Marathon Recap – warning, it’s long!

On the anniversary AKA runiversary of my very first race, the Newport 5k four years ago, I will provide my race recap of my first marathon, the Newport Marathon! I thoroughly enjoy the fact that it all started in Newport, and came ‘full’ circle to have my first marathon also in Newport. (See what I did there?)

I guess I’ll just go in order of events, then talk about some other things I wanted to touch base on. Saw the PT the Wednesday before and got dry needling done in both legs – YES! Actually felt really sore right up until race day. I tried to be conscious of my food and drink a few days before – lots of carbs like pizza, pasta and potatoes, protein like chicken and steak, and PLENTY of water and Nuun. There is actual science to carbo loading before a race and I can attest that it works. Greg and I arranged to have the girls sleep over his parents’ house the night before the race. I hadn’t been getting the best sleep, and I knew I needed it, especially that night. Got my race outfit, fuel, and anything else I was going to need the night before, and went to bed.

My internal clock woke me up at 4am – it was ready for a long run, just as I had trained it to do all summer long. It was raining… And I knew it would be, sometimes the weather is unpredictable, and sometimes it’s spot on. Hurricane Matthew had no intentions on giving me a break, unfortunately. We get our stuff and we’re off to Newport – me and Greg.

We get to Newport and hit the toll booth, and the guy says “You running today?” and I say “Yup!” He says “On a Sunday… in this weather… on purpose?” and we all kind of chuckled at my second “Yup!” response. We get to our designated parking lot, on Second Beach, it’s pouring outside. Greg brought the bicycle, so he can find me at multiple points of the race. I gather everything I need, hit the porta potty, and jump on the shuttle by myself. Greg planned on relaxing until he needs to ride the bike to the start. I sit next to a man who runs marathons every weekend. We talk about fueling and different professional runners, etc. A few minutes later, we’re at Easton’s Beach. Marathon man leaves, as he still has to go get his stuff. I already have my bib, so I just wait under the rotunda until it’s time to warm up. I see Donna Mathias (who was also running her first full) and we chat and wonder where my mom, Lucy, and Robin (running the half marathon) are. We pass the time. It’s actually not too bad out, temperature-wise, I mentally plan to throw my jacket off to Greg when I see him on the course.

At about 7am, I start warming up. The PT gave me a few new things to do, so off I went, plastic poncho and all. I find Greg and he gives me a good luck kiss. I find my mom and the girls (Robin and Lucy) who also give me good luck kisses! “This is your race”, Momma says.

I line up at the start. We’re told that there would be 3 waves, however, after the first wave went out, the announcer says the second and third waves will be combined. Great… well, I’m definitely towards the back regardless. I’m searching and searching for Emily, a virtual friend, and fellow BAMR with peacock-colored capris on… but she’s in the sea of runners, and I can’t find her. Next time, Emily – we must meet! I ditch the poncho, check any last ‘good luck’ texts, start my Motigo app (that has 30 cheers in the queue!), and mute my Spotify app. Beyoncé is singing the National Anthem, and I’m crying with my hand over my heart, staring at a woman raising an American flag that she will carry for 13.1 miles. I’m thinking “Wow, Meaghan, you’re already crying and we haven’t even started yet” and thoughts like “I’m here, I’m actually about to run a marathon. I can do hard things. All this work and it’s finally here. I GET TO DO THIS!”

7:37am and I’m off! I turn my music on and go. Not even a tenth of a mile in and my right foot lands right in a puddle… from that point I just said ‘screw it’ to trying to avoid them. The goal was no longer to stay dry, but to stay safe. I didn’t want to come all this way to roll an ankle attempting to avoid some water. The water was inevitable, so I let it be. I hear “Fight Song” and Rachel Platten is singing about small boats on the ocean, and here I am, looking at the Atlantic. There’s a lot of activity for it being so early, lots of spectators, cheering, taking pictures and blowing bubbles on Memorial Boulevard and it’s a great atmosphere.

I’m cruising, finding my happy pace. Not much to report for awhile. I hear “Work This Body” by Walk The Moon and the lyrics says “And I will work this body I will burn this flame, Oh in the dead of night, and in the pouring rain, Yeah, I’m a workaholic and I swear, I swear. Yeah, and one day I will beat you fair and square”. I’m thinking that this song is really speaking to me – I’m going to beat this marathon in the pouring rain, fair and square. 

