traveling runner

Race Recap: G.O.A.T.z 50k Trail Run

- Mel

Subtitled: That time I talked to my Dead Nana — or: How not to make a race playlist.

GOATz 50k omaha trail race recap blog

This post is a long time coming. I ran the GOATz 50k trail run in October 2017 (GOATz = Greater Omaha Area Trail runnerZ) and I still have a strong emotional reaction to my memories of the race. I guess if we’re going for spoiler alerts (ha, TOO LATE if you follow me on Instagram or are one of my running friends), I finished. I also completed it in an hour-and-a-half longer than I estimated. So there’s that. Since it was my first ultramarathon I wasn’t sure what to expect (suffice to say is to expect nothing and everything), but I thought I was better trained to at least finish a marathon distance before I hit the struggle bus.

GOATz 50k flat runner
Flat Mel ready for her 1st ultra!

No. No, that is not at all what happened. Completing two loops was itself a feat – AND I STILL HAD ONE MORE TO GO. So, I continued. But let’s back up…

GOATz 50k trail runs start line morning blog
Am I ready for this, really?

Lots of open sun and beautiful skies, which you will see as a common backdrop to the pictures. The morning started off chilly, which called for arm sleeves worn with my short-sleeve short. (I wore shorts and my LEGEND compression socks on the bottom and my Under Armour trail shoes). I didn’t get too warm until the 3rd loop.

Is it a bad omen for a race that not even a mile into it that WE MISSED OUR TURN. I understand shit happens on race day and we’re ultimately responsible for knowing the course, but a Volunteer standing at that intersection clapped and cheered as we passed by where she was supposed to direct us up the hill. I mistakingly followed the herd until reaching a clearing where everyone was stopped trying to figure out where we went next. We retraced our steps back to where we missed the turn. Nobody who is already running 30 miles needs to run EVEN MORE. So I was already a little irritated early on not knowing how far off course we went. (I ended up logging 31.37 miles for this 50k per my Garmin, so overall not really that far off.)

GOATz 50k trail runs almost finished race recap

Physically, I held up for the race and was mostly fatigued. But by the 3rd loop my calf was cramping (can’t remember which one now), then I was getting a Charlie horse in my arch (left side). I was feeling a lot of discomfort in my hip area and top of thighs — it wasn’t pain; it kind of felt like menstrual cramps but definitely not where my uterus is. Sooooo, cramping I guess? Needless to say, I was barely running on the 3rd loop – it was more like a death shuffle.

There were moments were I got a “second wind” (and a third, fourth, etc…. so many winds). Around mile 17, Kaci Lickteig looped me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — though it was a boost to my spirit! She’s so dang stealthy, and I was listening to my music at the time, but it’s like I could FEEL her coming up behind me. And just as quickly as I could pay myself a deprecating compliment in her honor, she cheered me on and was gone.

GOATz 50k trail runner blog race recap

I was having difficulty eating during this race and my usual fueling wasn’t working. This was something that I feared and probably something I should have practice more in hindsight. What worked for me on the marathon distance did not for this race. I couldn’t eat anything at the end of that 2nd loop — I tried pickles with salt and pickle juice at the aid stations; then I swapped to Tailwind in my hydration flask just for the calories (no stomach upset, thankfully; just couldn’t… chew). At the mid-loop aid station, around Mile 25, I finally had some jelly beans and felt little better. I dreamed about sitting down for majority of that second lap. And sit I did when I reached that aid station. For at least 5 minutes. And then I continued on. But not without considering drowning myself in swimming across Lake Cunningham. There was one aid station on the course and then the usual stock of snacks and drank at the start/end of each loop. I think it was manned by volunteers from Runner’s Church (?), if I recall correctly, and those ladies were the best at keeping the mood cheery and the food filled. Before their stop, there was a single kybo – which I had to use on my 1st loop (so random; I almost never have to use the toilets during a race). The background ambiance was set by vuvuzela noises. I liked the variety of food options since I was having trouble eating and wasn’t sure what I could eat as the race progressed.

GOATz 50k trail runs iowa run blogger finish chute

I remember being super annoyed with my hydration vest (I ran in my Orange Mud Phone.Flask.Vest) and by the 3rd loop, it was basically just flopping off of me, hanging on by my shoulders. I no longer liked the compression on my chest and the side straps were aggravating me. I would definitely run in a different vest for my next trail or ultra race.

Another mistake that I made during this race was to leave my music playlist up for chance. I shuffled ALL MUSIC and was initially pleased at the variety (singing out loud and having fun like I usually do). And then Mary J. Blige came on, and I started crying a bit. The next song? “Fix You” by Coldplay. I fucking lost it. I was a crying sobbing MESS.

I mean, seriously guys, these lyrics:

When you try your best but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse
When the tears come streaming down your face
‘Cause you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
What could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
But high up above or down below
When you are too in love to let it show
Oh but if you never try you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
oh and tears come streaming down your face
And I
Tears streaming down your face
I promise you I will learn from all my mistakes
oh and the tears streaming down your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

“If you never try you’ll never know just what you’re worth”
Inspiring, no. No no no no this is not what you should be hearing while you are attempting to do one of the hardest things in your life which is so obviously tied to your worth and identity. *sobs again*

GOATz 50k trail race magical tree forest
If I were to pick a place to die on the course, it would be here.

And then because I was sad, I started thinking about all the other things that made me sad. This routed my thoughts somehow to my grandmother who passed away a few years ago and I guess I was kind of talking to her about my race and how I was feeling and how I missed her and OMG THIS WAS SO HARD. So very, very hard. One could say that I still had some open wound that I healed during that race.

From talking to some of my ultra-running friends, these variations in mood come with the terrority – particularly when it’s your first and you are so fatigued you just don’t know what to do or feel.

