Richmond Marathon Race Report

From the beginning I said my goal was to have fun. I had already qualified for Boston (but didn't sign up on time - it closed the day before this race!) and I really wanted to enjoy myself in Richmond. In the middle of the summer, I thought that I may try to break 3:40 because my training was going well, but I hit some speed bumps early Fall and the plan went back to fun. I decided to try the 3:40 pace group that I signed up for earlier and drop off if I needed to. Umm, I needed to!

I had a good dinner with a bunch of friends Friday night and then a pretty good night’s sleep as well. My hotel was a few blocks from the start so I didn't need to get up super early either. It was nice to sleep until 6:15 on race day! I got ready and headed downstairs to meet Elaine at the hotel Starbucks. We hung out in there until it was time to walk to the starting area to try to see some friends running the half. There was a light mist and a little wind, but the weather was actually pretty good for race day. Elaine and I watched the half go off and looked for friends in a sea of runners. Ber shouted my name as she ran by and it took me a minute to find hers and Patrick's faces in the crowd. Apparently Preston also passed me by and called my name, but I missed him. I did not see Jason at all.

After the half cleared, I made my way down to the starting area. I quickly spotted Mike and Erin. Erin and I looked for the 3:40 pacer and once he made an appearance, we saw Alison in that group as well. We took off and it was a little hard staying in the group for the first few miles because there were a lot of people looking for that time - young females hoping for Boston. By mile three I was comfortable and was able to fall in between Erin and Alison. We chatted and were having a good time, but by mile four Erin said her hip was bothering her and she was thinking about dropping out. She just didn't have it in her and she didn't want to get injured before Boston. She qualified earlier this year and had the good sense to register immediately. As we hit mile six, I was still having fun and was commenting on the amazing houses. Around this time, two women joined our conversation and the one said "Thanks for reminding me to take in the sights. I missed everything at Marine Corps." This sparked past marathon conversation as we hit the first party zone. One guy was dressed as a dinosaur. Pretty funny. Then we hit the river, which was high, fast moving, and full of loud geese. It was really pretty. There were about four people along this road. Alison gave them a little cheer, reminding them that they should be cheering for us! Coming up from the river had some rolling hills that I wasn't expecting. Erin finally got to ask someone about aid stations only to find out they had no idea. I later found out that she ended up running 18 miles because that is where her car was parked and she never found any aid stations before that. Boo! What if someone was really ill?

I was still hanging with the pace group and Alison as we reached the half way mark and still felt pretty good. And then that damn bridge had to show up. I dropped back a bit from them here and had a tough time. There wasn't anyone in front of me and I was getting hit with the wind pretty hard. Once over the bridge, I thought it would end. It didn't. I turned the corner at mile 17 and there was Chris. I hammed it up for the camera as I passed him by. Then I saw Janelle's husband, Nick, who gave me a high five and I finally passed "B" and had a photo shoot with him. I was in good spirits at this point, but as I looked ahead of me to the "uptown" area....it looked up hill. I thought the hills were done at 17? Around mile 18, I saw my pace group again, but I couldn't catch them. Heading into mile 19 I saw the dinosaur guy again. I didn’t think he was so funny this time. I was starting to feel the burn in my quads. I slowed down a little and let out a few choice words when I saw a hill ahead. In the world of hills, it probably wasn't that bad, but it looked so steep to me at that moment. I got to the top and that's when I stopped. I need to walk. My legs were on fire. From this point to mile 24, I walked through all of the water stops. Some slower than others. I was doubting myself and cursing my last month of training. I was still enjoying the houses and the crowds along the way, but the self-doubt and the tired legs were killing me. I only did one of my last four weekend runs. I just wasn't feeling it and was a bit depressed after my Dad passed away in early October. Lucky for me, my friend Janelle joined me on that one run I did and kept me company for 16 of those 22 miles. I thought of that run and how good it felt and I thought about what a fighter my Dad always was. After the water stop at mile 23, I dug deep and just hit a comfortable-ish pace. I listened to the music, listened to the crowds and just made my way to the end. I noticed that I was passing a lot of people from my original pace group at this time. It looked like a lot of people didn't end up making it in at 3:40 as planned.

