November

Total miles: 27.39
Races: 1
Minutes meditated: 25

Coming of a shitty October, I honestly felt a little lost in November. I was (and still am) struggling with the loss of our pregnancy. Running just didn't feel like a priority, and so I didn't run much. I wish I could say I did a lot better with yoga and meditation, but I honestly wasn't great about that either. In retrospect, I was slowly creeping into depression, just going through the motions. There were bright spots, like watching my sister perform in Dracula with her community theater group and seeing the beautiful Mississippi in her new hometown or being able to run in my favorite park again, which was finally open after it was completely flooded in early AND late spring.

The hubs and I with the mighty Mississippi in the background.

Back on my favorite running path. 

I got some miles in, registered for my first Turkey Trot in Kansas City, and used that as motivation to keep a more structured running schedule. And yes, my first! Ever since I started running, I spent Thanksgiving in either Minnesota or Iowa. I'm working on an RR for that race, so stay tuned.

On the important notes, once I realized that my mental health was not in a good place, I called my Employee Assistance Program, got referred to a therapist and moved forward with getting some professional help. I made it a point to open my Headspace App when I parked my car at work and spent 10-15 minutes meditating before I even got out of my car. It has made a big difference in just helping me feel more grounded. Grief and trauma are crazy forces in life, and it's so important that we take time to just breathe. I'm just really glad I have a wonderful support system, from my family & friends to my co-workers. It's funny when you start to talk about pregnancy loss, how many other people come forward with stories and give you love and support. On the flip side, I also feel like I've seen every single pregnant woman in the greater Kansas City metro. Then there was the time I was congratulating a cousin's wife on her pregnancy, and she thanked me and then said they were due the same month I was supposed to be due. She didn't know about anything that was going on with us, but it was still a sucker punch.

Onto December. I've got lofty ideas about doing a half marathon in March, but since I generally don't run a lot with shorter days and cold weather, who knows if I'll get myself trained up for it. I'm tossing around a few ideas. My favorite one involves buying a spin bike AND a treadmill, but I know the husband won't go for that. Yet.


What life-changing moment have you had that brings all kinds of stories, love, and support out of the woodwork? 

Wake me Up when October Ends

This is my story of pregnancy loss. For any women who have experienced this, I want to give you a heads up in case this brings up unexpected emotions. 

September 18th We hadn't expected any of this. We figured it would take a good 6 months to get pregnant, but it happened after only two. I don't think I'll ever forget the morning I first took a pregnancy test, and then took another one because I couldn't believe my eyes. I don't think I'll ever forget the sleepy 'holy shit' look on my husband's face when I woke him up and showed him the results. It took a few days (and a few more pregnancy tests) for us to get a little excited. Sure, it was sooner than expected, but at 36 and 42, we both had fears we wouldn't be able to become parents, so we weren't going to dwell on less-than-ideal timing.

It was hard to keep this kind of secret. We were excited, we were a mess, we were just trying to figure out what the hell we needed to do. I called to make an appointment with a new OB-GYN. Our first appointment was scheduled for October 9th.

As we waited, I downloaded apps. We named the growing cluster of cells Sprout. We made jokes about how we had to watch our language when the app told us he or she was developing ears. We talked about names, how in the world we were going to fit a baby into our little 2 bedroom house, looked at cribs and strollers online. I even bought a few maternity clothes, cuz they were on sale & super cheap. Why not, right? We plotted how we would hilariously surprise our family & closest friends with the news, and couldn't wait for their excited reactions. I tried to continue my running, having just started a marathon training plan 6 weeks before. My morning sickness wasn't too bad, but I was lacking the energy I really needed as long runs extended into the double digits. I modified the plan to target an upcoming half marathon, setting aside marathon goals. I bought boxes of Honey Stinger Waffles and Huma gels because I needed extra fuel during runs, and had a great 10 mile run (Sept 26th) where I fueled at 4 and 8 miles instead of the usual one hour into a run and then every 45 minutes after. I still felt like there was a chance I could PR in the half, assuming I could keep up my energy.