My solution at the time? Get angry. Yin-yang. And then there was that time that I thought this couple out walking the course (non-runners) were there to kidnap me and I went into a really weird flight-or-fight response.

So then I started fantasizing about punching Deadpool. This might sound a little weird, but there was a volunteer actually dressed as Deadpool and I knew where he would be sitting on my last loop, so I started hashing a plan to beat him up when I passed. Totally normal. Until he wasn’t there and I was filled with the most unholy of run rage that I have ever experienced. I think it was another 3 miles (?) of running so mad that I wanted to throw gravel rocks.

THE RAGE.

GOATz 50k Lake Cunningham

All that said, Lake Cunningham is a beautiful place to run around (maybe a bit too open sun for this sort of distance though). The weather was amazing, and there were small sailboats on the water, which was neat. My favorite part was what I called the Magical Christmas Trees section of the trail – it was so pretty and peaceful! There were plenty of hills to run on this course, many of which I walked, but none so crazy as running over at Hitchcock.

And I shit you not, as I was approaching the finish line, Bob-fucking-Seger was playing. My favorite song at that: Roll Me Away. I could not believe it (and I’m pretty sure I yelled-asked someone near the finish line if it was really playing because it wouldn’t be the first time that day that I was hallucinating). Naturally, I started scream-singing as the race director placed that finishers medal around my neck.

GOATz 50k finish line lake cunningham bob seger
OMG THEY’RE PLAYING BOB SEGER!

My friends all talked me into signing up for this race because: a) the GOATz put on awesome races (figured this out early on with my Hitchcock experience) and b) this was a beginner-friendly course. The GOATz community knows how to party! And their race support and pre-race communication was top-notch. Love the GOATz. For this race, finishers get an awesome medal carved from wood, a race branded drop bag and a super cozy long-sleeved hoodie (bag and hoodie not pictured). The bag came in handy at the loop start/end point, but many racers also used the same bag so it’s important to distinguish your bag in some way from the others. I liked the convenience of being able to grab or stow something in my bag when I came in to finish a loop.

GOATz 50k trail runs bib and medal

Besides having enough energy to sing at the finish, I was pretty depleted energy-wise. I was kind of limping back to the car (thankfully, the husband was driving the hour-and-a-half trek home) — my feet and hips HURT when I was done. Also, my two big toenails had this weird yellowy bloody viscous liquid covering them as I took off my socks, but no visible cuts or active bleeding, and I never had any bruised toenails. Weird. By the time I got home, I had to crawl upstairs to the shower (where I sat on my shower bench lol). I took PTO the day following the race (thank Baby Jesus that was a good choice) and used the elevators at work when I returned a day later. Three days after the race I was back to climbing four flights to my office. I was pleased at my recovery, and I was fine by Saturday to run a 10k trail race. When I said this was my 1st ultra experience and despite some of my low points and frustration with how I performed, I’m definitely training for another (planning on Doggone Tired 50k in October, pending my Achilles recovery continues to improve).

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Finish time: 7:28:41
Overall place: 98
Gender Place: 43

GOATz 50k finisher medal ginger ale
Ginger ale was my friend this race.

Registration is already open for the GOATz Trail Runs occurring on October 21, 2018 — there are 5m, 10.5m, 21m, and 50k options for this particular race series.

Weekly Therapy: Happy Shiny New 2018!

- Mel

the week:
I’m still working on my race schedule for this year… which is a little difficult to complete, as I do not have the confirmed dates for my summer internship (for which I’ll travel to the west coast). My goal focus will be my half marathon PR, and I am still undecided if I want to train further than my 20-mile trail race scheduled for summer. I think doing the shorter distances of some local trail races throughout the year would be fun, still keep me in good training condition, and allow me to focus on my graduate studies. I am tentative on a few traveling opportunities later this year (for races) – though my husband and I have two non-running vacations on the calendar!

weekend:
The Health & Fitness Expo is happening at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines this weekend, so I plan to check it out and participate in some of the free fitness sessions (yoga mimosas early Saturday AM, hello!). Also: weekend runs begin again this Saturday for Capital Striders from Drake University!

Meanwhile, I’ll be starting some assignments — winter quarter begins on Monday. YAY!

seven things, seven days:
1. No cavities! Great way to start the year.
2. In 2015, I completed a 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. While I don’t believe I can complete in addition to all my school assignments, I set 24 (2 books per month) as my Reading Challenge goal for 2018.
3. More yoga in 2018! Keeping with that promise to myself, I went to an amazing Good Vibes yoga session at the Windsor Heights Community Center this week. Every Wednesday, yoga for everyone, donation class. Come out and hug some strangers and connect deeper with your own practice and the Des Moines yoga community.
4. Another visit to the vet for my middle cat child. Because of our adventure before Christmas, I was worried that she was obstructed (given her litter box behavior) and seems the poor kitty’s stress has inflamed her bladder. 😿
5. Want to say “no” more in 2018? The Art of Saying No (to prepare you for saying “yes”). {TED Talk}
6. What are your predictions for fitness trends in 2018? {via Outside}
7. This is an excellent piece from Runner’s World on how to incorporate “gains” into your 2018 goals. All of their suggestions (except for maybe the cold showers, because NOPE I’d rather just run outside) are realistic and easy improvements to goal-setting that I plan to incorporate into my upcoming training schedule.

2017 (Running) Year in Review

- Mel

Probably the biggest move for the blog was my inevitable exit from my 30s — and growing out of this blog a bit. I’m still trying to find my peace and place in it, but it’s likely 2018 will bring with it another rebranding and change in URL.

