St. George Marathon

St. George Marathon, St. George, Utah (5th marathon)
Time: 5:35:39; Pace: 12:48
Division: 178/201; Gender: 1640/1850; Overall: 3912/4108

Splits:

5K	38:29	45:24	12:22 /mi
				13:49 /mi
10K	1:21:25	1:28:20	13:06 /mi
				13:41 /mi
13.1	2:55:52	3:02:47	13:24 /mi
				12:17 /mi
30K	4:03:53	4:10:48	13:05 /mi
				12:06 /mi
FINISH	5:35:39	5:42:34	12:48 /mi

The road to this marathon wasn't easy as explained in previous posts but it was so worth it. This was my first vacation since starting my new job. I felt back to normal, in a way. I live for seeing new things, running in new places and having adventures.

starting in the dark

Emily was supposed to run this race with me - the whole trip was her idea - but she didn't recover from her leg surgery well enough to run a marathon. Crappy for  her but lucky for me as she was an amazing one woman support crew.

We arrived in St. George the day before the race and headed straight to lunch followed by the state liquor store to load up on beer. Everything is pretty much shut down on Sundays so we wanted to make sure we had beer for the day after the race. The conservative, alcohol avoiding mormons run the state which means crazy liquor laws that make it hard to buy beer just anywhere. The local section at the liquor store was sad. 

MIle 16

Next we headed to the expo. I was surprised by the size of this expo. It was pretty big for a field of only 4k runners. The race shirt that came with my registration was horrible. Who puts a giant logo right over the belly? Luckily I was able to get a few items from different designers which were way better than the crap Nike puts out for the Chicago Marathon.

like my trash bag rain coat?

Even though Emily wasnt running I told her she still had to get up at the crack of dawn with me. I filled up on hotel breakfast while I gathered my things. Had I bothered to check the weather I would have worn my hat and taken my rain jacket. I put the hat, jacket, food and Nuun in a bag and gave it to Emily to bring to me at miles 7 and 16, the only 2 points along the main part of the course where people can spectate.

The hotel had a shuttle to the park where runners caught another shuttle to the start line at the top of the mountain. The line to shuttle #2 was an hour long. According to the veterans, this was so not normal. I made some friends who loved all the Chicago TV shows for which I took credit, of course.  As we waited in the ridiculous line in the dark, it started to lightly rain. Great.

On the way up we heard over the bus's CB that another bus was turning around because one of the stupid ass runners forgot her bib. I added the stupid ass part. As a result the race started 15 minutes late. That would have NEVER happened in Chicago.

The rain subsided when we got to the top. I ran into my new friend from the shuttle line and she graciously gave me a commercial sized garbage bag. I thought I didnt need it but as we started to cross the start line it began to rain again. This time not so lightly. As I ran I punctured arm holes and fashioned three ties in the front to hold the bag in place because stupid me tore the bag at the seam.

Mile 20! 

The course was on a two lane highway, mostly down a mountain. Runners had to be at a certain point by a certain time or else the sad sag van would come and ruin your life. Being a slow runner and being delayed by the forgetful stupid ass I was super worried about making this cutoff. A runner holding a "SWEEPER" sign was all I needed to worry about. As long as I stayed in front of him, I would make that cut-off time. I ended up making the cutoff by about an hour.

running in the rain makes me feel like a badass. I felt extra bad ass with my MacGyvered rain coat, staying ahead of the sweeper and being on this amazing course with the surreal scenery. I felt like I was on a movie set. The noise of my everyday city life was non-existent. I dont think even a plan flew overhead. The only sounds were from the music in my ears, the rain drops and the stomping feet of the other runners. The beauty of the mountains is breathtaking. The whole trip Emily and I kept asking each other if this was real.

The race was very well supported. Fruit was offered at the majority of aid stations along with volunteers ready and waiting to apply icy-hot. Running downhill took a toll on my lower back. I backed into one of the icy-hot people with my shirt pulled up and my pants down an inch trying to make my pit stop efficient as possible.

Speaking of gravity....the entire summer I was looking forward to gravity making up for what my training may have been lacking. I usually run long races in intervals of 4 minutes run and 1 minute walk. I threw that strategy out the window on the first downhill. Plenty of times I was able to fly downhill for 10, 20 minutes straight and at an unbelievable pace! Never before during a marathon have I ever looked down at my Garmin and seen 9:30 as my current pace! Of course on the uphills I mostly walked. The uphills were friggin' brutal.