September 27th
The spotting started. "It's normal," I told myself. "Very common." Then it got a little worse. And there were cramps. My best friend recommended calling the clinic, so they could get me in and see what was happening. I tried to reassure myself, but kept having a feeling that something wasn't quite right. I thought I was just freaking out, like many women in their first pregnancy. We went in, did the ultrasound, did blood tests, was told to not exercise (elliptical doesn't count, right?!?) and came back in for more blood tests two days later.

October 4th
By the following Friday morning, the clinic had called. My hormone levels weren't increasing and they were worried that the tenderness on my right side might not be an irritated hip flexor but signs of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. They told me to go to the emergency department. So, I went, making phone calls and disclosing a pregnancy status I wasn't prepared to because it was just easier to tell the truth about what was going on. My mom was immediately excited and it broke my heart to have to tell her "but …"

The Emergency Department: Part 1
The thing about the ED that is terribly misconstrued on TV is that there is often a little excitement, followed by a lot of waiting. I get triaged. I wait. I go back to a room, change into an ill-fitting gown, get blood drawn. I wait. A female doctor comes in to examine me. I wait. Sometimes I doze. The ultrasound tech wheels me to the basement for my second ultrasound in a week. I wait. And wait some more. My husband finally arrives. We wait some more. We get told they are waiting for radiology to interpret the ultrasound. We wait. When the doctor finally comes in, she says the pregnancy isn't viable. The ultrasound doesn't reveal anything, but my hormone levels are nowhere near what they should be. I'm surprised at how immediately the tears start to fall. I'm told my options, that I can wait and see what happens, but I'm a scientist and I know what the levels mean. There is no point in waiting.

Except I have to wait some more. Because they believe it's an ectopic pregnancy, the drug they give is a chemotherapeutic and administered through an injection that must be given by a certified nurse. They discharge us from the ED, take us to outpatient, and get us checked in there. Then we are taken to a waiting room. More waiting. It's torture at this point. My heart is broken and I can tell my husband's heart is also broken, but he's trying to be a rock for me. We are finally taken back and we wait some more. And some more. And some more, until I finally sigh and my husband asks if everything is all right. "No", I say rather loudly, "It isn't. I want to go home!" And then I burst into sobs. Nurses rush over, try to comfort me, try to explain why it's taking so long. I say it's not okay but I understand, and I keep sobbing. I'm honestly a little afraid I won't be able to stop. My husband holds me until it's finally time for the injections. I'm still sobbing and I sob through the whole thing. Two shots, one in each butt cheek. We have to sit and wait to ensure I don't have a reaction to the medication, and it's enough time where I am able to finally calm down. We go home and order Italian club sandwiches from our favorite pizza place because it's the only thing that sounds good to me. We sit and eat, both a little sad, both exhausted from the day. I can't wait to go to sleep, for the day to end.

The sadness continues for a few days. The drug starts to take effect on Sunday. I buy more maxipads.

Tangent: Thank you, Always, for making your Infinity Pads with Flex Foam because they really are comfortable and reliable and every little bit helps in this experience.

October 7th
I take Monday afternoon off from work. I feel fine but just don't want to be around anyone. Tuesday morning I feel remarkably better, productive at work and even have a chat with the clinic where I'm cleared to run! Things were looking up and then cramps started. I think, "This is gonna be rough." They get worse and worse until I'm sitting in my co-workers office saying, "I think I need to go home." At first I think I can drive, but then I realize I can't because it's taking all my energy & focus to not throw up. So I get a ride home, telling myself I don't need to call the doctor or go to the emergency room. But by the time my co-worker drops me off, I'm not okay. I stumble in, head straight for the couch and lie down. My husband calls the clinic and tries to explain what is going on while I decide if I want to lie down or sit by the toilet in case I throw up. The nurse practitioner tells me I have to go back to the ED. I say I don't want to go, or that if I have to go, I want to go to a different one. She insists to my husband I have to go back to the same hospital I was at before, otherwise my doctors can't follow me. I say I've never met any of the doctors, what do I care? "They don't even know my hair color," I tell him.