30something miles three marathons header blog review

That said, I covered 942 miles in 2017 — so close to 1,000! And 429 miles over my previous mileage total! I had 5 months of over 100 miles. I finished 3 marathons and my first ultra-marathon (50k); I also finished 5 half marathons. I crossed off 6 new states. In 2017 I traveled quite a bit, which is not something I plan to continue at the same frequency or voracity next year. I’m only registered for two races in 2018 so far and confirmed my deferral transfer to this year’s Night Hawk 20-miler in Kansas (in June). I don’t want to train for a marathon for the first half of the 2018, and I’ll reassess at mid-year if I want to run any road races at all after Drake. I realized that trail running is really my happy place, and I want more of that joy in my life.

January: The year started off with the Capital Striders (our Des Moines running club) Mitten Run, and kicked off marathon training for me. And then my treadmill broke on January 2 (and was inoperable for over a month). Grrrrr!

February: No races, and a LOT of outdoor winter running! And then that one time I tried to run on a cruise ship.

March: I got married! And then at the end of the month, I traveled down to Texas to do my first Ragnar race with Internet “strangers.”

April: I road-tripped to do the Illinois Half Marathon – where I PR’d my 5k – and had my second fastest half marathon time (it was a great weekend!). I ran the Hawkeye 25k (which I don’t think I’ve reviewed?). I took a DNS on the Drake Half because I was over the weather. I’m signed up for Drake in 2018 and plan to make it my half marathon goal race (despite the course); it’s where I’ll be training all winter long, so I should be used to those hills by April.

30something blog miles 2017 review running

May: Ran the inaugural Women’s Half here in Des Moines as part of my 20-mile long run. It was my last race in my 30s… and then I turned 40. And then we traveled to Burlington over Memorial Day so I could run the Vermont City Marathon — and achieved a shiny new marathon PR!

June: Deferred Night Hawk and took most of June off to recover.

July: I proved that I was TOTALLY NUTS! in the Nuthouse Challenge in Minnesota (a 10k, 5k, and half marathon over two days), and then traveled to Chicago the following weekend for the BTN Big 10k. I found a wonderful July 4th 5K in Earlham and ran with friends.

August: No races in August!

September: I had another big PR at Capital Pursuit – beating last year by 9 minutes and having a really kickass race overall (averaging 9:32 pace and ran the last two miles of the race sub 9-minute). I took another road trip to do a Labor Day double-header Half Marathon Weekend (Rockin’ Chocolate & NewBo half marathons). AND I started Grad school (hello, stress!). September was also my highest mileage month of all time – running 137.2 miles!

October: October was kind of a bummer month, as I started feeling the effects of overtraining and stress both mentally and physically, and I couldn’t keep up with the imbalance of work/school/training. HOWEVER, I finished the Chicago Marathon, and completed a 50k with the GOATz in Omaha — my first Ultra. Both races I still need to recap. I also celebrated my one-year anniversary of trail running by running To Grandmother’s House We Go 10k again (and beating my finish time from 2016).

November: I finished my final marathon of the year at Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. I also returned to my Thanksgiving tradition of running a morning Turkey Trot.

December: I took a DNS on Hitchcock Experience 50, since my training took a nosedive and I felt terrible running Route 66 and didn’t want to risk injury. While I finished Sycamore 8 trail race, I was feeling many of the aches and pains that I had at Route 66, and knew I made the right decision to stop training.

30 something blog year in review new year

For most of December, I have been doing a whole lot of NOT running, and it’s been really good for me mentally – I feel like I’m ready to start running regularly again in a couple weeks. In the meantime, I have been doing ALL OF THE CROSS-TRAINING and enjoying the change of pace.

Race Recap: NewBo Run (Cedar Rapids, IA)

- Mel 2 Comments

I couldn’t let 2017 end without getting another Iowa race recap completed. The NewBo Run half marathon was race two of my double Labor Day half challenge and my 14th half marathon overall. And, strangely, my last half marathon of the year. Geesh… has it already been 4 months since Labor Day?! As the Rockin’ Chocolate was the day before, I intended to take this one easy and enjoy the experience (best I could) while hanging out and catching up with my friend Chelsea (see her race recap here). I followed along with her run-walk method, but halfway through my legs couldn’t handle the abruptness of the stopping and walking motion, which resulted in me basically doing a slow shuffling while waiting for her to catch back up when it was time to run again. My legs were positively DONE after this race – and we still had to drive back to Des Moines afterward!

NewBo Grumpy Cat city market iowa
Feeling a little “Grumpy Cat” this race morning.

Registration + Cost: Registration was online through GetMeRegistered and only cost me $25. For a half marathon, that’s an incredible deal! (I can’t remember if it was a special discount.) You can pay extra for the shirt or opt out; I chose the latter to save the $5 and OF COURSE I wanted the shirt after I saw it. The ever-awesome Angie mailed me one (and a sticker) post-race and trust me when I say it’s my most comfortable shirt in my collection and I wear it all the time.

NewBo start line blog race recap Iowa
Bib #096 or 960?

Packet Pick-up: Having never been to Cedar Rapids before, I wasn’t quite sure of the NewBo City Market location to pick up bibs – or how far away from that location we should park. After nearly having someone back into my car in a street spot a few blocks away (free meters on weekends), we opted to drive closer to the market and park on a side street. The risk of being in a new city and parking on a street are the unknown laws – and we DEFINITELY saw cars being towed that were parked in lots around the market (we were safe on the street). So, don’t park where there are OBVIOUS signs not to.

NewBo Start Line race recap Iowa blogger
Already feeling warm…

Weather: It was WARM. Completely opposite than the prior day in Madison.

Start Line: The start area was a block away from the market (where packet pick-up was) and “following the crowd” was easy enough. The start felt very energetic!

NewBo start line
Thanks for the pic, Ang!