Right before mile 26, I saw Mike (who finished in 3:16!) and "B" on the side of the course. They were cheering me on, while I was telling them that I felt like a few four letter words :-) Then the end had such a huge crowd with tons of people cheering for me - nice touch adding our names to our bibs so people could cheer us in. I saw Nick again as I was flying down the hill to the finish. I came across in 3:44:32. And as I was getting my medal and my foil wrap, I spotted Alison again. She ended up coming in 20 seconds in front of me. She told me she dropped off the pace group at mile 20 and started walking the water stops as well. Chris met me; I got some pizza, put on warm clothes, and went back out to see if I could catch up with anyone. I missed Janelle come in, but saw Mike who told me she flew in at 4:05. We then walked up the block and ran into Amanda who is helping start Back on My Feet in Washington DC. I hung out and cheered in runners for the next hour. I was excited to see Julia-Faye from Dailymile come in....again, those name bibs were awesome. And, I got to see Elaine finish her first marathon with a huge grin on her face. How great it that!

So I finished the second half seven minutes slower than the first and it took me 56 minutes for the last 10K. But I still had a solid finishing time and managed to have fun...except for those few miles between 19 and 24. My legs and mind definitely suffered from the lack of training in the last month and a half, but I finished strong and, in retrospect, pretty happy!

13.1 Miles: 1:48:39
20 Miles: 2:48:00
26.2 Miles: 3:44:32
Overall: 876
Gender: 192
Age Group: 26

SunTrust Richmond Marathon

Baltimore Half Marathon - Run for Vic

I went into this race with no expectations. I was hoping to finish with a decent time, but I did not know what the day would bring. The Saturday prior, I came home from a long training run and found out that my father passed away. While it was not unexpected, it was still a very hard time for me and my family.

I headed up to New Jersey Sunday morning to be with my family. I knew it was going to be a hectic week with little sleep and not a lot of running. I planned a run for Monday afternoon to give my relatives time to get in from out of state. We met at my sisters house and ran on a trail that led to the neighborhood where we grew up. We then ran by our old house and the firehouse where the flags were at half-mast to honor my father's 50+ years as a volunteer. Finally we ended at Ted's bar, my father's favorite watering hole. My non-running relatives met up there and we toasted my dad.

The next two days were busy with viewings and the funeral and I did not feel like running. Thursday I was not feeling it either. By Friday, I was back in Baltimore and ran two miles with one of the BOMF teams. After that, I headed out on my own because I felt like I needed some miles. This wasn't a great run as I had time by myself and time to think. The run itself wasn't bad, but it felt draining.

Saturday morning the entire BOMF crew met up at Camden Yards. We had members running in all races of the festival and it was hard not to get caught up in everyone's excitement. First the marathon went off. We cheered on our runners at the start as the masses passed us. After that, the 5K started. We had a lot of our newer members run this event. It was fun to watch the first-timers out there. After that was done, I made my way over a few blocks to the start of the half marathon. Along the way, I was able to cheer for more of my friends at mile 9 and again at mile 13 - where the half starts.

Because of the busy morning I had cheering, I didn't really have time to think about my race. I went over to the start about 5 minutes early and the gun went off at 9:45. They added more waves this year and I certainly felt the difference since I was in the first wave. I did not spend a lot of time weaving through crowds like I have in years past. Of course I went out too fast. My first mile was 7:29. I refocused and pulled it back. I was back to just under 8's by the 4th mile. It was cloudy with a little humidity and a bit of rain began to fall. Perfect for me except when the wind kicked up at times.

I was running up one of the long inclines when I had time to think. I almost talked myself into slowing down and just using it as a long run. Instead I said a little prayer and asked my Dad to help me run up the series of hills I was approaching. At the end of one hill, was the hand-off point for the third relay leg. I saw a few of our members there and they cheered me on. I was off to another hill when I saw another friend. He was having a bad race (running the full, he was approaching mile 20). I tried to encourage him, but I know the feeling when you just want to be left alone so I moved along.

