The Andrew Jackson Marathon

When I was looking at what I wanted to do for the spring, this marathon popped up on my radar. I had seen previous posts in past years about locals I knew running this race, but this year they had done a major overhaul on it and revamped the course and the events surrounding it.  I was intrigued because it seemed like a small race, and I am a sucker for small races.  Yes, it had loops, but two loops of 13.1 miles each and all through my home town of Jackson TN.

I decided to make a long trip out of the festivities and you can see how the week unfolded in my weekly recap.  I had originally planned on coming down on a Wednesday, and then going back the next Wednesday to kind of straddle the race, but Andrew's kindergarten school at the last minute scheduled a meeting for the parents Monday after the race that we needed to be at, including little man. 

 We had packet pick up starting on Thursday at noon, and I was one of the first in line. I was pretty excited about the super cute shirt!  It is hooded and made of the SOFTEST material EVER!  I resisted putting it on for bad luck!  Packet pick up was at the new to me shoe store in town Performance Running. 

 We also had a pasta feed at the LIFT which is the gym where my mom works out lives. The pasta dinner was really good and they had a speaker, who also sponsored the pasta feed who kept us entertained. 

Of course Andrew fell asleep on the way to the pasta feed.

But then woke up and had his happy meal while the speaker spoke.

He talked about guiding a blind runner at the NYC marathon.  The story gave me chills!  I think we need a speaker for our next Wicked marathon/half pasta feed!  Maybe I could do a comedy routine about some of my races :)

After the pasta dinner, I laid out flat michelle. It was suppose to be pretty cold at the start and hot at the end, so dressing myself proved to be challenging. I knew I was wearing shorts no matter what, but the top half was still up in the air.  I decided it might be warmer to go with a technical T and arm warmers, versus a tank and arm warmers.  I tried to get in bed relatively early, but my kiddo had other plans.  At least it was before 11 by the time we got him to go to sleep. 

We got up at 5 am and I did my normal routine of coffee and belvitas.  We headed down to the start line at 6 am.  It was a small field of runners and even smaller for the full.  There were a few porta potties and that was it, but it didn't seem to be a problem.  I had gone before I left the house, but I like to go one more time before the race if you know what I mean. 

So this is the power of social media.  I went to school with Vinnie and Jake all through high school (they were twins).  We were friends but not close, as we ran in different social circles.  I found him on FB a while back and we connected and I noticed he was a RUNNER!  I am pretty sure he thought I was crazy, as I kept commenting or liking or even loving his running pictures :)  We found out we were both running the same race, so we made sure we saw each other before the race started.  He is super speedy, so he probably could have lapped me! 

Like I said before, the race is super small, so no pacers.  I got where I thought I might be okay and told myself stick to the plan.  I had discussed a plan with my coach of doing 11 minute miles for the first half and then letting the hammer down for the second half if I so felt like it.  Well, honestly, I couldn't get in the groove.  One minute I would be in the 9s and the next minute I would be in the low to mid 10s.  I couldn't get my pace down at all.  I finally found a guy who was running his first half, and I liked his pace and we talked (we were both UTM graduates!), which helped me slow down and be steady.  I ran all the hills the first time around and did not stop at any water stops, since I had my water + nuun.  Let me tell you about this course.  Hilly was an understatement.  I think it would be a KICK ASS half course for sure.  Just enough challenge to make you dig deep to push.  My first half according to the clock when I passed was 2:12, but on the print out, it says 2:25.  Weird.  Anyway, I don't feel like I hit a wall, I just couldn't conquer the course.  I kept seeing lower and lower numbers on my watch and rather than fret about it or let it get me down, I just kept going.  I actually ended up running with two ladies that were struggling as well.  We kept talking about how finding each other was a godsend.  We walked when we had to, ran when we could, and finished with a big smile on our faces. 

To my surprise, I won third in my age group, but was too slow to make the actual awards ceremony LOL!

