Race Recap: Hot Chocolate 15K

This race was honestly NOT on my radar. Three years ago, I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K as my first-ever race (it was my "graduation race" from the Couch-to-5K program).  A few weeks ago, after I ran the Donut 5K Run with Molly, she mentioned that she thought I should run the Hot Chocolate 5K with her and pace her to another PR.  Later that week, a few other friends mentioned that they were doing the 15K.  I looked at my training schedule, and sure enough, I had 10 miles on the schedule.  A 15K is 9.3 miles... hmm... the higher-than-usual price of $72 was a turn-off, but when someone on my local Moms Run This Town Facebook page posted a $10 coupon code, I registered before I could second-guess my decision.  

And I am so glad I did--this race was awesome!  Best swag and post-race food, hands down.  All of the runners in both the 5K and 15K got a sweet jacket.  It really is an incredible jacket--that's what we paid for, though.  

The blue zipper one is the woman's jacket

Also, the 15K finishers got a really nice medal.  

And everyone who raced got a big finisher's mug with hot chocolate, dippable chocolate and treats to dip (banana, rice krispy treat, cookies, marshmallow and pretzels).  Definitely my kind of post-race food LOL!

I had a hard time deciding how exactly to run this race.  I had plenty of options.  I knew people running anywhere from a 7:45 to a 10:00/mile pace.  I didn't want to truly "race", of course--I haven't trained to race at all yet.  Amy and I agreed to run together, have fun, and make it a good training run.  We figured we'd run at around an 8:30-8:45 pace.  I really should've known that would never happen... neither of us are good at controlling pace in a race situation!

Amy picked me up at 5:50, as the race organizers recommended we arrive downtown to park by 6 AM.  We figured 6:15 would be fine, and it was honestly plenty early.  We ended up sitting in the car until 7:00 to stay warm!  It was actually the perfect day for a run, with temps in the low to mid 30's at race start, and not a drop of rain (or snow!) to be seen.  By the time the race started at 7:30, the Ohio sun had risen and it made for a gorgeous day to race.  

We headed to the porta-potties after we left Amy's car, and then straight to the starting line.  Hot Chocolate does corrals (thank goodness, with 15,000 runners!) as well as two wave starts. We were in Wave 1, Corral A, and it actually wasn't too crowded at all.  Amy and I looked pretty awesome in our throw-aways, I have to say ;)  

I freaking love this picture!

Tamara and Jon found us in the corral immediately, and we hung out with them for the 10 minutes or so that we had until it was go time!

Amy, Tamara and me with her friend Kayla, right before race start!

The first mile or so was really crowded, and things didn't really thin out until the 5K'ers turned off at mile 2.5.  Amy and I ran into several friends during this time--Dani, Felicia, and my new friend Megan are a few who I remember seeing.  Everything felt pretty easy during the first three miles, although we did have a bit of trouble with pace during mile 3.  Our watches both lost satellite reception, so we didn't know our true pace.  It ended up being our fastest mile on accident, but we slowed down after that. 

Our friend Lynn captured this shot as she was cheering at mile 3.5!

Throughout the race, Amy and I both kept checking in with each other, making sure that we felt good.  We both are so very in tune to our bodies after a spring/summer full of injuries.  I, unfortunately, did not feel good.  My heel had been tight when the race started, despite stretching and a ton of massage before the race while we were in the car.  I kept thinking it would warm up and feel better, like it usually does... alas, this was not the case.  In fact, as the race went on, it went from mildly annoying to a bit painful.  By the time we hit mile 6ish, it was a level 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10.  I was able to block it out by telling myself that a) it was "just" plantar fasciitis, which was fine to run through, and b) focusing on Amy's stomach issues, which started at around mile 6.5.  You just never know how a GU is going to affect your body, and Amy's fuel at 5 miles definitely didn't settle well for her.  I could tell she was not feeling great when I started to pull ahead a teeny bit and she didn't respond by pulling even with me as she usually does.  The plan was to stick together, and I really didn't need to go any faster than we were already going, so I relaxed a bit and tried to chat as much as I good at a semi-uncomfortable pace of about 8 minutes per mile.

