RnR Seattle 2009

Well friends, here we are at the end of another race! A few weeks ago, mom, dad, Sean and I headed to Seattle for the 2009 Inaugural Rock and Roll Marathon. It was an awesome trip, which will get it's own post, but right now we'll get down to the important part, the race!!

37000 runners. 13.1 (or 26.2) miles. 2 major hills. A million slightly less major hills.
3 awesome people cheering me on. 2 ice packs for 2 swollen knees. One medal!

We started out the race weekend at the Health and Fitness Expo, held at the Qwest Center in downtown Seattle, which is also the finish line:

Talk about a HUGE expo!!! Loved it though, going through all the merchandise and all the race info was so much fun! It's always so motivating to go to those!!

After a fabulous night in Seattle (that's another post... someday!) and scouting parking spots for the next day it was off to bed so we could get up SUPER early for the race.

Here is my fabulous cheering squad!!! And thanks for the rockin poster Dad!!


Before the race:

This was the biggest race EVER, and getting 37000 people ready for a race of this size seems SO crazy, but the Rock and Roll Franchise did an amazing job! You never felt like it was that big and they handled everything excellently! There was a "wave start," meaning that you lined up in corrals based on your estimated finish time, and each corral waited their turn to start. It must have taken an hour for everyone to start, but it was still great!! Here they are waiting for me:

And we're off!!!

with my new race friend Jared...

ready for a chat break!!

I'm so attractive when I chat!

Love him!!

Finally eying the finish line!!

Done!!!

Here's the recovery area (my favorite part!!)

This race was brutal and really took a lot out of me. Tons of hills, a mile and a half in a freeway tunnel, not enough hill training, it all added up to a pretty miserable experience and there were definitely times I wanted to quit. But I made it through the heat and the tears and the sweat and the blisters for this:

idea for photo stolen from the super talented Marianne Walker

Thank you so much to my parents and Sean for continuing to travel around and cheering me on no matter what!! I love you guys and definitely would not have finished without you (and the thought of that finishers shirt I bought the day before!). You guys are the best!!!

Eugene Marathon 2009

Well, here I am, a few weeks later, finally getting around to posting about the marathon. Sorry it's taken so long, things have been crazy and overwhelming in the Nack house as of late. Hopefully things will be slowing down soon and we'll be back to our usual happy selves. :)

The marathon (half, but whatever) didn't go as well as I would like. It started out great, a little rainy, which I think is great cause it cools me off, and tons of people cheering us on. I made great time my first 6 miles or so and was right on track of making my goal time.

Around mile 10, I pulled a muscle in my right thigh, which was extremely painful. This is the leg that usually gives me trouble, but not that muscle. At that point, it was walking time. Walking time makes me sad :( But it was good because I got to spend some time with my crazy/wonderful boss who ran it even with pnuemonia!! I did finish, and I'm really proud of how the first half of the race went, so we're just gonna take the happiness from the first part and roll with it into our next race:

Here are some pictures for your general enjoyment:

Before the race

Mile 2 or 3 maybe...

Water please! Mile 8

Looking like I'm dying at the finish!!

After the race :) Thanks for the flowers Mom and Dad!!

I'll try and be better about posting, and keeping you updated on my training for Seattle, but that's all for now!!

Updates and changes...

So I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything about running, and that's cause lots, and yet not a lot, has been happening. As we all know, training got interrupted for a while thanks to sickness and such... well, the cruise definitely didn't help that. I was able to get one good long run in before we left, and planned on running while on the boat. Well, sea sickness, a tiny gym with 3 treadmills for 1600 people, and a flooded running track (yep, flooded. storms are awesome) all combined to make for lousy running conditions. In fact, no running occurred while aboard "The Awkward Ship," which did not make me a happy Stephi.

SO. Fast forward to a week or so ago, April 4th. My first time back with the running group in 6 weeks, an anticipated run of 9 miles, and the hopes of running the full still in my head. I got there early to check in with my coach Jill, and we talked about how I still wanted to go a few more weeks before deciding that the full was the way to go, or dropping down to the half. Last year, you had until the day before the race to make up your mind, so I knew that I had a while. Off on my run I went, and it was grand. Great weather, good pace, strong legs, I was feeling great. I got to the 2 mile check in point, and Jill says to me "Um, so I just learned something." She had been talking to our other coach about me waiting a few more weeks to decide if I was going to stay with the full or drop down, and she let Jill know that the Marathon committee had decided that the deadline for people switching races was April 10th. Um, wait one second. That was FRIDAY. A full week before my endurance testing, goal crystalizing, ability confirming 22 mile run. How was I going to make an informed decision? I was devastated. I knew (know) that I have the ability to finish a full marathon, but after the gap in training, was I going to finish in a way I was proud of? Can you be proud of a marathon if you walk a large part of it because your body isn't ready? Would I be proud of my finish if I barely made it? My stubbornness would take me across the finish line, I knew that, but would my heart be in it?

