i want adventure in the great wide somewhere - running journal! (comments welcome)

[xjillianpaige]

Final time 5:59:22. Not the time I had hoped/trained for but it was a hot, humid day and a hilly course so I’m very pleased by my effort overall and was on track for the first half while it was still relatively cool/comfortable. It’s still a PR by an hour and 15 minutes (Disney time really set me up for success) and I know that in the right conditions I’m so close to that 5:30 or sub 5:30 goal.

More to come later this week when I’m home.

 

[striker1064]

Congrats on your race!

 

[azrivest]

Congrats on finishing your marathon! That is an amazing feat

 

[xjillianpaige]

View attachment 672144

Good luck on your race!

Congrats on your race!

Congrats on finishing your marathon! That is an amazing feat

Thank you all for the well wishes and congratulations pre and post race!

I'm going out tonight for recovery walk with my club as part of my two week break from running. I hope to start the race recap when I get home from dinner! I've done a lot of reflecting since Sunday and have a lot of feelings. Feeling grateful for this journal and community for being there as I process and learn and celebrate and run.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Vermont City Marathon Race Recap

Pre Race​

May 28: 2 miles • 21:08 • 10:32 avg pace
I woke up on Saturday morning and got a 2 hour shakeout run done. Just an out and back from home (which meant a bit hilly). I had thought about running this after driving 3 hours to Vermont, but we weren't leaving until noon, so I wouldn't necessarily have the time once I got there to get it done between the expo and dinner, so the morning won out.

I got home from my run and treated myself to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast before showering and getting ready and packing the last of my things for the weekend trip. Then at noon I was in the car with Elise (coworker who also ran the marathon) and my brother, Jared. Three hours later we were in Burlington!

Expo​

Our first stop was the expo. It was a little tricky to find once I got to the hotel - I saw one flag at the entrance to the driveway, but didn't see any others so ended up parking near the front door and walking through the hotel to get to the expo instead of driving closer to the expo entrance. Not a big deal, though.

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It was a very small expo. We checked in at the front where they looked at our ID and vaccination card and highlighted our name on a printed sheet (not even a computer!?) and then we went over to have our bib number assigned to us and entered into the system. You picked either a 1000, 2000, or 3000 number depending on your expected pace/time (5000 and 6000 bibs were for relay teams). I was bib 3075. I also got my gear check bag and pins.

Next I went over to get my shirt (again - paper tracking!). I think I ordered a women's medium but I got a large by mistake. The shirt fit so it was fine, but Elise switched hers out for a bigger size. We did a lap of the little booths and then I bought a finisher jacket and Elise picked up a few more clif bloks.

On the way out I went to the pacer table because they said I could meet the pacers, but only one lady was there and she was not the pacer. Weird. We left the expo and popped by a table outside where I got a car decal and buff and then we went to check into the hotel.

Not a lot to report after that. We went downtown to walk around and grab dinner. My parents met us with the dog. I had chicken park. I went to sleep. You're here for the goods... so let's get to it.

Race Day​

We were awake at 5 am and got ready in the room. I had a PB&J sandwich for breakfast since I didn't have a toaster. I brought with me my water bottle with gatorade (and drank what was left in the bottle with my breakfast) and some Bloks and Waffles for fuel along the route. Two bloks are in my water bottle pouch with the salt tabs. Waffles go in my pocket. More bloks in my running belt. My mom drove us to the start line. We got there about 45 minutes early and took some pictures.

It was a little confusing trying to find our start group. We walked toward the start line and someone directed us to turn around and go to an area parallel to the start line where we were being held until they moved us to the start. Once I was there, I found Michelle (from my run club) and we took a photo.

I then found the 5:30 pace group and met the two pacers, Rebekah and Vic. Vic is a hall of famer, having run all 33 Vermont City Marathons. Rebekah has run over 100 marathons and also is a living donor - having donated her kidney and part of her liver (plus lots of blood and platelets). I felt like I was in good hands. We were going to be doing about a 12:24 pace. 15 minutes before the start, I have a waffle.