It was great to see the finish arch at the bottom of a downhill (I HATE it when races finish going UPhill!).  Amy and I sprinted in and crossed at the exact same time, of course :)  I felt great in every way possible, except for my stupid heel.  It just felt awful. I couldn't wait to get my shoe off and massage it.  We saw a few friends and then headed over to the Finisher's Tent to get our yummy treats.  

I didn't run with my phone, so no shots of the deliciousness--this stock photo will have to do!

We met up with Amy's daughter Teagan, who had raced the 5K with her friend, but didn't stay much longer after that, as we were both getting really cold (sweat dries fast!).  Breakfast at a local Westerville diner (The Pancake House) was the perfect end to our morning, although by that time my own stomach had started its revolt against the GU I had taken during the race.  That didn't stop me from enjoying my omelette and toast, though!

All in all, I was super happy with this race.  Our splits were 8:29, 8:11, 7:47, 8:08, 8:07, 8:00, 8:01, 8:05, 8:01, and 2:55 for the final 0.4 (a 7:13 pace), for an overall time of 1:15:42.   We both placed in the top 25 in our age group out of several hundred runners (not a goal but still pretty cool, considering this truly wasn't a "race" for us).  The pace didn't feel terribly hard; we were both able to talk throughout the race to each other and others on the course.  The only real negative was my heel, but boy, was it a big negative.  After I got home, I massaged it, iced it, and soaked it in Epsom Salt.  Nothing seemed to help.  It just HURT.  It never got loose, and never really lessened.  My friend Steph brought over her Strassberg sock, which is a semi-torture device to be worn when a runner is sleeping to help with plantar fasciitis.  I was excited to wake up this morning, hoping after a night in the sock that I'd feel 100% again.  Nope--zero relief.  It was then that I started thinking that maybe this was NOT plantar fasciitis.  Typically it warms up quickly when I start walking around in the morning, and when I wear my Oofos sandals it always feels good.  Not so much today.  I made an emergency appointment with my chiropractor this afternoon to see if he could work any magic. His diagnosis: NOT plantar fasciitis.  I knew it!  The pain is in my lower heel, and not at all in the upper heel or arch of my foot.  Right now, we are thinking I have a mysterious syndrome called "heel fat pad".  It's a lot like PF... here's a video explaining the difference between the two.

Tonight I did the taping recommended in the video, and I'm happy to say that it worked like a charm.  Even though in the video, the doctor says you can run and workout once it's taped, I am going to be a super-smarty-pants and wait until Thursday when I see my sports med doctor to do anything; I want him to verify the diagnosis.  I'm hoping this is nothing more than a tiny blip on my running plan leading up to marathon training starting in just three weeks.  I've worked so hard to rehab and be smart for the past several months... I need for this to just go away, please and thank you!

Races and PF and Ironmans, OH MY!

A not-so-quick recap of the past 25 days... during which the following occured, listed in no particular order:

• My son and I ran in our second race together
• I paced my friend Molly to a big 5K PR
• I entered the world of plantar fascitis
• I registered for a half Ironman

Yes, just your typical 25 days, right?  In a word, not so much!

Race recaps first...

On October 25, my son Joey and I ran in his second-ever race, the OSU 4-miler.  This has been a race that I've been dying to do ever since its inaugural year in 2013.  That year, I ended up signing up for a half marathon the day before it, so I sold my bib to a friend's husband.  Last year, the race was a month before my marathon, and I didn't see the point in paying $50 to run an easy four miles in the midst of high mileage weeks.  This year, I volunteered at a couple of M3S events to earn free race entries for Joey and myself.  

Pre-race selfie

It was so very worth it!  This race has become the largest 4-miler in the country, with 15,000 entrants!  Joey and I had a great time running together.  I'm amazed at how he can rock out four miles with literally zero training.  

Kicking some booty at around mile 3...

This time, I decided to start us just a bit faster than last time.  Joey responded perfectly, and I still had to hold him back most of the race!  Our splits were 10:24, 9:55, 9:32, and 8:24, although his final split was about 7 seconds faster than mine, as he took off at the end and I couldn't keep up with the little speedster!  He PR'ed by over two minutes, which is even crazier when you consider his first race was only 3.7 miles and this one was almost exactly 4.   

