The Erie Marathon at Presque Isle

Shortly after what happened at the 2013 Boston Marathon, my desire to qualify for Boston (BQ) became even stronger.  I have always wanted to qualify eventually but after what happened this year, I really wanted to have the opportunity to run Boston 2014.  I reached out to my friend Joe and asked him to create me a BQ training plan. He was more than happy to do so and I was and will always be thankful that he did that for me.  Joe emailed me the training plan and I remember thinking only one word... "yikes".  This training plan was intense with lots of speed training and of course the typical long runs that go along with tackling 26.2.  Although my training didn't go completely as planned and I had to sacrifice some workouts and cut some short, I was still feeling very confident in my 3:35 finish goal.  In the weeks leading up to Erie, I was reading articles about the Boston Marathon.  I noticed that the Erie marathon would not only qualify me for Boston 2014 but also for Boston 2015.  This also meant that I would have another 5 minute cushion since I will be in a different age group for Boston 2015.  The day before the race I finally put my goals out there for the world to see (A:  3:35, B:  3:39, C:  3:59:59).

One of my running friends decided to run the 1/2 so we traveled to Erie together on Saturday afternoon.  Of course we had to make several pit stops during the drive because we were making sure to hydrate properly.  We made it to Erie and checked into our hotel.  Can you believe that some hotels still have real keys?!?

Once we were settled into our room, we headed over to Presque Isle to pick up our packets. It was a very small expo/packet pick up.  I didn't have to wait in line at all.  We did check out the small amount of vendor booths before we left to go back to our hotel.  I picked up a new 26.2 magnet for my car since one of the lovely teenagers where I work swiped mine awhile back (they also took my daughter's figure skating magnet a few weeks later).  I have no idea what they wanted with those two magnets but it is what it is.  Our friend Dave had been saying all along that he would not be making it to Erie to watch us run.  Jenn and I were both surprised as we thought he would be there.  For those of you that remember, Dave was the one that got me through my anxiety ridden marathon back in 2011.  You can read about it here.  Eventually Dave did breakdown and tell me that he had in fact reserved a hotel room in the area (no, his room didn't come with a real key) and he would actually be there to watch us run.  The funny part about all of this is that on the drive up, I didn't let on to Jenn that I knew he was planning to be there after all.  Fast forward to being back at our hotel and me truly not knowing that Dave was already in town and there's a knock at the door.  I made Jenn answer the door because I had no clue who it was.  After a round of hugs, I told Jenn that I in fact had known he would be there.  She was very impressed that I kept the secret (as was Dave).  We hung out in our hotel for a bit and then headed to the Olive Garden for some carb loading.  After dinner we headed to Wal-Mart so Jenn could grab some throw away clothes for the start line if it was cold.  Purchases made and we headed back to our hotel and chatted with Dave for a bit.  He left and went back to his hotel with a promise to return to ours in the morning to head over to the race with us. 

It seemed like I had just gotten to sleep and the 4:30 AM alarm was going off already.  I did press snooze a few times and slowly started getting ready.  Jenn got the coffee brewing while I started getting everything ready for the race.  Once I was dressed and had everything ready I had my usual breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter, a banana, and a cup of coffee.  Yes, I have no shame admitting I use the cup of coffee to "get things going".  Dave arrived and we were on our way to Presque Isle to park.  The parking was quite crazy and I did start to silently panic as I was afraid I would miss the marathon start.  We eventually got parked with 20 minutes to spare before go time.  Of course I needed to use the restroom again and got in line.  As the minutes quickly ticked by, I started asking the other people in line which race they were running (the 1/2 marathon started 30 minutes after the marathon) and then I shamelessly asked if I could cut them in line as I was running the marathon and it was getting dangerously close to the start of the race.  Fortunately everyone was kind enough to let me go first.  A few other marathon runners followed my lead and were granted line cuts as well.  I thanked everyone profusely as I left the restrooms.  At this point I heard the National Anthem and started to panic.  I pretty much ripped my throw away shirt off and threw it at Dave while jogging to the start.  My Garmin wasn't grabbing a satellite either which was causing me to stress a bit.  A made it to the start line with a few minutes to spare and my Garmin did in fact grab that satellite in time.  I also had time for a quick pre-race photo for Facebook.

Pre-race photo

The race started and I was feeling good.  I was happy with the pace I was at and I was enjoying myself.  Fast forward to mile 3 when I am just running along mind my own business and out of nowhere I throw up.  It was incredibly shocking to me.  I was just glad that I didn't throw up on myself or one of my fellow runners.  I basically felt fine after getting sick so I kept running along.  I saw Dave at mile 6 and I told him I had thrown up at mile 3 as I was running towards him.  He snapped a picture and I said "did you hear me?  I threw up at mile 3."  He said okay it's fine and I kept on my way.

Mile 6 and still looking happy

Everything continued to go just fine until I hit mile 10 and basically lost feeling from my hip to the top of my knee on my left side.  At this point I do believe I questioned my ability to run another 13.1 loop.  I was able to eat some gummy gels at this point which did help me a little bit.  By the time I came around the corner to finish the first loop I had no feeling on the entire left side from my shoulder down to the top of my knee.  I finished the first loop in two hours and then I actually ran over to the side of the course and just stopped.  I needed to decide what I was doing. 

Mile 13 and looking terrible

Thankfully Dave was there and he talked me through it.  I was in tears mentioning I didn't know if I could do another lap.  Dave suggested I try running to mile 19 and then making a final decision as to what to do.  I literally did a walk/run combination from miles 14-19.  I was trying everything I could think of and finally settled on a 1/3 walk run ratio.  I would walk for one minute and then run for three minutes.  I tried taking in gummy gels during this stretch and I just couldn't stomach them.  I would start to chew them and would have to spit them out.  I gave up on the gummy gels and started taking watered down Gatorade at each water stop.  As I was getting closer to mile 19 I was having serious thoughts of walking off the course.  Fortunately Dave must have known I was struggling with my decision because he had started walking towards mile 18.  Once I saw him I stopped and just started sobbing on his shoulder (hello, flashback to the 2011 Cleveland Marathon).  I told him I didn't think I could go on.  I also mentioned I couldn't stomach my gummy gels.  I was getting ready to call it quits and out of nowhere these two girls come up and ask me if I want to go with them.  They are doing a walk/run and they will get me to the finish line.  Still sobbing I agreed to go with them.  After all, I was only 7 miles from the finish line.  I know Dave and the girls were my guardian angels at that point.  If Dave hadn't walked toward mile 18 I wouldn't have stopped and the two girls wouldn't have been there.  Timing is everything.  It was a struggle those last 7 miles but I really enjoyed getting to know my new friends Becky and Julie.  It was Julie's first marathon and her longest run prior to the race had been 13.1 miles.  Becky was actually feeling good and not in pain so she was happy with that.  Becky was so great at getting us moving.  We would run from this street sign to that street sign, this orange cone to that orange cone and so on and so forth.  Eventually another girl, Lisa joined our group and did the walk/run with us.  Lisa is getting married tomorrow so she hadn't really trained properly and at mile 16 she decided she could just walk to the finish.  Of course we all did run to the finish line.  It took me 2:52 minutes to complete the second 13.1 mile loop.  In the end, it was definitely not what I wanted my race to become however, I finished what I started so I say that's a success.  Of course I have to admit that I was and still am disappointed.  My training went incredibly well and I felt ready for this race.  You just never know what race day is going to bring. 

