2018 has been quite an adventure for me in terms of racing and running. I completed two half marathons, three marathons, and my first Ultra Marathon (a trail 50K). It was my first time ever doing that many marathons in a year and it came after a 1.5 year hiatus from racing. Near the end of 2017, when I was eagerly anticipating my return to racing, I tried to find a way to balance challenging myself with taking care of myself. I am a competitive person and I love to set goals for myself, but many of my goals over the past few years had centered around numbers: goal weights, goal times, goal places, qualifying times, calories, etc. My unhealthy fixation on these numbers was affecting my health and stealing my joy.
I decided that I would set a short-term goal and a long-term goal. My short-term goal was to ease myself back into training and racing, with a very basic training plan and no major goals aside from completing each race. My long-term goal is to run a marathon in all 50 states. Prior to this year, I had run four marathons in three states. With 2018 coming to a close, I have now completed seven marathons in six states. This year, I tackled Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois. I have also done Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. So far, next year will feature Nevadaand Ohio (likely Michigan as well).
There have been challenges and setbacks throughout this year. I suffered a mild strain in my groin (something I had experienced before) prior to the Eau Claire Half in May, but luckily taking 6 days off from running took care of it. I also experienced dehydration and muscle cramping during the Run 4 Troops marathon and the Madison Mini Marathon, leading me to wonder if my body just couldn’t handle endurance races anymore. After talking to my coach and other running friends, I decided to try Salt Stick chews and Hammer Endurolytes for future races and long training runs. These things have helped immensely. In addition to these physical challenges, I also started a new job as a part-time school counselor (my first permanent position as opposed to a Long-term Substitute assignment) and lost my Father-in-Law to cancer.
The physical and mental stress of these setbacks caused me to doubt myself and my abilities at times. Do I still have it in me to run fast? Can I handle this many races? What if I lose my motivation without a more specific goal? Luckily, I have many positive and supportive people in my life who have encouraged me and kept me going throughout the roller coaster of this year. It has been fun to research races in other states and to experience everything from a race of 31 people to a race of 45,000 people. There were road races, crushed limestone trails, and single track mud and dirt trails, and I was fortunate enough to experience the energy and excitement of a major marathon as well as the quiet solitude of a smaller race in the woods.
The Chicago Marathon was an experience I won’t forget and I would love to run it again some day. Perhaps I will have to adjust my 50 states goal to “run a marathon in all 50 states” rather than “complete a marathon in all 50 states by the time I turn 50.” There were people from 131 countries and all 50 states. I saw a man from China who was running the race barefoot! Others I talked to saw a woman running while juggling and people running in costumes, like a Wonder Woman outfit (I mean, like just the metal bodice, no sports bra!), a giant Pineapple, and someone dressed like Jesus. There were spectators lining the entire course and the volunteers were so encouraging. I soaked in all the positive energy I could and had my best marathon of the year in Chicago, running a 3:29:18. It was not a PR for me, but considering how the rest of the year had gone and how relaxed and strong I felt, I was very happy with the result.
Three weeks after running Chicago (and 6 after completing the Beyond the Beach Marathon in Indiana), my family and I traveled to La Crosse, Wisconsin for the Hixon 50K. I had trained on trails for several long runs and multiple 4-6 mile recovery runs, but this would be my first ultra on a hilly course with many switchbacks, so I was nervous. The difference between 26.2 and 31 miles may not seem like much to an unseasoned runner, but I have done enough marathons and other races to know that a lot can happen in 5 miles. What feels like the blink of an eye one day can feel like eternity the next. You never know what the race conditions will be or what your mind and body will feel like on race day. October 28th just happened to be a cold, rainy day. This meant that the dirt trails on the 25K loop became quite muddy and slippery as the day progressed. I walked more than I wanted to during the second half of the race because I simply could not find my footing on many of the hills and did not want to injure myself or do a face plant in the mud.
I carried a lot of water and fuel with me in my hydration vest, so I made it through the first 25K without needing to stop for food at the aid stations, but I stopped at each one during the second loop. I discovered two things I really like about trail ultras during this race: the runners and volunteers are great and the feeling of community is even stronger than what you find at a road race, and the food is OUTSTANDING. I mean, most marathons I’ve done have nothing more than bananas, oranges, and energy gels, maybe some M & Ms and or jelly beans near mile 20. This race had PB sandwiches, pickles, pretzels, Swedish Fish, homemade cookies, etc. I ate a lot more food than I typically do during a race, but thankfully I am at a point in my eating disorder journey where I was able to drown out the ED voice and give my body what it needed. I finished the race in 6:13:25, which still blows my mind. As a Middle Distance runner who always preferred track over cross-country, I never imagined I could or would run for that length of time, but I DID IT! The course was beautiful and I will definitely return to Hixon at some point. My favorite part of the course was a brief section of Birch trees where I felt like I was somewhere else for a moment. It made me think of preseason cross-country at Lawrence University, where we traveled to the school’s lodge in Door County, called Bjorklunden, which means “Birch Grove at the Lake.” I have many happy memories in Door County and it is a place where I can feel such wonderful peace. 2018 has been amazing and I cannot wait to see what 2019 has in store.
Redefined Runner 