State #18! Yes!Women's Half Marathon Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Yes! I finished #18!

And I placed 1st for my age group!

This makes 14 out of 18 that I placed 1, 2 or 3 in my age group!

This wasn't an easy race. It's not that it was hilly, or challenging like without oxygen, i.e., Park City, Utah. It's because it was 38*F (3.333*C) and rainy.

Let's get this race started, I'm freeeezing!

Standing on the race line, I met the cutest young girl, Summer! Hey girl, I told you I'd give you a shout out! Congratulations on finishing the Baton Rouge, Louisisna Half! 

Overall, 

I don't think the race had as good a turn out as expected. The "Finish Fest" was pretty much a wash out due to the downpour. I think because of all the rain and cold, I really don't remember much of the race.

I did run it a little differently.

This time, I really took the notion of pack running seriously. 

I ran steadily for the first few miles. And tried to hold a 7:40min pace. I picked one person out in front of me, and tried to catch her. When I caught her, I hung with her for a little bit, and then focussed on another person in front of her. I did this about four times. The person in the yellow jacket standing behind me in the above picture was one of those people. I met her at the end of the race - I think her name is Kristen. I told her how inspiring she was and how I tried to hang with her the whole race.

There were also a few younger runners. 

One was being paced by their coach, male friend or boyfriend. IDK.

How do you feel when you're running in a women's race and a guy is pacing someone?

I didn't mind, but I think there is definitely an advantage. I gotta try that some time ... I think. IDK, what do you think? Do you feel it's like sort of cheating? Either way, they were helpful because about mile 5, my watch died! Ech! Don't you hate when your Garmin just flat out leaves you hanging? This is my 3rd Garmin - I am always returning my watches and they are always sending me back refurbished CRAP!

Does anyone recommend a better watch or a better system?

I'll try anything ...

So as this young "pacer pack" passed me, I asked them about how fast they were going. The young girl told me she was trying to maintain a 7:35 min/mile pace. I thought, "That would be my ultimate goal pace for this race" Since I was really trying for 7:40, I figured if I could hang with them, I would meet my goal, and finish with a 1-hour 40-minute overall time. As you can see, I was close - but oh that extra 1-minute. They took off about mile 11 - and although I thought I was running fast, some guy passed me (I know, another guy - weird, right?) and I asked him how fast he was going - he told me about 7:45. So, I guess I lost some speed at the end - even though I was still passing people. One woman, I think she said her name was Tammy, passed me at this point. I yelled out to her, "You go girl, finish strong." The woman (Kristen) with the yellow jacket was still in front of me, and I still wanted to catch her. I kept repeating to myself, "Push. Go faster. C'mon faster. Faster. I even was spelling in my head:

F-A-S-T-E-R!

You can take the girl out of her High School Cheerleading uniform, but you can never take the Cheerleader out of the girl! Yes, I am Cheerleader turned runner - and the two bizarrely become one during races - and at my lowest points in life! 

So, as I was repeating FASTER, and spelling F-A-S-T-E-R, I passed both, Kristen and Tammy.

You ladies rocked it! You were my Garmin watch, my pacemakers, my Ideal pack leaders. You are the reason I pushed and kept going strong! Thank you! And thank you to Jenna. After the race, Jenna came up to me to thank me for setting a pace that she was striving to keep, as well.

Thank you, Ladies!

I hope I am getting everyone's name right. I'm really glucose negative after a race, and my brain is very slow. I was freezing cold, too, and wondering where Side-kick was. After about 5 minutes of looking, Side-kick came with tons of stories about military boats and memorials that he visited along the Mississippi River. I thought it was nice, but couldn't focus. I needed to take a hot shower! Of course we didn't leave before sharing a celebratory beer...

