NYC Marathon: Running with a rabbi and a blind woman

Yes, I recently ran with a rabbi and a blind woman.  But first, let me give a little background...

In 2012, I registered for the NYC Marathon lottery.  When the lottery closed, I learned that I had not been selected to participate.  When expressing my disappointment to a friend, she told me of a charity that helps disabled athletes run the marathon.  The charity uses "guides" to help the athlete complete the race, and they pay the costly entrance fee.  I was intrigued.  I immediately looked into it.  Unfortunately, I had missed the cutoff for the upcoming marathon.

Fast forward to August 2013... On a whim, I decided to submit an application to work as a guide for the 2013 NYC Marathon.  Much to my surprise, I was contacted a few weeks later with an invitation.  I was assigned to help a blind woman from New Zealand run her first marathon.  I learned I would be part of a small team assisting her.  Over the next few weeks, I corresponded with the blind athlete as well as the other members of our team, one of which I found out was a Jewish rabbi.  In the meantime, Cory started feeling left out and worked his connections with JetBlue to get a slot running with the FDNY.

A few days before the race we learned that due to enhanced security at the starting line, my entire team would not be able to start the race together.  Two of us would have to position ourselves a few miles into the race and jump in when our athlete came by.  Those two people turned out to be me and the rabbi.

On November 1, we dropped the kids off with Grandma and Grandpa and hopped on a red-eye flight to New York City.  We landed about 5:15 a.m. on Saturday morning and began our whirlwind tour of the city.  After spending the morning sightseeing, we dropped off our backpacks at the hotel and headed to the convention center to pick up our race packets.  When we got there, I found myself in the longest line I had ever seen.  It stretched through the convention center, out the door, down the street, around the corner, and down the next street before doubling back and ending back inside the convention center.  Fortunately, it moved quickly.  We picked up our stuff, browsed the expo, and left to eat lunch and catch a matinee of Wicked.  After the show (which we totally enjoyed), we headed to the hotel and ordered pizza for dinner.  We called the kids, watched a little TV, and went to bed early. 

The next morning, we dressed quickly, checked out of our hotel, and headed to the Park Central Hotel to store our bags with the FDNY group.  Then, Cory hopped on a bus with the FDNY runners and headed to the starting line while I waited to meet up with my new rabbi friend to travel to mile 4 together.  The time passed quickly, and it wasn't long before Rabbi Michael showed up.  He was super nice, and we got along splendidly.  We made our way to mile 4 and started watching for our team to come through.  As I waited, I ate a banana and looked for a garbage to throw my banana peel in. I spotted a 50 gallon barrel and almost tossed it in...until I realized it was full of Gatorade waiting to be put in cups (see below).

We didn't wait long before the professional runners passed our checkpoint.  They were going FAST!  When the first wave of general runners started coming through, Michael held up a sign he made to help the team spot us (see below).

I was glad we had it.  When it started getting busy, it was a little stressful trying to spot them in the mass of people (see below).

Luckily, we found our runner.  We configured ourselves in a diamond type shape.  One person ran in front and acted as a snowplow.  Vinnie ran in the middle with her husband on her left holding a tether.  I ran on her right for most of the race (slightly behind her to help protect her from getting pushed from behind), and Rabbi Michael floated around as needed.  Here are a few pictures...

 

 

The miles passed quickly.  Between the spectators cheering and the live bands playing throughout the course, it was more of a 26 mile party than a marathon.  We were having so much fun, and Vinnie was doing great.  At the halfway point, however, she tripped on a piece of rubber sticking up from the road.  She went down, and I could not catch her.  She skinned her elbow a bit, which started to bleed, but otherwise she seemed ok.  We helped her up, and she started running again.

Around mile 20, her knee started bothering her.  She took some pain medication and we walked for a while.  Then we started up a slow jog again.  At mile 23, I got a phone call from Cory.  He was about a mile ahead of us and was waiting for us to catch up so we could finish together.  We met up with Cory and finished strong.  My blind athlete finished in 4 hours and 59 minutes.  She did amazing!

After taking a few group pictures and saying our good-byes, Cory and I headed back to the Park Central Hotel to get our bags, have a quick shower, and eat a plate of food (courtesy of the FDNY).  Then, we headed straight to the airport to fly home.  It was a very short weekend, but it was an unforgettable experience. Who knew that running with a blind woman and a rabbi could be so much fun!?!?!!!!

My first ultra: The Antelope Island 50k

Having completed my 7th marathon just a month ago, I have had an itch to try something different.  Since all of my running so far has been on pavement, I decided to try some trail running.  So, I signed up for the Antelope Island 50k.

