Philadelphia Marathon 2022: Sweet Revenge

Well folks, it can happen.  The 2022 season is finally a wrap.  I have lots to say (really, is anyone shocked?) but before we delve into the whole "What did Rae learn in 2022 and what dumbass mistakes will she continue to make in 2023" post - we need to write the last race report for 2022 - otherwise known as - for so many reasons - the season I never wanted to end.

It's over.  And even though, six days later, I'm still under the weather (due to the weather!) and I can't

run even if I wanted to....it ended in the best possible way.  I won't even hedge on a spoiler alert, because all of you reading know exactly what happened in Philly - you just want a good story!  Well, here it is, folks, - the 2nd attempt at a BQ  -  in Philly - and the tale of one freaking wild, epic day. Let's just say...I definitely got my sweet revenge on that first attempt in 2019!

So, the last few posts have pretty much summed up the build to this race - it was, quite honestly, similar to my 2021 half marathon training where I was a nervous wreck because EVERYTHING went well.  I nailed all my paces, loved the process, and was, on paper, ready to rock this race!  I needed a 3:39 to qualify (yay for turning 40 this year!), figured I could hit a 3:35 based off my training (again, sweet revenge from my 2019 goal), and My A goal was a 3:30 - depending on the course distance (rarely do you actually run 26.2 due to tangents, etc).  My overall goal was really to hit that 8:00/mile, though I told a few people that seeing a 7 as the first number for my pace for a freakin marathon would just absolutely blow my little mind.  I was pretty vocal about my goals, which served to scare the shit out of me even more - there was no hiding behind what I considered to be scary as shit goals. 

The taper was just as expected - early week, I had a few...okay, many... freak outs (what, you couldn't tell by the tone of my last post?) but once Friday rolled around, I was in the zone and ready to go.  The biggest worry was now the race day forecast - which was 25 degrees with 20-25 mph winds.  I had trained for the race in weather that went from 45-70, and had settled in on my pre race outfit weeks ago on my last long run - my under armour shorts, endorphin speeds, and my custom Raise tank and sports bra (stay tuned for this - I'm getting ready to officially launch the site soon!).  I had throwaway arm warmers and gloves in case it was cold - but when I thought cold, I thought 40.  I went back and forth quite a bit about this wrinkle, mostly worried about my hands and feet, as I don't run in socks (no.  ever.  and I do not get blisters.)  The day before I decided to go with what I knew, and just double up on gloves and add a base layer long sleeved shirt.  Done.  Let it be what it was.

Saturday was so much fun - with the help of some amazing neighbors and friends (THANK YOU!!), Greg was able to sherpa me and it was so needed. He hasn't been to a big race in years because of kids, and he was so damned amazing.  We road tripped to Philly with bad 90s music and about 4 bathroom stops in the 5 hour drive (yay for being hydrated - NO, I am not pregnant).  We played around with the expo, randomly ran into two of my friends from the ROC in a city of millions, and were all settled in by 4:30 at the hotel.  I made the final prep for race morning, put my feet up, and ate my standard 6th grader meal pre race of pasta and veggies (I own it.  I am not the party animal pre race, and the nerves are real.)  Lights were out by 8pm, which was for shit, because I think I got about a half hour of sleep.  No biggie - this is normal.  Race morning dawned at 3:30 - and I got up feeling strangely calm.  This would follow the whole morning - all nerves were left in Rochester. The work was done and all that was left to do was RACE!

Pre Race

Several of my friends had run this race and I was told two things - get there early to get through security and it was not flat.  Noted.  (These were both spot on). I dressed and layered, stuffed my bra stored my gels, danced around like an idiot to Ginuwine

(this is accurate, I always do this - things you now know).  I choked down a dry bagel (forgot the butter, damn) and applesauce, and was out the door in my three layers of throwaway clothes by 5:15.  

I grabbed the nearest shuttle and immediately made friends with two women from Jersey who became my new besties - Shannon and Jen.  We took selfies, laughed about training with kids, bad ideas, and within the half hour, were inseparable.  Security was a snap to get though, and by 5:45 we were in the warming tent and had almost an hour to kill.  Sweet.  We met two more guys from Jersey (apparently, the whole state decided to run this race) - I don't remember their names, but one had just done Ironman Chattanooga and told us this immediately, while his buddy rolled his eyes and said "You couldn't wait to get that in, could you??". 