At mile 7 Emily was waiting with my backpack. I was able to get out of my makeshift trash bag rain jacket and into a real rain jacket and my hat. I snarfed down a fig bar, guzzled some Nuun and continued on my merry way. She also met me at mile 16. I was glad I fueled up at mile 7. The next mile was one long miserable uphill battle.

Red State

Not long after we plateaued I met a former meth addict runner. This was her first marathon and she completed her first half in Mt. Rushmore two weeks prior. I was so fascinated with her story I lost more time walking than I wanted. Eventually my quicker pace and urge to move on was taking me steps and steps past her. I had to keep going. I couldnt believe how good I felt during this race!

Happy to be done1

The last few miles of the course took runners through the main sections of St. George. Lots of goodies awaited me: candy, popsicles, more icy hot. The best part was the end! Smaller races are great. They are well supported and the post race celebration has more than just a free beer and a banana. In this case, no beer because, Utah. That's OK because we had plenty of beer back at the hotel. I loaded up on thick, fresh bread and butter and ice cream bars.

At the expo

My post marathon celebration for small races differs from large races. OK, the only large race I've ever run was the Chicago Marathon three times. It usually involves a group of friends going to a restaurant and feasting on large quantities of comfort food and beer. The two small marathons involve the same comfort food but acquired via drive-thru and eaten at the hotel with pre purchased beer or beer later.

Went back to the start the next day and planted a WAC sticker

We got drive-thru burgers and "mini" shakes. Utah never learned how to label things properly in grade school like we did. In my world a mini shake would be something in the range of 4-8 ounces or a small fountain drink from McDonald's or a small frosty. To these people a mini shake is the size of a big gulp. Oh the full fat dairy!

Coming into the finish chute

I took a shower but couldn't take a nap. We lazed around and watched The Office. I saw a runner wearing a shirt from the episode where the gang at The Office had the "Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure". We started with this episode. 

"mini" shakes

20 miler 2018

Unofficial time according to Runkeeper: 4:31:58

The road to get to this 20 miler was not an easy one. I wasn't sure I could make it; so unsure I paid the high, last minute registration fee. Backing out of the marathon was not an option. In fact, I really wasnt thinking about the marathon - I was so sure that gravity was going to take my down that mountain in St. George the next month. Failing the 20 miler or even the thought of failing the 20 miler was crushing me. The 20 miler is notoriously hot and I couldnt stop thinking about last year's miserable humidity. 

After my torturous training and Chicago marathon experience last year I wasn't sure if I would ever run again. I wasn't a group leader this summer so I was on my own. Too hard! The weekday runs weren't that bad. Two days a week I'd get in my run on the way home in Evanston. The lakefront is great; not too crowded and plenty of water bottle fill stations.  One midweek run per week was substituted with an elliptical session. 

When it came to the weekend longs runs I procrastinated. Getting out the door was nearly impossible. Some times I'd push the run until Sunday evening and then pay for it the next day. Running in heat and humidity takes so much out of my body. Running at night left my no time to rehydrate so I'd wake up in the middle of the night throat parched and heart pounding. 

Jay joined me on a few long runs. If he wasn't there I probably would have given up. I knew that after 6 months of no running training for a marathon was a stupid idea and it was going to be tough as nuts. It did get slightly easier and the summer went by and then those few precious, low humidity last runs before the marathon gave me the confidence that everything was going to be ok. I was a runner again.

The morning of the 20 miler I stepped outside to meet the Uber driver and ran into a thick wall of choking humidity. The previous day's weather was decent and gave me hope for the 20 miler. What happened? 

Running along the lake had become boring and monotonous to me. I stuck with Brian for the first 10 miles and let him decide when we'd walk and when we'd run. Mixing it up and having someone to run with kept me on track. 

The slowest runners started first which means that the slowest runners get trampled by the faster runners for about the first 5 miles. There was so much going on I wasn't bored in the least. 

Around Oak Street Beach at the 10 mile mark Brian started to slow down. I still felt good. Really good, in fact, so I took off. I remembered how last year I struggled through this run and celebrated how good I felt this year. The oppressive humidity dissipated and the sun wasn't too bad. 

