We Are...DETROIT INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON FINISHERS!!!

We did it. We finished the Detroit International Half Marathon...Here is our story.

Our Half Marathon Weekend (cause that's a thing) started Friday afternoon at the Expo. We took our littlest babes along to get our bibs.

Then Saturday morning I woke up and saw me and my sweet babe in the Detroit Free Press 

The lady across from me had found a headband that had the word MOM inside the Superman symbol and she gave it to me...In this picture I was in the middle of telling her I wanted to hug her.  And it was the headband I wore for the run. 

The night before the race we loaded up our kids and husbands and went to my favorite place to have a pre race meal...Smokehouse 52.  Smoked chicken, vegetables, 2 pieces of Jiffy corn bread, and fried pickles...oh and 5 glasses of water of course. It was heaven.

And our herd of children were actually very well behaved. That's always a win. 

Then it was home for a hot bath that of course Ty Ty HAD to join me for...........................................that kid...SOMEDAY he won't want to be attached at my hip right!?!?!?!

I laid out my running clothes...packed extra warm clothes for after...checked 7,429 times that I had everything and then went to bed...I fell asleep just before 10.  I woke up to my alarm at 4:00. That's it. That simple. No crazy dreams...no kids in our bed...Nothing.

The morning was absolutely perfect. MINUS the fact that I had planned on eating toast with peanut butter on it...come to find out at 4 a.m. that we were out of bread. AWESOME. So bacon and applesauce it was.  The most AMAZING, LOVING, KIND, CARING, INCREDIBLE babysitter in the world ......no you CAN NOT have her number.........was at our door at 4:30 and Jen and her husband were there to pick us up at 4:40. As I was walking to the car Jen says,,,"Have you cried yet?" I had not...I was really trying to keep my game face on.

Now did I cry the entire time I was making the playlist..YES. 

And the last 3 nights while I watched You Tube videos of the Detroit Free Press Finish Line. YES.

And when anyone would post on my facebook wall with encouragement. YES.

But on the morning of the run it was game face time. UNTIL we were pulling out of our driveway. Some other Mother Runners we know had lined my and Jen's front yards with signs

OBVIOUSLY I took this picture when we got home because at 4:45 a.m. it's DARK...but I mean serioulsy...who does that? Mother Runners do that.

THEN as we were heading out of our little town on the way to the big city when this happened.

Those same Mother Runners that decorated our yards made us our own cheering section ... At 4:45 in the morning. What a perfect way to start our day. To feel that supported. To feel that loved. It was absolutely perfect. 

We headed to Detroit where our handsome husbands dropped us of in a COMPLETELY safe area.......................... and headed to the start line. We stopped at the MGM Grand to use the INCREDIBLY nice bathrooms. Casinos have the best bathrooms. 

We got to our corral at 6:50...10 minutes before start time. Perfect. We saw our husbands and stood there for a couple minutes taking it all in and then Eminem's Lose Yourself comes on over the speakers...You can feel the energy in the crowd...everyone we are standing there with had spent the last 4 or 5 months preparing for this race just like we had. We had all spent HOURS preparing our bodies and minds for THIS MOMENT. To be standing at the start line with the Ambassador Bridge in the foreground. To be 100% ready to CONQUER this race. It is so hard to put into words the feeling standing in a sea of over 27,000 runners is like. But it is one of my absolute favorite parts of this race. 

The countdown to the gun began and BANG the elite runners were off.  We were in Corral G and they released a corral ever 2 minutes...This was the first official race I wasn't running with headphones and I'm so glad I didn't.  As we were getting closer to the start line Don't Stop Believing was playing...All I could think was DON'T CRY. DON'T CRY NOW. You have a race to run. Crying during races gives me a horrible side ache and I have worked WAY TO HARD to not PR this race.

I kept my eyes on the American and Canadian flags at the start line and kept my game face on. 

No tears....just so much pride in what Jen and I have done. We were finally there. We crossed the start line and we were off. 

Mile 1 and 2 were PERFECT. Great pace. Lots of people. And the entire time we are watching the Ambassador Bridge...the bridge we would be crossing into Canada...my first time EVER being out of the country. That was my focus for those first miles. Then at about mile 2.5 we started the ascent up the bridge.  This is a moment of this race that every single person waits for...The Ambassador Bridge at sunrise. 

I wasn't thinking at all about running...or pace...I was thinking about this experience. This once in a lifetime experience. My first time out of the country. Crossing this bridge at sunrise. Being next to the Mother Runner that had been there with me every step of training. This moment was one we had talked about during every long run...and we were about to be there...about to cross over this bridge as the sun is rising. 

It was about a half mile ascent from the base of the ramp to the peak of the bridge but it didn't feel like it. There was so much to look at...And then...

There is was....The Canadian Border. All through training I had mixed emotions about leaving the country..Totally rational thoughts like....

"What if they close the border while I'm over there and can't get home to my kids?" 

But coming up to this flag we were on a huge down hill and people were cheering as they crossed the border... I could hear the crowd at the bottom but over it all I heard the announcer say, "WELCOME TO CANADA!! DON'T YOU FEEL SAFER ALREADY!?!" I will never forget that. It was the perfect way to cross the border.  As we approached the bottom of the hill I could see the actual gates and there were officers everywhere...but they weren't standing there with guns and stopping us for cavity searches...they were high fiving us as we ran through. 