In most cases, it is probably a good idea to at least try a short run on a trail before signing up for something as long as a 50k, but I figured if I took my time and focused on enjoying myself, I would be okay.  I knew, though, that it would be a lot different than anything I had ever done.

Most marathons I have done start the day prior with some sort of an expo where you pick up your race packet and browse vendors.  But of course, most marathons I have done also have a couple thousand runners.  This was definitely not the case at Antelope Island.  With the race capped at 150 runners, packet pickup was in the parking lot before passing the guard station on your way to the starting line.  I jumped out of my vehicle long enough to sign my name and pick up a bag with my runner bib and a souvenir shirt in it.  Then I was back in the truck driving across the causeway.

I followed the signs to the starting line where a large tent and two porta-potties were set up.  Several cars were already there, and people were out visiting, eating breakfast, or standing in the bathroom line.  I found an area outside the tent to leave my drop bag, which would be transported to the Elephant Head aid station for me.  In my drop bag I left a bottle of sunscreen.  My plan was to take off my running jacket and gloves at the aid station and leave them in the bag to be transported to the finish line.  Then, apply sunscreen on my arms before leaving the aid station.

About 15 minutes prior to the start, the race director gave a briefing and explained the route we would be running.  Then, he headed over to the trail and began marking the starting line in the dirt with his foot.  This was a far cry from the starting lines I have been to before, but to be honest, it was refreshing.  It took the pressure off.  We all lined up and he counted down from 10.  Then, we were off. (see picture below: the starting line)

I told myself before the race began that I would hike the uphill and run the flat and downhill sections.  I knew I would be gaining over 3200 feet in elevation (and also losing it), and I also knew there was no way I could run all of it.  Right out of the starting line, we began an uphill section that climbed for the first 2-3 miles.  I felt a little silly walking at the beginning of the race, and since everyone else was running, I ran too.  Since I was new to this, I decided to watch other runners to see the best way to handle the terrain.  When they stopped to hike, so did I.

In a road marathon, you'll typically have porta-potties every mile and aid stations every two miles.  Don't expect that for a trail race.  Aid stations can sometimes be several miles apart, and the only porta-potty I saw was at the starting line. (If you have to go before then, squat behind a rock or bush.)  The first aid station was at Elephant Head around mile 5.5.  My drop bag was waiting for me on a tarp.  I quickly took off my jacket and gloves and shoved them in.  However, in my excitement, I forgot to apply sunscreen.  Good thing I put some on my face before I left that morning.  Then, I went to the aid station table to get a quick snack.  Now, at a road marathon, you'll usually see water, sports drink, and fruit or power gels if you are really lucky.  Here, it was like winning the lottery.  Water, Gatorade, soda, fruit, cookies, potato chips, power gels, candy, pierogis, and more.  I grabbed a chunk of orange and a few peanut M&Ms.  Then, I headed off again. (see picture below: Elephant Head aid station, my drop bag is the red one with black and white stripe on the side)

The next section of the race was challenging, but beautiful.  The terrain was steep...we climbed over 1000 feet, but I took my time and enjoyed the scenery.  Before I knew it, 8 miles had passed and I approached the North Sentry aid station at the south end of the island.  The volunteers took great care of me.  They filled up my bottles with water and Gatorade, and offered me plenty of snacks.  I grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and hit the trail again.  From here, the trail began a descent to the east side of the island and field of runners really began to spread out.  There were a few points where I couldn't see anybody ahead of me or behind me, but I did see a herd of buffalo.  I eventually caught up to another runner and chatted for awhile.  Aid station #4 was Nine Mile Gate, about 6.6 miles from the previous station.  Again, the volunteers were amazing.  They refilled my bottles, and I grabbed some grapes to munch on.  Then I headed out again for the final 10 miles.  When I came upon the final aid station at Lower Frary, my bottles were still full and I was feeling great.  So I gave them a wave and kept on going.

When the finish line came into view, I stopped to take a picture and silently congratulated myself for finishing what I set out to do.  Then, I followed the flags up to the tent to have my number and time recorded.  A few other runners were hanging out, visiting, and cheering, but otherwise, the finish line was quiet.  No whoop-la.  No medal.  Just the satisfaction of completing the race.  I was presented with a finishers mug, which I promptly took inside the tent and filled with homemade buffalo chili.  Then, I made my way to another table and finished filling up on grapes and M&Ms. (see picture below: the finish line)

So, in case you're wondering how I did, here are the stats:
My time was 5:49:11
I placed 47th out of 103 overall finishers and 12th out of 32 females
I figured placing in the top half of a male-dominated sport on my first try is pretty darn good.  :)

Top of Utah recap

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to run a marathon in under 4 hours.  When I was getting ready to run the Ogden marathon in May, I knew I wasn't quite there yet, but I was determined to do my best.  As it turned out, my best was pretty darn good, but not good enough.  My time was 4:07.  So, I told myself I would train hard all summer and try again at the Top of Utah in September.

