Road Trip - Destination Indy!

When you get the call to work the race expo for the 2nd largest half marathon in the country, you don't say no!  After months of waiting, Tracie and I were ready to head to Indy for some fun!   6 hours on the road with this girl makes the time fly!  Listening to Beiber and Adele will never be the same again!

By the time we got to to Indianapolis, sleep was all that I had in mind!  But the Thursday morning, I was up early and ready to go, so I headed out for a running tour on the downtown area!  What an amazing, beautiful city!  I was out early enough to miss the crazy morning hustle and bustle.  Once I made it to the trail heading towards the zoo, it was just me, my thoughts and the small critters scampering around.  Next thing I knew, I needed to head back.  I had planned on 3-4 miles and by the time I got back to the hotel, I was at 5.5 miles.  One does not get "lost" on a run, they just discover new places to visit!

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent  wandering around town, getting ready for the expo and all kinds of shenanigans in between!   The state capitol building, Memorial Circle and of course, No trip to Indy is complete without a stop outside Lucas Oil Stadium - of course the building was closed so we couldn't get a peek inside, but anything was better than nothing!

When we realized that we could actually visit the observation tower and get a birds eye view of the city, we knew where we were heading!  When we got there, we were greeted with 2 options.  1. purchase a ticket to take the elevator up 2. walk the stairs for free!  330 steps?  Game on!

OMG!  You don't realize how far 330 steps is until you start heading up them!  But we were not giving up the fight.  In the end, we made it to the top in less than 5 minutes!  The view was well worth it!  After we caught our breath, took a few photos and enjoyed the view, it was time to head back down!

One of the awesome things about working the race expos is the awesome people I see and meet.  This year, I got to see  Boston Marathon champion and Olympic Medalist Meb, as he was in town to run the Half Marathon.  This year he was running "with the people"... starting at the back of the pack, to give everyone a chance to run with him.  They even had a contest at the Expo - guess how many people Meb was going to pass while he was running his Half Marathon.  

My highlight of the weekend tho?  For all you American Grit fans out there, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Brooke Van Paris (aka BeastModeBarbie) while she was shopping the booth!  What an amazing, down to earth, yet extremely inspirational woman!  Hearing her story, direct from her, is enough to inspire anyone!  This was her first road half marathon and she killed it!  Although I didn't get a chance to get a photo with her while she was shopping, since I was so busy (one of the downfalls of working one of the most popular booths at the expo), but she sent me this photo, wearing one of the BondiBands that she picked up from the booth on Thursday!  Since the day I met her, I've been doing some reading on more of her story and what it took her to get to where she is, I am more than inspired!  Her Never Give up Attitude is amazing!

Side note: I also just found out that Brooke just qualified for the 2016 Obstacle Course Race World Championships in Canada this October!  Way to go Brooke!!!

After the expo on Thursday, I met up with Tracie and we were on a mission to find dinner and then some sleep.  However, on the way to find food, we spotted a horse drawn carriage that we HAD to go take pictures of!  While Tracie was taking pictures of the carriage. I managed to capture this photo of a pup introducing himself to (hopefully) a new friend! 

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After working all day at the expo on Friday again, when the alarm went off at 5:15am for the race, I really just wanted to stay curled up in bed! I was tired!! But it was race day!  Before long, it was time to take the short walk to the heart of downtown to the start line!

After running the half marathon here last year, it was exciting to be back at the start line again this year, even if I was "only" running the 5k.  Tracie was going all out and signed up for the Mini Challenge - running the 5k and then heading straight back to the start corrals to run the half marathon!  For those of you that know me, this would be a challenge that I normally would be all over.  However, since I was working the race expo for 2 days and being on my feet all day, I was not sure how my legs were going to be. so I opted just for the one (short) race.

In the end, even tho I was running on limited sleep and tired legs, I was very happy with my race. I felt strong, the weather was perfect and I was running in a dress for the first time!  Just a week before this trip, I got my first dress that I ordered from Skirt Sports.  I was not sure how running in a dress was going to be and yes, I broke one of the cardinal rules of running - I tried something new on race day... running, wearing something that I have never worn to run in before.  

Thankfully my chance that I took paid off.  I think I was more comfortable running this 5k than I have for any other race!  Yes, I am a Ambassador Captain for Skirt Sports, because I love their products! I live in my SS whenever I can. I can tell that this dress is quickly going to become one of my go-to pieces of clothing this summer, both for running and every day comfort wear! 

Zero Expectations can work out to your benefit sometimes!

Before each race, many of us probably go through some of the same questions to prepare ourselves mentally for the event...

Goal time to finish? Average Pace? Whatever it may be, we usually have something that we are shooting for.

Last weekend, I threw all of that behind me.

I went into the Oshkosh Half Marathon with ZERO expectation.  Why would I do this?  Why sign up for a race and not have a goal in mind to measure my success?  It was simple.  I was running this one completely for fun.

