Donner Lake Olympic Triathlon, the Sequel. Spoiler alert - I didn't cry this time! lol

I wasn’t supposed to be doing triathlons this year. And I definitely hadn’t planned on coming back to Donner until next year. But as fate would have it, the universe placed me in a position to be able to get a little revenge on the course that taught me about what determination was back in 2015. And how when we aren’t physically able to do something, our brain kicks in and gives us that mental push. When I did the Donner Olympic three years ago, I had signed up on a whim. I thought since I was swimming as cross training for my marathon, it was a slam dunk to do an Olympic triathlon. I mean, I was swimming 2000 yards twice a week in the pool and had cycled exactly twice, 20 miles at a time on flat road. Made sense, right? This is how irrational I am – my only other triathlon had been in 2013 and was a sprint. I hadn’t done once since. But I like to do stupid things from time to time so I hit “register”. How bad could it be? Then I spoke with a coworker who had done this race in the past. Her eyes got wide and she said to me, “you know that bike course is a killer, right?”. My heart dropped into my stomach. She was a very experienced cyclist who loved to ride hills. If she thought it was tough, I was probably going to die. Well, I didn’t die and you can read my race report a few pages back on my blog ;-)

Saturday before the start of the sprint w/hubby, a newbie triathlete

Back to the present year….I had hurt my foot in December at work and just as my foot was feeling better, I injured my knee rock climbing. The entire first six months of the year was shot in terms of what I had planned, running-wise; I was doing a LOT of swimming and cycling while my foot was rehabbing. I could swim and cycle without any issues but running was another story. So, I decided to register for Big Blue Adventure's Donner Lake triathlon and originally was going to do the aquabike – this race had been haunting me for three years and I knew I needed to get back on the mountain for a little redemption. I wasn’t trained for the swim and I definitely wasn’t trained for the run; my only goal was to best my bike time from 2015 (which wouldn’t be very hard; I am embarrassed to say what my time was that year….lol). Having done Coeur d’Alene 70.3 and thoroughly enjoying the hilly bike course there, I was ready to challenge myself at Donner. The icing on the cake is that my husband decided the Donner sprint would be his first triathlon. He’s not a triathlete and has always been in the gym, throwing around heavy weights. So I was thrilled when he decided this was his year to find out why I liked this triathlon gig. So I was able to support him at his race on Saturday, where he placed 2^nd in the Clydesdale division and then I was able to race on Sunday with him supporting me.

The most fun I've had in the swim at a triathlon

We were having fires in the area and I was worried about the air quality but it was a beautiful day for the sprint and I was hoping for the same on Sunday. It looked good out when we started the swim. I have to say…this was the best swim I’ve ever had. Not time-wise (I swam WAY off course and did an extra few hundred yards….lol). But I felt great and never had any anxiety. I have huge open water anxiety and it’s taken me a very long time to even be able to swim in something other than a pool. I was super relaxed and chill for the swim which set up me up for a good time on the bike, mentally. As I headed out of T1 and towards the road that would take me up 1000ft in the first few miles, I was grinning like a fool. Three years ago, I was so anxious and not enjoying myself at all – that’s what not training at all for an extremely challenging triathlon like Donner will do to you mentally. But this year was so different. I threw it in my easy gear and just spun my way up the mountain. I didn’t kill myself going up the hill and ended up hitting the summit about 20 minutes faster than three years ago. 

On my way up the mountain, feeling good! 

Then came the fun part – hauling ass down towards Kingsvale and Soda Springs. In no time at all, I was at the turn around. Donner is truly a gorgeous course and there is very minimal traffic on the open part of the course (they close Donner Pass road for the race). I was having a great time taking in the trees and fresh air that I didn’t even mind all the climbing back to the summit. It’s funny because you would think the first few miles going up Donner Pass from the lake are the toughest but I really think it’s the back end of that course. It’s a sleeper; you don’t realize what a grind it is until you are past the turn around and heading back towards the lake. Once I hit the summit, it was time to fly. This is what I had been waiting for – I’ve been working on my descending skills for a while now and today was a chance to open it up and have a little fun. Before I knew it, I was at the foot down stop – they have you come to a complete stop at the bottom of the mountain and put a foot down. This is for safety purposes as the road you cross is open to traffic and most riders are coming down that hill at a high rate of speed. My top speed down the mountain was around 40mph and I actually got into the top 20-25 on Strava in that segment (big deal for this back of the packer girl!). I remember passing my husband and laughing while telling him I killed the bike course (I think I beat my 2015 time by over 20 minutes).

