Texas

All in all, he did pretty well flying for the first time!

Texas is known for some good BBQ, and Austin, Tx is known to be eclectic and have a really good food truck scene. We figured this would be the perfect place for the first race back after having our son, Parker, last September. It’s been close to a full year since I’ve last raced. It’s been a long few (see cold, dark, cold, wet, and cold) months of getting back into training. I’ve definitely not been training specifically for this race, but I’m using this race to kind of see where I’m at because…. I’M GOING TO BOSTON, BABY! That’s right! I got into the 2018 Boston Marathon! But before that, I’ve GOT to get some fitness back. Speed will come in time but I need some endurance. I’ll be honest. I’m scared. These last few months have not been easy to build back into, but that’s a story for another time.

We arrived in Austin and quickly realized how exhausting it was to fly with a baby. By the time we got our car rented we just headed straight to the hotel. After we got Parker to sleep Thayne headed to get some tacos (yum). Saturday morning we headed to the expo, picked up our goodies, grabbed some delicious BBQ and toured the State Capital.

Course map provided by race website.

Race morning I was really nervous. This was going to be my first real “test” of fitness in a long time. I haven’t done really any speed work because I’ve been so concerned with building endurance back up and I truly had no idea what my capabilities would be.

It was so foggy and pretty sticky feeling even though the temperature was fairly cool. Kind of a weird mix and I wasn’t sure if it would really heat up much or if the sun came out it would burn off the humidity. Nothing I had control over… so onward we went! We found parking and I jumped in line for the port-o-potty. The lines took FOREVER! I actually just jumped out of it when I heard the gun go off! So I threw my jacket to Thayne and started running from there… so I got a good 3-4 block warm up before the race even started. Ahhhh! Not how I wanted the day to start!

That little blip uphill around mile 12… it’s much worse than the chart shows!!!

The race started with a steady almost 3.5 mile uphill. I tried to not even look at my watch and just focus on keeping an easy effort up the hill. I knew if I started too fast I’d totally burn myself out for the rest of the race and crush any bit of confidence I thought I had built back up. I knew I was running about mid 8 minute miles and felt pretty in control so far. I also knew there was a downhill coming up which would be so welcome!

I knew I’d see Thayne somewhere around half way through the race. He was going to stay close to the finish line because traveling around a city you don’t know to view a race (which he usually does) is hard enough alone, let alone with a 5 month old!

Around mile 8 I could feel that my energy was waning. Even though I’ve ran a few longer runs than this race, we did walk around the city a lot on Saturday. Plus most of my long runs have been in about…. 20-30 degrees cooler weather than the race was. This can make a HUGE difference! I upped my electrolyte chews by a few more and just tried to hang on and get to the finish.

Not only was I feeling tired, but my pace was slowing down. Typically, once I start to feel tired I know it’s too late and I can’t catch back up with my fuel. But I also wasn’t going to give up! I knew I could finish the race, but I could see the few small goals I had going out the window. (Not walking, finishing strong, fueling well, sub 1:50).

I walked for the first time around mile 9.5 where there was a small uphill. Again around 11. And then the again around 12, after a big downhill which I didn’t have nearly the speed as I did the first downhill of the race.

Seeing Thayne and Parker around half way through the race.

I was nearly in tears on that last big uphill. The elevation chart does not do it justice. I was walking, and it seemed everyone else was determined to run it. I had lost all my drive. Then a spectator came over, grabbed my hand, told me just how strong I looked and that I trained for this, and took off running with me. She ran the entire rest of the hill by my side. I’m sure I’m not the only one that she ran the hill with… but in the moment it was the single best thing anyone could have done for me. I don’t know her name. I couldn't even tell you what she looked like. But she got me up that hill, and closer to the finish line. So, thank you lady! I owe you!

Finisher medal with the State Capital.

I made the one last final loop near the capital, and came into the finish line which was luckily slightly downhill! I was happy to see Thayne and Parker and the finish line a block away. I know it wasn’t a perfect race, but those so rarely happen. I know I’m still learning to run again after having our son and it’s going to take a LOT of time. Even once my body is ready and back in shape, my mind will also have to be ready to take on the pain that racing (and racing hard) can bring. My mind wasn’t ready for that today either. Even then, I finished and that’s always something to be proud of!

I finished in a time of 1:53:38 (8:40 pace). Texas is completed, and 16 states are knocked off the list! Next up will be Idaho in July. (After Boston, of course!!)

To go back to the race report archives, click here.

Georgia

Heading into the Publix Half Marathon in Atlanta, Georgia I knew again that I just wanted to have fun and put in a solid effort through this half marathon. There were no speed goals, because I was only about 16 weeks pregnant. I had been training not only for this race but for Ultra Ragnar SoCal (coming up in April!!) so I knew I had plenty of miles under my pregnant belt, but I just wanted to knock another state off the list!