Purple Haze, brewed in Louisiana
A perfect way to celebrate finishing state #18

After that hot shower, Side kick and I ran back to the tents - dodging rain drops as best as possible. The volunteers were starting to pack up. They must have been freezing cold. Someone printed out a ticket - and told me I took 1st AG 45-49! And another person gave me a martini glass, etched with a generic "Women's Half Marathon". It's adorable, but I wish it had something etched in there about Baton Rouge.

LOL! You can see the rainwater in the glass!

Next stop: ACME Oyster House, French Quarter New Orleans!

RD Notes: Oysters are one of the few foods with vitamin D, and vitamin D is great for muscle soreness and recovery!

Plus Oysters are super yummy!

Of course on the way to New Orleans Side-kick was freakin' out knowing that we were passing the same stadium that Drew Brees was going to be playing at in a few hours ....

Go Saints!

The ACME Oyster House is great fun. They sit you at long tables, so you're eating with total strangers. But there are no strangers here - everyone was super friendly - and most everyone had on a #9 Saints Jersey. And why not, wasn't Drew Brees just named NFL's FedEx Player of the week for the 4th time this season?

What a great guy!

State #18, cold, rainy, but still lots of fun!

The worst part was that I missed taking pictures of my son and his date at the Winter Candy Cane Dance. I'm sorry I missed you before the dance mini-man!

My little Clark Kent! <3

So beautiful!
LOL, I don't think he missed me!

Train Smart Today!

Prairie Fire Half Marathon: Wichita, Kansas, State #17!

State #17: Kansas

There are no direct flights from Newark, NJ to Wichita, Kansas. So, Side-kick and I flew into Dallas/Ft. Worth, and then on to Wichita, Kansas. I wanted to run in Kansas in honor of my daughter's performance as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz this past year.

There's no place like home!

Girlfriend is at college in Boston, and couldn't come, but she really wanted to. On the other hand, Mini-man wanted to be "mature" and stay home by himself. He proved he could do it - my home wasn't trashed by drunken teenagers! So proud, Dude!

Anyway, after we landed in Kansas, we made our way to the baggage claim. I usually always check my bag. I think it's ridiculous how people try to jam their luggage in the overhead compartments. I think it's even more ridiculous how panicky and bent out of shape they get when the stewardess says, "I'm sorry, we are going to have to check that below."

On the way to baggage claim area, 

we noticed this 9/11 tribute:

We Will Never Forget! 

The eagle is spreading its wings above one of the steel beams form the WTC

I got very choked up. I took some photos and texted them to my kids, saying, "See, I was meant to do this! To run a half in every state!" This goal is so very important to me. It's my way of saying that they didn't crush us. They killed my husband, but they cannot and will not keep his family down - not in New Jersey, New York, or any of the other 48 states!

It is also my way of saying that Crohn's disease will not keep from running

 ...just make sure I get to the Port-O-John (STAT) at the end of the race!

After picking up our bags, and getting the rental car, we checked into the Wichita Hyatt Hotel, and picked up the packet. The race was set up right outside the Hyatt ...talk about convenient! The race goodies were "eh", although the knapsack bag was nice. We walked around town, and had dinner at the River City Brewing Company. Great beer list! Wichita has some very beautiful sculptures, statues, and water features around town. The paved pathways made it easy and fun to explore the town.

Sidekick along-side the Arkansas River
More sculptures in the background

Lots of water features

I was a tiny bit nervous before the race. See, I just finished my RD Med-Surg rotation at a local hospital, and hardly got any sleep the week before the race. I slept 2 hours from Sunday to Monday, 0 hours from Monday to Tuesday, gave my lecture on neutropenic colitis, secondary to chemotherapy, secondary to endometrial cancer, slept 4 hours from Tuesday to Wednesday, and only two hours from Wednesday to Thursday - only to repeated that from Thursday to Friday. I was exhausted! I still am!