 I busted out laughing and whispered to the Jersey Girls - watch this - then started swapping Ironman times, race qualifiers, and M-dot tattoos with the dude.  He looked at me a little overwhelmed and I nudged his buddy and commented - "Damn, I am such a triathlete douchebag, aren't I??"  And with the ice broken, we all busted out laughing and spent the next half hour swapping stories about racing and life.  At 6:15 I realized I better stop partying and actually - ya know - pretend to race.  I dropped my post race bag off, got in line to pee, and by 6:30 hit a quick half mile warm up and was in line in my corral, stripping down to my race outfit.

AND HOLY SHIT WAS IT COLD.  My wave was set to go off at 7:10 and I was a chattering mess.  I already could not feel my fingers and my legs were blocks of ice.  Someone's mylar blanket blew into the backs of my legs and I grabbed it for warmth thinking - this is just not good.  But it is what it is.  I still had the overall feeling of calm that had been present since the day before.  I was here to do a thing.  It was time to DO THE THING.  And before I knew it, the first two waves had gone off, our corrals gun sounded and it was time TO GO!!

Miles 1-7:  (7:35/mi)

The first few miles passed in a blur, to be honest. I'd been told that my GPS would be off, due to the big city, and to look for the mile markers and turn off auto lap.  I'm not great with manual lap, so I decided against that, but ran off of a 5-6 effort and was a little surprised when my first mile clocked in at 7:40.  (Oddly enough, only a .1 mile off, which would be the case until mile 25.  Sweet). I saw Greg shortly after mile 1 and flipped a thumbs up.  I decided to piss off everyone tracking me go with the flow and run off effort solely - we had a tailwind and even though miles 2 and 3 were faster than they should have been, at 7:16 and 7:19, I was feeling great and literally felt like I wasn't working at all.  Miles 4-7 followed the same pattern, and I hit the first (quarterish) at a 7:35 pace.  The crowd support to this point was spot on and I was all smiles (okay, fine, I was for 90% of this race!).  I hit my first gel at mile 5, right on pace, and turned to start the first of the hills feeling on fire.

Miles 8-15 (7:59/mi)

I fully expected to slow down here, due to the turn away from the headwind and the start of the rollers.  Miles 8 and 10 were the two hills on this segment, and while they weren't terrible, they were definitely noticeable and my pace slowed to match effort.  At mile 9.5, running up the second hill, I dropped my gel and my mp3 player got completely tangled in my bra.  I realized quickly that wearing double gloves might have been a good idea to keep my hands warm, but I couldn't maneuver worth shit.  I took a quick walk break, righted my tangles, grabbed another gel from my bra (so classy) and picked it back up!  I saw Greg at mile 12.5 and flashed him a thumbs up - stopped for a quick water break at the hill at mile 13, and hit the half

marathon in 1:42.  I knew I was still a little fast, but at this point, I decided to just listen to my damned body and tailor the effort as needed.

 At this point, we ran under a bridge and encountered....of course...a train!  It seemed my luck had turned with the trains of 2022, though, as this one was thankfully above us, and I briefly shut my eyes and made a wish that the second half of this race would be just as epic. I smiled again - even though I was almost two hours in, this was just so much fun and I was having the best day.  We turned into the wind at mile 14, and it got wild at this point - we had a cross wind for about a mile where the leaves were whipping across the road with a fervor - we made a brief turn into the wind and were totally blown backwards.  Woah.  Mile 15 was rather uneventful, I downed my third gel, but unfortunately hit a snafu at the water stop where the girl in front of me dropped her cup, soaking my left hand and foot.  Shit.  This was not good.  I debated the merits of wet gloves versus no gloves, and decided to keep the gloves on. I was a cold, wet mess at this point and got a little bit nervous. Then I reminded myself of the Norseman wisdom that had been passed on to me.....one day I would be warm.  Today was not that day.  Today was the day to block the pain and GO DO GREAT THINGS.  

At that moment, as if by magic, the song "Sweet Revenge" by Kat Leon came on - the song that since seeing the Norseman video clip of the 2022 race has become my mainstay during training - to remind me that I can do hard things, even when it seems tough - to make it hurt. And to kick a little ass while doing it. The athletes that race this race are amazing, and I'm privileged enough to know one of them who has been a big source of inspiration for me this year. I conjured my image of making it hurt - and of my game face - reminding myself - I COULD DO THIS. I got shivers that had nothing to do with the weather, and took a deep breath with eleven miles to go. 