Approaching the stadium during the final mile!

Moving right along, six days later I ran in the 2nd annual Donut Run 5K with my friend Molly.  She had convinced me a few weeks ago to register.  I don't typical do expensive 5K's, and this was was $40 when I registered... but the prospect of donut holes at the water stops and a half-dozen of the city's finest donuts waiting for me at the end was alluring enough to convince me! 

Oh the sweet yumminess...

I wanted 8 miles for my long run this weekend, so I headed down to the race early and did five solo miles before meeting up with Molly.  She was with her friend Sharon, and they were both hoping to go under 28 minutes.  Molly's PR was a 28:24.  I knew from a few runs that we'd done together, as well as training side-by-side at Power Train Fitness in Westerville, that she was definitely capable of a much faster race.  I promised we'd start out at an easier pace in the low- to mid-9's and progressively get faster.  The problem was that I had just finished five progressive miles myself, and my fifth mile was an 8:14.  I have trouble slowing down once I've sped up... which is why our first mile was an 8:43.  Molly was still in a conversational mode after the second mile (8:35), so I continued to press the pace.  Our final mile was a 8:09.  Molly confessed to me as we headed toward the finish that she felt like she was going to throw up.  I knew I had done my job as a pacer!  Final time: 25:57, a crazy-awesome PR for her!  As for me, I relished in the knowledge that a) I had helped Molly achieve a time she didn't feel she had in her, and b) I felt amazing relaxed doing it.  My legs are finally coming back!

Sharon, Molly and I after the race!

Rewind back a couple of weeks... on October 16th, I had a short 4-mile training run with some friends in Westerville.  I wore my Mizuno Paradoxes, which I'd been rotating in on runs for the past few weeks.  This was the 6th time I'd worn them.  I hadn't fallen in love with them, but really wanted to, so I kept giving them chances... well, that was dumb.  I should have known better.  Occasionally after a run in them, my heel would hurt.  Not awful, and not for more than a day.  This day, things were different.  My heel hurt as soon as we stopped running.  And the pain didn't let up.  It wasn't an actual pain though.. more of a tightness in my arch that went up into my heel.  I quickly googled the two words that happen to be the most common running injury known to man: plantar fasciitis (affectionately known as PF to runners).  I knew after reading the description that I was a member of a club I had never wanted to be a part of.  Since then, I have shipped back those horrible shoes and began a regime of massage (both with my hands and rolling on a racquetball), icing by rolling my foot on a frozen water bottle, and using KT tape for additional support.  I also have found my Oofos sandals to be the most amazing relief yet.  I thought I loved them before I experienced PF... and now I know they are a new level of nirvana.  Fortunately, PF is not really an "injury", but a condition.  One can run through it... my foot tends to warm up after about 2-3 miles, and from that point I feel great. I have heard it can go away as quickly as it comes on, and I am confident that with continuing my routine as well as having my chiropractor work on it weekly, I will battle it into submission.

Time for the most exciting news... after many rumors in the spring and summer, Ironman announced in early October that they would be using the nearby suburb of Delaware, Ohio for a half-Ironman competition on August 21, 2016.  A half-Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run, for a total of 70.3 miles of racing.  Having only raced one (VERY short) triathlon, I wasn't sure if I was up for the daunting task of racing such a large distance.  Peer pressure encouragement from many friends led me to obtaining an early entry to the race, and then to pushing the "register" button on October 18th.  I am still in semi-shock, but I am more excited than anything!  This weekend my parents loaned me money to purchase a road bike that will actually fit me correctly (my borrowed bike from my dear friend Carolyn was great, but was also a few sizes too small!). 

My gorgeous new-to-me ride!

The only thing left to do now is to start training!  I am planning on swimming weekly this winter and spring, and hope to fit in biking as much as I can, but not on a set schedule until the Glass City marathon is over in late April.  I will have 18 weeks before I enter the waters of Delaware Lake for the big race, so this summer will be a fun one, that's for sure!

