One Year Later...

Ahhh...the infamous yearly Vegas trip. Two years ago it was booked and I was ready to go only to find out I was pregnant 1.5 weeks before! Last year, I went sleep deprived and just weaned from breast feeding to find a bit of solitude and sanity....which lead me to a 3:26 PR.This year, I did not think I would be able to pull it off with all the travels, racing and work that had accumulated. But, low and behold, I had a project come up that would coincide perfectly with the Rock n Roll Las Vegas marathon. So I signed up...I mean, who wouldn’t want to run the strip at night??

I have had a wonderful year....well, let me rephrase that, an “Unbelievable” year of racing, travelling and accomplishment following having Emma. I have done more in a year after having a baby than I have ever done, single, married, or young and stupid. It blows my mind, but builds so much confidence!

A lot of people attribute the “post-baby athletic success” to something physiological like larger blood flow and oxygen delivery etc... I care to disagree. I attribute it to learning how to be tough as nails. Firstly, you deliver a baby, which is harder than anything...EVER! Then you take care of it, which is harder than anything...EVER x 100! You learn that 3 hours of sleep will do, and you learn how to multitask and you learn to LOVE your spouse more than anything because they take care of the baby so you can have some time to run and shower!

Before I even begin describing my Vegas experience, NONE of it would have been possible without my wonderful husband who has been there since day one. Feeding Emma a bottle while I pumped milk...taking night shift turns and making sure I got out of the house and...at the end of this year, doing water support and motivational support for my last long run leading up to Vegas while the wind was howling and we would have rather been in bed!

It takes a family unit to do what I did this year, so as I write this race report, I want you to keep in mind that this is not about me, it is about a fortunate woman who has an amazing husband and absolutely adorable, good natured and way too overactive baby who support me.

Ok, on to the race. Firstly, Vegas was more of a business trip and the first 2 days were spent working the expo as i am a part of the Brooks ID program. So, I volunteered Friday and Saturday for Brooks. WOW! The number of people at the expo was incomprehensible. I did not realize that we were dealing with a +40,000 field until I got to the expo and then to experience that number of people was crazy! Needless to say I was a bit worn out from the expo at the end of the day.

I have run Chicago a few times which has over a 40,000 and I knew what a race like that has to look like that for a smooth execution and I already anticipated some of the issues that would come up on Sunday when the race was run at night. Firstly, you had to get to the race start EARLY! and secondly, something I could not control but could brace myself for is the merging of the marathon onto the half marathon course.

To summarise the marathon course, it pretty much starts at Mandalay Bay and zig-zags around a western industrial neighborhood for 13 miles before feeding you back onto the Las Vegas strip for the last half of the marathon. The marathon starts at 4 and the half starts at 5:30...I braced myself for utter chaos merging onto a massive crowd of runners....but, rather than worry about what I could not control, I did what I could and got to the race 2 hours early.

Arriving at the race, it was pretty calm. The marathon field was only a small fraction of the half marathon field. I mean, only the crazies want to run an extra 13 miles off the strip, right???:) So I hung out, got my tunes on and then found bag check which was a good 10 minute walk from the race start through the hotel (note: Vegas hotels are like mini-cities). I decided upon shorts and a long sleeve as we would be running when the sun went down and temperatures were going to be around 34 ish...cold! The wind was picking up and I was dreading waiting in my corral, but at 3:40 I made my way into the box and put on a pair of sweatpants that were abandoned on the side of the corral gates...yes, I am white trash to the core, I don’t mind wearing other peoples clothes that have been left behind.

It was time to eat my last gel and wait for the start. There was a nervous energy but absolute excitement as the area had filled with the ½ marathoners waiting to start and the air was buzzing with anticipation.The start was anti-climatic. A little gun went off and we were off.....

A little more background information. It has been years since I have ran a stand-alone marathon fit and not injured. My PR was actually the year before 4 months after having a baby, so I had a bunch of uncharted territory to navigate as I was actually fit and ready to run this marathon. I had asked a trusted source before heading out what pace I should go for and the agreed upon answer was “GO FOR IT”...and attempt the more aggressive pace. That pace was 3:10.

I started with the 3:10 group.Immediately I got into a groove and was feeling strong, nothing outside of my comfort zone. I pretty much hop scotched with the 3:10 group as I don’t like my pace to be dictated by a pacer, but how I feel. I usually can dial in my pace to the tee within 2 miles and I try to stick with it. 3 women around me we jockeying for positions and putting on surges, but I held back. In my opinion, the key to a successful marathon is to refrain oneself from pushing the first half marathon. The real test is the last half ...so I let the ladies go and kept groovin to “Move’s Like Jagger!” (thank you Diana!)

I wish I had some exciting details to tell you about the first 5 miles, but it was pretty mundane. It actually felt like a nice training run and the oxygen at sea level was heaven! If anything I get the “boredom” lows during the first half of a marathon because I know you have to keep it easy and control, yet you want to go! yet...having so many blow up experiences I knew better.

