Running From My Excuses: Not going to plan...

26.2.0...Training Week One

Well, I've already screwed up my training plan. It's printed in black and white, right in front of me...Week One, Day one...REST.

Eh, an easy 10 miler around the lakes in Minneapolis > Rest.

So yes, I ran 10 miles on day one of marathon training, then I rested on Tuesday, no wait, I didn't rest on Tuesday I swam on Tuesday. Did rest on Wednesday? Nope, four miles with Gina that day....Thursday, I rested on THURSDAY! Okay, it's all good...I got a rest day in. I promise, after June 17th (the last race I have signed up to pace) I will get back on the plan. Friday I did an easy three miler with Jacquie so I could have fresh-ish legs for my pacing gig on Saturday. I also dropped the ball on the three days of strength training I was supposed to do...I really need to force myself to get back on that wagon...I can tell that I have lost a lot of glute and hip strength and it's affecting my recovery. I need to get it back before the long runs settle in to my routine!

Check out these hot pacers...no, we were literally really hot!

Back to Saturday...I was signed up to pace the 11:00/mile group for Lola's Lake Waconia 10-miler. I was supposed to do this one last year but had to bail at the last minute due to a family commitment. I knew it was supposed to be a hilly course, but at 11-minute miles, I wasn't too worried about it. I was looking forward to some new scenery and seeing the MN Run Series crew, who always put on a great show. As the week went on, the mercury went up. My weather app consistently told me it was going to be in the mid-70's early Saturday morning...which got me worrying. I do not do well in the heat...I don't do well in the cold either, but I think the heat is worse...I mean I can always put extra clothes on, but generally it's frowned upon to run a race in the buff while minions throw ice cubes on you...so yeah, not looking forward to running in the 70+ range. I had to be up at zero-dark-thirty since it's about an hour drive from my house to Waconia. The race started at 7:20 and I had to be there early to check in. As is par for my race-morning course, I for some reason woke up at 4:15, about a half an hour before my alarm was supposed to go off. However, I realized this was a good thing when I picked up my phone...it was dead...so there wouldn't have been an alarm to rouse me at 4:45. My charging connection has been going bad for awhile, I guess this is my excuse to buy a new phone! Anyway, I struggled out of bed and stumbled down stairs to feed the cat so she wouldn't start screeching at me and wake the rest of the house. I decided since I was up so early and wouldn't be running for three more hours, that I'd make myself breakfast. Two eggs and some almond butter toast later I was ready to gear up and head out. I had southbound 35W all to myself, which those of you who live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area know...is kind of like seeing a Unicorn sliding down a rainbow...it was magical! I made it to Waconia in less than an hour. I found a parking spot about a block from the start line, I parked strategically so I could get out easily after the race since I had to head straight the pool. There were already a ton of people around, so I followed a crowd over to check in and grab my bib and sign. There were no lines for the porta potties (again...magical!) so I snuck in to one, did my business and headed back to see if anyone familiar was hanging around. I found Kirk, the race announcer...we talked about dogs for a bit. He knew about Sully since we used to be neighbors...he asked if we were ready for a new dog yet...I said I wasn't, but everyone else was. He offered to connect me with the breeder they got their lab, Goldy, from...I know the kids are desperate for a puppy, but I really want to get a rescue, so we'll see what happens. After that I chatted with Kristina, a pacer I have seen at a few other races but never really talked to...she is awesome! She pretty much eats marathons for breakfast and has done Ironman Wisconsin three times. We chatted about me doing an Ironman someday (right now my sights are set on Louisville 2021). Then we ran into Aubree, which for me, signals that I am in the right place...I'm not sure I've been to a half marathon that she is not at :) Another pacer friend Taya breezed in at that point, a bit frantic about the porta potty line...but Kristina told her to use "pacer privilege" and cut...we're pretty sure she didn't though and by the time she made it back to us we needed to head to the start corral. Well...I did anyway, they were both pacing the half marathon today and I was (thankfully) only pacing the 10-mile (three less miles of hills!)

Aubree knocks off half marathon #40, she shouldn't look so surprised!