My Erie Angels

Thankful to be done I drank some chocolate milk and then promptly sad down on the ground where every single muscle in my legs thought it would be fun to cramp into a ball.  I got back up and stretched a tiny bit and then we snapped a few photos and headed back to shower, grab a bite to eat, and head back home.  I also mentioned that I was retiring from the marathon and going back to my happy place...the 1/2 marathon.

Jenn and I after the race

Another 26.2 complete

I still have no idea why I threw up at mile 3.  Maybe I was more nervous then I thought.  I honestly didn't feel nervous before hand though.  I am almost positive the left side numbness had to do with the fact that I ran on the left side (slant) the entire race.  In fact, when I went in for my massage on Tuesday, that was pretty much confirmed.  Thankfully after my 90 minute massage I was feeling better but I seriously had tears running down my face while he was working on my IT band.  Of course by Tuesday evening I was no longer retiring from the marathon.  I am sure a lot of the race became a mental block for me after the first loop (seeing the clock reading 2 hours and feeling the way I did, I pretty much knew I wouldn't be reaching my A, B, or C goal).  Will I run another 26.2?  Yes, eventually I will.  For now I'm sticking to my favorite!  I will be running the Rock N Roll Cleveland 1/2 Marathon on October 6th and I am really looking forward to it!  Oh, and after taking this week off from running, I am ready to hit the trails again tomorrow.  Of course my running buddy for tomorrow, Kim,  has decided that we are going to do some hills.  This should be interesting.

Thanks again to everyone for their support during my latest 26.2 journey.  A special thanks to Jenn for coming to Erie with me, to Dave for driving over 4 hours to provide race support and not letting me quit, and to my guardian angels for "giving me wings to fly to the finish".

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

The 19 miler that became a 17 miler...

This past weekend my training schedule called for 9 miles on Saturday with some marathon goal pace miles thrown in.  Knowing my daughter had a skating competition on Saturday I reached out to coach Joe and asked for his advice.  I pretty much knew what he would tell me to do but I just wanted validation from him.  He told me to enjoy my time with my daughter on Saturday and then run my 19 miler on Sunday with a slight alteration.  I was supposed to run the first 14 miles at marathon goal pace +:60.  During the final 5 miles I was to do some 4:00 minute pick ups at marathon goal pace.  The run started out perfectly.  I was feeling great and having no problem at all keeping the pace.  I planned my route to go past my sister-in-law's house so I could stop and use the restroom and get more water if I needed it.  I made it to her driveway at mile 9.75 and I did go in and use the restroom and grab more water.  I came back out to finish my run and snapped a quick picture of the gorgeous view of Lake Erie.

One of the only good parts of yesterday's run

Once I started running again something just didn't seem right.  I kept putting one foot in front of the other and when I got to the part of the run where I was supposed to do the pick ups I had to listen to my body and not do them because I was starting to feel a bit off.  I had to stop at a gas station to buy more water.  I also grabbed some ice cubes and put them in my tank top in the hopes that it would cool me down.  The 98% humidity was definitely getting to me.  Once I hit mile 16 I became increibly lightheaded and dizzy so I slowed the pace down and called it done at mile 17.  I figured 17 miles finished upright was a better option than 19 finished in the ER.

I know exactly what happened and I should know better.  I have experienced dehydration and a trip to the ER before.  In fact it was how my first marathon ended...not at the finish line getting a medal but in an ambulance and then in a bed in the ER.  I had spent all day at the ice rink on Saturday and I definitely didn't hydrate or fuel my body properly.  I was too busy watching my daughter rock her events.  I should have been watching her with fluids in my hand. 

1st place in compulsory

First place program

As coach Joe said on my dailymile post: "lesson learned which is don't take these long runs for granted the day before.  Practice as close as you can what you'll eat, drink, etc starting wtih breakfast on Saturday all the way until bedtime.  Everyone worries about dinner the night before a 20-miler, but the whole day is important." 

I spent the rest of yesterday trying to replenish the lost fluids.  Believe me, I will be much smarter with my hydration and nutrition prior to future long runs.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

June in Review

An awesome 16 mile run yesterday brought my June training to a close.  It was a wonderful run with great friends and a little one mile "race" thrown in the middle.  It was a perfect ending to June!

Just outstanding

Team "Infinity and Beyond" at the one mile race.  The team was created by Morgan (#214)

The June Details

June 2013 stats
173.1-- running miles
0-- spin miles
0-- jump rope fitness workouts
0-- core fitness workout
0-- Pure Barre classes
0-- Fitness App workout
173.1-- total miles

Current 2013 stats
643.36-- running miles
67-- spin miles (3 classes)
19-- jump rope fitness workouts
1-- core fitness workout
12-- Pure Barre classes
1-- Fitness App workout
710.36-- total miles

2013 "to do list" check-in

2013 Running Goals
1. First and foremost 26.2 under 4 hours--enough said
-Toeing the line on Sunday, September 15, 2013 in Erie, PA.  I am happy to report that training is going really well with a lot of help from my coach and friends.


2. Achieve a second sub 1:50 so I can remove the asterick from my current sub 1:50 PR
-I didn't run any 1/2 marathons this month so the opportunity to achieve this goal didn't present itself.  I did run a 5K (one day after a 14 miler) and then the one mile "race" yesterday.  Otherwise no other racing this month.


Girls with Sole Lula 5K

2013 Mini Running Challenges
1. Run 100 miles per month
-173.1 miles run in June.  It is obvious by this mileage that marathon training is in full swing!
2. Run 1300 miles for the year

-656.64 miles to go to complete this challenge.

2013 Non-Running Mini Challenges
1. Cross-train at least twice a week
-I failed big time at this one yet again.  I didn't do a single ounce of cross-training as I am back into the throws of marathon training.  I know I need to fix this one because I know it makes me a stronger runner.
2. Complete a jump rope workout every day
-Not a single jump rope workout completed.  The trend continues...
3. Drink 50 ounces of water per day (based on my current weight, this is my daily water intake need)
-This one is relatively easy when you have to hydrate for all of those marathon training runs.
4. Take my vitamins daily
-Somehow I missed 2 days in June.  Still pretty happy with this as in the past I would forget for weeks at a time.
5. Continue to choose and cook healthier foods
-7 meals made in June.  Not awful but certainly could be better. 
6. Learn to swim...better luck this year
-Still looking for that luck.  Hopefully I find it sooner rather than later.

I am beyond happy with how June turned out and I am looking forward to what July has in store for me!

 Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

26.2 Reasons To Smile AKA My Columbus Marathon Race Report

Saturday afternoon Deb (my best friend) and I headed to Columbus so I could head to the expo and pick up my race packet for my 3rd marathon attempt on Sunday. After a short stop on the way down for a tiny bite to eat and yet another bathroom break for me, we arrived at the expo. We entered the expo backwards and were doing a little shopping but I told Deb I would feel better if I had my bib number in hand and then we could finish shopping. She happily agreed and we headed over to the packet pickup area and I found my name and bib number on the wall. Headed to the appropriate line (which was the shortest line I might add, I guess I know how to pick them) and received my bib number and swag bag and then walked over to the other side of the pickup area to get my shirt. After this we continued shopping during which time I managed to walk out with only purchasing some 26.2 car magnets for myself and my friend Deb (no not the one I was with, the other one). I also stopped at the pace group booth and grabbed a 4:15 pace band (which by the way had splits to finish in 4:13:06) so I wouldn’t have to do math and run at the same time! Deb purchased a stick, an I-fitness belt which seemed really cool, and a sweet pair of Nike shoes. I did look at some Columbus Marathon gear on our way out but I was underwhelmed by it so I decided not to buy any.