We stopped for a not so quick pit stop....Stopping is always hard during a race...But we had two choices...stop to pee...or pee your pants...whichever we chose we just had to be fine with the consequence. Even though they had 75 porta potties it seems every runner made the same choice ....Standing in line I saw the 10 min mile pacer pass....then the 10:15 mile pacer...DON'T let this mess with your mind Sarah. DON'T try and catch up and gas yourself for the rest of the race. Being my 3rd half marathon or more distance I know the amount of energy I needed to finish those last 3 miles strong. Jen meets me back by the road and we are off again. We start out at an 8:25 pace....it takes every ounce of my being to say slow down. But we did...and I told her exactly what I just wrote. We will catch them...maintain our 9:45 pace. Run our race.  

I knew that to catch up we would have to do some serious bobbing and weaving through this sea of runners but as we kept running I stopped thinking about our pace and watched the crowd. Canadians are awesome. The cheering sections. The signs. The energy. The love. Awesome. Those 4 miles absolutely flew by. We caught back up with the 10 min pacer with about 1 mile left in Canada and hung there for the remainder of our out of country experience. As we got closer to the entrance to the tunnel the crowds started to thicken up and there it was....my biggest weakness...a cute little boy holding a giant sign that said GO MOMMY. Tears. Instant tears. Then BAM the crying and running side ache started. Pull it together Sarah. You have a lot of race left to run. ALOT. 

GAME FACE.

GAME FACE RIGHT NOW!

Then right at the mouth of the tunnel my phone buzzed...It was my sister sending me the fishing pole emoji...because one of my other SUPER rational fears with this race was the tunnel collapsing while I was inside. I told Jen who of course knew about this fear of mine...we laughed...my side ache started to fade...and we began our underwater mile. 

The tunnel...oh the infamous tunnel. Think THOUSANDS of runners dressed for a 30 degree run but now stuck in a mile long air circulation-less tube. It was a decent down hill in but we were still sticking with the 10 minute pacer to let my side ache stop...and then the never ending up hill. This tunnel curves to the left at the end but you can't see it...you can't see the out..all you see are a sea of runners going up a giant, never ending, hill in a hot box of a tunnel.  The smell...the heat...the fact that I was running UNDER A FREAKING RIVER....The panic started to creep up...and then when I thought I couldn't take it anymore...There was daylight. We curved to the left and got hit in the face with the most amazing breath of fresh air I have ever taken.  When we crossed back into the U.S there as a banner that said WELCOME BACK TO THE U.S.A...I jumped and touched it. We made it back! 

We saw our handsome husbands that yelled super encouraging things like...

"Hi! You're doing GREAT! Now stop waving and RUN!"

Not to far ahead of that was the 8 mile water station. We walked through this one and got a decent drink for the first time all morning. And off we went again. I usually hit my wall at around 8 miles. But I hadn't yet. At mile 9 we were still going strong. Feeling good. 

Then...mile 10. Mile 10 was the longest mile of the day. We didn't hit a wall exactly...It was just a very uneventful mile. Not many spectators and a long straight stretch of road. Up until this point we had been running through crowds, over international borders, and under water miles...so this was pretty uneventful....................But we were passing people! I've never passed people at this point in a race before...I'm usually struggling to survive! I felt great...strong...and confidant in my ability to finish this race with BEAST MODE TURNED ON.

Towards the end of mile 10 there was an M and M station. I TOTALLY took some...out of a huge tub...that every other crazy runner had as well. Now thinking about that choice........................EW.  

At mile 11 was our last water stop. We walked through the water station getting a decent drink so we could finish strong....I said..."Home stretch mama." And we were off for the final kick. 

Our handsome husbands saw us right after this (that's me in the hot pink) 

And before I knew it we were at mile 12.  I saw a woman with a sign that said...

DON'T STOP NOW

PAIN IS TEMPORARY

THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT IS FOREVER

Just what I needed. 

I remembered another Mother Runner's words. 

"When you know that feeling of going deep within yourself, and being brutally honest with yourself, and seeing that yes, you can keep going, the victory at the finish line is oh, so sweet. It will last with you for a lifetime." 

I thought of the Mother Runners that put signs in our front yards and woke up before dawn just to cheer for us on our way out of town.

I thought of the friendship I've built with the Mother Runner next to me...The hours spent together talking and laughing while we ran miles on end. 

That last mile was our best mile of the day...9:03....that's a pretty freaking awesome kick.

Before I knew it we rounded the last corner...I could see the finish line about 1/4 mile away.  

I said..."I see the balloons...ready?"

And we ran as fast as we could. We passed our husbands for the last time hearing them yell "GO!! RUN!!! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!!" 

The balloons got closer...

The crowd got louder...

We pushed to the very end and crossed the finish line together...with pride, power, and an incredible feeling of accomplishment. 

We did it. 

We are Detroit International Half Marathon Finishers.

This was literally RIGHT after we crossed the finish line...Those smiles say it all. All the miles. All the time. All the things we couldn't do because we were training. All the early mornings. It is all so worth this moment right here.

And those foil blankets.....LIFESAVERS. And it makes us look legit.  Our official time is 2:13:57...That's pretty freaking awesome.....It's a PR for Jen because it was her first half and a PR for me from my half last fall by 27 minutes. Yeah. TWENTY SEVEN MINUTES. I could not have done this without her. I would not have been that well trained and I would not have had nearly as much fun getting there. 

We found those handsome husbands that had cheered for us all morning. Took some pictures and headed to the car. 

When I told people that I was doing this race they would say things like, "Oh is running like that in Detroit safe?" 

YES. YES IT WAS! Not only was it safe it was a once in a lifetime experience. 27,000 runners. the energy at the start line, crossing the Ambassador Bridge at sunrise, running through Canada, the underwater mile, the signs, the encouragement from spectators,the neighborhoods that we ran through where people set up their own music and were dancing along the sidewalks, the volunteers that gave us encouraging words at each aide station and wrapped us in foil blankets at the finish line. 