Then, I’m at mile 4+ and I hear the first set of cheers from Motigo – one of my best friends, Rebecca, and my awesome coworker Megan’s daughter, telling me to ‘move my lazy butt’ and another one from a coworker, Jean! They’re great! This app really boosts my mood and now I’m really singing… loudly. “Anyway You Want It” the Glee-covered Journey song. I think I’m singing well, too. Going… going… going… wicked windy on Ocean Avenue, and some seagulls almost poop on my head. I hear more cheers from Megan and her girls, one from Auntie Karen and another from my best friend, Melissa (along with some “Eye of the Tiger” for an extra boost). Anyways… still going and I see Greg at mile 9.5 on the corner of Bellevue Avenue. He’s shocked to see me. “You’re doing f*cking awesome!” and I said “Thanks! I haven’t stopped at all to walk, yet!” and then he said something about how he didn’t think he’d see me for another 45 minutes, but I kind of misheard it, as the music and I were going strong. I decide I’m going to keep my jacket, because I’m comfortable. I shout that my knees were a little sore but OK and I head off towards the mansions. At the 10 mile marker, Megan and the girls are telling me “C’mon Meaghan, you can do it… You got this, Meaghan… You can do it – C’MON!”

I’m at the half way mark and so far, I’ve eaten a pack a GU chews, and 3 GU gels. I carried my handheld bottle with Nuun in it and have already refilled it at one of the water stops. I had lots of practice with my fuel over the course of the training and I had a really good handle on it during the race. I was feeling good. I hear “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Hooked on a Feeling”  and think of my children and smile and sing. Then, more cheers! “Lucky number 13” as a couple people pointed out. My Mike left me encouraging words of how I’m an inspiration, Melissa tells me how proud she is, accompanied with another awesome song, Megan and the girls remind me I’m half way and to keep going, my old boss, Jim, leaves me a message from NH to tell me how proud he is and how all my training is paying off. Jean is back with another great cheer and I hear my first message from my kids. I lose it (again). “Love you Mommy, have a good time on your race, we know you can do it… No, Maddie, I do it. Love you, Mommy! You can do it!” So, that starts with Maddie and my in laws talking and eventually Morgan butts in to give me her own message, rightfully so. But, this brings tears to my eyes and I love it.
I run straight towards the half marathon finish line, and this is a mental hurdle… I have to stay to the right, and pretend like I don’t see people cheering and clapping and having their photo taken as they finish THEIR race… I’m only half way done. So, I just keep my head up and go. I grab a GU and proceed. Greg is there and assures me that I’m fine and to keep going. I miss my mom and the others with my apparent tunnel vision. Off I go towards Middletown.

This part of the race is mostly residential. Not as much to report on, scenery-wise. I run past the parking lot where my car is, fuel some more. I think I ate a banana at this point. I see Greg again (I hear “Take On Me” by A-ha and “Astronauts” by Rachel Platten and think of Greg and smile). He hands off 2 more GUs for me, just in case I need them. I’m starting to lose some steam. I hear several cheers from BAMRs in the Train Like a Mother marathon program, like Amy, who reminds me to relax, trust my training and soak in this whole experience. And Melinda, who was tells me how strong I am and how proud she is of me. Then makes me giggle at the fact that she’d be just starting her marathon at that moment on the west coast in Portland. Shelley reminds me to cast all the doubt of finishing a marathon and how strong I am into the Atlantic and to think of all the miles behind me, to dig deep and own this race. I also hear a very comical cheer from my Kayla and Jaxson – Kay tells me how proud she is of me and how badass I am. Jaxson is NOT badass, right Kay? 🙂 More fabulous cheers from Megan’s girls. Another coworker, Jodi, sends good vibes and can’t wait to hear all about the race next week. I hear one that makes me cry… from a coworker, who likes to bust my chops often, but we are good friends. He tells me how I am a great person to talk to and for ‘just being you’, then tells me I’m on my way to becoming a champion.

So, I hear all these AWESOME cheers… and then I stop. I walk for a few seconds. I’m tired. I’m drenched. The wind is awful, so much worse now. And it’s cold. Very cold. I’m happy I kept my jacket, because I’d be shivering much worse if I had lost it. Then I run again. I see people behind me (not many), but I know I’m not last (which, really, who cares if I was). We still had 10 more miles to go at this point. I spot a photographer, looks like he takes my picture, but maybe not. You can’t see my bib under my jacket, but it doesn’t matter to me. At this point, I’m not making the extra effort to lift the jacket to show my bib. Everything is so heavy from being soaked. I hear “Love on Top” from Beyoncé and think of my little sister Katy. I hear “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and think of Deb. I hear “Dream On” by Aerosmith and think of my Dad. I hear “Confident” by Demi and think of Jilly. I hear “Roman’s Revenge” by Nicki Minaj and think of Emma at work (who logged miles with me, as she trained for her first half).