The most fun you can have with your clothes on ;-) 

The run at Donner is great! It’s a lap around Donner Lake which is really pretty. It’s mostly flat except for the backside which has one monster hill then a few rolling hills. I was very familiar with the run course as I had done a few laps around it while training for my first marathon. The hardest part is running through the campground where folks are BBQ’ing and lounging around in the water – so tempting to stop and join them! The smoke from area fires had started to creep in by that time and it was affecting my breathing a little not to mention I had to walk most of the run because of my knee and foot. But I had already prepared myself for that so I was in no hurry. I had a few runners pass me and compliment me on my bike descent down the hill. That was nice to hear – I’m a fairly new cyclist and have worked hard at getting comfortable on the bike. As I came into the finish, I was so happy to see that I took 17 minutes off my previous time. Even better was how I felt. When I did Donner last time, I was totally wrecked and crushed. It was the hardest race I had ever done, marathon and 50k included. So coming back and feeling as good as I did was my ultimate goal. Especially since I wasn’t trained for open water swimming and I had to walk the run portion.

Post race, it was time for food and drink. I don’t drink so hubby got my free beer which he was happy about….lol. Everyone kind of hangs out at the beach on the grass and enjoys the beautiful Sierra sun. I always tell everyone if you are looking for a challenging triathlon in an amazing location, you can’t go wrong with Donner. It’s a terrific destination race; I just happen to be lucky enough to be local. I've raced quite a few events with Big Blue Adventures and have never been disappointed. Whether it was a trail run, a triathlon or a road race....Big Blue's races are some of my most favorites. 

Turning lemons into lemonade. Or turning asphalt into dirt :-)

Photo credit: Scott Rokis photography 

Since the trajectory of 2018 had to change due to the foot acting up, I decided what better time than to revisit something I love……trails. My goals of training for and racing a 5k, 10k and half marathon through the first six months of the year had to be scrapped. I was just grateful to get in whatever miles I could without my foot barking at me. The logical thing to do when you are not trained past 8 miles and haven’t been on trails/hills in two years? Sign up for a half marathon (which you know will NOT be a half marathon distance because Kevin’s races never are) that has over 2500ft of elevation gain. I did get my coach to sign off on it and I knew better than to have any expectations from this race. I would consider it a power hiking excursion more than anything. I also didn’t know how the foot would behave. I had run 8 miles without any pain in the foot but anything longer was the unknown. So as race day approached, I braced myself for the possibility that I would spend the time after 8 miles dealing with an angry foot. That was a bit of unknown that had me a little worried.

We would be running just below that snowy section

Another wrench that was being thrown into things was the weather. Trail races pretty much always go on, rain or shine. The forecast was predicting cooler temps (40’s) with pretty high winds, gusting up to 50-60mph along the ridgeline. Which is where I would be running. Fun times. So I snagged the appropriate outer layer on Running Warehouse, (a Salomon that performed beautifully) and prepared myself for whatever Mother Nature would throw at me. There were so many DNS’s for that race, it was crazy. There were at least 10 of them and only 13 finishers, yours truly being one of them. If there is one thing I've learned from the years of working with my coach, it's to not let bad weather scare you (unless there is lightning; I respect that and stay indoors). So why let a little cold, a little rain and a lot of wind deter me from a fun morning on the trails? 

Photo credit: Scott Rokis photography

Trudging up the muddy trail in the first few miles

I had forgotten the rude uphill section for the first 5-6 miles of this race. It’s definitely a power hiking section. I was trying to keep my average pace for the entire race under 17:30 so I knew that I had to at least slog my ass uphill at a decent hiking pace to even things out for the back half. I stopped to take a lot of photos and just enjoy the morning. Ash Canyon is so very pretty and that morning was no different. There was a decent amount of mud on the way up but once to the top, the trail was in pretty good condition. Some patches of snow here and there but otherwise, a clear trail where I could actually get to a running speed.

