So training did not go as I had planned or wanted, it took a while for me to find my mojo. I'd get a LR of 13-16 miles in, then it would be two weeks before I'd get another in. It wasn't til September that I finally found my drive and started getting my LRs in and running every chance I got - morning, afternoon or evening.
This was my first training cycle that I ran not one 20 miler, but a 21 mile LR before the Evansville Half Marathon and then two 20 miles before the Monumental. Everything seemed to be going good until that week after the final 20 miler, when two days off didn't seem to help and my shins were really bothering me. I started to freak out and took 5 or 6 days off from running hoping that would help, I also started to think about the shoes I had and knew I really needed to look into getting fitted for a new model or brand of shoes, but I am a horrible procrastinator.
The Ravennas were no longer working for me, they did make changes to the platform or whatever it's called, the part that helps support under-pronators - and I say fuck them for it. The Richocets seemed to be okay for up to 21 miles, and of course that was the furthest distance I had ran in them, but Brooks was discontinuing them for an untold time - Fuck Brooks, I hate them now.
I tried the Levitate 2s, they were a no go but it wasn't until three days before the race that I finally decided to go to an LRS and get fitted. The guy brought out the Brooks Adrenaline 19's, the Mizuno Wave Inspires and a Saucony brand and another that I didn't look at because I liked the Mizunos, they felt snug and I like snug. I took them home and tried them immediately, there was no pain or irritation but unfortunately they were too snug. By mile 2 my feet were tingling and I knew that was a bad thing.... I took them back (this next week I may go back and try them in a size 9 instead of 8.5), I exchanged them for the Adrenalines and took those home. I had one more morning to try a pair of shoes and decide, Friday morning I got up and tried the Adrenalines, Jetta and I only made it to .8 miles before turning back as I was immediately feeling pain in my shins and feet, we got in 1.5 miles and that was all I needed to know. It appeared that the ones I'd be running in would be my newest Richocets, I hope and prayed they would get me to the finish line.
Friday's drive was okay, the rental we got was an Altima, a basic model with no Lombard system and an annoying headrest that I immediately took off. The lack of a Lombard system annoyed my sciatic nerve, big time. We stopped off at Cataract Falls, I took pics of the Upper Falls and Lower Falls, didn't get to see the falls where you get to walk behind the water but oh well.
This one here is a pic of the Lower Falls, there are signs saying not to swim but people apparently jump in anyways and swim. It was 36 degrees so I was not going for a swim.
This one is still the Lower Falls but a bit closer and it is the small falls that you see above that first waterfall. I wish I could have stayed longer but hubby and Dorian were waiting in the car.
This is the one of the Upper Falls, I was extremely happy that there were still some foliage on the trees, though it would be really awesome to see this place during a freeze.
Finally got to the starting line and we were off, I am pretty positive I had started way too far back. God only knows how many people I had to pass and all the effort and energy that went into those first 3 miles *face palm*. I knew I wanted a positive split and was going to push as well as I could, yeah it probably wasn't a smart idea but I wasn't very sure how I would feel later or if I'd get sick to my stomach again or if something would flair up in my legs. My fueling plan was a gu at every 5 miles, I had four with me - a Chocolate Rage, two Expresso Loves and one Roctane Cold Brew for the 20th mile.
I realized pretty quickly that my garmin was off, for the first 5 miles it was off by .1 miles, then by mile 10 it was off by .2 miles and by mile 15 and to the finish it was off by .3 miles so my splits may be off but I'll put down what stupid garmin has.
Mile 1 - 10:55
Mile 2 - 10:26
Mile 3 - 10:39
Mile 4 - 9:55
Mile 5 - 9:55
I was doing pretty good, I had my first gu in my glove and continued running while I pulled it out and then at mile 5 I kept up a pace while squeezing it bit by bit and swallowing it down, the next water station was probably .25-.4 miles later.
Mile 6 - 9:37
Mile 7 - 10:06
Mile 8 - 9:52
Mile 9 - 9:44
Mile 10 - 10:39
Around mile 9.8 I slowed to a walk so I could get one of my Expresso Loves out of my back pocket and because I wanted the break, I continued to walk while squeezing it down and about 5 minutes later the water station appeared. I was still doing pretty good but my legs were starting to feel tired, all this old concrete crap sure wasn't helping and the wind was a pain in the ass but I kept pushing it. Somewhere along the lines (maybe Damaris remembers) there were some volunteers with tables of coke and pepsi (and ibuprofen, but I didn't stop for that), I happily took a small (and I mean tiny) cup of coke... it tasted so damn good! There were also some tables of beer and people making mimosas and I now wish I had made this a fun experience and had stopped and enjoyed all the little things - oh well lol.
Mile 11 - 10:19
Mile 12 - 10:49
Mile 13 - 10:50
At the half way point I called hubs to let him know I was halfway done and to take a nice walk break.
Mile 14 - 10:00 (right here was where 5 years ago I got sick to my stomach and could barely run without feeling like I was going to be sick out both ends, it lasted until mile 23).