I stop again to walk. It’s like breaking the seal when you’ve had too much to drink… if you stop once… you have a tendency to stop again… and again. Side note: I’ve never run more than 8 miles non-stop, nevermind 16. So, I take this in stride. I’m extremely proud of myself for this accomplishment. End note.

Mile 18 – what a disaster. If you look at my mile splits, you’d think I had hit the wall. On the contrary, there was no wall. Let the record be known. After I heard the last song on the playlist, “Defying Gravity” from Wicked – with good thoughts of Mike, I replayed the playlist and… I lost all audio on my phone. The music had been so vital for me – it kept me constant. And then it just stopped. It muted. So, I turned it back up. Muted again. My theory is it was so wet, the volume down button got stuck. This sucked. I won’t sugar-coat it. I needed to tough it out. Now was the time to really dig deep, mentally. My only concern… how will I get my remaining cheers?

Mile 19 comes and so do more cheers. I hear the chime and get excited! I hit the volume up button over and over to make sure it doesn’t lower. Megan is there, assuming I’m sick of hearing her voice and telling me to run a little quicker, so I won’t have to hear her much longer. I laugh. Another message from Maddie sending me good running vibes. “You can do it, Mommy”. Yes, I can, Maddie. I hear the chime of the next message, but there’s nothing there. I find out later it is my current boss, saying “Thanks for showing up” – which is an inside joke and would’ve meant a lot to hear. Knowing he did that is enough for me. Another BAMR message – this one from Jenn who sends me all her energy, that I “scoop up” and carry with me to kick this marathon’s a**! Another from Melissa, playing one of my FAVORITE songs “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” by LeeAnn Rhimes and tells me to ‘take that, world’, and as always, sends lots of love. Auntie Karen comes through again with love and encouragement.

I’m plugging along, run/walking and I talk to a few others on the course. A couple marathon veterans and one girl who it is also her first. So, we bond over that for a couple minutes. We’re still smiling, even though everything hurts. My knees have the most painful sensation. Not the IT Band pain I’m used to feeling. Something new. Something awful. I’m trying to pin point how and why I feel this way. I think it’s from being soaking wet, and in turn, carrying extra weight, and being very cold; the pounding is killing my knees. That has to be it. Well, I have to keep going. At mile 21, my car drives by me and beeps… it’s Greg and my cousin Cassie and Rebecca! I’m so surprised and grateful to see some friendly faces. At this point in the race, it was desolate. Just long long roads of no one and nothing. It was draining. Cassie offers me dry socks, but it’s a lost cause. They take off and I do, too.

Onto mile 22. This was the slowest. Mostly walking, trying to recover a little bit before the big push to the end. One woman asked if this was my first marathon and I say “yes, and last”, and she says “Nooo, they’re not all this bad!” I hear more cheers (volume up up up!), it’s Beth, from run club telling me to RUN (how did she know I’d be walking!?) and reminds me how strong I am. Momma comes in “Meg, this is your race. You got it. Just a little more and you’ll make it to the finish line. Love you! See you at the finish”. Rebecca has me laughing at her next cheer, recalling when we were 22 years old and taking shots! Oh, Beck, you’re the best. Megan is back to remind me that I’m rocking it. BAMR Nicole says I’m awesome, and rocking and to keep going and everyone is cheering and rooting for me. Kim (who I go WAY back to over a year ago with) left me 2 messages, but I got neither for some reason. But, I’m sure she told me not to barf! I take more GU and water, pull up my big girl pants and go.

The last 4 miles consist of a lot of positive self-talk and negative splits. Still slow going, but forward progress, nonetheless. I just go. The race people were pulling over in the car asking if I was OK, panicking, I knew I’d be close to the 6 hour cutoff, but we were not escorted off. So that was good. Just keep swimming. Mile 24, final cheers! Megan telling me we run more than these final remaining miles on our lunch hour (good point). Beth, again. Telling me to run, again. Tough love from her, but I needed to hear it. Melissa’s last cheer- so proud of me and lots of love. I see a cheer from BAMR Sharyl, but it doesn’t come through – so sad. One last one from Jean at work, reminding me that my dreams are coming true. And the final cheer came from my sister, Katy, saying I’m going to BEAST the end and we’re going to pop champagne to celebrate. Heck yes!

I’m almost done, at mile 24 or 25 and I see the bright yellow rain coat running towards me. It’s Cassie! She is such a sight for sore eyes. I have someone to talk to you, and distract me from the misery that is happening below my knees. I tell her we need to run. That I need to beat the girl behind me. So, we do. We run to the end. She steps off to the side and I see the home stretch.

