Nebraska

Before the race!

This race will always be so special to me. It was half marathon number 22, state number 18, but most importantly… my second half marathon pushing my cousin Martilee. (Our first race together was in Iowa!) I signed up for this race months ago (as usual) and asked my aunt Vanessa if it would be okay if Martilee could also race. She loved the idea, of course assuming Martilee stayed healthy enough. Martilee has Rett Syndrome, which has stolen so many things from her, including her ability to walk. There have been many races that I’ve ran for her and raised money to fight against Rett Syndrome, and I plan to continue to do so until there is a cure.

Race morning showed up a little warmer than I’d hoped at close to 70 degrees before the start, plus fairly decent humidity levels. This race wasn’t about me though, so I didn’t have any specific time goals going into it. I also knew that Martilee and her jogger were close to 130 pounds… but luckily this race in Omaha was fairly flat, unlike Des Moines!

Waiting to start the race!

Martilee and I lined up in the corral right around the 1:50 pacers. I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to dodge around too many people in the beginning of the race. We headed out on the run and found one of the few hills of the race right away! The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, so the race was still a nice temperature. My training had been going really well leading up to the race (I hired a coach in mid July) and I was feeling good about starting the race in the mid to upper 8 minute range. When running on any of the flats, Martilee and I could keep a nice pace without feeling like I had to put too much extra effort into the run.

The course was an out and back, along a nice wide road. About half the race we were only allowed in one lane, and the other half of the race we had the entire road blocked off just for us. I was really grateful for this as it was a little more crowded in the beginning than I expected and Martilee and I had to navigate around other runners quite a few times. We tried to be as respectful as we could and not get too close to anyone’s heels. But it can be really hard to navigate a heavy stroller!

After the first hill right at the beginning of the race, it stayed fairly flat for awhile. Even though the course was mostly flat, it had a few false flats which were almost worse than the hills because you could never seen when they were ending! I’m sure I felt them more with the stroller than I would have without. Around mile 5 we went by this beautiful little park before entering a northern suburb of Omaha. There weren’t too many race spectators so far, but this is where most of them were, including our family! It was so nice to see everyone and hear them all cheer for Martilee. She was off to a great start and running really well for the first 5 or so miles!

Martilee and I around mile 5 of the race. Feeling good!

At the turn around for the half marathon, the full marathon runners kept going straight. The nice thing is this narrowed down the amount of runners by about half! It was also really neat to see everyone else still heading out to the turn around point and how many of them cheered for Martilee and told her how awesome she was doing!

Flying by around mile 7.5-8! Heading back to the finish line!

After we saw our family the last time (until the finish) around mile 7.5-8ish the race started to get a little rough for me. The sun was up, the temperature was warming up, and Martilee was starting to get heavy. I was getting tired… and needed to dig deep to finish the race. This is when I started talking to Martilee. On the uphills, when I was walking, I talked to her. I told her how many miles we’ve ran, how many we had left to go, and what an awesome job she was doing. So many people passed us on these hills and offered help or amazing words of encouragement.

Entering the baseball stadium for our last lap around the park before the finish line.

The race continued on, back the way we came. The police were amazing at blocking all the intersections and keeping us safe the entire race. The volunteers were also amazing with offering water and heed. I had my own bottle of Gatorade, so only took water to help keep me hydrated through the race.

We made it through the last few miles, running when we could (on the flats), sprinting when the opportunity arose (hello, downhills and giggles!), and walking when we needed to (up hills… ugh!) We continued to pass people and have people pass us. Spectators cheered for Martilee and she continued to be my motivation while I continued to be her legs.

The last part of the race was a lap inside the baseball stadium at TD Ameritrade park. Once we entered the park to make our last loop we could hear so many cheers for us to finish strong. It felt amazing to hear everyone cheering for her and us! Rett Syndrome… you're going down!

We did it!! Love you, sweet girl.

We were interviewed by channel 7 news in Omaha!

We finished the race, got our medals, and then someone from Channel 7 news in Omaha asked if she could interview us! I called down Martilee’s parents so they could give approval and then also assist with the interview and give more information than I may be able to give. I often feel like I need be doing more for Rett Syndrome awareness and feel so blessed when an opportunity to share Martilee’s and my story with so many people comes along. You can watch the clip here.