The after party was pretty much over by the time I got done. I am kind of disappointed as the finish line photographer had left, and my friends I finished with got no first time finish line photos.  The awards ceremony was finishing when I was crossing the line,, so no podium for me.  The beer tent and food vendors were packing up, not that I wanted any food, but others probably did.  The race had a 6.5 hour time limit, and I finished in 5:15.  There was NO reason why everyone needed to already pack up.  There were several runners behind me, as I finished 47 out of 65.  The good news, the bouncy house stayed up for a while after I finished, so little red could bounce while I recovered.  My stepdad found me a cold dr. pepper, which was the only thing that sounded good.  I was able to hobble to the car and my in laws took Andrew, so I could recover with my mom and step dad. 

Overall, a very well put together race.  If you want big crowd support, this is not your race, but if you want great volunteers, awesome water stops, a yummy pasta feed, and a very challenging course, this is your race.  Mentally, loop courses are tough and this one got to me.  I knew the hills that were up ahead and it defeated me.  I was able to run all the hills the first time, but the second time, nope.  These aren't monster hills, more gradual and forever, a lot like hospital hill, but a full.  I would do it as a half again in a heart beat, but as a full, one and done.  I will say it was SO much fun to run past so many memories like my old house I grew up in, several of my friend's old houses, my old church (which is just a lot now), and several of my friend's churches that I visited.  It really brought back lots of great memories!  I sure love and miss my hometown and thoroughly enjoyed running through it!

Week 12. Heartland 50 training. Taper, I think I love you!

I so love a nice long taper.  Remind me of that when I loose my mind next week.  No really.  I think . I have been doing this long enough that I appreciate and want the taper.  I know what my legs can do when they are rested, and I know I can do the distance so it doesn't worry me to taper back.

Monday:  Rest day.  Grocery shopping and Chinese.  Unfortunately andrew was up at 3:30 am with tummy issues, or well he says his tummy was hurting, but nothing every happened.  We laid on the couch from 4 am till around 7 am.

Good thing he is cute.  mommy likes her sleep!

Tuesday:  speed work.  See above as to why I slept in.  By the time I got off work, we had 21 mph SUSTAINED wind.  Mel and I just wanted to battle through and get it done.  No speed work, just 5 miles of resistance training.

Wednesday:  speed work take 2.  Okay, so my schedule is off this week due to helping with Wicked this coming weekend and then driving to TN after and sunday.  I decided to get off work, battle the wind, and get my speed work knocked out for the week.  One word.  AMAZING.  I have been throwing around the idea of trying to maintain a 10:30 pace again, like at chicago.  I was unable to maintain during the race itself, but I did have two pit stops and it was HOT.  It still could be hot for my upcoming marathon, but I am hoping I won't have over 5 minute pit stops x 2.  My plan at this point, since it is a 2 loop marathon, is to hang around an 11 minute pace for the first loop and then ramp it up to the 10:30 range for the second loop if I feel good.

Thursday:  Well.  wanted to get either my long run in or my 3 miler.  Neither happened.  Some beer and patio time happened, as Andrew was up the previous night till 1 am not sleeping, which meant I was up not sleeping.  Early bed times happened for all and maybe even some melatonin for me:)

Friday:  3 miles.  Got my three miler done on the mill.  Hubby had to be at work super early so only option.  Started watching some show on HBO which kept my attention.

Saturday:  Volunteered at the Wicked Full/Half/5K.  Again this year we had rain.  I had toyed with the idea of running pre race and then the helping with the race, but the fact that I needed to be at packet pick up at 6 am made that not happen.  Let me just say a quick thing here about runners.  99.9% of all runners are awesome to volunteers.  Very appreciative, very vocal about thanks, very complimentary.  I only had one runner bad mouth me as I was standing in the rain for hours and it was about the porta potties, which me the volunteer on the course in the driving rain has nothing to do with.  I digress though.  I had such an amazing time cheering on runners, especially the marathoners who passed by me three times.  I moved over to a turn at the end and got to cheer them all on again and I just loved it.  Even if I was freezing and soggy wet to the bone.  My hubby came and brought me dry coat, gloves, hot hands, and coffee.  It kept me going as I volunteered in the rain for 8 hours.  I did have my bike again, so I was able to ride the course to check on runners and chat if they wanted to. I got to ride the last three marathoners in to the finish line, which was the best feeling ever.  I am now seriously fired up to run my marathon and thank each and every volunteer for everything they do!