On race day thousands of runners lined up to run either a half or full marathon. On the way to the race, the announcer shouted, "Okay runners, make your way to the finish line." I was walking next to a small woman - she looked a little older than me, but was much smaller - this is pretty hard to beat, since I am only 5'2.5" and like 105 lbs. Anyway, we looked at each other and started to laugh, "Finish line," she said, "He must be confused." She had a little accent - Indian/British sort of. I laughed and said that maybe he just didn't wake up yet - quite like myself! We laughed, and lined up (at the start). Someone sang the Star Spangled Banner, and we were off.

The weather was great - about 55 degrees F, with a clear skies. I ran the race in 1hour and 41minutes. It was the fastest I've run since last year. I have to say, finally the TP Therapy foam rolling, TPTherapy Total Body workouts, and exercises from Dr. Metzl have paid off. I've really felt a lot stronger, and faster lately, in spite of the lack of sleep. Of course, it didn't hurt that this 13.1 was a fast, flat course. Nonetheless, I finished 2nd in my age group, making this the 11th, out of the 17 states that I've come in 1, 2, or 3 in my age group.

2nd in 45-49 yo females

In comparison, this was one of the most well-run races. The most impressive thing about this race was that there were over 1,000 volunteers. The best part of this was that for about ten miles, I ran next this young man, who kept thanking all the volunteers we passed along the way. He was cracking me up. I kept telling him he was the most polite person I've ever met!

When I finished, the announcer announced my name, and stated that I was from NJ. Just then, out of nowhere, a guy came running up to me, "Did they say you are from NJ? OMG. I grew up in NJ!"

What's that expression? 

Six degrees of separation?

Well, it gets weirder. 

On the flight back to NJ, we flew from Wichita to Houston to Newark. Boarding the flight to Houston, I see the woman that I was walking next to when the announcer told us to line up at the finish line. I smiled to her, but it looked like she didn't recognize me. When we landed in Houston, Side-kick and I jumped on the air tram to the next terminal. There was that woman, again - on the air tram. I asked her if she remembered me from the race - she did. She asked me where I lived - I told her NJ. She started to laugh. She said, "Me too!" At the same time, we asked each other, "Why were you running a race in Wichita?" She told me that she was trying to run a marathon in every state, and that Kansas was her 48th state! Wow! I was so impressed. I told her that I was trying to run a 1/2 in every state, and humbly proceeded to say, "This was only state #17!"

She was incredible.

She had lots of fun state racing stories, 

and some great running advice.  

What are the odds?

Talk about six degrees of separation!

Train Smart Today!

Park City Half Marathon, Utah

What a great week! Hectic, but great!

Utah is absolutely spectacular!

Such a fun state!

Good Morning!

We flew into Salt Lake City & had lunch at Red Rock BrewPub! Utah has some odd drinking laws. All tap beers are 4%. Even a Belgian White Ale (my favorite beer) has only 4% alcohol!

Interesting fact: The Great Salt Lake is 10 X saltier than the ocean!

We took a short tour of some major sights in the city. Wow. Lots of churches!

Random Shot

Next, we were off to southeast Utah: Moab!

Moab is a blast! We went horseback riding ...

Mini-man, Girlfriend, and me!

Drove ATV's in the desert ...

Wooohooo!

Ooops!

Thankfully the guys at Moab Tour Company were pretty cool about everything!

Of course Sidekick rode a dirt bike!

Okay, we found Uranium Arch, but how do we get back?

Utah has some beautiful National Parks. We visited two: Arches and Canyonlands!

Climbing up Balanced Rock @ Arches!

The arches were amazing!

And Canyonlands was incredible!

Now you know how I got grey!

Mmmhmmm!

I was scaling back all week, but I ran three days out in Moab. There ain't nothing but road there.

It just goes on & on!

There's no need for MapMyRun. In New Jersey, I haft-a use MapMyRun to try to plan my runs along the most quiet residential streets because cars will literally pass right next to you (I think some people like to play chicken with the runners). You can imagine how surprised I was when people waved and drove into the other lane when they passed by (around those mountain curves, I went with the flow of traffic. I was scared not to know what was around the bend).

