Going into this race I was not feeling very confident. This was my training run for the North Country Trail marathon on August 28th. I thought if I could run the distance I would gain a boost in confidence. I was told by my husband that this would be a good marathon to start with since it would mostly be roads with about 30% trails. I should know by now that either Jason likes to mess with my head or life just throws you curve balls. I can’t tell you how glad I was for the curve ball….at the end of the race of course!
I was initially nervous about the forecast which was calling for 89 degrees and very humid with scattered thundershowers. While it was humid, the forecast was much better than I expected. It remained overcast with a breeze.
On race day, we got up around 5. I like to eat a small meal, hydrate and drink some coffee pre-race. We also had to drop off our 15 month old that morning. My niece kept the older two overnight. She has been such a tremendous help by watching our kids and the kids love her. Reese recently told her he wants her to be his girlfriend. : )
We arrived at the race around 7:15 a.m., start time was at 8:00 a.m. We knew a few people running who we met and chatted with. Jason was “recognized” but he’s easy to spot in his kilt and bare feet! We’re so lucky that we get to meet so many local runners and have such a great support system. I love meeting people I’ve chatted with online.
At the start of the race, I started at the back. There was also a 5k and 13.1 mile run starting at the same time as the marathon so I knew I was going to start slow. I wasn’t quite sure how to pace myself in the beginning. Since this was my first marathon distance, I wasn’t pressuring myself to run fast. My goal was to finish which mentally took a lot of pressure off of myself.
Even though I went to the bathroom before the start of the race I think I get some kind of pre-race jitters. The first 4 miles all I could think about was where I was going to pee. Should I wait until I feel I can’t hold it any more? Would there be a port-a-potty at the first aid station? Should I go now so I’m not obsessed with peeing. This conversation lasted for 4 miles before I decided to go in the woods.
I tried to find some kind of coverage and went behind some brush. Worried I was probably in more plain sight than I would like to be I rushed back to the trail. The oddest thing happened. The back of my right leg started burning, itching and basically felt like it was on fire. Panic set in thinking “Great! I was so worried about peeing and someone not seeing me that I probably sat in poison ivy or poison oak.” It didn’t even cross my mind to look at the foliage before I went. I was cursing myself while my leg still felt like fire. I itched it then proceeded to worry about spreading it to other areas of my body. I wondered if you could still run if you had it and I was mad that it would possibly hurt my chances of finishing. Then after 20 minutes, the burn and itch was gone. I’m still puzzled as to what would cause that. It turns out it wasn’t poison ivy or oak. Maybe I just got bit by something…I don’t know. When I initially looked at my leg it was red and rashy looking but now it looks fine. Weird!
I continued on the trails. There were quite a few hills. Some crazy ups and downs. On one of the downhill descents there was a rope to assist you on the way down. At this point I started questioning what Jason had told me about the first half of the race. The first 13.1 mile loop was supposed to be mostly roads and the second loop was supposed to be the tougher of the two. I was really wondering how the second half could be tougher than the first.
I was enjoying the run. I am really starting to love hills. I ran up about the first 1/3 of hills and my strategy was to walk up the remaining hills. It was hard in the middle to walk the hills because I enjoy them but I thought it would be wiser to conserve the energy.
Around mile 7 I started seeing returning runners. I assumed they were the front leaders of the marathon or half marathon. As they passed I said “Hello” and “Good job, guys!”. It turns out I had missed a turn off at this point but I didn’t know it. There were still people in front and in back of me so I assumed I was on the right path. Man, I get lost way too easily!
Shortly after that was an aid station. The workers asked where we were coming from since we were obviously on the wrong track. I got a little panicky at this point. Me and another runner asked if we were supposed to turn right or left. One of the helpers said we could turn right but would be going the opposite direction of the front runners. I found out later, we really should have turned left and could have went the right direction. I only added ¼ of a mile to my total distance but I didn’t know where we would end up. At that point, I wasn’t clear if I was really going the right direction or if I was really going to add or subtract mileage.
Basically I ran a 3 mile loop the wrong way. I felt like an idiot, not because I took the wrong turn but because I kept seeing the people in front of me and got 1 of 3 reactions. #1 - People would clap or cheer thinking I was really fast and ahead of them. #2 - I confused people who thought they took a wrong turn or #3 – People would yell at me “You’re going the wrong way!”. At that point if I could have made a sign up it would have been nice.
“Yes, I know I’m going the wrong way. I took a wrong turn.”. Eventually I started answering that 26.2 miles just wasn’t enough mileage and I really wanted to get my money’s worth so I was adding some distance or that I was taking the scenic route. I felt bad when people were cheering for me “No, no…I’m not fast….just bad at directions!” : )
I was very relieved to find out that we did eventually loop back and only added a little distance . I was oddly more worried I would run less than 26.2 and didn’t want that to happen. It was the same loop just my own route. Luckily, I had company during this stretch. I ran with a guy who was running the half marathon.