Andrew and I headed to TN shortly after I warmed up and showered.  I wanted to break the trip into two parts since I would be driving solo with a 4 almost 5 year old.  We made it Columbia MO and decided to stop and get a hotel and some chick fil a and check out a toys r us that was quickly closing.

Sunday:  Driving Driving Driving.  So much for a long run.  We finally drug into town around 3:30 and running was not on my mind at all.  I figured missing one long run wouldn't hurt me at this point. 

So glad to be home and so glad to run this town!  Looks like there may be some dreadmill running as there are storms predicted this week but the mileage is super low as we head into marathon week!  I am so excited to be running marathon number 2 (well three if you count the ultra).  Have a great week!!!!

A long run story: 16 miles

Okay this isn't my longest long run this training cycle, but if you read my weekly recap, I was NOT feeling this run at the beginning.  I honestly felt like I had been out the night before drinking and I had not.  In fact, I was in bed early, had my normal long run dinner, and had hydrated like crazy knowing the temps were going to be high.  I decided to take a pic every mile to distract myself.  Here is the series of pics I took, plus some out takes:)

 Seriously Deuce?  You couldn't wait? 0.5 miles in.

1 mile in.  Warning people i am going to post lots of pics to stay distracted.

2 miles in.  Deuce says in his best Dory voice, "Just keep running, just keep running.".   

3 miles in.  Deuce says in his best 13 year old voice, "Seriously mom, are you going to do this the whole run?".

4 miles in.  Deuce says, "We might be giants!".

5 miles in and time for fuel.   Deuce says, "I get some plez?".

6 miles in.  Deuce says, " You so cray, cray".  

Mile 7.  Morning moo moos!

Mile 8.  Deuce says, "Water break".

Mile 9.  Deuce says in his best Nelly voice, "It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes fur.".  

Mile 10.  Deuce says, "Give me what you got for a pork chop".  Rap reference from the 90s deuce, nice.  

Mile 11. Deuce says in his best TS voice, "shake it off, shake it off".

Mile 12.  Deuce says in his best Mickey Mouse voice, "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog".  

Mile 13.  Deuce says in his best Rob Thomas voice, " Well it's a hot one.  Like  7 inches from the midday sun".  

Mile 14.  Deuce says in his best JT voice, "Baby bye, bye, bye".

Mile 15.  Deuce says, "See ya.  Take it to the house". 

Mile 16.  Deuce says, "DONE".

Week 11: Heartland 50. Welcome to the Taper!

Ah, the glorious taper.  I am so glad we are finally here!  This is an odd training cycle, because my marathon is April 1st and my 50K isn't until April 29th.  We had talked about me doing another 20 miler before my marathon, but for whatever reason, coach decided I had had enough fun for now.  I guess when you have been running as long as I have been, you can taper a little earlier, and still be okay.

Sometimes I can't believe I have stuck with this crazy sport all of these years!  I am for sure addicted!  This picture was from my very first 5K 6 years ago.  Look at all the wrongs in this pic:) . Cotton T shirt, yoga pants, and a hat that did not breath, but a HUGE smile at finishing and of course, winning something at the raffle.  Oh well, I certainly have learned so much!!

Monday:  Rest day.  Thank you tart cherry juice for helping me recover a little bit better.  My wonky hip felt one thousand times better since I sat and foam rolled and cried because if felt like certain torture.

Tuesday:  Speed work.  This one was fun but hard.  10 minute warm up, 6 minutes (9-9:20) and 2 minute recovery x 5 with a 10 minute cool down.  Since the time change had both Melly and I exhausted, we decided to run post work.  Something came up for Melly, so Deuce and I headed out solo.  Even though I entered the paces in my garmin, I honestly didn't pay attention to the fact that coach had slightly slid the pace down below what we had been targeting.  When I settled into my first interval, my watch started screaming at me to speed up.  WHAT?  Dang it, I had to get it under 9:20.  I fought and fought and got each one under and somehow averaged 9:14 on all 5.  5.56 miles traveled.  I did walk one minute of the two minute recoveries just to catch my breath.

