Mountain Mist Training

Well, Mountain Mist 50K is right around the corner. It is such an awesome race and holds very fond memories for me (and hopefully for my husband, Rick!). We started dating while training for our first Mountain Mist together, got engaged at the top of Rest Shelter Hill on a training run, and even named our dog, Monte, after the mountain it's run on (Monte Sano).
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Training for my sixth Mountain Mist has not been ideal, but I am hoping it is enough to take me to a pretty good time for me (sub 6-hours). I have some marathons in recent months plus a 20-miler two weeks ago (though road runs, they are good for endurance), and I have done two trail runs in the last month. The first was the week before Christmas and was 15 miles. The second was last weekend, and it was 19.5 miles. They were both the second half of the course (look at the link above to see a course map and elevation profile). The second half is definitely the more challenging, with two pretty hard climbs when you are already well into the race. Since Rick is also training, I don't get a lot of time on the trails. So I have to make the most of it!
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My training run this past weekend was just a lot of fun and good learning for me too. All runners are invited to the training runs held on the several Saturdays leading up to Mountain Mist (this year Christmas and New Year's Eve fell on Saturdays so there were less training runs. There were no "official" training runs on Christmas though I'm sure some still ran! Another run--the Recover From the Holidays 50K--was held on New Year's Eve and I believe replaced the training run that day). The runs are held at 7 a.m. and begin at the hikers' parking lot. I went up with my friend Julia, who is training for her second Mountain Mist. A huge group was gathered this time, a big difference from the dozen or so that came out the Saturday I came in December. I guess the weather was a little above freezing, and I thought it was interesting to instantly recognize the more seasoned trail runners waiting in the parking lot wearing their shorts (and not tights). We met up with our friend, Mike, who wanted a similar mileage for that day and also wanted the miles on the second half of the course. Somehow, the massive group got going without much notice and I ended up dead last. I followed along for a little while, and eventually we came to a stop about 5 miles into the run where we split from the other group to follow Mike's route. A fellow Fleet Feet Racing Team member, Eric Fritz, came along with Mike.
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I like the training runs because you never know who you might end up running with. Single-track trails are very narrow and don't allow you to be side-to-side with anyone. But you can still carry on a conversation with the person in front or behind you without too much trouble. I figured I would run with Julia for most of the run, but I ended up being in the front of our little group with Eric most of the time. I had never run with him before, and he had the greatest stories to share and really helped pass the time. He told me how he broke 20 minutes in the Cotton Row 5K with Rick pushing him on, how he ran his first 100-miler (he has a good write-up on his blog), how he helped pace the 3:20 marathon group, and about pacing strategies for Mountain Mist (those I loved and will "reveal" in a later post). He runs the trails frequently and with some other awesome Fleet Feet Racing Teams members (Rob, Kathy, Eric C., and Dana to name a few). I loved how we stopped at one point to hunt for some stashed water jugs along the course (turns out it was not too clean and we opted not to drink it). The worst part of the run was near the base of McKay Hollow, where I landed funny and rolled my ankle on some rocks. I had never done that before. Later it swelled and, more than anything, shook my confidence a little. I also fell when my new shoe's laces got caught on a branch. The branch held my foot and I tumbled down (but it was a slow fall and I easily landed on my bottom).
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I finished the trail run muddy and tired, two essential components of any good trail run! It was great running with good company and preparing for my favorite Huntsville race!

Back From the Abyss

My story of recovery surprisingly (even to me) does not involve any kind of treatment center or counseling; in fact, I was never officially diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. I graduated from Auburn with honors and moved back to my hometown for my first job. I got busy with life and all the stress that my first job brought. And my parents continued to urge me to eat. I believe that anorexia is a disease that can be best nurtured by those that have alot of time to focus on themselves. Fortunately for me, I became busy and simply wasn't able to do some of the things (multiple work out sessions, serious food restriction, etc.) that I did back in college. As the weight gradually came back on in my 22nd year, my face bloated. This was a very hard thing for me to accept, as I felt it made me look "fat." Here I am below with that puffy face.

