Maybe I'm Amazed

It's been pretty quiet here in Find Your Awesome-land. Fear not - I'm still chugging away at the training and pounding the pavement. With 8 weeks to go, I'm well over halfway through my marathon training and am feeling the pinch on my time, energy and mental strength.

But an AWESOME thing happened just a week ago and while it adjusted my training a bit, it was so worth it. I was able to check off "run a trail half marathon" from by 40x40 bucket list. While it is something I was interested in, it was really made by having Kari and Mike by my side.

A year ago, Kari suggested we sign up for the North Country Trail Race, a half-marathon in the Manistee National Forest. The sign-ups opened for the 2015 race on the day after the 2014 race. As I sat in my living room forking over $75, Mike says, "why don't you sign me up too?" Mike was not a runner. In August 2014, he was not even walking much. So I turned that $75 into $150 and it was settled. It was a secret - for awhile. Then it started to trickle out. Mike started walking with the Run Muskegon group in the fall and doing some run/walking.

Fast Forward to spring. A long winter with lots travel and busy schedules. I did a crash course to train for the Bayshore Half Marathon and Mike took to the streets again to start training. After Memorial Day and Bayshore came and went we realized how close NCT really was. By this time I had, of course, already committed to Marine Corps Marathon as well - meaning I couldn't focus all my attention on the trails.

Professional help was needed. We joined the Gazelle Sports Summer Run Camp in Grand Rapids. The Summer Safari program in Kalamazoo in 2013 helped me get to the finish line and I needed the support now to get through 4 months of training, especially when I don't have someone my pace who is training for a marathon. So we signed up and got started the first week of June.

The last three months have been some of the best of my life. Training for a long distance race is not easy and it can be very difficult on your loved ones. It takes on a new dimension when that person is training with you. Starting with the spring melt, we ran short distances together in the evenings, as Mike started with a 2:00 minute run/2:00 minute walk interval. He because a regular at Run Muskegon on Wednesdays. To prep for North Country's challenging terrain, we started running on Tuesdays at Hoffmaster State Park. I think he hated me a little, when I made sure we always ran down a dune to see the water and the evening sun. After all, what goes down must come up. When I was too tired to talk on Monday nights, he promised me that we'd catch up on the trail the next day. Our own dirty, sweaty, buggy date night.

When we started the long runs for Summer Run Camp, my distances increased at an accelerated pace, quickly rising into the double digits. However, I found comfort in starting out together, having timed walk breaks in warm up miles and chugging along, often silent. One of my difficulties in 2013 was completing my mid-week runs and cross-training. Having a real, live, in-home training partner has upped my accountability. I've been hitting most of my mid-week runs, going to yoga, and we bike almost every Saturday evening after our long run. The difference in my pace and comfort level is evident. The results were clear on August 22nd.

Kari, Mike and I headed to Wellston after work to the Big M Trailhead. We really didn't know what to expect, but when we picked up our race packets FULL of swag and saw the fun atmosphere at the site, we knew were in for a good time. A quick jaunt back to Manistee for dinner and sleep and Saturday morning we were ready. It was my 5th half marathon, Kari's 9th (I think) and Mike's first. His only race other than the Seaway Run 5k in June. The place was jumping with music, a bonfire, flags from every state represented and people just sitting out having a great time. We decided to all stick together and run/walk as we felt comfortable. With the hills, we probably couldn't keep any kind of interval, at least not for long.

Trying to get a 6'2" and 5'2" person in the same selfie

The camaraderie on the trail was fantastic. We nicknamed ourselves and everyone around us the "Mullets: Party in the Back" and learned everyone's names, where they were from, sang happy birthday to someone, cheered on the marathoners as they passed us, took selfies, the works. I've never had a better race. Kari, although not trained, was holding herself back some to stick with us because it was just more fun together. Mike and I had the rare opportunity to run with the 10:30 pace group from our Summer Run Camp. Everyone was going slow and having a good time, so we were able to hang together for several miles and get to know them better. We were holding a good pace, slightly faster than expected, but not burning ourselves out. We had heard the back of the course was challenging, especially as you're tired, so we kept it measured and took good breaks at the aid stations. Oh the aid stations! Water, electrolytes, pretzels, fresh fruit, medical attention, wonderful service and more! Just phenomenal!

So fast we're blurry.

As we rounded the last few miles we saw some confusing flags that looked to lead us straight up and then down a hill. Cranky Jamie starts swearing under her breath and then we reach to top to this sight:

Don't slow down for a picture - you might not win!

A beautiful overlook of the valley below - a photo opp if I ever saw one. And yes, everyone was taking advantage of it. So we paused, took in the view, and then headed down the hill - me freewheeling like a kid running down a dune. Thinking we had far longer to go, we could hear the roar of the crowd. We held back a little as we didn't want to burn out with 2 miles to go. But never trust Garmin in the woods. We rounded a corner and were surprised by the finish. We were MORE surprised when we were told to finish then and not do the extra 1 mile lap. That was just for the marathoners. But, but... Garmin says we only ran 12.2. Nope. There's the finish. So we made the most anti-climatic, confused 30 yard run for the finish and were done! 3:32! Right at our goal time and feeling good and ready to party!