After the expo we headed to Easton to check into our hotel. When I was checking in I asked for a late check out as I was running the marathon and the front desk lady said how about 12:00 to which I told her I was really hoping for 2:00 but I would settle for 1:00. She looked up at me and said no problem and then proceeded to ask me if I would like some bananas since I was running in the morning. I graciously accepted her offer. Once we got settled in we headed to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. As we were waiting for a table there was plenty of people watching to be had. Deb and I were having a ball analyzing what people were wearing! Once we got seated we were looking over the menu and I was checking out the beer list to which our waitress said, “I see you are looking at the beer list. Just so you know we have Yuengling on draft.” I immediately said “done, I will take one” (what can I say; it’s the PA in me). Deb had a really yummy drink as well but of course I can’t remember the name of it at the moment. We decided to share a chop salad and we both ordered fish tacos. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Trader Joe’s to buy a few things, namely electrolyte enhanced water for me for the race. We had talked with Dave earlier in the day and he was planning to crash on the couch of our suite so we left a key for him at the front desk since he wouldn’t be getting in until after midnight and we would certainly be asleep! After taking care of the key drop we headed upstairs and I got everything ready for the morning, read my Runner’s World for a bit, and called it a night. After all, I had a 4:30AM alarm to contend with along with a 4:45AM wake-up text from Deb and Missi who were in the middle of driving from Cleveland to Columbus to support me in the marathon.  I slept pretty well and got up with the alarm with no problem. I walked out to the kitchen part of our suite and tried to be quiet as to not wake Dave but that didn’t exactly work so since he was up anyway I asked if he minded if I turned the light on. Fortunately he was fine with that and sitting on the table was a gift bag which said it all.

After starting a pot of coffee I opened the card and gift bag. The card had the perfect saying on it for the challenge I was about to face and the gifts were very thoughtful. They included a small balloon that said “It’s your day”, the running book "Staying The Course:  A Runner's Toughest Race", Power Bar gummies, sample size bio-freeze, sample size Glide, and a cute stuffed monkey which of course my daughter confiscated when I got home last night. A few minutes later Deb came out to the kitchen and we all chatted. Shortly after I started on my first cup of coffee, Deb (the other one) and Missi who had been driving since 3:00AM arrived at the hotel. I was pretty calm while I drank my coffee, and ate my peanut butter bagel and banana. Everyone was asking me how I was feeling and if I was nervous to which I happily responded “I feel great and I’m not nervous at all”. With breakfast eaten, I got ready for the race, filled my fuel belt and handed additional items to everyone else just in case I needed them later in the race. We took a few pictures and we headed out for the start line.

Deb did an amazing job of navigating the spectating minivan. She skipped the exit that had a crazy long line and took the next one and got us pretty darn close to the start line in a very timely manner. Once we were parked and started heading toward the start line I told Deb that I needed a restroom so it would be awesome if she could locate one before I got to the start line and had to wait in the port-a-potty line. As we were walking Deb casually told me to go right and sure enough there was a hotel with clean, line free restrooms! Final bathroom break taken care of and we continued on to the start line. I thanked Deb again for finding the restroom when we got to the start line and the port-a-potty line was never ending! We took a few more pictures and shared a few hugs and then my spectators/race support sent me on my way to the start line with a promise of seeing me at mile 18 if not before (there had been discussion in the van of them being at mile 7).

I tried to make my way to Corral D but there were crowds of spectators and runners so I settled for Corral E which I got into by jumping a fence. We listened to the star spangled banner and the start horn sounded along with a fireworks display. It was pure awesome!

While waiting for my corral to go, I took a moment and touched my back bib and thought of Uncle Joe. I looked up to the sky and I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. This was my day and I knew he would carry me through.

Right before it was my turn to cross over the starting mat I sent a text message to Dave letting him know that I would be runner left so that they would be on the correct side of the street when I got to them.

Miles 1-5
The start was incredibly crowded but I managed to navigate my way through and get into a nice rhythm. Shortly after mile 1 I heard someone calling my name. I turned to my right and I saw one of my college friends, Elli. She told me she recognized my shirt and we ran together for a few minutes. I was happy to see her! I was feeling pretty good which is probably to be expected this early in the race. I remember wondering at the 5K mark why there wasn’t a timing mat since I knew my spectators/race support were tracking me and I was a little ahead of my anticipated race pace. I was feeling good, taking in water on the odd miles and sustain (my electrolyte drink of choice) on the even miles. I would go on to eat Power Bar Gummies at the 1 hour, 2 hour, and 3 hour marks. I noticed I had a pretty decent cushion on my pace band which made me smile.

Mile 1: 9:38
Mile 2: 9:17
Mile 3: 9:13
Mile 4: 9:17
Mile 5: 9:21

Miles 6-10
I was honestly having the time of my life running and taking in the scenery and all of the amazing spectators. I remember looking at my watch as I crossed the 10K mat and thinking I would be seeing my support crew soon as they had mentioned mile 7 in the van. I got to mile 7 and they were nowhere in sight but I was oddly okay with it because I knew I would see them at mile 18 when Missi and Deb (the other one) would join in and run with me. What I didn’t know is Deb (my best friend) was talking with everyone in the van and told them that she knew I was going to run faster than my intended pace so they should go with 9:00 miles to ensure they got to me in time. As I came up on mile 9 I could see Deb’s jacket and then I saw everyone else. I waved at them like crazy and gave them all a high-five as I rounded the corner and continued on. It was a very welcome surprise that put a little more pep in my step or stride as it may be! Come to find out later that it made more sense for them to walk to mile 9 from a few blocks away and that’s why they weren’t at 7.

Mile 6: 9:07
Mile 7: 9:25
Mile 8: 9:20
Mile 9: 9:13
Mile 10: 9:03

Miles 11-15
One of my co-workers had mentioned on Facebook prior to the race that she would be at the corner of Reinhard and Jaeger. I looked up the location of said intersection on the course map and noticed she would be between miles 10 and 11. As I was running along I kept an eye out for her and sure enough I saw her right before mile 11. I yelled her name a few times and then she finally realized it was me. It was nice to see a familiar face on the course again. Still feeling incredibly good at this point I was just taking it all in and enjoying the moment. Right around mile 12 I noticed a familiar ponytail swing and pink shirt. I knew instantly that it was my co-worker Kristin who was running her first half. I called out her name and said hello. She asked me if I was running the full and I said yes. She squeezed my hand and told me I was looking great and shouted good luck as I went by. I wished her luck as well and continued on my way. Imagine my surprise when I approached mile 12.5 and I saw none other than my support crew! I was beyond happy to see them as I was certain I wouldn’t see them again until mile 18. Once again I waved at them like crazy and gave another round of high-fives. This is the part of the race where you have to mentally prepare yourself as you essentially run past the finish line to continue on the marathon course. As the half marathon runners were making a left to the finish line we were going up a small hill towards mile 14. One of the volunteers looked me dead in the eye and said “you’re awesome, they suck (pointing to the runners turning left).” It totally cracked me up and it was just what I needed. Let me clarify before I go on, I have the utmost respect for half marathon runners in fact the half marathon is my favorite race. Her comment just happened to be the comic relief I needed at that moment to propel me up that hill. I happily hit the half marathon mat at 2:02:14. As I passed mile 14 there was a couple sitting on lawn chairs with a sign that read if you are running, we are drinking. I looked over at them and said “I’m running, why aren’t you drinking?” They immediately picked up their cups and took a drink. I was still feeling good as we approached a water stop. I was happy that I had my own water because the water stops were pretty crowded.