Summer 2001

Around age 23, I really began to feel back to "normal." I no longer worried so much about what I was eating. Though I was still a vegetarian then, my other food restrictions were lessening. It was around this period that I also began marathoning. I truly believe that running at the marathon level took some of that compulsive behavior (restrictive eating) and funneled it into a socially acceptable pathway (marathons). Marathon running, I think, will always be a little bit about my perfectionism. It is not just fun for me; it is not just a means of fitness. It channels my drive to push myself. Everyone would say that severe food restriction is bad. Many, many runners see nothing wrong with running high mileage, closely watching what we eat, constant weighing, etc. So the challenge for me becomes drawing my own lines in the sand in the right places for me.
Space Academy for Educators in the Summer of 2001 was a turning point in my life. These two pictures show a Katie that was beginning to look healthy and to feel happy again.

Fast forward again to 2006, when my husband and I were expecting our first child. One of the amazing things about anorexia is that any temporary "kinks" you throw in your reproductive system while you are starving can fix themselves when you gain weight back. I wanted a healthy baby more than I wanted anything else in life--more than being thin. A step in my recovery was to stop weighing myself. The number on the scale usually started me on the dieting and over-exercising path each time I didn't like what I saw. Yet I had successfully gone from a size 0 to a size 2-4 and felt okay with that. I kept those clothes in my closet and, as long as they fit, I knew I was doing fine. But I worried about what "getting fat" during pregnancy would do to my mind. After much thought, I decided that I wanted to see what the scale said through the nine months of pregnancy, for my own health and for memory's sake. As it turns out, I loved my first pregnancy and took a healthy break from running and gained 31 pounds. I happily ended that pregnancy at 154 pounds. Here I am the day I went into labor with my son:

June 30, 2006 Laboring at home

After having my son, body image issues did come back as I struggled to fit into old clothes and to run somewhat competitively again. I didn't restrict my eating, but I didn't like how I looked. Here is a picture from the Big Spring Jam 5K almost four months after I gave birth.

September 2006--Barely fit into the racing outfit

My journey back to health would not have been possible without God by my side. Through His awesome grace, He blessed us with a second pregnancy only five and a half months after our son was born. And this time, we had a little girl. I happily gained 37 pounds through this pregnancy and weighed 162 pounds, my highest weight ever.

August 2007

After my daughter's birth, I had a very hard time taking the weight off and finding "the old me." I am almost three and a half years into this part of my journey. In 2010, I was blessed again with an awesome diverse group of girls with which to run. They have encouraged and inspired me to get into better shape. And they see me as the runner I am today. They help me to quiet the voices that still whisper, "You are fat." I know that I have a support system of people who love me--these friends, my husband, and my family. So I work to find the balance between running and eating that works for me. This has included adding meat back to my diet (I missed you, Chick-Fil-A nuggets!), throwing out the scale (and, I think, on a related note, not logging miles), allowing myself to eat any food guilt-free, and gaining a new acceptance of this well-spent body.

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Body image and runners will always be a tricky mix. Sometimes runs with my friends end up feeling like confessionals where we divulge all of our eating "sins" from the previous days. Runners size each other up before races, making judgments of times based on physiques. We gloat about refusing a dessert like it is a medal-deserving decision. We run a 20-miler and then enjoy a day of "guilt-free eating" as a result. We learn to tune out with mantras as we inflict pain on ourselves during runs. And we love watching our numbers as they change in our favor--our race times, our mileage, our weight. Anorexics just don't have the ability to say, "That's enough. You can stop begin so hard on yourself now." But since many anorexic behaviors are seen as strengths by runners, the line between healthy and not is often blurred. Battles wage every day in the minds of the anorexic to find the balance.

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I have to make a conscientious effort each day to not let a negative body image engulf me. I am no longer that rail-thin gaunt looking teenager. I am a muscular marathon runner and a mother of two. It helps that I have a husband who loves me for who I am, strong runner's legs and all, and to know that the extra pooch on my tummy is the result of carrying two babies and not something to abhor, starve, or run off. I have learned to enjoy my body as it has taken me, happily spent, across the finish lines of almost 30 marathons and ultramarathons and dozens and dozens of other races too. May it hold up for many more! I have learned to love the fuel that is food, of every kind and quantity, and to eat it with pleasure. I no longer hate who I see in the mirror, for I know that this vessel, this shell is only one very small piece of who I am.

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As I look back at my life, I can say that I am thankful that I went through the past nearly fifteen years of ups and downs in my weight. With the wisdom that has come from overcoming anorexia, I hope I can help others avoid the mistakes that I've made, to climb their own way out from the abyss. I wholeheartedly believe the expression that I find myself chanting during the later miles of the marathon, "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger." My life experiences have shaped me, and I would not trade the bad in for good. This is who I am. And anorexia will always be a part of that picture.

