The Houston Marathon!

It has been sixteen days since I have completed my first marathon, the Houston Chevron Marathon. When I first signed up for the marathon I had this idea that I was going to train to qualify for the Boston Marathon; however, shortly after starting graduate school I realized that I had over-committed myself and needed to readjust my goal for the race. I decided that instead of aiming to run under 3:30 I would aim to run the marathon in 4:00 or under. As the semester picked up speed and training grew more time consuming I began to question if I could do both training and school successfully. To top it off I added a week-long vacation in the middle of the semester and to visit my best friend in Panama where training took a backseat to some amazing once in a lifetime adventures!

Fast forward to race day…

As I reached downtown Houston with my dad at 5:45 AM my nerves started growing uncontrollably. I had been reciting the mantra to just finish and not hurt myself for days now, and I was praying it would come true. After walking around the corrals and talking to my dad about whatever came to mind to distract myself from the self-doubt that was beginning to seep into my mind, it was time to get in Corral A and start warming up and stretching. Luckily my dad stood on the other side of the fence and offered to hold my things for me and kept me calm until it was time for the race to start.

Leading up to the gun going off there is music booming through downtown as the sun is just starting to rise, the national anthem is sung, and thousands of runners push themselves forward slowly to the start line. All the anticipation from months of grueling training are bubbling up the surface as we all wait for our turn to cross the line and to begin our 26.2 mile journey.

Once I had crossed the line and was actually able to run I was soon joined by a middle aged man (I wish I remembered his bib number), but him and I were running at the same pace so he decided to stick with me and my GPS watch for the first few miles of the race. However, I lost him after a quick trip to the port-a-potty. The miles were passing quickly and I was running faster than I anticipated which made me extremely nervous because I still had such a long way to go.

Mile 5: My dad met me and took my arm sleeves from me and got scolded by a volunteer about being close to the runners and the course…

Mile 6: My mom missed me, so she called me. I can now say I talked on the phone while running a marathon. I also was able to text people back using Siri; technology has come so far!

Mile 10: My parents met me again (running a marathon really is a team effort). They were full of encouragement and surprise at my pace, but they also had some of my nutrition and a much needed hat! At this point in the race I was feeling great! There was no pain, my nerves had finally subsided, and I was barely even breaking a sweat.

Mile 13.1: I passed the halfway mark only two minutes slower than I raced the half last year!!

Mile 16. I hit the wall and I hit it hard. At this point my knee started killing me; it was the same pain that I had experienced last year in the half marathon which was excruciating and made me take a step back from running for a few months to allow it to heal. I panicked. I didn't want to hurt myself; I had promised my parents I wouldn't do that this year, but I had also come so far…16 miles so I didn't want to give up. I decided my best option was to stop and stretch and walk it off…start jogging and walk until I could get to my parents.

Mile 17: Hobbling to the left side of the course I met with my parents who were all full of smiles, and I was a complete Negative Nelly at this point because my knee was hurting so bad. I begged them for medicine which they didn't have with them at the moment…that was a crushing moment. But I continued to walk jog my way towards the next mile marker.

Mile 18: Miracles do happen!! My dad drove past me on the course, stopped the car and stuck his hand out of the window with three or four magical little blue pills. Pain medicine!! Eagerly I tried to take the medicine with no water while running…this doesn't work due to dehydration. So I take care to hold the moist medicine in my hand til the next water stop.

Mile 19: Water. There was my mom holding a water bottle so I could take my medicine as soon as possible. I can do this…once the medicine kicks in!

At around this point I am getting a flood of encouraging texts from friends and family. All of which Siri reads to me in a monotone voice and she also reads out the emoticons (queue frowny face with furrowed brow and fish with puckered lips). This amuses me until I realize I am no longer experiencing the dreadful knee pain. Hooray!! The miles begin to pass rather quickly at this point. I am getting so close to finishing!

Mile 23: I see a guy stretching on the side of the road and when I glance back at him I realize that I know him. It was my old roommate Joe!! So of course I had to stop and take a selfie with him.

Mile 24: I passed Raymond Cooper, one of my many bosses, on the sidelines! He

was certainly my biggest fan during that stretch along Allen Parkway (the land of hills…)

Mile 26.2: My watch beeps that I have run my first marathon….but I haven’t crossed the finish line yet? Such a let down

Mile 26.2 (for real): As I approached the finish line I turned off my music and listened to the music being played throughout downtown and the broadcasts being announced as runner crossed the finish line. When I crossed I was completely overwhelmed by the purest sense of happiness. I had just run a marathon. I had done it on my own. I had trained for it on my own. This personal victory was all mine at 4:08:53! 