Some of the melted snow forming a little creek

Funny story. Anyone who knows me knows how terrified I am of mountain lions. So I was in last place, all by myself out there and just trying to push aside any thought of big cats. I was heading up a series of switchbacks when all of a sudden, I heard this crashing noise like something coming through all the sagebrush on the side of the mountain. I let out a blood curdling scream as my entire life flashed before my eyes as I thought “this is it….it’s a mountain lion barreling down the hillside to attack me” (I’m so dramatic). I dared to glance up and saw not an animal but a huge log rolling towards me down the hill. The wind had managed to push a felled tree down the slope. I sped up just as it rolled into the trail behind me. I remember breathing a sigh of relief as I kept running then looking around to see if anyone had witnessed my ridiculous performance. So silly. But it did reinforce why I don’t wear earbuds while I run – being vigilant and aware of my surroundings helps keep me safe.

The section where a felled tree almost took me out

Beautiful views of Carson City down below 

As I headed down the switchbacks on the backside of the course, I was thrilled. I was making good time and knew I would be able to hit my goal of a 17:30 pace. Not being trained for hills and trails, my knees and hips were definitely mad at me BUT there was no foot pain at all. I kept waiting for it to come and it never did. My foot felt fabulous. I passed up one runner so I was no longer DFL and then as I hit the last big hill (who in the hell puts a hill at mile 12 or so of a half marathon??), I passed up a young man who was looking like he bit off more than he could chew. Anyone who signs up for Kevin’s races should just assume it will be hilly AF and always, always longer than whatever it says. I’ve learned the hard way…..lol. I hit the top of the hill and then almost got knocked off my feet by the wind gusts in the meadow (I later found out they were having 50mph wind gusts down below so I know they were at least that strong).

The last hill to climb, around mile 12 

As I headed down the last set of switchbacks, I looked at my Garmin and was so happy to see my time. I would be finishing in under 4 hours which was my goal for this race. Had I been trained, my goal time would have been much more aggressive but I was pleased with how I was feeling at this point. I crossed the street and hit the last ¼ mile section on the bike path then saw my husband and son at the finish line. It was great to see their faces after spending almost four hours alone with nothing but my own thoughts (haha). My time was 3:45:43 and the distance was 14.3 – that averages out to 15:47/mile. The course ended up having over 2800ft of elevation gain. I beat my goal by almost two minutes per mile and was still upright….woohoo!! And I had just run over 6 miles longer than my longest run in months and months. Not a peep from the foot. All was right with the world.

Literally up the side of a mountain :-)

Photo credit: Scott Rokis Photography

After I got home, I started thinking about how much I had missed trails. I wanted more dirt, more hills, more trails. And I would end up getting that over the next few weeks. Suddenly, my spring went from racing short distance road races to signing up for races that were way outside my comfort zone….at least at this point in my running where I had been solely on flat roads for a couple of years. But doesn’t the saying go “growth happens outside our comfort zone”? Or something like that.....more to come ;-) 

My kiddo meeting me at the finish line

If Your Dreams Don't Scare you.......

Finish line at Canyon Meadows marathon

How did 2016 top the previous year? As I continued to grow and be able to reach outside my comfort zone, I decided I was going to train for my first ultra. In November 2015, I had registered for the Folsom Lake 50k which would be that following year in April. To my surprise, I also had my name drawn for the Tahoe Rim Trail 55k which was in July. I started training in January 2016 and had a terrific time exploring all the trails in my hometown that I never knew existed. To say I live in a gorgeous place for trail running is an understatement. Tahoe has no limits when it comes to beauty on the trails. I ran my 4^th marathon in March as a training run for the Folsom 50k. It was a trail marathon with about 3600 feet of elevation gain. My theory was that if I could survive 26.2 miles with that many hills, I would be "okay" for 31 miles that *only* had 3200 feet of elevation gain. LOL. Now this one and done marathoner was running a marathon as a training race? That was crazy to me. But I had such a good time and that particular race is still in my top 5 favorite races. Five weeks later, I ran Folsom and while it did not go as planned, I wouldn’t change that experience for the world. I finished but it was about 30-40 minutes slower than my goal time. I was 3rd to last and finished with 13 minutes left before the 8:30 cutoff. 