Miles 16-20 (8:15/mile)

And I would need that magic, that resilience.  As we turned right shortly before mile 16, the cross wind became a fierce headwind.  Greg was cheering me on here and I was still in a good mood, flashing him the thumbs up sign! We were cold and wet, but it was still just a magical day to be out there.  I wanted it so badly. I hit mile 16 just shy of 2:05 on my watch and 2:06 on the marker (I was about a tenth off still, and did my marathon math off that). As it went, I had about a two minute buffer to hit my A goal of 3:30, but I knew this was going to be the hardest part of the course, as we had two more decent hills at miles 18 and 19, and the headwind was so fierce that when it gusted (reported to 35 mph) we were almost going backwards.  I admittedly hit a low here - at about mile 18, I took a walk break, refueled (slightly ahead of schedule - as I planned on gels at 5, 10, 15 and 20, but I was grumpy and hoped some sugar would help - its worth noting this was the first water stop I saw ANY gels so I was glad to grab a spare but also glad I had my own!). My left hand was a mess, honestly - I kept curling it in under my jersey for warmth.  I saw Runner Dave AKA Dumpster fire at mile 19, he was about ten minutes ahead of me and looked pissed (there was a story here, and not a fun one!) We tried to high five and failed, which summed this up about right.  Hit mile 20 in 2:38 and change, and then the blessed turnaround - huzzah! With marathon running, much like Ironman, it's not a matter of if something will go wrong - it will.  The trick is knowing what to do with it - do you need food?  A mantra? Remembering your goal?  This time, it was food.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - your mental game has to be fierce for this stuff.  I'm not always perfect at it but my "why" was on point during the low miles - and it would come to test me again!

Miles 21-26.38 (8:06/mi)

So, I'm no whiz at science, but I would have thought such a shitty headwind would give us immediate relief.  No such luck.  The headwind was gone but it seemed to have changed to a weird cross wind, which was fine, though I felt a little cheated - where was my free speed?? LOL.  My left hand was totally frozen, but my foot was doing okay - I picked it up for a bit and thankfully went from my slowest miles of the day at miles 19 and 20 (8:42 and 8:46) back down to 8:05-8:10.  

I rescued a water cup for a woman at mile 22, who called me her hero (aww) and pretty much stayed in my zone.  I got a little tired again at mile 22, and looked down at my watch - I was at 2:55 and change, and needed to hold roughly an 8 minute mile to hit my A goal.  I knew at this point, unless something terrible happened, I was going to BQ.  I reminded myself that a 3:32 or 3:34 was totally okay as a finish time and ...wait.  NO.  WHAT THE FUCK RAE.  I did NOT come this far to settle here. This was a mental low.  I needed to remember my WHY.  

And I thought about one of my favorites....a mantra used by someone I admire a great deal that I met  recently....and I love it.  Whenever he gets low, he channels Mia Hamm's words.... I put in the work.   I built the fire.  And it was time to LIGHT THIS MATCH. Let's DO this!  

And with that, I picked the pace back up. This was GONNA HAPPEN.  I was READY.   I hit mile 25 (the race mile 25) in 3:20 flat and I knew I could hit that 3:30.  I took off my last throwaway layer and proudly sported my Raise singlet.  My 8:05 pace became a 7:55 pace, and I saw my friend Laura at mile 26 (with Greg, who was filming and I totally missed!) and was ALL. GRINS. 

 The last mile was surprisingly uphill (WTF) but I didn't care.  My mp3 player changed over and I was ready for some SERIOUS INSPO a la Rocky style when...."Put it in Your Mouth" came on.  OMFG.  Seriously??  This song had some pretty great connotations from a few triathletes in my life (yeah, we are so mature) but also, most recently, my badass friend Jennie who joked that we would have that stuck in our head all day race day (she did IM Cozumel the same day).  I burst into laughter and then shut off the music - I didn't need it - and dropped my pace even further, crossing the line in 3:29:57 - per my Garmin - all. freaking. smiles. (Actually, the photos suggest I smiled the whole race, which is pretty accurate.  I had the damned time of my life!)

Post Race

HOLY SHIT DID THAT JUST HAPPEN???  As soon as I hit stop, I realized a few things.  I just absolutely KILLED my goal - Boston Qualifying by ten minutes.  I hit my A goal of 3:30 (official race time was 3:30:08 so I must have hit my Garmin a little late to start) and ran 26.38 miles at a 7:58 pace. A SUB 8 PACE FOR 26.38 MILES.