It’s right there. I see a volunteer and ask “Where do I go?” and she replies “Just follow the cowbells!” and there is my family and friends, ringing those cowbells and cheering my name. The race announcer congratulates me and they place the medal around my neck as I cross my marathon finish line with my arms up high. Another volunteer throws a heat sheet around my shoulders and everyone greets me at the finish line. So many tears. It’s a dream come true. It’s my Momma, my big sister Ashley, my sister Lauren, Robin and Lucy, my Auntie Linda and cousin Ryan, it’s my best friend Rebecca and my best friend and cousin Cassie and especially, my husband Greg.

My time was 6:07 and I felt like a rockstar. Would I do it again? I have no idea! It’s like asking a new mom if they’ll have another baby right after their first is born… let me enjoy this one first!

I have had the best support system during the past year, but my husband is #1. I can’t thank him enough for everything.

As you can tell, I’ve enjoyed keeping track of all the details. If you want to see the chronicles of my marathon journey, check out the hashtag #meaghansmarathon on Instagram.

Things I wouldn’t change:
-The training. It works, I wouldn’t touch it. And it really enjoyed it. Even the taper, I was sceptical… but, alas, I had fresh legs on race day. 

-The fuel. Again, it works for me. 

-Motigo – I HIGHLY recommend using this app.

Things I would change:
-The weather

Other realizations/revelations:
-My form suffers the farther I run. No brainer.

-Running a marathon is a religious experience; Asking God to just get you to the next mile/telephone pole/water stations/etc. Praising God for giving you this ability to do this. Cursing God for allowing you to be in this much pain.

-This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

-It’s gotten me in the best shape of my adult life.

-There are so many people and groups of people who helped me across the finish line and I couldn’t have done it without them.

-Over the course of 23 weeks of training, I never found my race pace.

-I wish my GU was laced with Percocet. This became my mantra.

-I am a great (and loud) singer and air guitarist/drummer when I’m running.

-Desitin = life changing

-I’m now in the less than 1% of the world’s population-  I AM A MARATHONER!!

Some serious revelation

Anyone else do their deepest thinking in the shower? No? Just me… ok, that’s cool. Anyways…

I had a pretty shitty day. From the time I went to bed last night, awful sleep, stupid drivers this morning, not my easiest work day, plus the (literal) day to day stresses. For me (and most people), it’s financial stress. I was mentally and physically exhausted. 

However, tonight, I knew I needed to run. I haven’t run in days (I took this cutback week in my marathon training way too seriously) and my stress level pretty much required me to run tonight. So, at 8:30 tonight, I went. Thank God I did. I had a fantastic five miles, negative splits, no pain, non stop. Awesome! 

Also, it totally reset my mood. I got home so rejuvenated and ecstatic at how good that felt. It’s like everything that was bothering me, I had just run away from it. 

I understand that my troubles may return and issues will have to be addressed, but I know that there’s one thing I have complete control over, and that’s running. For the most part, I can run when I want to, for as long as I want to, with whomever I want to, etc. I can usually choose how it makes me feel, too. 

These days, it feels therapeutic. Thank you, running. ❤

Side note: when my husband says “you’re doing a good job, Meg”, in reference to my training, that feels really good, too. You have no idea how good it is for me to hear that. Xo

Training update, distance PRs, and our busy season

Last month, I vowed to journal more and run more at lunchtime. Done and done! My motivation has gone up, as well as my determination. I can still improve on both fronts, but I’m getting there! Last time, I talked about the Blessing of the Fleet and looking forward to it, since I’d never run it before. Well, I will probably never run it again! Semi-kidding. The weather was brutal, I was sweating before we even started. The humidity kicked my lung’s ass – could.not.breathe for the life of me. After the race, it was a huge cluster-f, with a carnival and spectators… I was just like “Where’s my water and banana??” And, lastly, even though Greg claims he didn’t care and wanted to run with me, I felt like I was holding him back. However, on a positive note, it fit in perfectly with my training, since I had to do 10 miles that weekend anyways. And it was a great team effort – so many Rhode Runners were out there. Great seeing all those orange singlets! Also, something fantastic… hundreds of volunteers had their hoses on for a quick ‘shower’ or a drink along the entire course. If I decide to run that race again, it will probably be a last minute decision.

Training has been going VERY well! The last couple of weeks, I’ve conquered new distance PRs! 15 and 16 miles. WHOA! This past weekend I ran with Beth from the club, we did 10 miles (cutback week- woo!), and my coworker Emma joined us for the first 3 or so. Emma is training for her first ½ on the same day. Go Emma! And Beth’s marathon is on October 16. Go Beth!
This upcoming weekend, I have 18-20 on the plan. I may shoot for the big 2-0, depending on how I feel after 18. I only have one other 20 miler on the plan, and I may want to tackle a second. I know this is my first marathon, but I really need a good handle on it. So, we shall see!

