Little Rock Half-Marathon!

Megan and I started our day off early at the La Quinta Inn in Little Rock, AR. After only a few short hours of sleep due to some drag racing (not us, but on the street outside our room), and a loud a/c unit, we were excited to be around all the other runners.
We got in the elevator on the way to go to the trolley, and some 'older' runners were already in the elevator. They made comments about our ipods. In the form of, 'you do know that ipods are illegal in the race.' Well, of course we know that ipods are 'considered' illegal, but most race officals just turn their heads. But, I started joking with the guy that I wasn't too worried about getting DQed. I was joking 'Yeah, if I get DQed they may take away my prize money.' Then he went into a long explanation of different certifications of courses, etc. Mostly I just nodded my head thinking-wow, is my ipod really worth this lecture?
Luckily, we got off the elevator, and the atmospere was contagious! We were soon riding the adrenaline rush as we waiting in line to get on the trolley.
As we arrived down to the starting line I then realized that this was going to be a big race! We met a few friends, Brenda, April, and Glen. Had a few minor snags as we waiting to get started, Brenda realized she left her timing chip at the hotel (her husband brought it down), I walked in on a guy in the bathroom (use the lock!), and I thought that the air sprays in the potta potties were hand sanitizers. But, we got through the craziness, and lined up!
The Race!
We started lining up in the 'corrals.' Yes, I did say corrals, like cattle. I kept joking with Megan, that if they had cattle prods, I bet we would all run a lot faster!
Mile 1 & 2-These miles were rough due to the amount of people. There were a lot of people entered as 'walker' and it was tough going to try to get through the people. Lots of weaving back and forth, and that is tough.
I hate to see them leave, but I love to watch them go...
Megan and I came upon a photographer, and we began smiling, until we noticed he was actually facing the other direction (like he was taking pictures of the back of the runners.) We both, being typical women, start freaking out! We didn't want him taking pics of our backsides. Then we realized that he was actually taking pics of the wheelchair 5K participants coming from the other direction. Ooops!
Mile 2 & 3-My own personal cheerleader. Megan had thought she would run with me for the first few miles, then want to slow down. I swear it was the other way. She was so great-she knew I had a time I wanted to make, and she was going to make me get that time no matter what!
Mile 4 & 5-Megan is riding her own personal running high. I am struggling-I now fully am understanding the effects of not doing a very good taper. A taper is when you don't run as much the week before a race, so that you are fresh the day of the race. I decided that I was superwoman, and ran just as much as I normally do. And, we are keeping a faster pace than we would normally for a long run, as well as trying to play catch up from our slow start.
Other notable mentions from these few miles, Little Rock is a marathon town! The entire way has spectators cheering you on. At one point there is a house handing out beer-which we did see a girl take a quick swig as she ran by! We also ran by the mayor of Little Rock.
Mile 6 & 7-We begin to slow a little bit, we had been running a fairly quick pace for about 4 miles, and are both beginning to hurt. But, just when I am thinking that this is getting too hard, we encounter the 'Methodist Mile.' Which I have to say was the coolest thing ever to me for some reason! The entire choir from the church is standing outside singing, and there are a bunch of people outside cheering. I loved that moment, and it is one that has stayed with me.