Mile 15 - 11:18
By mile 15, it began to hit me - my legs were letting me know that I was going to pay for my pace earlier. I got my 3rd gu out, the other Expresso Love and squeezed it down.... and 5 minutes later reached the water station.
Mile 16 - 10:51
Mile 17 - 12:03
Just a quarter of a mile before mile 18 I had to stop at some port-a-potties, there were others there as well, it cost me 5-10 minutes total but thankfully it was the only time I had to stop for a bathroom break (PROGRESS!)
Mile 18 - 13:19
Mile 19 - 11:20
Mile 20 - 12:34
By this point I had hit the wall, I was walking constantly and my glutes and hips and ITB were sore and I just wanted to be done. Before getting my final gu out, I called my hubs and let him know I was at mile 20, he cheered me on and reminded me I only had 6.2 miles to go. I agreed, but told myself to take it one mile at a time. I squeezed down my final gu - the Cold Brew and it felt like forever before I reached the next water station, that gu was hard to swallow... Bleh.
Mile 21 - 11:44
Mile 22 - 13:26
I happily told myself only 4.2 miles to go, by this point I think I walked .3 or .4 miles at one point that I know for sure.
Mile 23 - 11:54
I was only 3.2 miles away from the finish! Sadly by mile 23.4 we turned onto a long stretch that went into the wind..... it was also at this point my first were in serious pain, I felt like I wasn't wearing any shoes, I could feel everything against my feet and the pounding was dreadful.
Mile 24 - 13:21
I was walking a lot at this point, it was a death march with a whole bunch of others and yo-yoing with them. During my walks they'd pass me running/shuffling, then I'd pass them when I started back up, they were still running/shuffling.
Mile 25 - 12:51
Only 1.2 miles left! But I let myself walk .3 miles, my feet were killing me. I forced myself to run at 25.5, determined to push myself to the finish. We made that corner turn and there were tons of people cheering knowing how close I was and feeling some renewed energy, I continued pushing harder and harder and started to pass people. I passed the mile 26 mark and just kept pushing myself though I'm sure it looked like I was shuffling. Crossing that finish line was a huge relief, to know I had finished it and felt like I had given it all I had compared to 5 years ago I felt cheated out of that opportunity thanks to my getting sick to my stomach.
The Ravennas were no longer working for me, they did make changes to the platform or whatever it's called, the part that helps support under-pronators - and I say fuck them for it. The Richocets seemed to be okay for up to 21 miles, and of course that was the furthest distance I had ran in them, but Brooks was discontinuing them for an untold time - Fuck Brooks, I hate them now.
I tried the Levitate 2s, they were a no go but it wasn't until three days before the race that I finally decided to go to an LRS and get fitted. The guy brought out the Brooks Adrenaline 19's, the Mizuno Wave Inspires and a Saucony brand and another that I didn't look at because I liked the Mizunos, they felt snug and I like snug. I took them home and tried them immediately, there was no pain or irritation but unfortunately they were too snug. By mile 2 my feet were tingling and I knew that was a bad thing.... I took them back (this next week I may go back and try them in a size 9 instead of 8.5), I exchanged them for the Adrenalines and took those home. I had one more morning to try a pair of shoes and decide, Friday morning I got up and tried the Adrenalines, Jetta and I only made it to .8 miles before turning back as I was immediately feeling pain in my shins and feet, we got in 1.5 miles and that was all I needed to know. It appeared that the ones I'd be running in would be my newest Richocets, I hope and prayed they would get me to the finish line.
Friday's drive was okay, the rental we got was an Altima, a basic model with no Lombard system and an annoying headrest that I immediately took off. The lack of a Lombard system annoyed my sciatic nerve, big time. We stopped off at Cataract Falls, I took pics of the Upper Falls and Lower Falls, didn't get to see the falls where you get to walk behind the water but oh well.
This one here is a pic of the Lower Falls, there are signs saying not to swim but people apparently jump in anyways and swim. It was 36 degrees so I was not going for a swim.
This one is still the Lower Falls but a bit closer and it is the small falls that you see above that first waterfall. I wish I could have stayed longer but hubby and Dorian were waiting in the car.
After spending about half an hour there, and letting Dorian play on some slides (he was being such a good boy and really wanted to play on the slides so we gave him about 10 minutes, he was satisfied), we were on our way to Indy. The rest of the evening was hectic, I was constantly in and out of the hotel room, we got our stuff into the room and realized the laptop was still in the trunk, hubby didn't see it so I went down to the valet to get our key, got lost in the parking garage and probably walked .75 - 1 mile. Then I went to the Expo twice (I first went to get my race packet, saw headbands and wanted to go back and get my card as I forgot to bring a headband so made two trips, probably 1.5 miles total). Later that evening I had to go down and make popcorn (the rooms at the Courtyard do not have microwaves.... last time we'll be staying here). By the end of the night I could feel my legs were a bit tired - I took ibuprofen before falling asleep.