Mile 11: 9:07
Mile 12: 9:29
Mile 13: 9:15
Mile 14: 9:19
Mile 15: 9:29

Miles 16-20
I continued to feel good and had some nice memories of Uncle Joe at mile 16. I smiled knowing that he was watching over me. I thought of Uncle Joe a lot during mile 16 because of the significance of the number. During this stretch of the race we ran on The Ohio State University Campus. It was really neat to be able to see right into The Shoe. There were college students outside cheering for us and the campus water stop was by far the best water stop energy wise. The only thing I found odd about running on campus was that we turned around a cone in a parking lot to head back out onto the course. This was the only time that you were able to see the runners who were behind you. I knew after exiting the campus I would see my support crew again which also meant that I would be getting some much needed company on the course. I spotted my support crew from about a ¼ of a mile away and waved at them as I had done the previous two times I saw them. I got the best hugs ever from Deb (my best friend) and Dave and then Missi and Deb (the other one) jumped in with me. During the hugs my earphones got all tangled so I asked Missi to fix them for me. Once I was readjusted the girls asked me how I was feeling and I told them I was feeling really good and I was having fun. They told me I was looking great and that I had this. I was so happy to have their company at this point. I didn’t talk too much but I did tuck in behind Missi a lot to get out of some of the wind that had kicked up. Once we hit mile 20 I said “how about we run a 10K” to which Missi replied “you’ve got this, you’re doing awesome”. Moments after I made that comment the pain set in. I started saying my running mantra to myself, “Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe” and of course it helped. This race was just as much for him as it was for me.

Mile 16: 9:25
Mile 17: 9:26
Mile 18: 9:35
Mile 19: 9:59
Mile 20: 9:49

Miles 21-25
I knew we would be seeing Deb and Dave soon as Dave would be jumping in with us around mile 22 and mile 22 is when the pain really hit me. I wanted to walk so badly but I was terrified to do so in fear that I wouldn’t be able to start running again. After the fact Deb would tell me that she could see the pain written all over my face. Dave jumped in and that certainly lifted my spirits. Now I had three people supporting me when I needed it the most! Most of you know my previous two marathon stories but if you don’t you can read about them here and here. Mile 22 holds a very significant place in my head and my heart so it was only fitting that Dave asked me what the flag up ahead said to which I replied 22 with a smile. I realized how badly I was hurting and at mile 23 I told everyone that we were running on Uncle Joe reserves. Missi pointed up to the sky and said that’s right, don’t you worry, she’s got this. Deb also told me I was doing awesome at this point. I was seriously ready to be done and even said can we just get me to the finish line? I kept plugging along and throwing out expletives when the wind would grab me. Dave asked me what the flag said again at mile 23 and I said 23 and managed a smile. It was getting harder by the minute. Everything was hurting, I was tired, and I was ready to be done. My pace slowed a bit before we hit mile 24. I once again responded with a smile to Dave’s flag question! I was exhausted but I knew I was doing it and I knew I would have to really slow down to not make my goal time. As we rounded a corner there was course entertainment that was playing an awesome song (can’t think of the name of it for the life of me) and I threw my hands up in a fist pump. I was trying anything at this point to get me to the end. We approached the mile 25 flag (which is by far the most incredibly significant mile in my marathons) and Dave asked me one last time “what’s that flag say?” I pretty much screamed 25. He asked me no less than 3 more times to which I happily replied 25! At this point Missi looked at me and said “let’s finish this, enjoy these last 1.2 miles. This is what you trained for, this is YOUR day.” I told her she had to stop talking or she was going to make me cry. It was all I could do to hold it together. I am certain I took her advice as mile 25 was my slowest mile all day. I was taking it all in!

Mile 21: 9:36
Mile 22: 9:39
Mile 23: 9:43
Mile 24: 9:47
Mile 25: 10:13

The Finish
I can vividly remember the last water stop because one of the workers was holding a sign that said 1.2 to go. This water stop also stuck out in my mind because there was a young boy who looked at me and said “you’ve got this, you’ve got heart, you can do it.” Before I knew it I saw the ½ mile to go sign. Just before I hit the 26 mile flag Deb, Missi, and Dave gave me some last minute encouraging words and told me to finish it. The moment I ran past the 26 mile flag the tears started flowing. There was only .2 miles standing between me and the finish line of the Columbus Marathon. I gave it my all and owned that last .2 miles. As I crossed the mat and heard my name announced I threw my hands up in the air and that’s when the uncontrollable sobbing started. I had done it. I had finished MY marathon, I had beaten MY goal by 5 minutes, and I had done MY Uncle Joe proud. I bent over to collect my thoughts and one of the volunteers asked me if I was okay to which I responded “I’m great”. With full fledged tears still running down my cheeks I received my medal from a very nice looking military man. I stopped to have my finish picture taken and then I headed to the family reunion area.

Mile 26: 9:52
Final .2 (.42 according to my Garmin): 3:33
FINISH TIME: 4:10:11*
(Garmin says 4:10:24 however I didn’t stop it right away because I was too busy celebrating!)
*A PR of 1 hour and 43 minutes

Once I was in the family reunion area and had my water and chocolate milk I texted Coach Joe, who created my awesome training plan, my finish time.  Thanks again for everything Joe!   After I sent the text I walk past someone and she says “Jodi?” Sure enough it was April, a girl I went to high school with. I graduated with her husband Mark and he was running the marathon as well. It was crazy that we ran into each other. I shared a hug with both April and Mark and she decided she needed to take a picture of the high school classmates almost 20 years later. Really April, did you have to age us?

I congratulated Mark and then Dave called my phone and I was reunited with him, Deb, and Missi. Many tearful hugs were exchanged. Although I’m pretty sure I was the only one bawling like a baby! I immediately asked where Deb (my best friend) was and it turned out she was stuck in traffic trying to get to the finish line. We finally reunited with her and we shared a hug, she told me congratulations and said I'm sorry.  She was really upset and felt bad that she wasn’t at the finish line but I told her having her on the course at miles 9, 12.5, 18, and 21.5 meant the world to me. I also told her the hugs at mile 18 totally trumped her not being at the finish line and no apology was necessary.  I wouldn’t change it for the world.

The painful walk back to the car commenced and we made it back to the hotel where I felt human again after a nice hot shower. I am happy to report that I didn’t have one ounce of chafing and only a tiny blister on my pinky toe to speak of. After I showered I told them I had to run another one so I could break 4 hours. Deb (my best friend) said who are you kidding, you’re going to run until you qualify for Boston. Once everyone was cleaned up we headed to California Pizza Kitchen once again because I was starving and I really wanted fish tacos and a chop salad again. We enjoyed a nice lunch and then we said our goodbyes and headed home.

