I flew into Philadelphia, took a couple of hour drive south to
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware arriving after dark.
After walking into my hotel room I could hear the ocean waves rolling
in, looking out to see the beach just outside, I knew right then I was going to
love this trip!
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| Love this pic - Taken at the beach in front of my hotel |
This will probably sound funny, but it wasn’t until 6 AM race
morning when I glanced out my room window and saw runners walking around on the
boardwalk that I realized my hotel was literally 100 yards from the start. Ya I didn’t really look into that ahead of
time…
The race started at the town’s band stand, right in front of
the ocean. I was feeling optimistic at the
start, I felt great but because of how horrible my last race was (being so
sick) I didn’t want to get any hopes up so I just went with the “whatever
happens, happens” motto in my head to start.
It was overcast, 53 degrees and just the lightest mist of
rain left from the night before. The
first few miles of the course were along the beach or through beachfront
neighborhoods. If you couldn’t see ocean,
you could hear it through the pine trees.
I was feeling REALLY good, my body was warming up nicely and my legs
really wanted to run. The first three
miles when glancing at my GPS pace I kept thinking I needed to slow things down
a little so I don’t pay for it later on.
But every time I would slow down a tad, before I knew it I was back to
running a faster pace again.
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| Rehoboth Band Stand - Race Start |
After mile 5 and feeling great, I decided to just go for it
and enjoy the run and do the best I could.
This was my last race of the year, so there was no reason to pace myself
and conserve energy for other races coming up (like I normally have to do). My injury had been holding up pretty well lately
and I figured if I hurt it again, at least I have time to let it heal after
this race.
We turned onto this breakwater trail; the trail was a bit on
the muddy side from the rain the night before.
But I think the rain actually helped pack it in, it looked like it was a
sandy fine rock mix and it might be easier to run on wet and packed down a
little than dry and soft. I haven’t run
a trail run for a long time, I think since Sept 2011 in Colorado. So my ankles took a bit of a beating through
this. I have strong ankles, but they aren’t
used to miles of continual support from dips, holes, mud and trail issues. But that aside, I still felt really strong. This area was so beautiful it was forest
lined with trees; sure it’s winter so the tree’s had all their leaves piled on
the ground around, but it was still peaceful and beautiful. We passed a couple of salt marshes. These reminded me of Utah’s Great Salt Lake,
the meandering river in the tall grasses smelt heavily of salt. However unlike the Great Salt Lake, it didn’t
have that “stink” that occasionally comes with the salty smell. It was more of a fresh with heavy salt in the
air feeling when you breathed it in.
There was a half marathon running too, but unlike a lot of
races that have both distances. Which
generally means when you get to the half turn around you lose 80% of the
runners. This race had the majority in
the full, at least where I was at, and most of us continued on into Cape
Henlopen State Park in Lewes Delaware.
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WWII Watch Tower - Cape Henlopen State
Park - We ran past several of these creepy
but cool looking towers. |
At mile 10 I realized I just ran one of my fasted ten mile
times of the year, so that put me into a pretty good mood. However, a few miles later I started feeling
a little drag, so I slowed the pace a little for a mile or so until I started
feeling good again (got another wind) and picked the pace back up for miles 12
& 13. Had to slow down again around
14, waited to catch a 3
rd or 4
th wind and then picked it
back up again for a few more miles.
Running around the trails of Cape Henlopen were pretty, you
had the ocean nearby, creepy looking WWII watch towers, rolling hill trails
lined with pine trees. I even had a young deer come out and take it’s time
crossing the trail path in front of me. (Funny
that was the 2nd time this year a deer crossed my path in a race,
the other was in Minnesota.)
My biggest struggle came around 19, not exactly sure
why. Probably faster paces were catching
up to me. My hip flexor injury was
aching a bit more now. This mile was my
slowest of the entire race. The good
thing was, my spirits were high, I had been having such a great run before, I
knew that if I could just get my mind and body through this rougher point that
things would get better. So I did what I
have learned to do and I really picked up the pace for mile 20. Pushing for another wind, and pushing out the
bad to get back to good again.
It worked, and I played some mind games and tricks I have
learned to help myself, pick up the pace and put the pain further and further
back in my mind until I tricked myself into feeling pretty good again. Eventually what I guess I will call my 5th
or 6th wind came.
The course was a lot of out and back in several different
directions. But not in a bad way, there
were lots of turns so sometimes you forgot you were on an out and back until
you’d see a runner come out of a trail or street towards you again. The weather had been absolutely perfect
conditions for running, cool but not freezing, just the slightest breeze at
times temps in the upper 50’s by the finish.
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| Breakwater Lighthouse |
The last 4ish, miles were on the breakwater trail
again. By this time my ankles were a
little numb to all their twists from the trails surface so I just made sure to
watch where I was stepping to avoid holes or deep mud puddles. I told my mind I loved this part of the
course the first time I ran through it, so I was going to love it the 2
nd
time too. It worked!
By the time I came out of the trail and into the beach town
of Rehoboth again with a couple miles to go, I was feeling pretty great. My legs were feeling strong; I was even
wishing I had pushed it even harder earlier on.