What's Next? 2nd Semester, Races, and Travel??!!

My second semester of graduate school is rapidly approaching, and I am not quite ready to begin the whirlwind of another semester and races to begin! My schedule is filling quickly with school, work, races and of course more travel! First thing on the agenda is the start of a new semester on January 12th....then it's time for the Houston Marathon; T minus 16 day!! I am terrified...the goal is to just finish my first marathon with no injuries, fingers crossed. Then it is the season of the Rhythm and Blues with the Houston race on February 15th and Dallas race only 3 weeks later on March 8th. Immediately following the completion of the Rhythm and Blues Dallas race it is off to the airport! To where this time?? Mexico City and Acapulco with none other than one of my favorite Valley girl, Sarah Brown! We will be taking in the culture of the capital city and soaking up the sun on the white sand beaches along the Pacific. My excitement for this next adventure can hardly be contained and it is still three months away. By then the semester is in full swing and will be over in the first week of May. 

Let the next challenge begin!

A Marathon???

So after finishing the Tough Mudder I began to think what my next running challenge should be. I have competed in the shorter long distance races like 5 and 10K's numerous times and I have finished a half marathon. What should come next? After talking to a friend who is an avid marathoner he reminded me that qualifying time registration for the Houston Marathon ends on Thursday, and having already been tossing the idea around about conquering the marathon I made a bold decision. I signed up to run the Houston Marathon in 2015. This will be by far the longest race I will complete, and the training will be farther than I have ever pushed myself to run before.

It didn't hit me until I clicked the register button that now I actually have to do this; I can't just talk about wanting to run a marathon in the future...because now I am committed to doing it. I am really excited to begin this new training program and begin pushing myself further, and I am also dreading this major shift out of my comfort zone with training. My goal is to run under 3 hours and 35 minutes so that I can qualify for the Boston Marathon!! Wish me luck!!!

Tough Mudder, A New Type Of Competition

On May 4, 2014 I completed the Central Texas Tough Mudder event. Now I refer to it as an event because it is unlike any other competition I have participated; I cannot call it a race for many reasons. First, there is no clock or timing system which was a unique experience for me since I am so used to competing against the clock and my fellow competitors. Second, it is really isn’t a competition…it is very focused on teamwork; this is the aspect that caught me off guard. In all my time competing on the track and in the woods for cross country it has always been an individual-team effort; I had to finish the race on my own with only the possibility of encouraging words from teammates and spectators to help me. However, in the Tough Mudder it was completely different because as I was approaching the obstacle called “Berlin Walls” which is vertical walls 3 meters tall, a guy who had already climbed to the top and reached down to grab my hand to help pull me up. Now this may not seem like a big deal to some, but this was a huge change for me. I have been in the mindset for ten years that when I am running in any kind of competition I am on my own and can only rely on my training and how well I have mentally prepared. Throughout the race I received help from various people who I will never see again most likely, but without their help and encouragement I wouldn't have been able to complete the Tough Mudder. 

The Tough Mudder was a ten mile obstacle course filled with lots of mud. The running was the easy part and the mud made it a ton of fun, but the obstacles definitely push you physically and mentally. A few obstacles stick out in my memory because they were either very physically demanding or scared me to the core. The Mud Mile was extremely challenging in the most humorous manner; the mounds of slick mud with giant pools of watery mud in between completely covered me in mud from head to toe. It was extremely hard to climb up the mounds of mud and I couldn't even stand in the water because I am too short, but I laughed so hard throughout that obstacle that it became the highlight of the race! Walk the Plank was the most refreshing cannonball mid-race, and Pyramid Scheme required the most teamwork. Balls to the Wall surprisingly scared me to my core...I have never thought that I was scared of heights but it hit me when I couldn't reach the next knots in the rope that if I slipped I would be falling a long ways down, and when I had gotten to the top i was to short to reach the ladder rungs to climb down...I actually froze in fear at the top. However, the toughest obstacles for me to complete were the Warrior Carry and the Push Ups sadly; my wimpy arms were completely exhausted. 

In the end the Tough Mudder was the most fun I have had in a race in a few years, and it was so enjoyable because I was challenging myself just to prove to myself that I could do it, not because I won something. This opened my eyes to a new way of competing that really intrigues me, so I plan on completing another Tough Mudder in the future!!! 

Rhythm and Blues!!