The course is two figure eights, with the bottom have being a bit smaller than the top half. It also runs along the gorgeous Lake Champlain. I'm telling you now - none of my photos do it justice.

Mile 1: 11:54
Mile 2: 12:14
Mile 3: 12:04

Okay... let's dig in. The course starts on Lake Street and goes south. We hit mile 1 a little fast but still a lot slower than I'm used to training, so I feel good. This is stopping me from taking off. The pacers are great. We chatted about their lives and running and they know the course so well and would prepare us for what to expect. Mile 1 and 2 were fairly long, straight roads. Lots of good course support from people cheering us on and lots of live music and drummers. Mile 3 was a little downhill through a pretty neighborhood. I took my first fuel: a package of clif bloks. I accidentally had one of the salted ones, but I figured I would need it eventually so not a big deal.

Mile 4: 11:53
Mile 5: 11:55
Mile 6: 12:13

Mile 4 took us onto a bike path and through a park and mile 5 was along the water. The first of many beautiful views. Mile 6 continues along this path until we come back to where we had originally turned to head toward mile 1, but this time we're heading in the opposite direction to go north and into the main stretch of town. I have my next fuel: another waffle. So delicious.

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Mile 7: 12:52
Mile 8: 12:18
Mile 9: 12:27
Mile 10: 11:57

Mile 7 was through the center of town, the church street Marketplace. A very busy spot with lots of folks watching us and having brunch. Mile 8 was a long stretch of road and then mile 9 brought us to the Lakewood Neighborhood. We ran about a mile through Lakewood (bringing us to Mile 10). People had sprinklers and hoses out, water stations, and lots of music playing loudly. They even made matching t-shirts! An awesome day to live in that neighborhood. Another package of fuel at the start of the neighborhood: clif bloks plus a salt tab. I've finished the bloks that were in my belt so I take that off and toss it to the side.

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Mile 11: 12:22
Mile 12: 12:14
Mile 13: 12:15

After leaving Lakewood, we quickly turned into Leddy Park where there was an awesome water station manned by very energetic people, then onto the bike path along the lake for mile 11. It was nice and shady and beautiful with more good support here. You could hear the music from the neighborhood you had just left. Mile 12 and 13 were all along the path. More gorgeous views. This finishes the first loop and we were directed to the left of the finish line to start our second loop. I had another waffle at mile 12.

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Feeling check? Feeling great. The pace was perfect. I felt on target. I felt like I could do this for miles and miles and miles, which is good because I have 13.1 more to go. I was also eagerly awaiting my parents and brother who were around mile 13.

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Mile 14: 12:29

I see my family right here at the turn onto mile 14. I cry a bit but stay with my pace group. And folks... I don't know what happens... but this is where it all goes to you-know-what.

Mile 15: 13:24
Mile 16: 14:38
Mile 17: 13:59

As I start mile 15 I feel myself slow down. I lose Rebekah, who is at the front of the pace group and where I've been spending almost all of my time (I even got ahead of her around mile 4-6 but then got back with them at a water stop). I was with Vic for a little bit too, but then he pulls ahead of me and I reconcile the fact that I might not be hitting the 5:30 today (or they're still a little fast, at one point they estimated a 1 minute buffer, and if I keep steady in the 12:00s I'll be okay). I try to eat my next fuel: a waffle, but I cannot choke it down. I eat half and toss the rest. Mile 16 I slow down a little bit more and start to walk. Mile 17 I meet Lauren, a 20 year old college student who signed up the night before and had never run more than 5 miles. We run together for a little bit and walk a little bit. Mostly walk.

Mile 18: 14:37
Mile 19: 15:56
Mile 20: 14:58

Mile 18 is along the water. Still beautiful. My feet hurt. I toss my water bottle because it is empty of gatorade and I will not be able to have the clif bloks still in there. I save the salt tabs and put them in my pocket with the one waffle I have left. Mile 19 along the water. We walk it. I take another salt tab. Mile 20 through town. We walk it. I see my parents again. They're drinking. I wish I were. We pass Vic, who is having his ankle iced. We catch back up with Rebekah. She (and Vic) are no longer pacing because of his ankle issue and for her, a dizziness issue. They fell behind the expected time so they put the pacing stick down and are out to finish. We stay with Rebekah as we begin mile 21, walking up the hill after turning out of mile 21. She begins to run again. We do not.

