While the race itself was an awesome experience, the weather was not.  Florida was suffering record low temperatures and it was in the low 20s when we got up at 2:30AM the morning of the race.  As I said before, my sister and I decided to dress up.  I was Tinkerbell and she was Minnie Mouse and while we both played the parts very well, our costumes did not fair well with the 26-degree temperatures while waiting for the start!  Once the fireworks lit up the sky and  it was our turn to begin, it took quite some time (at least the first two miles) for me to really warm up and shed the old hoodie that I had bundled up in.  Even my feet were tingling as they hit the ground because they had become numb.   Here’s a picture of us at the start.  Notice the bright red noses…

Once we got through the first couple of miles and started setting a steady pace for ourselves, we started taking in the course.  The course went through Epcot, the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdon and Hollywood Studios.  It did get a little long running along the long stretched of highway between parks, but it was during those times that we were able to check out all of the other costumes.  I was glad to have my sister along with me to chat and take photos of each other, and boy did we get some great ones!  We stopped quite a bit along the way to wait in line for photos with the characters (again, not at all concerned with a time as we had already BQ’d during our last marathon!).  We crossed the finish line at 4:20.  I was extremely happy with the race even with the colder weather.  It really is the most magical place on Earth

Sunday morning my sister and I got up, obviously very excited.  This was my first marathon and her 4th.  Our parents drove us to the starting line (the race started north of Scranton and finished in downtown Scranton).  It was a very small crowd, only 1,700 participants but that was a benefit to me.  The less people, the more the spectators will cheer on each individual who passes by!  It may have been a tad over-confident, but I had come up with a great method to add some extra motivation to our run…custom t-shirts!!  I picked up some champion technical tees (pink, of course) and some iron-on letters from Michael’s and printed “Boston Bound” on the front and in GIANT numbers on the back I wrote 3:40 so fellow marathoners on the course knew what we were aiming for. 

Turns out, those t-shirts worked like a charm! We had tons of people calling out 3:40! Yeh Boston! Woo!  and the like.  We even picked up a 26 y/o girl who was also aiming to qualify at the same time around mile 2.  I felt very strong the whole way and was having a great time.  The weather was a cool 50 degrees and there was no rain in sight.  I had read about the course’s ups and downs prior to the race and knew from the many humorous emails from the race director that if you tried to take advantage of the 6 miles of down hill in the beginning at a sprinting pace, you were going to end up seriously burned.  I’ll admit that though I had prepared myself mentally to take it easy in the beginning, it was a lot easier said than done.  With the energy of doing my first marathon coupled with the crowd cheering along the streets, I found it difficult not to just “let loose” and go full out down the steep hills in the first few miles.  But my older sister has that “older sister way” about her and kept me in check.  Once we got to the point where course evened out to rolling hills, I found my “happy pace” and also found that we were banking about 15-30 seconds every mile for the first ten or so miles.  We built up to 4 and 1/2 minutes ahead of schedule and then steadied out.  I knew those four minutes would come in handy towards the end! 

I found out this race just how great the Garmin really is.  I found myself being sort of a “watch hawk” because  I wanted to make sure that we were on track.  I had printed out a schedule of what our time should be at every mile to finish at a 3:39 and I made sure we were right on schedule at every mile announcing our times.  This course was known for it’s 950-foot drop from start to finish, HOWEVER they don’t let you get away that easy.  Right between miles 23-25 there were hills, rather large hills.  I made it a point in my training to run the only hill around me, a bridge, several times back and forth during my training to prepare for the PA hills.  However, what I hadn’t really tried was running that bridge back and forth at the end of one of my long runs. Oops.  I took the advice of one of the well-seasoned runners from my group and looked 20feet ahead of me and just kept on chugging up.  It worked!  As tired as I was, I knew I had come this far and had to keep going.  My sister was struggling, but I kept urging her to move forward.  Our “bank time” kept decreasing over the last 4 miles and we were cutting it close.  Due to the weaving we had done throughout the course, the milege on my watch was a little off.  I was getting very nervous.  I told my sister to give it all she had and sprint with me, but she was pooped.  The competitive side in me came out full force so I told her I was going to go ahead and make sure that I made it in time.  I sprinted in the last 1/2 mile to see the clock time – 3:37.  I knew I had made it!  But I also knew that I promised my sister we’d cross together if we could make it the whole way together, so I stopped short of the finish line and went off to the side.  My family of course knew what I was doing, but the crowd did not.  All I heard was “what are you doing?!” And because of the big 3:40 on my shirt I heard “Keep going, you’ve made it!!!”  Around 3:38 I saw my matching pink shirt coming up over the hill, so I ran towards Amy.  I grabbed her hand and together we ran to a chip time of 3:38:33. 

