFs (Did Not Finish) and was worried that this would be the first time I couldn’t finish a race. To make matters more interesting I was running with my mom who had been training for months and months. The furthest I ran before “game day” was 6.3 miles. “Game day” was a half marathon, something to be concerned about when you haven’t logged many miles recently. As per usual before a race, I packed, unpacked, and re-packed my bag several times. I changed bags twice and ended up with enough race clothes, but not enough post-race clothes. I guess that’s half the fun of the whole experience. I tossed and turned on the train ride and fussed and fretted the night before. I changed what I would wear several times; because you never really know what you’re gonna need or want. I always err on the side of caution and end up packing, wearing, and having more than I need, but at least it’s not less.
When you are traveling to a race in a different area the climate often will probably be different than the weather you are currently training in. You can compensate for this in your training in different ways. If your race is in a hotter climate, wear more layers on your runs to prepare your body with dealing with the heat. If you are going to be running in a cooler climate, try doing some of your runs in an indoor gym that utilizes the air conditioning or run in a little clothing as possible. It is really important when heading to a race to bring a few different options in regards to traveling, especially if you are traveling further than 15 miles to your race. I always bring my running tights and shorts, you never know which you’ll want more when the time comes. You very much don’t want to be stuck with only shorts on race day and have the temperature be significantly colder than you imagined it would be. I also peruse the weather channel for the area I am racing extensively the week before the race. Preparation for a race is key, as long as you don’t drive yourself nuts with it. Also don’t ever worry about not sleeping well the night before a race, no one does. It’s the night before the night before the race when you need to be able to sleep well.
Races are a great time to learn about your strengths and weakness in regards to running and training. While races can be a test, they should also be treated as an experience. You will undoubtedly work harder in a race and run faster than you do during training, but depending on how well you’ve trained yourself, you’ll see if you can stick to your race plan and not just throw it all away by sprinting the first few miles. I have found it very easy to control myself during a race and stick to my plan. I usually start my first mile really slow; this way all of the die hards can very quickly move around me and get out of my space. This also is the mile where many people spring too fast and wear themselves out and end up slowing down. After the first mile, it is much easier to navigate my pace group and settle into the pace I will maintain over the next few hours (or more depending on the race). I tend to find a group of people who seem to be running around my speed and watch them as I run. I use them as a gauge as to my race pace and if I am moving along at the best speed and time for me. With all of that said, I run my own race and I spend all of the time completely in my head. I just like using others to gauge myself and mentally make note of how my run is going.
My only big failure when I do races is that I tend not to consume enough calories. I love to eat, just not when I am running. I work really hard on training runs to take in and replace the right amounts of calories for the time I have ran. Taking in kcals when you are doing endurance activities is important because calories are energy and without them you wont be able to push yourself the way you want to when you run/swim/bike/hike/etc. With this knowledge, you think I’d be better about taking in the right amount of kcals on “game day.” But I never do. The average person running burns 100 kcals per 10 minutes; this varies slightly depending on speed of the run and weight of the person. So, if you run for 3.5 hours, you burn about 2,100 kcals. You run for 5 hours you are burning upwards of 3,000 kcals in one shot. The United States Department of Agriculture has on its MyPyramid.gov site a daily caloric intake calculator, which of me (a relatively average weight and height) is 2,000 kcals per day. Just for explanation sake my input parameters are: A 23 year old female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 115 pounds, physically active 30 to 60 minutes a day. So, the point here is the one long run can kill your entire caloric intake amount for the whole day. This means that when you are running you need to take in at least some of what you are expending. Most runners, even beginners, have a basic knowledge of the different kinds of gels, GUs, sports beans, electrolyte drinks, etc. that one can get to do this job. I really love Sports beans and Cliff Bloxs because I like the feeling of chewing them while running. It really is about finding the kind that work for you. Some people love the Mocha GU shot, others hate it. If you are running a race where they are offering kcal replacement stuff, try to find out what flavors and such and then try them on your training runs ahead of time. This way you know if you can have what they offer during the race or if you need to bring your own. Also, they will have regular water and enhanced water (with vitamins and electrolytes) at the race. Make sure to try the brand and flavor of this stuff before you run the race. Trust me when I say that if you are used to Gatorade and they serve a different kind of electrolyte drink, vomiting can be very likely and make your race quite unpleasant. Your body gets used to certain types of fluids and replacement products, so you don’t want to go out of your comfort zone during a race (That last tidbit of information applies to EVERYTHING during the race: food, drinks, shoes, clothes, hat, gloves, socks, etc. don’t ever use something new on “game day”).