Mile 21: 16:39
Mile 22: 17:01
Mile 23: 16:48

This is the bad place. This is the longest stretch of sunny road. The people who were out in droves in the morning are gone. As far as the eye can see is orange cones. At the bottom of mile 21 is a water and fuel stop. We take ice pops and water and gatorade. I'm double fisting the ice pops. Purple and blue. We hit mile 22 just before the Lakewood neighborhood. Someone asks if it's weird if she offers us ice. I say no and take a handful, rubbing it in my hair and on my arms and neck. The neighborhood is still rockin' and rollin' like they were in the morning and for that I will be eternally grateful. We hit mile 23 just as we leave the neighborhood. I had planned on assessing if I could run the last 5k but Lauren and I decided to stick it out together. We're hoping the bike path is shady.

My brother's dog doing what I wanted to do.​

Mile 24: 16.48
Mile 25: 16:29
Mile 26: 12:26
Mile .5: 10:11

As we head down into mile 24, the water stop from earlier is still as high energy as before. The man in charge of this water stop has a megaphone and he gives us instructions.

"Listen to Bob, marathoners. At the bottom of this hill you're going to take a gatorade from the first table and drink it. Then go to the hose and have her spray your head and neck. Then go to the water table and take two waters. Drink one, pour the other one over your friend's head. You're almost done."

He was genuinely a life saver and gave us the positivity we needed.

We turn onto the bike path to start mile 25. It is not shady anymore. I take my final salt tab. As we get to the beginning of our final mile to the finish, Lauren says we have 13 minutes to break 6 hours.

"Can you run a 13 minute mile?" I ask.
"Sure can," she replies.

We run.

Post Race​

We finish the race and as I cross the finish line (clock time 6:05 - I started about 6 minutes after the official start so I knew I had broken the 6 hours) medical comes right over to me to make sure I'm okay. I have to say, the dedication to safety here was something else. I think it was in 2018 or 2019 the race had to be cut because it was 90 degrees and dangerous. A friend of mine ran it that year and she's a nurse, so she was stopping every few steps to help people who were collapsing. Here they took no chances and had signs indicating whether it was green (low risk) or yellow (medium risk).

I went out of the finish chute to see my parents. I had asked them to bring me an iced coffee, but they weren't able to find one (I don't think they tried that hard) and I took a sip of what I thought was iced tea. It was a margarita. I took a massive gulp of tequila. "Oh my God that's alcohol!" I yelled. We walked over to a nice shady spot and I took my shoes off. I was so swollen from the heat. My fingers were sausages. I think that's why my feet hurt so bad when they haven't hurt at all throughout this training cycle.

We waited a bit for Elise, one of the last finishers (and in just about 6:45) and then it was time to celebrate (I'll make a separate post of all my celebration photos).

Reflections​

I think a lot happened here.

Pacing: I think my pacing for the first half was perfect. I was slower than in training, which was the point. If the weather was as nice for lap 2 as it was for lap 1, I would have easily maintained.
Fuel & Hydration: I had my fuel down pat. I'm not sure why I struggled to fuel after 15. My guess is either the heat or I didn't need anymore. At no point did I wish I had fuel after mile 15. I did find myself wanting water and the tables not being there. Had I known I would find myself wanting water before a water stop, I would have asked someone to fill my water bottle instead of tossing it.
Course: This course was primarily uphill. There were very few downhills and the ones we did experience were short. While I did some training on hills, most of my training was flat. I kept my effort the same on the uphills, but it beat me anyway. I would be very interested in how this race would have shaken out if the second loop was the opposite direction of the first.
Weather: I think missing my goal of 5:30 comes down to weather, to be honest. The humidity was over 90%. The second half of the course was almost all full sun and 75 degrees. My fingers swelled. My feet swelled and I had minor blistering on my toe (my blisters from Disney had fully healed and never came back until this day when it started to rub again). People I talked to said it was tough and seasoned runners struggled.