Smiling the whole time

Wednesday:  Strength or cross train.  I wasn't feeling strength and it was too cold to bike yet, so Stella and I headed out on a nice long walk.  We got 30 minutes in and lots of pokemon caught :) . Unfortunately, I was feeling hugely guilty that i had NO reason to skip Strength, so I ended up doing 2 rounds while andrew was taking his bath.  I got in everything but leg raises, only because my mat was downstairs and I didn't want to leave him alone in the bath tub.


Thursday:  6 miles.  Day light savings time is kicking my butt. I am not even joking.  That and my hubby was up late coughing and snotting, as he and the kiddo have a little cold.  Either way, when the alarm clock went off at 4:20, I was like big nope.  The good news was, it is suppose to be low 70s later, so Mel and I got to enjoy some warm temps and some sunshine, versus the cold temps when we wake up.  Silver lining right?  Sometimes seeing a sunset is nice for a change.

Friday:  Strength and or cross training.  Chasing little red around the park is cross training right?  Ended up taking stella for a nice long walk post sunset.  Downtown Wamego was bustling with life, with even a live band playing in one of the bars.  Stella got lots of love from bar patrons out smoking, and we got to hear some good music!

Saturday:  6 miles.  Had planned on doing my long run, but hubby had to work, so had to switch things around.  Decided since the weather was going to be so nice, that we had to go on an adventure.  Since we had been watching the giraffe on youtube, waiting on April to give birth, I wanted andrew to see a real baby giraffe and BONUS, they had a new baby at the Rolling Hill's Zoo.  Off to Salina we went!

You forget how big these animals are till you are right up next to them!  We got to see them eat their breakfast and then we got to see them play in their paddock.  The baby was SO cute!  Got 6 miles in after hubby got done working.  It was windy and hot, but it was overall a nice run, minus the acid reflux from the coffee I had on our way back from the zoo.  

Sunday:  Okay I felt really off when I got up, not because it was early but because, well I am not sure why.  I really had to convince myself I needed to long run today.  My tummy was not right, I had a  headache, and I just was not feeling it.  I managed to scrape myself out of the chair and head out post watching the elite finishers at the NYC half marathon.  I decided to take some pics, since it wasn't 0 degrees out and my phone wouldn't die.  I ended up taking a photo a mile and it was so much fun!  I think I will make a separate post with all the pics in.  Great long run, only walked to fuel and felt like I wasn't working near as hard as I have been during the long run.  

Post running, we headed out for another adventure in Topeka.  We visited our first comic book shop, rode a train, rode a real wooden carousel, and played in a new park.  I think being super active keeps me from getting too sore, but drank some tart cherry juice and drank some protein before heading out just in case.  

I love taper weeks and am SO glad my coach is giving me one before my marathon, especially since the marathon is really just part of my training for my next ultra.  33.56 miles total.  

Have a great weekend and week!  I am looking forward to less miles and nice weather! 

Week 10 Heartland 50 training: Are we there yet?

I always thought the biggest threat to training for a big race in the spring would be snow.  Nope.  It's this DANG Kansas wind!  Help me Dorothy, I am about to blow away!!!!


Monday:  REST DAY.  I needed it after my 18 miler in 30 MPH wind gusts.  Resistance training at it's finest!

We did have some excitement.  We were at the vet's office with stella (update to come) and the tornado sirens started going off.  We headed as quick as we could back home and quickly got into the basement.  We had high winds, some hail and some rain, and got lucky as the tornado formed to the  south and east of us.  The power never went out and little man and the dogs were relatively calm, but it still was kind of tense for a little while.

Tuesday:  800 meter repeats x 6 with range of 9-9:30 pace.  Again.  WIND.  South to south west.  9:23, 9:17, 9:23, 9:20, 9:22, and 9:38.  The last interval was dead into the west wind and i just didn't have any gas to give.   I woke up not wanting to do intervals and finished feeling like a million bucks.  Funny how running does that to you.  I promised myself I would wait till mile 1 to make a decision about the work out and I am glad I did.  Pretty cool too to see the sun starting to rise as we were finishing up.  Spring has sprung!!!