For the first time ever I ran without music blaring in my ears...This time I heard the people...the cheers...the encouragement...the love for the runners. 

THAT is Detroit. And I cannot wait to go back. 

Detroit International or BUST!!!

It's here...It's FINIAL Y HERE!!!

What's that you ask......................

IT'S TAPER TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But first...let's start with how we got there...

At 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, 2013 I sat on my couch...lap top open...credit card ready...and registered for what was going to be my BIG RACE this year.  Detroit International Half Marathon. Registration opened at midnight...they only allow a certain number of people to register that early and for a SERIOUSLY discounted price and I made the cut.

My husband was all WOOOOO HOOOOOO for the discount........................

And I was already crying...because I just committed to a race that was 10 months away....10 months...a lot can happen in 10 months...But signing up for this race meant that I was committed to not just running this race...but making this the best race I've ever ran.

I know...I've ran 2 other half marathons...But that doesn't mean I was well trained and mentally prepared for them.  My first half you can read about HERE...I was totally under trained... But I was there to finish...and experience it...and I loved it....My next long distance race was a 25 K that I ran in May...You can read about that HERE...I was 100% trained to run a half marathon...not 2.5 miles farther than that. That wall runners hit is no joke. When I passed the 13.1 mark in that race my body said........I'M DONE! I finished...but I remember thinking I could have done better...I could have been stronger...I could have not had so much self doubt...

I knew I wanted this race to be different. I knew I wanted to stand on that start line with all the confidence in the world. To feel like I would not have done one single thing differently. To not have the guilt that comes with missing a long run...or not doing enough cross training...To know without a shadow of a doubt that my body and mind were ready for this race.

Since the night I registered for this race I have been training.

Ran my fastest mile EVER...cutting my last mile test time in HALF!!! 15:30 mile to 7:30 mile in one year!!


I have trained and ran a 25 k,




Placed 2nd in a 5k, PR'd said 5k by 5 minutes.


Ran a sub 9 minute 5 miler that even had a mile of TRAILS in it...and may or may not have finished without my shirt on.............................

Attended countless bootcamps


And then spent the last 4 months training harder than I ever have before with one of the best training partners I could ever ask for.

We completed every.single.long run. From 4 to 11 miles.

We both have little kids...Mine our 5, 3, and 1...Hers are 5, and 2.......In order to not drive our husbands completely crazy we would get up and run our miles or go to boot camps before the sun was even up....

There were mornings I would NEVER have gone without her.  I would have stayed in my warm bed and said..."I'll make up those miles later today." But what I learned from past training is "later today" turns into not happening...which is why I've never been 100% ready for a race...Until now. We didn't let each other quit...we didn't let each other sleep in...we didn't let each other stop early...or skip a workout...we pushed each other to be the best Mother Runners we could possibly be. 

After finishing our last long run on Sunday we celebrated the beginning of TAPER TIME!!! It's the time in training where you cut back to let your body rest and recover for the upcoming race... I have never been so excited to taper and I attribute that to the incredible amount of work we have put in these past few months.  Since finishing our run yesterday I have randomly busted out singing IT'S TAPER TIME....IT'S TAPER TIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMEEEEEE!!! 

It's time to rest and let our bodies repair......

And turn it on......................

Because in 6 days we will be standing at the start line with thousands of people getting ready to run..........

We will cross the Ambassador Bridge at sunrise and run the next few miles through Canada...I've never been out of the country...this is big news for this small town girl.

Then we will run back through the tunnel that goes UNDER the river...{Insert small to medium size anxiety attack here................... }and back into the U.S. where we will see our handsome husbands waiting to give us the last push we need to finish the final 5 miles......and by push I mean brightly colored and hand made signs.................HINT HINT HUSBANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In the stories I've read about this race many people say this is the best part...You can hear the crowd cheering on the U.S. side as you enter the tunnel. I'm already crying about it.

And we will finish those last miles strong...because we have trained like BEASTS for this race. 

We are ready. 

We are 100% ready.

We are the definition of Mother Runners...and damn proud of it.

Run Manchester Race Recap

So I've been running...alot...I know...You're shocked.

But we're 10 weeks out from THE DETROIT INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON and I've not missed a single workout, I've ran every short run, I've ran every long run. My goal is to stand at that start line on October 19th and feel like I did every single thing I possibly could to make this race my best race yet.

SO two weekends ago I ran in our local 5k. RUN MANCHESTER!!!!!!!!! I will never ever forget my first year living in this little town...I hated everyone. Including my husband for moving me here...I hated that there was this awesome event going on and all these active people organizing it and I wan't part of it. I hated that I couldn't run it. I hated that I went from a town where I knew everybody to a town where I knew nobody. I hated it. So I walked the fun run and hated that too...Man I was a freaking RAY OF SUNSHINE............

So here I am 6 years later...standing at the start line of this same race. My amazing husband announcing the whole event, one of my best friends organizing the entire festival, and countless people I know and love all around me. Man how life has changed.

Through my blaring music I hear my hubs say..."RUNNERS ARE YOU READY>>>ON YOUR MARK>>>GET SET>>>GO!!!!!!" And we were off.

I had a plan to run the first mile at lightning speed because it had an up hill and I'm really good at up hills...HILLS MAKE THE BOOTY GO WO WOOOOOO...and I have a booty that LOVES to run hills.  The only mistake I made in this mile was taking a cup of water from the cute little Boy Scouts...Damn them and their cute smiles. GAH...I drank the water and a HUGE bubble of air. **NOTE TO SELF>>>next year take the water and throw it away**

The next mile was flat and I SUCK at flat running....so I knew I was going to slow down a little...which worked out nicely because my freaking playlist switched to all songs and was playing my ring tones..... So knowing I was slowing down I changed to my running mix and like I planned it THUNDERSTRUCK starts booming in my ears.

