Thursday, April 12, 2018

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Volunteer Recap

This year I have made a commitment to giving back to the running community. I have done some volunteering at smaller local races, but this year I signed up to volunteer in two bigger races. The first was the Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon in DC when I worked the Blue Mile. The second opportunity was this past Sunday at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.


Honestly, I was stressing about this shift for the last two weeks. When I signed up to help, my schedule was completely clear. The closer we got to the event, the more commitments were added to my schedule. This caused me to flip out a little because my schedule is carefully crafted to allow me to cover all the various aspects of my life. I try very hard to juggle the kids events, working my full time and part time job, get my run training in, complete strength training at the gym, perform household chores, and shop for groceries so I don't have to eat out every meal. Just typing that sentence made me tired. :) Going into race week I was panicking because I knew that after the volunteer shift I would be useless and tired. So everything that needed to be done this weekend would have to be done on Friday night or Saturday. But mother nature had other plans. The weather forecast shifted to a cold and potentially snowy weekend. And as Thursday approached, the commitments fell off the calendar. So completing this shift without stress started to become a reality.


On race morning, I was met with at 3:45 AM wake up. I NEVER get up that early! I don't even like to wake up before 4:50 AM on a weekday morning to get a run in before work. Fortunately I had gathered my attire for race morning the night before. So I stumbled around the dark, quiet house and got dressed in allllll the layers for the cold morning ahead. One of my BRFs was meeting me at a local community center so that we could carpool together, departing for DC at roughly 4:30 AM. I have since apologized to her for my less than sunshiny disposition on that early Sunday morning before I had access to caffeine. I am so so grateful that she knows me well enough to know that this is not my normal demeanor. We arrived at the water stop we would be working sometime before 5:30 AM and waited for directions from the leadership who was coordinating our efforts.

Fortunately for me, the supply truck with our needed materials was running late so there was time to partake in a a cup of coffee before work began. Once caffeinated and tasks in front of me, I felt like a different person! There was definitely adequate time to unload the supplies, set up the tables, and then get to pre-filling water cups for the thousands of runners who would run by us at rough mile 7.5. Three of us were assigned to my table (my BRF, a new friend from another MRTT chapter, and me) and we rocked our job. I have NO idea how many cups we filled before we even saw our first runner that morning, so I will just let the picture speak for itself!

Big races like the Cherry Blossom have waved starts that begin with elite runners who are going to compete with one another for prize money. These folks are barely on the course for an hour and do not partake of the water stops (generally speaking). But a really nice perk of working a water stop is that you get an up close view of these amazing athletes as they streak by. You hold out that cup in case they want it, but mainly just stand there in awe of the performance. Case in point, Meb Keflezighi, of NYC Marathon, Boston Marathon, and Olympic fame, ran right by me as he paced a group of runners. After the elites come the rest of the masses. As the waves of runners come through, the number of athletes needing hydration increases. And for the next several hours, we held water cups carefully balanced on the palms of our hands, filled more cups, and tried to sweep away trashed cups from the ground to keep runners from slipping and falling. It is tough work. But, OMG, did I love it. There is something so intensely satisfying about making eye contact with a runner you know needs that sip of water, and being able to help them through that phase of the race. Or to see someone struggling in general, or absolutely killing it, and calling their name out from their bib to give them some personal encouragement. Seeing people's faces light up when they hear their name and see a little pep in their step. The feeling is awesome.

I was more tired after hours of working a water stop than I would have been had I actually run that race, but the exhaustion was definitely worth it. While I do not know if I will return to DC to work another big race (the logistics are particularly rough with the distance and early morning road closures), volunteering at races is definitely going to happen again! If you have the chance, or can make the chance, I highly recommend doing it. The running community is amazing and you see a whole different view of it when you are standing on the sidelines supporting people.

Monday, April 9, 2018

Inspiration on the 9s - My Girl Lana

This go-round, I wanna talk to you about one of my favorite inspirations, my friend Lana. I hope you will enjoy my latest Inspirational Spotlight!

How did I become acquainted with this person:
I met Lana a little over three years ago when she came to work for the same local running store as me. From the minute I met her, I just loved getting to work/hang out with her. Her demeanor just draws you in and makes you feel comfortable.Our running store is locally owned and the employees aren't just coworkers, we are a family. So it doesn't take long for strangers to become friends.

Tell Us More About This Person:
Lana is a military spouse and a mom to two adorable kiddos. She has lived in lots of different places and has done some cool things! She is mature beyond her years and I am always intrigued by how she juggles everything life hands her. On top of being a wife, mom, local running store associate, and personal trainer, Lana is also an ULTRA marathoner! Her journey to the ultra began with the Marine Corp Marathon here locally and then grew from there. And another neat fact about her is that she comes by the ultra marathon bug by genetics as her mom is ALSO an ultra marathoner!

What Makes this Person Inspirational to Me:
Perhaps my most favorite characteristic of Lana is the fact that she can't see how amazing she is. She is a decade younger than me and I feel like she has life more figured out than I ever will! There is a story she told me once that sticks with me when I find myself making excuses. She told me how she did Insanity workouts after her first child was born to get back in shape. I have tried these workouts and sometimes just watching them makes me exhausted! I can't imagine the dedication it takes to make yourself do these workouts while taking on the new role of motherhood. But that story is characteristic of Lana. She loves weight lifting. And had it now been for her, and talking to her about workouts, I don't think I would have stepped back into a gym and fallen back in love with weight lifting. I have thanked her repeatedly for inspiring me to test myself beyond my running. I wish she could know how much she has given me!

Just Some Extra Stuff:
I finished writing this entry after returning from our farewell party for Lana. Her family has moved on to their next adventure and the ability to run into her is now gone. But the lessons she has taught me and the plans I have for myself that have been inspired by her journey, are in my heart, just like her friendship. I can only wish that everyone who reads this is lucky enough to have a Lana in their life.

Friday, April 6, 2018

6 Weeks til Race Day!

Here we are, 6 weeks until my spring half. I should be more excited or maybe even exhausted. And while I am a little of both, it's just not how I feel like I should be feeling. About 3 weeks ago I wrote about being halfway to race day. And I was honest about being inconsistent. Well, the last 3 weeks have not been much better. I have been trying but my willpower is weak. It was so much easier in the fall when I had a roll that I was trying not to break. So some mental reorganization is happening. This race was always meant to be about the experience. I love Harper's Ferry and the course is through some beautiful terrain/geography. I prepared to train for a faster time goal than my current PR. But, I have always known that was not a possibility with the course elevation, it was just to give me some guidelines for my training. Yes, I know, broken record. And I do feel stronger than I have i\historically when I am under prepared for a race. My brain just can't turn off the bullying. It digs up images of some of my hardest moments in races and puts them on display for me when I am at my most vulnerable. And I know the counter to this is to be more consistent. I am just having trouble fighting the life circumstances. I am trying to learn a lesson in all of this. I think I have learned that I cannot use an aggressive training plan as an outline when I am not planning to train aggressively for a race. I am just too "type A" for that. When I have a checklist in front of me, I just have to check all the boxes, or feel eternally guilty for not doing so. Lesson most definitely learned! So in the remaining weeks, I will try to make sure I get in training runs and try to continue mixing in speed work. And I am going to need to come up with a realistic race plan. Just need to assess where my level of fitness is and how that will translate to this difficult course. It will be here before I know it!