Mile 8 & 9-Wow, what to say...not much at this point! We run by a lady yelling at all the runners, comments vary..'you are not tired'...'you keep going girl'....'you can do this'...'you better pick up the pace'...'you run up that hill, baby'...'you better stop slowing down!' This cracked us up! Also, around this point we run by the governor's mansion. Kind of neat.
Mile 10 & 11-Okay, we are getting close. All I needed to see was that Mile 10 marker. I pick up the pace-Megan mentions that I now 'have a little pep in my step.' I remember this so well! Thank you Megan! Also want to mention at this point, we have our names on our race numbers. I took my long sleeve shirt where mine was pinned at about 1/2 mile! But, Megan still had hers on, and people have been saying 'Go, Roper(her last name)' for the entire race. But, she is just now noticing that people are calling out her name!
We also pass another church that has a ton of kids standing out front with their hands out for high fives. I have to stop to give them all high fives-I figured that a better time, was not worth not giving these kids that were out on a Sunday morning to cheer us on a quick high five. Another highlight of the race for me!
Mile 12 & 13-So we pass the mile marker for mile 12 twice. It appears that since the marathoners veer off course for about 1/2 mile, their mile 12 comes a little before the half marathoners mile 12. What the h***! Are you serious! I was seriously excited when we saw the first mile 12 marker, because I thought Megan and I were about 5 minutes ahead of our goal. Then when they told us that was only for the marahoners-I was a little ticked off. Oh, well off and running! We hit mile 12 with energy. Megan stops for a drink yelling she would catch up, but I just keep going. At mile 12.75 there is a L'oreal lipstick stop which was pretty funny! But, Megan has caught up, and we are really going by this point. We cross the finish line, and I am in awe because we are so close to my goal time! Which would mean I took 10 minutes off my Route 66 time. We go get our metals, and they are offering those funny foil blankets again. So I line up telling the guy 'Wrap me up, please!' Megan finds this so funny that I finally was willing to get wrapped up in the blanket. We grab our snack packs and head off to get our picture taken.
Megan is riding the high from finishing her first half marathon! She had thought she would finish in 2:30, instead our 'official time' is 2:12! We are both excited, and both agree if we wouldn't have had to weave so much in the first couple of miles, we would have hit 2:10.
Things I learned:
1) A friend that is willing to make sure you get your goal time is one of the best friends you will ever have!
2) Never ever, ever believe the people who tell you things such as 'It's all down hill from here' or 'the hills aren't that bad.' They are never true! A bunch of people in Little Rock have shirts saying either 'What Hills?' or 'Got Hills?' Funny, huh? Just wait until you are the one running!
3) Tapering is a serious thing-I will take tapering very seriously from now on!
4) Some older gentlemen runners do not find it amusing when you bump their hand on accident, then joke 'sorry, I just just trying to hold your hand.' Just ask Megan! This guy had no sense of humor.
5) Hey as long as you are not planning on winning, or trying to qualify for Boston, blow off the rules! We both ran with our ipod the entire race (neither one of us turned them on), but hey some rules are made to be broken!
6) Body Glide, or Vaseline can save your hide! I had to use some in a sensitive area where my skirt tag rubs (my backside!) But, it literally saved my butt.
7) Last but not least, those foil blankets are lifesavers. They really keep you warm as your body cools down. Plus, it makes me laugh to watch everyone look like baked potatoes that are about to go in the oven.
Oh, and I want to thank Little Rock Marathon organizers for my new obsession with Little Debbie treats. Those things are awesome!