October 8th
The Emergency Department: Part 2
I agree to go, only because my husband is worried and just wants to know that I'm okay. I also want to know that I'm okay, but I'd rather just to go the damn clinic and actually be seen by one of the doctors that is telling me to go to the ED. It's not that I don't understand why they made the recommendation that they did - what if I actually was bleeding internally? I mean, I wasn't. By the time we actually got to there, I was feeling better, and by the time I actually was triaged and taken by to the psych patient room (the only one that was available), I was telling the husband that if we left now, they probably wouldn't even charge me my copay. But no. More waiting. Another series of ultrasounds of my empty uterus. More blood tests. More waiting. The nurse seems convinced that I was downplaying my pain when I ranked it as a 7 on scale of 1-10. I mean, severe craps are really awful, but I probably would feel worse if I was bleeding internally, right? She tells me it's okay if it was a 10. While I'm getting my ultrasound, my husband tells them that I probably have a high pain tolerance since I have a bum hip and do distance running. I'm not quite sure that's true, but I stop arguing. Three hours later, I leave with a Gatorade and two prescriptions, one for the tamest of opioids and one for nausea in case either come back.

October 9th
I spend the rest of the week in misery. I'm emotionally exhausted, and develop a migraine. The nausea comes back such that I can barely eat and the only thing that tastes good is the McDonald's vanilla milkshake the hubs brought me. It must have really perked me up because he brought me a large one the following day. There's another blood test, and another phone call from the clinic the following day. My hormone levels haven't dropped and they want me to come in for a fourth ultrasound. I only agree because I feel so awful that I figure I can get someone to give me something for this damn migraine. They are relieved because I may have told them it would take an act of God to get me to come back after that second ED experience. Guess God was listening.

October 11th
A fourth ultrasound. The second it starts, I just start crying. Thankfully, she has the monitor that I can see turned off. I couldn't handle another image of nothingness. As the appointment goes on, I quietly cry. That's all I can do. I didn't really expect it to be so triggering, but it is. The ultrasound tech works as quickly as she can, helps me get off the table when it's over because I'm still bleeding and everything just feels gross. I get dressed and she gives me a hug before we leave the room. She tells me next time she sees me, she hopes any tears will be happy ones. I actually meet with a doctor. She walks in, introduces herself, tells me I'm famous in the office (great), and very matter-of-factly tells me I need a second dose of the drug. We go round in circles because I say I don't want it, so what are my options. Can I do another test on Monday, I ask. She asks what if it ruptures in the meantime or if Monday my hormone levels still haven't changed? I rub my face with my hands and just sigh.

"I would say this is a nightmare." 

I cry some more, because I feel so out of control, like I have no agency in my own health care. Everything that has happened over the course of two weeks (which feels like two months, by the way) has involved me being told to do something. Come into the clinic. Go to the Emergency Department. No, you can't go to this hospital, you have to go to this one. Get blood tests. Come back to the clinic. More shots. All of this by people who are very capable, well-trained and smart, yes. But also people who don't even know me. It's a very odd and uncomfortable feeling and all I wanted was someone to recognized how fucked up this entire situation was.

In the end, I agreed, because I thought of my husband and that's what he would want me to do. If he had been in that office with me, he would have been begging me to just agree with the doctors because he just wants me to be okay, and not in the hospital for emergency surgery because an ectopic pregnancy ruptured. I go back to the hospital, because that damn certified nurse requirement for this drug. I wait something like 2 hours for the drug, because apparently they make it when it's ordered. Did I mention I still haven't stopped crying? The nurse promises me she will look into the protocols for this, because she's seen too many women in pain, just waiting. I tell her thank you. I hope she is able to make some sort of difference for the next woman that has to go through this. I finally get the shot, and go home. I had left at 11 that morning, and got home at 4:30.