Overall, I am very happy with my effort. I broke 6 hours. It was a PR of almost 75 minutes. In the right conditions on the right course this was a sub 5:30 race. But the conditions and course weren't right and that's ok. And maybe it all got into my head. But at the end of the day I ran my race. I ran a beautiful, strong first half. I met incredible people with incredible stories. Lauren told me that she never would have finished if it wasn't for me. I have to look at this as a success. As the start of the rest of my marathoning journey. And now I get to set breaking 5:30 as my next goal (after completing Dopey, of course).

Thank you all for reading. For your support. For your advice. For the running community.

FINAL TIME: 5:59:22


And two final photos of me feeling (and looking) pretty good​

 

[jmasgat]

Congratulations! So many smiling photos (which is something that will never happen for me because I can not be bothered to be happy while running a marathon!)

Tough conditions, but you came through it with true appreciation of your great accomplishment.

 

[striker1064]

Congratulations on your race! You did an awesome job in tough conditions. With that kind of weather I'm not sure I would have even finished, let alone P.

I see my parents again. They're drinking. I wish I were.

This is why I read your journal.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Congratulations! So many smiling photos (which is something that will never happen for me because I can not be bothered to be happy while running a marathon!)

Tough conditions, but you came through it with true appreciation of your great accomplishment.

Thank you! And I promise I'm not smiling in all of them. But if I see a camera? Game over. I paid too much money to not get at least 1 good picture.

Congratulations on your race! You did an awesome job in tough conditions. With that kind of weather I'm not sure I would have even finished, let alone P.

This is why I read your journal.

Thank you! There were moments where I didn't think I would finish.

Just you wait for the post-race shenanigans. If there was a brewery, I was in it.

 

[HangWithMerida]

Congrats on your race and your shiny new PR! Those conditions are rough, especially when you throw in full sun. You did great managing your goals and expectations as things got derailed.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Congrats on your race and your shiny new PR! Those conditions are rough, especially when you throw in full sun. You did great managing your goals and expectations as things got derailed.

Thank you! I always think about how mental running is so I tried to keep that throughout the race.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Vermont City Marathon Celebration Recap​

This is basically a tour of the post-race treats I got in Burlington. Buckle up.

Oh, but first: post race medal glamour shot.

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After the race, my parents went to get the car and drive it closer to the finish line while we walked over to Foam Brewery. I got a rose cider. Had I known there was a delicious sour on the menu, I would have gotten that, but the cider was good, too.

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After one drink, we hopped into the car now that it was much closer than before and drove back to the hotel (with a stop at Starbucks so I could get that iced coffee I wanted). It was delish.

We then hauled butt to Citizen Cider for some snacks (which ended up being dinner. I still wasn't hungry at all and had little desire for food, so we shared a few appetizers) and more drinks. I'm a massive cider fan (prefer it to beer) so this was the one thing I wanted to do over the weekend.

I got the fruited flight. From left to right: pineapple pants, strawbretty, bluebretty, jam on, good neighbor.

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For snacks we got poutine and brussel sprouts. I figured we were far enough north that the poutine would be really good. And it was pretty good.

And then it was time for one more treat. Well, my brother wanted pizza first, so I sat with my family while they got pizza, but THEN it was time for one more treat.

What do you think it was?

If you guessed Ben & Jerry's then you are 100% correct!

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I got cookie dough and Americone Dream. Cookie dough is exactly what you know it is. Americone dream is a vanilla base with fudge covered waffle cone pieces and caramel swirl. Soooo delicious. At this point I was totally wiped, so we went back to the hotel and went to sleep.

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The next morning we got breakfast and headed out. My brother drove back with my mom and my dad drove my car back so I could stretch my legs out during the trip. But before we left I drove along parts of the course to show him then stopped at the waterfront for more glamour shots.

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Oh, and we stopped to see the World's Tallest Filing Cabinet.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats on powering through, on the PR, and on the sub-6!