Thayne and I flew into Atlanta on a Friday morning and were meeting with a co-worker of mine who flew in the night before. It was also March Madness, so when we arrived to our hotel we realized he had, uh, been celebrating his teams winning and was sleeping it off. You could also say maybe he was carb loading for the race himself? At least he was having fun in a new city! Thayne and I headed to the expo, which was fairly small, and then grabbed some awesome pizza at a local joint.

Course map provided by race website.

That hill at mile 9 was no joke ya’ll.

The race started with a pretty nice downhill for the first few miles and I felt really good! I wanted to start slower and try to build into the run if I could, but also had no specific time goal (although I’d love to keep it under 2 hours if I could!). I had packed a bag full of cheez-its and shoved it into my spandex pocket (helloooo big storage pockets!) for a just in case snack. As I assumed, my first potty stop was around 4 miles. I didn’t want to stop my watch while I stopped because I wanted to know my overall time, but I did hit the lap button each time I stopped and started so I could know my actual running pace the entire time too.

Clearly the picture is blurry because I’m flying down the hill!

The race wasn’t until Sunday morning, so we bought a City Pass and hit up the aquarium and Center for Civil and Human Rights. The aquarium was just the pick-me-up we needed after visiting the Civil Rights museum. It was moving and extremely informative but also pretty emotional!Race morning dawned chilly, but otherwise perfect! We headed to the race start with plenty of time.

My friend was going to start the first few miles with me, and then take off if he felt good. I told him there was a pretty solid chance I’d have some potty stops (hello, baby on my bladder) so he definitely did not need to wait for me!

Sparkling into the finish.

The rest of the race pretty much continued as such… run a few miles, feel really good, be sure to continue to take in as much fluid electrolytes as possible, eat a few cheez-its, stop and use the port-o-potty. I texted Thayne every time I stopped to use the bathroom, just so he’d have a general idea of where I was in the race, how I was feeling while running and why I was stopping.

All in all, I ran the entire distance and while running I felt great during this race and held mid 8 minute mile pace. Stopping three total times (thanks, baby) obviously slowed me down by about 2-3 minutes total. It’s really hard to pull all the spandex back into the right place after it’s been a bit sweaty. I kept having to pull my tank top down too because my little baby belly kept pushing it up! No one needed to see that… ha!

There was a massive hill around mile 9, and I told myself before the race that I’d definitely give myself permission to walk up it if I felt like my heart rate was getting out of control (really this was the only limitation my OB ever gave me during my pregnancy). I definitely slowed it down but never had to walk up that hill. I felt so strong when it seemed like others started to fall apart.

Finish line!

I’m really proud of how much I’ve been able to train and race so far through my first pregnancy and hope that my body continues to allow me to do so the entire way. So far it’s been really fun to be able to race with a baby-on-board!The course had a great mix of downtown Atlanta views and some more natural views while running through parks. The crowds were out in full, providing alcoholic beer stops, lots of cheers and bringing the fun to the course. I’m sure having the race right around St. Patrick’s day does help to make it more of a party feel in the city all weekend long.

After the race finish, we received a HUGE bag of goodies. Thank you, Publix, for providing all the goodies for us… and in a bag! It’s a great idea to put everything in a bag and just hand the bag to us that way we don’t have to juggle a bunch of items when we’re tired.

I ended up finishing this half marathon in 1:57:05 (8:57 pace). Overall I was the 385th female (out of about 2,800) so I’m definitely not too mad about these results. Another state finished! Right now… no plans for another half marathon while pregnant so I’m not sure what’s next!

To go back to the race report archives, click here.

Florida, take two!

During the summer of 2016, I decided I HAD to go back to Disney again and wanted the challenge of completing the Glass Slipper Challenge (5k, 10k, half marathon) for Girl Power 2 Cure! Little did I know… I’d be pregnant in February of 2017. I received permission from my OB to go and have fun but to be sure to listen to my body. I had been running throughout pregnancy so far and had had no issues… so onward we went!

Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!

My friend Becky decided to take on the adventure with me, because DISNEY!! Plus we are both HUGE Harry Potter fans and planned to spend a day visiting Harry Potter world. She’s also been a huge asset and support in fundraising for Rett Syndrome and Becky truly has a heart of gold. AND it was going to be her first half marathon! We could think of no better way to celebrate that than at Disney and running for others! Of course we had to get ready to head to the airport at 4 am. Plus every race start at Disney is early… so many early mornings right in a row! But totally worth it.