People Waved!

Next stop: 

Park City, Utah. 

Side-kick is a huge skier, so he's been to Park City before. By the time we got there, the Friday before my race, we were already exhausted. We tooled around the city. What a great little town. The galleries and handcrafted art and furniture reminded me a lot of  Vermont.

We had pasta at Grappa - so I could carb load.

When we were finishing dinner, we saw George Lucas, the director of Star Wars! 

We were all pretty star struck! 

It was a good distraction' cause after dinner, I got a little nervous about the half. I kept thinking, 'I only live a couple of hundred feet above sea level, how am I gonna climb to 7,000 feet? There was one point in the day, before packet pick-up, that I actually started to cry, wondering how I would complete the run. My goal has been to come in the top 10 in my age group for these halves - and so far, I have in all but three. I often think I should run them again. There was no way that I was going to want to run at 7,000 feet again! Sidekick, and my two kids were cheering me on.

You can do this, Mommy!

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this!

When we drove to get the packet, everyone was really nice. I got a great big Lululemon bag. It's nice and sturdy! When I came out, Sidekick said, "You have nothing to worry about. I think someone is trying to send you a message."

Mustang with three 3's

Now if you know me, you know I kept my late husband's car, the 35th Edition Mustang Convertible. I call her RADRLUV. I learned how to drive her after 9/11 - I was determined! And if you know my story, you know that John used to call me up from the 104th floor of the World Trade Center to rush out these words, before he'd hang up and get back to that insane job:

"It's 3:33. I love you, I love you, I love you! I gotta go. Talk to ya' later!"

There we were, after packet pick up in a parking lot full of Mustangs. All different kinds. And then there was the one with the three 3's! Wow! A sort of calm came over me and I heard in my head,

"You got nothing to worry about. You're gonna do just fine" 

And for the rest of the day, every time I got nervous, I just repeated,

"You got nothing to worry about. You're gonna do just fine." 

The race started on Saturday morning, a bit late, around 8am, on a beautiful day about 60*F.

I'm somewhere in there!

Looked a lot different during the race, with runners &
little children handing out water & PowerAid

Without the humidity, I climbed, a steady 1% for the first seven miles - all the way up to 7,000 feet. I felt myself trying to catch my breath and suck in as much air as possible. We ran passed this barn, and kept climbing up steadily. I heard strange huffs & puffs from my mouth, like my suffering had a voice of its own. I was feeling it. After the turn around, when we started to come back down, my legs felt like rubber. Worse than I've ever even felt on the track. I felt like my legs had a mind of their own, and they were just flailing out from my hips. I kept thinking "Core, Core, Core. Stabilize your core" I didn't want to go home with a hamstring or knee injury - or another tendon injury!" Thanks to Kat at Sneakers and Fingerpaint's and her August Core Focus Challenge, my core felt strong.

And, I just kept running ....

The best part? 

Seeing my family at the end cheering me on! 

It's great to hear your kids shout, "Go, Mommyyyyyy. Gooooo!"

Mini-man, me & Girlfriend!

And it's great to fall into your best friend's arms,
and hear him say,
"I'm so proud of you!"

Side-Kick & Me!

So PC was not my fastest half (duh!), but I did manage to place in the top 10 in my age group, 5 minutes off of third, taking #8!

But this trip & race ranks up there as one of the best!

If I didn't train so hard leading up to this race, and I didn't watch what I ate, making sure I ate enough lean protein, healthy fats, whole grains & a variety of fruits & veggies (which is really hard to do on vacation), I doubt I would have done as good as I did.

Cheers to half #17, and my 16th state!

Train Smart Today!

Shipyard Old Port Half Marathon

State #15: Maine!

The trip to Maine was lots of fun. On Friday, we stopped off in Boston to pick up Mini-Man from his seven-day Carl Adams Wrestling Camp at Boston University. Mini's was hungry, so we took him for a bite to eat once we got settled into the hotel, The Seaport Inn.