Wednesday:  Cross training/strength training.  2 round of the jello inducing work out that Coach Jenny sent.  It was killer!!!!  I still can't do spiderman push ups so I found some modifications that I tried that worked.  I only did 2 rounds but I don't think I am ready for 3 full rounds yet.  My only complaint with this work out was I couldn't keep my lower back out of the leg raises.  Any tips are appreciated.  I think I just won't be able to lower my legs very low but even keeping them higher, I was feeling the exercise in my abs.

Thursday:  7 easy miles with strides thrown in.  We decided since it was going to be such a nice day, to sleep in and run post work.  It cooled down significantly over the day and added in some fun wind, but we didn't mind.  Sometimes it's nice to do a daytime run during the week and see the sun set in stead of rise!

Friday:  Cross train or strength.  Stella recheck day at vet med.  I toyed around with the idea of running my 6 recovery instead of waiting till the nasty weather saturday (pushing my 20 miler till sunday).  Then as I was driving past the oil change place, decided to check and see if the van needed an oil change yet and of course, it had just hit 5 K miles.  What should have taken an hour took over 2, but oh well, it is done for the next 5K miles.  Never got around to doing my work out so I guess un intended rest day.

Saturday:  6 miles or long run of 20.  Sigh.  Was suppose to wake up to snow and mess so decided to do the 6 miler on Saturday and pray Sunday would be slightly better.  Went to bed around 10 and woke up around 8 to.....nothing.  Oh well, got some good sleep that my body probably needed.  Late morning run it is.  Two minutes after I started running, the snow started and it came down the whole time I ran.  I am really glad i had my sunglasses on even though it was not sunny.  Kept the driving, stinging snow out of my eyes.

A little aside here.  I have had the same sunglasses for years, which is a record for me, as I usually loose them before I have had them too long.  I bought them at an expo at my first Rock the Parkway, four years ago.  They have been such good glasses, through thick and thin including my first heartland series, my first marathon, and my first ultra.  I wore them to the coffee shop, put them in my purse, and when I went to get them out of my purse, this is what i found:

My purse seriously was sitting on a chair.  No one moved it or sat on it.  I think they just had hit their ability to handle life and crunched themselves into pieces.   I am trying out some new glasses that were in an article on runner's world for runners with small faces.  They are called T Fosi Wisp T-1900 and they are super cute and super small.  I wore them on my run today and they felt good, so will have a better review of them after my 20 miler sunday.

Sunday:  20 miler.  Daylight savings time.  URGH.  I hate time changes.  Andrew has no concept of them, and it is inevitable that he will stay up late and get up early, both in order to screw us all up as much as possible.  As i predicted, he wouldn't go to sleep saturday night and was up past 11, which is now 12.  Then when I got up at 5:45 to start fueling (which to my body was 4:45), he came down about 15 minutes later.  I am seriously hoping for a nap later.

The one and only pic I got taken.  Did most of my run on this side of town on the gravel.  It was cold but no wind, which I was happy for.   Overall the run went well but it wasn't my best.  I walked every three miles for a tenth and tried to fuel on those walks if they fell close to the hour I usually shoot for.  I got down 4 waffles and almost 17 oz of Nuun water.  I can tell my body is tired and I am really ready for the taper.  My coach had talked to me about doing one more 20 miler but I think we are good.  

39.58 miles for the week and taper time!  Not exactly the peak I have done in the past but this is kind of a weird training cycle with my 50 K being after my road marathon.  Not sure how coach is going to handle ramping back up for the 50 K, but excited to have some taper time before my marathon to get some fresh legs going.

Have a great week!!!!

How to find your next four legged running partner

Today I would like to address a question I get a ton, which is," I want a running partner of the four legged variety, where do I start?".  I am going to break this post down into three main sections:  Rescues, Shelters, and Puppies.