So, once you have planned for every contingency, you are ready to begin your race. Inevitably, everything will seem to go wrong for a while and you’ll have to learn the most important thing in racing/running, flexibility. Take your time and roll with the punches. I try to be positive and optimistic when racing because I know that something will happen that will concern me, but there is nothing I can about it. When I was running my first marathon, I hit the proverbial wall at mile 5. Runners speak of this wall occurring normally at mile 23. Then at mile 9 after booking it the first 8 miles, I rolled my ankle and torn some ligaments. I had no way of knowing these things would occur and the only thing I could do was be flexible. I realized while wrapping my ankle at mile 10 that my time goal of a 4 hours marathon wasn’t going to happen, but I knew I would still finish. And in the long run, that is what running is really about; recognizing obstacles as they come up and moving beyond them.
This race was an anomaly. I slept well the night before, I had time for breakfast, and my only pre-race jitters were due to being very cold before the start. As we started, my mom (who I ran the race with) and I felt ready and confident. We were running this race, The National Breast Cancer ½ and Full Marathon, in honor of my Nana, our family, and friends. My mom made us shirts that had the story of who we were running for on the back and on the front it listed each mile and the names of who that mile was dedicated to. We taped up the shirts before the race and the idea was to pull the tape off and take a picture at the mile marker. We are very clever. Our shirts also said “Living Life” and Going Strong” on the V neck and had a pink ribbon sewn on the pocket. My mom did a stellar job on these shirts. The shirts were also totally unique and NO ONE else had anything as cool as our. Not kidding, they really were that well done. J
The shirts (and us) all taped up before the race.
The beginning of the race is at the Mayo clinic and goes through Jacksonville to a massive bridge. It was so beautiful there in the morning. The sun was rising up in the sky and there was mist/fog on the water. As we ran, I made a mental note of the different people also running. I love running “cause” races for the simple reason that the comradery is the best of any race you’ll run. Everyone is nice and so many volunteers come out to cheer you on and make you feel like winners. So many women said thank you and it was such a blast. I also want to just make a plug for volunteering at races. This is a big deal. The people who volunteer at water tables and such are amazing. They have to be peppy for hours and encourage even the last person through. They are amazing. I love race volunteers; y’all rock. It is also a nice way for injured athletes to stay in the racing mentality. Encouraging others motivates you and helps you keep your focus about healing and getting back on your feet (whether that be literally or figuratively).
After the set of two or three bridges, the course took us on the side of a highway for a bit and then began to wind us through the neighborhoods of Jacksonville Beach. This part (the neighborhoods) was my favorite, because people set up tables and chairs on their lawns and in their driveways. Some people were dressed really weird, but that’s the fun of it. They are all cheering and being merry and you as the runner get to enjoy it. I brought my headphones in anticipation of wanting to drown out the noise and focus on the run, but I found it so much more appealing to listen to what the spectators were yelling and watch other runners. The other awesome thing about “cause” races is that anyone can do them. My mom and I ran past so many walk-run groups or just plain walking groups. The time limit is usually upwards of 7 or 8 hours for both the ½ and full, which makes finishing, even if you’re walking at a snails pace, totally do-able. We had so much fun. At each mile marker we pulled off the tape for yet another family member or friend who was affected by breast cancer. We also took pictures at each of those marker, which I will post up later. The lay down (which was also on the back of our shirts) was as follows:
I ran miles 1 & 2 in memory of my Great-Aunt Darcie
I ran miles 3 & 4 for family friend Vera
I ran miles 5 & 6 for Sr. America Ladies Marie, Ethel, Lorraine & Gail
I ran miles 7 & 8 for my Cousin Laura
I ran miles 9 & 10 for my Cousin Linda
I ran miles 11, 12 & 13.1 for my NANA
My mom put the mile 7-13.1 for our close family who have really struggled with this disease. I thought it was very appropriate the as we were struggling ourselves near the end of the race, through those last few miles, that we would think about who the miles were dedicated to and realize that if they can persevere through breast cancer, we can knuckle down and make it through these last (and very rough) miles. And persevere we did. The last part of the race we saw Nana and pulled off the tape so she could see the miles we dedicated to her. I love my Nana and my mom. They are such amazing and strong women. I only hope that as I grow up I can be as amazing as them both. The last bit of the race we yelled to my Nana that we loved her and charged toward the finish line with strong steady strides. We crossed the finish line hand in hand in 3 hours and 23 minutes. After we finished, we laughed and hugged and got our HUGE medals. I was a crowning jewel moment in my memory. There have been a lot of moments I have looked forward to in my life; graduating high school and being accepted to my college of choice, making memories with some of the best friends in the world, graduating college, having my own apartment, finish my first marathon, seeing my sister have a baby, but watching my mom charge through the finish line, under our time goal by 30+minutes, in her first half marathon was definitely one of the top 3. I have never been so proud in my life.
To end this post, I just want to say that more women than you think are affected by cancer daily. We should take a little more time to cherish the women in our lives who enhance the time we spend here. Thank you Mom and Nana, I am who I am because of you. I would never have made it at all anywhere in life, without your love and support. I love you guys.
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