Jack Rector Beacon 25K-2/28/09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtjI5_K4qEU

I completed the Jack Rector Beacon 25K in OKC on 2/28/09. And, just so you don't have to complete the math, 25K=15.5 miles. This was my longest run to date!

Above is a link to me running the last half mile of the run, thanks to my friend Glen! Now before we get to the last half mile, I better start from the beginning of the day. The morning of the race brings 30-40 mph wind, and wind chills in the teens. It took some major urging that it wasn't going to be that bad to get my Aunt Susie out of the door on time. But, we were running late! When we arrived at the race, she let me out and said that she would go park my car, so that I could attempt to make the 9:00 a.m. start. Susie was going to run the 5K, but it didn't start until 9:20 a.m. So I get out of the car with approximately 5 minutes to get my chip and get lined up. So I take off running accross the park. Now, we know I am not exactly the most graceful. So I am sure we all know what is coming next, I manage not to see a wire rope in between two posts, and of course catch my foot as I am running. So I fall over the rope to the ground! Some guy comes running over asking me if I am okay, do I need to go see the medic? I let him know that I am fine, just embarrassed. So I continue on with my pride, and my knee hurting before I am even started! I get in line, and I am trying to put my chip (it records your time) on my shoe when the gun goes off. So we are off and running. The race takes place at Lake Hefner which has no wind protection, so I am bouncing around like a rag doll. But, the only thing I can think about is where is the bathroom?
Mile 1-Where is the bathroom??
Mile 2-Where is the bathroom??
Mile 3-Where is that guy going? Oh my goodness, is that a bathroom I spy? Hurry guy hurry!
Mile 4-This is about when I realize I haven't turned on my Ipod. So I start listening to my music. I also see that I am really at the back of the pack, never a good feeling.
Mile 5-6-I am just battling the wind, and praying that it will eventually be at my back.
Mile 7-8-This is when I am starting to contemplate that I don't really know exactly how the course is laid out. I am thinking that we have to run around the lake twice, but that seems way too long. Then people start coming at me, and I realize that we must have a turn around somewhere.
Mile 8-13-I picked up a new friend. She (Mary) was going to quit, but I talked her into finishing the race with me. I was kind of excited at this point, we had made the turn around, and I was realizing that we weren't going to have to run the lake twice! I was a strong woman! If I could do this in the wind-I could do anything. The marathon is going to seem easy. This is no problem, I have it. Who knows where all these crazy thoughts came from, dehydration, exhaustion.
Mile 14-15-I am pumped up! Mary tells me to go ahead, she can see that I have the energy to push hard for the final two miles. So I run hard in the wind for those miles. I can't wipe the smile off my face!
Mile 15-15.5-Who in the hell designed a course where you run by the finish line, then have to continue running a loop before you can actually go back and cross the line? But, I spy Glen and the video camera at this point, and for some reason that gives me motivation to keep going strong!
I finally cross the finish line at about 2 hours and 50 minutes. Way longer than I ever expected it to take me. But, I reason that I was practically running backwards for 75% of the race, so it was a really good time.
My aunts are waiting for me, and I am so excited to get into my warm car. But, guess what, someone accidently left the lights on (I am not naming any names), and we have to jump the car! But, all in all it was a pretty good day.
And, for anyone who is curious, yes, I have several bruises on my leg, and a scrape.

Marathon Training 2/14/09

So here you all go-another installment of the marathon training! So I have a 25K (15.5 miles-my math skills are improving!) coming up at the end of Feb. Then a half marathon in Little Rock, who's motto is 'Got hills?' What the heck was I thinking! OKC Marathon in April, then the biggest daddy of them all San Francisco in July.

So the marathon is starting to feel real! I have officially completed my longest run to date of 14 miles. It was rough; it involved getting up in what I classify as the middle of the night (5 a.m.) on a Saturday morning in the cold to go run for several hours. Wow-I may need to rethink of what I classifly as fun!

As you all know from the last email I have been running with a group. But, I mainly run with three girls. It is kind of unusual for us all to run together, but I almost always run with on of them. One of the girls I have run with from the beginning set up a new acquaintance of hers, and me up on a ‘running date.’ Hence, I am meeting some girl in a parking lot that I have never met to go run together. She turns out to be super runner! She has been challenging me to run faster. Of course the first time, I thought I might pass out from lack of breath, because I was too embarrassed to tell her that I could not run at super human speeds. But, we have become good running buddies, and have recently had a couple of notable runs together.

1) We were running on a rather new trail, and ran by a little girl on her bike. She called out ‘hey runner girls!’ It was rather cute. My new running buddy swears she has not had as much attention from passer bys as she has had running with our little group. Just proof of what a great looking group of girls we are!

2) We went out running with a group of older gentlemen one unseasonably warm night. We decided to run a little extra (a couple of miles). We got more history on the houses in Tulsa than I have ever heard in my entire life (we ran by someone from Hee-Haw's house)! Plus, I should note that I was super impressed/disappointed that we were running with these men that had probably a good 30 years on us.