This post is not complete without my expression of gratitude to Deb (my best friend), Missi, Deb (the other one), Dave, and last but not certainly least my Uncle Joe for seeing me through to the end. Talk about friendship at its very best! Thank you will never be enough!

So, how am I feeling post marathon? I am fully aware of every single muscle in my body right now. I am still flying on my “runner’s high” and I am over the moon happy and can’t wipe the smile off my face. I can honestly say it was PERFECT!!

Final thoughts:

When’s the next one because I had the time of my life yesterday!!
Keep running, you’re simply the best, and you inspire me!!!

Columbus Marathon...As Ready As I Will Ever Be.....

Tomorrow morning I will be toeing the line of my 3rd marathon.

It just so happens that exactly 3 month ago tomorrow Uncle Joe lost his battle with cancer.  I am certain it isn't a coincidence that I am attempting my 3rd marathon tomorrow.  Uncle Joe always had a way of gently pushing us to our fullest potential.  As the saying goes, 3rd times a charm.  I know for a fact that Uncle Joe will have my back for all 26.2 miles.

When the pain sets in, which inevitably it will, I will draw from the strength of one of the most amazing men I had the pleasure to be related to.  My running mantra for tomorrow will be Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe.  He fought the good fight, he never gave up.  He will always be our superman!

I also have the privilege of having an amazing group of friends with me tomorrow on my journey!  They are there to see me through to the finish and thank you will never be enough to express my gratitude for each of their friendships!

My best friend Deb who is always there for me win or lose no questions asked.

Deb and Missi who have spent countless hours providing therapy and support out on the trails!

Dave my guardian angel that got me through my second marathon attempt.  He never gave up on me and he didn't let me give up on myself.

Joe my running coach and friend who will be running with me from afar as he takes on a 22 mile training run tomorrow morning.

Of course there are countless others who will be following me and supporting me via Facebook and Maptracker tomorrow.

There's nothing left but to JUST DO IT!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

2011 Austin 1/2 Marathon Weekend

Wow..what a weekend! Deb and I arrived in Austin Friday afternoon! We were greeted with 73 degrees and sun...hello Austin!!

Friday:
We checked into our hotel and headed to the expo to pick up our packets! Once we grabbed our stuff we met Jeni and Joe! If you remember, Joe is the one who created my PR crushing training plan for the Detroit 1/2! It was so awesome to finally meet him! Deb and I spent some time talking to Jeni and Joe about running and the race on Sunday and then we all decided it was time to shop! I have to say that I have always heard great things about Yurbuds but was concerned about having to order them online so when I saw they had a booth at the expo, I went ahead and got fitted. I walked away from the booth with a pink pair and I will tell you right now that they did not move one single inch the entire 13.1 miles!! I love them! After Deb and I purchased the new earbuds we headed over to the One More Mile booth and checked out some car magnets. In the end, I chose two. The first one is pink and it says "I know I run like a girl, now try and keep up". The second one Deb helped me pick out and I went with "26.2 miles..what could possibly go wrong." Definitely very fitting considering I have some unfinished business with a little thing I like to call the Cleveland Marathon! I also ended up buying an Austin Half Marathon Nike running skirt! It was only 8 bucks how could I pass it up? Once we had finished walking around the expo we headed back to the hotel to get ready to meet up some of Deb's high school friends for dinner! We had a great time just talking to everyone. We finally made it back to the hotel around 2 AM and we crashed and didn't get up until 11:00 AM! I couldn't tell you the last time I slept that late and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

Saturday:
Once we got going Saturday morning we met up with Deb's friends again for lunch! The food and company were both great. After lunch we headed to Whole Foods to pick up some food and water for race morning. We also did a little bit of shopping for our kids! Once we walked back to the hotel I started getting stuff ready for Sunday morning. I put my shoe tag on and then I put Deb's on at which point I realized how comical the difference in our shoe sizes was. I immediately took a picture of our shoes and uploaded it to Facebook complete with the caption of "Jodi's shoe vs. Deb's shoe. I'm pretty sure my feet are the size of a barge!" It definitely made for a good laugh and entertaining Facebook exchange!

Deb and I headed out to the Spaghetti Warehouse to put our name in for a table. We knew there would be a wait and we were perfectly fine with that since we were waiting for Nikki to get into town! Deb and I had a drink at Lance Armstrong's bar while we waited for our table. We finished our drink and headed back down to the restaurant and Nikki had arrived! How awesome to be outside in short sleeves in February?

Following dinner we stopped and had another drink and then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before our 5:30 AM wake up call!

Sunday:

We were up at 5:30 AM and I was downstairs in the Starbucks buying a cup of coffee to go with my breakfast! Everyone got dressed and ready and we headed out for our walk to the start line. It was already 70+ degrees and quite humid! We certainly look happy in this start line photo!

After the singing of The National Anthem we were off! I held steady at sub 9 minute mile pace for most of the race. There were a lot of hills but I had done hill repeat training so I was actually passing people on the inclines! Sometime around mile 8 or so I noticed a blue singlet up ahead of me and I immediately knew it was Brian C. from dailymile so I caught up to him and yelled his name. It was so cool to run into him. In fact we actually hugged on the course which just proves that you know you're a runner when you think nothing of hugging a fellow competitor when you are completely covered in sweat! Brian was looking awesome! We talked while we ran together until the half marathon split off! Of course I thought I was done with the insane hills at this point until I got to just past mile 11 and there was a mountain in front of me! I pretty much said "son of a bee" (cleaned up for the blog!) when I saw that thing. The girl next to me agreed! As we headed up the hill she looked over at me and said we are NOT walking up this hill and I said okay let's go! Up the hill we went, digging as deep as we possibly could and even slowing to 10:45 mile pace but before we knew it we were at the top catching our breath! So if the random runner on the hill happens to be reading this, thank you for the push it was much needed! Just 1.1 miles left and I felt great! I knew I had locked my sub 2 and I was more than happy with that considering the challenging course and weather conditions! It was so humid that my shorts were completely drenched before mile 1 and at one point during the race I was convinced it was raining until the runner next to me pointed out that it was the sweat from my ponytail! As I rounded the final turn to the finish line I tripped but was able to catch myself before hitting the pavement and crossed the line in 1:56:07 (not quite a PR but I will take it) with a smile on my face! I quickly went through the chute and grabbed my medal and shirt and headed back out onto the course to cheer in Nikki and Deb. I was also watching for Joe to finish the marathon! Not too long after I found a place to stand Nikki came flying down the final stretch! She was looking good! After I cheered for Nikki I realized I needed to be on the other side of the course to see Joe's finish! I managed to make it to the other side with no issues. I was standing there for awhile before I realized I was standing next to Jeni! We exchanged a hug and watched for Joe! In the meantime Nikki called and she found her way to where Jeni and I were standing! When we thought Joe would be rounding home there was nobody in sight so I called his wife Dawn to see if he had finished. She said he hadn't yet. Shortly after the phone call, we saw Joe come flying past us! We cheered like crazy and Joe gave us a wink to let us know he had seen us! He crushed it out there! As we waited for Deb, I started to worry because her usual finish time came and went. Finally we saw her come towards the finish line. She looked at me and said "come here please" so I jumped back out on the course and asked her what was going on. She said she didn't feel well at all and asked me to finish with her. Deb is one tough cookie because we ran the final tenth to the finish line! I was so proud of her! Proudly wearing our finisher's medals we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the post race bbq that Joe had organized! Cold beer and bbq have never tasted so good! It was great to meet some many dailymilers!