The exciting part was watching the sun set and running into darkness. It was kind of surreal and I was so looking forward to that experience of merging onto the strip with 40,000 other runners.The first quarter of the marathon includes some overpasses and lots of gradual incline. I was happy to get it over with and knowing my strength on the uphills I was able to keep with my group while staying comfortable.

At mile 9 you turn and head East back to the strip which is a gradual downhill and I decided to take advantage of it. I knew i wanted to bank some time if I was to stay with the 3:10 group through the second half. Once again, I apologise for this absolutely boring race report thus far, because that is what is was for me for the first half of the marathon...in control, comfortable and just...running.

I started getting really excited around mile 11. I has just taken my first gel and my stomach was feeling ok. With the race being at night and not having nailed any nutritional regime etc....I knew stomach upset would most likely be an issue. Hence, I did take an immodium before the race. So far, so good. I had the 2 overpasses to cover and then it was time to start the party.....

THE SECOND HALF

This is where the fun begins. I was having an absolute fantastic time , hitting my time goals and feeling comfortable. Half a mile out from the strip I turned my IPOD off and you could hear it. The crowds were amazing. It was if it were a bunch of bees buzzing....and it just intensified the closer you got the the strip.

Finally I hit 13 miles and then started the turn. The crowds were roaring!! I mean roaring!! it felt like the road was shaking as I merged. There were so many spectators I didn’t even see the ½ marathoners until I got around the curve and the pedestrian barricades had absolved into no where and I was in a see of dressed up, costume, and crazy runners!! All of a sudden there was a biker right beside me and I was like “ is this how they are separating the fields” and then I saw a few neon pylons marking “marathon left” and “half marathon right”....It was not working. Anyhow, the biker stayed with me for about a quarter mile until he/she could not get through the crowds anymore. What I learned in hind site is that was my first “pace biker” as I was in the top ten....I had NO idea!

So, I kept running. To be honest, the merge onto the course was great but then it became a royal pain in the butt to navigate through the crowds, but I did not let it deter me. I just kept trying to be consistent which meant running on curbs, nicely tapping those on the shoulder in front of me and asking them to move over. There were some irate marathoners who were screaming nasty things, but I really had not patience for that. We were fortunate to have this experience and the health to do it...does a minute or two on a marathon really mean that much!! A marathoner actually started yelling at me because he thought I was a half marathoner and when he realized I was not he apologised and was complaining about how the half marathoners were “wrecking his race” I felt sorry for him...it is just a run and when the crowds thinned out, you had the opportunity to see the lights and experience something for the first time (the first time this race has been held at night!).

Mile 13-17 was all about making sure that I did not run into anyone or trip/fall. It went by very quickly…but I knew I was fading at mile 16 so I took my last gel, knowing it would be not enough to finish. I know myself well enough to know that when my demeanor gets cranky it is time to eat, and I was getting cranky. The dilemma was if I have my gel now, what do I do for the next 10 miles??? But, I couldn’t worry about it; I needed sugar and energy at that moment, so I took it. I was running in the moment and loving it!

…until mile 18-19…my stomach turned. The Imodium had worn off and I needed a bathroom ASAP!! I could not believe the race of my life was going to be derailed for a potty-break!! I knew an aid station was ahead so I did the best I could to get ready. Got the Imodium out of my pocket (I ALWAYS carry it as I have the worst poop problems while racing long distance) grabbed two cups of water and darted into the nearest porta potty to do my business while chugging water and taking the magic pill. I knew I lost a few minutes, but I had to do “damage control” if I was to finish strong. I left the toilet and ran like a bat outta hell as I wanted so much to make up some time I had lost…

Then my stomach turned again and this almost derailed my whole race. I actually saw things falling apart. “What happens if I have to stop at every toilet?”…”How much more time am I going to lose?” …”What if my stomach does not settle?”…and most importantly, “Where am I going to go poop now??”!!Well, we were on the North side of the strip in a shady neighborhood and I brought out my white-trash side of me and pulled behind a bush in a parking lot……yes, I did that! Sshhhhh…don’t tell anyone:)

I was dreading having a horrible 6 miles back to the finish, but I kept focused and after I had done my business I took off in a hurry trying to make up time without pushing the envelope too much that I would not make it to the finish strong. We made a few twists and turns/corners and running around the block and my stomach was doing fine…and then…mile 20!!!