It was an awesome first marathon experience and I felt great the whole way.  I never really hit the infamous “wall” so I was extremely pleased with my training and the way I ran. 

My parents were also very proud, and to make this race even more memorable, as it turned out the photo below would be the last picture taken as a family of four.  My dad passed away suddenly one month after my sister and I ran this marathon.  Every race here on out is dedicated to him for being one of my biggest fans…

Dural Family at the Steamtown Finish

With all of that said, I made the decision with my sister to try to qualify for Boston during my first marathon.  It could be a stretch, but it was a goal to work towards rather than simply trying to finish which, don’t get me wrong is an amazing feat all in itself, I just knew I could do a little more.  Many of the people in the running group tried to tell me it wasn’t a great idea to set such a high expectation but I really knew what I was capable of.  And so the weekend after July 4th, I embarked on my marathon training journey.  Long runs on Saturdays, speed work on Thursdays and many 4-8 mile runs in between.

For those that are thinking of training for a 3:40 time, this is the schedule that I followed.  I kept all of my long runs below a 9min pace and most of my shorter runs were 8:30 or better.  I think the best thing that I did was the Yasso 800s on Thursdays.  Every Thursday morning I’d do a 1/2 mile – 1mile warm up and then I built myself up each week by doing 3 x 800s at 3:30 or less each and built it up to 8 x 800s.  You’re supposed to peak at 10 and do 2-3 weeks at 10 then work your way back down, but I think that may require a longer training period.

All in all, I stayed injury-free throughout my training and following this schedule made me a very strong runner.  I had done all I could to properly prepare myself for my first 26.2 consecutive miles and stuck to my guns all summer.  I found that a feat that I had thought just six months earlier was absolutely insane was actually achievable for an average (slightly lazy) 23-year-old like me, and I’m a better person overall for it.  If I can stick to this kind of training, who knows what other long-term goals I’m capable of accomplishing!

Here’s my schedule…

Ok, so much for my blogging skills.  A LOT has happened in the past 6 months, mainly my marathon training which I’ll talk about in a future post but for now, I’ll back track to September to record one of the most fun racing events I’ve ever been to – the USMC Mud Run in Columbia, SC.

Going into this race I was coming off of a 23-mile training run from the weekend before, so I was in the best shape of my life, and I knew I was ready for the challenge.  My teammates were two other girls from my running group and my roommate.  If you live in the South and you like a fitness challenge, DO THIS EVENT!  I had a blast!  It’s a 4.2 mile course with 30 obstacles on the course.  Most of the obstacles take place in, you guessed it, MUD!  You must start and finish the race as a team, and a few obstacles require major teamwork to get through.

The course starts off with a 1.2 mile run up and over grassy hills and through the woods until you stop dead at a concrete drop off.  You jump off of a series of these concrete walls continually until you get to the first big puddle of mud which you have to jump into and trudge, swim and fight your way through.  After you get past the first invitation to get dirty, you never look back.  Obstacles include rivers of mud with logs that you must jump over and crawl under, wire fencing over a mud puddle that you have to crawl under for about 30 feet, a 14-foot mud puddle that you jump off of a “cliff” to get into, and so on.  The race finishes with three teammates carrying the 4th teammate over the finish line in a stretcher.  I’ll let the pictures below tell the story.

This was my first race since June and I had that competitive edge with me as always.  I wasn’t prepared to be forced to slow down due to my roommate not being in great shape.  I guess I should have thought about it more before going into the race, but I just couldn’t understand why she would stop and walk.  That said, there was a little bit of squabbling throughout the race as what I thought were “words of encouragement” she took as me pushing too hard.  One thing that was stressed in the newsletters leading up to the race was finishing as a team and the importance of patience and teamwork.  Two virtues I need to try hard to work on.  It can’t always be about winning, but it sure is a whole lotta fun when you do win

This will be my last 5K until the mud run (will explain in a future post) and also my last race blog that I have to catch up on…yay!