October 14th - 30th 
More blood tests to see if the second dose makes my hormone levels drop. I know that if they don't drop, it's either a third dose or surgery. Either option sounds miserable. The rebellious side of me plots what I'm going to say if there is no change in my levels. "Sorry, my husband and I have plans on Saturday. We could do Sunday." Turns out, no need for that. The second dose of the drug worked. Meanwhile, I'm also thinking about the half marathon I had planned is coming up that weekend. I know I can't run it, but try to find a way where I might. But even if I could finish, it would be so far off a PR that I decide to drop down to the 10k. I wonder if I can do a 10k, consider the 5k then stubbornly refuse to do that because I paid a damn $85 entry fee and I refuse to pay that much for a 5k. It's already too much for a 10k.

I take the 10K race and turn it into an interval workout. It's hilly, with nearly 5 miles of net climb before a descent. Even on my best day, it's a tough course. It's not my best day. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted, but I do my best. I have to walk some because I pushed too hard, but the downhill finish feels easy and relaxed. At this race, there is a gong you can ring if it's a PR. I tell myself I set a course PR, so I get to ring the gong. The truth is, I don't even really care if I PR'd or not. I finished that damn race and survived the nightmare that was the last 3 weeks and I'm ringing that gong. So, I ring it.

October 31st
The clinic calls. My hormone levels are at zero. I'm officially no longer pregnant. It's a weird call to get. On the one hand, it's over. On the other hand, it's over. My husband is excited cuz that means we can be husband and wife again. I'm not sure how to feel. That weekend, we had planned to tell my family that we were pregnant. I still hadn't told my siblings what had actually been going on. Everyone else seems to be feeling relief that I'm not pregnant, but all I can think is,

"I'm not pregnant anymore."

As the days go on, it gets better. This week is hard, since it's the week we were supposed to be sharing happy news. Instead, I'm writing this post. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, how I want to feel, or even exactly how I really do feel. I have good days and not so good days. In time, there will be more good days than not so good days, and eventually the not so good days will disappear. I'm meditating. I'm getting back on the roads, back to the weights, and back to yoga. And in time, hopefully, there will be another pregnancy with the ending we had originally hoped for. 

September Recap

Total mileage: 76.0

Not as high as I had hoped it would be. Had a few days where I just wasn't feeling great, and I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity, so some days became easy days or running for time days, which always means I lose some mileage. The silver lining is I hit a beautifully round number without even trying!

I'm putting a hold on marathon training. Still planning on doing a half marathon that I signed up for in mid-October, but there's enough flux in life right now that being able to have the mental capacity to do the 16-20 mile runs just isn't there. I'm okay with it. If I'm being honest, I wasn't that excited about the course of the marathon I had chosen and I'd rather put in the effort for something that I think I will thoroughly enjoy. My first marathon (and only so far) was such an amazing experience from start to finish that I can hardly see improving on the entire marathon experience. I had a fantastic one, I know I'm capable of putting up an improved time, and yet I'm okay if I never prove that.

Favorite workout: a 45-min guided Peloton outdoor run, with 13 minutes of warmup, followed by a 8-9-8 minutes at marathon pace, with 3 minute recoveries in between. I did this workout on a hilly section of trail that is near my house and was really pleased with how my splits turned out, given the hills. When I run on these long rolling hills, I aim mostly for an even effort, as opposed to even pace, and that works really well for me. It's also the strategy that I've employed over my last few PR'd races.
Splits: 10:34 (downhill), 11:23 (uphill), 11:13 (uphill)
Marathon goal pace is 10:38

Favorite long run: a 10-miler in which I listened to several episodes of the LA Times' Dirty John podcast. I now understand why everyone was obsessed with it and why they made a mini-series on it. Completely fascinating. I binged the entire podcast in about a day and a half, and had to Google the story before I finished because I just had to know how it worked out. Highly recommended if you haven't listened to it and enjoy Dateline-type stories.
Oh, and the run was fine, too. A bit slower than I would have preferred, but legs and MJ felt good.