Where It Began

So most runners run to stay fit, and some run to lose weight. No big news there, right? I even think many fit runners want to lose just a few pounds here or there, and it's charts like this one that make us all aspire to lose just a little bit more. Who wouldn't want to lose 10 pounds and run nearly nine minutes faster in the marathon as a result? But back in my college years, I took dieting to an extreme. Running was the catalyst in my extreme weight loss. Before long, anorexia nervosa had begun to take hold of me. Here is the story of how it happened.

Healthy weight at eighteenth birthday party in 1995, right before leaving for college

I was a typical college freshman at Auburn University in 1995, and, like most freshman, I gained the dreaded "Freshman 15" while enjoying the usual college dorm food. I probably got at the most up to about 130 pounds, and I am 5'5"--not overweight by any means, but big enough that my size 5 clothes were fitting too tight and I felt bigger all over. So, when I signed up for a running class for credit in the Spring of my freshman year, I was ecstatic to have found a way to earn an easy A while also working myself back into shape. I excelled in the class and earned many bonus points for running in Auburn's local races outside of our usual runs during class time. My roommate at the time was a nice girl who was a runner and a health-conscious eater as well. After the class ended, I began running with her on a regular basis (something like 4-5 miles a day) and adopted some of her eating habits.

But then, little by little, I began taking things just one step too far. I had always been very perfectionistic and competitive as a child and teenager-- very hard on myself and very eager to please. I was the kind of student who would get so worried before Chemistry tests that I would be sick beforehand. And I hated anything less than an A; in fact, I never earned less than an A all through high school and college. As I began losing the weight, I started feeling better about myself and also began getting some good attention as well. And suddenly eating had become the enemy, and running, my best friend. I kept a diary all through college, and here are some of the more telling entries from that period:

October 14, 1995 "I've had a good couple of days. I ran the Auburn Fall 5K with {roommate's name} and we got 26:40. We didn't stop at all!"

October 13, 1996 "Tonight, {my sister},{my roommate}, and I went out for ice cream. We started talking about weight and stuff. {Roommate} weighs 123 and I weigh 116. I feel better about my body now. I will try to eat good--but in this crazy life I have trouble."

December 20, 1996 "All of the holiday cookies and sweets around the house are driving me crazy! I hope I don't gain any weight or only a few pounds. I'm at 110 (with clothes)."

April 28, 1997 "Today began at 7:15 a.m. when {Roommate} and I went to work out (stairmaster-35 min.) at the Student Act [Students Activities Center]. She made me weigh myself (her-120, me-100) and then freaked out and told me to start eating more fat. I think it's ironic that she's the one that makes me feel guilty when I do eat fat."

April 1997 --A year and a half since the picture above

June 27, 1997 "My biggest (hugest, HUGEST) problem since I have been home is my weight and eating habits. I am obsessed! I only allow myself certain foods for b'fast and lunch (fat-free yogurt, fruit, graham crackers for b'fast--combo of 2; salad and pretzels for lunch). Then I feel guilty at night and torture myself with guilty feelings if I snack. Why? I weigh about 90 now, and I know I have a problem. I run 4 miles everyday or I feel bad, but I'm really tired when I run. Everyone at work asks if I lost weight, if I was sick, what do I eat, etc. I HATE it."

Summer 1997

June 4, 1998 "Today I weighed 100 at the Student Act. I'm proud but also upset that I'm letting this happen again. I eat only fruits and vegetables most days and it makes me feel good throwing out fatty food."

February 21, 1999 "I feel like I need to get this out--I've been feeling fat again lately."