Course + Elevation: One of the biggest concerns on race day (outside of the heat) were active train crossings. As in, yes, you may get stopped up on the course by an actual train and have to wait. That… almost happened to us (near the end of the race) but was only an individual locomotive entering the industrial area – thankfully, not at full train speed. HA! I trained for trains!

All that out of the way, the first part of the course was on open country road with no shade and rolling hills – not the easiest thing mentally or physically when you finished a half marathon already the day before – some farm animals to pass the time, if you’re into that (but also adding another roadkill opossum to my BINGO card). I couldn’t wait to get to the Sac and Fox Trail portion of the course where it was shaded and beautiful.

NewBo Sac and Fox Trail professional photog

THUMBS UP FOR SHADE!

Aid Stations: This race does NOT supply Gatorade and I was unprepared for that – and particularly concerned with the heat not having the extra electrolytes. While I understand that it’s an expense, based on my previous race experiences, I thought maybe the race would readjust given the expected temperatures or at least have available at the finish. If I remember correctly, there was one gel station on the course.

At the first aid station, the front racers for the 10k were coming up around the loop… and basically colliding with us “back of the packers” who had to cross over from the left to the right to reach the water stations. It was confusing, and frankly, dangerous. The poor volunteer was also unable to keep up and I handed my cup over to one of the faster runners who was (unfortunately) yelling for a water. After the fact, I wondered if that was not our aid station at all and was for the back portion of the course coming in.

NewBo Finish Line picture
Ever grateful for our buddy Josh grabbing this finish line pic for us!

Finish Line + After Party: NewBo really puts an emphasis on their local businesses, and several highlights are included in the post-race party: kolaches, pretzel rolls, breakfast burritos – all from different places – and of course, beer. Finishers got a plastic cup at the finish line to fill at a Lion Bridge Brewing tent (which I can’t have; there’s water if you need it 😆) OH! THEY HAD A CIDER! Which was awesome! But they wouldn’t give me that in place of a beer, so I had to buy ANOTHER cup (for the Arts Fest happening on that same day, which I could walk around with) AND pay for the drink. The cider was delicious, FWIW. PS: There was also Sangria available, which followed the same rules as the cider/cup purchasing above.

We went back to the hotel after the race and returned to the City Market to check out the vendors (and eat a lot of things), stroll the ArtsFest, and then had lunch (and some kind of neat Grapefruit-looking cider) at a local pub.

Random BS: I know we were “slow” finishers but C’MON, save some kolaches for ALL the runners! And if you were a spectator and ate a kolache, I am internet shaming you. I personally cannot eat one, but I will speak out for my fellow hangry runner. I was so excited about the finish line Czech baked good that I was raving about them to my friend. And she didn’t get one. I took her later to Sykora’s in the Czech Village to make sure she didn’t leave Cedar Rapids without one.

NewBo group after party pic
Chelsea is our honorary Iowan – running NewBo as part of her 50 State Quest.

Swag + Medals: One of the big draws for me was this finisher’s medal — despite it nearly chipping my tooth putting it over my head. 😆 (I need to work on my moves a bit.) It’s a piece of pottery on a string essentially and I positively LOVE that it incorporates the shape of Iowa into its design. Age group winners get a special piece of hand-crafted ceramic pottery. It’s that extra special touch that I love about small races!

NewBo medal bib race recap Iowa

BONUS: On NewBo’s race results page, when you click your name, it’s hyperlinked to a video of your finish. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

OVERALL
The Great: The medal is a must-have, unique item!
The Good: Since I display my bibs, I was happy to have a race-specific one – despite this being a small race.
The Bad: This race needs more kolaches. I never imagined the day that I would have to write that. It’s like Czech osud and I’m sure my ancestors would be very proud of my fight for baked goods.
The Ugly: No gatorade on the course – plan ahead!

TL;DR: You should add this Iowa race to your summer schedule. I would definitely go back and run again.

NewBo professional photog 1
BONUS BONUS: Free race pics! Also, very opposite of Grumpy Cat.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2:41:13
53rd in 40-49 Age Group
499 overall

Race Recap: Rockin’ Chocolate Half Marathon (Madison, WI)

- Mel

Driving (the LONG way) out to run the inaugural Rockin’ Chocolate Half Marathon race was my first time in Wisconsin. I’ve crossed so many new states off my list since moving to Iowa! This was first of a double-header half weekend over Labor Day with my friend Chelsea (Pittsburgh City Girl) – who is on a 50-states quest. My intent was to have fun and spend time catching up and running with her.

Rockin Chocolate Start Line w Chelsea

For this recap, I’m going to start with the experience. Overall, we were a little disappointed as there was neither a whole lot of chocolate or a whole lot of rocking (I did enjoy greatly the guitar solo national anthem, however). Like, I get what the race was trying to accomplish – the idea of commingling the popular rock n’ roll and hot chocolate events – but I do not believe it was successfully executed. Our expectations were that there would be music and chocolate along the course (there was not) and a sinful amount of chocolate at the finish (there was not). I did respond to the post-race survey, so hopefully they take some of that feedback into account for future races (the 2018 date has already been announced). That said, they also messed up sending the surveys, so those of us who received survey links in email got error messages that we had already taken it. They did not resend the email, yet posted a corrected link on Facebook, which… not the same thing.

rockin chocolate start line photo blog recap

Cost and Registration: A Cyber Monday deal last year prompted us to register for this race – it was only $25! An excellent deal for a half marathon. HOWEVER, registration for the 2018 race right now is already $60, and goes up to $65 after January 1st. The race did sell out this year, so something to consider in planning your sign-up.

Expo and Packet Pick-up: The only reason why I took a half day’s PTO to drive to Madison on Friday was because of the promise of chocolate-filled goodie bags with early bib pick-up. Well, it was a package of toffee, which is quite possibly the WORST (and far as I’m concerned, NOT chocolate). And well, that set the tone for the race. The expo was super tiny, held in a community room at the Monona city building, and took all of 5 minutes to grab everything I needed.

