Marathon---completed!

Happy Memorial Day! Yesterday was the big day...Eric & I competed in the MadCity Marathon. It was a great day to do my first marathon, & I will give a full race report.

We woke up at 5:30am, and stretched & ate some food. We headed out the door by 6:30am, & jogged up to the Capital Square, where the race start was. When we got to the start line, there were already thousands of people mingling around and you could sense all the nervous energy in the area. At 7am, the announcer had all the full marathon runners line up behind the starting line for the 7:10am start. I had never done a mass start in a race before, except for one open water swim I did in high school, but I knew nothing could equal the amount of elbows and scratching that happens at the start of triathlons. Eric and I said good luck to each other and separated. We are very competitive with each other, so we never race together. At 7:10am, the gun signaled and we were off.

The conditions that morning were almost perfect. It was in the mid-50's at the start of the race and mostly cloudy. There was a nice breeze, & it was going to be in the 60's by the end of the race with overcast conditions. The first 2 miles were pretty crazy, because there were hundreds of people that were all within inches of me. It felt a bit claustrophobic at times, but I just wanted to take it easy at the start anyway. Up until mile 7 I was running with the 3:40 pace group. I was feeling really good, so I passed them up. More than a specific pace, I wanted to focus on controlling my heart rate. I wanted to keep my HR at 150-160 for the first half of the race, so that I wouldn't die at the end.

Miles 7-14 felt amazing. I was cruising without too much effort, and I saw that I was a 1:46 at the half way point. There was a man who came up beside me & asked if I was with the 3:35 pace group, and after an awkward silence I said; sure, why not? I knew that if I didn't die and held an even pace, I could go a 3:35 & qualify for the Boston Marathon.

At mile 18, the runners headed into the arboretum which is quite hilly but nice and shady. A significant portion of the 2.5 miles didn't have a water station, & I started to get dehydrated. As we came out of the arb at mile 21, I really started to hurt. You start thinking to yourself; how many more times will my body allow me to pick up my legs??

Thankfully, another runner came up beside me and we paced together the last 5 miles. It's amazing how much further you can push your body with other competitors around you. You couldn't see the finish line until the last little straight away, but as soon as I did, it was an amazing feeling. My pacer, James, turned to me & said; So Rebecca, you got anything left,? and started to sprint. I sprinted across the finish as much as my body would allow me to & we high fived as we crossed the finish line. Cheesy, I know, but you work & train so hard for that high you get right after finishing a race, and there is no other feeling like it.

I finished at 3hours & 35min. It totals to an 8:14/mile pace, & I qualified for the Boston Marathon! I was 6/75 in my age group, and 22/550 out of all the female competitors. Eric finished at 3:38, for an 8:21/mile pace. He was also pleased with getting under 3:40, but I know he probably would have liked to be better. Just 3 years ago though, Eric couldn't run more than 30 minutes straight, so this is a huge accomplishment for him.

Post-race, I had horrible stomach pains & very sore muscles. We took an ice bath yesterday, & will need to again today. Today is a laid back day, with a long walk to try and speed up our recovery time, since we need to hit the triathlon training hard here this week.

That's the race report from the MadCity marathon!

Ciao!

Here are pictures of the herbs & flowers we bought at the Farmer's Market last weekend. Daisies in one pot; a mix in the largest pot; & basil, mint, & spearmint in the medium-sized pot. You also can get a glimpse of my cat, Maddy, in one of the pictures...she's so cute!

Enjoy:-)

Happy Mother's Day! Today it is 45 degrees outside and windy & rainy. Not much to brag about on May 11th.

Eric & I went on a 13 mile run this morning and held 7:40's per mile which is pretty good, but I felt awful. Hopefully some rest on my legs these next couple weeks will do me some good for the marathon. Last week, we made it through our longest training run of 20 miles and held about 8:05's per mile. It hurt...a lot, but gave me confidence that I can finish the real race and with a good time too if I race smart.

After the marathon is over, we will have the running foundation set for the triathlon season, & will replace a running workout with a bike, run brick. We have also been swimming twice a week, which is obviously still my favorite type of workout. It would be even more of a favorite if we could swim outside!

Not too much else to report on the training side of things. It will be fun to get into racing season & get some results for the long winter of monotonous training. Racing, coaching, & getting as much outdoor time as possible will carry me quickly through June & July, & then for 2 weeks in August Eric & I are off to Colorado & North Carolina for some family/vacation time:-) It took us forever to decide our travel plans for the summer because we were invited to 5 weddings this summer! One of these was my cousin's wedding in Sweden (where most of my extended family lives), but we were unfortunately unable to make it work:-( My parents & sisters will be going though, which will be fun for them. I guess I will have to live with staying on this side of the Atlantic for now.

Happy training!

Happy Thursday!

The weeks are flying by with 2 jobs and training for the MadCity Marathon occupying my time. This weekend, Eric & I have a 20 mile training run to accomplish! It is our longest run of the training plan, & it will feel great to taper a bit after that & then it's race day on Sunday, May 25th! I am really excited to complete my first marathon (26.2 miles). For the 19 mile run I did last weekend, me & Eric held 8:00 minute miles, & I was really impressed with how much our running has improved. I will be happy with any time under 4 hours for the marathon, but my reach goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. For my age group, I would have to run 3 hours & 35 (or 40, I'm not too sure) minutes. I expect a lot from myself, & it will be a fun challenge to see how fast I can go.

After this weekend, during our "taper," Eric & I need to start hitting the bike training really hard. Our goal is to do a 100 mile bike ride by the end of August or September. Biking is probably my weakest portion in triathlons, & I want to work really hard at it the next 2-3 months to improve significantly. We have been logging quite a bit of time on the bike trainer 3x a week this winter, but it is really hard to simulate real hills on the trainer, so getting outside is necessary. I should mention our big race this summer is the 1/2 Ironman in Racine on July 20th. It will be interesting, because it is smack in the middle of 4 meets in a row that I will be coaching at, so my training plan will have to get creative when I am on the road.

That's about it for now, but I want to share a really inspirational story with all of you before I sign off. Floswimmr is a relatively new website about the sport of swimming, & this weekend they are doing coverage of US Masters Nationals. Check out this link to hear an awesome story about a 65 year old man who overcame prostate cancer just one year ago to achieve his goal of swimming at that meet. It really puts it all in perspective. http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/coverage.php?c=258&id=14134

All of us, as athletes, are really aiming for the same life goal. To be active, healthy, & live long & happy lives! My grandma & grandpa are over 80 years old, & have been exercising every day for most of their lives. If I could have nothing else in my life, it would be to still have the health and energy to exercise when I am 85, even 95 years old.

Lastly, I have to mention my mom & dad, who have started regularly working out at a gym since January. I am especially proud of my dad who has really made an effort to be active & work out on a regular basis. It has already improved his health tremendously, & I am amazed that at no matter what age, if someone commits to an active lifestyle, their health will inevitably improve.

Whether you are an olympic athlete or avid walker, there are links that connect all of us together. Cheers to living life healthy & happy!