In life news, I had a leadership training at home, while my husband got to fly to Amsterdam for a work conference. On the surface, it hardly felt fair until he reminded me that he flew 30 hours round trip for a 36 hour stay. My commute was definitely better.

Photos from the month:

Jeff with Refrigerator Perry the cat

Hotel Mirror selfie while at the leadership training (we had a fancy dinner)

Fall flowers in one of our beautiful wedding gifts

Trying to read more books, rather unsuccessfully, but I also listen to a lot of podcasts, so thought I'd recommend some of my favorites from this month:

If you are a bachelor fan, Here to Make Friends is doing some live shows and recapping the first ever season of The Bachelor. It's hilarious and delightful.
Dirty John, by LA Times
1619, by New York Times Magazine
Clean Sport Collective Podcast
From the Front Row (the 9/25 podcast features me!)


Did you have any favorite runs that had nothing to do with the actual running like I did this month?

August Recap

Total Mileage: 70.92


In July, I tackled a Peloton Digital challenge, where you did a workout using the Peloton App every day. This could be any of their available on-demand classes: spin, running, strength, yoga, stretching or meditation. I managed to eek out a 'W' on this challenge, even though some of the workouts were done at 11:30pm that day. It was fun, but reminded me that being attached to any type of digital workout every single day is just too much for me; I need to be able to do my own thing in my own time. I suppose this is why the Beachbody or Daily Burn programs never worked out for me but I can spend 18 weeks training for a marathon.

*shrug*

Speaking of, I decided to start training for a marathon. Did I mention that already? I can't remember and I'm too lazy to go back and look. I haven't signed up for it yet; I'm testing the waters with a half marathon in October and then we will see where I'm at. In the meantime, I'm enjoying following a hybrid of Peloton's marathon training program (guided outdoor runs and strength sessions) and doing whatever the hell I want. I've also joined a late summer/fall speed session group, which meets on Tuesdays and have been enjoying getting in quality workouts where I "keep myself honest" on speed. I often surprise myself with how hard I am able to push while sustaining a pace. What this means for race days, I'm still not sure yet, but there is time to figure that out.

Favorite workout:
August 27: a speed session workout that included drills, hill repeats, & some light strength before we hit the meat of the workout: a 14 minute 'race simulation' on one of the local HS tracks. The workout was built like so:
1:00 hard/1:00 recover - 1:10 hard/ :50 recover - 1:20 hard/ :40 recover - 1:30 hard/ :30 recover - 1:40 hard/ :20 recover - 1:50 hard/ :10 recover - 2:00 hard
I was tired and told myself I wasn't going to push at 2 mile pace like suggested, but then the workout started, and I ended up with two rabbits. I ended up passing said rabbits a little over halfway through the workout and had one more rabbit, who I passed on the 10 second recovery (talk about the fastest 10 seconds of my life) and then passed me back because I had no rabbit to keep me going fast, LOL. I didn't pay attention to my splits, but was happily surprised with the paces when I looked at them later: 7:50 - 8:08 - 7:54 - 7:51 - 7:55 - 8:33 (when I passed rabbits) - 9:06 (had no rabbit)
I also set a 1 mile PR during the first half of this workout and learned that rabbits are super helpful for keeping my pace honest.

Favorite Long run: 
Oddly enough, the 8 miler where 1) I got lost cuz I missed one of the turns for the group run and 2) got hungry enough that my stomach started grumbling. This was also the run where it started to down pour  a quarter mile before I was back at the finish. In that time I was fully soaked, squishy shoes and all. These moments aside, the run just felt good.

