State #39: Indiana

This post has been a long time coming! I ran my half in Indiana in November. It was very cold! It can take me awhile to warm up when it's cold - and I didn't feel warm until about 10-miles in. At the 10-mile point, there was a water stop. I remember taking out the extra hand warmers in my pockets and tossing then to a young female volunteer, who looked as if she were freezing!

I chose the Veteran's Half Marathon in Columbus City, Indiana because the race honors all who served in the armed forces. Freedom is NOT Free. Honestly, there's just not enough road to say; "Thank you!". It was the 11th anniversary of the Veterans Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K. Ron also fulfilled as he likes to say " his contractual obligations" and ran the 5K!

Go Ron - Steel Plate and All!

At the start of the run, there were several veterans who came out to stand at attention while one person played taps in front of the huge flag displayed in the middle of the town. I started to cry. It was very moving. I felt blessed to be experiencing this example of patriotism. Then, they played our National Anthem and as they say, "we were off."

During the race, I was slightly ahead of a pack of runners who were running the marathon. The one gentleman was running with some sort of speaker, IDK what he was carrying - but it was playing classic rock songs. At first, my goal was to run away from them.  Then, I guess my pace slowed. Next thing I knew, I was next talking with them, laughing and hanging with them through the rolling hills. They were super nice.

The gentleman with the speaker was asking me all about why I came all the way from New Jersey to run in their local race. Of course, I told them how it all started, what it evolved into and where it was going. I would lose them on the uphill, then catch them on the downhill. It was nice running alongside great people full of energy. I felt every foot hitting the road - while it seemed they just glided by.

The cold and wind started to take away some of my energy. Next thing I knew, I was trying to keep up with them. They were about 100 meters ahead of me when I crossed the finish. I couldn't imagine running another 13.1-miles at that point! I'm sure they finished their marathon strong!

Running that last stretch of road!

 Right after the race, we went to the local brew pub. Ya' just gotta celebrate with a cold beer after a freezing cold half marathon at like 10AM, right? At first, it was Ron and me. Then, we met a local business person - he was a Psychiatrist. He came with us to the local brew pub. Then, after going up to the bar, we asked another person who was sitting by himself eating soup at the bar to come and join us. Next thing we knew - there were two other gentleman who joined us all. We were having a great time sitting around this large table, just talking. It was so much fun, we lost track of time. When we finally left, the runners were gone. We went up to the last few volunteers and looked to see what place I came in for my age group. I finished first place at 1:53:33 in my new age category, 55-59!

Yeay!

Middle of Town Post-Race!

Love this Award!

I have to admit, over the past few years, it's been getting harder and harder to pack up, fly to another state and run a half marathon in a city that I know nothing about regarding the terrain, typical weather or where to get food. This race had a little extra drama -  we missed our connecting flight! 

We flew into Detroit. We walked to the gate - I thought we were too early. Based on this, we went to the Delta Sky Club. We were so tired from getting up at 4AM to fly out of Newark that we lost track of time. We ran to the gate just as the doors close! The gate attendants were like, "Didn't you hear us calling you?" Oh boy.... 

We rented a car and drove from Detroit to Columbus City, Indiana. We stopped on the way at a newly opened BBQ restaurant. Yes, I was taking a huge chance with my stomach, but we were starving!!! I just remember the young female business owner handing me Ron's "Soda Pop". LOL! I felt as if I stepped back in time - nope, just a few states over!

Ron Looking Tired and Hungry!
But believe me,
his belly was singing happy tunes after this meal!

Pulled Pork on White Bread ...GUILTY!

 Yes, I had my digestive enzymes, probiotics, Pentassa and Diphenoxylate-Atropine!

The Veterans Half Marathon was cold and windy, but it was well-organized - and not too hilly! There was warm soup at the end for all runners.

Someone told me they changed the course because the wind was tripping people and they were falling down in one section of the race. It was pretty windy, so I couldn't imagine it worse than it already was. The best part was starting and finishing downtown in front of Whitley County Courthouse and running past that huge flag on Veterans Day!

Crossing the Finish in Indiana, State #39!

Train Hard!

Run Happy!