Part of my job is assisting in the planning and preparation for the Rhythm and Blues Half Marathon and 5K. This year it took place on February 9, 2014. As someone who has raced in numerous road races and countless cross country and track meets I suppose my standards for a good race are slightly high. I like having water at the finish line; I have had cold, wet towels placed on my neck after scorching races, so I suppose I am a spoiled racer. However, this experience gave me a look at the flip side of races.

Months to almost a year goes into planning a running event….there are all sorts of details to work out too!! T-shirts is a big one: Cotton or tech shirt? Design, color, sizes, and how many?? All parts of the puzzle to figure out. Then there is marketing, medals, organizing volunteers, packet pick-up, vendors, sponsors, bands, security, and many other facets of the race to attend to.

I had no idea how much work went into planning an event for 4000 runners. The opportunity to work with Rhythm and Blues opened my eyes to the other side of competing. I have a much greater appreciation of races and the volunteers who make it happen, and I think anyone who competes in runs should volunteer at a race to get a taste of this. Also, while running is a rewarding experience so is putting on a race. Getting to put place medals around people's necks who had just finished their first half marathon and having them proceed to give you a sweaty hug while they have a huge smile across their face made me tear up numerous times. I was so proud of their accomplishment and was honored to get to be a part of that moment. The moment so many runners have had when they accomplish a distance or PR goal; the satisfaction in those moments is such a pure form of happiness. In the weeks following the race people would come into the store and thank us for putting on the event and remember me giving them their medal or cheering for them as they started their second loop. It was really a rewarding experience when I reflect on it, and was well worth the long hours put into it. 

We already have next year's date set for the fourth annual Houston Rhythm and Blues Half Marathon and 5K on February 15, 2014! http://www.rhythmandblueshalfmarathon.com/

I can't wait to see how much it grows next year!!!

Houston Half Marathon

It is hours before the crack of dawn and I am awake getting dressed for my first half marathon. Methodically going through my pre-race routine for the first time in over a year…Layered in my new running outfit with Clif bars and water I am on my way to downtown Houston.

Rewind to the three days prior to the Houston Marathon and Half Marathon. I was working at the Finish Strong Sports “booth” at the Marathon Expo. As a newbie to the big races scene I was in awe of all the preparation the entire city put into helping thousands of us run one of the season’s highlights to Houstonians. All day Thursday was spent loading trucks, unloading trucks and creating a “booth” for the store at the convention center…I use the term booth loosely because it was more like a pop up store almost the same size as the brick and mortar location. Seeing the space they held the expo at transform from a bare concrete room to an elaborate maze of shops and pick up stations for the various races was a sight to behold. It was also exhausting…

On Friday the Expo began and it was nonstop chaos until close that evening…selling clothes, shoes, Garmin, and having a Karaoke station almost put the senses on overload. Saturday was much of the same drill except at the end of the day we had to tear down and pack it all up. So I was on my feet and for the three days leading up to the race. I also had been nursing a minor knee injury.

Sunday, January 19, 2014…We get to downtown Houston before all the streets are closed down and I make my way to my corral…The whole set up was foreign to me since I am used to just standing on a starting line in the middle of a field or on a track. I was filled with anticipation as the music got louder and the crowd grew; before I knew it we were slowly making our way to the starting line, building up to a sow jog and finally into my pace a quarter mile into the race. At mile one I had an awesome friend jump in and run the race with me.

I was feeling good up until mile 5 when my knee started to ache, but thinking it was just a cramp or something I pushed through it, but as I kept running the pain continued to increase on the outside of my knee and then up to my hip. However, I was determined to finish the race. My goal time had to be replaced with finishing under 2 hours considering the condition of my knee. I had to stop and stretch…walk for a few minutes to ease the pain, but I never quit. It was probably a stupid decision to keep running risking damaging my knees. At mile 9 it was my feet that began to feel like knives; my theory is that the past three days finally caught up with them. Only three miles to go! I don’t think I would have finished if I hadn’t had a friend with me supporting me. I crossed the line at around 1:55 and was so relieved to be done and proud that I pushed through all the pain and accomplished one of my life goals. It wasn’t my dream race but it helped me realize how hard it can be sometimes but with perseverance and support I can push through anything.

Since then I had to take a month off from running to rest my knee, but I am back to training now for my next big race in May!!! 

The First of Many Poems, Run

Running is a huge part of my life, but I also love poetry and literature. I have spent the past few months applying to Master's in creative writing programs around the country, and now I am waiting to hear back from the various colleges. So here is some of the poems I have been working on...I wrote this poem a few years ago but it is still one of my favorites!