The next 6+ weeks are going to fly by and my race will soon be here. Greg has been so supportive and has forfeited his fall marathon, to let me focus completely on mine. He’s the best, and when he wants to run a spring marathon, I will be his biggest supporter! We have birthday parties and cookouts, he’s going back to work and coaching next week, and the girls will be back at school full-time. To top it all off, we have a wedding THE NIGHT OF my marathon. It’s sure to be a blast and we’re looking forward to all of it. Just praying we come out upright on the other side! 

What my marathon training is lacking

​Had an ah-ha moment this morning while driving to work. In my training, the past 2 weeks have been kind of sluggish, hot and lacked motivation. I think I know why… and there are 2 reasons. To you, they may seem miniscule, but to me, they’re huge and vital to my training. 

1. Journaling – I’ve almost completely stopped journaling in the past 2 weeks. Initially, I was so good. I loved writing down everything I did, and how I felt, and so on. My Believe Journal is PERFECT for me. It has tips in there and accountability. Gotta get back into, even if I write “Didn’t run today – no guilt allowed!”
2. Runch AKA my version of running at lunch – I used to run at lunch, either alone or with my friend Megan. Even though I’d be hot and have to wash up afterwards (still working using the gym to shower), it got done. AND it got me conditioned to the hot weather. However… these days with heat advisories and ozone alerts, gives me the perfect excuse NOT to run… bad! As soon as I get home at 6 o’clock after picking up the kids, I have even less motivation to run. It’s a vicious circle.

So, here’s what I’m going to do. Start journaling again, and run at lunch again. And if one more coworkers says “Oh my God, it’s so hot out there!” they’re going to get throat punched. I am well aware at how hot it is, thankyouverymuch. Because, let’s face it, I am not getting up any earlier in the morning and the evening runs may or may not happen, so I can rely on myself there.

Tonight I have the Blessing of the Fleet, a 10 mile road race (yes, on a Friday night). The last 2 years I couldn’t run it, I was pregnant/just had Morgan then injured, respectively.

Less than 10 weeks… let’s do this!

Global Running Day!

Yesterday was Global Running Day! You know what I did? I RAN! Well, duh… what did you think I was going to say? And I was also asked if I wanted to contribute to some survey questions for a fellow Sweat Pink ambassador and blogger’s (www.jonesinforarun.com) GRD link up! She was nice enough to put together some questions… so let’s get started:

Why do you run?
I began running when my first daughter, Maddie, was about a year old. I needed exercise and running seemed like a good option. I won a free entry to a 5k, and I was hooked. Now, I run to try to stay fit, feel better about myself, I like racing, the comradery, and I guess because I kind of love it.

How do you plan to celebrate National Running Day?
With my current training program, it was actually a rest or cross training day. So, I swapped it out with a 4 miler that was planned for Tuesday. It worked out perfectly because I was traveling on Tuesday, and didn’t really have a chance to run anyways.
My work friend, Megan, ran with me for 3+ miles. Not the 4 I wanted, but it was hot, and we were under time constraints, so we cut it a little short. Thanks for sticking with me, Megan! I’m so happy to have someone that runs with me, and Megan keeps me company and is very encouraging. 🙂

How many miles have you run so far this year? Do you have a mileage goal for the year?
Good question! The unofficial number of miles is about 115, I’d say. There were a few times where I ran blind (no watch or app tracking me). The beginning of the year started off very slow, coming off of my injury. But, now things are in full swing! As far as the rest of the year? No goals in mind. I really just want to train wisely, and follow the program.

What big events do you have on the race calendar so far this year?
I have the Newport 10 Miler this coming weekend! I’m also participating in Run Disney’s Virtual Race Series (I’ve completed the first 5k, and 2 more to go). On July 29th, I have the Blessing of the Fleet 10 Miler. And lastly, the mother of all races, the DeMar Marathon on September 25th – I’m currently training for this race and this is my second attempt at marathon training and my FIRST marathon. I’ve already shared my sob stories on why I couldn’t run my first try, feel free to recap here. So, I’m trying my BEST to stay focused, and strong, and smart this time around.

Before I leave for a run, I must have:
A lot. Whoever said that running was inexpensive, lied! For me, I need to KT tape my knee, my Garmin, sometimes a hat or my Sparkly Soul headband, my Momentum wrap, and a good attitude or else, I won’t get far.

Do you track your runs? If so, what do you use?
I have a Garmin Forerunner 620 GPA watch that I LOVE. Gives me everything I need right on my wrist. My other device is the Garmin VivoFit, which tracks my steps, calories burned, etc.