Twenty-first birthday--three years into the disease and after many ups and downs

Before I knew it, I had become anorexic. I had heard about anorexia nervosa back in high school when a teacher showed us a movie called The Karen Carpenter Story. But back in high school, I never thought that would happen to me and never aspired to it at all. When I started losing the weight, I bought a book on anorexia and realized that I showed most of the symptoms even though I wanted to stop. I remember being so tired of getting on the scale, "measuring" my arms (I would encircle my thumb and middle finger around my upper arm right above my elbow as a means to "check" myself), restricting my food, being cold, being stared at, etc. Still, each morning, I felt a strong desire to get up and run (even though I had absolutely no energy) and to continue the day with my strange eating patterns.
My family was so worried for me but didn't know how to "fix" me. My heart aches now for all of the pain I put them through, and it hurts for all of the young girls (and boys) living this way right now. Even the memory is so unpleasant to me that I put off writing this (and put off thinking about this stage of my life) for a very long time. Still, the process has been cathartic to me and, it is my hope, may also be helpful to someone else reading this. My story does not end here.
Before I continue with my second post, I wanted to share some of my research. I went through a list from this website to review the definition and symptoms again and see how many related to me at that time. It states:
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. People with anorexia nervosa attempt to maintain a weight that's far below normal for their age and height. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively.
Anorexia (an-oh-REK-see-uh) nervosa isn't really about food. It's an unhealthy way to try to cope with emotional problems. When you have anorexia nervosa, you often equate thinness with self-worth.

Physical signs and symptoms of anorexia include:
(I added the asterisks to the ones that applied to me and added my comments next to the items)
*Extreme weight loss (I went from about 130 to around 90)
*Thin appearance
*Abnormal blood counts (Around age 21, I tried giving blood and was anemic. This was when I was also not eating meat)
*Fatigue
*Insomnia
Dizziness or fainting
A bluish discoloration of the fingers
*Brittle nails
*Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
*Soft, downy hair covering the body (This was very apparent and hard to hide)
*Absence of menstruation (Lost periods for over a year and then they were hit-or-miss)
Constipation
*Dry skin
*Intolerance of cold (AC in the summer was always too cold)
Irregular heart rhythms
Low blood pressure
Dehydration
*Osteoporosis
Swelling of arms or legs

Emotional and behavioral characteristics associated with anorexia include:
*Refusal to eat (I did not eat breakfast or snack, so I normally ate only two meals a day. I tried counting calories and aimed for 1000 calories or under, and very few fat grams a day)
*Denial of hunger (I actually lost the ability to feel hungry after awhile)
*Excessive exercise
*Flat mood, or lack of emotion
*Social withdrawal
*Irritability
*Preoccupation with food (I dreamed about food and often wrote what I ate in my diary)
Reduced interest in sex
*Depressed mood
Possible use of herbal products or diet aids

If you're concerned that a loved one may have anorexia, watch for these possible red flags:
*Skipping meals
*Making excuses for not eating
*Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and calories (This is how I began shunning meat. I was a vegetarian for years and loved how "in control" it felt to not eat meat. I also ate only fat-free dairy. I loved anything fat-free since it felt "safer." Rice cakes and olestra fat-free chips were a big splurge for me. I could eat the whole package of each in a sitting.)
Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces or spitting food out after chewing
Cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat
*Repeated weighing of themselves
*Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
Complaining about being fat
*Not wanting to eat in public (I would purposefully avoid eating out with friends because I didn't know what was "safe" on the menu. I lost many friends that way.)

I overcame each of these terrible symptoms. Running is now my release, my joy, a great source of my happiness. And I have learned to overcome my unhealthy food habits.

Tune in for the second part of my story where I share my recovery.

When Things Don’t Come Together…

So my entry on the Marshall University Marathon was a fun one to write. What a great marathon experience! I ran a PR, qualified for Boston for the first time, and we just had a great all around marathon trip. I couldn’t have asked for any better, and I feel blessed looking back on it all. I’ve had several conversations with other marathoners about how so many variables have to come together for a marathon to really be great. You know the ones I’m talking about: training, lack of injuries, nutrition, hydration, sleep, weather, health, stresses, etc. Some of those variables you can control, some you can influence and some are in the hands of God. Having a very bad marathon experience, where so many of those variables did not come together, also makes me appreciate the experience we had in Huntington. The marathon that provided perspective for me was Des Moines, Iowa. Katie and I ran this marathon on October 18, 2009.

First of all, this marathon followed the Maui Marathon Katie and I ran during our five year anniversary trip to Hawaii (our strategy is to run a few marathons about a month apart once we’re in “marathon shape”). We decided on this marathon because it was about a month after Maui and geographically close to Katie’s sister, Laurie, who lives in Madison, WI. We all decided on Des Moines over Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our original plan was to meet up and visit in Des Moines, and then Laurie would watch the kids while we ran. That turned out to be the first of many things that didn’t work out according to plan. School/work responsibilities precluded Laurie from making the trip. No problem; Katie’s mom, Ginny, agreed to join us. So this trip would still work out. (Looking back we were very determined to make this marathon happen.)