After we talked to everyone for hours and consumed pretty much every calorie we had burned during the race we headed back towards our hotel and stopped off for chocolate cake and another drink. We all decided we were exhausted and headed back to the hotel!

Monday:

Nikki was up bright and early for her flight. Deb and I slept a bit longer and got up and packed our things and then headed out for some brunch. Of course we were concerned about our flight getting home since Cleveland was in the middle of an ice/snow storm. Typical Ohio weather! In the end we did make it back home and we were greeted with 16 degrees and tons of snow and ice at which point we wanted to get back on the plane and go right back to Austin!

Tuesday:

This morning my legs were even more sore than they were yesterday and I had power issues at work so I chose not to run this morning. I had a 90 minute massage tonight and my legs were feeling better but I decided it was best to listen to my body and take a second rest day. I will be back at it tomorrow as I prepare to pace Dave in a sub 2 hour half marathon on Sunday! Yes, I am running a second 1/2 marathon in as much as 7 days! Of course I also ran a half marathon training run the week before Austin! I guess it will be a three-peat on Sunday!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Detroit Free Press 1/2 Marathon Race Report

We arrived in Detroit yesterday afternoon and headed over to the Expo to pick up our race packets. I only purchased a Bondi Band this time, so I made it out of the Expo without leaving my life savings behind! LOL. On our way out of the expo we stopped to take some fun pictures.

Don't we look fast?!?

Following our Expo visit we walked to Greektown where we would be having our carb loading dinner. We had pizza at Pizza Papalis. All I can say is YUM!!
Once we finished our fantastic dinner, we headed back to the hotel to get all of our race gear ready for our 5:00 AM alarms! We talked for a short while and then it was lights out! I woke up ten minutes before my alarm and just relaxed a bit and waited for the alarm to sound. Everyone got up and we all had some breakfast, got ready, and took a few pictures.

At 6:15 AM we headed for the start line. I was checking gear for the first time today and it took us a long time to figure out where the gear check actually was. Once we found it I started to panic because the line was very long. My wonderful friends helped me stay calm. While waiting in line I had my cranberry grapefruit Carb Boom. It was actually very good. I was thrilled when I realized the line was moving very quickly. I put my pre-race long sleeve shirt in my bag and handed it to the awesome volunteers and we were on our way to the starting line. We were attempting to make it to Corral E which is where we were to start but it was 6:58 by this time so we climbed through the fence at Corral C just as the race was started. I was feeling great and smiling during the first mile. Afterall, that was the last piece of advice Joe gave me. I also made sure to "run loose". I settled right in with the 3:35 pacer and talked with a few other runners, most of them doing the full. As we approached the Ambassador Bridge I was thrilled that I had done hill repeat workouts. The bridge was definitely a climb. They only had 1/2 of the bridge closed and it was incredibly congested. I was pretty much forced to slow my pace during this section until we got to the end of the bridge. I didn't let it bother me. Afterall, I was still with the 3:35 pace so I figured I must be doing something right! I was thrilled when we were able to spread out again. I just kept plugging along keeping the 3:35 pace in sight! I knew going into the race if I wanted to reach my "secondary goal" of 1:50 I would need to be at 50:14 at mile 6. I got to mile 6 and my watch read 50:14 exactly! I continued to plug along thinking that my next goal was to be to the 10 mile mark at 1:23. Shortly after mile 7 we hit the tunnel back to the US. Somewhere in the tunnel, my Garmin completely lost satellite signal and I was running "pace blind" for the first time all day. I just kept going and thinking how much I really wanted to be out of the hot tunnel. I wanted circulated air and I wanted it now and that's when I exited the tunnel and saw the mile 8 sign! My Garmin never lost time but it did lose distance and pace. For the next 1/2 mile or so it was registering my pace as 55:00. I knew there was no possible way it was accurate! I kept on moving while calculating how much time I had to make it to mile 10 to stay on track for my "secondary goal". As I was approaching the 10 mile mark I really needed to pee so I make a quick pit stop and hit mile 10 at 1:24. No longer on "secondary goal" pace but still definitely on "PR goal pace". This is when I decided to take my Vanilla Carb Boom. It was awful! It was the consistency of frosting. I only took about a 1/3 of it and tossed it in the trash. At this point there was a group passing out m &m's. In hindsight I think I should have taken a handful but I just opted for my smart water in my handheld. Around mile 11 the 3:40 pace group took me by storm. I ran with them until the marathon/half marathon split. With about 1/2 mile to go, there was a strong headwind. I put my head down and pushed through it. I could see the finish line clock and knew my PR was in the bag and gave it the last little bit I had and crossed the line in 1:51:18!! A 3 minute PR!! I was elated and completely fine with missing my "secondary goal" since I had just crushed my best time! I grabbed my medal, got a quick picture taken, and headed to the gear check to claim my things. I was so glad to have pants and a jacket to put on after the race. I thanked the gear check volunteers and headed back to the finish line to watch the other ladies finish. I short while later my phone rang and it was Nikki. She had finished in 2:07 (her goal was 2:09) and she was trying to figure out where I was standing. Once she found me we waited for the other girls to finish. I was thrilled to get a picture of them approaching the finish line! Look at those girls...all smiles after just taking on 13.1!!!

Nikki and I told the girls we would stay exactly where we were so they could find us easily! Once we were all reunited, we had a group photo taken! Look at those smiling faces and awesome medals!

We were already talking about our next 1/2 marathon on the walk back to the hotel. We also discussed the fact that we needed to come up with a team name and get shirts made so we can cross off each state as we complete it in our 1/2 marathon in all 50 states quest.

Since Joe (here) was kind enough to create my training plan, I made sure to have his email address readily accessible so I could email him the results right away! I was thrilled to learn from his return email that he too had set an awesome PR in his 10K today. Head on over to his blog and read about it!

I need to take the time once again to thank Joe for being a great coach and giving me an outstanding training plan that got me to that finish line in a fantastic time!! Thanks Joe!!

I plan to enjoy this PR for awhile! Looking forward to my two hour massage Tuesday night! I do believe I have earned every minute of it!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

It's Taper Time...Detroit Free Press 1/2 Marathon here I come!!

Eight weeks ago, after running a 5K with my brother and blowing up after mile one, I emailed Joe (here) and asked him if he would be willing to develop me an eight week training program for the Detroit 1/2 Marathon.

The email went something like this:

Joe-

So, here's the deal, I have been following Hal Higdon's intermediate half marathon schedule and I feel like I need to step it up. I thought what better place to go than to you..a running God of sorts.

I am pacing Jenn D (one of the gals on Daily Mile who also happens to be my friend from college) in a 1/2 Marathon on September 12th. That being said, I still feel like I can train hard over the next few weeks. What would you suggest? The 1/2 marathon I am running (where I would love to PR) is the Detroit Free Press on October 17th. My current 1/2 PR is 1:54.14 which I ran last October in Columbus.