 OH MY GOD!!  I won't lie guys, I started to well up to cry ugly tears.  The guy next to me who had also just finished and I had a hug it out moment and I told him how amped I was - random strangers at the finish line are the best.  I smiled for a few photos in a daze, then started chattering uncontrollably. I had the sense to keep moving - sadly past the post race food of bananas and granola bars (WTF).  I was able to grab some chicken broth, which was a lifesaver.  Grabbed my morning bag and found Greg, who gave me the biggest hug and helped me put on some warm clothes. This guy was all over the place and the best damned sherpa a girl could ask for.  THANK YOU!

I'd like to say that we immediately found a shuttle and got warm but - when in Philly.....well, you know.  Of COURSE I ran the Rocky steps!! I was so damned happy, you guys - and probably a little delirious.  After doing the thing, we found a shuttle bus, got our car, and headed home - with the biggest smile on my face!

It's easy to pull apart a race after the fact and say "what could I have done".  I know the peanut gallery at home thinks I went out too fast, and maybe I did.  But with the course elevation (which was NOT flat at 955 ft, most of that between miles 8 and 19), the layout, and the placement of the winds, I think I did exactly what I needed to. 

 Split in half, I ran a 1:43/1:47, and my last 6 miles were faster than the six miles that preceded them.  I never hit a wall.  My heart rate was in zone 2/3, save for 4 miles at zone 4 on a hill.  My effort level for the whole race was 5-7/10.  I honestly - wouldn't change a thing.  And even though there's a 1% piece of me that wishes I would have an "official" time of 3:29, there was an extra .08 mile between miles 26 and the finish that I didn't expect, I went off my watch time, and I would honestly - change nothing.  Totally out of my control.  And seriously, who slams an A goal then complains about it?? 

Six days later, I still can't run.  My legs are doing alright - but the rest of my body is in need of a rest. The weather, wind, and race effort completely tapped me.  I spent a few days low key sick, and I'm honestly not sure I've even eaten enough to adequately re-up my stores.  Food has been hit or miss.  This is a new one for me - I've never felt like this post race.   And....I don't care at all.  I have never walked away from a race all smiles and not wanted to change a thing.  And I still am in utter shock that I will be running the Boston Marathon in 2024 - I can't believe it.

What's next?  Off season, baby.  I've spent a lot of time this week sleeping, recovering, and spending quality time with my family and friends amidst the holiday.  I'll go low key for a few more weeks then kick it off mid December for 2023.  And what about that?  Well, that's a post for another day.  Today - we are still all smiles and my heart...well that's in Philadelphia. 

Anti Hero: Taper Week Tips

 Well hey there!  While I've totally dropped the ball on this whole marathon training (really, how much navel gazing can one do?) I seem to be making up for it with my honest posts on late season struggles, my nerves leading up to this season closer, and, to keep with the theme, I figured I'd give you an update with the latest - taper week!

If you aren't a runner/triathlete (and it's shocking how many of you follow this crap that aren't into the dumb shit I do the race life (I love you guys)), the taper is a super important part of training that's often overlooked.  It's not exciting.  It's not sexy.  And most athletes, myself included, despise it.  After weeks and/or months of build and training, the taper is the part where you allow your body rest to absorb the training, shed the fatigue, and get ready to do all the zooms on race day.  You still train - but the duration is much shorter and is mixed easy effort with a few speed pieces interspersed.  You'd think the opportunity to kick your feet up and chill would be some sort of reward for the hours of hard work we put into this.

You'd be wrong.  Since athletes tend to be ridiculously Type A, crazy, over thinkers (It's me, hi!) the
taper is the worst. mind. job. on. the. planet.  You have more time that either gets devoted to the less fun stuff (oh right, I have a job and house chores), too much time to be anxious about your training, and every tiny tweak is cause for worry.  It's a mess.  And while this is all totally normal, after a decade of going through it...I'm no better at it.  I know the signs, what it all means, and rationally, I accept it.  But damned if its not tough anyways - and the more important the race is, the worse it is.  

Don't worry.  I'm here for you.  As always, my helpful nature wants everyone to avoid the week I've had - so with three days out from the big race, I give you my best taper tips.  Enjoy!