The next part requires me to explain a bit about my work situation at the time. I’m a Thrust Vector Control (TVC) engineer with Jacobs Engineering (NASA contractor). The group I work with is responsible for, to put it in layman’s terms, the power steering system on the rocket that directs it as it ascends. In our group, I was given the responsibility as the “Ares I-X guy.” If you are interested you can learn about Ares I-X here. Anyway, I supported all things TVC for Ares I-X, and an issue with the Ares I-X TVC system was discovered on October 14th during launch preparations. I was at Kennedy Space Center on October 15th (three days before the marathon). Not knowing how serious the issue was, I wasn’t too optimistic about making the start of the race. I decided not to tell anyone at work that I was registered to run a marathon on October 18. I would do the marathon if work situations allowed, but I wouldn’t race instead of taking care of work responsibilities. Anyway, we worked the TVC problem and the fix came together very quickly. So I made plans to fly from Orlando to Des Moines and join Katie, Ginny and the kids and return soon after the marathon. I made my flight arrangement as last minute on Friday as possible (leaving Orlando at 5:30 p.m. and arriving in Des Moines at 11:15 p.m.), knowing anything can happen when it comes to rockets. That turned out to be a good thing, because I received a call at my hotel room on Friday morning that a group at work was getting together to discuss some other options for our system. I was bummed because, at the time, I thought for sure this would mean that I wouldn’t be able to drive to Orlando and catch that last minute flight. Well the meeting went quickly (that never happens), and the group basically decided to leave the system as it was. So I hopped in my rental car and dashed off for the airport. Things were not exactly coming together, but I’d do my best to make them come together if I could.

So now it was time to transition into a marathon mindset (and get halfway across the country). I packed a small backpack with some running clothes and one set of clothes other than what I was wearing. I made it to the airport with very little time to spare, and I was all set to make a late night race eve arrival in Des Moines. I would have to ad lib all of the usual marathon preparation stuff in airports and during the flights. Carb loading was: Chinese fast food at a food court in Atlanta and snacking during the flight on anything from an airport convenience store that seemed appropriate (granola bars, trail mix, etc.). The flight into Des Moines was a bit behind schedule so I arrived a little later than expected. Things were still not coming together, but the taxi driver gave me a brief description (as best he knew) of the marathon course on the way to the hotel. That’s something right? I quietly snuck into the hotel room after midnight. After a short discussion with Katie and Ginny, I changed my return flight to originate in St. Louis (we’d visit Katie’s Aunt Rosie/Ginny’s sister and take in the St. Louis zoo on Sunday) instead of Des Moines on Sunday before it was too late. After all of that craziness, I attempted to slow the spinning gears in my head long enough to get a few hours of sleep before the race. I really wanted to do this race and hoped that it would go well despite the craziness leading up to it. Saturday morning came early and I (foolishly) had a bowl of hotel “Raisin Bran” cereal and some yogurt for breakfast.

The organizers for the Des Moines marathon do a pretty good job. We found a close parking spot easily, and I remember thinking the start area and activities were well planned. Something we did, dropping a bag or something I don’t remember now, had us a bit rushed to make it to the start line. It was quite crowded at the start and we were standing on a sidewalk perpendicular to the course with several others as the gun went off. Nothing else leading up to this marathon was relaxed, why should the start be any different? We made it into the start area quickly though and were shuffling with the sea of runners for the start of marathon state number 14 for Katie and me.

The first several miles actually went pretty well for me. I think I was aiming for somewhere under nine minute miles. I thought I could have a decent marathon but the bigger goal for today was to have a good experience and check Iowa off of the list of states left to race. I remember running up a decent hill around mile four and seeing a wheelchair racer inching his way up the hill backwards. He was going so slowly, and it looked painfully difficult. I also remember Katie and I saw a very animated pacer (the 3:30 pacer I believe). He had a lot of personality and was telling the group how fast they were running, how many seconds they had “banked” in the last mile, how far ahead of schedule they were, and cheering on runners around him. It was pretty interesting and I was doing well enough at this point to be amused.