I looked up training programs online and got to work.  The summer started off pretty well.  I was getting up at 5:00 a.m. to run on the treadmill before the kids woke up, and I was pretty diligent for the first month.  Then about the time the end of June hit, it got hot outside and we started doing some camping.  It wasn't long before I started having motivation problems.  I still ran, but not like I had promised myself.  As the weeks passed by, I knew I needed to get myself back into gear.  Finally when Adam got back to school, I started running several times a week with the jogging stroller, and I felt like I was going to pull it off.

The morning of the marathon, I was a bundle of nerves.  We got up at 4:00 a.m., got ready, and headed out the door.  After parking and catching a bus, we were on our way to the starting line.  When we arrived, there were two very large white tents set up with propane heaters inside for warmth.  After standing in line for the porta potties, we headed to the tents to keep warm.  It wasn't long before it was time to take off our sweats and leave them in drop bags to pick up at the finish line.  Then, at 7:00 a.m., the gun went off and the race began.

The first half of the race was pretty much all downhill, and I kept up an amazing pace.  The first mile flew by, and I tore off my long sleeved shirt at the first mile marker and dropped it in a clothing box.  When I reached the first aid station at mile 3, I didn't even slow down.  I was carrying my own water and didn't need to stop, so I passed right through stations at miles 5,7, and 9 also.  When I hit the station at mile 11, I slowed down long enough to take a few gulps of Gatorade, then took off again.  I hit the half way mark at 1 hour and 51 minutes (a new best), and I still felt great.  By the time we exited the canyon and the course flattened out, though, I could feel my body slowing down.  I looked at my watch for the first time at mile 15.  My average pace was 8:30, but I knew I couldn't keep it up much longer.  Right about then, the 3:45 pace runner passed me.  I was disappointed to see him.  At the same time, I was happy that I had kept that pace for so long.  When I ran the Ogden marathon, the 3:45 pace runner passed me at mile 8.  So, I knew I was ahead of where I was before and still had a great shot at meeting my goal.

Well, my pace continued to slow down, and it seemed to take forever to run between aid stations.  I wouldn't allow myself to walk between them, but whenever I hit one I allowed myself to walk while I took a drink and ate fruit.  I apparently walked a little too much, because the 3:55 pacer came up behind me with a few miles to go.  I silently cursed him.  I was exhausted, but I pressed on.  As I got closer to the finish line, I looked at my watch and suddenly realized I had only 2 minutes to make it to the finish line.  I started to panic, but then rounded the final turn and it was right in front of me.  I made it with 54 seconds to spare.  Final time:  3 hours, 59 minutes, and 6 seconds.  Average pace: just over a 9-minute mile.

I achieved my goal, and I'm thrilled.  Of course, I was secretly hoping to beat it by more than just 54 seconds, but at least I beat it.  Not bad for a girl that couldn't even run a mile in junior high without nearly passing out or throwing up or both.

So here I am, three days post-marathon.  I'll give my legs another day or two, then it's time to start gearing up for the 50k I'll be running in 3 1/2 weeks.  :)

Let's see what this body can do!

Six weeks. 

Three marathons. 

I may be officially crazy, but if I can pull this off, it will be an incredible ending to a great year. I don't have any doubts, but let's face it, that is 83 and a half miles of racing, plus training during the week. It sounds intimidating, but i think it will help that i will have a different focus for each race.

Race #1: speed. 

The Top of Utah Marathon is this weekend. It is my best shot at getting a sub-4 hour marathon. So, I'm going to run my little heart out and see if I can make it happen. 

Race #2: endurance. 

The Antelope Island 50k is on October 19. It will be my first ultra marathon.  Since I have never been farther than 26.2 miles, I'm not going to push myself to be fast. I just want to finish. 

Race #3: enjoyment. 

The New York City marathon is November 3. It is the biggest marathon in the world. Since I will be accompanying a disabled athlete, I don't think speed will be an issue. And since it is only 26.2 miles, endurance shouldn't be a factor. So for this race, I'm just going to focus on motivating my disabled athlete and enjoying the experience and the opportunity to be there. 

Having said that, the next six weeks will likely test my toughness - physically and mentally. Since I'm unwilling to give up any of them, however, it's time to see what this body can do!

