January 20, 2011

Rock-N-Roll AZ race report

Wow!  I just realized that the last time I blogged was Jan. 6th.  That is insane!  Hopefully now that the marathon is over, we're back from our trip, and our carpet is installed (yay!) things will get back to normal. :)

RNR AZ
Going into this race, I really wasn't sure how I was going to do.  Because I was sick so often during my training, I let go of any sort of time goal and just decided to run it for fun.  Originally, my sister was going to run the full marathon too, but she got some crazy foot injuries and decided against it.  Her goal was to just run as far as she could and enjoy the race.  I decided that my new goal was to run with my husband and support him through his first marathon.  It was kind of strange because I wasn't nervous at all, but my husband was.  I don't think I've ever gone into a race not being nervous, and it was actually really nice not to have that nervousness.
Because this wasn't a typical race report for me, I thought I'd just list some of the pros and cons of the race as my race report!

Pros:
*  An awesome race shirt!  I LOVE the colors, the design, and the fit.  Yay!

*  The way the event was organized was awesome!  The shuttle service to the start was great, there were hundreds of port-a-potties in different locations, and gear check was a cinch.  It was put together so much better than the Denver RNR marathon.

*  My husband and I met up with  my sister at the start and we were able to run together for the first few miles.  It was fun to all be together, even if it was for just a short while.

*  My mom, dad, and brother-n-law met us at different points throughout the race.  It was awesome to have them cheering for us!  I don't care what anyone says, but for me, having friends/family on the sidelines cheering definitely gives me a boost during a race.  Here is a picture my mom took of us.  I love it! :)
My husband, me, and my dad! :) 
*  The bands were awesome!!  I had my own music with me, but whenever I started to hear a band I would turn it off so I could  hear their  music.  I have to say that there were some great musicians playing out there for us!

*  There were packs of junior high (high school??) cheerleaders throughout the marathon that were awesome as well!  They all had different costume themes and you could hear them cheering before you ever saw them!  I made a point to high five as many of them as I could.  I thought it was awesome that they chose to spend half of their day cheering their hearts out for people they don't even know, and giving them high-fives was my way of letting them know I appreciated them!

*  The first part of the race went by soooo fast.  We hit the 13.1 mile marker and high-fived each other!  My husband was doing awesome and I was so proud of him.

*  There were these 2 big guys that I saw throughout the race on the sidelines.  They had a big sign that said, "Go (your name)" and for some reason I just thought it was hilarious.  I never heard them cheer, and their faces were blank most of the time, but they showed up in random places throughout the course and they always made me smile when I saw them.  So, thank you random guys with the sign! :)

*  I nailed my nutrition and hydration and never experienced any stomach issues like my last marathon.  I was pretty terrified of dry heaving and throwing up again, but it never happened!  Woohoo!!

*  Around the 24 mile mark, I crossed over a bridge that went over Tempe Town Lake.  I decided to stop and look out over the lake to where my Ironman Arizona swim start will be in November.  It was amazing!  I got a little dose of butterflies looking out over that water, imagining myself swimming 2.4 miles, and I was thankful for that moment.

*  I was hurting pretty bad at this point in the race (see the cons), but after I crossed the bridge, I saw my mom, dad, brother-n-law, and sister!  It was awesome to see them again!  I told my dad that I would be walking the 2.5 miles to the finish and he and my sister decided to walk them with me.  It was actually pretty fun (if you take the pain part out of it) walking that last part with them.  I think it would have been torture for me if I would have had to do that by myself, and I  may have had my first DNF, but with them by my side, we finished the race together.  

*  My sister was able to run 19 miles before having to stop!  Woohoo!!  I know you don't know about her injuries, but that is awesome for her, and I was so proud of her!!  She may not have finished the whole 26.2 miles, but 19 miles is still amazing!!  Yay for her!!!

*  When we reached the finisher's shoot, my dad went off to the side because he couldn't come down the shoot with us.  I told my sister that I wanted to try and run it in, so I fought through the pain and we slowly made our way to the finish.  When we got close to the finish, I grabbed my sister's hand and we crossed the finish line together!  It was awesome!!

* My husband finished his first marathon in 4:44!!  Woohoo!  It wasn't exactly the time he wanted, but he did awesome for his first marathon and I am sooo proud of him!

*  Check out the medal!  I love it!

*  We got to run in the SUN!  The weather in CO has been cold, so it was awesome to run in 70 degree weather with the sun shining down on us.

Cons:
*  I wasn't able to meet up with the other bloggers on Friday night.  Boo!!