Ten Taper Tips for Race Week

1.  Take your last longish run no closer than a week out - for the marathon, I ran ten miles.  Use the ten miler to get all the shit out of the way.  Drop your nutrition without noticing.  Charge your MP3 player beforehand and watch it die 3 miles in.  Spend the last half of the run doing marathon mental math about the pace you need to hold to acheive your time and simultaneously tell yourself its impossible...while holding marathon pace.  Grimace at cars.  Throw dorky peace signs at passing runners. You are so cool. 

2.  Second Guess every portion of your training.  Scoff at anyone that thinks you can meet your A
goal.  Get pissed at everyone who thinks you can't.  Read into everyone's emails, texts, and words that you talk to.  Overreact.  Yell at your phone (probably its a good idea to make sure you've hung up before doing this). Text back...delete....text back...delete....and then maybe send.  Screenshot the offending texts that read " Whats up?" and send them to your bestie with the caption "WTF IS WRONG WITH THIS DOUCHEBAG".  Clearly, this text has some serious hidden meaning that is dark in nature.  Hell, maybe I should make some big decisions about life while I'm at it. 

3. DO NOT GET FIRED OR ARRESTED.  This has been a big goal of mine this week.  My drafts folder of my email is frighteningly big.  I've left people on read.  Whoops.  I have a loose agreement with a buddy of mine to bail me out if I call him.  He's also racing this weekend too, though, so I might be shit outta luck.  Dammit. 

4.  Go out for your last tempo run five days out.  Control your pace.  When you don't, marvel at how awesome you are during your cool down.  Immediately crap your pants with no trees in sight a mile from home and do the run of shame with your shirt tied around your waist (What, this happened to that friend of mine.  I swear, it wasn't me). 

5.  Treat every tweak as a re-affirmation that you'll never be able to cover the distance.  My glute is twingy - how can I be expected to walk let alone run 26.2 miles?  Give up immediately but plan to attend the event anyways for the swag and post race food.  Remind yourself that you'll never hit the pace you need to for that long anyways - what the hell were you thinking? Make stupid bets with people you can never catch that have undefined winning stakes and think "How bad could that be"?  ( Probably bad).

6. Resist the urge to remind everyone you know once an hour that you are racing this weekend.  Four....no five...times a day is probably enough.  Provide the tracking information.  (I'm bib 3258).  Send a read receipt to make sure they got it.  Update them on this hourly with the zeal of a four year old jumping up and down yelling "WATCH THIS!" (Did you guys sign up for tracking?  Just checking...)

7.  Check the weather to make sure you're prepped for race day with your running gear.  Pack your snowsuit in case there's a blizzard.  Pack your bikini for the inevitable lava explosion that will make it 200 degrees out.  Do NOT, under any circumstances, pack the tights you wore for your tempo run that have a hole in a very bad place.  (That you found out about in the worst way.  What?  It WAS A FRIEND!).

8.  Ask your husband to review your race packing list.  When he mentions you forgot hair ties, remind him that he's bald and doesn't even need them, so what does he know.  Mention sweetly that if he kills you in your sleep for being such a bitch  so helpful with regard to his hairline that he will be found out and will not get the life insurance you just bumped up.  Sleep with one eye open anyways, gripping your pillow tight.  EXTRA ...oh wait, where was I.

9.  Double and triple check your hotel reservations, race registrations and directions.  Mapquest that shit and print it in case your phone dies and your car accidentally brings you back to 1995.  Add in that discman for good measure to rock out on the race course - it's retro, baby!

10.  Get ridiculously sappy with those that have put up with your shit, been there for you during training, and have not managed to kill you during your idiocy during taper.  Tell them how much you love them and how awesome they are.  Repeatedly.  Make it weird.  You're basically a college kid at a frat party who's drunk and needs to go home.  DO NOT DRINK.  You are crazy enough sober right now. (This does not apply post race - beer me.)

And after all that, remind yourself that you invested a ton of time, energy and resources in chasing this big dream of yours and how much you love it.  Then go enjoy the hell out of that race!

Brotherly Love: The Quest for the Q in Philly!

In the longest drawn out season ever, (just wait, it gets better), one would think that  I might finally get it through my brain to take an off season.  The 2022 race season started off  on December 20th with week one of Ironman Des Moines prep - and it's been a wildly successful year - I can't even believe it.  Barrelman 70.3 in September was meant to wrap it up, but as I've alluded to a few times, the best laid plans....just pivot.

