A small look into the world of CRAZY!

When my dad called me a few months back and asked if I would crew for him as he attempted to complete a double iron distance (4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike ride, 52.4 mile run); I was hesitant but certainly accepted. Although I agreed I was vocal in letting him know that I thought this was the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.  In fact, I questioned his mental stability and encouraged him to see a therapist.  Throughout this experience I realized that I was likely right...those athletes are absolutely insane. Even as a "spectator" I was exhausted in the two day span (and I got two 45 minute naps in) but I gained a unique perspective on the different emotions that the athletes experience over a 30+ hour work out.  From the start, we had 4 people to help crew three individuals; Dad, Dave from England, and Deb from Utah. By nights fall two other individuals showed up to help so we were six strong by about 8 at night.  I decided to tweet updates throughout the day (at least while my phone was alive) to keep people abreast of his progress and here is a compilation of the tweets.

The swim was the easy part for the spectators.  I could constantly see dad and know that he was chugging along, I felt that he was safe (other than possibly getting bit by a snapping turtle) and he didn't seem to show any signs of fatigue.  Keeping track of the laps (averaging only 2 minutes each time he finished one) helped the first three hours fly by.  Excitement for the day grew as he finished and was in good spirits.  I was able to share with him the good vibes that were sent his way via twitter as well.  I always knew that he was stubborn enough to finish the double iron distance but I didn't think (until that moment) that he would enjoy any part of it, or at least it seemed at the moment that he was having fun.  But how long could this "fun" last, I mean most people start hating exercise before it even begins.

The bike was intense.  By the time we made it over to the park, unloaded the multiple cars and RV with supplies, fluids, and nutrition, he was on the third lap.  Awesome! This might go by quicker than I thought. Well I definitely spoke too soon. At almost 7 miles a loop and 31 loops to do, we were just gearing up for the long haul.  Temps were higher than initially predicted, hitting 86 for the high and not a cloud in the sky. The winds were another story with sustained winds over 20 MPH and gusts even higher than that.  As a spectator, I was over-heated, disheveled and already drained from the early morning rise by mid afternoon.  As a group we decided to remain positive and try not to show our exhaustion considering we weren't working out as hard as these athletes.  By night fall however, it became apparent that as "crew" our job was tough as well. With only about 7 minutes between seeing Dad, Deb, David, the Dad again; we were constantly on our feet, filling up water, mixing poweders, making sandwiches, tracking times, getting gu, finding dry clothes, tracking down misplaced bike tool and the list goes on.  On top of taking orders, attitudes started flaring.  Even though we knew that this would happen, it can still be daunting to have orders barked at you from multiple people over and over, loop after loop and not feel a little frustrated.  Luckily around 8 we had two fresh faces to help crew and give a few of us a few hours to lay down and work on restoring our positive attitudes.  

Got a good 3 hours to lay down, but due to the noise and high temperatures probably only got a solid 45 minute nap in.  None the less, 3 am was wake up time and time to help pace pops.  Jon had already gone several laps with him by the time I woke up, quick change and I tagged in.  I was able to get about 7 laps in with my dad running about 1 mile of the 1.7 mile loop and walking the other.7 before Josh tagged in.  Limited lights + limited crew + one person out running = we were starting to lose our ability to keep everyone happy with the things they needed when they needed them.  Once the sun came up, it was definitely easier to prepare for these shorter loops and the three individuals. By sunrise, it was apparent that fatigue had set in for most of the athletes. Most everyone was walking, no one was talking, some were taking naps, several people had already dropped and attitudes were only getting worse.  But with the sunrise, the crew found our humorous spirits.  Joke telling, laughing, crude remarks and great drawings emerged to help entertain those who passed by.  We should have put a tip jar out cause the athletes were loving it and participating back.  During this time, we saw several people napping, several walking zombies and even one person practically pass out mid step for a two minute nap.  I remember thinking - "why would anyone want to do this." The joke telling and laughter at least helped all of us to get through a few more hours of agony.  In between, we took turns pacing all three people we were crewing and all got several miles in for the day.  I was actually just shy of a marathon; not a fast one, but certainly something to say I did.  My dad was one of the lucky few that didn't have to do a single mile on foot by himself.

As you can see above; he was miserable. And this started around the beginning of the second marathon.  He made a good decision at the half point to just try and walk out the rest of the race (although he got a burst of energy around lap 15 of 30 to do about 3 laps running).  I tagged in to walk the last seven with him and I am a little surprised that he didn't request for another partner.  I did what I could to keep his mind off of things and concentrated on just staying awake and staying safe; but I can only assume hearing me go on and on about who knows what, can get annoying.  My dad has always been stubborn when it comes to things like this, so although he mentioned quitting like 100 times, I never took him seriously. Every time he sat he said he was ready to turn in his chip, every time he rounded the corner to finish a lap he gestured that he was done, but walking continued.  I questioned his sanity multiple times and got very scared when he response time was delayed.  I don't even know if he remembers half of the things we talked about because he seemed to be going in and out of consciousness. There were a few times that his feet and head weren't communicating and he almost fell forward flat on his face.  I had to convince myself he would  be okay just so I wouldn't try and convince him that he should quit.  Seriously these people are crazy and this is only a small look into the world of crazy; I am sure I am leaving out so many details. As we got the bell indicating there was just one lap to go, he cried like a little baby (see that is where I get my crazy emotions from) and I cried too.  We were close to the end and we were all more than thrilled to finally be at that point.  For this last loop the entire 6 person crew joined him to walk the entire last 1.7 miles.  It was awesome to be there to support him for this goal.  I captured the picture above and he couldn't even muster a smile.  But before we knew it, other athletes were congratulating him, encouraging him, and cheering him across the finish.  As crazy as these people are, they are so kind, supportive and generous.  Glad I got the chance to be a part of this.