Then things gradually started to take a turn for the worse. I don’t clearly remember the first urge to find a port-a-potty. I probably thought that I would just make a quick stop and be going again without too much interruption. I made the first pit stop and not too long after I was keeping an eye out for the next port-a-potty. This process would repeat over and over during the race. Mile after mile I was focused on the course ahead and hoping that cresting a hill or turning a corner would bring a port-a-potty into sight. At first, the stops weren’t eating into my pace too badly and I had hopes of finishing at a reasonable pace. Katie had already pulled away, but I was determined to make the best of it. I remember the course went into a stadium and around a track at one point. I saw Katie coming out of the stadium as I was going in. Somehow I communicated it wasn’t my day for a good race (and then I made another dash into a port-a-potty right by the stadium).

Over time, I realized that not only were my stomach issues not going away, but they would be a big issue at this race. The urge to search for the next “King Johnnie” would arrive immediately after I had finished at the previous. A few times I contemplated back tracking on the course. But another thing the organizers did well was set up the port-a-potties along the course. They were all over the place and set up where the course crossed back on itself so that I could visit the same one twice. Looking back, I believe this was the only thing that allowed me to finish this marathon. If I had attempted to run several miles in this condition without relief, I probably would have pulled out. I also remember at one point later in the race, I thought the worst was over and maybe I could make a push for a few decent miles before finish. I wanted to have at least a final slice of enjoyment from this race. That thought lasted for a mile or two at the most. When I thought I wouldn’t possibly have to make another stop, around mile 22.5, I did. This will sound strange, but I’ll say it anyway. For some reason I was counting these stops, and I ended up with 14 total during the race. As all of this was going on I passed the same guy a few times. One time when I was passing him again, he commented that he didn’t remember passing me. There was a reason for that…

As much as I wanted to deny it at the time, this issue was affecting my energy and ability to run. It was inevitable that this issue would catch up with the rest of my body. I wanted so bad to keep some kind of “running” pace going near the end. I gave an audible grunt of frustration around mile 23.5 when I just couldn’t push myself to keep running any more. I was going to finish this marathon, but I was mad that it would be so slow and that I’d have to walk it in. The last miles were miserable because I was so spent. I remember one nice guy encouraging me to jog the last half mile or so with him and I just couldn’t do it. He had a whole different gear that I didn’t have at that point. It took a big effort to shuffle the last bit where the crowds were lining the finishing area and the photographers were snapping away.

Walking it in…

This finish line picture sums it up

It really is too bad that I spent so much time focused on an unpleasant feeling and not as much on enjoying this marathon. What little I was able to appreciate about the course was very nice. Going around the track was cool, we spent quite a bit of time running in residential areas where trees canopied the course, we ran through a scenic park and along a small river, and we ran over a cool bridge where prisms cast rainbows on the path. I just wish I could have taken in and enjoyed these parts of the course more because the course really did exceed my expectations for scenery along a marathon in Iowa.
Oh well. When you plan to do 50+ of these, I suppose there will be ones like this. Hopefully they are few and far between.

I ended up finishing in 4:14:36. Here are my splits

1-8:34

2-8:16

3-8:14

4-8:38

5-8:54

6-8:31

7-8:28

8-9:16

9-8:32

10-9:05

11-9:24

12-9:26

13-8:33

14-9:45

15-9:14

16-9:13

17-8:22

18-9:22

19-11:16

20-8:46

21-8:52

22-9:14

23-12:24

24-10:45

25-15:30

26-15:20

.2-2:28

The Week After the Marathon

Wow, I can't believe Christmas is a few days away! The weekend of the marathon was so busy that it feels like I haven't recovered from that yet. And now my ankle is hurting, so I guess I haven't! It seems like I get a new injury every time I pick up my mileage. Boo. The week after the marathon, I felt good enough to run on Monday, but it was so cold (wind chill of 6 degrees!) that we decided not to run and I did the elliptical machine instead. Then I did a hilly 10 mile run on Wednesday, a 10 mile run on Friday (did part of Alice's long run with her), and a 15 mile trail run run on Saturday (the second half of the Mountain Mist course). Then Monday was an 8 mile run. So many longer runs is not usual for me, so I mostly wanted to record this for my own poor memory. It is good Mountain Mist training.
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I've been thinking a lot about how important running should be in my life (see Jane's "Just a Thing" post for her momma's good advice on this topic). Also have a good post on body image in the works (complete with pictures of my tumultuous last 15 years or so). Digging out the old pictures has made me very contemplative of how running has affected both my body and my view of my body. It's on the to-do list for Christmas Break.