It's time to kick it in the ass.

I'm on the last mile...The last stretch of flat where I pass my volleyball team and their cheer section...I knew if I started crying...because that's what I do when I run...I would slow down...So i knew I couldn't really look at them...as I ran by they did do a toe touch...which might possibly by my signature move....I felt the tears coming but then remembered I was almost to the corner...The last up hill and then the big down hill...The part of this route that used to be my least favorite place to run...that's now my favorite...

Uphill...I passed a guy that had FLOWN by my at mile 2 (insert evil laugh here)..

Rolling flat road...don't let him catch you. don't let him catch you. don't let him catch you.

Downhill... I see my friend that's organizing the event at the bottom of the hill...this happens to also be the skinny hooker that got me started running...The one I would be blocks behind and she would be kind enough to wait at the stop sign to make sure I was still alive and then take off like a gazelle again...................She knew exactly what I was trying to do in this race...I wanted to be in under 25 minutes and place in the top 3....She had been watching the runners come in and could see the clock from where she was standing so she knew exactly where I was at.

The smile on her face and the crazy cheerleader type jumping she was doing said it all.

I rounded the corner and the clock said 24:18. I crossed the finish line at 24:29.

Exactly 5 minutes faster than I ran this race last year.

And 2nd place in my age group.

And that skinny hooker got to give me my medal.

Then later that day I sat in a dunk tank for an hour...raced a bed...and climbed a rock wall. Like.a.boss.  

The next year is going to pass by no matter what...You might as well make it amazing.

Left: Run Manchester 5k 2013~29:29

Right: Run Manchester 5k 2014~ 24:29

Equally awesome. Just a little faster.

Just.Keep.Going.

I'm back!! With some BIG NEWS!!!

It's been a hot minute since I've blogged. But today...it a really really really really really big day.

I decided when school ended I was going to spend every.single.bright sunshiny day outside enjoying it with my 3 crazies. And that's exactly what we've done. 

That doesn't mean I haven't been running or working out. I've actually fallen into a pretty great routine that includes equal amounts of running and cross training. I found it's really important to change up my workouts so I don't get burnt out on just running. Don't panic........running is still my first love. There is NOTHING like the feeling I get when I do something I never thought I could. 

So my summer has looked like this......................

Pushing my almost 5 year old for miles on end...he's learned that we 

1. Always stop for ice cream and 

2. Run past one of his bff's house where he usually get's to stop and play while I then get to run without pushing 70 pounds of kid and stroller. It's a win win.  

 

I ran a 27:05 5k WHILE PUSHING THIS NUGGET!! He's the babe that destroyed my body...When I stopped at the end of that run and saw my time I ugly cried. It was like I had finally beat it. What's it? I don't know exactly. When I was pregnant with Tyler IT made me think I would never get my body back. IT made me think I could never be a runner. IT....But I beat IT.

A lot of my runs this summer have been spend pushing children...and we often stop to sight see....There's been some big events going on in our little town! It's not every year a church gets a new steeple and a huge crane comes in to put it on!! I mean that's front page stuff!!

I've spent a lot of early mornings with some lovely ladies workin it out at bootcamp.  We all get up before 5a.m...Whoever's turn it is to drive goes around and picks everyone up and off for an early morning ass kicking we go. It's so much more fun to go with friends...and the chance of me hitting my snooze button is much less when I know there's 3 other people counting on me being there.

I've sweat through my shirt a gazillion times. 

I stop and admire my awesomeness on the reg.

More awesomeness admiration...............................................EVERYTHING IS AWESOMMEEEE!!!

I've done a couple long runs with a good friend doing something I never thought I would do..............TALK WHILE RUNNING... And by talk I mean solve the world's problems. All of them. If only everyone was as smart as we are....................................................... But even WHILE TALKING we ran 9:21/mile 6 miler. That's pretty freaking awesome. EVERYTHING IS AWESOMEEEEEEE

And on mornings we couldn't go to bootcamp because ALL THE ROADS TO SALINE WERE CLOSED. All of them. I swear. 

We improvised and did an equally ass kicking workout right in her driveway. On the busiest street in our town. Like a boss. We got lots of honks. 

Now with all my working out I've not exactly been focusing on my eating which has caused me to gain about 5 pounds. I've been TRYING INCREDIBLY FREAKING HARD to not beat myself up about it because I am still doing awesome things....................see above............................

But DAMNIT...I was 1 pound away from being able to OFFICIALLY SAY I've lost 50 pounds. Now I'm 6 pounds away.................................................Some of that is from added lifting heavy things to my workouts.

 #sunsoutgunsout

And some of that is from simply not caring at all about what I'm eating. 

#dairyqueenfordinner

You win some you lose some....But with what's coming up I know that number is not what my focus is going to be anyways............................

NOWWWW FOR THE BIIIIIIGGGGGGG NEWWWWWSSSSSSS

No.I.Am.Not.Pregnant.

Today is a day I wrote down in my calendar at 12:07 on January 1st 2014. I've been thinking about this day and what the next 12 weeks will be like for the last 7 months. On the scale of big events in my life this will rank right behind our wedding and the births of our children. 

Today is the day I start training for THE DETROIT INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON!!!!!!!

Oh Sarah...You're so dramatic...You've ran 2 half marathons now. This should be a walk in the park for you. You could go run a half marathon today if you wanted to.

You're right. I could. Because I'm awesome.