I think of mile 20 as the golden point of a marathon. This is just my personal opinion, but this is where you really find out what you are made of…mentally that is. Physically, everyone has trained the same and should be fit enough to complete the marathon, but it is what everyone does when they encounter that uncharted territory that matters the most when wanting to finish strong. So, it was “GO” time for me. I had braced and prepared myself for this. A lot of people fear that moment when the going gets tough, but I thrive off of it. It is sadistic, I know. But, I need to know for myself, as if a metaphor for life, that I have “what it takes.” When things get tough, I push harder…and this is how it turned out for me:

Mile 20-21: So pissed from the bathroom breaks I didn’t even focus on the distance, I just hammered away. I broke it down to a 10 km race for me, keep it steady and controlled …but push the envelope. The key in a marathon you WILL slow down the last 6 miles and the way to avoid it is to push harder; the effort will offset the inevitable slow down. So, I pushed. I was not getting faster, but I was not getting slower…I was staying consistent and entering a whole other world of hurt…

Mile 21-22: GU station!! Thankfully I was not bonking but I was not hungry and wanted nothing. The solution? Take 2 gels!! If you throw up or burp up some, you still have enough to finish. Knowing that my whole GI system was F*cked up I was taking chances; it was time to walk out of the comfort zone and gamble in Vegas! I did not want water, so I just took enough to get that God awful stuff down my throat. I could see the Stratosphere and focused on that. I was also in a complete haze….stomach was turning and I was determined not to stop. I kept focused on the time and staying consistent in my turnover. It was boring…..no soul searching here…just pretty lights. The course had thinned out and I was running comfortably without congestion on the course.

Mile 22-23: This is where we get into the nitty gritty. It felt like knives were digging into my lungs and I had anticipated this. 2.5 weeks before I developed pleurisy from an infection. My doctor and I had discussed it and the way to treat it was anti-inflammatory. I am really against anti-infamms because they cause stomach upset and also because I feel that pain is a natural indicator as to what you should or should not be doing. So we agreed that pain would be my limiter as this condition will resolve itself over time. So, I did what I prepared myself to do…I told myself “hang on…and take it…suck it up buttercup…this will be over before you know it”… in hindsight, I think this is something you learn during child birth. Pain that will not go away till it is over and you can’t stop it, so you deal with it. I did have an epidural (Thank God!) but I did experience enough of labor to know that a marathon is nothing compared to it.

Mile 23-24: Mile 23 was the turning point. This is where I took out my “bag of tricks.” Maybe it is experience or just the emotional side of me, but I know when things get tough, I need to remember why it is what I am doing and have some things to focus on. I asked my runners before this marathon to send me some songs and anecdotes that would get me through this tough time….I also have my own “dig deep” strategy, and all of that combined got me through the final 3 miles…I thought of a lady that just lost a battle with cancer; the one my runner emailed me about and I could not even begin to imagine experiencing such pain and ignored my own. It was temporary. Knees up, such it up buttercup… I was at mile 24….and I finally began to enjoy the lights on the stip…

Mile 24-25 Pardon my French, but “Game on B*tches!!” … I looked at my watch and saw Mandalay Bay. It was if I snapped out of a haze and came to my senses. “Down with the Sickness” roared in my Shuffle and I was nearing the end. I think it was a combination of endorphins, nearing the end and actually taking in the journey that got me on this high. I knew I was in for an amazing run for me…but how much?? I mean, how much could I push?? A lot of people do not realize that the finish time is not that important to me as making sure I never look back and say I could do more….So, I pushed, I pushed and I pushed. I got that heart rate up and with the fatigue I was pushing that envelope. I wanted it….I wanted to know that I was going to finish without ever succumbing to any mental demons and I was making the most of everything that was in my control…. And I saw mile 25… and it burned…

Mile 25-26 this is where my mind out did my body and it is the most surreal experience ever. My mind was ready but my body was not. I have had this experience before, actually in many Ironman’s , where the heart rate soars so high with the effort you want to supply so that if you want to finish you have to keep it in control and dial back or stop pushing. Thankfully, I have had enough experience to recognize this, and with the lungs and spent body, I hung on for dear life and kept up what I could. In hindsight, you could say I hit the wall at mile 25…..But, then an amazing thing happened….they separated the course. Marathoners took the left lane on the strip and marathoners to the right. I could hear the finish and see the parking lot…so close…And…I was alone…absolutely alone. There was a man 200 meters ahead of me on the road and then just me. Then I looked to my right and saw swarms of people on the half marathon course finishing. This is the first time I actually realized that I had done really well. I was running on a full street by myself.. And then I turned the corner into the Mandalay parking lot where I had. 2 miles to go

26 to 26.2- I could write a novel about what I felt during those last .2 miles, none of which have to do with the fatigue. It is a journey and some things need to be left personal. But, what I will tell you is that those last .2 miles I knew I had finally NAILED a marathon. I had executed what I wanted to do. Not a moment of weakness was allowed to creep into my head and when it did, and when things were out of my control, I took care of it and kept going….

This has been an amazing experience and it is something I have not done by myself. My family, athletes and friends have been such a support to me and I learned and leaned on each one of them, whether they know it or not.I would love to tell you about the aftermath, but that is a story in itself….

Let’s just say that after a 2.5 mile hike back to the hotel and a bag of potato chips on the way, I stopped into Margaretville where I got a “Boat Sized” Pina Colada in which the bartender did not measure by standard (many other patrons at the bar where cheering him on as he was pouring the white-trash marathon runner a drink!) and I am sure there was WAY too much Rum for me to handle on a normal night. Needless to say, I took it up to the hotel room, had a shower and sat like a pig-in-Sh*t drinking it and savoring the accomplishment.

This one is in the books!!