Who is your favorite running partner?
My husband, Greg. Although we hardly run together, since our paces are so different (let’s be honest, I’m wicked slow), when we do run together, he is my rock. He’s so encouraging and really wants me to do well. He has so many more years of experience than I do, and he coaches high school XC and track, so he actually knows what he’s talking about, too.

What races have you run so far this year?
I’ve done a bunch of 5ks (in New England, we do not have a shortage of races, that’s for sure). I also did the WDW Half marathon in January, recap here.

If you have to give someone one piece of advice about running, what would it be?
“DO IT!” I say just do it and if you need to tweak something, or you decide that it’s not right for you, at least you can say you tried. I must have tried 3 or 4 times to run in the past, and gave up after a week or so. That’s not long enough… you have to give it at least 2 weeks to a month. You’ll get better, I promise!

Describe your relationship with running in one word.
Well, that’s a tough one… I’d say “gratifying”.

That’s all folks! Now, here’s my question for you… how did you celebrate Global Running Day?

Photos from Florida!

They’re in order, I believe. Enjoy! 🙂

In the cockpit!

So nervous around her #1, Aurora.

Dreams come true

Tram!

Monorail!

Sleeping beauty with Rapunzel's tower

Morgan with Grandma and Grandpa

Cinderella's frozen castle

Expo!

Flat Meaghan ready to go!

On your mark, get set, GO!

BLING!

Kids race - 200m dash

Immediately after 13.1 miles, I could barely move!

#motherrunner

Jacuzzi!

Chef Mickey!

Rockin' Roller Coaster

Going home

Bye bye Florida!

Recap of Disney

What an magical vacation we had! We just did the weekend in Walt Disney World for their marathon weekend! Greg and I ran the half and Madison ran the 200m dash. A little over 2 years ago, Greg and I decided that we wanted to run Disney, so we saved our money, used our timeshare points, and booked this trip last April. Greg’s mother and father immediately told us they’d like to join us, too!

We did the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. We visited Downtown Disney AKA Disney Springs, and ESPN Wide World of Sports – where the race expo was. I made reservations at Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Hotel, too. That was fun. It was a very busy weekend – not a lot of time to do and see everything but we did our best!

The race! We set our race outfits out the night before, kids had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s next door, and we went to bed. Early 3AM wake up calls come quick. We were out the door and at Epcot by 3:30AM. Thanks, Dad, for the ride! We got through security and into the waiting area. They had a DJ playing some good music, getting everyone awake and ready to run! We headed for our corrals around 4:45AM. Here’s how it was organized: wheelchair athletes went out first at 5:30AM, then waves A through P every 5 minutes. Because I’d done a half (or 2) before, I submitted my previous race time and they corralled me in the H group. However, because Greg has never run a half before, he was placed in the back, in O. We had already decided to run the whole thing together, so I lined up in the back with him. It was about 6:40AM by the time our waves got the green light and my Garmin Vivofit said we’d already walked 2 miles. Donald Duck gave us the cue and we were off!

On our way out of the gates, we could see the first set of finishers making their way back. Crazy fast! Anyways, we stopped at the first restroom stop just to get it out of the way, and then we got moving. We both felt really good. One (or two) things I will complain about is no one’s fault, but, the amount of walkers in the race was a little inconvenient for us that wanted to run. There was a lot of weaving and bobbing through the crowds of people. 25,000 people! I was a little frustrated with the groups of people walking 5-6 wide… c’mon people… race etiquette… 2 by 2! I was constantly yelling out ‘on your left’, ‘on your right’, ‘coming through’, and other terms of the like.

Fueling went well… Greg was drinking at every Powerade station like it was his life force! Hey, whatever works, right? I think the greatest part of the race was that there was NO, NONE, ZIP, NADA knee pain! I KT-taped it the night before and took some Aleve for good measure, and never felt better! I just tried staying conscious of my form and everything I was taught by my PT for all those months. Also, I massaged the heck out of my IT band for 2 days before the race – just to loosen it up.

By mile 8 I was tired. I felt like I was running in quicksand and the amount of weaving around people was getting to me, mentally. I texted a few people and told them how bad it was, and they assured me that ‘I got this’. Took some pictures of characters along the course. Did some interval run/walking (2 mile run/.5 ish mile walk). We stopped for a picture in front of Cinderella’s castle at some point. My husband was incredible. He looked so strong, not tired or weak, like me. Neither of us had trained for this race, for our different reasons. But, he just rocked it. He kept saying “You’re doing awesome, babe.” And it helped. A lot. We’re running down the homestretch, we can see the finish line, in my mind, I’m sprinting to that line, he grabs my hand and we cross the finish line, together.