What a wonderful moment to share with my dad.  As he teared up as they played the national anthem, I did as well (although I don't know if I was crying out of pure joy for his accomplishments or pure joy that this experience was finally over).  

Okay...so I PR'd.

I've been told from a several people that I should be happy with my new PR at the half marathon, but I'm not.  It isn't the time that is bothering me, cause I can't complain about a 12 minute PR, but my performance was sub-par.

The night before the race, I was pumped but still relaxed so I felt good about what was to come.  I set out my morning nutrition and gathered my running necessities to ensure that I wouldn't leave anything behind, set my alarm for 4:30 am, checked my goals and settled in for the evening. Then...a party broke out next door and it sounded like it was actually taking place in my room.  I am not one to complain, especially on a Saturday night. And considering the neighbor has like 40 years (seriously) on me, I didn't want to be an old lady; so I just sat there, twiddling my thumbs and watched the minutes turn to hours and pass by.  The noise died down around 3:45 am, so I got about 45 minutes of sleep in.  I'm already a cranky person in the morning, but tired and cranky is not a fun side of me. None the less, got dressed and headed south.

Showed up in time to get some good stretching in and some extra fluids before the race.  At 5:30 in the morning it was already 72 degrees, so I knew it was going to be a warm run. Testing the waters a bit, I lined up in the estimated 2 hour finish area and waiting for the start.

And the race was on! Getting started on this race was by far easier than the previous race; people weren't crowded in, they weren't in a rush to get to the front of the line and there was plenty of road space. I quickly identified others that were that were intending a 2 hour finish in order to help with pacing and maybe make a friend if things got tough. I knew that I would slow down a bit after the the half way point, so my goal was to average 9:05 for the first 6 miles, then do a 9:35 for the 7 mile that took us over the bridge.  When I got down the down the bridge and saw the beep for the 7 mile, I was surprised to see that I was actually a few seconds ahead of the time frame I wanted to be in.  Great...then mile 8 happened and I started feeling a little, well just - done.

I quickly became aware that my body had decided to hate me for the lack of sleep (or I'm assuming that was the issue since I had put in several miles leading up to this point). My body slowed and my frustrations grew.  I was pushing so hard and my legs just weren't moving. I glanced down at my watch several times to make sure it didn't just jump to a plus 10 minute mile pace (those watches can be tricky) for a quick second or two.  But after multiple glances, I knew I just wasn't moving any faster.  Although frustration can get the best of me, I tried to focus on a goal that I always have in mind - just keep running.  Even if it was slow; shuffling my feet in an attempt to run was better in my mind than walking.  I also got out my gummies a little early thinking some nutrition would help.  Still, mile 9, 10 and 11 passed by with no positive change.  As I rounded the corner of mile 11 and stared up at the final bridge before me, I almost burst into tears.  I didn't have the gusto for the last 5K that I wanted and I still had to do another uphill. It was a grueling uphill battle to get to the 12 mile marker, but I was grateful to be at the top, heading downhill and gaining on the finish line.

I found enough energy to push a little harder for the finish line.  It was the best of the last 5 miles but definitely not the finish I wanted. I immediately decided to throw myself a pity party but sucked up a smile for the finisher picture (I get a double chin when I frown, didn't need that captured for life). It was great having my cheerleaders, Josh and Mike, at the finish but the party continued. From my half marathon last month, this finish was 11 minutes and 58 seconds faster - which I am great with, but must work on consistency and gusto for the next run. I'm done pouting about this and focusing on training for the next half marathon, which is just 4 weeks away.

Sub 2 hour run...eventually we will meet.

Under-Prepared, Overly-Excited

This last week of running has been a bust.  Josh and I decided to do sprints on Monday and since don't like letting him be faster, I really pushed it, and pushed it too hard - strained something in my left calf that has kept me from a full run since. I keep telling myself that one bad week isn't going to mess up an entire 6 months of training but I can't help but feel under-prepared for the Melbourne Beaches and Music Half Marathon this coming Sunday. But being under-prepared can't stop me from being excited to run another race and that I am.  I have been talking about this race non-stop for a month, to the point of annoyance for others, so I think being over-excited is compensating a bit.

After just 4 weeks of completing my first half marathon, the Disney Half - I will be racing my previous time and setting a PR for myself this weekend.  I had dreams of running a sub 2 hour race but am feeling that I am just not ready for that speed.  So although I intend to save this goal for another race, I do have several things I want to accomplish this race.

1. Don't freak out.  If I learned anything from Disney, I learned that I freak out way too much.  I mean what is the big deal; I know I won't win this thing - why can't I just go out and have a lot of fun? I have to admit I am doing a lot better knowing I've done this once before.

2. A little Gusto at the end.  I've been working hard to push at the end of my runs, teaching myself to have a little Gusto for the finish.  The last 5K - I will crush you!

3. Don't let the bridges intimidate me. I've been doing my long runs over the bridges just to prepare.  But since Florida is relatively flat with an exception of these bridges, I definitely struggle and so does my mile time.  I am not going to let these slower miles get in the way of a strong race.

4. PR! I have a time in mind, but not wanting to share it a loud. As corny as it sounds, no matter the time, I'll be proud that I am going strong with my training and doing what I can to improve.

5. Lastly - find another race.  I think that is the trick for me; as long as I have something to train for...I am training.  Maybe the Gasparilla Classic in March?

Just two of these stand in my way of the finish!