This story goes back a few years ago, which is ironic on so many levels.  Back to 2018, specifically, when I was done with triathlon.  Done-zo.  When you hate the bike, it's really pretty stupid to hope they cancel it every race (they, uh, don't.  Ever).  We don't need to rehash the past four years, but you all know the story - enter in some unlikely friendships, good old fashioned ass kicking, a few shots (okay, many) of kraken, bad decisions, and here we are - triathlon is back on the table, in one hell of a way.  2023 is looking pretty excellent, and I'm amped to kick some serious ass. And while I miss my original group of bad decisions, I've somehow fallen into a few others that are proving to be a hell of a lot of fun.  The future is littered with laughs, dumb ideas, and epic times.  I can't wait!

Before I took the leap back to multisport, though, I made another goal - to Boston qualify.  This was in the midst of the first round of bad decision making friends (yeah, I keep accumulating them, I dunno.  Red flags are pretty and I like livign on the edge, what can I say)  

Anyways, at the end of 2018 I signed up for a marathon in April 2019 - the Coffee Milk marathon.  It checked a few boxes - it was drivable, a new state (I'm an aspiring 50 stater, with fourteen under my belt and 36 left before I kick the bucket - its such a fun way to see the country).  Nestled in Rhode Island, which is my favorite state aside from North Dakota (I did not stutter) it was small race and, I believed, BQ-able, with my Boston qualifying time a 3:35.  

I trained hard for it, and went outside my comfort zone a bunch - with IBR Round the Bay Runs in the cold, a pretty intense (for me at the time) training schedule using Hanson's Marathon method, and a laser focus attitude.  The race did not pan out as expected - I did net a huge PR, going from 3:53 down to 3:41, but there was a decent amount working against me - the day was unseasonably warm, the course not well stocked, and I'll admit, my fitness to hold an 8:10 pace for 26.2 miles just wasn't there.  However, I was pleased with the effort, once I got over the BQ disappointment, and it was a huge springboard to my 2019 tri season that has followed by a few more amazing years and a thirst for some crazy lofty goals for 2023. I'm not the athlete I was in 2019.  Not at all.  And that's in an incredible pinch myself is this real kind of way.

But that Boston thought always lingered - and I'd honestly put it away in my brain until I'd made peace
with a few other multisport goals, namely Ironman (this is still TBD - I'm thrilled with my 2022 performance but still feel I've got some more magic there), learning to ride my freakin bike (jury's out on this, but I posit I've done so) and a the half ironman - I'm still working on this, but I did net an 8 minute PR on a non A race.  Namely, I'd finally done what my old coach asked me to do - ditched being a runner and become a damned triathlete.

Then a few things happened.  One, I turned 40, which gave me a new BQ standard - at 3:40.  Two, I'd
run a crazy fast for me half marathon last year in 1:36. Three, I had a solid as shit season and ran a 1:42 half marathon off the bike in a half Ironman, which got the wheels turning.  Four, lest you think I inherited some sort of logic gene, my buddy Marcus set a goal of BQing in October to run Boston in 2024, which he did handily. Since we are co dependent race-cation buddies, clearly he needed a friend, right?

I'd like to say this led to some serious conversations with the husband about my goals and the BQ idea, but it really didn't.  It led to a cursory search of fall marathons that wasn't really meant to go anywhere, but quickly resulted in the husband hitting "register" a few days later, and then a "Happy Birthday"! BTW your present is Philly, go BQ.

 Well, there ya go.  With that in mind, I ditched my late season half ironman lofty goal (my heart wasn't in it anyways) and drew up a twelve week plan for Philly, largely based off of Hanson but with a few extra long runs in there - I personally like the 20 miler, and the 22 miler in 2022 really helped my mindset for Iowa. 

With the race set to occur in ten days, I've put the work in.  And when people ask me how it's gone, I have zero idea how to answer them.  I need a 3:40.  Logic tells me to aim for a 3:35, which will give me padding if the qualification standards and registration require a buffer (they haven't the past two years, but in the past you needed to go under your BQ time by up to 4 minutes, so its better to plan ahead).  Even further anxiety masterful planning reminds me that a marathon is rarely 26.2 miles, due to courses being measured the the closest tangent, which is tough to always run, so planning for 26.5 miles is smarter.  So, with that....I'm aiming for a 3:32 marathon.....or....26 and change miles at a 8:00 pace.

