It hardly seems like it
can be over already! I’ve
anticipated the Inaugural Portland Rock N Roll Half Marathon for over a year –
and it’s OVER. Oh, and I ROCKED! J
Let’s get the “numbers”
out of the way first. My goal-goal
was to finish before the four-hour cutoff. I knew, with much certainty, that I’d finish before the
pooper-scoopers picked me up, as the four-hour time limit didn’t start until
the last corral (#24) had started, as I was in #20…so that bought me a few
minutes. But, I wanted to know that
I’d really beaten the four-hour mark.
I thought I’d finish around
3:45…but actually crossed the finish line with a chip-time of 3:35:45, for a
per mile time of 6:29. I was super
pleased! (Someone commented if I hadn’t
stopped three times to use the facilities, I’d have made 3:30…but I’m not sure
– I doubt I was in there two minutes each time!)
(For those offended by
Potty Talk – you might want to stop here…there will be gas/poo/and bras
discussed at some point!)
Nutrition Plan
So, Coach Lea asked me
last week – what is your race day plan?
I admitted that I was just planning to finish…but it did drive me to
think about my “real” plan. The
biggest plan was NO G.I. DISTRESS (a.k.a. stomach pains & poo)! (I warned
you!) For any athlete, G.I.
distress can be an issue, if you change up your diet in the week before the
race – especially in the nutritional supplement department. I believe it can be even worse for a
WLS patient – with our “unique” food restrictions. So, last week, I was particularly prudent to stick to the
meal plan Lea had written for me (I usually do ~90% - but this week I was
spot-on!), and to make sure that I had a plan for race day.
The plan was this:
carry my 40oz hydration pack with 4 dissolved NUUN tablets (my electrolyte of
choice), and drink water at the aid stations – whether I felt I needed it, or
not. No Gatorade (the offered
electrolyte), as I hadn’t “practiced” with it. (No biggie –it was only lemon-lime – and I hate it!) I ran out of NUUN right before the last
aid station, and had one more chug of water…which worked out great. (Need to have a plan for longer races,
though – either a larger hydration pack, or a “refill.”)
Food-wise, (this was
NOT Lea’s plan) I had a frozen banana with peanut butter early in the morning,
a soy latte on the way to the race, and some trail mix while waiting in the
corral to start. My during-race
plan was having a gel every 45 minutes. I like GU peanut butter (the ones
handed out at the race expo!) and GU Mandarin Orange – as well as Chocolate #9
(agave energy gel). Having this
many gels in a row was new for me, and I was a bit concerned about a rumbly
tummy, but I had them as planned, and except for a little gas between mile 7
& 10, seemed to have no issues.
(On longer training runs, I use gels & trail mix, and sometimes ½ of a p.b. sandwich on Dave’s Killer Bread.)
One thing that I need
to work on is my post-race plan. I
really hate chocolate milk, which is the post-race beverage of choice for most
folks. (Though I didn’t see
any here…but that may be because of my delirium – more on that later.) In fact, I am pretty picky about my
protein shakes in general. The
only protein drink I’ve really found that I Like-Like is Jay Robb Tropical
Dreamsicle Whey Protein powder mixed with soy milk. I’m going to have to learn to carry it along – even if I
have to mix it with water.
Post-race, I just had half a bagel & another jug of water…though
they did pass out these really neat little boxes (looks like airplane snack
food) with pita chips, hummus, trail mix, and a little piece of dark
chocolate.
Race Execution
I did have a plan, too,
for HOW I was going to do this race. If you’ve been following me long, you know
that I’m still a wanna-be in the “run” department – though I’ve made great progress
the past couple of months. My plan
was to WALK – JUST WALK – the first half.
I knew that most of the up-hills were in the first half, and that a
group of friends would be at mile 7.
My plan was to walk until then, and see how I felt. If I wasn’t having any wonky knee or
foot pain, I’d try running on the down-hills and – more than anything else – I
wanted to run the last mile. I
wanted RUNNING PHOTOS.
And, that’s exactly
what happened! J
There were a couple of down-hills that looked steep, and slippery with
the rain – so I walked those. But,
on the longer, gentler slopes, I ran.
I think, all told, I ran 2.5-3 miles. I am very happy with that.
Being in the Moment
One thing I’ve
struggled with in this process is enjoying the journey. A planner, by nature, I want to figure
out how to get to the end goal – but along the way, I often miss the fun pieces
of the process. Only after the
fact, do I realize that the let-down is that the process/journey is over. So, I made a conscious effort to take
note of things I enjoyed about this day, and things that might not have been so
enjoyable – but still got noticed.