*  The entire course was on hot, hard asphalt.  I don't know about all of you, but I rarely train on asphalt.  Running on that the entire 26.2 miles was not the greatest!

*  Around the 15 mile mark, my husband's pace started to slow.  He made it clear that he didn't want to "hold me back," and he wanted me to keep going, but I wasn't going to leave him.

*  Around the 18 mile mark, my right knee started REALLY hurting.  I have never had any problems with my right knee, but I have had ITB issues with my left knee so I know what it feels like.  I ran through it, but it only got worse.  Before long, I could feel a burning pain from my ankle all the way up to my hip.  My ITB was NOT happy with me.

*  At the 22 mile mark, I told my husband I had to walk.  I told him to keep going and finish strong!  We gave each other a high-five, then separated for the first time in the race.  It sucked to see him run ahead, but I needed to walk, and I didn't want him to stop for me.  The pain was so intense that it literally brought tears to my eyes.  I would walk/limp for a couple of minutes, then try to run again.  The first step of running was always the worst, but I pushed through the pain.  I started doing this pattern of walking then attempting to run for the next 2 miles.  It HURT so bad!

Final Thoughts:
Although this marathon turned out completely different than I thought, and I was in pain the last part of the course, I can honestly say that I had a blast doing it.  I had fun out there and was smiling pretty much throughout the entire race.  The music, the cheerleaders, my husband, and my family all made it an awesome experience.

I think I'm pretty much done with marathons for now.  I can honestly say that I have no desire to do another one...not for awhile anyways.  In fact, the next one I do will be during Ironman Arizona.

Although I'm going to start swimming again, I am really looking forward to not having any type of training going on.  I start my official training for IMAZ in April, and until then, I'm going to take it easy.  I think I deserve some time off! :)

35 comments:

Emz said...

Aimee.

awesome!! love your RR. I must agree the cheerleaders/support groups were AWESOME!

Just so bummed I didn't get to meet you!!

I'll be there for your ironman though. FOR. SURE!!

Christi said...

Yea! You are back! First congrats to everyone! That is so awesome that you had family there with you.

Second, I love the medal and the shirt.

Third, I agree with you about the asphalt. I have run the 1/2 marathon my ITB was always screaming at me in the end!

Finally, Congrats for nailing your nutrition! That is critical and I am glad you didn't suffer like the last one!

Amanda@runninghood said...

Awesome Aimee. Yay for nice weather, running with your hubby and sister and for finishing! I remember not having the desire to do another marathon for a long time after Boston. I don't know what got into me to train for another but after this one, maybe one more and then I'm going to stick to the shorter races for awhile....at least until the kids are older. :) so glad I got to read a new post from you! OH, and cool shirt...you're right. My friend did the Arizona Ironman and he showed me a video of all the swimmers...it was crazy cool to see. On my list one of these days in my life. :)

Running and living said...

I was thinking about you today, wondering how it all went! You've had such a tough training cycle, but awesome for pulling through and making a big party out of it. And I love your plan about taking it easy for a while!

abbi said...

Congrats on getting through another marathon and to your other family members too. I love that shirt. Sounds like it was rough but you had plenty of family and support to get through it.

CautiouslyAudacious said...

Awesome! Glad you were able to push through to the end! I said the same thing about marathons & here I am training to do another one with my bf(it will be his 1st). For some reason the marathon I did at the end of the IM AZ was easier than doing a marathon alone... It's probably because at the end of an IM you are on such an endorphin rush that by the marathon you are just ecstatic you've made it that far! Good luck!

Pahla said...

I was certainly wondering where you've been and how the race went!! I'm so sorry about the pain, yikes! You definitely deserve a nice break after all the hard work you've been putting in. Congrats to you and your husband (and sister) on running a great race!

AM! said...

Hi there;-)
Nice race recap. yah..i ran the half of it ~6 years ago..it was my first running race ever!- and i really dug that race venue. I actually think it was their inagural (sp) year then...
Nice Job chica!

sorry you didn't get to connect w/the bloggy peeps. that wouldda been awesome.

Unknown said...

Congrats to you and your husband Aimee!

Heather said...

Great report. I am sorry you are hurting and I am glad your family was there to support you. Nothing like family! And cheerleaders if you can get 'em.

Unknown said...

Aimee... what a great race report. Super big congrats to your hubby (and you of course). What a great experience for you to run it together! Enjoy that swimming! And maybe a break! :)

A Prelude To... said...