After I got my bag I headed straight to the beer tent and unpacked the beer and PB&J I brought with me. Then I found a vendor giving away IV hydration. So there I was sitting under a tent outside in Jackson park with a needle stuck up my arm and a bag of saline and vitamins hanging from the tent frame. 

I had never felt so good after a super long run. Generally I'm completely exhausted and can barely make it up the steps to my front door. But this time I felt like dancing as I walked from the post race shuttle bus to meet my Uber!

I was ready for the marathon!

Shamrock Shuffle 2018

Time: 1:01:14 Pace 12:19 minute mile
Place: F 40-44 907/1376 ; female 8427/11648 ; overall 16599/20898

Shamrock #5 on the books! This gets me a guaranteed entry into the Marathon. I had already decided not to run a marathon in 2018. I changed my mind about a week later.

The 2017 Chicago marathon was a nightmare for me and since then I had only run two 5ks. I didnt have much hope for this race but it went surprisingly well! I felt like I had a fighting chance to be a runner again.

As in the past Emily volunteered, Zuzana's husband Chris ran this as his once yearly race and Brian ran for the firs time since the marathon. We all met up after and headed to brunch where an excruciating 90 minutes later we crammed into a corner table at Bonefish and ate our brains out.

Until next year.

New Year's Eve 5k 2017

New Year's Eve 5k - 17th 5k

Chicago, IL

Time: 47:02 Pace 15:09

Overall: 673/747

Female: 367/418

F 40-49: 76/91

Whoah! This was my worst 5k to date. I had only run the Lincolnwood Turkey Trot since the marathon. 

There have been no gym miles or street miles either. Take those conditions and add in 9 degrees outside and you've got a recipe for disaster.

When Rich proposed we run this it was a beautiful fall day; impossible to imagine what the bitter cold Chicago winter fells like.

 It's almost as if I haven't lived here my entire life.

The pre and post race warm up area was inside the newly renovated Theatre on the Lake. 

The race was, sigh, along the lakefront. The entry fee was only $20.18 and we purchased the brunch option for an additional $20. 

Some people paid more than that for the race alone. We did get some free beer out of it too so not a total loss. 

The race was challenging. I had a hard time breathing because of the cold and lack of training recently. I felt bad for dragging Rich down with me. He was the one who decided to stick with me though!

first time ever running in this bulky ski jacket

Lincolnwood Turkey trot

Time 38:57 Pace 12:33

17th 5k

Place 702/1033

Div (female 40-49) 81/142

Female 318/?

This was my first race since the marathon. Due to my bad experience at the big race and compounding injuries I had decided to take a break from running. I probably signed up for this early in the year.

It was super cold but the sun was shining. The race started in a giant park in Lincolnwood. They had a huge tent set up so we didnt have to be out in the cold too long. It was also a great place to hide out from the smoke of the tiny campfires that dotted the area. What were they thinking? Who wants to breathe in all that smoke pre run?

I made it two miles without walking. Not bad! The last mile was pretty bad. I had to urgently go to the washroom. This was part of the problem while marathon training. It's sudden and it's imminent!

Good thing it was a small race. I ran straight to the no-line port-o-potty after crossing the finish line.

Back at the tent they had all kinds of goodies. I got stretched out and grabbed some plantains from 90 miles to Cuba and soup from Lou Malnottis. All compliments of the race people. 

Chicago Marathon 2017

Chicago Marathon

Marathon #4, Chicago #3

Time: 6:29:55

Place Gender	19762
Place Age Group	3240
Place Overall	41737
Finish Time	06:29:55

05K	08:44:44AM	00:36:38	36:38	11:48	5.09
10K	09:24:49AM	01:16:43	40:06	12:54	4.65
15K	10:04:09AM	01:56:04	39:21	12:40	4.74
20K	10:53:25AM	02:45:20	49:17	15:52	3.78
HALF	11:06:01AM	02:57:55	12:36	18:28	3.25
25K	11:42:49AM	03:34:44	36:49	15:11	3.95
30K	12:40:03PM	04:31:57	57:14	18:25	3.26
35K	01:38:29PM	05:30:23	58:26	18:49	3.19
40K	02:21:04PM	06:12:59	42:36	13:43	4.38
Finish	02:38:00PM	06:29:55	16:57	12:25	4.83

greeted by the sunrise every saturday

This marathon was a nightmare. This training season was a nightmare. 2017 was a nightmare. 

wading in the lake post 16 mile run

I started having issues breathing while running around December 2016.