The last few weeks have been good, running-wise.  I've worked up to 16-20 miles per week.  I have my first double-digit run since June coming up on Sunday.  I feel like I'm ready for it, after running 8 miles on two different occasions.  In a few weeks I will add in a 4th day of running each week, and in just five weeks, on December 7, marathon training officially begins! 

Time-hopping back a year...

A year ago today, I found out I didn't have a stress fracture. A year ago today, I was probably the most grateful person on the face of the earth.  A year ago today, I was told I could indeed race the Columbus Marathon.  I can still remember the feeling of utter joy as I walked out of Dr. Bright's office at Max Sports.  I called my closest running friends and cried tears of joy as I drove home.  I cautiously trained for the next eight days, praying that everything would fall into place at the race. And for about 15 glorious miles, they did.  I loved that race... until my calves began to seize, and I had to walk several times and (gasp) even completely stop three times to stretch.  Needless to say, it was not exactly the race I had hoped for.  Despite a PR of 12 minutes (3:44:29), I couldn't be happy with the race.  I kept telling myself to be grateful, but all I could think is what might have been.  I surely would have gone fast enough to qualify for Boston in 2016 with a sub-3:40 if I hadn't had those cramps.  

A little over a week ago, I found out that it would have taken a 3:37:32 or faster to run at the Boston Marathon in 2016.  You see, just because a person runs faster than the qualifying standard does not mean that they get to actually run in the race.  The Boston Athletic Association sets the actual standard each year depending on how many people register as well as other mitigating factors.  This must have been a banner year for registrations, because for the past two years it's only taken a time of less than 1:30 under the standard to make it to Boston.  

Oddly enough, it made me happy to hear this.  I wasn't "only four minutes" away from qualifying. I was actually seven minutes.  That's a lot more in the running world.  It would've taken a lot for me to actually hit that standard last year.  Almost the perfect race.  If I would have kept the same pace I was racing at when the cramps started (8:15), I would've gone just over four minutes faster. A 3:40.  Not even fast enough to qualify for Boston, let alone actually race there.  My race plan, of course, was to keep getting faster as I raced.  I mean, that's how I always race.  Who knows if that would've actually happened, but I realize now that I would've needed to go quite a bit faster for those last ten miles or so to even have a chance to make it.  

Why does this all even matter to me?  It just solidifies the fact in my mind that Boston 2016 is not, and was never meant to be, MY RACE.  For whatever reason (maybe because it's my son's 11th birthday?), I was not supposed to be there.  I will happily "stalk" my friends Andrea, Carol, Melissa, Jason, and Amanda, virtually cheering them.  I will show my students live video footage on April 18th, just as I did this past April as I nursed my injury.  

And, hopefully, I will be preparing to run in my third marathon just six days later.  I have written a training plan that begins on December 7th, 20 weeks before the 2016 Glass City Marathon (April 24, 2016).  The plan is conservative by all definitions of the word.  The weekly mileage isn't super high; I have it peaking at 38.  I only have speed workouts planned once a week (alternating track and tempo), with a week of no speedwork at all every third week (coinciding with my dropback weeks). Oh, and the speed doesn't actually start until mid-January (six weeks into training).  My fourth weekday of running (which I plan on adding back in around Thanksgiving) will only be 3-4 miles of running.  I'll be cross- training, of course (boot camp, swimming, and core work... oh and hopefully some yoga, one of my newest loves!).

I contemplated using a pre-written plan this time around.  I scoured the Internet one night, trying to find a plan that would suite me.  I just couldn't find one that spoke to me.  So, as always, I borrowed and stole from various plans that I found.  I am having a few friends take a look at my plan and give me feedback, as I am still not sure it's where it needs to be.  Meanwhile, I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of my "non-training plan" right now.  Running three days a week, cross-training two or three days a week, and being incredibly grateful each and every time I lace up.  I don't think I will lose that gratitude this time around.  As my friend Jen said to me, I am a changed runner.  Here's hoping it's for the better.