BUT It wouldn't be pretty.  And the actual event is only a small part of what training for a distance race is about. It's the 200 miles I'll run over the next 12 weeks. It's the early morning workouts with the women that will be standing at that start line with me. It's knowing the person that crosses that finish line will be completely different on the inside than the person that starts training today. 

What changes? 

I'm stronger.

Mentally stronger. I believe in myself so much more. I don't let the negativity I used to deal with win. 

I can. 

And  I will.

And I'll prove just how freaking awesome I am along the way. 

My goals with this race are something I've struggled with. At first I wanted this to be my first sub 2 hour half.  Being that my first half last fall was 2 hours and 41 minutes that's quite a jump! At my 25k this spring I crossed the half mark at 2:20....so 21 minutes faster than my last time running that distance..And I still had 2.5 miles to go...............for those bad with math............a 25k is 15.5 miles........................................

So what can I do? What should I do?

Those are two totally different questions. 

What can I do? Absolutely anything I set my stubborn mind to. 

What should I do? Train like a beast BY MYSELF for the next 12 weeks to reach my sub 2 goal or train like a beast for the next 12 weeks WITH MY FRIENDS and get as close to that 2 hour mark as I physically possibly can..................................................

Both have serious pros and cons. I am the type of person that genuinely enjoys being all by my damned self. It's quite. I can fart when I want to fart. I can spit when I want to spit. I cry without anyone else knowing about it. I promise I'm only talking about when I run...........................................................

But then this weird thing happened in my life. I made friends....that love me for me...and when we run it can be quiet and that's ok. Or we can solve all the problems of the world. I can fart and spit...even though they have yet to join in these super classy activities with me they don't judge me for it. And I can cry. And they will listen. And then they know me better...and understand me more.

12 weeks and 200+ miles of that seems like a lot more fun than doing it all alone.

So that's my plan. Train like a BEAST and have fun with my friends that are running it with me along the way. As we run our longer runs ... 8+ miles...I'll start to formulate a realistic time goal. I know I will be faster than 2 hours 20 minutes...the question is how much faster. 

SO YAY FOR TODAY!! THE FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF TRAINING FOR THE DETROIT INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And guess what...It's a rest day. BOOM.

Left: July 28, 2011.....2 days before Maxamillion made his grand entrance into the world.

Right: July 28. 2014....3 years...another baby...and countless miles later...

Just. Keep. Going.

Running is far bigger than it seems.

It's been awhile since I've blogged...My baby sister got hitched last weekend and I was the MOH so I've been BUSY. She was beautiful. I cried through my ENTIRE morning run. And rocked my MOH speech. 

I couldn't let today go past without posting about running because...well...IT'S NATIONAL RUNNING DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Running has changed my life and the life of my family more than you can imagine. I have more patience, energy, and I can officially say I can outlast my crazies.  Which was a big goal of mine when I started.  Don't get me wrong there are nights I'm laying on the floor with a bottle of water and a bowl of watermelon letting them run circles around me with their underwear on their heads yelling "I'M AN UNDERWEAR HEAD!" But those are usually long run days and it's a known fact that those days are branded as "Survival of the Fittest" in our house. 

But you don't have to be a runner for running to change your life.

This morning a friend sent me an amazing message describing her experience as a volunteer at the Detroit International Marathon/Half Marathon/5k....that just so happens to be the half I'm running this year in under 2 hours and the FULL I'm running next year....there...I said it...That means I'm doing it...

Her words not only made me even more excited for that race, but also made me full out ugly cry before 9:00 a.m.  Whether you are a runner or not...read this story. 

A Race Report from the Eyes of a Volunteer:

• My son and I had the pleasure of spending his 18th birthday volunteering at the Detroit Marathon. We awoke at 4:00am, which I’m not sure is an actual time. I didn’t even know that my clock had that setting. We were still under the cover of darkness when we arrived in Detroit, which turns out to be a great way to see the city. My first clue that this was no ordinary small town 5K is that the volunteer tent had coffee and donuts waiting for us. Sweet! We got our (enormous) t-shirts and were told to put on our fancy name tags… masking tape scribbled with a Sharpie.
• Our first task was to unfold the warming sheets. I always thought that these were insulated blankets but they are just sheets of silver mylar. My Reynold’s tin foil is just as thick. If any racers saved their heat sheets, maybe they can bake with them later. By the end of the day my hands had turned a glittery silver. I looked like the Tin Man.
• It was so cute to watch the mascots for the Tigers and the Lions dancing in front of each starting wave. Then the horn would sound and each wave would take off. This is when I have pangs of regret for volunteering. I want to be out there crossing the starting line! I feel wistful when I see runners approaching the finish line, too. I want to be finishing a race! It’s that middle hell that holds less appeal. It was so thrilling to watch each wave of racers go by. There were the young stallions up in front, eyes focused straight ahead while trying to reign in their desire for speed. I thought, “Hey, they’re running too fast. I thought that you were supposed to start out slow for a marathon.”. Then I realized that they were… it’s just that their slow pace is my sprint pace. Some racers were crazy enthusiastic as they began (I didn’t see any of that at the end). They would hoot and holler as they ran by and slap hands with the volunteers lining the course. Others had looks of dread or determination on their faces but when they’d catch our eyes and see us cheering for them, they’d smile. Because this was a 5K and a Half and a Marathon (and another Half) there were finishers the entire eight hours that we were there. Whew, eight hours. I was on the course longer than any runner. Granted, I wasn’t running but I was on my feet the entire time, hoisting cartons of bottled water and moving tables. No lie, my muscles are sore today! I’m going to tell folks, “Yep, I’m a little stiff today. I did the Detroit Marathon yesterday.”. (Notice I won’t say that I ran it, but man, I earned some props.) We cheered off the last wave of marathoners and then turned around to see the first 5Kers finishing. There were still 5Kers finishing when the Half Marathoners began arriving. There may even have been 5Kers finishing when Marathoners arrived. There were some really slow 5Kers! God bless ‘em for getting out there. But that’s not where the stories are. The drama arrived with the Marathoners. Most Half finishers looked tired but in a good way. They had completed a major accomplishment and you could see the pride and relief on their faces. You could tell that they had trained well, were prepared, had given it their all and would eventually recover and enjoy the heck out of the rest of the day. It was nice that the bibs were color coded based on the distance raced. Half Marathoners had red bibs. Full Marathoners had blue… unless it was your first marathon and then your bib was green. I was impressed by everyone but the ones with the green bibs got major kudos from me. Here are a few highlights of what I witnessed as I handed out water and heat sheets… · Soon after the marathoners began arriving a man in the crowd grabbed my arm and said, “Someone over by that building needs medical assistance!”. I ran across the street to summon the medics, who grabbed a stretcher, attended to the person and called an ambulance.