Weather: I think missing my goal of 5:30 comes down to weather, to be honest. The humidity was over 90%. The second half of the course was almost all full sun and 75 degrees. My fingers swelled. My feet swelled and I had minor blistering on my toe (my blisters from Disney had fully healed and never came back until this day when it started to rub again). People I talked to said it was tough and seasoned runners struggled.

That weather is no joke. That's something like a T+D of 147. I believe the warmest marathon I've ever run was Disney 2020 at a T+D of 141 when I finished. So that weather is absolutely brutal for a marathon, let alone any endurance distance race. It's worth AT LEAST a 4.5% adjustment on pace. So when you were running 12:10s through the first part of the race, your body perceived that pace as at least 11:37 min/mile pace (5:04 marathon). Now if you haven't been dealing with high humidity/heat lately, then that perceived pace is going to be even worse than 11:37 min/mile pace. So some lessons to be tucked away for your next attempts and lessons we all learn during each of our marathon attempts.

 

[striker1064]

Oh, and we stopped to see the World's Tallest Filing Cabinet

Wait just one second, all these wonderful pictures and you're holding out the best part?

 

[xjillianpaige]

Congrats on powering through, on the PR, and on the sub-6!

That weather is no joke. That's something like a T+D of 147. I believe the warmest marathon I've ever run was Disney 2020 at a T+D of 141 when I finished. So that weather is absolutely brutal for a marathon, let alone any endurance distance race. It's worth AT LEAST a 4.5% adjustment on pace. So when you were running 12:10s through the first part of the race, your body perceived that pace as at least 11:37 min/mile pace (5:04 marathon). Now if you haven't been dealing with high humidity/heat lately, then that perceived pace is going to be even worse than 11:37 min/mile pace. So some lessons to be tucked away for your next attempts and lessons we all learn during each of our marathon attempts.

Thanks! Winter training for a spring marathon is definitely very interesting - it only started to warm up for my runs in the weeks of my taper, so I've been wearing long sleeves for every long run of the cycle. This is all good learning for Dopey training as, again, it'll be winter training for a January marathon that has the potential to get very warm.

Wait just one second, all these wonderful pictures and you're holding out the best part?

Ok, fine! Here you have it! The world's tallest filing cabinet!



That cement base is probably 12 feet tall. My brother is just about 5'10 and it's about 2 of him.

 

[striker1064]

Thank you! Talk about burying the lede.

It's a tall filing cabinet. Outside! I'm not sure what I expected, but not outside!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

That cement base is probably 12 feet tall. My brother is just about 5'10 and it's about 2 of him.

But...no one can use it?!?!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I came for the race report, I stayed for the filing cabinet.

Way to go! You’re amazing. My fingers always swell like that too. It sucks but a medical person one time told me not to worry about it.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Thank you! Talk about burying the lede.

It's a tall filing cabinet. Outside! I'm not sure what I expected, but not outside!

I wonder how the files are doing.

But...no one can use it?!?!

Not with that attitude.

I came for the race report, I stayed for the filing cabinet.

Way to go! You’re amazing. My fingers always swell like that too. It sucks but a medical person one time told me not to worry about it.

I know my audience.

& Yeah, once I cooled down the swelling went down. Definitely heat related.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Dopey Challenge 2023 Training Journal​

So, it's a little bit early to call this my Dopey journal, but that is my next major race. I'm doing a bunch of local races this year, but none are races I'll train for.

Now, what have I been doing for two weeks? Nothing. Well, that's not true. I've been doing some walking. Last week I met up with the Tuesday night crew for a 2-ish mile walk. Then on Thursday my mom and I went on a 3-ish mile walk.

This past week I did some dog-sitting so I did two walks on Friday (1 mile each) and two on Saturday (1 mile, then 1.5 miles).

Samantha's Harvest 5k Race Recap​

This morning was my return to running, and I kicked it off with a local race - the Samantha's Harvest 5k. It's a local race that raises money and brings awareness to programs and organizations that support individuals with Down syndrome.