Product review: SL3S compression sleeves

I'm super excited to write my very first product review!  I was asked by SL3S to review their adorable butterfly compression sleeves.  I chose pink--of course--and I can't say enough about how cute they are!  My other compression sleeves are plain black, so I welcomed the color change.  These sleeves also come in azure (blue), violet and teal.

photo from SL3S website

I've used the sleeves a total of three times since I received them: for two runs (6 and 5 miles respectively) and for a boot camp class.  I typically only wear compression sleeves on runs longer than 7-8 miles, but I was anxious to try these out, so I went ahead put them on for my six-mile run with Allison this past Sunday.  As most of you know, I have had the worst luck with my calves.  I've suffered from multiple calf strains/tears over the past year or two, most recently in June.  I've worked with a physical therapist to fix my gait as well as strengthen my calves.  Many people with calf issues like mine like to run in sleeves for the additional support they give you.   Every since I've gotten back into running after my summer injury, I start every run with a fear that I will feel that dreaded "pop" again.  But on Sunday, with the SL3S sleeves on, I felt truly confident every step of the way!  I was able to relax and just enjoy the run, and not think about the "what-if's."  

I wore the sleeves again on Monday night to boot camp. I go to Power Train Fitness in Westerville once or twice a week.  Boot camp seriously kicks my booty each and every time!  The hardest part for me is the jumping.  Squat jumps, split squat jumps, box jumps... I feel like a weakling each and every time I try to jump for any amount of time.  I wondered if wearing compression might help a bit.  I'm happy to report that I definitely felt stronger wearing my sleeves!  This might all be mental, but I'm not one to dismiss anything that makes me feel better.

Finally, this morning I wore the sleeves on my five-mile "donut run" with a big group of mamas from Westerville.  I got a few compliments on how cute they were (even at 5 AM when it's still very dark out!), and I again felt super when I was running with them on.  In fact, I think compression sleeves are going to be a part of my every day running wardrobe from this point forward!  

A few other specifics about the sleeves:

FIT: I requested a size S/M (my calf circumference is 14.5").  This size fit me perfectly.  

FEEL:  I love that these were thin but still offered a ton of support.  My other compression sleeves are a bit thicker, so I tend to get hot when I wear them.  

APPEARANCE: Already discussed this, but they are sooooo cute!

VALUE: These sleeves run at $44.95/pair.  I think that is on par with other sleeves... but if you use the discount code MRTT40, you can get them for 40% off!  That makes them under $27... definitely a steal!  Here is the link to purchase them: http://www.slstri.com/Compression-Socks-Sleeves-Shorts-s/1819.htm 

The only thing I would change about these sleeves is the butterflies... I'd add MORE of them.  They are so freaking cute!  I am planning on getting a pair of the teal ones as well :)

So what's even BETTER than a discount?  How about a free pair of the butterfly compression sleeves or socks?!!  Click below to enter the raffle and win a pair for yourself!  Consider this your reward for reading to the end of my blog ;)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Run for the Health of It race recap (9/7/15)

It occurred to me that it's been four weeks since this race and I have yet to write a recap!  That's what happens when school gets back into session.  The life of a middle school teacher (who also has five kiddos!) doesn't lend itself to blogging as much as I'd like for it to.

 

  

This will be a shorter-than-usual race recap, as I have another blog I'm itching to write in the next week or so, and I was super-busy tonight with school work.  But I cannot let this race go by without writing something, as it was actually a very special race for me.  This was my son Joey's very first race!  Joey is ten years old and is a stellar athlete.  He's played soccer for six years now, and this is his third year on a select team.  He also has played flag football and wrestled.  Joey of course has to run for soccer, but he's never ran for more than about two miles straight.  

When I mentioned this summer that this race had wings and Dairy Queen at the finish, Joey's eyes lit up.  The $5 price tag makes MY eyes light up, so I signed us both up.  Joey never really trained for this race, other than his normal 3-4 days a week of soccer practice/games, so I honestly had no clue what to expect from him.  I had a race plan in mind, though.  I told him we were going to take it very easy for the first two miles, and then I would let him slowly build up his speed.  I planned on using the "talk test" with him--as long as he could carry on a conversation with me, I knew he would be fine.  