 It continued through until the big day when I got really dehydrated and almost passed out.

 I had a chest x-ray in the Spring; whew no lung cancer!

sweaty legs

 But what was it?Post marathon, my doctor thought it was an insane amount of bad bacteria in my gut. 

found some Clocktower runners today

I've taken steps to fix it but I haven't run much in the few months since the marathon to test it out. 

training crosses seasons

2016 was a great running year! I had a marathon PR and a half marathon PR. 

last long run with my crew

I really thought I as on a roll and completely psyched for Chicago 2017.

the whole city gets into the marathon

Then, the breathing thing started. I went to Austin, TX in January 2017 and ran 5 miles around Lady Bird Lake the day I arrived. 

those cyclist are taking up all the lanes!

It was 70 degrees out and I blamed the breathlessness on the weather change. 

Brian in the Cryo tank

Two days later I ran a half marathon and had no breathing issues. Seemingly there was no rhyme or reason to this.

the burn on my arm was healing nicely

Over the summer it got worse. On some longer runs or on super hot days I couldn't drink enough water.

 My thirst was insatiable. I thought it was stress. I found out in January, right after returning from Texas, that I was losing my job. 

It was 5 months later that the company was finally sold and we were all let go. 

During the summer I saw a doctor and registered my complaints but it wasn't until the marathon that I knew I needed some serious tests. 

I got a very expensive stool test that revealed the bacteria issue.

So anyway...

This isn't a retelling of a positive experience so if you don't want to read my whining move along. 

Nikki's birthday fun run

My first year of marathon training I wasn't a group leader but in some respects I acted like Emily's co leader since we really didnt have one and she and I had been co leaders for half marathon training it just happened. 

after the 20 miler

The second year we were official co leaders. There was another run/walk group but they were doing a different pace. 

20 miler

We've also had differences with the other leaders about how run/walk should be done. 

post 20 miler

They tell us our method is wrong but cant explain why. I believe that mixing up the ratio is perfectly fine and does no harm. It actually challenges the body and that's a good thing.

For 2017 I was on my own. No Emily. There were 2 new group leaders. One was very cool and the other snubbed me the entire training season. 

The ironic part was that the cool one had issues with his leg and they frequently adjusted the ratio to accommodate him.

I had two folks that trained with me - both friends. We had a nice little intimate group. 

It was exciting to watch them grow into marathoners and I was lucky to be their group leader for their first marathon.

I walked away from the experience feeling sorry for the other run/walk leaders. 

Life is really hard when you can't accept change and can't be open to another's way of doing something. 

I lost my job just before the training season started. Being unemployed allowed me to get my midweek runs in when ever I wanted but because of my breathing issues runs became harder and I still didn't get in all the midweek miles. 

It's Bart Yasso!!!!!

It's mentally exhausting to be unemployed in addition to know that nearly every time I was going for a run it was going to be a struggle. 

I got Peter Sagal's autograph!!!

One thing that I was able to add to my training was getting in some cross training at the gym. 

My arms and back are disgusting

I envisioned getting ripped and limber but other things got in the way like visiting museums and breweries and oh yeah, looking for a job. 

I made the decision to take a break from running about mid way through the season. Not just because of health reasons but because I am bored with running. I've been running along the lake for 4 years looking at the same scenery. I've run on the same streets for the same time. 

I wanted to drop out and not run the marathon. If it weren't for my training buddies I would have been long gone. It was really hard to get excited for the marathon. And if there's ever a race that one should be completely pumped for, it's a marathon!

A wee bit of excitement crept up on me while getting ready the night before. I watched Spirit of the Marathon, KT taped up and got my flat self ready.

The expo got me excited too! Zuzana and I went the second it opened on Friday. I got to meet Bart Yasso - one of my running heroes.

A few nights before the marathon I went to a taping of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Peter Sagal, the host, is an avid runner. He even writes for Runner's World Magazine. After the show the cast and guests made themselves available for autographs. I got him to wish me good luck with his signature!

I belong to the Chicago Area Runner's Association who had a large meeting room rented for us. It's great having access to toilets, any last minute supplies one may have forgotten and food. It's also easier to find your friends before the race too!

