A little late, but better than not at all.
Sunday, March 17th was not only St. Patrick’s Day
this year, but it was also the Cary March Madness ½ marathon race. I have looked forward to this race for as
long as I can remember. My dad is the
President of the Hillstriders Running Club, the group that puts on this
race. I have been volunteering or
participating in this race for years.
When I was younger, my soccer teammates and I would be in charge of a
water stop. It was SO cool to us to pass
out water and Gatorade to runners (it also helped that my soccer coach, aka
mom, would bring us all Munchkin donut holes for breakfast). And, the best part was receiving a warm
pretzel after the race, just like all of the runners. It was truly something I looked forward to
every year.
This year was no exception.
Once I went to college, I would still come home and help out if the race
fell over my Spring Break, but it wasn’t until my senior year that I started
running the ½. My first time, I was just
doing it as a training run in preparation for the GO! St Louis marathon in
April. This year (2008) is the year Ryan
shattered his personal best ½ marathon time and ran an incredible 1:09 on this
extremely challenging course.
After seeing Ryan’s results, I decided I would be racing it
for years to come. Ryan astounded my
dad’s running club friends by winning the ½ marathon in 2008, 2009 and
2010. In 2011, he decided to run it with
me as he was racing a BIG, KEY race the following weekend. Boy am I glad he did, because he pushed me to
a 1:24, which at the time tied my best time ever! In 2012, it was super hot, so both of us made
sure to slow the pace a bit to risk any sort of injury or dehydration.
That brings us to 2013.
As silly as it may seem, being that this race is SO early in the year
and on a rather challenging course, I have made this race a KEY race for me
since 2011. The excitement from my dad’s
running club and the proudness my dad displayed when I won in 2011 really was
the highlight of any race I ran that year.
2012 was no different. I can’t
really explain what it is, but the feeling that I get knowing how impressed my
dad (my first true coach ever) gets with me when I race well at March Madness
is one of the most powerful feelings I have ever experienced.
There is no prize money at this race, this doesn’t qualify
me for Boston or the Olympic Trials…but this race does and always will hold an
incredibly special place in my heart.
Alright, onto the race itself.
Ryan and I moved into our house in Oakwood Hills (basically
Cary, IL) 5 days before our wedding in October.
Not something I’d recommend doing the week of your wedding, but also not
the point in mentioning that. We have
been training on this course for basically every run we do as our house is 1.5
miles off of the course. Realistically,
I should be able to go into that course and feel confident that I can run a
good race. And, that’s exactly what I
was. I had done SO many workouts on that
course that the hills, while still some of the most challenging in the suburbs,
didn’t seem to phase me nearly as much as they had in the past 4 years of
running this race. Sure, they were hard
and my pace slowed, but my confidence that I would get my normal stride and
pace back within seconds of clearing the hill was much higher than in years
past.
I went into this race knowing of three other strong females
competing: Tammy Lifka, Wendy Jaehn and Kristine Jennings. Two of the three were for sure using this
race as a good tune-up for Boston, so I knew I would be pushed throughout the
race, which was something I was looking forward to.
The first 3 miles, Wendy and I ran with my teammate Jonathan
Cain, who kept talking to us and making sure we were doing alright and hanging
with him. I knew from that point that I
had to stay with Jonathan if I wanted not only company, but to do well in the
overall race.
At mile 4, I saw Coach Cari and she screamed to me that
Tammy was about 20 seconds ahead. I had
been counting (and Jonathan had been informing meJ)
as well, but I know on this course, it is beneficial to start off a little
slower as the first few miles are the fastest on the course.
We actually hit our slowest splits, with the exception of
the crazy hard mile 10 hill, during the first four miles. Right after mile 5 is really where the race
begins. The hills start rolling and your
legs start feeling it if you went out to quickly. The hill just after mile 5 (“Shoetree hill”)
was fun, as Jonathan kicked my butt up the hill but made sure I tagged along. I told him once we hit the top that I might
just keep going straight and head home (kidding, but I easily could
have!). The next hill (“Sneaky Hill”)
was a new addition to the course this year and is where Tammy and I traded
places. This hill is HARD as it’s short,
but steep….and when you turn to the next street, it goes on just a tad longer
to make sure you really can’t feel your legs anymore.
At this point, you’re about halfway through the ½. Volunteers are handing out PowerGels and
cheering like crazy for runners as you’re about to go up another doozy of a
hill. The “mile 7 hill” is challenging
as it goes on for awhile and turns as well, so you keep thinking it’s going to
end, but it doesn’t. This is the hill
where I always see my former middle school P.E. teacher, so I never slow down
going up this hill!
After we made it up this hill, we came down the hill and
made a turn to lead us into mile 8. From
mile 8 to mile 9 is a nice flat stretch.
In 2011, I ran a 5:59 mile on this and was AMAZED reading this after the
race. In 2012, this is where I had to
stop and stretch my hamstring. Two very
different feelings in those years, so I was a little nervous going into this
mile. But, a 5:59 (no joke!) came out of
it this year, so I was able to relax and breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Then came the hill just before mile 10. This one just about kills you. It’s the hill you run down just before mile 3
when heading out, which of course feels great at the time. No matter how many times I run this course
(training or racing), the hill never gets any easier. Jonathan took off a little here, despite my
efforts to stay with him. I knew,
however, that I would be right back with him by mile 11 if I just kept my
composure instead of worrying about the gap.
Sure enough, I was. Even better,
Bill Jensen (running friend) was right in front of me as well and we were able
to push each other to strong finishes.
Just hearing Jonathan encouraging me, despite being a few
seconds ahead still, throughout those last two miles made me feel
incredible. Probably my favorite part
was running through the aide station at mile 12, where a bunch of high
schoolers were stationed, and hearing them cheer for me (“woohoo, first girl!”)
and seeing Jonathan’s reaction (pumping the crowd up, thanking them for
cheering for him) was hilarious to me and took my mind completely off of the
race.
The last mile was kind of a blur as I knew how close I was
to breaking 1:22, but might not be able to do it. I had looked at my watch ½ way through and
calculated breaking 1:23 might not even be doable, so I am ecstatic that I
picked up my pace on the more challenging half of the course. I could see the clock as I sprinted in (5:24
pace for the last 0.1!!) but just couldn’t go any faster.
I finished the race in a 1:22:10…..the second fastest time
ever recorded in the history of the race (well, in the searchable history
anyway).
The best part? Ryan
not only won, but also ran a 1:08:55, setting a new PR!!
The second best part?
When they announced the winners, we weren’t mistaken as brother and
sister as we have been at pretty much every race so far since getting married!
The reactions that my dad’s running club friends and our
friends and just fellow runners in general had was incredible. To be congratulated on what is such a special
and meaningful race practically had me in tears.
This race recap was long overdue, but with cumulative exams
for my students, grades being due, packing for our honeymoon, and making sure
everything is ready for the Egg Shell Shuffle before we leave….I was a little
busy. Hopefully this post touches everyone
who helped me (and Ryan) in achieving our goals and feeling great about this
race. Thank you, everyone, for your
continued support for and belief in me.
Now, off to Cabo to finally celebrate our HONEYMOON!
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