Rockin Choco Half Mel YAY

Parking: Our hotel was about 20 minutes from the start. Despite getting to the race early, parking was already a little challenging, as we were not sure which streets were OK to park on – or on which side – and we were a couple miles out and seeing a lot of people walking in. People looked to be parking in bike lines, of which I am NOT AT ALL a proponent. There was parking information and maps provided by the race organizers via email, but street signs were confusing and/or conflicting and side street parking filled up quickly. Despite that, we parked on a main road about 3/4 mi. (or so) from the start line.

Start Line: I found another Pittsburgh friend wearing the SAME Pittsburgh Marathon shirt (who no longer lives in Pittsburgh either lol)! We were fast friends, of course, and reminisced on the city we missed.

rockin chocolate madison matching shirts pittsburgh

I brought my own coffee.

A solo guitarist started us off with the national anthem, which was an awesome way to begin the race. Rock on! Also a bonus: the race started on time (you never know what to expect with a new or small race).

Weather: Race day was the first cool morning of a season of never-ending humidity. OMG, the weather was beautiful! I eventually had to shed my long-sleeve shirt when we left the shaded neighborhoods, but it still was a really lovely, sunny day.

Rockin Choco Mel Course Wave

Course: The course had a beautiful backdrop in downtown Madison and Lake Monona. We left the start area on the paved trails and ran throughout the surrounding Lake Monona neighborhoods near the shore, looped around the lake into downtown and back into Monona. The neighborhoods were GORGEOUS – and all the buildings and houses (even the park bathrooms!) felt Frank Lloyd Wright inspired. Outside of the Niagara Falls Marathon, this might have been my favorite course scenery.

I mean, even the Little Library drops were adorable!

rockin chocolate race monona little library

I should also note that despite the music-forward implication, there was only one solo musician set up on the course. This was disappointing, particularly as there was zero crowd support on the course. Know that this will be a lonely race if you are doing it alone. The course elevation is not that challenging; there were a few climbs early in the race, but mostly just a bunch of rolling little bumps.

Finish Line: The finish line welcomed us with chocolate milk (yay!) and some kind of chocolate-covered strawberry local beer (I couldn’t have it, obvs) – which you needed your ticket to redeem (not attached to the bib as it is in other races). A tent was set up where the beer was served, with a live band playing, and there were a couple food trucks set up near the park. I believe there were also massage therapists on-site.

Rockin Choco Mel Finish Line

There were also a bunch of vendors SELLING sweets and goodies (yes, some were providing samples). Again, not much in the way of chocolate; which was not only irritating for its lack of playing to the theme of the race, but also for its money-grab on the participants. I’m more than happy to support local establishments (and I did); however, if you are going to call yourself a chocolate race THEN YOU BETTER HAVE CHOCOLATE.

rockin chocolate finisher medal half marathon

The only chocolate on the course was chocolate milk (and chocolate animal crackers) at the finish line.

Swag and Medals: I love the race-branded t-shirt that came with registration (super soft!), even though it was unisex sizing; and the medal – while “rockin” in theme – was a little small and cheap compared to what the race appeared to be advertising through its social channels. This is the 3rd guitar-shaped medal in my collection, which is cool. I don’t really run for the medals anymore (though I do love to display them), so it’s not the biggest deal for me – but it might be for others.

After Party: Since this was a double-header weekend, we needed to get back to the hotel and check out – and also find somewhere to find some cheese (like you do in Wisconsin, right?). Which is randomly how we found the gluten-free awesomeness of Alt Brew. Not only did they have AMAZING beers (holy moly, the Kolsch was incredible!!! Yes, I brought some home with me), they had an awesome local cheese board. It was the first in a LONG time that I was able to have a flight of beers somewhere.

madison wisconsin gluten free beer

YAY, Madison! The great (gluten-free) beer redeemer!

OVERALL
The Great: I loved the course – total visual overload looking at all the mid-century modern homes and views of the lake. *swoon*
The Good: The race photographer took a BUNCH of great shots on the course, and I was excited to get a Black Friday discount code to download all my pictures.
The Bad: A race capitalizing on the popularity of two other races… and not executing it well at all.
The Ugly: Gross, toffee. Not worth 4 hours of PTO. Also, misspelling “marthon” in its emails. LORDY.

Rockin Chocolate Half Finish Line w Chelsea
Finished! (Definitely not 6-minute miles as the sign suggests. 😆)

Race Recap: Route 66 Marathon (Tulsa, OK)

- Mel

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Route 66 Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

“The marathon can humble you.” — Bill Rodgers

Start Line Route 66 marathon bibrave

Well, I’ve had enough humbling. And disappointment. This fall season has not been good to me. Following up on an incredibly disappointing performance at Chicago, I experienced my worst marathon time yet at Route 66. It’s more about the time goal; this was the first time I was feeling actual pain (and not your everyday terrible marathon-running discomfort) — where I could feel all my muscles just lock up and not move anymore. Knee buckling, stop-me-in-my-tracks, make-me-nauseous, searching-for-the-medical-tent pain. If this experience was a gauge of ever running a marathon again, I would say “absolutely not.” (I know that’s not true, but I WILL probably be taking a year or longer off of the distance). But without going into too many personally negative emotional tangents, I want to recap just what an awesome job the Route 66 Marathon race directors did down there in Tulsa.

Cost and Registration: As previously mentioned, I was an ambassador for the race with BibRave, and my registration was paid in full (including the VIP Mother Road package). Early registration when I signed up in April was $95; prices increased incrementally up to race week for the full marathon up to $120 (there are no race day/weekend registrations). I don’t believe there was an extra cost for the Center of the Universe detour, as it seems anyone could have taken the “detour” as you passed. There’s a weekend full of events for runners and spectators: a 5K, half marathon, marathon – even a Mascot Dash!