Mini-Man @ Whiskey Priest, Boston

I was surprised at how windy and cold it was. I was hopeful that Sunday's race was going to be cooler than the Jalapeño Half. On Saturday, Girlfriend and her boyfriend met us in Boston. We tooled around town for a bit, and then headed up to Maine. On the way, we stopped at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Portsmouth, NH is so charming!

Of course, we stopped into the Smuttynose BrewPub.

I unlocked a badge in the Untapped App.

I'm a certified Brew Traveler!

I only had one. Maybe I should have asked Side-Kick to stop here on the way back from the race. He had the Purple Haze, and if I weren't racing, I could have enjoyed that one, too! Too bad they couldn't give it to us in a growler to go! But, they did give us some coasters! Our waitress, Corinne, was so sweet!

Make mine a Smutty!

Next stop: Maine

When we got to Maine, we checked into the hotel, and went down by the water, where the race was going to be held. I've never been to this part of Maine before. It was so beautiful.

Portland, Maine

So Beautiful!

Wow! How fortunate was I? I was going to be able to run along this beautiful coastline! It was still cool, too. I was really hopeful that I'd be running in 60*F temps in the morning.

Of course, it was lobster and pasta for dinner ...and a night full of restless sleep. I woke up constantly between 3am to 5:30am - in fear that my iPhone alarm would malfunction and not wake me up for the race! Ech!

At 5:40am, I decided to get up, and dress for the race. Side-Kick and I ventured off, first with him questioning if my straw pocketbook was the only bag I brought, and why I forgot the cool sport knapsack? I reminded him that he's such a great supporter to all my goals, that I love him dearly, and besides the straw bag really didn't clash with his Sperry's! (Thanks, for carrying my bag, baby! I love you!).

It was a bit warmer than the day before, and there were no clouds in the sky. If I were going swimming, I would have been psyched. But, I was going to run 13.1 miles! I was really nervous. I didn't want to feel like I did when I ran the Jalapeño Half! Fortunately, this race was amazingly well-run, and there were lots of water stations.

We started about 7:30-ish. They had us start according to our anticipated pace time. Even though I sulked, having to pass the 7:30'mile pace, I was happy that the race organizers started the race like this. It makes sense ...as long as everyone is honest about their pace.

When I took my place in line, everyone was talking about the hills. There was one about 2.5miles in, and then one that started about mile 5 and didn't finish until mile 6! Oh, boy, I thought ...There goes my time. With the tendinosis, and the proximal hamstring strain, I have such a hard time powering up hills. I was just going to have to do the best I could.

There were 3,000 people running this half. I found out it's the 3rd year for this race, and really gaining in popularity! To film the start, the organizers operated a remote control helicopter with a camera. I never saw anything like that, before. It was adorable!

The 1st mile it was tight, but it helped me start with good pace. It was already hot - about 70/75*F - and I knew I would be in trouble if I pushed - especially with the hills. I took it easy. I'm glad I did 'cause the friends I made at the start, weren't kidding. The first hill, was about 2.5miles in. It wasn't long, but it was really steep: We climbed 120 feet. I was gasping for air at the top.

After that hill, I held onto an 8min mile pace for the next 6 miles, but after the hill at mile 5 that climbed 92 feet up to mile 6, I lost speed, and sunk into an 8:30'/mile pace. One thing I didn't expect was the sandy road that circled around Back Cove.

Shipyard Old Port Course

I'm not used to running on anything, but blacktop - anything else, makes me run very cautiously - I don't want to turn my ankle, and I don't see that changes on the road (too many eye operations - I can't see the little divots). By mile 8, I had enough of the sandy road. I felt like I was dragging. I don't usually eat Gu on my training runs - but I stuck one in my shorts for this race. I ate it slowly, through to mile 9. I read that you should eat them slowly so to not upset your stomach - and I didn't want to repeat being as sick as I was in Texas! I think that eating the Gu slowly really helped. I started doing some Fartleks to pick up my pace, and finished mile 13 with a 8.14'/mile pace!