The other notable run I have had recently was a run with one of the other girls. We were scheduled to run 10 miles. But, we had discovered that it was an out and back, that could be made into a loop if you ran an extra 1 ½. We had both agreed at the beginning that we didn’t want to be over achievers, so we were only going to run the 10 miles. Well, that all changed after we ran down the ‘steep mountain’ in Turkey Mountain. When it became clear that there was no way in the world that we would be able to make it back up the sucker, we signed ourselves up for the extra 1 ½ no problem!

These girls do tease me about always trying to get out of running hills. The big question-how am I going to run SF??

Of course, we have met a lot of characters along the way, the man who does not drink milk because it creates extra mucus, but continues to smoke so that he has something to do with his brother in law. The man that promotes running with ‘your flow.’

Anyways, I just want to thank all of the girls for helping me along the way! I could not have made it this far in the program with out them.

Oh, and I just want to share that I saw a man wearing some sort of flame colored tights this weekend, so don’t forget to keep passing on the word about men and tights.

Marathon Training 1/09/09

Well, it has been awhile since I last emailed everyone! The main reason is that during December I didn't run very much-I know, I know-this is bad. Here is the main reason is was bad for me, I GAINED FIVE POUNDS IN A MONTH! It is a really simple equation for me...eat good+run=maintain weight, so when I eat everything in sight+not run too much=gain 5 pounds. So for the last few weeks, I have been really following my program, and what do you know, the weight is going right back to normal. I am sure this doesn't interst most of you, but it has been a big issue in my life for the last few weeks:)
Anyways, back to marathon training update. I just want to inform everyone of how many people we have recruited to run in San Francisco!
5K racers-Susan Clifton (my aunt), Allison and Tony Greco (my sister and brother-in-law)
1/2 Marathon racers-Ryan Clifton (now please understand his wife commited him to running, he didn't actually say he would do it!)
Marathon racers-Me, Lindsay (my cousin), and possibly my friend Erin
My husband is also kind of up in the air, he may do the 5K also. So if anyone has a New Year's goal, feel free to join us for the big race!
So Lindsay is preparing to run her half marathon in a couple of weeks, and I am scheduled to do a 20K (12.5 miles) at the end of the month, so remember if you see us, please give us a lot of encouragement!
So I am sure you all are wondering if I have had many funny experiences in the last couple of months. Well, let's see...I have still been getting a lot of honks. I continue to believe that it is due to me looking really good (I mean who doesn't look good in a stocking hat, gloves, and a coat) but, it may be becasue I have been running on the roads and they are really saying 'Get off the road crazy lady!' I have also gotten a new shirt that says 'I know I run like a girl, so try to keep up' so maybe people think that is funny.
I have recently witnessed a couple having a very private moment close to the pedestrian bridge in Tulsa. I was by myself that day, and tried to be very quiet as I ran by, becasue I didn't want to disturb them. That was diffently a different experience!
I recently had a discussion with some of my family members over the proper undergarmets to wear when you are running-not a conversation I could have ever pictured having in a million years! This seemed to some how include speedos and some other interesting topics that I will not include in this email! Let your imagination run wild, and I promise you still will not probably even be close to imagining what was discussed!
Oh and of course going along with the above comment, I was running with my running group the other night, I was kind of by myself, so I thought I would use that moment to adjust my pants. Of course, right then this guy came out of no where running behind me. As he passed me, he started to laugh, of course I would have turned bright red if I wasn't already so red from running so hard!
And, last but not least, I ran the other day when it was really windy. I was running hard, but at some point the gusts were so bad that I felt like the wind was just knocking me backwards. I noticed a couple walking towards me (so the wind was at their backs-lucky people!) and they were cracking up. I am sure I looked like a cartoon character. I was really running no where at this point, by the time I was done with that run I had wind burn on my face.
Oh, and I don't know how the word got out, but I haven't been seeing as many men in colored tights lately! So thank you all for speading the word.
Other than that, I have not fell, I have been running faster than ever, and I feel like anything under 5 miles is a short run. So I think I am on track!
Allison and I have been tossing around ideas to name our 'team' of runners for SFM. We are thinking the Cundith Cancer Crusade (Cundith is our grandparents last name, and we are still planning on raising money for cancer.) What do you all think?