The race was on Labor Day, and Joey wasn't super happy about leaving our house before 8 AM to get to the start.  He said he wished that it started later, and I had to laugh.  This race has a 9 AM start, which is crazy-late in the running world!  I wanted to get there early to get a parking spot and meet up with my friends.  Amy (who is one of my best friends) and her daughter Teagan (who is a year younger than Joey but has ran a few races before and is also a great athlete) would be meeting us there.  Joey and Teagan get along really well, and we'd planned on sticking together if possible during the race.

Amy and me, pre-race

Just like last year, I was super excited to see so many friends at this race!  Our Mom's Run This Town chapter was well-represested.  

Go MRTT!

I hung out with Amy and a few other friends while we waited for the race to start, and Joey and Teagan played on the playground.

My Steph

The race started out on the loop across the street from the Westerville Rec Center, with zero shade at first.  Joey did a great job listening to me for the first mile--our split was 11:42 and he was definitely relaxed.  He asked if he could go faster but I was still concerned he'd push himself too hard, so I said no. Amy and Teagan went ahead of us at the start but at around mile 2 we caught up to them and went on ahead, as Teagan was having a rough day.  Our mile 2 split was 11:34... still definitely in cruise control!

He feels good!

After 2 miles, I allowed Joey to push his pace a bit more.  He still was able to talk, but our third mile was quite a bit faster (10:42).  At this point I myself accelerated a bit.  I have to admit, I wanted to see what he could do.  With about a half-mile to go, Joey told me that he was "hitting the wall".  Not really sure where he heard that phrase before, but I had to laugh!  I told him there was no wall in a four-mile race.  Joey definitely couldn't talk any more, so I kept up a steady stream of praise for how awesome he was doing.   And he really was doing super!

Still strong!

With about 0.1 miles to go, I spied a boy who was about Joey's age around 10 yards ahead of us.  I pointed him out to Joey and told him to go get him... and that he did!  My son is definitely a sprinter, and he booked it to the finish line.  His final mile was at a 9:10 pace, but at the end he was going under an 8-minute mile!

Oh yeah, racing into the finish!

The race was short again this year (only 3.74 miles), so his final time of 40:43 is a bit faster than what it would've been if he had actually run 4 miles at his overall pace of 10:53.   Joey was happy to get his Dairy Queen Dilly Bar, but bummed there were no wings this year.  He loved receiving his first medal!  He was tired after the race, but he quickly recovered and enjoyed visiting the different companies that set up tents at this race to give out free things.  The best part: he told me that he'd like to run cross country in middle school.  Music to this mama-runner's ears!  

Proud mama, happy Joey

Joey and I are signed up to run the Ohio State 4-miler together in a few weeks.  I've been wanting to run this race for the past two years, but it hasn't worked out due to other races/training I had planned.  It is going to be super-special to run it with my son, who is a huge Buckeyes fan!  I am planning on pushing him just a bit faster in the first two miles to see what he has in him ;)

Market to Market relay recap

I was going to attempt to wrap two race recaps into one, since both occurred during the same weekend... but then I realized that I didn't want to do a disservice to either of these awesome events, so I'll keep them separate :)

First up: Market to Market relay!  Back in December, I asked some friends if they would be interested in participating in this race.  It is a 76.4-mile relay race that begins in Milford (a suburb of Cincinnati) and ends in downtown Dayton.  This is the second year of this race, I believe, and I'd heard great thing about it from my friend Jamie.  I recruited some of my best friends to join me, and we've been planning things for several months!  Our team was aptly named "Classy, Sassy and a bit Smartassy," and was composed of Jen, Stacey, Christine, Amy, Jess and Allison.  

We all got these tanks in different colors.  This one highlights Jen's assets ;)

Christine has a huge 12-passenger van, and Jen's parents live in a nearby suburb of Cincinnati, so we were set with our ride and accommodations the night before the race.  We all decided who was going to bring what--I chose the all-important item of CANDY!  Other very important items included fruit punch Gatorade and Cool Ranch Doritos... oh, and of course healthier things like peanut butter, yogurt, granola bars, and a ton of water.