A hard fought finish

I learned a hell of a lot about myself. I learned just how mental running is and I found that giving up on myself was no longer an option. To run for 20 miles with some pretty bad GI issues and not give up made me realize how much I had developed my mental strength along with my physical. My body had given up; my mind had not. I also learned how important it is to really have focus when it comes to training and that sometimes, you cannot have it all. After a few weeks of easy running for recovery from the 50k, I decided to give up spot for TRT55k because frankly, my heart just wasn’t in it and that was not a race you can toe the start line of with half assed training. It has around 7000 feet of elevation gain and starts at an altitude of 7500 feet. Not to mention there were over 100 people on the wait list who had more desire to run it than I did – I didn’t want to take away a slot for one of them.

Singletrack at the Folsom 50k

So I enjoyed my summer and then headed into training for my fifth marathon. Yes, #5 – how in the hell did that happen? From wanting to fulfill a bucket list item and run ONE marathon in 2014 to training for my fifth? I blame my coach. It’s all her fault….lol. Because by this time, I had grown to really love running. Just for the sake of running. It was my meditative time, my time with the Universe. My selfish “me” time. The time where I would solve life’s problems. Well, not really but it certainly felt that way on some runs. I learned to run without music – just the sound of my breathing and quiet footfalls. I learned to really listen to my body and honor it. I learned not to push through pain and learned when it was okay to take a few days off.

Still smiling with about a 10k left to go in the marathon 

In December 2016, I ran marathon #5. It was another race that taught me just how strong I had become, mentally. I started the race knowing I could have some cranky hamstrings at some point. I had been having some back pain (unrelated to running and more due to my SI dysfunction that plagues me). I wasn’t sure how the race would play out but as always, I looked forward to that challenge. It’s one of the things I love the most about marathons – the mental aspect. It’s always fun in some weird, sadistic way. This particular marathon was also very symbolic for me. I had signed up to run it in 2012 after catching the excitement of the running bug. I had knee surgery that fall and could not do the marathon. Then I registered in 2013 but ended up injured and could not run it again. I was starting to feel like this race (California International Marathon) was cursed for me. So being able to toe that start line on December 4^th, 2016 was a very emotional day for me. There were quite a few tears as I headed out on that first mile. I ran that race hard and I ran it smart. Just as I suspected, after mile 15 I had some issues with my hamstrings. But I’m so very proud of the fact that I paced as well as I did, even having some issues. It was by far my best paced marathon ever. I crossed the finish line with an 18 min PR, taking my time from 5:26 to 5:08. No, I didn’t get my sub 5hr marathon. That will happen. I have no doubt. But what I learned that day is even when my body is struggling, I can apply what I’ve learned mentally and still come out with amazingly well run race.

My best paced marathon thus far

It's been nice to see this kind of pacing improvement

I had surgery two weeks later and was unable to run (or swim and cycle) until February 1^st, 2017. I had registered for yet another big, scary goal – my first half Ironman, which is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. I trained so well for that race, missing only a few workouts and completed my first 70.3 with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. My mental strength played a role on that day as well – it was over 90 degrees for race day and anyone who knows me is very aware of how much I detest racing in anything over 60-65 degrees.

But I was able to apply what I had learned in all my previous races and finish feeling strong, beating my A goal by almost 20 minutes. I had a few weeks of recovery then jumped right back into training for marathon #6. I still shake my head when I think about how this overweight, injury prone, scared girl has managed to run six marathons. It doesn’t seem real on some days. Like, someone else ran those and not me. Just a few months after my half Ironman, I ran the Chicago marathon in memory of my father-in-law with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I’m still touched by all the folks who donated and supported me through that journey; it meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to my mother-in-law. I ran with Pops in my heart and even though it was a slower race than I trained for (the heat did me in on that day, with temps reaching close to 80 degrees), it was still my 2^nd fastest marathon.

After Chicago, I started thinking about what I really wanted from the year 2018 in regards to running goals. Of course, I would love to get a sub 5 hr marathon. However, I realized that I hadn’t really RACED a 5k or 10k in a few years. I’ve run them as training runs but never really trained for speed in those shorter distances. My PR’s are from 2013 and I’m long overdue for some new race times. That being said, my focus will be on shorter race distances through June/July after which, I will be focusing on marathon training for my December marathon. So I don’t have a lot of impressive sounding races on the schedule for 2018 but I’m giddy with excitement when I think about what I AM signed up for – and terrified at the same time. Racing a 5k and 10k are scary goals for me. Wanting to PR every race distance is a scary goal. I may not accomplish that goal, I may fall short on a PR or two. And that’s okay. If I don’t try, I will never know. I also am setting a goal to run 1250 miles. I think that’s reasonable. I have run almost 1400 one year – that year when I ran two marathons and a 50k. I figured since I won’t be running a lot of longer distance races, 1250 should be a challenging yet reachable goal.

