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.

A banner week

Sunday night... And week 7 comes to a close. (ok, I didn't get this posted on Sunday, but you get the idea)

It's been 7 weeks of training for the Marine Corps Marathon with the Gazelle Sports Summer Safari crew and I'm enjoying it more every week. It's taken me a while to settle in and I've had some set backs, but with just over a third of the training completed, I'm feeling calm and confident. Of course we haven't gotten to the tough runs yet, but I think I'm ready.

This was a GREAT week! I finally made it back to EcoTrek on Monday night, had a decent 4 mile run (including the dreaded Maple St. hill) on Wednesday, did 5.6 on Thursday with Shawn and Jenn, 8 miles with the Summer Safari crew on Saturday and hit my first ever Dirty Herd today for 4.4 miles of trails at Al Sabo. While the long run was shorter this week, I'm incredibly happy that I did 4 solid runs and EcoTrek. A really successful week.

I said a few posts ago that I would talk about being an "achiever" and a runner's body. As a "back of the packer," I'm currently at what I'd call "participant" status. I tend to categorize runners in three main clumps: Performers - those who win their age group, win overall, continually work up the ranks and really, you know who they are. We don't know many of these people.

Then there are the Achievers: those runners who have been running for years, have made steady progress in their PRs, finish in the top half of their age group and have a healthy dose of experience under their belt. I know a lot of people that live here. And a lot more on their way to this level.

I'm in the third category. Participants. We make sure there is someone for the rest of you to finish in front of. We are the beginners or veterans who are in the back of the pack, running 2:30+ half marathons. Hoping to run a 5:45 marathon. In the 12:00+ pace group. Our long runs take twice as long and our fast runs clock in at 5 miles/hour.

This sounds a bit like slow runner whining, but it really isn't. On Sunday afternoon, I pulled up to Al Sabo for the Dirty Herd, expecting at least 25 people, as the Urban Herd easily draws 50 - 75. There were 10. All experienced trail runners, marathoners and ultra-marathoners. I hesitated and almost got back in my car and left. Then the group leader recognized me from Summer Safari. As expected, I was the only slow runner. I did not expect to be the slowest by 3 - 4 minutes/mile. This was also my "recovery" run after 8 on Saturday so I wasn't planning on going hard. The group leader and his running partner kept looping around back for me, to make sure I didn't get lost and didn't make me feel bad about my slow pace, walk breaks or causing them extra miles. Considering they had run in the morning, run 5 miles before everyone got there and the running buddy said her last race was a 100 miler, I'm guessing they didn't mind. Talk about performers.

At the end, they asked if I got in the miles I needed to, if I felt good and if I had fun. The answer to all 3: a resounding YES! A huge push out of my comfort zone to go out and run with the gazelles, but I'm working every time to not be embarrassed by my pace or ability. Running trails is good for my strength and (relative) speed and if that means causing some speed demons to loop back to check on me, I'm ok.

Showing up is half the battle.

I'll leave you with a quote that Dave wisely posted several weeks ago:

"I don't have a runner's body, but I have a runner's heart - and that is all you need." - Sergeant Jennifer Morris, United States Army

Al Sabo Preserve, Meadow

OK... one FINAL word. I've made HUGE leaps in my fundraising for the Epilepsy Therapy Project. Please consider bringing me closer to my goal of $1500!