Christine picked me up on Friday afternoon as soon as we both got done with work, and we met up with Jess, Allison and Amy at Christine's house to load up the van. We picked up Jen and Stacey and then we were off!  

Car selfie!

The ride down was long--traffic was heavy and we had some nice storms happening.  Christine loved the lightning show that we encountered!  We made it to Jen's parents just after 7 PM and after a few quick hello's, we headed to dinner at Carabba's.  I had invited my cousin Katie, who recently moved to Oakley (another suburb of Cincinnati), to join us.  It was a wonderful dinner of laughter and wine for all!  None of us typically drink the night before a race, but this was all about friendship and fun, so wine was definitely called for.

Jen & Stacey--cheers!

We headed back to Jen's parents' house and Stacey crashed immediately.  The rest of us stayed up till around 11:00 PM just chatting in the basement--a true runners' slumber party.  I had a little trouble falling asleep, but eventually was able to rest for a bit.  We were all up by 5 AM ready for the party to get started!

So it was off to the starting line, where we were easily able to park and find the packet pick-up, which was in a local camping/sporting goods store right next to the starting line.  Since we were early, we hung out in a coffee shop and studied the course maps that we'd been provided... this was actually a thick booklet with specific directions and instructions.  

Amy's gonna hate this one...

Then we headed back to our van and decorated it with car markers.  We hadn't planned what we were going to draw/write, but ended up going with hashtags with a bunch of smart-ass comments, of course!  Most of them were really inappropriate, and we added more as the day went on... and we got several compliments on how funny they were! 

Fooling around pre-race!

The time quickly arrived for Christine, our first runner, to head to the starting line.  

She's so ready!

We had drawn the 7 AM starting wave, which ended up being perfect as we didn't need any lights or reflective gear at all during the race since we started after sunrise and ended before sunset.

Pre-race selfie!

Christine's wave went off right on time, and things got crazy from that point!  

I had been elected the driver for when Christine was running her three legs, so right off the bat I had to get her big ol' van to the first exchange point.  Fortunately, the race guide had great directions to get us from one exchange point to the next, and we were able to make it to the first spot with plenty of time to spare.  We were excited to cheer in Christine from her first run, and send Jen (our second runner) off on her leg!

Christine coming in!

The first exchange!

It was during Jen's leg (when Christine took over the wheel and I became the navigator) that I first thought about running both of my legs in the relay.  You see, originally I had decided just to run one of them.  At first I thought I'd do the shorter one, only 2.4 miles.  But I've felt good lately and figured that I could handle the 4.6 mile leg, especially since I ran short this week.  Stacey had originally offered to run my 2.4 miles, and that was how things had been set... until all of a sudden I thought, "Hey, why not?  I can do this, if I keep it easy!"  My team agreed that as long as I kept things easy, I would be fine.

The next few stages went by quickly. 

Official photographer :)

Excitedly waiting...

Stacey coming in for her first exchange!

And Jess heading out!

Selfie at the top of Ft. Ancient, waiting for Allison!

Love these mamas!

 I was the 6th runner, so after Jen, Amy, Stacey, then Jess, it was my turn!  Jess handed the timing chip (a velcro bracelet) to me at around 10:15 AM, and I was off!  About all I can say about this leg was that it was boring.   Like, truly one of the most boring runs I've ever done.  The race doesn't allow headphones, so I was without music.  I passed a few runners who were walking, and that was that.  Oh, I did hear a woodpecker.  Yeah, super exciting... not!!!  I worked to keep my form steady and keep my pace as close to 9:00/mile as I could.  I was almost successful--my splits were 8:50, 8:57, and 8:35 pace for the final 0.4, with an overall pace of 8:51/mile.  I felt relaxed and good physically... just bored almost to tears!  I was actually thrilled that the run was shorter than announced (2.33 miles). The temperature was in the mid-70's at this point, so it was hot but not too awful yet.  My route was somewhat shaded as well.  I handed off the bracelet to Allison, who was our 7th runner, and headed back to the van to take over as navigator again.

