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.

Idaho

Ahhhh, Idaho. The land of potatoes (fries, mashed, tator tots, baked, twice baked, sweet, curly, crinkle cut… you get the drift). Also the land of an epic illness and flop. So it goes!

Leading into the race, we decided to go spend some time in Salt Lake City doing a bit of hiking and sight seeing. The weather became a little scary when trying to hike Bald Mtn, so we headed back down into Wasatch Park a little and hiked around a few of the lakes. There was some rain on and off, but for the most part the scary stuff stayed away and we were able to hike around some waterfalls as well.

Parker loved hiking!

My sister and her husband, Chris, flew into Salt Lake City on our last day to make the trek up to Boise with us. Some of their best friends just moved out to Boise last fall, so they were heading to visit them in their new home!

Hanging out before race start!

Parker also decided to start cutting his first tooth and bringing an epic stomach bug with him on the trip too. It was only a matter of time before Thayne and I started to not feel well too, and for me it just so happened to be the day before the race… Yay! I opted for race day packet pick up (which turned out to just be the shirt and bib… no vendors of any kind) so we headed to the course start a little earlier than normal just in case there was a line or large crowd.

Spoiler alert: There wasn’t.

I knew this would be a pretty small race, which I have no problems with at all. The nice thing was the price ($38!), but you also get what you pay for. The course was an out and back along a trail, so no traffic needed to be stopped, no streets were crossed, but there were also no crowds.

Nice and shady route on the Green Belt Trail!

There were 3 aid stations (so 6 total, with the out and back course) that offered both water and Gatorade. However, there were also no course marshalls or anyone telling you which way to go. Now… you think an out and back course, what could be confusing, right? There were a few places the trail converged with others and you just kind of had to hope that whoever was in front of you was going the right direction!

I started the race in the mid 8’s and thought maybe since there was just about no humidity in Boise and the temperature was in the mid 60’s that my cold symptoms wouldn’t hurt my race.

Spoiler alert: Didn’t happen that way.

I only felt good through about 4 miles. That was really early to start not feeling great for a race. I knew then that I’d just need to slow down and enjoy the course if I could. It was a beautiful day and a very flat course, so it was time to just enjoy the run and do what I could… no PR or even a real race type feel for Idaho.

At least the views didn’t suck…

I saw Thayne and Parker at the turn around point (he was hoping to see me in one other spot, but the diaper bag was left at the hotel and… Parker needed a new diaper RIGHT after the race started). I had my phone with me and knew I’d probably have to text Thayne a few times on the latter half of the race to update him on my slowing pace. Because slow it did.

I look better than I felt.

Finish line!

I couldn’t breathe as well as I hoped the last few miles and jog/ walked it in. It’s a little bit defeating when a 12ish year old little girl passes you in the final mile, but you sure bet that I cheered her on! She looked and finished much stronger than I did. I finished in 1:57:55 (9:00 npace). Maybe it wasn’t nearly the race I hoped to have, but it’s another one in the books and one step closer to the goal. I can’t WAIT for my next race in Omaha, NE… it’s going to be so special!

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

Texas

All in all, he did pretty well flying for the first time!

Texas is known for some good BBQ, and Austin, Tx is known to be eclectic and have a really good food truck scene. We figured this would be the perfect place for the first race back after having our son, Parker, last September. It’s been close to a full year since I’ve last raced. It’s been a long few (see cold, dark, cold, wet, and cold) months of getting back into training. I’ve definitely not been training specifically for this race, but I’m using this race to kind of see where I’m at because…. I’M GOING TO BOSTON, BABY! That’s right! I got into the 2018 Boston Marathon! But before that, I’ve GOT to get some fitness back. Speed will come in time but I need some endurance. I’ll be honest. I’m scared. These last few months have not been easy to build back into, but that’s a story for another time.

We arrived in Austin and quickly realized how exhausting it was to fly with a baby. By the time we got our car rented we just headed straight to the hotel. After we got Parker to sleep Thayne headed to get some tacos (yum). Saturday morning we headed to the expo, picked up our goodies, grabbed some delicious BBQ and toured the State Capital.

Course map provided by race website.

Race morning I was really nervous. This was going to be my first real “test” of fitness in a long time. I haven’t done really any speed work because I’ve been so concerned with building endurance back up and I truly had no idea what my capabilities would be.

It was so foggy and pretty sticky feeling even though the temperature was fairly cool. Kind of a weird mix and I wasn’t sure if it would really heat up much or if the sun came out it would burn off the humidity. Nothing I had control over… so onward we went! We found parking and I jumped in line for the port-o-potty. The lines took FOREVER! I actually just jumped out of it when I heard the gun go off! So I threw my jacket to Thayne and started running from there… so I got a good 3-4 block warm up before the race even started. Ahhhh! Not how I wanted the day to start!

That little blip uphill around mile 12… it’s much worse than the chart shows!!!

The race started with a steady almost 3.5 mile uphill. I tried to not even look at my watch and just focus on keeping an easy effort up the hill. I knew if I started too fast I’d totally burn myself out for the rest of the race and crush any bit of confidence I thought I had built back up. I knew I was running about mid 8 minute miles and felt pretty in control so far. I also knew there was a downhill coming up which would be so welcome!

I knew I’d see Thayne somewhere around half way through the race. He was going to stay close to the finish line because traveling around a city you don’t know to view a race (which he usually does) is hard enough alone, let alone with a 5 month old!

Around mile 8 I could feel that my energy was waning. Even though I’ve ran a few longer runs than this race, we did walk around the city a lot on Saturday. Plus most of my long runs have been in about…. 20-30 degrees cooler weather than the race was. This can make a HUGE difference! I upped my electrolyte chews by a few more and just tried to hang on and get to the finish.

Not only was I feeling tired, but my pace was slowing down. Typically, once I start to feel tired I know it’s too late and I can’t catch back up with my fuel. But I also wasn’t going to give up! I knew I could finish the race, but I could see the few small goals I had going out the window. (Not walking, finishing strong, fueling well, sub 1:50).

I walked for the first time around mile 9.5 where there was a small uphill. Again around 11. And then the again around 12, after a big downhill which I didn’t have nearly the speed as I did the first downhill of the race.

Seeing Thayne and Parker around half way through the race.

I was nearly in tears on that last big uphill. The elevation chart does not do it justice. I was walking, and it seemed everyone else was determined to run it. I had lost all my drive. Then a spectator came over, grabbed my hand, told me just how strong I looked and that I trained for this, and took off running with me. She ran the entire rest of the hill by my side. I’m sure I’m not the only one that she ran the hill with… but in the moment it was the single best thing anyone could have done for me. I don’t know her name. I couldn't even tell you what she looked like. But she got me up that hill, and closer to the finish line. So, thank you lady! I owe you!

Finisher medal with the State Capital.

I made the one last final loop near the capital, and came into the finish line which was luckily slightly downhill! I was happy to see Thayne and Parker and the finish line a block away. I know it wasn’t a perfect race, but those so rarely happen. I know I’m still learning to run again after having our son and it’s going to take a LOT of time. Even once my body is ready and back in shape, my mind will also have to be ready to take on the pain that racing (and racing hard) can bring. My mind wasn’t ready for that today either. Even then, I finished and that’s always something to be proud of!

I finished in a time of 1:53:38 (8:40 pace). Texas is completed, and 16 states are knocked off the list! Next up will be Idaho in July. (After Boston, of course!!)

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