This was my second slowest half marathon, 

but I still managed to pull off 3rd for my age group. 

The prize: A Buoy!

I wanted one of those buoys, so bad,
you have no idea!

If you get a chance to run this half, I recommend it. Except for the woman who asked if I wanted a bath, and then threw a pitcher of water at me (almost soaking my Garmin) at the mile 9 water stop, the race, race organizers, townspeople, and After Party were wonderful! At the end of the race, there was a tent with water misters, people offering massages, a live band, pizza and the best frozen Greek yogurt: Yasso -six grams of protein, probiotics, and low fat! It was delicious! Of course, there was that 'ole Shipyard beer...

My Recovery Drink:
 Shipyard Summer Ale!
Shhh, don't tell, anyone!

I got a great running shirt, water bottle, and an adorable medal! 

I also met some great folks at the after party, one of whom works for Yasso! So yummy!

...and, thanks to the Shipyard Summer Ale, 

I unlocked another badge!

Summer Fun!

It was a great day,

and a great half!

Train Smart Today!

Jalapeño Half in Ft. Worth, Texas

There is only one word to describe the Jalapeño Half Marathon:

HOT!

I had to put off writing this post because I didn't want it to sound like one big complaint. Plus, I wouldn't want to tick off these guys ...

Pre-Race Photo.
I was so unsuspecting!

If I complained through the whole post, I know for sure, lots of runners from this half would have no problem commiserating with me. But, since I wanted to run in Texas to honor my dear friend, Anne, who lost her battle with brain cancer in February, I must uphold her motto: Bark Less, Wag More! So, I will end on a positive! 

First, the dark side ....

* There weren't enough Port 'o Johns, so the lines were enormous! This made me late to the start.

* About mile 2, my watch quit. I hated my Garmin and for the next 11 miles and contemplated ripping it off, and throwing it into every body of water I either ran by or over!

*  My Crohn's reared it's ugly head like nothing I have ever experienced before in a race! It felt like I was running with a charlie horse in my intestines! It still hurts :'(

* There was no water or Power Ade at mile 2, 4, 7 or 9. And it was at least 80*F with 86% humidity.

* The entire race was in the sun - in the dead, hot, heat known and feared in Texas!

* Even though my legs said, "Run Half-Crazed, Let's Gooooooo! What is your problem?" My stomach answered and said, "Shut-up and just hobble along in a doubled-up position, and squeeze that sphincter!" (Yes, my intestines talk, and everything they say is simply filthy!)

* By mile 9, I was really nauseous from the heat and sun. I started screaming at the volunteers riding in the golf carts and checking to see if anyone was suffering heat stroke. I lost it. I was yelling with spit (what little I had left) flying out, "You needed more water stations! It's crazy hot here! What were y'all thinking?"(Like my colloquialisms?)

* I ran the slowest time I have ever run in a half marathon race!

Almost there!
Keep Hobbling!

On the bright side ...

*I met lots of nice people standing on the Port 'o John line. Everyone was super friendly. Of course they were, it's Texas!
* It's lovely not to be tied to a watch when you are running in a race! (Repeat 100X ... could be believable)
* I stopped only for water, Power Ade, and the Port 'o John (@ mile 5). So, you could say that I ran, or at least hobbled, the entire race.
* There was water and Power Ade at mile 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12!
*There was a bit of shade - it was for maybe the first 600 meters of the 1st mile, which was also the last 600 meters of the race! Woohoo!
* I didn't have any butt pain and my legs were strong - they really wanted to move!
* I got the cutest medal for finishing!

Texas Jalapeño Half 13.1 Medal

* Once I resumed composure, I was able to stand a little straighter, change (in the car, of course), and politely ask for a photo!

* I stood tall and proud in that photo, and why not ....

I took 1st place in my age group!

Train Smart Today!