Every single run I have done for the past three months has told me this is more than possible.  My last long run of 22 miles two weeks ago averaged an 8:16 pace - and the last mile was a 7:42.  (I had some pretty awesome people pacing me, so that helped).  

The hay is in the barn.  And now there's nothing left to do but the two hardest parts - tapering and race execution.  Both of which require something I'm not great at - intelligence and patience.  

I'm terrified.  And excited.  And terrified all over again.  An once again, I'm absolutely amazed by the people that have come together to help me pursue this goal.  I'm gonna save the sap for my race report, but once again, the love from our community of athletes is absolutely amazing to me.  I've had some fantastic new training buddies - people asking me to run that I could never dream of running next to - and they are the most encouraging people I have ever met (they are also assholes in their own right, but in the very best "don't fuck it up way, and I mean that so lovingly). 

 I have people that are willing to break the course down for me and offer tips and pointers to meet my goals - whether they raced it last year or seven years ago.  People that have stepped in and sent their positive magic energy my way and also reminded me that training is supposed to be fun AND inspiring - as well as offering proper, um, nutrition advice on gel absorption (OMG). And - the people that have always been by my side.  Whether its been since I started this whole Rae 2.0 back in 2018, or walked into it as a stupid Ironman newbie in 2010, or the very same one that brought up this dumbass amazing idea back in 2005 and has never faltered from being my biggest supporter.  

It seems fitting that I'm attempting this in the city of brotherly love - because every step of the way, I'll

be thinking about those awesome people (yes, mostly guys, but a few amazing women come to mind here too!) and it's also pretty fitting that one of my favorite dumpster fires is also running it (not with me, he will finish at least a half hour sooner) - but he's the one that tipped a glass to me two weeks ago and said - so - have you ever thought of ditching that triathlete shit and being a runner?  Cause you are good at it.

Well, no, Dave, I haven't - but on November 20 - I'll be a runner.  A runner who is going to go after that thing that's been on her brain since 2018....ok, 2009....ok, since I knew Boston existed....and let's see what happens!

EVL Half Marathon 2022: Sucker for Pain

And here we are, back to our normal go to on the blog - a race report!  Thanks all for your comments on the last "life" post - it seems that October did, in fact, just suck in general for everyone.  Seems to be a pattern, and one I intend to break for 2023 - stay tuned.  At the very least, I did round out my October with a few fun things - the fall foliage was GORGEOUS for running, and the past two weekends were full of fall fun, friends and running!  We can chat more about this past weekend another time, but today it's all about one of those stand by faves for fall races two weekends ago- the EVL half marathon!

I've run this race twice - in 2019 and in 2020.  It's in Ellicottville, which is home of ski country in WNY, and as a random offshoot of COVID, I have a ton of friends in Cattaraugus County, so its a race that stays on my calendar whenever possible.  It's Halloween themed, a fantastic party, and not flat at all, with about 600 ft elevation gain in 13.1 miles.  Oof.  Back in 2019 I raced it while sick, 2020 was 4 weeks post COVID, and so I've never really executed the race well, but its always a good time.  This year was a deferral from 2021, and since I was four weeks out from Philly on race day, the goal was to run it at marathon pace - 8:00 mile, as steady as possible, but not a "full out" effort.  Sweet.

Since I wasn't "racing", I decided to go in costume.  Biz is Harley Quinn this year, and through some weird kid sizing, the first costume I bought her...fit me.  Since I am such a serious parent (LOL) I decided to roll with it, and this was the perfect place to test my Suicide Squad mode (this may, in fact, be a metaphor for my life, but I digress!).  I ran in the outfit once (sorry for anyone on their morning commute that saw this), called it good, and was ready to bounce.

Pre Race

This race has a weird start time, at 11am.  Greg was also racing, so we conned nicely asked my friend Lauren to watch our kiddos (she is a rockstar) and took off early on what Biz dubbed our "road trip" to Ellicottville.  The weather was awesome - for anything but running, of course, with a high temp of 70 - which wasn't bad, but after a few weeks of runs in the 40s, a bit warm.  Clearly, knee high cotton socks and a long sleeved cotton tee was the way to go for a wardrobe (god, am I an idiot or what?  Don't answer that.)