This was a huge step for me.
Here are things I can think of off the top of my head:
*One of my WLS sisters
(Sarah) came from out of town to spend the weekend with me & do this
race. It wasn’t her first ½, but she was as excited as I was.
*First thing, I was
able to hook up with a bunch of girls I’d met online (Running Chicks in PDX),
most of whom I hadn’t met before.
One thing I did was put a sign on my back “I’m a Chick – Chanda,” and
when other Chicks passed me, they said, “Hello.” It meant the world to me! (Sarah commented on the fact that some might think I was
advertising I wasn’t a “dude.” LOL!)
*On my way to my
starting corral, I ran into Iron Man Mike (I knew he was there, but hadn’t
figured on being able to hook up).
We had a hug and photo, and were on our way. Just minutes later, I happened across an acquaintance who is
also an Iron Man. He was
encouraging, too!
*As we crossed the
Hawthorne Bridge, I noticed a young gal carrying a baby! I chatted with her – it was her first ½ - and her baby is only THREE WEEKS OLD. It was, obviously, her baby’s first,
too! J I
wished her luck, and kept going.
*I had a gal come up
behind me and say, “Chanda? Like,
Enell Chanda?” LOL! I believe I discussed last year the
importance of good “support” – especially when running – and she’d seen me (my
post, not my “girls”) on the Enell bras FB page, saying that I was doing the
RnR this weekend. She was an Enell
Sister! Thank you, Kelly Mooney,
for making the effort to say HI (and share your SUPPORT – LOL!) as you passed
me. (I tried to catch you the rest
of the race!)
*The bands were
great! The second band was a group
of young boys – not even teenagers – that were just the cutest thing! There were all sorts of bands – all
genres – but, my favorite one was at the last aid-station – a country-ish
band. They were singing Sawyer
Brown’s “The Race is On,” as I passed by – and got READY TO RUN the last mile.
*At mile 7, a group of
non-racing Chicks were there to encourage us & feed those who wanted
pretzels, gummy bears, and M&Ms.
(I refrained, though the pretzels looked appealing.) I stopped to thank them for being there
–and use their chair while removing the rock I’d picked up in my shoe along the
way. Thanks to Rose & Shelly
(& the others)!!!
*As we were mostly
running in residential areas, there were lots of homes with folks out cheering
us on. One lady was even handing
out Mimosas! (Not part of the
nutrition plan – and I did NOT partake!)
*There were several
medical tents along the way, people stopping for minor (I hope) aches and
pains. I did feel a toe that was a
little “hot” – but it wasn’t painful, so I never stopped. (It did end up being a blister, I found
when I got home.) At Mile 10, the
med tent was FULL…I’m hoping that it was just minor stuff, but one lady was
laid out – looking not too good. I
am thankful to not have had to utilize their services!
*I did notice along the
way that I was having a couple of the “issues” I’ve discovered in training –
particularly hunched back & shoulders & bloating in my fingers. (I’d remembered NOT to wear my rings.) I worked at making sure to put my hands
up over my head at times & to do some arm swings & circles. It all seemed to help!
*There were folks of
all shapes, sizes, ages & abilities in this race…and at all STAGES of the
race. Larger folks who ran the
whole thing, “fit-looking” folks who came in right before the pick-up wagon
(and at the medical tents), and folks racing in the wheelchair division. It just goes to show that “fit” is not
a size, age, or personality. I
need to keep being reminded of that.
An active lifestyle is just that – a lifestyle, not a demographic.
*We had rain on and
off, but it was a warm day. When
out doing a recovery-ish walk today (Tuesday), I realized why it rained. This
was the kick-off event for the Portland Rose Festival…and it ALWAYS rains
during Rose Festival! J
Post-Race
So, as I finished the
race, they took our photos. I look
like I felt – spent & elated.
There were LIMITED tears J I’m just so grateful to have had this
opportunity – a new life.
I scheduled Monday off
of work, and boy am I glad I did.
I wasn’t terribly sore, as I’d had a great session with my trusty foam
roller on Sunday afternoon. But, I
was dehydrated & delirious. In
fact, from the time I came through the finish chute, I just couldn’t seem to
focus, and Monday was much the same.
I spent the day resting…realizing I’d had 35,000 steps on Sunday and
only 1,500 on Monday! I slept,
drank water, ate, hung out with Sarah, and slept some more.
Today, I returned to
work, life, and workouts – realizing that my first duathlon is only DAYS
away! Tonight is my recovery
massage…and then I’m back to real-life.
I’m not only planning
my future – but I’m ROCKIN’ MY FIT DREAMS!