When running is so much more than just about....running. Part 1 of 2.

Post NYCM with my coach, Caolan and Sandra

As the four year anniversary of working with my running coach rolls around, I was reflecting on what a journey it’s been. When I signed up to work with her, all I wanted was to be able to run ONE marathon without getting hurt. That’s it. It was supposed to be a one and done plan, a one and done working with her. But somewhere along the way, I found what running was really all about for me. It’s not about medals. It’s not about PR’ing every race. It’s not about impressing someone with my miles. It’s not about weight loss. It’s not even about running. It runs much deeper than that. Through working with her and through the last four years of reaching far outside my comfort zone, I found myself. I am able to stand straighter, look at myself in the mirror and like who I see. I’m able to think outside the box. I have confidence I didn’t have before. I’ve been able to make scary decisions and see where life takes me. I have learned to persevere. To have grit. And I’ve learned that when things get tough, I have the mental fortitude to stay strong and walk through them with grace. That’s why I say I can never repay my coach for what she’s given me – far beyond running. My coach believed in me until I could believe in myself. That is a gift that continues to keep on giving. 

This photo captured my true emotions that day

In 2014, I signed up to work with this total stranger towards my goal of running a marathon. I had never met her in person, never talked to her on the phone and we lived several states away. The idea of an online coach freaked out me and I thought there was no way it would be as good as working with someone in person. But I figured that what I was doing currently wasn’t working so why not take a chance? My goal was to get through the Portland Marathon that October in one piece. Notice my phrasing “get through”. Because that is what running used to be for me. Something to get through. Training was simply an ends to a mean – a race of some sort. I would plod along, dutifully putting in my miles but never really being present for them. I ran that marathon. It was a trainwreck of epic proportions. Not because of my training or coaching but for reasons that ran much deeper than that. Personal reasons which I won’t go into. I accomplished my “bucket list” item of running a marathon. That should be it, right? End of story. End of working with said coach. Not so fast. Little did I know it would be far from the end of anything.

Having fun on the NYC marathon course

I stopped running for a couple months after that marathon. I was depressed and going through some personal issues in my life. I hid from my coach; even though she kept sending me weekly schedules, I was not really doing the training. After the first week of December passed, I pulled my head out of my ass and found my way back to her. And to my life. I had already signed up for Portland that following year (because that is the insanity that is running – you have a train wreck of a race and hate every minute then sign up the moment they open for registration that next year). So I stayed with her to put in some solid training and see what I could do when I didn’t have my head up my ass. One little hitch – I had forgotten that I threw my name into the New York City marathon lottery. And guess whose name was drawn?? Great, right? Except that it was exactly 28 days after Portland. Here I was, having run one disastrous marathon and being a former injury prone runner….now faced with the dilemma of running two marathons just four weeks apart. People do it all the time, right? What is the big deal? Well, everyone is not me. I was paranoid of getting injured again (I had been badly injured through a lot of 2013 and didn't want to revisit that). My coach and I discussed my options and we decided that I would train and race Portland hard then run New York as sort of a “recovery” run. Haha. A marathon as a recovery run. That sounded ridiculous but I figured I didn’t have anything to lose. So now, this one-time, bucket list marathoner would be running two marathons a month apart for a total of three marathons.

Mile 26 of the Portland Marathon

Pops was with me every step of the way

I PR’d Portland by 34 minutes, taking my time from 6 hours to 5:26. Then four weeks later, ran New York in 5:54 which was still faster than my first marathon even though I was so far from recovered, it wasn’t even funny. However, to my surprise, I was able to run an easy 30 minutes just a few days post New York – no pain, no soreness and best of all, no injuries! How would the next year top that? Well, 2016 would prove to be even better with bigger, scarier goals. It would be a year that would make me realize I’m braver than I believe, stronger than I seem and smarter than I think (to quote Christopher Robbin).  