At mile 10 we went back into the trail system. I was still thinking at this point that there were a lot more trails than what Jason had described to me. I overheard a few people talking about a last minute course change so I figured he wasn’t aware of it either.
My legs were starting to feel tight. We looped back to the start/finish line. A few people yelled “You’re almost done! You can do it!” but I wasn’t. I had another loop to go! Believe me, I wasn’t sure I could do another loop. At this point I saw a fellow runner, Rick who also commented on how tough the course was. I was relieved to hear that someone else felt the course was tough and it wasn’t just me.
Going into the second loop I had a lot of doubts about finishing. There was a girl ahead of me who looked like a hot, tough chick. I thought if I could keep her in my line of sight, maybe I could use her as a pacer. I caught up to her and started to chat. She works as a medic in the Army and came from Pennsylvania to run this race. She had arms of steel so we talked about working out. She also had the same mindset of me to finish. She wasn’t worried about her time so we decided to run together.
This was my saving grace I think. For the rest of the course, we talked about everything from kids, religion, working out, friendships, traveling, loss of loved ones, and future races we would like to run. She helped push me to run when I didn’t feel like it and I helped her run when she wasn’t feeling it. I’ve never had such an easy connection with someone so quickly.
I think about how far I’ve come in just a year and I don’t think I could have had a conversation with her just a few short years ago. I would have been intimidated by her fitness and felt I didn’t compare. Since letting those things go and really being free to be myself has been the best gift I have given myself. It wasn’t easy but I can’t begin to say how wonderful it feels.
When we arrived at the last aid station (22.5 miles) we stopped at chatted with the volunteers. There were about 5 older gentleman and one lady. One of the older men told us his specialty was splashing water in people’s faces. Jenn said “That sounds good to me!” and I really didn’t think he was going to splash water in her face but next thing you know she was covered in water. He looked over in my direction and I said “Well, of course I can’t leave without my water” and away he splashed. It felt really good!
One of the volunteers noticed my Vibrams and asked a few questions and asked me “Do you happen to know a fellow named Jason Robillard?” To which I said, “Funny you should ask. I’m married to him”. It turns out two of them had purchased his book and were going to his workshop next Tuesday. I made them promise to ask Jason for his autograph and embarrass him. I told them calling out to him would be that extra added touch he would love : ) I think they might actually take me up on it. I’ll find out next Tuesday.
The second half of the race was mostly trails as well. I found it very odd that the sections that were road were very difficult for me. I went into the race thinking I wanted more roads than trails but the opposite effect happened. I found the roads to be much tougher and when I got back on trails I could run better. So even though it was tougher than I expected and about 75% trails, I was loving them.
There were definitely some tough spots like the sand hill that wouldn’t seem so steep if it weren’t 20 miles into the run. We also encountered a mud pit that we had to walk through. It felt great on my feet! There were a few small streams to go through, rolling hills and gravel.
As we were getting towards the end, I told Jenn about how Jason had a kick at the end of his 101.1 mile race. I was amazed at how he could run so fast after running for 27 hours. We talked about how the body was amazing because even though you felt spent you were still capable of giving just a little bit more. This is when she asked if we wanted to do a kick at the end of the race. Of course!
So the last ¼ of a mile of the race we started to sprint. I remember Jason saying the faster he ran, the less it hurt but I quite honestly didn’t believe him or thought he was hallucinating. I mean, he just ran 100 miles, clearly he’s not of sound mind. But it turned out the faster I ran at the end the less I hurt. You never really know what you’re capable until you push yourself. Jenn and I finished at the same time with a finish time of 6:46:35.
It felt so good to finish the race. I finally had the distance covered and regained confidence. Although, in the back of my head I couldn’t help but wonder if I was really going to be ready for North Country Trail. By all accounts, this was supposed to be an easier marathon. If NCT was tougher than this I was really beginning to question if I could really run it. It turns out that with the course change it increased the level of difficulty. When I talked to Jason he said if I ran this I would have no problem with NCT which is just 2 weeks away! He better not be lying to me : )
I was initially nervous about the forecast which was calling for 89 degrees and very humid with scattered thundershowers. While it was humid, the forecast was much better than I expected. It remained overcast with a breeze.