Route 66 packet pickup #rt66run

Race Communication: Route 66 Marathon had its own app, which honestly wasn’t the best from a user experience, but had full schedule of events for the expo and race notification updates, which I found helpful. I received several emails leading up to race day, including 3-4 the weekend of the race that were specific to start line, corrals, and other important race day information.

Expo and Packet Pick-up: I had an upgrade to the VIP Mother Load package, which gave me the benefit of “skipping the line” (or, a separate VIP pickup) for bibs. There wasn’t any line when I attended the expo, though it was a nice perk. The volunteer who handed me my packet told me that my wrist band was in my bag for the pre- and post-race VIP… and when I opened everything up that night, there was no VIP band. Unfortunately, I was unable to go back to the expo the next day, as I was in a professional development seminar the entirety of the expo open hours on Saturday. Had I paid for the upgrade, I definitely would have been more pissed and sought out remedy the situation. I love the race poster that I received and plan to frame it for my home gym.

Route 66 marathon expo

That said, this expo was one of my favorites – a great mix of vendors (a lot of them new to me including PICKLE JUICE!!!); several race booths showing off their respective bling; and some interesting panels, including the race’s bloggers and social teams, and the ever-awesome Bart Yasso.

Start Line: Great organization, easy to figure out where I needed to go, AND CONFETTI CANNONS when each wave started. It felt really special.

Weather: The weather was positively beautiful! I wore shorts and a long-sleeve shirt through majority of the marathon.

Course and Elevation: **CURSES HILLS**

Route 66 elevation map HILLS

FML.

The course was exciting as it involved a lot of the surrounding neighborhoods, but the last stretch of the course was through a warehouse district and mostly-abandoned section of downtown, and… well, that is where some crowd support is sorely needed and missing.

Aid Stations: It was hard at times to distinguish which was an official aid station and which was a neighborhood-supported stop, there was so much support on this course (save for the last 4-6 miles). But about every 2 miles, there was the race volunteered-manned water and Gatorade tables – they alternated flavors throughout the race, which was fine by me, but I could see how others who are particular about flavor would dislike this (I still hate Grape very much). There was also a gel stops at least once along the course; I feel like there may have been two, but regardless, I was happy for strawberry-banana.

route 66 marathon mimosa stop
On Sundays, we drink mimosas!

Fans and Experience: They weren’t lying when they call this race a marathon-sized party – the community REALLY comes out to celebrate. And there was beer. A LOT OF IT. And mimosas. And Jell-O shots. And Fireball. (And some partial nudity lol). I only wish that the course was flip-flopped, so that the runners could experience more of that “party” atmosphere at a later point in the race when the support is really needed (and, for me, personally, when the race was no longer going well for me). The crowd support definitely thinned out for the last 10k of the race.

Finish Line and After Party: Bart Yasso was calling out finisher names! We had a moment. haha

Bart Yasso Finish Line Route 66 marathon

There was a shit-ton of pizza and beer (neither that I could have) and really nothing else (I don’t even remember seeing a banana), no Muscle Milk either (only water and more Gatorade, no). VIP Mother Load after-party – since there was no wrist band in my bag, I did not look for it. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling much of celebrating after the race, and barely had enough time to shower, pack up, and check out of the hotel by 3pm. Thankful for the late check-out though (Thanks, Hilton Double Tree!)

BTW: The Hilton Double Tree hotel is in a PERFECT location for the expo (connected to the hotel by a skywalk) and the start line; however, it was about a mile-and-a-half walk from the finish line, which OOOOOOOOOF. To be wholly fair to the race, there were hotel shuttles; however, I did not plan that out ahead of time.

Detour: I originally signed up to run the Center of the Universe detour, but I barely had 26.2 miles to give, let alone an extra quarter mile. But I saw some of the pictures of the event afterwards, and is was Christmas themed and I am bummed that I wasn’t having a better time.

Route 66 marathon finishers jacket

Swag and Medals: THE BEST FINISHER JACKET EVER. It has zippered pockets. It’s cozy. I love the design and colors. Full swoon. The Goddess of Speed medal is also one the best that I have received (it spins!) and has a flat base, so it can sit on a shelf as a trophy, too. Route 66 took the awesome design and took it one step further by personalizing the metal finish of the medal for first-time marathoners, and special medal ribbons for Marathon Maniacs.

Route 66 Marathon Finisher Medal

OVERALL
The Great: Really excellent race organization, communication, and volunteers. And I crossed off my 4th marathon state!
The Good: If drinking and running is your thing, BOY do I have the race for you!
The Bad: Hills. As trained as I was on our local trails, that barely prepared me for this course.
The Ugly: Pain. Injury. Self-doubt. Disappointment. Ugly crying. Yelling at your husband when it’s not his fault.

Ugh, looking at my splits just makes me more sad – I was basically on pace to have the race of my life:
1:00:44 (basically, my 10k PR time)
2:09:49 (a new half PR time for me)
At 20 miles, I was at 3:35:24
Hindsight, I can yell at myself to “SLOW DOWN!” but everything felt good for that first part of the race – and it felt EASY. I didn’t look at my watch until my left leg started to go numb around mile 12.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
5:02:37
Overall place: 818
Division place (F40-44): 53

Let’s Talk About Marathon Training!

- Mel 1 Comment

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Route 66 Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

Route 66 marathon kicks

Holy moly, I’m only 22 DAYS until the Chicago Marathon. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!