Last winter, I was at a benefit for myTeam Triumph and ended up with the winning bid of one of the silent auction baskets.  Part of that basket was 2 entries into any DuTriRun events in the area.  As part of my training for the Titletown Ultra Marathon, I decided to add the Oshkosh Half marathon to my training calendar.  After running the Dark Side Challenge at Disney World the weekend before,  I was coming off  22.6 miles of running through the parks.  This race was just about getting out and enjoying some time with the racing community, exploring some new areas (I've NEVER run in Oshkosh before!) and just enjoying the spring weather!

Kris and I headed to Oshkosh early so we could pick up get a parking spot near the finish line, pick up packets and relax a bit before we had to run.  He had run this race before and knew all the minute details!  He got us a parking spot literally 25 yards from the finish line!  We walked the short distance to the hotel where packet pickup was and had no wait to pick up our bibs.  Granted most people probably picked up there stuff the day before, but there was literally no wait for us in the morning!  No sooner than we got our bibs, Tracie found us (the joys of smaller local races - it's easy to find your running friends in the crowd!)

When it was time to head to the start line, everyone was talking goals, psyching themselves up to run at their peak, making plans on how the rain would (or wouldn't) affect their plans, and everything else to get themselves ready for the race.  I simply headed to the corrals, did some stretching, took a few photos and just enjoyed the morning.

Once the race started, I headed out, found a happy pace and just stated running.  I ran into a few friends from the Saturday morning Prevea training runs and chatted with them for a bit as we ran.  Just before Mile 2, I heard a voice being me "hey Fanatic, where ya from?"  Wearing my Half Fanatics Tank usually gets a few questions or hello's during any race). I replied back, "Green Bay" and turned to see the 2:30 pacer fall into pace with me.   (so I guess now I knew about what my pace currently was!).  We chatted or a bit and were joined by one of the other gals that I always see at the Prevea training runs.  We all ran together until just before mile 4 when I caught up with Tracie and we ended up running together.  I think at this point, I finally set ONE goal for myself today.  Since I was feeling good, I wanted to keep moving and finish in front of the 2:30 pacer. 

 

Tracie and I and I ended up playing leap frogfor then next 4 miles or so. She was dealingwith a Klee that was not playing nice, so she was doing some walk/run intervals to make sure she didn't push too hard (we head to Indyin a few weeksso she wants to make sure she will be ready to run there. I evenually lost her around mile 10.  I couldn't keep up with her cheetah legs anymore!

Running the trail and across the bridges in Oshkosh was awesome!  It may have been an overcast cloudy day, but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits.  One of the biggest things that I noticed tho?  The crowd support throughout the course!  Every few blocks it seemed like there were crews ready and willing to keep runners going!  One lady, I saw several times and each time I saw her, she had a different sign... I'm still waiting for those tacos she said were at the finish line!

This was also the 1st half marathon I ever ran WITHOUT my hydration belt!  I knew that I had enough pockets in my Skirt Sports running skirt to carry all of the race fuel that I needed, bit I didn't have my water bottles (still need to break down and buy myself that hydration best for the ultra).  Since I didn't water with me, I was forcing myself to hit all of the water stations and actually drink something!  There was no shortage of water stations of the course either - always love that!  Looking back, I actually think I consumed more water during this half marathon than I usually do, when I am carrying my own with me!  Many times, even though I have water (or Hydrate) with me, it's almost like it's too convenient and I forget to drink!  Note to self... drink your water!!

Overall, I get strong until about mile 11. My feet had enough (thinking back now, I probably should have replaced my running shoes already so that was probably part of the problem).  I wasn't giving up tho. I keep pushing on, and really started to dig deep. I started digging even deeper when I saw the 2:30 pacer had caught up to me!  I pushed on. I wanted to walk. I wanted to be done. Easiest way for that to happen? Keep running. 

Once I turned the corned off that last bridge and entered the park, it was time to leave it all on the trail.  I forged on ahead, finished strong and a good minute ahead of the pacer that I was determined to beat!

Official time:  2:27:33

Missed my PR by 0:2:30!

Best thing about this race?  Being done and having friends at the finish line to celebrate with!  Fellow Skirt Sport Ambassador Hannah was there waiting for me!  We big ran strong races. It was a good day!  After catching up with a few other friends, cheating on a few more myTEAM Triumph teams and walking off some tight calves it was time to head home for a shower... And food!

My go to post race or long run refueling? Healthy Bellyz!  Today it was the zucchini burrito!  Gluten free, dairy free and beyond amazing!  

In the end, I went in with no expectations, Ran a strong run, had fun and came up extremely pleased with the results!

Remember, it's not always about that finish time or pace!  It's about getting out there and just enjoying the fact that you have 2 legs that can carry you through these adventures!  Some people aren't that lucky!  Cherish these days, embrace the journey!