On race day, we got up around 5. I like to eat a small meal, hydrate and drink some coffee pre-race. We also had to drop off our 15 month old that morning. My niece kept the older two overnight. She has been such a tremendous help by watching our kids and the kids love her. Reese recently told her he wants her to be his girlfriend. : )
We arrived at the race around 7:15 a.m., start time was at 8:00 a.m. We knew a few people running who we met and chatted with. Jason was “recognized” but he’s easy to spot in his kilt and bare feet! We’re so lucky that we get to meet so many local runners and have such a great support system. I love meeting people I’ve chatted with online.
At the start of the race, I started at the back. There was also a 5k and 13.1 mile run starting at the same time as the marathon so I knew I was going to start slow. I wasn’t quite sure how to pace myself in the beginning. Since this was my first marathon distance, I wasn’t pressuring myself to run fast. My goal was to finish which mentally took a lot of pressure off of myself.
Even though I went to the bathroom before the start of the race I think I get some kind of pre-race jitters. The first 4 miles all I could think about was where I was going to pee. Should I wait until I feel I can’t hold it any more? Would there be a port-a-potty at the first aid station? Should I go now so I’m not obsessed with peeing. This conversation lasted for 4 miles before I decided to go in the woods.
I tried to find some kind of coverage and went behind some brush. Worried I was probably in more plain sight than I would like to be I rushed back to the trail. The oddest thing happened. The back of my right leg started burning, itching and basically felt like it was on fire. Panic set in thinking “Great! I was so worried about peeing and someone not seeing me that I probably sat in poison ivy or poison oak.” It didn’t even cross my mind to look at the foliage before I went. I was cursing myself while my leg still felt like fire. I itched it then proceeded to worry about spreading it to other areas of my body. I wondered if you could still run if you had it and I was mad that it would possibly hurt my chances of finishing. Then after 20 minutes, the burn and itch was gone. I’m still puzzled as to what would cause that. It turns out it wasn’t poison ivy or oak. Maybe I just got bit by something…I don’t know. When I initially looked at my leg it was red and rashy looking but now it looks fine. Weird!
I continued on the trails. There were quite a few hills. Some crazy ups and downs. On one of the downhill descents there was a rope to assist you on the way down. At this point I started questioning what Jason had told me about the first half of the race. The first 13.1 mile loop was supposed to be mostly roads and the second loop was supposed to be the tougher of the two. I was really wondering how the second half could be tougher than the first.
I was enjoying the run. I am really starting to love hills. I ran up about the first 1/3 of hills and my strategy was to walk up the remaining hills. It was hard in the middle to walk the hills because I enjoy them but I thought it would be wiser to conserve the energy.
Around mile 7 I started seeing returning runners. I assumed they were the front leaders of the marathon or half marathon. As they passed I said “Hello” and “Good job, guys!”. It turns out I had missed a turn off at this point but I didn’t know it. There were still people in front and in back of me so I assumed I was on the right path. Man, I get lost way too easily!
Shortly after that was an aid station. The workers asked where we were coming from since we were obviously on the wrong track. I got a little panicky at this point. Me and another runner asked if we were supposed to turn right or left. One of the helpers said we could turn right but would be going the opposite direction of the front runners. I found out later, we really should have turned left and could have went the right direction. I only added ¼ of a mile to my total distance but I didn’t know where we would end up. At that point, I wasn’t clear if I was really going the right direction or if I was really going to add or subtract mileage.
Basically I ran a 3 mile loop the wrong way. I felt like an idiot, not because I took the wrong turn but because I kept seeing the people in front of me and got 1 of 3 reactions. #1 - People would clap or cheer thinking I was really fast and ahead of them. #2 - I confused people who thought they took a wrong turn or #3 – People would yell at me “You’re going the wrong way!”. At that point if I could have made a sign up it would have been nice.
“Yes, I know I’m going the wrong way. I took a wrong turn.”. Eventually I started answering that 26.2 miles just wasn’t enough mileage and I really wanted to get my money’s worth so I was adding some distance or that I was taking the scenic route. I felt bad when people were cheering for me “No, no…I’m not fast….just bad at directions!” : )
I was very relieved to find out that we did eventually loop back and only added a little distance . I was oddly more worried I would run less than 26.2 and didn’t want that to happen. It was the same loop just my own route. Luckily, I had company during this stretch. I ran with a guy who was running the half marathon.
At mile 10 we went back into the trail system. I was still thinking at this point that there were a lot more trails than what Jason had described to me. I overheard a few people talking about a last minute course change so I figured he wasn’t aware of it either.
My legs were starting to feel tight. We looped back to the start/finish line. A few people yelled “You’re almost done! You can do it!” but I wasn’t. I had another loop to go! Believe me, I wasn’t sure I could do another loop. At this point I saw a fellow runner, Rick who also commented on how tough the course was. I was relieved to hear that someone else felt the course was tough and it wasn’t just me.