We yeeted the kids out the window dropped the kids off at 9:30 and were on site by 10am for packet pickup, pre race pics, and a quick warm up.  I hit the mile warm up  at an easy pace, with a few pick ups, and my shoes, which were pretty new, and not used to socks in them (I never wear socks)  felt a little loose, so I tightened them.  (Future Rae would really regret this).  Took care of business, nailed a few #seriouspics, and lined up, ready to race!  My friend Billy lined up with me, as we were both aiming for a 1:45 (spoiler alert - we both failed at this - he netted a 1:41, and read on for my failure).  With a few minutes to go, some chick in a pink shirt scooted in front of me, and I gave her shit for thinking she was all fast or something (she is, and a local pro) - poor Jennie thought I was serious and then started laughing once she realized who I was.  Whoops :-P  We joked around for a minute, and before I knew it, the gun went off and we were on!

The Race!

Mile 1 brought a few things to light - one, I was a massive idiot to tighten my shoes and my left foot quickly went numb, and I was too stubborn to stop for fifteen seconds to fix this, - two - cotton anything is really dumb and was hot as shit for the next 12 miles - and three - a minute into the race I managed to catch the legendary pink shirted Jennie Hansen and ran with her for a whole mile.  I joked with her that this was unprecedented for me and apologized for Fan Girling, and she said something back that was probably like "get the hell off my back loser" but came out much more encouraging sounding so I ran with it (thanks Jennie!).  I realized the folly of my ego when my watch beeped mile one at 7:12 and backed the hell off.  Back to earth, Rae, you are not a pro.

Miles 2-6 were pretty uneventful - there were a few more rollers than I remembered, but I managed pacing well - the first 10k is net downhill, so I knew I would be a bit faster, and I was averaging 7:30-7:40 based on rollers, which was perfect.  I talked to a dude about mile 5 that was working super hard and advised him to take it easy (yeah I'm here all day for advice, clearly I make good decisions)  We joked around for awhile then he flew by me (yes, I caught him later).  At mile 6, we made the left turn that started the uphill portion of the course - miles 6-9.5 are just ridiculous on this course - its not a matter of if you'll slow down, its by how much.  I had a goal to average 8:30-8:45 for this section and keep my effort level a 6-7, which I had done so far.

At mile 7 Billy came zooming by me making airplane arms, which made me giggle.  He yelled at me to join him, which I did for the airplane dance, then waved him off - as tempting as it was to do the zooms, I had promised myself and my new possible coach for 2023 that I wouldn't do stupid things (see - I'm trying to listen!)  Aside from the headwind and my ridiculously uncomfortable socks and shirt, the section wasn't too bad.  I joked around with people about the wind, and a dude dressed as Superman about catching his sails (I ended up passing him, but he was a good sport about it).  Miles 7, 8, 9 clocked in right on target between 8:32-8:48 and at mile 9.5 I made the turnaround and flew to mile 10 in 7:42.

The turnaround was awesome - I saw Steve, Mike (who PRed and went sub 2!), Nancy and Greg before turning right to head back home, where there was still a decent headwind, but more of a rolling course in terms of elevation. I cheesed it up for the photographers at miles 10 and 11, one of whom joked that I looked too good and maybe I should start working, and the other I threw down the pathetic triathlete pose, and he laughed and said I made his day (I am a little grumpy this didn't make the race pics, but what can ya do).

Miles 12 and 13 felt awesome, and I picked it up as I went along.  I passed a dude at mile 12 who asked for my number (this is what happens when you run in dyed pigtails and butt shorts, and I laughed) and passed about ten people the last fifteen minutes, with my last 5k faster than my first, which was spot on - mile 13 was my second fastest mile in 7:15 and I was all smiles - this felt awesome!  I crossed the finish line in 1:43:21, for a 7:51/mile, and just slightly faster than my 1:45 goal!

Post Race

Post race I caught up with Billy, who killed it, and my fellow RATs, Mike and Bonnie, who kindly held my medal as I cooled down and scoped out my athletes still on course, who both finished strong in the less than ideal wind and heat.  I FINALLY loosened my shoe (way to go, loser), and spent a little QT hanging with the awesome Wolfpack and RATs crew, and caught up with some of my Cat county buddies, one of which tried to pick me up with some free candy (Thanks Brad, love ya bro).  I found out that I came in 8th overall woman, and won my age group, which absolutely blew me away - I have to say, its ironic that this is the first year I haven't actually tried to race this race, but the execution, despite the heat, wind and stupid outfit, was spot on.  I can't WAIT for Philly to see how this whole fall marathon training pans out - and for the first time - I can say EVL was a total success!