On the way to my ultra in December, I have a couple marathons (and a 50k) on my training schedule: Chicago Marathon and Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. Chicago will be my first major marathon — and my first “big city” race since the Pittsburgh Half in 2015. To be honest, I’m a little nervous about how crowded the race is going to be and all the security checkpoints. And the idea of standing in a race corral for up to two hours positively enrages me.

It’s just a training run.
I don’t have any goals for Chicago aside from finishing in one piece (and without hip-checking someone). Though I’m going to have so many BibRave pals there — it’ll be quite the reunion — I do not at all feel as prepared to run this as I did Vermont City Marathon. It’s all just miles on my legs. 26.2 very slow, long miles. It’s hard not to be so serious about this race, as there are so many logistical nightmares and pre-planning annoyances that are already stressing me out. And while I could only hope for cool temps in October, the brisk Fall weather is gone… and we’re back to 90-degree days and hairdryer wind and super humidity.

Which gets me more all the more excited about racing in cooler temps come November for Route 66 (possible, maybe?).

More fun than an amusement park.
For Route 66, my motivation is FUN (because running an additional .3 miles after a marathon is one definition of fun, right?). This race will be my last big week of mileage before I start to taper for my 50-miler (which is still absolutely insane to think about a few months out). I have friends also making the road trip down to Oklahoma from Des Moines — it will be my first visit to Tulsa, and I get to cross off another race state — so that adds to the adventure of the weekend. It seems there’s a VERY party-atmosphere vibe down in Tulsa for this race weekend (uh, hello Jell-O shot aid station!), and I’m excited to be able to participate in the fun on behalf of BibRave.

By the way, have you seen the medal reveal? I cannot WAIT to put the Goddess of Speed on my marathon shelf.

Route 66 Marathon Finisher Medal

Still looking for a Fall marathon? Register for the Route 66 Marathon and get $10 off your race entry with discount code 2017R66BR.

Ultra Training Week #5: Wet Hot American Summer

- Mel

I’m training for the Hitchcock Experience 50-mile race in December. On the way, I’ll be running the Chicago, Marathon, GOATz 50k, and Route 66 Marathon.

I can’t believe that in a couple weeks I’ll already be running my 20-mile long runs. It… seems soon. But then again, the Chicago Marathon (only a training run!) is only 6 weeks away. And I cleared nearly 40 miles this week. My 3rd run of the week on Thursdays always feels like a struggle — running three days in a row (plus a strength workout) will probably do that to you — but I’m otherwise feeling great. Hungry, but great.

ultra training honey stinger waffles gluten free
My new favorite fuel!

The last couple weeks I was only able to fit in 4 runs/week; this week I was back to 5 runs. I’ve mostly worked this upper respiratory thing out of my system, and a stray cough only gets me every now-and-then. My consistency is good; I’m getting out on the trails a couple of times per week. I wish I could find a restorative yoga studio or class in Des Moines to help out with the stiffness in my back and shoulders, but seems everyone does cardio/hot yoga here. I’m not doing enough foam rolling or stretching — but my monthly massages, I never miss a session. ?

ultra training week 5 iowa running

I’m still splitting my time between road and trails (and sometimes treadmill). Soon here, I’ll be swapping and doing the bulk of my mileage (and long runs) on the trails. Speaking of: I got to run the trails out at Ledges State Park this past weekend and HOLY WOW was it gorgeous out there. As a group, we finished our last three miles through the creek. SO MUCH FUN. And so much wet.

ultra training trail running ledges park iowa

WHAT’S FUN?
Potential poison ivy rash… that’s fun, right? Or is it trying to remember everything you wore/touched/used on the day that it (possibly?) touched you?

SOMETHING-SOMETHING:
The 3 things that separate failure from success in ultratraining.

Also, Des Moines Parks & Recreation and Fleet Feet start their trail run series with the Capital Striders (and CS Turkeys) tonight. The series is every Wednesday through October 4 — come out and have some fun learning about the trails right here in the city!

AUGUST MILEAGE UPDATE: 101.8 miles
WEEKLY MILEAGE: 39.6 miles
MILEAGE FOR THE YEAR: 642.21 miles
UP NEXT: On the road again this weekend for back-to-back half marathons — Rockin’ Chocolate Half Marathon in Madison, WI and the NewBo Run Half in Cedar Rapids.

Weekly Therapy: 8.11.17

- Mel

the week:
This week I celebrated NINE YEARS since I quit smoking. Pretty proud of that milestone!

Ready to quit? Check out the Quitter’s Circle for resources on quitting AND staying smoke-free — and find the community support you need to quit for good.

weekend:
Off to Riverside, Iowa to see one of my favorite bands, Better Than Ezra, at the Casino. They’re touring with The Wallflowers, who I haven’t seen live since, like, 1997.

Also, it’s THE IOWA STATE FAIR time! Tater tot-nachos, I’ coming for ya.

seven things, seven days:
1. My tomato plants are finally producing some fruit – and I got to pick my first tomato!
2. Have you heard about The BibRave 100? Check it out, and nominate your favorite races.
3. Can anyone run an ultramarathon? Short answer: YES! Even Dr. Stanley Beecham agrees. {via Paste}
4. I participated in a wonderful webinar about energy management, which included some exercises for core values clarification and identifying energy resources. These topics are so interesting to me — as they were in my undergrad — and fueled my desire once again to look into applied psychology graduate programs.
5. SEE?! Why you should manage your energy and not your time {via BBC}
6. This was also long-sitting in my inbox: Define Your Core to Design Your Life {via Day Designer}
7. Running with a therapist: I LOVE IT! {via LA Times}

Race Recap: The BTN Big 10K in Chicago

- Mel 1 Comment

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the BTN Big 10K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Big10k Chicago BibRave review

Most of you know that I’m originally from the Buckeye State. I did not attend THE Ohio State University (I received my undergrad from another Columbus-based college), though I had many friends who did attend. Because of that, I visited OSU frequently in my early 20s and went to games (when I could get tickets) and tailgated nearly every home game. I became something of an OSU alum by proxy. The BTN Big10k event was ALL about school spirit… and many “Go Bucks!” and “O-H!” chants were shared. I was with my people.