I've started running back to back days on Saturdays and Sundays, which so far MJ has been tolerating. I still have low impact (re: recovery) spin classes I can take on the recovery days I don't feel like running, which I did do once because I just needed to give my knees a break. With my favorite crushed gravel trail out of commission due to the spring flooding along the Missouri River and my favorite local track under construction, I am hitting concrete and pavement much more than I usually do. MJ and my knees are feeling it. Here's hoping I can stretch and strengthen enough to keep them happy.

What was your favorite run in August? 

May In Review

I normally don't do monthly reviews, but May was just such a special month that it deserved it's own highlight.

I entered the month of May with high anticipation, lots of exciting things on the calendar. I was nearing the end of the best half marathon training cycle I'd ever had, and also nearing the end of 10 months of preparation for the biggest event of my life thus far: getting married.

The wedding was probably a really great representation of me & the hubs. There was chaos and stress leading up to it, then a delightful & casual rehearsal dinner, a quiet & simple ceremony (with a few goofy moments) and then a reception that can only be described by the shrugging emoji. I learned that I am a terrible party planner and that I should just hire someone to do something on that scale in the future. <-- Hopefully I'll never have to do that again. So many friends and family helped out and I am forever grateful that they put up with me that weekend.

At rehearsal dinner.

Jeff couldn't attend the ceremony, but he got dressed up, too!

Post-ceremony! Check out more photos here

After the excitement of the wedding weekend, I came back into the office to catch up on emails, and found out I had been selected for a major national honor: the inaugural 40 Under 40 in Public Health list, selected by the de Beaumont Foundation. The list recognizes leaders in public health who are strengthening communities with new ideas, creative problem-solving, and innovative solutions, and I am so proud to be included in this year's list. 

The list of leaders and their accomplishments highlight the kinds of solutions and innovations that will be needed to improve the health of communities across the country. It's a thrill to be included among a group of public health professionals who embody the values to collaboration, creativity, and innovation that are so critical to advancing the field and improving health. 

I had to keep it a secret for a whole week, and when that announcement was finally made, I was able to turn my focus to the Kansas City Corporate Challenge Half Marathon, which I wrote about earlier. I smile thinking about how I smashed my previous PR by 7 minutes and now am hungry to do more, when less than a year ago I was questioning whether I ever wanted to do another half marathon. Funny how a little success after so much struggle can change things. 

All that hard work and it was finally time for my new husband (!!!) and I to go on our honeymoon. We spent a week at El Dorado Royale resort, nestled along the Carribean Sea between Cancun and Tulum, Mexico. This is absolutely a #nonsponsored recommendation, but we had a delightful time, the food was delicious and we felt so rested after that trip. Or, we would have, had we not been flying home the night a mile-wide tornado hit the area, left a shit ton of debris on the airport runway, and caused us to spend from midnight until 4 am in the Wichita airport. A 5AM arrival when you should have gotten home at 10PM the evening before isn't exactly restful. But I digress. Mother nature strikes again.

Night out on our honeymoon

Basically what we did all day.

So, it's July 17. Have three 5k's to write about from June, so expect those in August, haha.

KC Corporate Challenge Half Marathon

I awoke to overcast skies, but not so overcast that I was bothered. After all, the weather had been predicted to be sunny that Saturday with a high of 80 degrees.

It had been a pretty good training cycle. I survived the early winter months with my discovery of Peloton Digital's on-demand treadmill workouts and surprised myself with how much I was able to push the pace. By the time regular outdoor running was bearable for me, my average easy run pace had slipped into the sub-12's, which was a pleasant surprise. I suppose that is what happens when you take classes where standards are generalized and the trainer has no idea of who you are or what you personally think your limitations are. Always aiming to be the perfect student, I often tried to match what the instructors were suggesting, although as I got more comfortable with myself, I would be more humble in some of those runs. In other runs, especially the outdoor ones, I was less humble. Or perhaps I was simply realistic. This is the advantage to being told to run by perceived effort, rather than a specific pace. More often than not, my perceived effort resulted in a faster pace than I would have otherwise set for myself.

