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!!

Thumbs Up Thursday...Brian

This week's spotlight is on Brian (here). After you read his interview head on over and say hello and check out his training!


Jodi: How long have you been running?
Brian: I started running in January of 2010

Jodi: Why did you start running?
Brian: Toward the end of 2009, I was feeling pretty down on life. I was smoking a 1/2 to a full pack of cigarettes a day and drinking 5-6 nights a week, often in excess. I don't want to come off as someone who was down and out. I was doing well at work and had plenty of friends, but in general just wasn't very happy with my life. I had been a smoker for 10+ years and just sick of it. Constantly partying just wasn't doing it for me either. It was also in late 2009 that I started reading and following the Run for Dom efforts of Joe (here). The cause was a no brainer to support and after making a gift, Joe and I did some emailing back and forth about running and Pittsburgh. I had told Joe I was hoping continuing to follow Dom and his journey would inspire me to lace up and get out there. To make a long story short, I made the decision that I was not only going to sponsor a RFD (Run For Dom) mile, but i'd run that mile at Pittsburgh as well. I started training shortly after the new year. My first run was two miles, it took me 20 minutes and I wanted to throw up when I was done. I decided I must be crazy to think I was going to be able to run 11.1 more on top of that in just 5 months, but I stuck with it, slowly started adding a mile here and there and before I knew it I was crossing the Pittsburgh finish line after running for 1:53, covering a distance farther than I had ever run before. My longest training run for that event had been 10 miles. The last three miles of Pitt were tough. When I crossed that finish line I was exhausted and really didn't think I ever wanted to run another step. Within an hour of finishing though I was already thinking about what I would do differently next time I ran the distance, I was hooked! I took a job transfer from Ohio, to Arizona in June of this year and the move to sunny Tucson has only increased my love for the sport. For a born and bred Ohio boy, getting to experience 55-69 degree weather most days in December is heaven. Being out on the roads and trails with blue sunny skies and mountain views is something that I don't think will ever get old. I just broke 800 miles for the year on Tuesday of this week. Oh, and I'm happy to say I am still smoke free too!

Brian's 800 miles

Jodi: How many years have you been racing?
Brian: As I just started running this year I'm really new to racing and haven't come anywhere near being competitive. I've ran two 5-K races, a 10 miler, and two Half marathons this year. That has really been the extent of my racing.

Jodi: What is your favorite distance to race and why?
Brian: As I currently only have three distances to choose from right now, I would pick the Half marathon, probably because just last month I ran my second half and demolished my old PR by over 11 minutes.

Brian at the start of his 2nd 1/2 marathon

Brian at mile 9 of his 2nd 1/2 marathon

Brian at the finish of his 2nd 1/2 marathon


Jodi: What is your favorite race memory?
Brian: I think running the Pittsburgh Half will always be at the top of my list. Getting to be part of RFD and that weekend is an experience I will never forget.

Jodi: What is your least favorite race memory?
Brian; I have been fortunate so far in my running career. While I have only raced five times, I have had pretty positive experiences at all the events. I'm sure that rough day is looming out there waiting though.

Jodi: What is your proudest running moment to date?
Brian: I set a shiny new PR of 1:41:37 at a local Half last month and while that felt great, the final miles of Pittsburgh in the heat, humidity, and rain was so much more difficult. Thinking back to how I felt and knowing I gutted it out that day still makes me pretty proud. Those were to this day probably the toughest three miles I have ran to date.

Brian finishing the Pittsburgh 1/2 Marathon

Jodi: What one item do you absolutely have to have with you on a training run?
Brian: I have always been a music lover, so there is no better feeling than running with music. I have forced myself to run silent on several occasions, but I am really much happier if I have my iPod.

Jodi: What is your favorite fuel during a race?
Brian: I've only fueled mid-race during the two Half Marathons. I used Mountain Berry Clif Bloks for Pitt and I used Caffeinated Orange Gu for the Fleet Feet Half last month. I actually now prefer the Gu and really haven't tried anything but the Orange Caffeinated ones, but they treat me well.

Jodi: What is your favorite post race snack?
Brian: I seldom find myself very hungry right after a race, but always enjoy a good smoothie.

Jodi: Who do you admire most and why?
Brian: My grandfather has passed away, but he will always be someone I admire greatly. At a young age, my grandfather had a stroke and paralysis of his right side resulted. Despite being disabled for over half his life, I don't ever remember seeing my grandfather upset or angry. He had a hard time speaking, but lived his life in a way that taught me a very valuable life lesson. My grandfather was dealt a pretty rough hand yet had an outlook on life more positive than many people I know. Whenever someone asked Bob how he was doing, he only ever had one response, EXCELLENT! Life's too short to spend it being upset about inconsequential situations and I will always admire my grandfather for teaching me there is no sense being down about what you don't have. Spend life being thankful for what you do.

Jodi: Do you have a favorite quote?
Brian: I just read this quote for the first time last week, but it's a favorite of mine right now: "Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness."

Another favorite of mine is: "If you set out on an adventure, and you're completely convinced you're going to be successful, why start"

Jodi: Finish this statement, when I run I feel_______.
Brian: Clean: I first heard Kristin Armstrong use the word "clean" to describe how she felt after running, so I am stealing it from her, but I think that sums it up pretty well.

Jodi: What is your current goal?
Brian: The Half Marathons have been fun, but I decided I was ready to join the big leagues a couple months back and go for a full marathon. Deciding which marathon I wanted to run was an easy choice. Some runners are into the Rock & Roll Marathon series but I am a fan of the Run for Dom Marathon series and the next stop on the RFD circuit is Austin 2011. I'm currently in my 10th week of my cycle and so far training is going well. This past weekend I set a new distance record with an 18 mile training run in 2:45. The training cycle is flying and I can't believe that in just 10 weeks I am going to be toeing the line in Austin. If training keeps going well and I can stay injury free I am feeling pretty good about a solid marathon debut. My goal is simple, finish, but I hope to do so in under 4 hours without walking as well.

Thanks again for the opportunity to give you a Thumbs Up Brian. Best of luck achieving your current goal of finishing the 2011 Austin Marathon. As I see it, you are going to fly right through it, sub 4 hours and all!


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