Not a whole lot to say about this race other than it was HOT and it ran through a pretty little town called South Port, North Carolina. The race for me overall went really well despite the temperatures.  I paced  the two girls that were ahead of me the whole time and ended up in a very close (two second difference) 3rd place.  The race took off along the Cape Fear River and the course continually curved through tree-lined streets.  Overall, a very pretty run and the whole thing went smoothly.

The awards given were homemade local pieces of pottery..aka homemade bowls.  My bowl was a greenish-gray and probably the best darn bowls I’ve ever earned.  Ok, the only bowl I’ve ever had to work for, but that’s what makes it so special! After the race was over, Kevin bought me a sweet, cool reward – Rita’s Italian Ice! The perfect end to a great Saturday morning!

Me and my buddy Chandler chillin by the river after the race

Since I started running back in January with the group, I started meeting new people, really getting into it and every Tuesday night I’d come home and tell my boyfriend, Kevin, how much fun it is and how I wished he’d get out there with me.  That said, this race was all his idea and of course, I was excited that he was getting into it so I was all too eager to sign us up.

This race was a memorial to a tragedy that involved 9 firefighters in Charleston two years ago, and it seemed to be a really good turnout. There were even a brave group of firemen who “ran” the 5K in their full fire suits (minus the boots- they wore sneakers).  Granted, I know that they go into burning buildings but that still had to be a struggle – way to go guys!

I had a bit of dejavous with getting to this race because once again, it took place in a state park and once again, the line to get into the park was backed up about 3/4 of a mile due to the toll to get in.  Why not just include it in the race packet?!?  Kevin and I made it in just in time, but like the race in Hunington State Park, they ended up having to push back the race time because of the entrance issues.  Soo what was supposed to be a 9am race ended up going off around 9:40…in June…in South Carolina…eek! Needless to say, it was HOT, but luckily, a somewhat shaded course through trails in the state park.

The race started off by a large group of people lining up horizontally across the start line in a field and then funneling in to the narrow trail.  It was impossible to pass one another for the first half mile of the race, which was actually a good motivator to me because I didn’t want the person behind me to think I was running too slow!  The race went over boardwalks through the march, through wooded trails, curved around tall trees and finally, ended up coming through the same field to cross the finish line.  I kept a steady pace throughout the race, though I have to admit, for the heat and the crowded-ness on the run, I’d be willing to bet that the course was a little short because I ended up with a 20:02, and I didn’t feel like I did when I ran a 19:57. Oh well! An overall great race that ended with brunch at IHOP and a drive around charleston with my top down! (convertible, you perverts..)

Run for the 9 Flyer

Not my best race but I had fun with this one because I got to take part in a great cause – appreciating the men and women who fight every day for our freedom.  It was really cool to see all the men and women there who I could tell were proud, active military.  My goal for this race was to do another sub-20 and I thought I had it with an extremely flat course and the clouds covering the sun early in the morning, however, the sun hit half-way through the race and it was brutal.

As I turned for the home stretch – around 800 meters, I did a quick look over my shoulder and realized there was noone within close distance to me. Once I looked down at my watch and realized that a PR was going to be out of reach, I slowed it down.  I guess some might say that I ‘gave up’ but I simply didn’t feel like killing myself.

At the finish line, I was immediately told that I was the first female and I was surprised.  I thought I had seen a tall long-haired girl that was a good quarter of a mile in front me when we first took off, but it turned out to be a long-haired fast man.  :)

The award ceremony was held later that afternoon during a very nice ceremony honoring local military.  The city of Myrtle Beach did an awesome job honoring all of our heroes this memorial day weekend and I was very glad to have a part in it.  Not to mention the award was AWESOME! It turned out to be a 10 pound solid piece of crystal (or maybe glass, I don’t know) that I almost let slip out of my hands when they handed it to me because I wasn’t expecting the weight.  A great ending to an awesome race!

My "oscar" of an award. I was so afraid I was going to drop it!

Well, one thing was for sure with this race.  The summer had definitely arrived in Myrtle Beach.  Despite the heat, I had a steady goal for this race.  After looking at how well my 5K times had improved since January, I told my boyfriend that if I really wanted to, I could “will” myself to run a sub 20 5K for this race (half jokingly but also half serious).   He told me I was crazy and I begged to differ, but I knew I just had to prove it.