The next few legs flew by.  We watched the temperatures rise and started to get worried about the heat.  By 1 PM it was almost 90 degrees and still climbing.  

Amy waiting for Jen in the crazy heat

Stacey throwing water at Jen as she came in!

Amy isn't too happy in the heat...

Stacey finishing her super-long leg in the sun

After her 2nd leg, Stacey needed a snack...

I started to get nervous... our runners would come in, and we would immediately pour water over their heads and put an icy-cold towel on their necks.  (Oh, the disgusting orange towel... that is one thing I don't ever want to see again!)  I began to wonder what I'd gotten myself into... my legs were a bit tired and I was not sure I could handle the heat.  My mind kept drifting back to the half marathon back in October 2013 when I literally collapsed due to (what we later learned was) dehydration.  I knew I wasn't a good hot-weather runner.  How on earth was I going to run 4.6 miles in temperatures above 90???

My time came though... I stood at exchange point 12 waiting for Jess, trying not to cry.  Thankfully I had on my sunglasses so no one knew how scared I really was.  Jess ran in and then I was off.  This time, I'd decided to put Pandora on my phone in my FlipBelt, so at least I'd have something to listen to while I suffered.  I was hot... oh so hot... but I was less alone this time.  I had three men pass me during my leg, but I passed several walkers, and I also passed one of the men who had passed me when he started to walk.  I made it a little game... I wouldn't let myself check my progress on my Garmin till I passed someone.  Otherwise, the tenths ticked by super slowly.  I managed to keep my pace relaxed and only felt a little dizzy twice during the run; both times I just drank more water and breathed slower.  But man was it hot!  Oh and did I mention that this leg was entirely uphill?  It didn't feel that way, thankfully... probably because I was too busy thinking about how I felt like I was in an oven.  I again controlled my pace well... 9:06, 9:10, 9:01, 9:12, and 8:47 for the final 0.6 miles (overall pace 9:04/mile for the run).  I honestly couldn't go much faster than that, not safely at least.

I was so very very happy to see the final turn off from the trail to the exchange point.  I handed off the chip to Allison and grabbed icy water and Gatorade from my friends.  They were a little giggly... more so than usual.  Back at the car, I immediately gathered that something was up.  As it turns out,. there had been some navigation issues and they'd arrived only a minute or two before I finished... needless to say, I was more than happy to take over navigation duties again!

I didn't feel so hot after I'd finished my second leg... tummy issues mostly.  It was still fun cheering on everyone else on my team and laughing about how awful we all smelled at that point.  

One of the few pics of Allison, since I handed off to her!

How Jen feels about the heat...

Christine powering through her final leg!

Their last exchange!

Because she didn't work out enough today ;)

Amy is so thrilled to run her third leg ;)

The best part was meeting up with a team of very attractive college-age male runners who seemed to be at every exchange point just ahead of us for the final 4-5 stops.  Lots of eye candy to keep us happy! 

Our favorite ;)

Amy's got this!

Stacey is ready for her final leg!

Waiting on Stacey... Allison is checking out the guys ;)

Here comes Stacey!

The final exchange!

Stacey lending Jen a hand ;)

 Runners #1-5 had three legs total, while runners #6 and 7 only had two, so Jess was our final runner.  The way the race works, everyone on the team runs the final 0.2 miles into the finish.  We met up with Jess in downtown Dayton and headed together as a team towards the finish arch.  

Here comes Jess!

Our team finishing!

Such a wonderful memory, all of us together running!  We were surprised to get medals (hadn't seen anything about them in the race info), but were underwhelmed by the post-race party. No real food, so once those who were drinking had their free beer, we headed out to the van and back towards Columbus.  

We did stop in Urbana to have dinner (half of us at Chipotle, the other half at Five Guys Burgers & Fries--oh, the deliciousness of a burger and salty fries after running!), and made it back to central Ohio before 10 PM.

Our official results: 

We were the 10th-fastest all-women's team out of 31, and 65th out of 163 teams overall.  Our overall pace was a 9:09/mile.  Given the heat of the day, we were pretty happy with that!  We all agreed that it was an amazing experience, one that we'd all definitely like to repeat.