The next mile is flat around the lake. I picked it up here a bit since I knew I had some hills in front of me and I was now determined to finish strong. The next mile and a half is rolling hills with a turn up yet another hill. Here, my friend Nate, dressed in a tiger costume was playing "eye of the tiger" on repeat and encouraging all runners. This is also the famous gummy-bear area. I took a few and went on my way. At mile 10, I was at 1:19 and feeling good. I gave myself another mile to make sure, and then picked it for the last two. I was tired, but again, I had a little "talk" with my Dad and decided that I was going to PR for him.

I cruised through the last two miles - where I am usually exhausted - and was so excited to stop my watch at 1:42:51. Last year I ran a 1:44:32, which was my previous PR. I found a bunch of friends that finished around the same time and we headed back to the finish to cheer everyone else in.

Ended up being a great day and a run that I will remember always.

Field Placement: 421 / 7813
Group Placement: 8 / 460
Gender Placement: 83 / 4519

Thank You for Your Support

The rain couldn't dampen the spirit of the Back On My Feet team participating in the Baltimore 10 Miler this past weekend. Both Philadelphia and Baltimore chapters were represented and every member that started the race came across the finish line.

I wanted to thank all of my friends that supported me during this run. You helped me raise $765 for BOMF. You are all amazing and all of the people in this picture, taken post race, are grateful for your support.

So thank you,

Dave Acup

Chris Edge

Dawne Hanlin

Mike Thomas

Luke & Sherri Greeves

Colleen McCarthy

Victor Bayers

Joanna Lawson-Matthew

Lori Painter

Melissa Daub

Mary Ann Fortunato

Lisa & John White

Candi McDowell

Carol Deere

Dare, Mark & Nina Wenzler

Baltimore 10 Miler Review

Yesterday I ran the second running of the Baltimore 10 Miler. My day started at the Back On My Feet tent. BOMF was an official charity of the race and we had a large number of residents, volunteers, and fundraisers present. We formed a circle, like we do every morning before our runs, but the size of this circle was massive. We had representatives from all three shelters in Baltimore as well as a large showing from our home base in Philadelphia. The circle was moving as residents from Philadelphia shared their stories. After our prayer, we headed to the starting line. In the crowd of about 3,000 people, I saw my friend Thomas. He was running and videotaping the race. You can view it here.

The skies opened up as soon as the race started. I am fine with running in the rain, but the threat of lightening had me a little on edge. The thunder stopped by mile one and the rain came and went for the entire morning. I felt great at the beginning of the race. My first mile was too fast as usual and I pulled it back some. At mile four, members of the McVets shelter were manning the water station. I may be biased, but I think it was the best water station on the course. They were so enthusiastic and cheered every runner on. I saw a lot of BOMF members running for the next three miles and shouted out to all of them. It was fun to see so many of us out on the course.

Miles five through 7.5 were fine. I was still feeling good. And then it hit me. I am not sure if my legs were tired from last week's race and the track work out or if I just knew the hills that were coming, but I broke down a bit. I had to struggle to keep going up some of the hills. I even walked through two water stops, which I never do, and took a walking break up a hill. This is so unlike me. I never stop and I am not sure what happened. However, at mile 9.5 I started seeing all of my Back On My Feet friends. Eric, Colleen, Nikia, and Mike totally cheered me up the last hill. Then I saw my nephew's friend, Ryan, and he cheered on "Aunt Jeanne." Finally, I saw my guys that were not ready for the 10 mile race yet, but came out in the pouring rain to cheer on their teammates. I put a huge smile on my face and waved at them while they, along with Pammy Cakes, cheered me in. After all that, I still finished 17 seconds faster than last year and have a new PR at 1:20:27. Good times!

We got a great rain jacket for finishing the race, which I put right on and went to join the BOMF cheering section to wait for the rest of our team to come in. We stayed until the ambulance pulled up after the last runner to make sure everyone was cheered in. Through the rain and the hills, all of our members completed their first 10 mile race. I could not be more proud. The five guys that I run with from Helping Up Mission had an amazing showing. They came in between 1:21:07 and 1:49:10. I am in awe of them. They are making such progress and are really committed to running and turning their lives around.