Great report! Sorry it wasn't the "perfect" race, but I love that you enjoyed it anyways!!!

Cool medal!

and...

I cannot wait to follow your IMAZ training!!! WOOT!

Velma said...

Way to go!!! You toughed it out and congrats to your sis and hubby. Asphalt does suck - something to remember for IMAZ. I can't wait to hear about the next phase of your training!!!

Stephanie Anne said...

Way to tough it out & finish!!

Molly said...

Nice job and great RR! Having done both RNR AZ and IM AZ I will say it's sooo different doing it during the IM. Somehow it doesn't feel like a marathon but a big moving party (where you see your family multiple times!). 10 months from today!

misszippy said...

So sorry you had to deal with that pain. Way to stick it out. And congrats to your family for all their efforts! Jealous you got to be out there in all that warmth and sunshine!

5 Miles Past Empty said...

Defenitly deserve some time off!! Great recap! An wow! Good job finishing through the pain!!

Ironman By Thirty said...

Way to go to all of you! This is the 3rd race review I have read from RnR AZ and it sounds like a great race!

Enjoy your time off! You deserve it!

Teamarcia said...

Congrats to all of you--sounds like a really nice event!
Do not blame you at all for wanting to take it easy for a bit. IMAN AZ---WOW!

Kathleen said...

So glad you had a great time even if it wasn't the race you had invisioned it might be.
Just seeing that bridge makes me nervous! I remember standing on it and looking at all the racers treading water, waiting for the gun to go off and thinking "I must be on drugs to be signing up for this thing:)"

Julie said...

I'm glad you had such a great time! I bet it meant a lot to your husband to have you there running by his side.

Love the shirt and the medal and it's nice to know that it was better organized then Denver. Maybe next year will be better for them.


IMAZ here you come!

DRog said...

way to go Aimee

you battled thru illness during training, and issues during the run. That is harder than ANYTHING
and look at you coming away with your second 26.2 medal within a few months!
glad you had a good time now rest up:)

Derek

Barbie said...

You did absolutely fantastic. I am so sorry to hear of your pain but you soldiered right on through it all - that takes real courage. Congrats to your husband and sister too.

KovasP said...

How fun to run and preview your swim course - great multitasking!

Johann said...

Well done to you and your husband! Great that you could enjoy this day together. Bummer about your leg. Take it easy and rest well.

Big Daddy Diesel said...

- Congrats

- Glad you had a good time

I use to work on the other side of that bridge, my office is a half mile away on Mill Ave, so close to Tempe Town Lake

Julie said...

Hi Aimee,
Congrats on finishing your second marathon! I think it is so awesome that you had so many people from your family there to cheer you on:) Congrats to your hubby too...he did great on his first marathon:) Now it is time to get some well deserved rest! Hugs!

funderson said...

Sorry about the pain..that stinks! But well done to you and your sweetheart!

Caratunk Girl said...

Way to go!! You totally deserve the break. Recharge and recoup!! You did awesome!!! So sorry about the pain at the end (another reason to just chill for a while)

One request. Humpastry Day. :)

Heather said...

Congratulations!! Way to push through at the end. I love the shirt and the medal!! It's awesome that your dad was there cheering you on. Great photo of your husband, you & your dad!
Have a great weekend!

Jill said...

Ooooh, I've been waiting for your RR :)

Well, despite a few hiccups, it sounds like a great race overall. Yeah, I hate asphalt, too - bleh!

Rest up, recover, and we'll go for a run together soon!! Congrats to you and your husband - woohooo!

Mark said...

Congratulations! Awesome race report. I have never done a rock and roll marathon, but have heard they are quite awesome—even on asphalt.

Sorry about the pain in your knee. Enjoy that time off and hope you can mentally prepare for the long haul for IMAZ!

Anonymous said...

First of all- I LOVE your new header

About the race- this is one I would like to do someday- and it sounds like you really did have a blast even despite the painful ending. I hope you ae taking some time to recover and get back out there :) Take care of that knee!

Anne-Marie said...

Congrats! Sorry to hear about the knee pain, but happy to hear you finished and enjoyed the race! Considering how sick you've been, I think you should be proud. That's pretty cool you were able to run part of it with your husband too :)

DEFINITELY enjoy the time off now! You deserve it, and your body needs a break so you can be healthy and rested to start IM training!!

Unknown said...

Congrats!! That is some sweet bling and a super cute shirt too. Sorr you and hubbs did not finish 2gether :(

Can't wait for your IRONMAN in Nove :)