Running Down a Dream at the Chicago Marathon

I have wanted to run with Team in Training for the Leukemia Society for a few years now. My father in law was diagnosed in the mid-2000’s with AML and I always thought it would be one way I could support him. On October 8^th of this year, I finally was able to realize that dream. Last year when I signed on with TNT to run the Chicago marathon, I knew it was going to be an interesting training cycle. I registered in November then had surgery in December and promptly started training for my first half Ironman on February 1^st. I had already calculated that between the weeks of recovery I knew coach would give me post half Ironman plus the 2-3 weeks of taper that I usually do for my marathons, it was leaving me with about 9 to 10 weeks of actual training. This is far less than what I am used to. Yes, I did a half Ironman in June but the amount of running required for that is nowhere near what a marathon training cycle entails. My miles in July didn’t even total 70. So with that being said, I trained for Chicago without any real expectations. I wasn’t sure how race day would go and frankly, I was running this in memory of my father in law who had passed away from leukemia two years prior. Which is why I was running with Team in Training for the LLS. The amount of support I received from people who had never even met me was amazing – I received numerous donations from folks I only knew through Facebook and that included a $250 anonymous donation. I was touched that so many contributed and made Chicago possible for me. It will be appreciated more than you know.

My mom passed away in 2009 and this Wonder Woman made me cry <3 

So as training progressed and I ran a hilly 18 miler that felt amazing, my mind started to think that I might actually be able to PR this race. I had not been training to PR nor was it really the focus for me. But after that run, I realized that I was in a position to PR. Unfortunately, the Chicago weather had other ideas. As I begin my obsessive weather checking a month out….yes, I said a month out….lol….I realized it was probably going to warmer than I would like. I don’t tend to run well in temps over 65 degrees. And it was going to be close to that at the START. Ugh. I’ve run Portland twice in hot as hell temps (78 and 82 degrees) so it’s not that I couldn’t do it. I just knew my chances for a PR would be very slim. After discussing it with the coach, we agreed that going out at a pace that would net me a 5:10 marathon time would be good and if need be, I could adjust to the climbing temperature while still finishing in a decent time. My current PR is 5:08 on a cold winter day and my Portland pace was 5:26 in 82 degrees. So…I figured that I might be somewhere in between that.

The happy send off from the best spectator ever!

Found Amy!

Race morning was so much more pleasant than New York. Both of these are big races at 45,000 and 50,000 runners approximately so fairly comparable. But the logistics of Chicago made the entire race experience more fun. I wasn’t really nervous which is always weird for me. I used to get so anxious that I would feel like throwing up before big races. The last few (CIM, CDA70.3 and Chicago), there weren’t really any nerves. More like overwhelming gratitude that my body allows me to these things. And that is the best feeling ever. Sandra walked both Jenna and I to our starting corrals then gave us a big hug saying she would see us in a few miles. I knew that I would have a ton of support along the course between her, Carol and Andrea and the gang from the From Fat to Finish Line group. Sandra was going to be at several points along the race plus I knew I would see Carol and Andrea popping up here and there. The FFTFL had a water station at mile 22 which was great. So with a happy, grateful heart I hopped into my corral about 20 min prior to the start time. Ended up running into Amy who had also had “run into” at the train station in New Jersey when we both ran the New York City Marathon. So we hung out in the corral together until the start. We were slated to go at 8:35 and I think they got our corral across that start line by 8:37 or 8:38 which is pretty damn good. I wasn’t thrilled about the late start time because I knew that meant I would be running in the heat of the day but I couldn’t do much about it.

Boystown!

One of the times I wasn't smiling

Mile 23

My coach had already warned me about the Garmin thing so I didn’t even pay attention to it and instead, put it on the screen with the timer going. I had my splits written down and attached to my handheld so I knew as long as I hit the mile markers at the times she gave me, I wasn’t going out too fast or two slow. And good thing because I would later see my Garmin telling me I had run 6, 7 and 8 minute miles in the first 10-15k….lol. I did hit my first mile at just over 11 minutes which was too fast so I pulled back and the next one was around 11:40, then 11:35, 11:46 and so on (my given pace was 11:46). I was doing a great job pacing and felt really good. I thought to myself what a shame that the day was to be warm because I truly feel I would have been able to PR this race. But I was just happy to be running! Chicago is an amazing experience and I recommend this race to everyone! Out of all the marathons I’ve done, this is by far my favorite. I knew right after New York that I would never really want to run it again; I knew before I was halfway done with Chicago that I wanted to come back and do it again.

Early in race - first 10 miles?