The volunteers that I run with rocked the race as well. Josh, David, Paul, and Brian had strong times, which makes me remember why I can't keep up with them during the morning runs. Our team leader, Mike, came in 12th overall. He is such a fast runner, even though he hangs back every morning to make sure all of the guys have someone to run with. A true leader. And then our rocking Program Director, Jackie, came in second female...which would have been first (and was chip wise), but she started in the back of the race with a group of the guys running. Again, pure selfless, class acts! I love these people. They make running fun and meaningful!

Overall: 262/2497
Female: 50/1327
Age Group: 4/189

George Sheehan Classic

This past weekend I headed to my home state of New Jersey for a 5 mile race in Red Bank. I have been doing this race off and on for over 10 years now. It gives me an excuse for a family visit and it really is a nice course through some great small towns.

The day started off better than usual. It was overcast and there was a slight breeze. I was actually a little chilly waiting around for the start. But then, as usual, the clouds disappeared and the humidity came out...pretty much at the sound of the start.

The race starts in Red Bank, the town where I was born, and travels through Fair Haven and Little Silver before coming back into Red Bank. It is a relatively flat course with a few small inclines and then one notable hill, Tower Hill, right after the 4 mile mark. It is mostly residential and many families sit on their front lawns to cheer on the runners. A few kind residents even take out their lawn hoses and spray down the runners. That is always a treat. The race is well staffed and well supported.

I felt great the first 2.5 miles and was running about 7:25's. I think that I slowed down a bit then until mile 4 as the pound of potato chips I ate the night before was not agreeing with me. I picked it up after the water stop at the bottom of Tower Hill. I know that I did my last mile, hill and all, in about 7:00.

I finished in 37:02 - course PR by 1:40 and 5 mile PR by 26 seconds. It was a good day and I felt fine afterwards. I came in the top 100 women, #50, which earned me a George Sheehan coffee mug. This year's mug quote from Dr. Sheehan: "So much of life passes without our being in it at all. Make every day count." If you are not familiar with George Sheehan, google him.

While I am very pleased with my time, the highlight of the race for me was watching my niece Lauren finish the race. It was her first 5 mile run, but I do not think it will be her last. We saw her coming up to the finish line and she had a lot of energy and smile on her face when she heard us cheering her on. She is not usually a runner, but finished strong and was quick to say how much she liked it. After the race she was going through the race sheets in her race bag and seeing which race she would run next. I think she got the bug!

End Results:
Time: 37:02
Overall: 228/1549
Gender: 50/669
Age: 9/128

McVets 10K Race Report

It was a hot and humid morning in Baltimore. We met the guys over at Helping Up Mission to walk over to the start. For many of them, it was their first race as members of Back On My Feet; the organization that I volunteer with. Everyone was excited.

This was the 14th year of the McVets race, which holds both 5K and 10K events. The events start an hour apart, which I thought was odd, but it was pretty well organized. The 5K went off at 7:30 followed by the 10K at 8:30.

After cheering on some guys and a lot of BOMF volunteers in the 5K, I was ready to line up for the start of the 10K. The first quarter mile was pretty cramped, but by first mile I was pretty much running on my own. The field was small so I ended up running alone for most of the race.

I had the most fun on Fort Avenue between miles 2 and 4. I was able to cheer on the people ahead of my as they were coming back after the turn around and then do the same for the people behind me as I turned around. The BOMF team had a lot of people running and it was easy to spot everyone in their shirts.

After mile 4 I was on my own. It was a pretty lonely race. I did not see anyone in front of me at times and no one passed me -- which was a nice change :-)

All in all, it was a good race. I ended up with a PR of 47:21, which made me really happy. And the guys, well they crushed it. We had age group winners and amazing times from all of them. I was so proud of them. They rock!

Stats:
Overall: 31/172
Gender: 9/74
Age: 2/15

Note: I ended up with 1st in my age since they had a masters category and a 41 year old won that. They also put me in the 40-49 age group even though I am not turning 40 until September.