(Nearly) Hitting the Target in my Rocket City Trilogy

Photo by We Run Huntsville

Pacing at mile 24, happy and chatting away

The Run

So I began the morning of my first event as a pacer around 4 a.m. when Rick's alarm went off. I laid in bed after he left afraid to go asleep since I might miss my alarm (like in the classic Seinfield episode!). I really take for granted that Rick runs my marathons with me. He gets me up, drives me there, and holds the keys while we run. All of this is harder alone! But once I had laid there until 5:45 or so, I got up and showered (does anyone else like to do this before a marathon?) and got dressed. I was just beginning to wonder if the sitter forgot when I saw her pull up. After going over the instructions and hitting my bathroom one last time, I headed for the race! I parked at the library and headed over to the hotel for one more potty break. With the frantic pace of my morning, I was a little warm and decided to throw off my gloves and long-sleeve shirt back at the car (weather was mid-30s at start but near 50 at finish). I made it a quick jog since I was supposed to be at the start by 7:45 a.m.

At the start, people instantly came up when they saw the sign. I met two of the runners who had corresponded to me via email before the race. And I saw my friends Jane and Madelyn and met Jane's mother, Erin. I am usually not talkative during the race, but I found it easy to have lots of little conversations with the runners in the group, which started out very large in the beginning. I met so many nice people--a guy who ran Rocket City 24 years ago, a woman who ran the last 6 miles of her last marathon with a stress fracture obtained in the race, a guy who ran on a John Bingham cruise to Alaska, a guy who is planning to run his 10th Mountain Mist this year, 2 Pauls (one who offered to carry my sign for me), among many others.

I found it hard to regulate my pace because once I started talking to someone, I would have to let them keep going while I slowed down (though several people slowed just like I did). I also noticed that I picked up my pace each time I passed a crowd or music. Looking back, I was about 5-10 seconds too fast in the crucial first 20 miles. Though I now think, "Why did I do this?" I think at the time that I was worried about the last 6 so much that I wanted to build that cushion. Running very even splits is new to me (and my body), but seriously slowing down at the end is not! So I was overly cautious. Throughout the race, I took the 2 Gu's offered on the course, water or Powerade at every aid station, and some Cliffshots and Sportsbeans stashed in my pocket. I never hit a wall or really even felt like I could not continue running the pace (as I always do when I am running my pace in a race). It was nice to be an encouragement to those around me even in the end (I told them to picture the finish line and brought up other bits of encouragement).

The highlights for me in pacing included obviously meeting many great people committing to that pace, seeing my mom and dad at Whitesburg School, seeing Rick at mile 18, and helping my friend Patrick from miles 24-26. It was so great to be able to encourage others so much while running (usually I am too tired to really do this). But it was funny having people think I was some sort of expert at pacing or even the 4:15 pace (which I had never run before!). Near the end, some people seemed discouraged to see the 4:15 pacer passing them, because with me their goal time was also passing them by. Well, I have been in that same boat, and it is no fun! When I made it to the finish, I knew I was a little ahead of pace but jogged slowly to the end. It felt funny to get a medal since it didn't feel like "my" race. It was strange to call this "volunteering" too, though.
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The Gear

I felt very official in my red pacer shirt (also wore my red FF team shorts since I know they are comfortable and best-of-all, they were free!). We were told to carry small pacer signs for at least the first 5 miles, but I found that it was not heavy at all so I carried it the whole time. People could tell what pace group was approaching, thus finding their relative or friend more easily. And I could shout, "Let's hear it for the 4:15 pace group" which I thought helped get the crowd's support for the runners. And the runners in front could turn around and see us coming.