My love.

We didn’t have a ton of time to celebrate… got our gorgeous medals, snacks, water, etc and started making our way to the parking lot where the rest of us were meeting up. It was awesome seeing our girls, so happy to see us. Maddie was genuinely proud of us. But, now it was her turn… so we changed our clothes quickly and made our way to ESPN for her race. She was nervous, so we (barely) ran with her. She did it and got her own medal, too! I was thrilled to run into Stacia and her kids. Abbie ran the 200m dash, as well, and seriously kicked butt! That girl is fast! Definitely takes after her mother. 🙂

We did a lot of walking and I think that helped in the recovery process. I’m feeling really good, physically, and I can only thank those who have supported me throughout my injury. Thank you. You’re the best. You know who you are and I love you!

Reflections

I’m not entirely sure what prompted these thoughts this morning, but they started out really frustrated that I had to take a day off to clean my house and to get my errands done. I’m not taking a day off to do something fun, instead I’m doing chores. And then I realized how lucky I am to have a job in the first place and that I can take a day off with pay if I needed to. Then, the spiral of thoughts began. I just want to warn you… I am no philosopher and I am quite ignorant on some subjects and that is a choice I’ve made.

Everyday is a new day. Hope many times have you heard that statement, read a similar sentence, spoken those words? Probably more times than you can remember. Me too. Have you really given it much thought? I have, maybe a 5 second thought, nothing too in-depth. Got over it pretty quickly and moved on to the next thing. However, this morning was different. I started thinking about new beginnings (weight loss, money, depression, global issues, and other things).
I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to lose weight or feel better about myself, physically. Or tried making some extra money, to pay a bill or feed my family, prevent the electric from being shut off. It’s very real – happens all the time to families/people. And you immediately think the worst, “I’m in a hole so deep I cannot get out”. Isn’t it amazing how easily those thoughts can creep into your mind? It’s unbelievable. And I’m not going to preach to you and tell you is going to get better tomorrow. Sorry. I don’t have that ability. And honestly, because it may not be better tomorrow. But, maybe the next day. Or the day after that.
All I’m saying is that sometimes things have to get worse before it can get better. I’m only speaking from personal experience. Things aren’t necessarily better for me/us, yet. But I know we’ll get there.
Life is short. So, you ate poorly today… bummer. It’s ok! Tomorrow, try a little harder (if you want to). Were you an asshole to people today? There’s still time to change that. Try being nicer tomorrow, even if it’s to just one person. That one person might be going through hell and your kind words could change their tomorrow. Think about that for a moment. I’m not going to get political, but we need to practice more peace, globally.
SPOILER ALERT!

You’re going to mess up. Days are going to be hard, real hard. They’re going to test your patience and strength. You’re going to blow off your workout and cut someone off on your commute, forget to thank the person at Dunkin Donuts, miss the phone payment, or worse. Just take it one day at a time. Our days are numbered. So, try to squeeze as much juice as you can from each day with the ones you love. They don’t care if there are dishes in the sink. They care that you’re here, all of you, mind – body – and soul.

Baby steps

As you may know, I’ve been going to physical therapy since August. Now, I’m no PT, but I think we’ve tried EVERYTHING (or just about) to strengthen my hips/glutes and for me to run without pain in my knee. I haven’t had the best of luck with this… but we’re getting there. I really think so.

At my weekly scheduled PT appointment, last week, I asked about dry needling, and if it could apply to me. I had heard about it from other runners for different treatments. So, I figured, why not ask? Kim, my PT, was glad I mentioned it… and we made an appointment right then and there for my next appointment. Dry needling (Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling) is the use of either solid filiform needles (also referred to as acupuncture needles) or hollow-core hypodermic needles for therapy of muscle pain, including pain related to myofascial pain syndrome. Dry needling is sometimes also known as intramuscular stimulation (IMS). In the treatment of trigger points for persons with myofascial pain syndrome, dry needling is an invasive procedure in which a filiform needle is inserted into the skin and muscle directly at a myofascial trigger point. A myofascial trigger point consists of multiple contraction knots, which are related to the production and maintenance of the pain cycle.
My first session was in my quad area, closer to my IT band, since that is where we think the pain is originating from. We had a few good jolts/contractions… but the biggest one was right over my knee and the spasm travelled all the way down into my big toe! It was SO COOL! (P.S. I could not stop laughing… apparently, these needles send some kind of paracentral reaction to your nervous system. Some people cry, scream, vomit… I laugh.) So, anyways, it wasn’t a bad thing that that particular muscle jolted like that, it just gave us an idea that it may not just be my IT band. Last night I did some more dry needling, this time in my glutes/hips area. We got some little spasms, nothing huge. Afterwards, we did more strengthening exercises.