  · We had given a woman her medal, some Gatorade and a heat sheet. She was walking down the block weaving from side to side, like she had too much to drink. I ran and put my arm around her and led her to the medical tent.

  · A man was crouched over a garbage can vomiting. We covered him in several heat sheets and then led him to the medical tent. (I was so glad that the medical tent was right across from me!! This was no little first aid stand. It looked like a MASH unit!)

  · People would holler, “Hey Jennifer! Where’s the… after party/reunion area/MGM casino/Ren Cen/etc…”. First of all, I forgot that my name tag was on the back of my shirt so I was always startled that someone knew me. But second of all, I didn’t even know where I was… let alone anything else city related. I could tell folks to keep walking down the block to get to the food and I knew right where the medical tent was, but that’s about it.

  · I assisted many runners whose legs were cramping up. They could not walk one more step. (But you know that if the finish line was 50 yards further down, they still would have finished by the sheer force of their will.) It was terrible to see these folks in crippling pain and not be able to fix it right then. All I could do was… wait for it… run to the medical tent and the medics would come with a wheelchair.

  · It was a privilege to be right there wrapping a blanket around a runner who was just realizing what she had done. She did it. She ran a marathon. By the time they got down to where I was, the tears had started. I lost track of the number of times I tied a blanket around a runner and said, “Please tell me that these are happy tears? Yes? Good, because you are a rock star, sweetheart! You did it! This pain is temporary but the pride will last forever. No one will ever be able to take this from you.”

  · One woman was standing alone in the street and beginning to cry. I brought her a blanket and gave her my same speech. She said, “I’ve lost 220 pounds to run this race.”. Well… I began crying right along with her! We hugged and I gushed about how freaking AMAZING she is and how I run three miles and feel like collapsing and look at her running a marathon!!

  · There were a few funnier moments. Sometimes runners had their hands full with Gatorade cups so we would wrap the blankets around them and then tie them in front. A few guys seemed to enjoy having a woman get so close and would grin and say in a sultry voice, “Why, thank you, Jennifer.”. Or maybe that was just their voice from being exhausted.

  · After seven hours the course officials began to take down the tables and stuff. But there were still runners coming in, so my son and I stuck around to make sure that they got their fluids and heat sheets. Two of the very last ones to finish were a married couple smiling and holding hands. She was joking that they were last and I said, “Yeah, you know what we call folks who finish last? Finishers!”. They were adorable.

  · There’s a man on the front page of Section F in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press. He’s a former runner with cancer and his family was running to support him. I got to tie a blanket around his shoulders.

  In re-reading this, I feel like this report doesn’t even begin to describe all that I saw and all of the emotions evoked. It affected me deeply. The next morning I went out to run my town’s 5K course… the course that I half walked back in August. I told myself, “Think of this as your DQ. You hear of folks who BQ. Well, Boston is never in your future but Detroit could be… maybe. But you’ve been training for four months and if you can’t run the entire 5K by now, give up any idea of ever doing a marathon.” But why would I even want to run a marathon?? I always thought that it was crazy. Until Sunday, I would always swear up and down that a marathon is not in my future. A Half, maybe. But I was changed on Sunday. I’m different today. I saw such depth of human experience and emotion. These runners… many who look just like me… took on an enormous challenge, worked for it and accomplished it. I want to BE one of those people. I want that sort of pride that can never be taken away. As I ran the 5K course I thought of the woman who had lost 220 pounds. I thought of the many racers who broke down in tears in my arms. I thought of the couple at the very end. And I ran that entire damn course… even the hill that used to scare me. I ran the entire way and I felt like I could have kept running. So I’m in. Detroit Free Press – Talmer Bank Marathon… October 20, 2013.

  Then she wrote me the most touching message I've ever recieved:
• You have a great deal of inherent talent and drive. It will be fun to watch you fulfill your dreams! I think it's *wonderful* that you're discovering them this early in the game. Being a mother is a holy vocation and deeply fulfilling. But it can be easy to lose sight that you are a person in your own right. Your favorite name might be Mommy and that's beautiful. But always remember that you are Sarah, too.
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
• I can't explain the amount of gratitude you have for the volunteers at a race...whether it's a small town race or the Detroit International Marathon. Without people like Jennifer there would be no warming blankets, cups of water, or most importantly...hugs at the finish line.
• Thank you Jennifer for showing me today, National Running Day, that running is far bigger than it seems.
• xoxo

25K Race Recap!

All winter. All looonnnnggg...cooooollllddddd....snoooowwwwwyyyyy...winter I've been running. 

