Race Recap: BCS Marathon

My double header weekend ended with the BCS Marathon in College Station, TX!  We literally finished Brazos Bend and jumped in the car to get to College Station for packet pick-up!  I hate that we didn’t make in time for the expo, but we did make it there in time for the start of late pick up.

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Everyone was eyeing us because we already had medals on.  It was kind of awkward but funny.  We decided to take a picture by the tree.  At this point we had been in the car for almost two hours and we were starting to stiffen up.  That was the only thing that had me worried about running another marathon.

We checked into the hotel and grabbed some grub but we had to prep for the race the next morning.  I always have a hard time sleeping after marathons but I was forcing myself to sleep that night.  BCS Marathon started at 7am but it was a mile from the hotel and there was plenty of parking.  We didn’t have to get up too early but I did anyway.

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We arrived early and used the portolets.  I’ll spare you a very nasty experience from Jes.  Just know it wasn’t awesome.  Jes seemed really nervous about running the race.  I tried to calm her nerves.  My mind set was we were already there and committed to do so there wasn’t really much to worry about.  We just needed to get it done.

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I met up with some old friends from high school which was pretty awesome.

And then the race started.  My hamstring had been bugging me but it wasn’t hampering me from running.  Other than that I felt fine.  I was ready to run, until we started running and it was extremely humid.  After the first mile, I found the 5 hour pacer and I told him I was going to stay with him.  But he looked like he was moving slower than I wanted to move, but I stuck with him for a few miles.  But when we broke away from half marathon people at mile 3.5, I decided to leave the pacer and just do my own thing.  At this point, I was wishing it would rain so the humidity would back off a bit.  I wasn’t prepared to run in conditions like that. I was worried it was going to be like that the entire race.

The streets of Bryan were not my favorite.  The streets were a little torn up but I just watched my step and kept pushing.  I had to turn my timer on pretty early on in the race because I didn’t want to struggle.  I thought it was the best option for this race.  I was armed with my fuel, GU every 40 minutes and a salt tablet every hour.  I was feeling pretty strong.  I was finding people to pace with along the way and thought I was doing great until I realized the two guys I was trying to keep pace with were MARATHON RELAY people.  That’s not a bad thing but they didn’t quite as long to go as I did.  I was kind of cursing myself for that but I didn’t know and I didn’t think to look at their bibs after the split.  I didn’t even know there was a marathon relay.

I crossed the half marathon mark at 2:25 which is 11 minutes slower than my Memphis time the week before.  I wasn’t shooting for a PR and at this point I knew I wasn’t going to come close to it. I didn’t expect to run anything less than a 5 hour marathon.  I really just wanted to reach the end without being dead.  The timer was working well for me but the wind started to pick up.  The wind gusts were pretty gusty.  I would take that instead of it being humid.  We began the run on some country roads which were my favorite parts of the run.  I really enjoyed it.  I felt at peace in those moments.

I don’t remember much about what happened after that except it was WINDY.  The course took us through Texas A&M University which was nice because this was all stuff I hadn’t seen before.  We had to run over a couple of curbs and I thought I was lifting my feet but I guess it wasn’t.  The race was filled with some rolling hills but nothing major.  I was kind of worried about the downhills because of my Revel Rockies experience.  I just tried to control my speed on the way down.

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I finished the race in 4:57:25 which was fantastic.  If it wasn’t windy I know I would have came in at 4:48.  I just got lazy and didn’t want the fight the wind.  In the last 4 miles, I walked a little too much because i was kind of getting knocked over by the wind.  The miles from the day before were starting to hit me and I just couldn’t fight it anymore.  I let it get the best of me!  It was still a great time for me.  It was 2 minutes off my PR from the week before which made me feel great.

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This race was really great.  It was my first time running this race.  The swag was great.  We got a cotton long sleeve shirt and swiftwick socks.  When we finished the race we got a technical finisher shirt and a great large medal.   The aid stations were great and fully stocked with everything a person would need. The people were friendly and the course was excellent.  I am definitely coming back to run this race.  It was great!  I recommend this race to everyone who wants to run a fast course.

With this race came the end of my 2014 racing season. This was my 13th marathon of the year! I can’t believe I ran my first marathon in January and here it is in December and I ran 12 more marathons. I leveled up in my Marathon Maniacs status in one weekend. I had been working all of the fall season to make it level 3 but in one weekend I made it to level 4. All I can say is I am happy! I’m proud and I can’t wait to see what the 2015 holds for me.