On Monday night, I used KT tape on my knee and ran a couple miles with no pain!!! We’re going in the right direction!

See the face?

Lastly, I’m doing a couple challenges on Instagram (@runaroundmommy).  The first one is a #planksgiving challenge. Every day is new plank, hold for one minute! Follow @beyondfitmoms to check that out. And the second one is with @fitapproach- my newest ambassadorship! It’s the Holiday Sweat Challenge and it runs from November 8 through January 2. I urge you to look those up and join us!

Oh, hey…

It’s been a really long time. Things have been pretty steady – mostly just going to my weekly PT appointments and taking it easy. On the first of this month, I posted a photo on my Instagram, stated that I was going to make October awesome. Thus far, I have not disappointed (myself)!

1. I SOLD MY HOUSE! Freakin’ finally sold my house. Only took 14+ months. It truly is a bittersweet transaction, though. This was Greg and my first home. We bought it right before our wedding and went home to it as husband and wife. We started a family there and took our daughter Madison home from the hospital there. Morgan was born a few weeks after we moved.
We did a lot of work in the house, including a new heating system, completed the upstairs, took down a big-ass tree in the backyard and painted and then painted again (SO.MUCH.PAINT). We took a loss on everything, but we sold it to a younger couple and we hope they love it as much as we did. I’m going to miss my little house.
Final note: If you need a realtor, you need to call Crystal D’Agostino – she is AMAZING and will fight for you and do everything she can to get you exactly what you want/need.

2. I have not one, but TWO new amazing companies I am an ambassador for! I can now add Momentum Jewelry and Fit Approach to the list with FitFluential! I thank these companies for the opportunity to represent them and their outstanding image and message. I cannot wait to get started!!

3. Sparkly Soul has been so good to me this morning! I have won 3 of their contest and received 3 headbands for free! In all seriousness, if you haven’t checked them out – DO IT! They are a great alternative to the everyday headbands you would wear casually, if you’re working out, etc. I like to wear them when I run because they stay put and they don’t give me a headache (two-fer!). Plus, they have so many options; you are guaranteed to find something for you. Thank you Sparkly Soul!! You’re awesome!

4. Ran my first 5k since my injury in July! Not going to lie, after running downhill, around the 2-2.5 mile mark, my knee really bothered me (like it used to) and it slowed me down. Actually stopped to walk and stretch it twice. HOWEVER, I did it and even though some parts felt bad, it felt GOOD to get out and race again. My official time was 36:55 – and I’m very happy with it. It was the Monster Dash and costumes are encouraged, so I whipped up a bunny costume! One of my best girlfriends, Renee, also ran and did FANTASTIC! This was her first race! I think (and hope) she’s hooked!

5. I FOUND MY GARMIN! If you were not aware, I had ‘lost’ my Garmin. One day, it just disappeared. I checked high and low and in between every room in my house. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that someone threw it away. NOPE! I was standing at my kitchen counter and looking at a basket full of ‘stuff’ (you know, that basket or drawer in your house full of miscellaneous mail, birthday candles, chip clips, etc – admit it, you have one)and noticed my eye glasses case… picked it up and noted its weight… it was kind of ‘heavy’. It was heavy because my Garmin was in there! HALLELUJAH!

6. Cassie ran her marathon!!! So incredible! She was so strong and I was thrilled to be there for her every step of the way! Cassie, I am so proud of you! You amaze me. One day, we’ll do the 26.2 together. I promise!

Read Cassie’s recap here! (Side note: this one was race I was also training for… as sad as I was to not cross that finish line, it was not my time. It was Cassie’s… and she KILLED IT!)

7. My baby turned 4. Holy Toledo! FOUR?! That cannot be right! Well, it is. Madison wanted a Halloween birthday party, so all of her friends came dressed up. They all looked adorable. She was spoiled, like always! Thank you to everyone that wished her a happy birthday!

8. My husband, Greg and I celebrated 5 years of wedded bliss. After 11 years with him, he is still my best friend, more than ever, and I continue to look forward to every day with him. He puts up with me – and it takes someone very special to do that. Love you, babe.

9. My Jamberry biz has been kind of slow but, I am excited to order the holiday wraps soon! EEK! I will have a table set up at St. Teresa’s church bazaar on Nov 13 and 14! Come check it out!

10. 70 more days until the happiest place on earth!

11. Here’s Morgan, just because. 🙂

I think that’s enough goodness for one entry! I’ll be posting more frequently! ❤