Going into the second loop I had a lot of doubts about finishing. There was a girl ahead of me who looked like a hot, tough chick. I thought if I could keep her in my line of sight, maybe I could use her as a pacer. I caught up to her and started to chat. She works as a medic in the Army and came from Pennsylvania to run this race. She had arms of steel so we talked about working out. She also had the same mindset of me to finish. She wasn’t worried about her time so we decided to run together.
This was my saving grace I think. For the rest of the course, we talked about everything from kids, religion, working out, friendships, traveling, loss of loved ones, and future races we would like to run. She helped push me to run when I didn’t feel like it and I helped her run when she wasn’t feeling it. I’ve never had such an easy connection with someone so quickly.
I think about how far I’ve come in just a year and I don’t think I could have had a conversation with her just a few short years ago. I would have been intimidated by her fitness and felt I didn’t compare. Since letting those things go and really being free to be myself has been the best gift I have given myself. It wasn’t easy but I can’t begin to say how wonderful it feels.
When we arrived at the last aid station (22.5 miles) we stopped at chatted with the volunteers. There were about 5 older gentleman and one lady. One of the older men told us his specialty was splashing water in people’s faces. Jenn said “That sounds good to me!” and I really didn’t think he was going to splash water in her face but next thing you know she was covered in water. He looked over in my direction and I said “Well, of course I can’t leave without my water” and away he splashed. It felt really good!
One of the volunteers noticed my Vibrams and asked a few questions and asked me “Do you happen to know a fellow named Jason Robillard?” To which I said, “Funny you should ask. I’m married to him”. It turns out two of them had purchased his book and were going to his workshop next Tuesday. I made them promise to ask Jason for his autograph and embarrass him. I told them calling out to him would be that extra added touch he would love : ) I think they might actually take me up on it. I’ll find out next Tuesday.
The second half of the race was mostly trails as well. I found it very odd that the sections that were road were very difficult for me. I went into the race thinking I wanted more roads than trails but the opposite effect happened. I found the roads to be much tougher and when I got back on trails I could run better. So even though it was tougher than I expected and about 75% trails, I was loving them.
There were definitely some tough spots like the sand hill that wouldn’t seem so steep if it weren’t 20 miles into the run. We also encountered a mud pit that we had to walk through. It felt great on my feet! There were a few small streams to go through, rolling hills and gravel.
As we were getting towards the end, I told Jenn about how Jason had a kick at the end of his 101.1 mile race. I was amazed at how he could run so fast after running for 27 hours. We talked about how the body was amazing because even though you felt spent you were still capable of giving just a little bit more. This is when she asked if we wanted to do a kick at the end of the race. Of course!
So the last ¼ of a mile of the race we started to sprint. I remember Jason saying the faster he ran, the less it hurt but I quite honestly didn’t believe him or thought he was hallucinating. I mean, he just ran 100 miles, clearly he’s not of sound mind. But it turned out the faster I ran at the end the less I hurt. You never really know what you’re capable until you push yourself. Jenn and I finished at the same time with a finish time of 6:46:35.
It felt so good to finish the race. I finally had the distance covered and regained confidence. Although, in the back of my head I couldn’t help but wonder if I was really going to be ready for North Country Trail. By all accounts, this was supposed to be an easier marathon. If NCT was tougher than this I was really beginning to question if I could really run it. It turns out that with the course change it increased the level of difficulty. When I talked to Jason he said if I ran this I would have no problem with NCT which is just 2 weeks away! He better not be lying to me : )
Congratulations:)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog!you should link your posts to Facebook because I always forget to read it.
ReplyDeleteLiz F
Congrats! I really enjoyed reading your recount of the race. Especially the part about taking a wrong turn. I could get lost in an empty room, so taking a wrong turn at a race is always on my mind.
ReplyDeleteGreat race report Shelly!! So proud of you. You are quite an inspiration in so many ways :)
ReplyDeleteOlder men and water are to be expected. I'll be sure to have a bucket handy on the next BR 100.
ReplyDeletegreat job shell!! be sure and rest well for north country :-)
ReplyDeleteShelly -- great job! And that itching/burning sensation? Probably stinging nettles.
ReplyDeleteYou can stop worrying about NCT now! Im pretty sure there are no repelling ropes on the course. Awesome report! Im diggin' the pink leg sleeve things also. Rest up and I can't wait for our next adventure!
ReplyDeleteGreat job at Fallsburg. I was a runner on the course who finished just ahead of you and asked you about running in your Vibrams. I figured the two of you running together were old friends - so I find it neat to hear that you actually met that day. Keep up the running!
ReplyDelete