Our first day in Florida we hit up the expo to grab our goodies. Then we checked into the hotel, rested a bit and headed back to the expo to work the Sparkle Athletic booth! If you don’t know about Sparkle Athletic, these ladies are pretty amazing! The owners (Carrie, Elise and Kelly) are also big in the Rett Syndrome scene and are part of the SoCal Ultra Ragnar team I’ve ran on since 2015.

After the expo we headed back to the hotel, where my Aunt Vanessa had arrived. We settled in and tried to get a little sleep because I had the 5k the next morning!

The only Disney races I’ve completed have been the half marathons in Florida in 2014 and California in 2014, both were for Rett Syndrome. I didn’t stop for any character stops in those races and while I had fun, I knew there was more fun to be had if I stopped for pictures! Also being pregnant, I figured I should focus on having fun versus running hard.

5k start line. Let’s do it!

Just hanging out with Dopey!

Under water creatures!

After the 5k ended (still at zero-dark-thirty), Becky and I got ready to go to Harry Potter World! I won’t bore you with all the pictures, but we did everything we could in our power to see and eat everything there was. We bought wands at Ollivander’s, we went to Florean Fortescue’s ice cream shop, rode the Hogwarts Express, drank pumpkin juice and warm butterbeer and listened to the choir sing with the giant toads. Seriously an amazing day to be had! Back to the hotel for naps!

Saturday morning was going to be another early one for the 10k start time. I had told Allison (also an awesome Ragnar lady and Rett momma!) that I’d run with her during the 10k. She was planning to push her daughter, Emma, through the race! Disney has a rule that once kiddos are 14 they can run the race, but since Emma has Rett Syndrome we were able to get a running jogger approved. Now Allison is FAST. Like… REALLY FAST. Then we found out that she and Emma would be starting before the A corral, and about 2 minutes later the A corral (where I was) would get to go. Two minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but remember when I said Allison was fast? I took off sprinting and it took close to a mile to catch her!

10k start line!

Queen Minnie Mouse!

Allison, Emma, and myself with some circus characters!

Once I caught up with Allison, we had so much fun running together! We stopped at quite a few character stops for pictures, and traded pushing Emma through the race. It was so neat to stop about 10 minutes from the finish line and get Emma out of her jogger so she could walk across the finish line. Emma is a very lucky girl in that she can walk, if she’s already been standing. Once she’s seated she cannot stand up by herself. Emma has been crossing finish lines (many at Disney) for years. I love that the Disney race announcers always highlight Emma (and other Rett girls) crossing the finish lines!

Working at the expo!

After the 10k Becky, Vanessa and I went and worked at the expo for Girl Power 2 Cure. Working with them can be so moving… raising awareness for Rett Syndrome and letting others know just what it is. Most people I talk to about Rett Syndrome have never heard of it (just like me, before I married into my husband’s family) so it’s truly moving to talk to them and have them ask questions, show concern and compassion. We have been able to spread so much awareness which is just amazing!

Sunday morning shows up… final race day! The half marathon! What we’ve all been waiting for! If you’ve never ran a Disney race, prepare yourself for the 3:30 am alarms. If you do a challenge, prepare yourself for this DAILY. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was tired! But we woke up and headed to the start line anyway. Becky and I headed up to our corral and made a game plan to stop at character stops and have as much fun as we could! Her longest training run was 10 miles and I knew she was a little nervous about adding the last three, so we knew we’d do what we needed to do (which turned, for me, to have 3 potty stops and eating cheez-its along the way). The sun, heat and humidity made the last few miles really tough, and unfortunately that’s where all the character stops are DONE. But Becky and I powered through and ran the entire race! I’m so proud of her… she did amazing!

Snow White & Prince Charming.

The castle is beautiful!

Cinderella & Prince Charming.

Coming into the finish line!!

Post finish line smiles. We did it!

After the race finished, Becky and I hung out at our finisher’s tent and cheered in other GP2C team runners as they finished. It’s amazing to see all the flowers and purple race shirts out there on the course, and so many people said hi and that they stopped at our booth at the expo and learned about Rett Syndrome because of us. Even better… they said they were going to share our story and join the team next year. Rett Syndrome, we will defeat you!

Even though I really, truly love running and would run these races no matter what… it’s nice to remember WHY I run a lot of these races. Rett Syndrome affects so many families, including my own. My cousin has Rett Syndrome, a neurological disorder that has stolen her ability to walk, talk, use her hands in a functional way and has given her many things to fight against. So when my aunt Vanessa told me about this race back in 2014, I learned all I could about Rett Syndrome and Girl Power 2 Cure. I love running for Martilee and all the other girls with Rett Syndrome and will continue to #untilshecan because I truly believe that someday she will run with me!

To go back to the race report archives, click here.