The BTN Big10K race overall was an awesome time, and I enjoyed expressing my OSU Love and hanging with my fellow Pros. I didn’t have the best race — once again the sub-hour 10k alluded me. The humidity once again didn’t give me a dang chance and sapped up all my energy, so I had to walk quite a bit to get my heart rate down. Ah, well. Another race down.

Big10k Chicago BibRave review
Flat Mel ready to run with the Buckeyes!

Registration + Cost: My race entry was provided by BibRave. The 10K price starts at $50 for early bird registration, and has incremental price increases up to race day registration for $60 (if spots are available). The MC said that some 10,000 people were registered — approx 6,000 of those finished the 10k (there was also a 5k option, which I don’t cover in my review).

Big10k race shirt OSU
Expo + Packet Pick-up: One of my favorite features of Ram Racing events is the option to have your packet and bib mailed to you before race day. I will happily fork over extra dollars for this benefit (which was not included in my race comp).

Weather: UGH. Over it. But sincerely, I want to know why I cannot perform in the heat AT ALL.

Big10k start line chicago

Start Line + Parking: Chicago parking is insane, so I was happy for a hotel within walking distance of the start and finish lines — with valet parking… which I found out a day later cost me $70 for one night. OOOF. Anyways. The corrals opened way late, but the mascots were out mingling before the race.

Big10k race Brutus Ohio State run

Course + Elevation: This was my first time running in Chicago. The city is pretty flat; though in the heat, the inclines felt like I was climbing Everest. It was lovely to be on the lake again (no thanks for the added humidity) and seeing the tall buildings looming around us was pretty neat. I absolutely hated running in the underground tunnel spaces. That said, I cannot wait to run the marathon here in October!

Aid Stations: Not enough! If you send out warnings on social media about the heat and the addition of fluid stations, then you need to have more aid stations. I didn’t think there was enough, particularly for a larger race that seems to draw a LOT of participants who aren’t regular racers (there were more water stops in the small race that I did the previous weekend).

Personal preference I guess, but I’d rather have an extra water stop in the first two miles than having one within the last mile of a race. Also, despite fervently hating nuun, I used it during this race. At the first aid station — which wasn’t until 2 miles into the course — the volunteer told us that it was the only electrolyte stop on the course (it wasn’t… but wtf?!).

Big10k Ohio State blog race review

Finish Line + After Party: Special Olympics kids high-fiving at the finish line OMGGGGGG. ???

The usual bottled water (but also cupped water and nuun) and bananas were available in the finish line chute, but also ice cold towels (my line ran out, so thankfully there were more on the opposite side). The chute opens up to basically a block-long tailgate party in the street — each school had its own booth and tent, and there was food and drinks and live music. It was a lot of fun.

Big10k finish line selfie

I was SUPER pumped about eating some sausage at the finish line, especially because Sausages by Amylu are gluten-free. But the runners food box came with sausage wrapped in a bun — and there were no NON-bun options. The “hot dog” came alongside a bag of pretzels and wafer cookies (neither of those I could eat). Thankfully, Sausages by Amylu had its own tent with ALL THE SAMPLES of its product. Beer was provided by Revolution Brewing, which I gave to my husband because there were no non-beer alcoholic options (man, can a girl get a cider???).

After hanging for a bit eating sausage and taking selfies and posing with All Things School Spirit, it was time to pack up and grab my special order from Do-Rite Donuts (not affiliated with the race, but some of the best gluten-free doughnuts I’ve had ever) and drive the roads back to Des Moines.

Big10k sausage finish line food
SAUSAGE!

Fans + Entertainment: The Finish Line Tailgate party was legit awesome. Though I guess that I was expecting a little bit more in terms of course entertainment. Maybe a marching band or something? Cheerleaders throughout the course rather than all smooshed in at the start line?

I did go through the first water slide, though maybe THREE people before me stopped over to do the same (one person in front of me did the second slide). More than anything, I just wanted to cool down my body temperature. But I’m glad that I participated in some silliness. There should have been a photographer there!

Lame: My Big 10 school had no swag at its booth. I thought that at the very least I would get a pair of Buckeyes sunglasses or a pom-pom or sticker or something (like the other schools’ booths). I don’t know if there were that many Ohio State fans running and they ran out of stuff… but by the time I arrived, they were only selling a t-shirt. SUPER LAME!

Big10k race Ohio State alumni

Swag + Medals: Keeping with the Team Spirit theme of the race, participants get to select a technical jersey in their school colors during registration. Likewise, at the end of the race, you visit your school’s booth to get a coin that fastens to the front of the medal by magnet. It was a lot of fun to cheer with (and snarl at) all the different schools. Because of my partnership with BibRave for this race, I sadly couldn’t wear my OSU shirt; I added in a few scarlet and gray pieces and school-branded temporary tattoos.

Awesome: Within hours of the race finish, I had an email with my race results and photos. Like this one…

Big10k free race pics
????

Hey, it was free!

BONUS: Picture with the championship trophy – HOLLA!

Big10k race championship trophy

OVERALL
The Great: I loved being able to personalize my race shirt and hang with other Buckeye fans.
The Good: SAUSAGE! This after party was legit the best.
The Bad: Not enough hydration stations.
The Ugly: Why do I keep signing up for races in the summer??????? [enter weather expletive here]

OFFICIAL RESULTS:
1:08:28
3,547th out of 5,945
66th in 40-44 age group

Big10k BibRave Pros race
Orange is the new fast!