The spectators were amazing, the neighborhoods flowed into one another and the course just had an atmosphere of fun about it. My face hurt after the race from smiling so much even though I was miserably hot. I was diligent about my nutrition just as I always am but I knew with the heat, it would be important to stay on top of the electrolytes and pay attention to how much extra fluid I was taking in. I was drinking one handheld per hour which had my Infinit in it plus taking 2 SaltSticks every hour on the hour. The last hour of the race, I added an extra SaltStick because of the extra water I had taken in after mile 20. This resulted in feeling pretty darn good for the entire race, no GI issues, no cramping and no bonking. I hit the 13.1 mile mark right on pace (I might have been about a minute faster than planned) but then it started to get warm. So for the next 5k, I slowed my pace down to around 12 min/miles to see if that would help. But it was still too fast for the temperature, which by this time was easily mid 70’s. By the end of the race, it would hit nearly 80 degrees.

Still smiling at mile 23

So I slowed it down to 12:15 minutes miles on the next 5k and that felt okay. I decided if I made it to the 20 mile mark at or under 4 hours, I was going to just enjoy the last 10k. I knew this would allow to still have a faster time than Portland and also give me to chance to soak in the last moments of Chicago. I was so happy with this decision – that last 10k was actually a lot of fun even though it was hot as hell out. There was minimal shade and I couldn’t find ice to save my life. But I still was enjoying myself, dancing around on the course and made time to stop at the FFTFL water station to get some hugs, a Happy Birthday and chat for a moment.

Best surprise ever from the FFTL crew!

Getting a big hug from Patty - sorry for the sweat!

I also hung out with a T-Rex and high fived more little kids than I can count. And I loved seeing Carol and Andrea around Chinatown although their offer of an eggroll made me grimace….lol. I had also caught Sandra around miles 3, 14 and knew she was up ahead at around mile 25 ½. That was enough to keep me going. I was sweating like crazy and just looking forward to getting my shoes off. My clothes were sopping wet as I had been dumping water all over myself and in that humidity, the moisture just didn’t evaporate. I love my dry climate; that humidity is for the birds! So I was hot, sweaty, wet and sticky. Gross.

One of my favorite sections of the course! Mile 21

But grinning from ear to ear. After I saw Sandra and knew I had under a mile to go, I started to get teary eyed. All the cheers of “GO TEAM” from the TNT folks resonated in my head. I hadn’t thrown in the towel just as Pops had taught me. I had made the most of my day despite the unfavorable weather and done my best with what I could. I’m learning it’s about the entire journey, not just what that clock says at the finish. I cry at every race finish and this one was no different. I got a hold of myself as I headed up that stupid “hill” – Roosevelt isn’t really a hill but it feels like Mt. Everest at the end of a marathon. As you come down the other side and make a left, there it is….the finisher’s chute. I was a bit confused at first because I hadn’t expected it to be so close…lol. But then I started to run and crossed the finish line with a time of 5:23:34. I was more than happy with this. It was my second fastest marathon and given the limited training time along with the heat, I was very proud of this accomplishment. Not every race needs to be a PR to feel amazing or go down in the books as the best race ever. It’s been two years since I’ve had a day of magic like that in a marathon. Portland in 2015 was the last time I felt like this - where the entire day was just everything I could ever have hoped for and then some. Chicago was a repeat of that day and I’m so very grateful. I was honored to race with Team in Training and for my father-in-law. It means a lot to me as that is how I got started running in the first place, with a charity in remembrance of somebody. I am looking forward to coming back and doing it again next year.

Yeah, it's early and I'm grinning like an idiot ;-)

Not nearly as impressive as the NYCM sponges but watch your step!

Showing off the bling with Karla

 It’s also great to finish a race feeling quite beat up, go to bed and wake up feeling pretty damn good the next day. I always marvel at how I’m ready to run again within a few days of a marathon. Our bodies are amazing machines – if we train right, run a smart race and recover right, our bodies reward us by feeling good. As always, I owe a huge thanks to my coach. Without her guidance and coaching, I would have wrecked myself by now. She is so great at what she does and I’ve learned a real joy of running in working with her. And I am very thankful to my family – without their support and patience, there is no way I could put in the training necessary to run marathons as well as I do. Marathon #6 is in the books! Time to recover and enjoy a few weeks of easy paced running J