Marathon Training Update 12/05/08

Last night I signed up for Marathon Training with Runner’s World Tulsa. Why did I sign up you might ask? Well, for starters it is FREE!! But, also my dad has pointed out I might need to work on my running form. Apparently, looking like a crazy duck while running is not considered ‘proper form.’ Who says that just because you love something you have to be wonderful at it! I mean look at that poor Jessica Simpson, she can’t sing to save her life, but we all love her because she is so darn dumb!

So I should mention, that my dad (who is a great guy, and only wants to help), is not a runner, but I value his advice and opinions. So I decided to sign up for Pilates, which focuses on core strength. I have been told by some ‘serious runners’ that core strength is the key to proper posture, and distance running. So I get my lovely (& newly toned!) bootie out of bed on Saturday mornings to go twist my poor body into various poses. So I should mention that apparently twisting your body around, may cause you to expel excess gas, and it is considered normal in Pilates. Well, I was at my class the other morning, and was located by an older gentleman (I won’t disclose what I mean by older for all the age challenged out there.) He was tooting up a storm, and apparently not in the least bit embarrassed. Now I might add that I don’t know if anyone but me noticed. But, you see my maturity level is apparently not high enough for me to not find this hilarious! I should also mention that Runner’s World online, also had a discussion about excess gas while running. I won’t go into details, but I found this rather interesting as well. Maybe it makes you faster, like of like a rocket boost? Thoughts to ponder…

And, last but not least. Men in tights…what can I say. I have been noticing a lot of men running in tights. Now, I am not opposed to the tights, it is the colors. When I see a man in purple, or lime green tights, I laugh. Then I feel bad, because I realize that no one has ever told you how funny you look! Now, I know there are very serious runners out there who don’t care what they look like, but I find it funny, so just passing it along!

Route 66 Half-Marathon 11/17/08

Well, I have been encouraged to write some more anecdotes from my running. I am sure there are many of you sighing out there saying, you have to be kidding me, is she really sending me another email about running…
So I just wanted to clear up some things about the last email that have been questioned. Yes, I really did fall on the treadmill. You see, there are these big signs in my gym that say no cell phone use. I just assumed it meant no cell phones because it disturbs other people (and apparently, I didn't care about that). But, no it means no cell phone use because no one is talented enough to run on the treadmill and talk on the phone. So yes, I did fall, in front of an entire gym full of people, and scrape my elbow.
Half-Marthon highlights
1) Always double check your online registration before you hit send. If not you could end up in a bind like me. I recieved my email confirmation, and noticed that it listed me as a male. I thought I had this fixed, until I got to the Expo to pick up my race packet. I noticed that they still had me listed as a male, which caused a lot of laughing, I am assuming because I was dressed in high heels, a pencil skirt, and cute little sweater. But, all the volunteers had to come over to laugh at me, while they called me a transgender, after they finally stopped laughing I was sent over to a table to fix this issue. Well, the form I had to fill out had Old listed on one side, New listed on the other, so you guessed it, I had to put old gender male, new gender female. So this caused great laughter over there at my expense as well. Then the jerky Fleet Feet guy had to see what the comotion was all about. And, he pointed out that I in fact filled out the online registration myself, so I obviously listed myself as a male. Jerk!!
2) Well, I thought I would tell everyone that my husband is very smart! He not only explained K's to me. It turns out K's are a measurement of distance, they actually equal 1000 meters. How this helps me or relates to miles, I have no idea. He also expained splits to me this weekend. Splits are a very technical running term. You pretty much have to be a math genius to figure them out. It is where you take the total time you ran divide by how many miles, then you get how many minutes it took you to run each mile. Unfortunately, I didn't have him on the race with me, and I couldn't quite figure out this concept on my own. This is way beyond the math that I learned at SHS.
3) Foil blankets. At the end of the run, they try to wrap you up in a foil blanket. I had no idea what they were for, and I was a little hesitant. So when the lady tried to wrap me up in one, I just looked at her and said "No thanks, I am not a baked potato." She kind of gave me that look that says 'whatever crazy lady.' I guess that the foil blankets are meant to keep you warm after the race. Keep you warm, I was sweating like crazy!
4) Runner's High. Now this is not something you get from smoking illegal substances before you go running. This is what happens to runners as their bodies release endorphins, and give them a temporary sense of ephoria (can you believe I know all that science?). Now I don't want to cause a massive stampede as you all run out the door to get your natural high, becasue I also got the Runners lows this race. When I was struggling up the mamoth mountain in Woodward park trying not to cry, and this 75 year old man runs by me, telling me I could do it (should this have been reversed?)! Once I managed to catch my breath, I asked him how many half marathons he has completed, this was his sixth! I am pretty sure he beat me!
So all in all it was a lot of fun! I finished in 2:20, which was five minutes shy of my 2:15 goal. But, there is always next time!