Once the race was over we waited for the awards ceremony. Martilee ended up taking first in her age group and came away with about a minute PR over our last race together! We finished in 1:57:52 (8:55 pace). I’m hoping we can run another race together again soon. I’ll continue to be Martilee’s legs for as long as needed… but I have so much hope that there will be a cure for Rett Syndrome soon. I’ll keep running for her and with her because I know someday she will get to run with me. I’ll keep going #untilshecan.

Nebraska is now finished, and Maryland is coming up next!

Hanging out after the race!

To go back to the race report archives, click here.

Florida, take two!

During the summer of 2016, I decided I HAD to go back to Disney again and wanted the challenge of completing the Glass Slipper Challenge (5k, 10k, half marathon) for Girl Power 2 Cure! Little did I know… I’d be pregnant in February of 2017. I received permission from my OB to go and have fun but to be sure to listen to my body. I had been running throughout pregnancy so far and had had no issues… so onward we went!

Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!

My friend Becky decided to take on the adventure with me, because DISNEY!! Plus we are both HUGE Harry Potter fans and planned to spend a day visiting Harry Potter world. She’s also been a huge asset and support in fundraising for Rett Syndrome and Becky truly has a heart of gold. AND it was going to be her first half marathon! We could think of no better way to celebrate that than at Disney and running for others! Of course we had to get ready to head to the airport at 4 am. Plus every race start at Disney is early… so many early mornings right in a row! But totally worth it.

Our first day in Florida we hit up the expo to grab our goodies. Then we checked into the hotel, rested a bit and headed back to the expo to work the Sparkle Athletic booth! If you don’t know about Sparkle Athletic, these ladies are pretty amazing! The owners (Carrie, Elise and Kelly) are also big in the Rett Syndrome scene and are part of the SoCal Ultra Ragnar team I’ve ran on since 2015.

After the expo we headed back to the hotel, where my Aunt Vanessa had arrived. We settled in and tried to get a little sleep because I had the 5k the next morning!

The only Disney races I’ve completed have been the half marathons in Florida in 2014 and California in 2014, both were for Rett Syndrome. I didn’t stop for any character stops in those races and while I had fun, I knew there was more fun to be had if I stopped for pictures! Also being pregnant, I figured I should focus on having fun versus running hard.

5k start line. Let’s do it!

Just hanging out with Dopey!

Under water creatures!

After the 5k ended (still at zero-dark-thirty), Becky and I got ready to go to Harry Potter World! I won’t bore you with all the pictures, but we did everything we could in our power to see and eat everything there was. We bought wands at Ollivander’s, we went to Florean Fortescue’s ice cream shop, rode the Hogwarts Express, drank pumpkin juice and warm butterbeer and listened to the choir sing with the giant toads. Seriously an amazing day to be had! Back to the hotel for naps!

Saturday morning was going to be another early one for the 10k start time. I had told Allison (also an awesome Ragnar lady and Rett momma!) that I’d run with her during the 10k. She was planning to push her daughter, Emma, through the race! Disney has a rule that once kiddos are 14 they can run the race, but since Emma has Rett Syndrome we were able to get a running jogger approved. Now Allison is FAST. Like… REALLY FAST. Then we found out that she and Emma would be starting before the A corral, and about 2 minutes later the A corral (where I was) would get to go. Two minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but remember when I said Allison was fast? I took off sprinting and it took close to a mile to catch her!

10k start line!

Queen Minnie Mouse!

Allison, Emma, and myself with some circus characters!

Once I caught up with Allison, we had so much fun running together! We stopped at quite a few character stops for pictures, and traded pushing Emma through the race. It was so neat to stop about 10 minutes from the finish line and get Emma out of her jogger so she could walk across the finish line. Emma is a very lucky girl in that she can walk, if she’s already been standing. Once she’s seated she cannot stand up by herself. Emma has been crossing finish lines (many at Disney) for years. I love that the Disney race announcers always highlight Emma (and other Rett girls) crossing the finish lines!

Working at the expo!

After the 10k Becky, Vanessa and I went and worked at the expo for Girl Power 2 Cure. Working with them can be so moving… raising awareness for Rett Syndrome and letting others know just what it is. Most people I talk to about Rett Syndrome have never heard of it (just like me, before I married into my husband’s family) so it’s truly moving to talk to them and have them ask questions, show concern and compassion. We have been able to spread so much awareness which is just amazing!