Race Recap: Brazos Bend 100 Marathon

Race Recap: Brazos Bend 100 Marathon

This past weekend I committed to running the Brazos Bend 100 Marathon.  I orginally signed up to do the 50 miler but then decided that being an ultramarathoner wasn’t for me.  Then after running another ultra, I decided I should try the 50 miler and signed up again…but then I decided to drop down to the marathon. This was my 12th marathon of 2014! I’m not a stranger to the trails.  I know trails are difficult.  I know they can mess with your mind.  But I also know running the trails can be peaceful and beautiful.  Willie was playing chaffeur…

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Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Race Recap: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Please excuse me while I talk about this race with great emotion.  This race was supposed to be my first race last year but we all know what happened.  This year it was Willie’s first marathon!  When we arrived in Memphis, I felt like I was running a marathon for the first time.  I was nervous.  I was excited.  I didn’t know what to expect.  There was only one thing I was interested in: watching Willie cross the finish line. Willie has a strict “no running with me” rule and I had to abide by it.  It’s probably a good…

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The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

The St. Jude Memphis Marathon is happening…

Willie and I hopped in the car to drive to Memphis for the big marathon.  Willie will be running his first marathon and I’ll be adding another state to my marathon quest.  It’s a moment for me but it’s a BIG moment for Willie. That’s why he drove the entire 8 hours.  But we didn’t listen to Serial which an incredibly addicting podcast.  It’s so good! This morning we went on short shake out run. Riding in the car for 8 hours will kill your legs. Plus, I had a less than desirable run on Wednesday. No one wants to…

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It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude …

It’s #GivingTuesday: The children of St. Jude need our HELP!

Brown Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, those are all over.  It’s time for #GivingTuesday. So what is Giving Tuesday all about? Getting together to celebrate generosity by giving! We give all our money to the stores so why not give to help out a great cause. Last year we raised $2500 for the children of St. Jude. This year our fundraising goal wasn’t quite as high but we would still like to give back. Can you help us raise a little bit more money? Last year this was supposed to be my first marathon but it was canceled. It…

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The pie hit the trash so let’s …

The pie hit the trash so let’s try something new

There’s nothing wrong with Thanksgiving eating but there is a problem with leftovers.  It’s especially hard to be one of those people who HATES to throw food away.  Continuing the Thanksgiving eating for many days after Thanksgiving can be a problem. I woke up yesterday and saw a lot of food in the trash including a full pecan pie, angel food cake and some macaroni and cheese. Willie was serious about it. It’s time to move on. It’s marathon week! It’s not my first marathon but it was supposed to be my first marathon this year so I’m excited to…

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Race Recap: The Ultracentric Experience 6 HR

Race Recap: The Ultracentric Experience 6 HR

Good morning.  It’s early but I’m still excited from yesterday.  I ran the Ultracentric Gold Rush 6 HR Race.  The race is actually a 72/48/24/12/6 HR running event.  Yes, there are people who had been out there since Thursday morning.  I think that’s crazy.  The whole thing is set up where they serve you real food throughout the day to keep you fueled.  Ultrarunning is very different from road racing.  Let me back up, for people who don’t know what an ultra marathon is: it’s anything about 26.2 miles.  The atmosphere is more laid back.  It’s really all about having…

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GO HARD – Hug a Runner

GO HARD – Hug a Runner

Go hug a runner because it’s time to Go HARD.  It’s Globally Organized Hug A Runner Day!  Last year, I missed out but this year I got in lots of hugs! I told you running makes me want to hug people! These are some of my favorite people but not all. So don’t get offended if you’re picture isn’t here. I’ve been icing my foot. Sunday when I ran the half marathon in the rain, I think my shoes were too tight or too lose and were sliding up and down my foot. It hurt like the dickens so I…

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The beginning of MY quest

The beginning of MY quest

If you’ve been reading the blog, you may have noticed between the lines that I’ve been in search of something.  The past 6 years I’ve been trying to move in a positive direction after being so not positive for a long period of life.  Before I played the victim, I complained all the time and nothing could ever make me happy.  It wasn’t a great situation which didn’t make me a fun person to be around.  A lot of my personal relationships suffered greatly and I knew I had to make a change.  Today I feel like I’ve taken a…

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Race recap: Pleasure Island Bridge Half Marathon

Race recap: Pleasure Island Bridge Half Marathon

It’s my favorite race of the year!  I love the Pleasure Island Bridge Half Marathon for many reasons but most importantly, it’s just a great race with great people.  I run all over the country but it’s nice to run the local races.  I’m so blessed that my community has two great local long run events. This is my 3rd year running the bridge and I wouldn’t miss it for anything.  The race is scenic and it’s always great to run a bridge, right? I didn’t have a goal this year because last year I was really sluggish at this…

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Race Recap: Rock n Roll St. Louis Half …

Race Recap: Rock n Roll St. Louis Half Marathon

Sunday morning was the day to run long! This was a taper run for me because I planned on running the Marine Corp Marathon the following week. This was also a training run for Willie who is training for his first marathon in December. It was meant to be fun. My attitude for this race was very different from the day before. The day before I was excited and ready to tackle the task. I woke up on Sunday and I wasn’t feeling it. Probably because it was a tad bit cooler than the day before. I don’t know what…

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