Marathon Training 11/10/08

I don’t know who all knows this, but I have lost my mind, and in the process decided to train for a half marathon, Route 66 11/16/08 (13.1 miles), and a full marathon San Francisco Marathon (26.2 miles) 7/26/09. And, in the process of deciding to do these crazy events, I have enlisted Lindsay (her half marathon is the P.F. Chang’s Rock and Roll in Jan. 2009) to do the same training! So now I am responsible for mine and my cousin’s sanity for the next few months! So I thought I would give everyone an update, and just a few anecdotes along the way.
So you may ask, when, and where does this event take place where I will pay someone for the privilege to run 26.2 miles? Well, since Allison has moved to Fairfield, CA, we have decided to run the San Francisco Marathon July 26, 2009.
Why are you running-are you crazy? Yes, I think I might be crazy, see the first paragraph. But, I have discovered that you can sign up to raise funds for the California Breast Cancer Awareness Fund. And, decided that it would feel really good to be running for such a good cause (because trust me it is going to take something more than love for running to get me that far)! But, more details to follow on that.
So here are some things I have learned along the way….
1) Running will improve your math skills. Yes, you may still spend a lot of time asking your husband if you ran this far in this amount of time, what was your average time per mile, but you will learn that 5 K=3.1 miles. You will embrace K’s, because even though you have no idea what they are or how far they are, you know that you see them more often than the mile signs! Plus, you will figure out really fast how to calculate distance on Riverside, or else you could go out for a 7 mile run and end up running an extra mile, because you started at 56th St., and couldn’t quite grasp the concept of trying to figure out the half mile thing.
2) Night running is fun! A group of us ran the Full Moon 5K (even my Uncle Butch, who kicked my butt) in May of this year. They had free beer afterwards, which ranks up there with me on being even better than getting a free t-shirt!
3) You may develop unusual tastes in music. ‘Drop it on Me’ by Ricky Martin seems to be my favorite motivation song right now. Is this embarrassing to admit? Yes, very embarrassing, but am I going to remove it from my ipod-heck no, how do you think I am going to make it to that finish line?
4) You will start to be upset on your training runs, when you realize that there isn’t a finish line, a big clock, and fans cheering you on (or free beer for that matter)!
5) You will embrace you inner spandex loving self. You will start to believe you look really good in spandex! You will receive honks while you are running, on mile two you will think “Jerk.” On mile 9, you will think “that’s right I look good.” Now I do not advocate wearing spandex all the time or anything, but it works for running.
6) You may start to run at LaFortune Park, because you rationalize that when you need drugs and IV fluids it is really good to be that close to a hospital!
7) Oh, and last but not least, you can fall off a treadmill. I should know, I almost bit the dust the other night. Bad news, luckily only ended up in a scraped elbow.
So anyone that has an aspirations of running a marathon, this is the time to start training so that you can meet me and Lindsay in San Francisco next July and have the once in a lifetime experience of running across the San Francisco Bridge!