As I’ve said before, I’m a tad bit competitive.  Another important thing about this race was the fact that a girl who’s my age recently joined our running group and she’s good.  I’ll admit, I was a little fired up about the fact that she could beat me.  A friend of mine in the group kept sort of “egging me on” about her possibly crossing that finish line before me and I know it really shouldn’t bother me as long as I do my best and blah blah blah, but well, it sort of did.  Ok, so now onto the race.

I did my usual pre-race routine that morning with a little more water than usual to counter the intense 85-degree heat and warmed up with Cayla (girl who’s my age) and we talked about our goals for the race.  She said she just wanted to finish with me. Ugh. :-\ The gun went off and we took off together-FAST-, and she ran a few steps in front of me. Ugh.
Ugh.

Before I knew it, Mile Marker one was in sight already.  I looked down at my watch to see a 5:55 mile.  Yikes. By far, that was the fastest mile I’ve ever run.  I caught up to Cayla and told her that that was a crazy fast mile and that I was going to step back before I burned out.  She slowed it down with me, but then eventually dropped back pretty far back behind me.  I leeched onto some nice young guy who kept encouraging me that we were “almost there” and after a few killer hills, the finish line was in sight.  Once I turned the corner for the last stretch and I saw that 20min had not yet hit the clock, I gave it everything I had and ended up just 3 seconds shy of 20min and 1st place overall female.  Woo Hoo! All in all, a great day for racing for me with a new PR!

Next race: Military Appreciation Run

Cayla and I with our awards

Time: 20:47
Pace: 6:42
Award: 2nd Overall Female

I swore I was just going to go and watch my friends do this race because I was just coming off the 10-miler, but I guess I should have known myself a little better.  I was feeling really good the night before, no fatigue or pain so I decided to get up early and do my usual pre-race routine with breakfast and stretching and head to the race with the intention to run.  I decided that running the 5K was better than running the 10K and I’m glad I did it.

I didn’t really have a goal in mind for this race.  I knew it was in a state park and read online how nice the course was going to be so that’s why I really wanted to do this race.  Turns out, the write-ups weren’t lying.  Though it was a hot South Carolina day, the course was really cool.  It was shaded for the most part, with the exception of running over boardwalks, we ran on paved trails through the park.

My only complaint about this race was the payment to get into the state park.  While it’s understandable that the park service still has to charge for all who enter the park, it should have been incorporated with the race fee.  The line to get into the park was crazy even when I got there, and I got there an hour early.  Some people from my running group didn’t even make it into the park before the start of the race, and needless to say, they weren’t too happy.  Better planning on that next year would be appreciated!

I was very happy with my run overall, I finished very strong and took 2nd place with 20:47, another significant drop from my previous 5K time back in February.  Next race: Blue Crab Festival in Little River 5K.

I was excited for this race because I was doing it with my sister, who’s 2.5 years older than me.  We’ve done two other runs together before, but both times I was not near in as good of shape as I am now.  Since I joined the running group in January and have been running races on a regular basis, my times have been dramatically improving and I was excited to see the change in time from the last race Cherry Blossom race that we did 2 years ago.  

This is a love/hate race for me.  I love it once my feet start hitting the pavement, it’s a very pretty course, but getting to that point is rough.  The DC metro is absolutely packed the morning of the race and the lines for the bag drop-off and bathrooms are crazy.   But enough about the hate.  I’ll talk about why I love it.

The hoards of people running and the spectator-friendly course give the course an energy in itself.  Add to that a scenic run with views of the monuments and endless roads lined with cherry blossom trees and it makes for a great race.  I really enjoyed the run, and my sister and I talked the whole time (mostly to each other, but from time to time we’d pick up conversations with other runners around us).

The finish for my sis ended up being a little rough.  The last 800 meters were a steep incline (go figure) and the heat had broken out around mile 7.  I am all about a big finish, so I started to come down the big chute to the finish line with my hands up.  I noticed that she wasn’t staying with me and kept trying to get her to join me, but she had had it.  I crossed the finish in front of her and immediately turned around to look for her and finally saw her cross about 6 seconds after I crossed.  She was a little green, almost fell over, but we got her some water and shade and as typical runners go, she regained composure quickly.

I was very happy with my finishing time.  My last time two years ago was a 1:23:46 with an 8:16 pace.  This time, I held onto a 7:41 pace.  

Next race…Sun Fun Run 5K in Murrells Inlet

That's me crossing the finish (that's the clock time, not my chip time)