Why? Life. Life is why.

But also I knew after my half last fall I wanted to do another distance race in the spring to kick off the running season and keep me moving all winter long. So when I found the Grand Rapids River Run and read some of the awesome reviews I had a goal. I knew it was a 25k...I did the math....and by did the math I mean used my calculator...and figured out it was 2.4 miles farther than a half marathon. Perfect. 

So I ran through the fall when the weather was BEAUTIFUL.

I ran through the holidays when I really just wanted to sit on the couch and eat mashed potato sandwiches.

I ran through snow storm after snow storm after snow storm.

I ran early in the morning trying to dodge the next snow storm.

I ran through 3 polar vortexes.

I ran when it was -22 degrees.

I started my spring training in February when it was still snowing. and freezing. and there was ice covering everything. But I still did it.

I conquered The Winter of 2013.

All to get ready for my first race of the year. A 25k...15.5 miles.

I had followed my training schedule almost perfectly accept my last long run was 12 miles instead of 14...I had to skip the last weekend of my training due to my sister's bachelorette party...though I could make an argument that the amount of dancing in high heals that commenced COULD pass for 14 miles of running. Just sayin. 

So in reality...if I was running a half marathon I would have been GOLDEN. However this was 2.4 miles FARTHER than that. I just figured I'd tackle that little bit of information when I got there. 

The night before the race was unlike ANY other I've ever experienced. I ate an amazing dinner. I drank all the water. I closed my eyes at 9:15 and opened them at 4:22...8 minutes before my alarm...I wasn't woken up by any children...or dogs...or stampeding husbands....or my intense fear of my alarm not being set. It was amazing.

I woke up..and went downstairs and found my wonderful husband making me breakfast and my coffee already started. He is the coach for our son's t-ball team and they had a game that morning so he wasn't going with me. I showered. Got dressed. Drank coffee. At my wonderful breakfast. And right as I was about ready to leave a car pulled in our driveway...I was riding with a friend that was going to watch her mom but I told her I was picking her up..I thought since I was running a little late she must have decided to come to me. I opened the door and found my most treasured babysitter...I knew she was suppose to be coming later that morning to help Dana with the little kids while he coached t-ball but why was she here at 5:00 in the morning....I actually said..."Hi...I thought Dana said 9:30." She said, "SURPRISE!" 

I turned around to find Dana fully dressed and ready to go. HE WAS GOING WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had NO idea. I was so so so so surprised. I cried. Running is a big deal to me and to my friends and family that don't run (my hubs is NOT a fan of running) I look like a crazy person. But what means the most to me is when these people that think I'm completely looney toons support me. And that's exactly what he was doing. 

We hopped in the car...Picked up our friend that was going with us and we were off.

Easy drive.

Coffee worked like a charm.

Found packet pick up. 

Got my gear checked and bib on.

Found this guy.

Found the founder of a secret group of running Goddesses...note the wicked awesome headbands.

Made my way to the area between the 10:00 and 10:30 mile pacers. And started my music.

Instant tears.... All the mountains that I moved to be standing at the start line. All the time I sacrificed with my family to be able to train. All the hours in the freezing cold....All of the runs I dodged snow piles and ice covered sidewalks....

It was finally time. Time to run. Time to put all of that hard work to the test.

I had an incredible playlist made with songs that remind me of people or events in my life...I had superhero tattoos on my arms for my babes....

I was ready.  

There were THOUSANDS of runners. So It took about 8 minutes to get to the actual start line after the gun went off...I started to compose myself about 4 minutes in but then passed my husband and friend on the sidewalk and cried again. I still couldn't believe he was there. 

As the actual start line got closer and closer I continued to pull it together. 

I crossed the mat and we were off. The hardest thing about races is not starting to fast when the adrenaline is PUMPING. 

I had gone into this race with really no "plan"...I know...very not type A of me. But this was a distance I had never ran....From training I knew what my body could do but my mind is a POWERFUL thing. Ask my husband...........................................................

So I decided to run between a 10 minute and 1030 minute mile and then give it all I had for the last 3 miles.

Let's break it down. 

Mile 1: 9:53

This mile consisted of lots of tears, awesome crowds cheering us on. Little kids holding signs that said things like, "Run Mommies Run" and "My Mom Has Superpower!" Not gonna lie...I'm crying while thinking about it. There is nothing like being a mom. NOTHING. And being a mom that is a runner is a whole other animal...and these little kids holding those signs missed their mommies on long runs...and waited in the windows to wave as she ran by their house to give her that little boost she needed to finish those sometimes never ending miles.  Mile 1 was awesome.

Mile 2 - 7: About a 10:15 average

This was simply beautiful. Totally shaded...all along the river. Aide stations every 2 miles. I made a deal with myself that I could walk through the aide stations because trying to drink water and NOT swallow a bunch of air which causes incredibly loud burping.........................is not easy to do while running. The volunteers were AMAZING. I mean for real...cheering us on. High fives. Reminding us to smile every mile. Just amazing. 

I kept the crying to a minimum BUT there were these teams of 3 or 4 runners pushing handicapped kids in these awesome chairs...all of them were dressed in red, white, and blue, and everyone would whistle and woop it up when they would run by....got me every time. 

At mile 7 was the turn around...I had just managed to consistently stop crying and then boom. A huge group of kids giving high fives. Though through all of the spectator spots this far I had not seen my husband...I didn't think he would come quite this far out on the bike paths but I was hoping to see him soon.....I needed a familiar face.