My night was restless, I was in and out of sleep but when I woke at 6 am I felt pretty rested. I had some oatmeal (forgot to bring a spoon so that was fun), I took some ibuprofen (and I don't regret it). Then I foam rolled and did some yoga stretches before getting ready, it was 7:12 when I realized we didn't bring any baby wipes up from the car and I knew Dorian would be going #2 this morning while I was gone and he would not appreciate that crappy toilet paper so I headed down to the valet to get the keys again, then to the car and back up to the room. I kissed Dorian and hubs goodbye and headed down to the race by 7:36 am.
It felt like forever before things got moving, so many people were taking selfies that finally I said fuck it and took one to post on IG.
Finally got to the starting line and we were off, I am pretty positive I had started way too far back. God only knows how many people I had to pass and all the effort and energy that went into those first 3 miles *face palm*. I knew I wanted a positive split and was going to push as well as I could, yeah it probably wasn't a smart idea but I wasn't very sure how I would feel later or if I'd get sick to my stomach again or if something would flair up in my legs. My fueling plan was a gu at every 5 miles, I had four with me - a Chocolate Rage, two Expresso Loves and one Roctane Cold Brew for the 20th mile.
I realized pretty quickly that my garmin was off, for the first 5 miles it was off by .1 miles, then by mile 10 it was off by .2 miles and by mile 15 and to the finish it was off by .3 miles so my splits may be off but I'll put down what stupid garmin has.
Mile 1 - 10:55
Mile 2 - 10:26
Mile 3 - 10:39
Mile 4 - 9:55
Mile 5 - 9:55
I was doing pretty good, I had my first gu in my glove and continued running while I pulled it out and then at mile 5 I kept up a pace while squeezing it bit by bit and swallowing it down, the next water station was probably .25-.4 miles later.
Mile 6 - 9:37
Mile 7 - 10:06
Mile 8 - 9:52
Mile 9 - 9:44
Mile 10 - 10:39
Around mile 9.8 I slowed to a walk so I could get one of my Expresso Loves out of my back pocket and because I wanted the break, I continued to walk while squeezing it down and about 5 minutes later the water station appeared. I was still doing pretty good but my legs were starting to feel tired, all this old concrete crap sure wasn't helping and the wind was a pain in the ass but I kept pushing it. Somewhere along the lines (maybe Damaris remembers) there were some volunteers with tables of coke and pepsi (and ibuprofen, but I didn't stop for that), I happily took a small (and I mean tiny) cup of coke... it tasted so damn good! There were also some tables of beer and people making mimosas and I now wish I had made this a fun experience and had stopped and enjoyed all the little things - oh well lol.
Mile 11 - 10:19
Mile 12 - 10:49
Mile 13 - 10:50
At the half way point I called hubs to let him know I was halfway done and to take a nice walk break.
Mile 14 - 10:00 (right here was where 5 years ago I got sick to my stomach and could barely run without feeling like I was going to be sick out both ends, it lasted until mile 23).
Mile 15 - 11:18
By mile 15, it began to hit me - my legs were letting me know that I was going to pay for my pace earlier. I got my 3rd gu out, the other Expresso Love and squeezed it down.... and 5 minutes later reached the water station.
Mile 16 - 10:51
Mile 17 - 12:03
Just a quarter of a mile before mile 18 I had to stop at some port-a-potties, there were others there as well, it cost me 5-10 minutes total but thankfully it was the only time I had to stop for a bathroom break (PROGRESS!)
Mile 18 - 13:19
Mile 19 - 11:20
Mile 20 - 12:34
By this point I had hit the wall, I was walking constantly and my glutes and hips and ITB were sore and I just wanted to be done. Before getting my final gu out, I called my hubs and let him know I was at mile 20, he cheered me on and reminded me I only had 6.2 miles to go. I agreed, but told myself to take it one mile at a time. I squeezed down my final gu - the Cold Brew and it felt like forever before I reached the next water station, that gu was hard to swallow... Bleh.
Mile 21 - 11:44
Mile 22 - 13:26
I happily told myself only 4.2 miles to go, by this point I think I walked .3 or .4 miles at one point that I know for sure.
Mile 23 - 11:54
I was only 3.2 miles away from the finish! Sadly by mile 23.4 we turned onto a long stretch that went into the wind..... it was also at this point my first were in serious pain, I felt like I wasn't wearing any shoes, I could feel everything against my feet and the pounding was dreadful.
Mile 24 - 13:21
I was walking a lot at this point, it was a death march with a whole bunch of others and yo-yoing with them. During my walks they'd pass me running/shuffling, then I'd pass them when I started back up, they were still running/shuffling.
Mile 25 - 12:51
Only 1.2 miles left! But I let myself walk .3 miles, my feet were killing me. I forced myself to run at 25.5, determined to push myself to the finish. We made that corner turn and there were tons of people cheering knowing how close I was and feeling some renewed energy, I continued pushing harder and harder and started to pass people. I passed the mile 26 mark and just kept pushing myself though I'm sure it looked like I was shuffling. Crossing that finish line was a huge relief, to know I had finished it and felt like I had given it all I had compared to 5 years ago I felt cheated out of that opportunity thanks to my getting sick to my stomach.
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