The Garmin was set up perfectly with the three-screen rotation. It not only helped me but also the others in the group for me to be able to say, "This is a 9:30 mile, but our overall pace is a 9:42" etc. The tattoo did not stick to my arm so at the last minute I had turned it into a bracelet with a little packing tape and a safety pin. I used it several times also as I ran, not every mile but at places like the halfway point. As I began running, I was instantly a little confused about whether to use chip or gun time for the 4:15 pace, but I decided that chip time made the most sense so I went with that.
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The End Result

I realized pretty close to the end that I was too far ahead of my goal time. I later heard that some of the pacers turned the last corner and started walking to get closer to their pace time. I may try that in the future if I get too far ahead, though running more on-target splits throughout will be my main goal next time. I was actually the furthest from my pace time of all of us pacers. That shows you what an awesome group of pacers we had and gives me something to strive for next time. The chip time was 4:12:47, or 2 minutes and 13 seconds above pace. We were supposed to do 1-2 minutes ahead of our goal pace max. I am trying to not be too discouraged, but I know that running the earlier miles too fast might have discouraged those trying to keep the 9:44 pace. That is hard to swallow.
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Eric Charette (who organized the pacing team) wrote the nicest thank you letter to us pacers. Here it is:

On behalf of the Huntsville Track Club, Rocket City Marathon and the sponsors Nike and Fleet Feet, I wanted to send our gratitude to you as pacers for your service this weekend. While many people volunteer on race day, you not only sacrificed your own marathon, but put in the training time to be able to hit your goal time. This was an incredible task for which you volunteered, to run even pace for the entire race and come under your goal time. I am proud to say that with only minor variation, were we able to meet all of our goals.

I heard so many great comments about the pacers and how they helped people realize their goal times, qualify for Boston or just pull them along with encouraging words during the race. Tut Said from Nike expressed his appreciation multiple times and Suzanne Taylor and Wayne Smith even noted it at the award ceremony.

I hope that each of you rests tonight with the pride that you helped others realize their dreams while you unselfishly gave of yourself. I know that personally this was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done with running.

We will definitely be looking to have pacers help to complement our marathon in 2011 and beyond.
Listed below are the names and times of the pacers
Josh Hite (3:10) - 3:08:10
Eric Schotz (3:15) - 3:14:35
Jon Elmore/Eric Fritz (3:20) - 3:20:59
Brett Addington (3:30) - 3:29:33
John Nevels/Dana Overton (3:35) - 3:33:23
Eric Charette (3:40) - 3:38:46
Eric Patterson (3:45) - 3:45:04
James Falcon (3:50) - 3:49:58
Linda Scavarda (4:00) - 3:59:33
David Rawlings (4:05) - 4:04:24
Katie Maehlmann (4:15) - 4:12:47
Jane Reneau (4:30) - 4:29:16
Rob/Kathy Youngren (6:00) - 5:58:46

Pacing and Partying

The Rocket City Marathon is tomorrow morning. Rick has been hard at work getting the course sentries and all of the stuff that goes along with that. I have the sitter ready to come at 6:45 a.m. so I can leave with plenty of time tomorrow since he will get up at about 4 a.m. to begin his duties (thank you to all the volunteers who work so hard!).
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I have already learned a couple of things about pacing as I prepared to pace the 4:15 group for the marathon. First is that actually staying on pace is much more complicated than I thought! Pacers are told that the first couple of miles might be slower than pace due to the crowds at the start. Then, from miles 2-20, we are supposed to run 10-15 seconds faster than pace since we will probably slow a little at the end. Our optimal finishing time is just under the actual pace, so I would be perfectly happy getting a 4:14:59 tomorrow :) We are also supposed to take fluid at every aid station. That is new to me since I usually only take every other at the beginning, then maybe take every one near the end. I have had Rick adjust our Garmin several times, trying to get it to read what I think is the most useful information possible. Mine will show 3 rotating screens: total elapsed pace along with total distance, pace for the current mile, and then overall elapsed time. Along with that, I bought a tattoo of the 4:15 pace. I thought I was all set until Jane pointed out to me that my arm will likely be covered for the race! Oops! These are the things I am learning as I go along. A final word about this is that I have never set a time goal and finished at that time before! I once made my own pacing bracelet out of an index card, safety pin, and some packing tape. And I sometimes will set a pace goal just in my head, then I use my watch to see each split. I am interested to see if the Garmin and tattoo will help keep me more focused. And I am hoping not to let anyone down if I do fall off pace.
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I have a work party tonight (not a great night to be up late but we are eating Italian so that is good!) and then Rick and I are hosting a Christmas party tomorrow at 4 p.m. This is such a busy weekend! I am looking forward to the next few weeks when I will have a break from work and also begin my trail running in preparation for Mountain Mist.
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Good luck to all of the marathon runners tomorrow!