I literally signed up last night. It was $12 to run and not get a shirt. Not a bad price at all. I picked up my bib this morning and we hit the road. This was a tiny race, maybe 100 people.

The timing was old school. No chip. Just a clock and a number. My watch was dead so I used my phone to track my run.

The course was some rolling hills through neighborhoods. Lots of volunteers out to keep us on the right track. And lots of neighbors came out to spectate a little bit. No goals for this race. It's a hot day and I just wanted to see where my fitness is post-marathon.

Mile 1: 10:40
Mile 2: 10:24
Mile 3: 9:43

This was a slightly short route. I had 3.07 on my phone, so my phone results indicate a 3.07 mile run in 31:23 for an average pace of 10:15. My official results were a time of 31:20 and an average pace of 10:05. Not bad for having taken 2 weeks off and a hot morning.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Dopey Challenge 2023 Training Journal​

I've done a bit more running! Time to get that base back up. I'm going to rebuild and maintain the base this summer, then do the Higdon plan as Dopey gets closer.

The past week I did one weekday run, then I had a weekend of races!

June 21: 3.00 miles • 33:13 • 11:03 avg pace
Tuesday night with the girls followed by drinks! Felt pretty good.

26x1 Relay Race Recap​

I ran this race last year. It's an invitational relay and our club fields a team. Last year I was only able to go for a warm up and my 1-mile leg and to cheer for a few runners before bringing my cousin to the airport. This year I was able to spend the whole day at the race cheering on my teammates. I was the 13th leg. My goal was 8:30 (last year was 8:48 - a PR). It was hot, plus I'm only just getting back into running, so I wasn't sure how it would go. My mile time trial about 2 months ago was 9:03 or something to that effect.

Anyway, let's chat about my mile...

Warm Up: 1 mile • 10:57
Ran along a very pretty path near the track. For context, last year's warm up was about 12 minutes - not sure how far I went but probably about a mile in that time.

Race Mile: 1 mile • 8:36
I went out a hair too fast. I think I was coming around to the end of my first lap at like, 1:45. I should have been aiming for closer to a 2:00 lap. I felt myself slow down for the next two laps and then the last one I was feeling a bit tired, but I was able to sprint in the last 80-ish meters because, deep down, I wanted the PR. And I got it. I'm not down to my goal yet, but a 12 second PR is nothing to scoff at.

(Note: my Garmin has me at 1.03 miles in 8:50 with a pace of 8:36. The official timer has me at 8:37. My friend Ellen timed me with her stop watch mat to mat and has me at 8:36).

Boston Athletic Association 10k Race Recap​

What goes up must come down, ok? I had no plans on racing this one because it's a historical suck-fest, and it certainly lived down to my very low expectations.

Here's a link to the last time I ran this.

Some pre-race stuff. First, they mail your bib to you. Love that. Second, I met up with some of the girls and we drove in together, parking about a mile from the race. So our warm up was a walk. My pre-race nutrition was trash (the level of not caring about this race was off the charts). I had a chocolate croissant at home and then some bacon and egg bites from Starbucks like, 45 minutes before the start.

Oh, let's also talk weather. It was 75 by the 8:00 am start. And the course is in full sun. And one of my friends said her Garmin recorded the temp as going all the way to 100. SO THIS WAS TERRIBLE.

Mile 1: 10:47 - The one shady part of the race. It was fine.
Mile 2: 10:52 - A little bit of shade, lots of sun.
Mile 3: 12:27 - I started taking walk breaks up here because of the sun and the uphill.
Mile 4: 13:12 - Tried to run some of the downhills, but with a face full of sun it just wasn't worth it

I interrupt this mile by mile recap to give you the Boston Strong bridge.​

Mile 5: 15:12 - Hot girl walk for my hot girl summer
Mile 6: 13:34 - Almost done, so a bit more running
Mile .3: 2:44 - The sprint to the finish

I refuse to pay $50 to download photos when only like, 2 are good - so here's what I have from MarathonFoto with gross watermarks.

Coming down the finish chute. ​

We all know my favorite part is the post-race fun. I give you my "I hate running" shirt and a mimosa.

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