Mile 8-10: 11 min mile pace

I knew I wanted to kick it in the ass the last 3 miles so I wanted to save some energy for them. But shit was getting real. My muscles were starting to get tired and that dirty little voice in my head was starting to speak louder than the music I had blaring in my ears. And then...like I had planned it...which I swear I had not...The song, "Living on a Prayer" came on right as I was coming to this sign. And out loud with every ounce of my being I sang "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YOU'RE HALF WAY THERE OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LIVING ON A PRAYER!! TAKE MY HAND....WE'LL MAKE IT I SWEAR OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIVING ON A PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" There may have been some jazz hands and fist pumps going on as well. 

Shut that little voice RIGHT UP.

Mile 10 - 12:  The hills....oh the hilllllllssssssssssssssssss. I walked some...I ran some....I wanted to crawl some. 

But then you see this. And you just keep going. 

I FINALLY saw my hubs. It was the perfect time. I needed to see him. Needed to see him give me that "I have no idea why you torture yourself with this sport but I love you anyways" smile. I loved knowing that he was there...somewhere...and he was just there for me. To show me how much he loves me...and supports me even though he has absolutely no idea why I run. He was still there. I needed to see him....and he was there.

Not to long after that I saw it...a giant sign that said 13 MILES. I was in pain. I was ready to be done. And if this was a half marathon...I would have been almost there...but because this was 2.4 miles LONGER than a half marathon I still had work to do. Work I did not want to do...For the next 2 miles that little voice in my head would.not.shut.up. 

WHO WANTS TO RUN MORE THAN A HALF MARATHON? She said. 

YOU REALLY ONLY TRAINED FOR A HALF MARATHON DISTANCE. She said.

LET'S WALK. WALKING IS BETTER She said...so I walked and tried to stretch my hips out but it didn't help. I ran again. And now we were running through subdivisions where there were sidewalks and tons and tons of signs in yards and signs spectators were holding. And the kids....oh the kids...There were kids all over giving the runners high fives and holding AWESOME signs. Every time I would see a line of little humans holding their hands up for a high five I would cross to that side of the street and woop it up with them. That's when I said to myself.....SERIOULSY....if you can jig and jag through these runners to high five these sweet little kids you can finish this race like a freaking rock star. As we were nearing downtown aka THE FINISH LINE there was a sweet little boy holding a sign that said, TOUCH FOR POWER.

I did. 

And then I ran. 

Right as we rounded the last corner my music stopped and I'm so so glad it did. 

A man standing on the corner looked me right in the eyes and said, "YOU CAN DO THIS!! LAST CORNER!! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

The crowd was cheering so loud. 

With tears streaming down my face I ran as fast as I possibly could up the last hill. I looked at my watch and it said I was doing an 8:30 pace. I KNEW I could finish it strong...It wasn't the last 3 miles like I had planned...but it was the last quarter mile. And I ran that quarter mile with more strength and determination than any other step I've ever taken. 

Their was no more little voice telling me I couldn't do it. 

No more self doubt.

The only thing I heard over and over and over again is YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT! 

And I did.

I crossed the finish line. And it was worth every mountain I had to move to get there. 

I was handed my medal by a man that said, "You earned this sister!" 

You're damn right I did. 

I hobbled to the water and food and then I found it...Watermelon..........The best post race food I've ever tasted. 

I called Dana to see where he was and sat down to wait for him to come rescue me. I thought about the race....I was dissappointed that I walked. I was dissappointed that I didn't run negative splits. And as I was sitting there thinking about what I did wrong I looked at my legs...These legs that used to be my most hated part of my body. These legs that just carried me 15.5 miles. These legs that are built like a brick shit house. 

15.5 miles. I've never ran 15.5 miles. WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT NEGATIVE SPLITS AND WALKING UP SOME HILLS AND STOPPING TO STRETCH!?!??!?!??!

Then the tears started again. 

Once I composed myself again I checked my watch to see how I did...Since I love numbers...and goals...and always seeing if I've done better..................TYPE A.................. Even though this wasn't a half it still timed me for that distance...and this started the tears all over again. 

Last fall I ran my first and only half marathon in 2 hours and 41 minutes. During this race I crossed the 13.1 mile mark over 20 minutes faster than that and I still had 2.4 miles left to go. 

My pace was around 10:49/10:59 per mile...my watch says 10:49...The running app says 10:59...whatevs....Because my pace for my half last fall was 12:41/mile. Yeah. Do the math. 

A year ago RIGHT NOW I could run ONE mile in about 12 minutes...I just ran 15.5 miles with a sub 11 minute mile pace. 

The numbers don't lie. 

That little voice in my head does. 

Afterward I met up with a group of Running Goddesses.... loved getting to talk to these women. We've supported each other for months but never met in person until now. It's like we had been friends forever. And we ate a lot of delicious food like this.......................mmmm...............................

My friend, hubs, and I drove back to our sweet little town where my babes were waiting for us.

That friend that drove us all the way to the race THEN invited our family over for dinner...UGH>>> I seriously don't know what I would do without the wonderful people here.

I was in bed by 9:15 and slept like a rock...or like a runner that just conquered the world. Same thing. 

The next day I had enough strength and energy to get up with the kids and the crack of dawn, cook them breakfast while the exhausted hubs slept in EVEN THOUGH it was Mother's Day...I think he earned it....and then take the herd to church, grocery shopping, and to the park. 

When we got home it was my turn to relax. And it felt oh so good.

Every race is important. Every race means something to me. This one was a lot more than just running faster and farther than ever before...This race almost didn't happen. I almost didn't go. I almost gave up. I almost let that little voice take over before I was even at the start line. I'm so thankful I didn't.  

Left: First 25K...May 2014

Right: First 5K...June 2013

JUST>KEEP>GOING