That's some bling right there!

While I've completed a number of big races that left me feeling emotionally drained, I don't know if I can explain what this one meant. There was the standard relief it was over, sense of accomplishment, fear for my toenails, having to pee, but that's not what it really was. I was and still am so proud of Michael and everything he did to get to this point. He never said he couldn't do it. He has pushed me to be a better runner. He's been my partner in getting up early, eating late, trying to find socks, and "suck it up and get it done." He picked an incredibly difficult target and met it and signed up on Monday to do it again. Heck, he's already signed up to do another half marathon this fall. There are no words for how amazed I am.

Wow.

And with that, we feasted, drank beer, congratulated our new found trail buddies and went for a swim in the river. Best damn day.

Second Verse, Same as the First

Two years ago I started this blog and announced that I would be running the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon. It was going to be the best, most epic thing EVER. I would raise a ton of money for my charity, finally get that awesome runner's body I've been chasing for two decades, and I would be... a MARATHONER. You all were there, you remember.

Well... it happened. Some of it. I raised a ton of money for the Epilepsy Therapy Project (now merged with the Epilepsy Foundation of America). I did not get sleek and slim. I had some athletic mishaps and personal setbacks that made the training difficult and frustrated the hell out of me. But I did finish. And it was epic. And I felt like a "person who completed a marathon" not a MARATHONER.

Normally I hem and haw and over think before making big decisions. Especially decisions that will affect how I spend  5-20 hours a week for the next 6 months. Then there are times when I see a facebook post pop up that says "Fall in. MCM Lottery concludes today at noon eastern!" I read this at 11:12 am. I texted Kari who said "go for it, but I'm not in... I'm still deciding if I'm doing a marathon this year."

So I clicked to the Marine Corps Marathon website, created a profile, thought for 30 more seconds and with 42 minutes left in the lottery, I gave them my credit card info and clicked ENTER. Judging from the number of people complaining they didn't get in last year, I figured about 2 - 3x more people entered than were slots available. I have no idea the actual odds, because I woke up 2 days later to this:

Oh. Crap.

So I texted Kari roughly the same message, with more profanity. Forward Mike the email with the message "did you know your girlfriend is an idiot?" Oh yeah... I didn't tell him I was entering the lottery. His response: "Well, looks like we're going to DC this year." He later agreed that I'm an idiot (in the most loving way possible).
Mike brought up some good points: would I have fun running if I didn't have anyone to experience it with? Didn't I want to do another marathon in a different city? Well, here's the thing - what's done is done, in more than one way. I entered and won the lottery - the first and only lottery I've ever won. Also, there is something to be said for doing a race a second time. You have an idea of how it works, where to go, where the bathrooms are, how long you walk from the staging area to the start line, what 25,000 runners feels like, etc. By not being overwhelmed by all the new stuff as a first time marathoner and my first time at the MCM, I will have a different (and hopefully more successful) race.

So there it is - 2 weeks before my 35th birthday and I got my present. A credit card receipt for over $100 for a race I'm not so sure about. And a summer filled with running. So the question is - who's up for the long runs? Cause I can't do it alone.

Time is on my side

Sometime in 2013, a rash of "40 before 40" lists popped up with my friends, inspired by my great friend and Platonic Life Partner (and bad idea bear) Kari Kidrowski. I usually hate these things - sorry all friends who wrote kickass lists. I'm not sure why, but they've never quite appealed to me yet. And yet, I was driving home from Kalamazoo a few weekends ago and I found myself daydreaming about what would be on my list.

I'm coming up on 35 in April, and I've got some good things on the horizon, but I think there are plenty left to be accomplished. I reserve the right to add, delete, edit, censor or chuck this list altogether. Would you expect anything else?

1. Travel to Europe Boom! Done, Dec 26, 2014 - Jan 4, 2015

2. Roast a turkey successfully

3. Run a 10:00/mile. Just one. :)

4. Read Ulysses (I faked my way through a test on it in undergrad. It's time to read it) 

5. Can fruits and veggies for our own pantry

6. Run another marathon in another city

7. Start to learn Spanish

8. Learn to play a new instrument (piano? guitar? bass guitar?)

9. Censored

10. Brew my own beer

11. Learn to do a headstand

12. Finally take that vacation to the Bahamas 

13. Run a trail half marathon Done! 8-22-2015, North Country Trail

14. See Paul McCartney in concert (on deck, October 17, 2015)

15. Redacted

16. See Troy, Jessica and the kids more than once a year.  An annual goal, but managed it in 2015

17. Have a 30 day running streak November 27 - December 26, 2014

18. Uhh yeah... no

19. Try out for a local theater production

20. Run a sub-2:30 half marathon

21. Finally meet some of Mike's Navy friends that we haven't visited together

22.Create a living will/advance directive - encourage family members to do the same

23. Become a proficient and confident swimmer

24. Super Secret ;)

25. Vacation at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! April 2015!

So I only got to 25, even after letting this sit for a few weeks. I'll add more as I they come to me - hopefully not everything will be an athletic pursuit. I think 5 1/2 years is enough time to get most of this done. Really, I just need one AWESOME running year and I'll knock several out.

Holiday Run Streak is in progress!