I managed two long runs of 10 miles, whereas previously I had only gotten 1 of these in. This was in spite of catching my annual spring cold, and missing nearly an entire week of running due to wedding (!) planning. I've never had a perfect training cycle for any race, but I've never been more pleased with how this one went.

The race was set inside a state park, along trails that I regularly ran when I was marathon training. I was pretty excited to run these trails again, as it's been forever since I've ran them.

Back to race morning. I found myself among the lots and lots of runners who thought arriving in the car around 6:30 would be plenty of time in advance for a 7AM start. So, when I finally parked around 6:50, I had just enough time to connect with a friend who was also running, wait in line for the porta-potty and then head to the start line. By the time 7AM rolled around, it was starting to noticeably sprinkle, and I was wondering how in the heck this race would go.

My friend is considerably faster than me, so we started in our respective pace groups. I found myself falling in step with a group of 3 ladies, one of whom regularly paces half marathons. They were going at a pace that felt comfortable, yet slightly challenging, so I quietly shadowed them and by mile 3 or so, the rain had stopped and I eventually joined their conversation. As each mile ticked off, I checked my watch, pleasantly surprised at how good the reported pace felt. The course was rolling hills and the group was running by feel, not by pace, and I enjoyed this approach, keeping an even effort.

Mile 1 - 10:40, Mile 2 - 10:53, Mile 3 - 11:08, Mile 4 - 11:38

The next few miles were one of the tougher sections of the course - with some nasty hills. Hills are the one thing I'm good at though, so while the ladies slowed to a power walk (even effort), I stubbornly bounced up the hill, considering that this may bite me in the ass later. I also figured this meant that eventually, the ladies would catch up with me again.

Mile 5 - 11:37, Mile 6 - 11:22, Mile 7 - 11:43

Now, I have to say, the nice thing about corporate challenge races is companies get points both for having participants and for having spirit squads. So, during what may have been a very lonely race, it was filled with people who were cheering and encouraging you on, and that really makes a difference.

By Mile 8 or so, the ladies had caught up with me again, and we enjoyed the downhill after all the climbing. I was really enjoying the race, chatting with people I didn't know about anything and everything. By mile 9, it was just me & the pacer (who's name I wish I could remember), as the hills had caught up with others. It was also around this time that I started to recognize that, if I keep this up, I will get a massive PR.

Mile 8 - 11:03, Mile 9 - 11:06, Mile 10 - 11:10

As the race continued, we encountered the gradual uphill that had been our initial downhill. In running, what goes down must go back up, and we were paying for those nice, easy miles at the start. My quads were protesting, my hammies asking me 'WTF?' and I was thankful for my new running buddy who was encouraging me to keep my head in the game. About this time, the forecasted rain made its appearance - in full force. We are talking soaked to the bone, water dripping off your elbows and race hat, rain. But, we pushed onward (and upward), climbing to the finish and encouraging other to give it a solid run (neither of us were down for much more) into the finish

Mile 11 - 11:03, Mile 12 - 11:41, Mile 13 - 11:26

I stopped my watch, looked down and was instantly happy: 2:26:34. A 5 minute improvement on my unofficial PR and a 7 minute smashing on my official PR.

After the race, while it was continuing to rain harder and harder, I stretched and guzzled chocolate milk & water under one of the parks' shelters. When it became evident the rain would not let up any time soon, I slowly started walking to my car. Thanks to the hard work of Mythbusters, I knew it would be pointless to try running to the car, as I would get just as wet. I had brought a clean shirt to change into, but recognizing just how wet I was, I simply took my race shirt off in addition to my sopping socks and shoes, and placed my windshield sunguard on my seat, and drove home half dressed. <-- probably an unnecessary detail, but it's important for me that you know that I was so drenched that I didn't want to keep the wet shirt on or put on a dry shirt. *shrug*

Wish I had photos, but sadly, there are none.