Run

Every yesterday I ran,

it made my world better.
I ran to stay in shape;

to feel healthy from my soul to my bones.

I ran to rid myself of frustration

from power-hungry coaches

who succeed through my every step.

Today I run for new reasons

I run seeking the acceptance of uncomfortable truths

toward my first real decision.

I run to find the answer

to a choice that terrifies me.

I could stay with him forever

or run into the future alone.

I run forging my own trail;

my broken heart still pounding

as I sprint away from his concrete plans

shattering his high expectations.

Running releases me from his cage

and allows me to find freedom.

I am running.

That is my answer. 

Memory Lane: Part III

My last track season ever...I ran harder, and faster that season than I ever have before...all the pain was so worth it though!

The water pit!!

Loved this track and this meet and this race!!

Steeplechase girls

Coach Zarate and Coach Holland. I love them both!!

Brooke :)

Conference Champs 3 years in a row...not bad!

This was the most perfect way to end my track and field career; 5 events in two days...and coming out with an individual win and team win made the years of running worth it. I am going to miss training and competing so much, but the memories I have made with this group of girls will last a life time.

Cross Country 2012...The Final Season

Now cross country is my real love...the woods and mud, the hills and packs of runners pushing and panting...the combination doesn't sound appealing but the challenge is wonderful.

Team sports bras for the year

Disney World Invitational!!

The mud and rain didn't stop us from running our meets...my mom even rain her first true cross country race

 Conference was a roller coaster of emotions which I discussed in an earlier post; however, we did win!! So that is the end of running in college for me with four conference rings I declare it a success, now onto the next challenges.

Memory Lane Part II

Track 2010!!!
This is when I finally fell in love with track because I found my event!

Steeplechase!!!!!

The classic death glare...

I love my team and my coach!!!

Conference Champ 2010!!!! 

Cross Country 2010:

Runner up at Conference...

I signed the wall outside of Graceland in Memphis, TN while we were there for Regional's

 Track & Field 2011...going to defend our title!!!

We went to Disney World for Spring Break!!!

Conference Champs!!! Again!! Back to Back

Sarah Brown aka Porscha Chantel Jackson makes this picture :)

I left after this season for London for a semester which means I missed cross country season...and if you have read any of my past posts you know some of the highlights from across the pond. When I got back I only had two semesters left at Texas Lutheran since I am graduating a semester early, and I suppose I'll put up pictures of that in a Part III or something.
I don't know whether to be jumping up and down with joy or cowering in a corner afraid of what the real world is going to serve up on a platter at the moment because graduation is only 33 days away!!!

Memory Lane Part I

I started running in 7th grade competitively and I have been racing since then....now 10 years later I just finished my last collegiate race. I can safely say that running has had one of the largest impacts on my life; more than any other activity I have ever done. It has taken me all across the country, and I have taken my love for the sport everywhere I go. It is addicting, no matter how much I hate a hard workout or a bad race I always find my love for the run again. I love the competition, it doesn't make me nervous but instead motivates me because I love to win! I love the thrill of pushing my body and mind to a level I didn't think I could time and time again....I love being the underdog who comes out of no where in a race. I love running.

Now I am not going to stop running...you'd have to cut my legs off, but I now have to do it on my own...without a coach or team to push me, support me, and pull me out of bed in the morning. Now I have to do it on my own, I have to discover a new side of the sport to love. I have to find better self discipline and a motivation outside of competition. (I will race again though!!!) So I went through photos from over the years highlighting some of the best moments cross country and track have brought into my life.

The early years...

Jr. High...I remember how bad those spikes killed

First high school Watermelon Run in 2006...we all dressed up and had our first unofficial race of the season

Watermelon Run 2007, our coach went to Ole Miss so we were MSU their rivals, she didn't think it was as funny...

Where my love for muddy races began, at Bear Creek...and I will always cherish my blue spikes. 

This is the second best running picture my mom ever took...normally she just captures my elbow or turns the camera off 

and the best picture she's taken! I'm in second btw

Most attractive face?? Yes...I think so!

Dewberry Farm...a team tradition

2008 Watermelon Run...and yes I am running with a cast!!

Senior Year of HS 2009

Then comes college....
Freshman Year Cross Country:

Prayer Circle before every race

Conference 2009...I got 8th place!!! and it was muddy :)

The aftermath of a muddy celebration!!! Told you I love the mud

And onto Track season!!!
(Part II)