My trip to PetSmart

I'm a good Mom. At least I try to be, which is why I took Adam to the pet store this morning to get a little doggie outfit for Sprocket's birthday. Yes, that's right folks. Sprocket will be turning 6 soon, and since he is part of the family, we will be celebrating his special day once again. 

As we headed into PetSmart, the kids were drawn to the little pet Halloween costumes in display in the main aisle. I think Adam secretly wanted the little Buzz Lightyear costume, but as I looked at the price tag, I knew we wouldn't be getting it. I wasn't about to pay $25 for a little doggie costume. That is almost more than I would pay for a child's costume! So we put the costume back on the display and headed to the pet "apparel" aisle. 

It wasn't long before I found some little doggie t-shirts that Adam was thrilled with. He picked one out and we headed to the checkout. After ringing up my $7.49 purchase, the clerk asks me if I had a PetSmart card and if not would I like one. I told him as politely as I could that I didn't have any pets and wouldn't be making purchases on a regular basis, so no thank you. What i was really thinking was "uhhhh...I'm not a pet person." I quickly explained my need to buy my child's stuffed puppy a present. He said I was a good mom and wished me a good day. 

This got me thinking about pets. My poor kids have been asking for one, and I've been dragging my feet. Pets are noisy, smelly, and make messes. So why have them? I guess some people want them for companionship or as part of their home security system, but personally I think chickens would be a little more useful. At least chickens lay eggs. Cats and dogs lay poop. 

Conversations with my kiddos

I have three kids.  All of them have different personalities, and all of them are at different stages in their development.  Consequently, my conversations with each of them are all different.

My conversations with Tyler are short.  I do most of the talking, and he gives one or two word answers when required.  A typical conversation with him sounds something like this...

Me:  Good morning little buddy.  Are you ready for breakfast?
Tyler:  Yeah!  CRUNCH!!!
Me:  OK.  Let's go downstairs.  (I pick him up and carry him downstairs.  After setting him down, he points at the TV.)
Tyler:  Toons.
Me:  OK.  I'll turn on cartoons.  What would you like to watch?
Tyler:  Buppies!
Me:  Bubble Guppies is not on right now.  You can watch Dora or Team Umizoomi.
Tyler:  DORA!!!

My conversations with Adam are at the other end of the scale.  He does most of the talking, but he requires me to be an active participant by providing one or two word answers when called upon.  A typical conversation with him goes like this...

Adam:  Mom?......  Hey Mom!.........MOMMMMMM!!! (he will continue until I answer him)
Me:  Yes Adam?
Adam:  Can I play with Cameron tonight?
Me:  We'll see.
Adam:  Last time we played the Wii together and we almost killed the big monster.  We made it to the purple castle and Cameron died, and I tried to kill the monster by myself but I died too.  (He then goes on to describe in great detail the events of the game.  After several minutes, he brings me back into the conversation.)
Adam:  Mom?.....MOM!!!!  Hey, MOMMMMMMM!!!
Me:  What?
Adam:  So, can you text Cameron's Mom to see if we can play tonight?

Even though Adam does most of the talking, our conversations can be somewhat exhausting.

Miss Sadie is on the extreme end of the scale.  Most of the time, she does not require my participation at all... only my presence.  She just talks.  I get worn out trying to follow her train of thought, so I admit that I don't always pay close attention to what she's saying.  As a result, I can't really recap a typical conversation with her.

My kids love to talk, but our house is about to get a whole lot quieter.  The summer is coming to an end, and Adam and Sadie will be starting school soon.  After a bit of break during the day, I'll be ready to hear everything they have to tell me about school.  :)

The 1, 2, 3 countdown

One week until Adam starts soccer practice.
Two weeks until Adam goes back to school.
Three weeks until Sadie starts school.
I'm calling this my 1, 2, 3 countdown.

It's hard to believe Adam will be in first grade this year.  Having him at school all day will sure be different, but I'm ready.  I hope he is too.  Sometimes I worry I've babied him too much and not given him the opportunities he needs to grow.  For instance:

Adam is the only kid in his swimming class who won't get his face wet. 
All the other kids his age in the neighborhood ride bikes without training wheels. 
He is the only kid his age I know of that insists on wearing winter gloves when eating popsicles so his hands won't get cold. 

Have I gone wrong somewhere?  In my effort to be a good mother and shield him from the world, have I been coddling him too much?  The evidence says yes.  I hope I haven't done any permanent damage.  :)

In other news, we bought Sadie her first bike helmet a few days ago, and she is super excited.  Here she is riding around the neighborhood.