I know you're really busy with Landry's impending arrival so I completely understand if you don't have time. Just thought I would ask the expert!! I mean I was seriously spent after my 7:23 first mile this morning...which was evident in my two mile split of 8:05.

Thanks so much Joe

I was thrilled to get an email back from Joe which stated:

Jodi-

Thanks so much for the message - your comment of ..... "a running God of sorts" definitely made my day .... you are very good for my ego in my fragile state!

I for sure would love to offer some advice as you get ready for the Detroit Free Press in October.
I took a look at Hal's Intermediate schedule, and then took a look at your PR and what kind of mile/split that represents in the half. You've also got some pretty long "long runs" and basically a full marathon under your belt recently - so I think I have a pretty clear picture of where you are, where you can be and how to best get there. I'll tell you this - with basically 8 weeks of training available, 7 where you can really push it before tapering for Detroit - you can absolutely get some great training in.

Attached to the above email was a very organized excel spreadsheet containing my eight week training plan. I took the training plan and ran (literally) with it! In the past seven weeks I have done a lot of awesome workouts including 7 tempo runs, 1 half marathon, 7 hill repeat workouts, 7 pace runs (2 of them in the form of 5K races in which I placed first in my age group at both and PR'd and was 3rd woman overall at one), and 7 long runs. There have been all kinds of factors to contend with over the past 7 weeks. Temperatures in the 90's for hill repeats, torrential rain for a 10 miler, and perfect weather for many other workouts! Over the past 7 weeks, I have gotten faster and have felt the new found strength in my legs during the hill repeats. I have been diligent about ice baths and listening to my body and slowing down when necessary to avoid injury!

Yesterday I ran my last long run of my eight week training plan. The weather was perfect and I rocked out 12 miles in 1:45:58 (8:49/mile pace). Immediately following my run I made sure to take an ice bath so my legs would feel good today! I am pleased to report that I am feeling great today! I gladly welcome the taper that is before me! I have 3 running workouts left this week and then I'm headed to Detroit!

The Detroit 1/2 promises to be a great course. We actually run out over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada and then back into Detroit to finish which I think is pretty awesome. I will be experiencing a first at Saturday's expo when I am required to present my passport in order to receive my race packet! First and foremost, I want to set a new PR on Sunday. In a perfect world, I would love to see 1:50:XX on the clock as I cross the finish line!

A special thank you to Joe for having my back and giving me a great training plan to get me to the starting line on Sunday!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Apple Festival 5K Race Report

A little over a week ago my friend Darlene asked if anyone would like to join her and run the Apple Festival 5K. I mentioned to her that I would like to see how I was feeling after pacing Jenn in the 1/2 marathon and then I would let her know. I was feeling great after pacing Jenn last Sunday so I shot an email to my running coach/training plan creator Joe (here) and asked him what his thoughts were on me running today's 5K as well as a 5K next Saturday. Currently my training plan calls for a pace run on Saturday, followed by a long run on Sunday. Joe was very honest with his response: "If it were me Jodi – I take those long runs VERY seriously. I would run long on Saturday (as early in the day as I could) – dial the pace down a little, maybe :20/mile slower than usual, ice bath or at least a really cool shower, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and then race on Sunday. Same drill afterwards – if you feel good, jog a really slow recovery mile …. If you don’t and your legs feel spent, don’t sweat it and enjoy the post-race spread." As for next weekend's 5K, he basically suggested the same thing. The one bonus of next week is that the 5K falls on my pace run day which will allow me to complete my long run the following day. I took Joe's advice to heart and got out there at 5:30am yesterday for my 11 miler, came home and grabbed an ice bath, and then made sure to hydrate well throughout the day. I felt pretty good when I woke up this morning. A little bit of tightness in the legs but I was able to shake it out during a short warm up with Darlene.

Darlene and I before our warm up and race

I started the race out strong with a 7:14 first mile split. I knew the large hill would be coming between mile one and two so I tried to conserve some energy. I was able to climb up the hill without too much problem...yes, I am admitting that hill repeats are beneficial! For most of the race I was playing leap frog with "red sports bra" girl. The course was an out and back and sometime around mile two "red sports bra" girl's friend shouted out "get her". I of course knew she was referring to me because I had taken the lead in our leap frog game. Between mile two and the finish, "red sports bra" girl took back the lead. As I was coming around the corner toward the finish I set my eyes on her and ran my heart out to pass her at the end. Funny thing is I didn't realize I had also passed Darlene at this point until she yelled out "go Jodi". I crossed the line in 23:18 right before "red sports bra" girl. She thanked me for pushing her out there (she set a good 2 minute PR today). Always a great feeling to help a fellow runner out! I walked over and dropped my 36th overall place card in the 35-39 age group bucket. I noticed right away that I was first. Fast forward to Darlene and I running a cool down mile and the age group buckets got knocked over by a gust of wind and the cards went flying. I didn't think anything of it until we were at the awards ceremony and they announced the top 3 in my age group and my name wasn't announced at all. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had seen the girl they gave first place to finishing her race while Darlene and I were doing our cool down. I had also seen the girls they gave second and third to finishing their races as well. Darlene and I went and talked to the guy in charge. I explained the situation. Yep, I was 36th overall and they gave first place in my age group to the 78th finisher overall (oops, I would say we had a bit of a problem there). He got all of my information and will be re-checking all of the place cards, updating and correcting the information and mailing me my first place age group award. Darlene and I were both bummed out that we didn't have a picture with me and my medal. Fortunately, Darlene was thinking on her feet and realized she had also placed first in her age group, yeah Darlene, so she let me "borrow" her medal for the photo!

Me with "my" first place age group finish medal

While I didn't run a PR today (my PR is 23:01 on a pancake flat course during marathon training back in March), I am very pleased with how I did. I was amazed how good my legs felt today after running an 11 miler yesterday at 9:02 pace. I do believe I am getting stronger by the day! Looking forward to seeing what I can do at the Detroit 1/2!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Thumbs Up Thursday...Joe Marruchella

When I started thinking about who deserved a thumbs up this week, my thoughts immediately went to Joe. Afterall, if you remember, Joe had my back the day after my marathon attempt. He took it upon himself to head out on his lunch, on a scheduled rest day, and finish the last 1.2 miles for me and for my good friend Deb which can be seen in the picture he emailed me below!

I sent Joe an email asking him if he would do me the honor of allowing me to spotlight him this week. His response was "that would be so very cool and I am completely honored to be included on your blog". Without futher delay, the question and answer portion of Thumbs Up Thursday!

Jodi: How long have you been running?
Joe: I started running in March 2004, so just over six year now.

Jodi: What motivated you to start running?
Joe: At first I started running to shed a few of the pounds I had gained from working behind a desk and spending time on the road traveling for my job. I was not exercising and I wanted something that I could do whether I was at home or on the road to start exercising again. I started with a walk/run program of about 30 minutes at lunchtime and away I went. I was a marathoner 20 months later.