I was the last pacer for the 10-mile, so I moved to the back of the corral...right next to the lovely hill we would be climbing at the end of the race. I gave everyone a quick pep talk...told them to make sure to drink plenty at each stop, even if they didn't feel thirsty. Told them that conditions were going to be tough and to be sure to take it easy on themselves out there...no sense in pushing for a PR and getting heat exhaustion. I told them we would be running up many "mounds of opportunity" today and they needed to feel proud that they got out of bed to run 10-miles before most people even thought about waking up. Right before we started, I heard someone say "Oh, it IS you!" It was Leslie, a mom of one of the swimmers from Kayley's team. I knew she was a runner, but we hadn't ever been at a race together. We chatted for a bit and she told me she was doing Grandma's Half Marathon in a couple weeks so she was just out here to take it easy today. She picked a hell of a day and a hell of a race for taking it easy! Finally we were off...it was only 7:20am, but I felt like I had been up for hours...oh yeah, I had been up for hours. Anyway, we headed out of the park and right onto some grassy trails and a long decent towards the lake. This wasn't so bad, soft trails, a nice breeze, beautiful lake view...okay, let's settle in. Our magical luck lasted for the first mile or so and then we turned a corner and....BAM big hill. I called out to my group and told then to lean into it, keep their steps short and power through. We did and were rewarded with a tiny stretch of down hill, a small patch of flat and then...BAM big hill #2. This pattern would keep up for the next eight and a half miles.

No, that is not an EKG...that is the race elevation!

As if the hills weren't bad enough, our "nice little breeze" had turned into a full on headwind...which could have been refreshing if it wasn't so stinking hot! I was doing my best to stay positive for my group, but man, I was huffing and puffing up those hills the same as everyone else. I tried to celebrate when we'd hit the top of each one, but no one in my group seemed too keen on celebrating...I think we just all wanted to be done. I chatted on and off with Leslie until about mile 7...we hit a pretty big climb and I lost a lot of my group at that point...hell, I almost threw in the towel at that point. But I plugged along and tried to shout encouragements to each person I ran by. I started to get passed by the fast half marathoners at this point...which I tried to be inspired, rather than discouraged by. I was trudging up the second to the last hill when the 1:40-finish pacer passed me...he called out a "Good job pacer" as he lithely strode by me, looking fresh as a daisy...I might have cursed him under my breath...but managed to barely eek out a "Yeah, you too" as I watched him zoom off. We had finally come up to the 12 mile marker and I ran up to a woman that had been playing leap frog with me all day, she said "That was the last hill, right?!" To which I had to reply "No, sorry, we have one more"...her shoulders dropped a bit so I said, "It's a tiny baby hill compared to everything else today". This was a total lie, but I had to pull something out of my hat! I then started to come up on a woman who's running skirt I had been admiring all day. When she saw my sign she said "Oh shit. I don't want to see you!" I smiled and said, "I won't take that personally, and besides, I'm about a minute ahead". She sped up a bit and for the rest of the race she fought valiantly to hold me off....I'm happy to say she succeeded. I finally crested that last hill and turned the two corners that would bring me to the finish line. I have to be very careful when I'm pacing to not go crazy and sprint at this point, so I looked around and started yelling "Come on, beat the pacer" to everyone who was around me. I got a few incredulous stares, but a few also kicked it in and beat me to the end. Kirk called my name and told the crowd that I had come in just 10 seconds under my pace (official results had me 20 seconds under...but he was close enough). Man, I'm not sure I have ever been so glad to be done with a race. I got my medal and immediately found some water (and the Old Dutch and Salted Nut Rolls that are staples of the MN Run Series events). I went back to the finish line to wait for Leslie, she came in about five minutes after me with a big smile on her face. Everyone who finished that day deserved a big smile...I've now paced a race on a rainy, 45-degree day and a windy, 80-degree day...and I honestly think I'd take cold and rain over heat, hills and headwinds any day!

Yeah, I earned that bad boy today!

After I chatted with Leslie for a bit I ran through the sprinkler that had been set up in the park (magical) and hit the porta potty. I got to my car and thankfully managed to get out of town without using my GPS (dead phone ya know). I made it to the pool just in time to see Kayley's first individual race of the day, and managed to charge my phone enough on the way to get a text from Bill with a picture of a smiling Logan wearing the medal he earned at his race that morning...a fun run at Turtle Lake Elementary...it was an athletic day in the McKee family...and I couldn't be prouder of all of us!