Run To Inspire!
And
Thank You to All Our American Veterans!💗

State #38: South Dakota

Leading Ladies Half Marathon

I was so excited to go to South Dakota! I couldn't wait to see Mt Rushmore, The Badlands - Sturgis and maybe take a trip to see Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

Wow! Mt Rushmore!
Can you name all four presidents?

No, Ron is not one of them! LOL!

I didn't choose The Leading Ladies Half Marathon in Spearfish South Dakota to go sightseeing, I honestly chose this race because it was a downhill race. I was having trouble with my Crohn's Disease and I thought it would be a good one to do while my Crohn's was active. Maybe easier because it was downhill.

Was I glad I did? Absolutely! I actually feel sorry for my male running friends because this will go down as one of my favorite half marathons - not because I PR'd - I actually didn't even run fast in spite of it being downhill.

It is a beautiful race! You run downhill through a canyon while passing several different waterfalls. Absolutely gorgeous! The weather was super wonderful - perfect for running - cool, not cold; dry, not humid. The sky was blue with big sleepy, summer clouds.

We stayed at Spearfish Canyon Lodge just down the road from the start of the race. The owners were super nice. We had a small cabin with a full kitchen. We had a little balcony that looked straight into woods.

This was great because I need my decaf/regular coffee mix with Lactose free milk and ability to make my own breakfast - usually homemade banana bread with Justin's Vanilla Almond bread. I also need a fridge to store my Green Valley Organic Lactose Free Vanilla Yogurt. When something works - you stick with it!

Race Fuel!

Hiking through the property and then through the canyon was just the cherry on top!

Waterfalls Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota

It was a beautiful, scenic half marathon!

I was nervous at the start.

My goal is always to place in my age group. This one would be challenging. When my Crohn's is active, I bleed. My small intestines don't do a good job of absorbing nutrients and transit time between eating and digesting is only one meal away.  So, not only was training rough - low energy - but my tummy wasn't very cooperative and I was afraid it would not hold out for all 13.1 miles ...and it didn't.

It is typical 6 months after a very stressful event to have my Crohn's flare. Opening another business, Beyond Cryotherapy was fun, but stressful. In fact, I upped my Whole Body Cryotherapy sessions from maintenance of 1-2 times per week to 4-5 times per week to help bring down the inflammation! My doctor wanted me on medicine - which I eventually succumbed to. It took two changes in meds and lots of cryotherapy over 6 months to finally get the Crohn's back into remission. Running this half was scary because I was bleeding every stop I made - and I stopped 4 times!

My splits were going well in the race, until the cramping started around mile 9/10. I intentionally started out slow and was shooting for 8:15 min/mile pace ... but I told myself if I ran an 8:30 min/mile pace, I should be happy and proud of myself based on how active my Crohn's was. It got pretty ugly after mile 10 - I could no longer get my time down under 8:30 min/mile. I finished 1:51:13:59 ... go figure who was with me? I got a 13 and a 59!

I ran exactly an 8:30 min/mile pace - and even though it was right before my 55th birthday, I managed to snag the 1st place age group for this half in what was the last time I would see the 50-55 age group!. Those years saw lots of running!

After the race, we drove to Wyoming to do some hiking around Devil's Tower.

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

And the next day, we drove out to Badlands National Park! Who knew South Dakota was full of so many beautiful canyons?

Badlands National Park

and Prairie Dogs?

Prairie Dogs - Just Chillin'

Driving through this part of America was amazing! We went through towns that had signs stating that their total population was like 11! I graduated high school with well over 600 students in my class!

It was definitely the land of black steer! Lots and lots of farmland! So beautiful. I feel so blessed to be able to have run in so many states. It has been an amazing way to see the country!

South Dakota Farmland!

Places to eat while in Spearfish:

• Spearfish Brewing Company - Great for a burger and beer
• Redwater Cafe - Trendy foods and menu chef-inspired
• Steerfish Steak and Smoke: Cozy downtown restaurant serving smoked steaks and chops
• Badlands Saloon and Grill: Family Restaurant - beer, pizza, burgers

... everything is meat in South Dakota! LOL!

Seeds all around the cabin - They look just like a memorial necklace I was given after 9/11
#alwayswithme

 

Train Hard!

Recover Harder!
Run Happy!

Run To Inspire!