Rescues:  Hands down this is my favorite place to search for a partner, especially if you have a specific breed in mind.  Rescue groups usually foster dogs in foster homes, so the foster mom or dad gets to know a ton about the dog and it's personality.  They learn the activity level of the dog and dog's quirks if any.  They learn valuable information about the dog, like does the dog like cats, does the dog get along with other male dogs, how is the dog with kids?  Often dogs in shelters appear one way and then when sprung from "jail" act a completely different way.  MOST rescue groups are not on a time clock, so they really get to know the dogs before adopting them out.  MOST rescues have the dog's best interest in mind, so you will have to fill out sometimes a very lengthy questionnaire, complete with reference and vet checks.  MOST rescues will also complete a home evaluation upon approval of application.  I capitalize MOST because some don't, and that is fine, they aren't bad rescues, its just been my experience that most rescues are very thorough with their dogs and potential new homes.   Most rescues will let you inquire about any dog in their program, but if the dog is not a good fit, they will not adopt them out to you just because you want a specific dog.   Most rescue groups want to help fit the dog to the lifestyle that you live. Most dogs in rescue are not puppies, so you don't have to wait to incorporate them into your running schedule but you do want to introduce any dog new to scheduled running slowly.  That can be another post entirely!!!

There are both breed specific and non breed specific rescues out there!  I was a foster home for years for Australian Shepherd Rescue and Placement Hotline or ARPH,  as aussies are my breed of choice, and i wanted to give back to the breed I love.

Quill: Adopted and renamed to Maverick

Bella: Adopted and kept her sweet name Bella

Not all rescue groups are created equal so as always, beware.  Do your research!  The only negative about rescues really is that you don't know the dog's past health issues or their genetic predispositions, so you don't know their probability of getting genetically heritable issues like hip displaysia or eye conditions. As I said earlier, we mostly get in adult dogs and we can do a good guestimate of age based on teeth, but other than that, we really don't know much else about them unless they are an owner surrender.  

Shelters:  Another great place to find a running companion.  Most shelters let you meet the dogs, and some even let you have a trial run before you complete the adoption.  The only draw back is that sometimes dogs act one way at the shelter, and then completely different when they get home.  Being at the shelter can be a very traumatic event for some dogs.  Sometimes their real personalities are hidden behind fear.  If you are wanting to adopt a shelter dog specifically for running, talk to the staff and see what they think.  See if the shelter offers a meet and greet area to introduce other dogs in your household.  See if the person that relinquished the dog had kids or cats, and had any comments about why the dog was taken to the shelter.  With aussies, more often than not, the reason is usually too much energy.  The great part about taking a dog from a shelter is that you may have saved a life or freed up space for another dog if it is no kill shelter.   

Breeders:  This is a tough one, and one that I steer people away from, mainly because most people can't wait the year or even two for the dog to mature and the growth plates to close to start organized running.  IF you can wait and you are patient (which is tough for even me:), you can find some awesome puppies and breeders out there!  I am very lucky in that I have met many reputable, caring Australian shepherd breeders out there, but I have also come across those who are just out for making money, and really don't care about the welfare or future of the pup.  I will admit, finding reputable breeders in the breed you love can be tough.  Anyone can make a fancy website or FB page to promote their kennel and sell puppies.  Some even use very slick puppy brokers to sell their pups at a premium.  A reputable breeder will let you see the male and female, even meet them if they are both on site (note: sometimes a breeding may happen via AI or the female will travel to the male and then travel back home).  A reputable breeder will get references for you and your dog owning history, but will also provide references for them and let you talk to previous puppy owners.  A reputable breeder will do as many health clearances as they can on both the puppies and the breeding male and female, even as the female and male age.  If problems arise, a good reputable breeder will be honest with you and help you make decisions with your own dog.  A good reputable breeder will take a puppy or dog back, no matter what age.  I won't put a litter amount per year or a price amount per puppy on any breeder, but a good reputable breeder is not out to make money, but to further the breed by adding good genetics to the gene pool via their breeding's.  Their progeny are out there to better the breed, not add disease and poor conformation for a buck.  A good breeder will either talk to you or have you fill out a questionnaire before the pups are even born to make sure they have a good understanding of your life style and family, and will help pick the puppy out that fits best you and your family.

I have had good experiences with all three situations as one of my main competition and sometimes running partner was a shelter dog, and three of my dogs came from awesome breeders.  I also communicated with deuce and stella's breeder on when I could run with them and how much, and also kept my vet in the loop about their activities.  If you ever have a question about adding a four legged running partner to your pack, please ask!  I love helping people as they start their journey into running with dogs!