Zuzana and I finagled our way into corral G so we had to say goodbye to our other run/walk friends before entering the security gates. 

With this being my 3rd Chicago and 4th marathon I wrote up a little guide for the people in my group. One tip was to bring a throw away shirt or jacket because the start of the race was going to be freezing. Not this year! We walked over in exactly what we planned on running in: shorts and a tank top. This wasn't a good sign!

Zuzana decided to run with me. I usually run races alone and zone out in my music but it was her first marathon and she really likes the social support so I went with it. Little did I know I was really going to need HER for the support!

The time went by as we chatted and looked for our people scattered along the route. Chris popped up here and there. We found out Ashley was going to be on Sheridan before Addison. My first person to watch out for!

Next was Zuzana's husband, sister, and niece. We were on a walk but had to run for their camera. This was where I started to lose steam. It was only 10 miles or so in. We stopped for photos and then for the port-a-potties shortly after. This was my second toilet stop. Things were beginning to get messed up. I wont go into the details but I made 5 toilet stops during the race and the last two nothing happened... I'll leave it at that.

Beth was waiting for us in Old Town with a pickle!  I used all these opportunities to take a longer break than I should have. I'm sorry I dragged Zuzana down with me. I told her she could take off on me whenever. We reached the half way mark in 3 hours. That meant a 6 hour finish - not good. 

Around mile 16 Zuzana's cheering crew was waiting. While holding onto the railing I got lightheaded and nearly fell over. A half mile down Emily was waiting for the second time. She knew something was wrong with me. 

As we walked away I told Zuzana I was going to walk for awhile and I started to cry. I wanted to scream out, "this year sucks!!!!!" Instead I kept saying aloud that I was going to make it.

I decided that if I still wasn't feeling good by the next aid station I was going to stop. I was absolutely spent and no where near the end. I didn't want to quit but the toll of losing my job and all that frustration plus the challenges of the training season all I wanted to do was crawl under a rock and die. 

I started feeling better just before mile 18 and we resumed regular run/walk intervals. My parents were waiting around mile 18.5. Zuzana took off which gave me a sense of relief. I was really dragging her down.

My step dad hopefully joking said that the car was right down the block if I wanted to go home. Then my mom yells out, "she's not a quitter!" Or something to that effect. She gave me a bottle of smart water and fig newtons and I was on my way. 

Right before China town I snagged another pickle from Beth and saw Brian's girlfriend and Emily. Then I was on my own until the bitter end.

They added a third wave this year. I'm guessing because there were more slower runners. When I was feeling good I ran into a sea of these people ALL WALKING! I couldn't maneuver around them easily. 

The same as last year my cordless head phones died before the end. Good thing I pack a wired pair in my bra! I dont know how people run without music. I use it as a distraction and to tune out all the cheering. It gets super annoying toward the end when everything hurts and I just want it to be over. 

My friend Rich is a super volunteer with the marathon. He gets access to the finish line to assist with the elites. I had no idea he'd be waiting for me to cross the finish line. It was such a shocker and made me tear up. 

He put my medal around my neck and we slowly walked toward the beer. I definitely should not have had any beer. I was feeling dehydrated again. I gulped the bottle of finish line water, my beet, and then ran out of water that was left in my running bottle. 

We scurried over to the Palmer House to meet everyone. Ernest was already finished and showered the bum! He runs with Clocktower Runners who rented a room at the Palmer House and they all got to use the shower. I'm rethinking CARA for the next Chicago Marathon I run just for shower access alone.

I found everyone and lowered myself to the floor. Emily had a napkin full of goodies for me and Rich got me a protein drink. 

After Zuzana and I cleaned up we all headed to the Bad Apple. It's becoming a tradition. 

The very next day I threw on the quarter zip stupidly expensive Chicago marathon top and headed to Fleet Feet in Old Town to get in the very long 2 hour medal engraving line.

I had never seen such a long line for medal engraving so it never occurred to me to get there long before they opened. Luckily we had each other to keep busy recapping our experience. 

The time flew by and then we went to celebrate some more at Lou Malnotti's a few blocks away. The walking sucks but it's so good for the body after a marathon. It's also fun walking around town in proudly displaying my medal around my neck getting "congratulations" from people.

On Tuesday I got a pedicure and a massage and Wednesday I started a contract job. The fun was over.