Sunday morning shows up… final race day! The half marathon! What we’ve all been waiting for! If you’ve never ran a Disney race, prepare yourself for the 3:30 am alarms. If you do a challenge, prepare yourself for this DAILY. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was tired! But we woke up and headed to the start line anyway. Becky and I headed up to our corral and made a game plan to stop at character stops and have as much fun as we could! Her longest training run was 10 miles and I knew she was a little nervous about adding the last three, so we knew we’d do what we needed to do (which turned, for me, to have 3 potty stops and eating cheez-its along the way). The sun, heat and humidity made the last few miles really tough, and unfortunately that’s where all the character stops are DONE. But Becky and I powered through and ran the entire race! I’m so proud of her… she did amazing!

Snow White & Prince Charming.

The castle is beautiful!

Cinderella & Prince Charming.

Coming into the finish line!!

Post finish line smiles. We did it!

After the race finished, Becky and I hung out at our finisher’s tent and cheered in other GP2C team runners as they finished. It’s amazing to see all the flowers and purple race shirts out there on the course, and so many people said hi and that they stopped at our booth at the expo and learned about Rett Syndrome because of us. Even better… they said they were going to share our story and join the team next year. Rett Syndrome, we will defeat you!

Even though I really, truly love running and would run these races no matter what… it’s nice to remember WHY I run a lot of these races. Rett Syndrome affects so many families, including my own. My cousin has Rett Syndrome, a neurological disorder that has stolen her ability to walk, talk, use her hands in a functional way and has given her many things to fight against. So when my aunt Vanessa told me about this race back in 2014, I learned all I could about Rett Syndrome and Girl Power 2 Cure. I love running for Martilee and all the other girls with Rett Syndrome and will continue to #untilshecan because I truly believe that someday she will run with me!

To go back to the race report archives, click here.

Iowa

This race will probably always be one of my top three favorite races ever. As you know, my cousin Martilee has Rett Syndrome. This disorder has rendered her unable to walk, use her hands in a functional way and talk (along with many other complications that effect her daily life). If you've been following along on my blog or other social media platforms, you also know I've ran FOR Martilee before in a few other races, raced with Girl Power 2 Cure and raised money and awareness for Rett Syndrome. But I wanted to do something more for her, to really involve her in the race somehow. So a few months ago I decided to reach out to my Aunt Vanessa to see how she felt about me pushing Martilee in her first half marathon.

Martilee and I at Christmas in 2015.

Vanessa had her concerns, which I fully understand. Martilee is immunodeficient due to Rett Syndrome (and race weather is hard to predict, especially in the spring) and had been having more seizures lately. Something as simple as a small cold could (and usually does) turn into pneumonia requiring an extended hospital stay. Obviously, her health is the most important factor in all of this. 

Vanessa purchased plastic sheeting, cut it down, then used giant clips to keep it in place! Martilee will be dry and out of the wind!

I went ahead and signed myself up for the half marathon and waited to sign up Martilee (I did reach out to the race director and confirm that I could purchase Martilee a bib and push her in the jogging stroller before signing her up. The race website stated no jogging strollers, but it doesn't hurt to ask! Luckily, the RD gave me permission. Thank you!) until closer to race day. Vanessa gave me the okay, and with that Martilee was about to run her first half marathon!

Race week showed up with rain and cool temperatures in the forecast. Now I started to wonder if this was a bad idea.  I know there's nothing you can do about race weather, but I didn't want Martilee to get sick! Vanessa and I started trying to come up with ideas. Do we just try for a different race? Do we bundle her up? What are we going to do about the rain to keep dry? In the end, Vanessa came up with THIS:

Race day showed up just as wet, windy, and cool as predicted. Thank goodness Vanessa is crafty and was able to put this together to keep Martilee dry. Not only that, the shield would block some of the wind so she would stay nice and warm, but be able to see where we're running! 

Prior to the race I also purchased some shirts for not only Martilee and myself, but the rest of our family group that would be spectating. We also both wore shwings and skirts from Sparkle Athletic, and trucker hats that say "Running for those who can't" from R4TWC. 

On the front: Team Martilee #untilshecan. On the back: gp2c.org #curerettsyndrome.

Flat Martilee!

Flat Kristen!