Jodi: How do you continue to stay motivated to run?
Joe: The motivation part for me is really two-fold. I run because I truly love it. I never knew that there was a distance runner trapped in my body for 36 years waiting to get out, but there was! I try to make sure that I have a goal to chase whether it was a major goal like qualifying for the Boston Marathon or a smaller goal, such as shaving a second or two off my training routes at home. Having those goals to chase really help keep me going. But last summer when my friend Dom was diagnosed with cancer, it really hit me hard. I realized in the blink of an eye just how precious life is and that you should embrace every day and every opportunity that life grants to us. There are a lot of days when I feel like I could mail in a run or skip one altogether, but Dom and his ongoing battle really keeps me focused on working hard every day to become a better runner, a better husband, and frankly a better person every day.

Jodi: How long have you been competing in races?
Joe: I've been racing since the fall of 2006.

Jodi: What is your favorite distance to race and why?
Joe: The marathon. If you asked me what is my most enjoyable distance I think I would choose the half, as it is not nearly as physically demanding as the marathon, but still a challenging distance that you have to train seriously for if you hope to do well. But for me, there is nothing like the marathon. The dedication level that is required as part of the training and preparation, the pageantry of the race itself, the physical test, as well as the mental challenge to push through exhaustion is truly life-affirming for me. That final .20 miles is among the greatest of life experiences.

Joe after the 3M Half Marathon January 2010

Jodi: How many marathons have you run?
Joe: I am a 5-time marathoner and proud member of the Marathon Maniacs!

Jodi: Which marathon course has been your favorite so far?
Joe: The Boston Marathon course from Hopkinton, MA to Boston is my favorite course for sure. The crowds make that experience one of a kind.

Jodi: What is your favorite race memory?
Joe: Wow, such a great question as all of the memories come flooding back to me- but if I had to pick just one as my favorite it would have to be mile 22 at the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2009. It was my Boston Qualifying race and I was 4 miles away from surpassing my goal of 3:19:59. I was running next to a young man for the better part of two miles and we started chatting about the race. He was chasing a Boston time also, but being 10 years younger than me he needed to run a sub 3:10:00 time and we were on pace for about 3:18:00. He was not going to make it and seemed to realize it as we were running alongside each other. Just as we passed the mile 22 water station, the Theme from Rocky came on my Ipod and he caught me grinning. I didn't want to celebrate too early as I still had 4 miles left- and I also did not want him to feel bad about not making his goal time as he was running an incredible race. He looked over at me and saw me smiling and asked: "What?" I told him that the Rocky Theme had just came on my headphones. We took about five strides and he looked me dead in the eye and said, "Dude....Can I listen?" It was all I could do not to laugh out loud and ruin my breathing---we ran together up through mile 25 when I pulled away from him a bit and finished with a time of 3:17:43. He was the first runner to congratulate me, as I was getting my finisher's medal, on qualifying for Boston. It was the first time I realized that I had really qualified for the Boston Marathon.
Joe at the top of Forbes Climb at the 2009 Pittsburgh Marathon

Jodi: How did you come up with the idea of "Run for Dom"?
Joe: At the Pittsburgh race in 2009 Dom was there for me to watch me chase my Boston time. At our post-race breakfast Dom was complaining of stomach issues that had been going on for a couple of months, but at age 38 who would of thought cancer? Two months later my wife and I got the call from Dom telling us about his condition and that the form of stomach cancer Dom had was very serious. He was going to have to fight very hard to survive. After reflecting for two days I went on a Sunday long run. 12 miles along the trail behind our home and around a lake that I run several times a week. I couldn't shake Dom from my thoughts and how I felt so powerless and helpless. I wanted to do something to help him and his family but couldn't quite figure out what. I kept thinking about the Pittsburgh Marathon in Dom's hometown and how much I wanted to return to that race in 2010 and run it for Dom. The race was only 13 days after the Boston Marathon however, a race that I had trained for more than a year to qualify. How could I not run Boston? As I made the turn at the bottom of the lake I thought to myself, why not both? Why not run both marathons as a way to raise awareness and hopefully money that would help Dom, his wife Val, his 3 year old daughter Sierra, and 3 month old (at the time) son Nico. Over the last 4 miles of the run I kept thinking about the goal of running two marathons in two weeks in honor of my good friend's battle with cancer. By the time I got home it was a done deal. I was going all in.
Joe and Dom with the Run for Dom shirt

Jodi: Who do you admire most and why?
Joe: Dom D'Eramo. He is the bravest, most courageous man I have ever met.

Jodi: What has been your proudest running moment to date?
Joe: I would have to say coming through the finish chute at this years Pittsburgh Marathon just 13 days after Boston. It was a very, very tough race for me in hot humid conditions. As good as the weather was at Boston, 47 degrees, no wind- it was tough at Pittsburgh. Rain for the entire race, winds 10-12 mph, 77 degrees and humid. But toughing out that second marathon and earning that finisher's medal to put around Dom's neck at the family reunion area was a highlight for me. It was not my fastest marathon as I ran 20 minutes slower than Boston and 25 minutes slower than Pittsburgh the year before- but it was without question my finest effort.

Joe and Dom after the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon

Jodi: Do you have a favorite quote?
Joe: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" -Steve Prefontaine

Jodi: What is your favorite post run meal?
Joe: I love breakfast foods -all kinds- but after a long run when I've burned 1,000 or more calories I crave sweet breakfast more than eggs and potatoes. For those times, my favorite are homemade waffles. Nothing better!

Jodi: Have you purchased that "jogging" stroller for the new baby yet?
Joe: We have not made the purchase yet, but it is on our registry at Babies R' Us! I am really hoping that the Bob w/ 12 inch aluminum wheels shows up at our door soon!

Jodi: What is your current goal?
Joe: Great timing with this question as I just went public with my latest goal of "Under 40:00 after 40". I am looking to post an official 10k race time of 39:39 this year at the age of 43. That time will get me a starting spot in the under 40:00 corral at this spring's Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the largest 10k's in the United States with close to 40,000 runners. I will be training tough through the TX summer to hopefully hit that race time at the IBM Uptown Classic in Austin, October 17, 2010. That will mean running 6.2 miles at 6:26 pace. My 5k PR is 19:28 so it is possible- but I am going to work very hard this summer to get there.
Joe at the Congress Avenue Mile May 2010 where he ran a smoking 5:24!

Jodi: If you have anything else you would like to share with me, please feel free.
Joe: The only thing else I would like to share is to just thank everyone who got involved with Run for Dom this year as we were able to surpass our goal of raising $26.2K for the D'Eramo family to help defray some of the costs of Dom's surgeries and procedures. The outpouring of support and kind words is so appreciated- with more than 19,000 visits to http://joerunfordom.wordpress.com since November- it is amazing to me that so many people have opened up their hearts to Dom and his fight. I am eternally grateful for everyone that made Run for Dom such a success. From here forward I plan on continuing to run in honor of my good friend and hopefully help others discover our sport. It is a sport for everyone as no matter how long you have been running, how fast you run or how far, the only person we are truly competing with is ourselves.

I couldn't have said it better myself in regards to competing with ourselves. Stop on over to Joe's blog at http://joerunfordom.wordpress.com/ and I guarantee you will be inspired. Thank you for allowing me the honor and privilege of giving you a Thumbs Up Joe. What you have done for Dom and so many others is truly amazing. Continue to be proud of your accomplishments, enjoy the new baby, and good luck smashing your current goal of 39:59 in the 10k on October 17, 2010.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and Joe YOU inspire ME!!