I knew what my finish time was going to be, and I was SOOO excited. To top it off I was experiencing what we call
a “runners high.” I was about to have
one of my best race times of the year.
So I just relaxed, lengthened my stride (only my hip flexor hated that)
and pushed on a bit harder and faster to the finish. When you get to this “runners high” things
just aren’t hurting or bothering you, you feel like you could run forever and
you’re in such an excellent mood! This
was only the 2nd time ever in a marathon I had this happen the last
time was years ago in St. George, Utah.
After I crossed the finish line I realized I could have kept
going, that is how great I was feeling!
I went into the finish area, and they had one of the biggest food
catered finish line buffet’s I have ever seen (pancakes and lots of toppings,
shredded beef sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, probably other stuff too I didn’t
see. Normally my stomach doesn’t want to
eat for hours after I run, but today I decided to give it a try. I piled up a couple of pancakes and poured on
fresh strawberry and blueberries and syrup.
It will sound odd, but the shredded beef looked good to, so I grabbed
some of that to go with the pancakes, LOL.
Found an ice cold can of Coke, took a seat to enjoy my finish feastJ Met some really nice runners and had fun
chatting with them.
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| Santa's Beachfront House - Also on Boardwalk at race start |
Normally my walk back to a hotel after a race feels
miserable, but I was still feeling pretty great. Just a bit more cold now. I probably could have ran the ½ mile back up
to the hotel, but I didn’t I just enjoyed my stroll past all the shops and
decided to take the longer route and walk up along the beach back to my room
J
I had a great trip, loved exploring, sightseeing the
lighthouses and WWII watch towers.
Lucked out and collected some sharks teeth and really large seashells on
a beach after high tide before other beach combers found themJ Discovered a cup of
hot chocolate was perfect to keep me warm so I could walk on the beach in the
winter eveningsJ
Delaware was my 31st state, my 14th
marathon this year. Sure it’s a few
short of my original plans for the year, (thanks to the injury) but I have no
complaints! This injury could have
prevented me from running all of my fall races, so I actually feel really lucky!
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| Harbor Refuge Lighthouse |
Originally I set out to run 50 states + D.C. in 3
years. In order to do that, I will need
to run 19 marathons in 2013. I have them
planned out, and I know I can push my mind and body to do them. But will happen? Obviously running a marathon in every state
is very expensive, and I tend to likely make it more expensive staying in the
area a few days to explore the sights – I estimate it will cost me near $30,000
for the next 19. At this point I am
hoping for a lot of winter and spring weddings, I already picked up a 2
nd
job and I am actually thinking a 3
rd might not be a bad idea. So will I finish next year? We’ll see…
Thank you to everyone who read my blog, and have been a
support to me and my goals! I know I
have a ways to go, but when I look back at all I have accomplished over the
past few years, I have to say I even amaze myself at it all, LOL
With the New Year coming up my advice to anyone who has a
goal (no matter the type of goal, big or small). First decide what you want to do or achieve,
and then DO IT! If you want something
bad enough, you’ll find ways to make it happen!
Someone suggested to me to share some of my year’s race highlights,
so here is a little bit on each one:
Hawaii – Scariest race! Heat and dehydration made me
lightheaded and delirious started seeing things probably should have been
pulled from the race but managed to keep it from the medics.
Louisiana – I was so sick in this race with the flu and
bronchitis it was absolutely miserable, kind of shocked I even finished, it’s
one (New Orleans) I’d like to do again (not sick).
Georgia – Who would have guessed Atlanta would be so darn
hilly, lots of never ending hills.
California – Big Sur, Breathtakingly beautiful coastal run but
also some of the steepest hills I have ever run – fun though!
Nebraska – Got to see great family and I LOVED the race cups
with lids and straws, also my first time running 2 marathons in 8 days!!!
Wyoming – HOT, absolutely NO shade 90+ temps, SO HOT! But loved running through the frog area and
seeing my niece, nephew and sister cheer me on near the half-way point.
Minnesota – So beautiful along Lake Superior first time a
deer jumped out and cut me off in a race.
Montana – Beautiful course, but had a moment that slapped me
in the face and made me finally begin training properly again.
Idaho – Loved this course, first race after my dad started
training me again and this is where I had my best time of the year. (That night, I pulled a bad hip flexor injury
that put me out for 6 weeks and almost ruined my entire year of running – made me
realize the value of cool down and stretching after a race!)
New Hampshire – First race I entered but couldn’t run
because of the injury (took the trip anyway) but I will return hopefully next
year to run!
Connecticut – Pretty course, first race after injury, went
pretty good with all things considered.
But wished I didn’t catch a bad cold the day before!
D.C. – Got to say I ran in a Hurricane, since we were in the
hurricane front. First time to D.C.
loved it, but definitely need to go back (no storm) and see all I missed (race 1
of 3 in 15 days)!
Missouri – Hilly course, forced to run in new shoes (my poor
feet) but did okay for being (race 2 of 3 in 15 days)
Texas - *sigh* I was sooo sick in this race, REALLY
shocked I finished this one my body was ready for it to be over by mile 3, but
a finish is a finish I guess! (Race 3 in 15 days)
Delaware – Great race had a runners high could have kept on
going long after the finish! What a
great way to end the year!!!!