This half marathon was in Des Moines, Iowa and always takes place the weekend before the Drake Relays. Typically the course finishes on the track, but this year they changed the course a bit. I was a little bummed to not finish ON the track itself since I ran track in college and still watch a lot of big track meets on TV, but the nice thing is that they took out one of the big hills right at the end of the race! Don't worry though, there was STILL plenty of climbing. Running hills are a little bit tougher with a jogging stroller and cousin in front of you!

Race map and elevation chart.

Back to the race... Martilee and I lined up at the start, to the outside of the race so that we wouldn't be in anyone's way as the race started. I had never pushed a jogging stroller while running so I really had no idea what to expect in terms of pace or how much extra effort I'd be using. 

Martilee and I waiting inside, keeping dry before the race started.

We took off and immediately had a short climb and right hand turn. Martilee's jogger has a fixed front wheel, which means every time we'd turn or have to slightly change our angle I'd have to kind of pop a wheelie to adjust us. Luckily Vanessa showed me how to do this AND use the hand brake before we started.

We made it through the first few miles totally fine. I was getting the hang of maneuvering the jogger around corners and locking my arms out to get us up the few small rolling hills. Martilee had actually fallen asleep just before the race started, so at least I knew she was comfortable, warm and dry enough. 

Around miles 3-4 there was a HUGE downhill! Martilee was PULLING me downhill! Fortunately there was the hand brake plus a band I had wrapped around my wrist. If she sped up, so did I! I was able to keep us in control just fine but we were hitting paces in the low 7's. It was nice to stretch the legs and get some longer strides after the rolling hills of the first few miles.

Martilee and I early in the race.

Race signs made by Martilee's class mates.

The joy of the downhill was short lived because little did I know Martilee and I had to climb for the next two miles! There was a little bit of walking, but around mile 5 I saw Phil, Vanessa, Parson and Thayne! (Thayne had been riding around the course on his bike and updating our family as to where I was. He also stayed close just in case Martilee had a seizure and I needed help quickly.) They helped us get up that hill and keep pushing forward! Hearing their love and seeing their joy really took the pain out of my legs on that climb. 

The next few miles were pretty flat which was just what I needed to keep us rolling. We were cruising just under 9 minute miles and I felt pretty good. Honestly, the cool temperatures were so helpful! 

There were a few times that we would come up on aid stations and other runners would ask me if they could help out and grab me a drink so I didn't have to try to steer over to one side of the road and try to avoid cups or other runners. A lot of the runners who passed us also cheered us on and had so many motivating words to share. The running community is so amazing! 

Martilee still snoozing away! She makes racing look easy.

Around mile 8 I saw that Martilee must have woken up. She started clapping her hands and I heard so many amazing giggles and squeals (especially on the down hills!) Hearing her really helped me know that Vanessa and I made the right decision. Before the race we had kind of voiced to each other our concerns about if Martilee really wanted to do something like this. With her being non-verbal we didn't know if we were forcing her into something she really wasn't interested in.

I knew around mile 10 there was another decent hill, but it was the last one! Our family was at the top cheering us on! By this time my legs were tired, but hearing them cheer for us kept me running strong. Once this hill was over around mile 11 we were mostly downhill to the finish!

Coming in to the finish line! We did it!

Coming into the home stretch I remember seeing Parson, Martilee's brother, first. He was cheering like crazy and then ran on the sidewalk to the finish line. I was in tears but smiling so big crossing the finish line and really started bawling once I saw Vanessa. She gave me a huge hug and told me Martilee had a big grin when we crossed the finish line. Martilee and I both received our medals and then we kept walking and found the rest of our family hanging out under a big awning keeping dry. 

Just after we found out Martilee took 1st in her Age Group! Way to go, M!

We got our official results from the results tent and found out Martilee took 1st in her Age Group! Way to go, M! Officially, we ran a 1:58:35 (9:04 pace). We took 141st and 142nd out of about 450 women. Not too bad at all!

Even with the hills, cold and rain we had an amazing time at the race. I'm glad our family was able to see us a few times on the cours and cheer us on. Martilee luckily stayed dry and warm the entire time and seemed to really have fun the last 5 miles of the race once she woke up.

After the race we went back to our hotels, warmed up and dried off, then headed to a restaurant to celebrate. I had a great race and really hope to be able to share another half marathon with Martilee again soon, just hopefully with better weather!

Celebrating our race finish with tacos, chips and salsa, and warmth!

To go back to the race report archives, click here.