With those questions and the sudden loss of a weekof confidence building running weighting on my mind I quickly lost all the awesomeness my run had possessed. I just wanted to go home and cry. I did cry a bit on those trails, not sure what to do. I walked another mile, gave up on the run completely, and turned around, resigned to running the half and being heartbroken about it.

I got back to where Jill was waiting, and she was surprised to see me so quickly. I told her my decision, and she thought it was the right thing to do. She knew how hard it was for me, and she knew I could have done it, but she wanted me to be proud of myself, and she knew I wouldn't be if my finish at the marathon was mediocre, or worse. Instead, she gave me a plan.

So ladies and gentleman, bloggy friends and family, here it is:

I am going to run the Eugene Half Marathon. I am going to run it well, because I will be more prepared, and am able to more easily train for a race of that length. I will enjoy my experience, instead of dreading it, because I know where I stand, I know what I can do, and I will easily be able to measure myself against my performance last year. And when all that is said and done, the race ran, the celebration celebrated, I will continue on, to this:


The Inaugural Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in Seattle, June 27th. I have registered, hotels are booked, I AM IN. We have made the Half Marathon simply a stepping stone on a path to still achieving my goal, albeit in a different setting, but it's a Full, it's the Rock N Roll, and I am excited! So keep an eye out for our newest graphic addition, as I update you on my progress, and finally become a marathoner!

Weeks 8-11

Have sucked. As we all know, I got completely knocked on my rear by the evil sickness trifecta: Bronchitis, Tonsillitis, and a sinus infection. My "run" for Week 8 turned into a 45 minute walk that mostly involved me trying to not be sick on the side of the road. I should have known then that something terrible was looming in my future, but alas, I tried to continue on. All that week I felt sick, but the doctor (and myself) only thought I had an ear infection. Still, they told me not to run as long as I had a fever, so I missed my 15 mile run for Week 9. Two days later I was back in the doctors office because I could barely talk, couldn't sleep, and was all around miserable. This time it was all business: bed rest, antibiotics, and NO RUNNING as long as I had a fever and cough (turns out being in the freezing cold all the time is bad for bronchitis). Therefore, the 10 miles for Week 10 DIDN'T happen. Last week I started feeling better, and actually got some training runs in during the week. The highlight came on Thursday, when I had had a terrible day at work and so I took to the trails of the Amazon Pathway and the South Eugene track. The blue sky, sun (SUN!!), and gentle breeze took over my grumpy spirit and I cranked up my iPod, lay down on a park bench, and rocked out to Journey, while mentally pretending I was in an 80s rock video a la Aerosmith... awesome day :) I was really looking forward to my 14-17 miles on Saturday (even though I was slated to run a 4 mile hill loop that is infamous around here. Eugenians: Spyglass. Enough said). However, due to having a full schedule Friday night after work, I never remembered to take my phone off of silent, and so when my alarm went of Saturday morning, I slept right through it. For HOURS. And there went Week 11......

I am feeling good again this week and hope to keep up my training schedule all week long. We leave on the cruise Saturday, so I'm hoping to get my long run in Friday morning and if I have time I'll post before I leave. Yay for getting to run again!

Week 7

also known as "back, by Jessica's request :)"

Week 7 might have made me a bad friend. I've been sick, not training all that consistently, and my partner Theresa has been in the same boat. Yet Saturday was the day that I decided "screw ability, I'm gonna run with the full marathoners!" You know what that means? Get up at 53o in the morning, brave the rain/snow mix, and go 13 miles. Yep. We basically did a half marathon yesterday, and I may have killed Theresa in the process. She has a knee issue, and it DID NOT like 13 miles. Not at all. We ended up walking a lot, she was having sharp pains the whole time. It took FOREVER. But we did the full 13, though there were many threats of calling various people for rides and miles 8-10 were filled with a completely random and entertaining case of the giggles on Theresa's part. I think it was her brain shutting down from the pain. It was awesome, and we were kinda crazy. Those miles were done on campus, and it's quite possible that passerby thought we were just returning home from a LONG Friday night!

I took this week as a challenge, a review point in my training. Can I make it? If I make it, how will I feel? It was the determining factor between 13.1 and 26.2 on May 3rd. And you know what? I feel good. Really really good. I did not feel good at mile 12. I wanted to die. I wanted to sit down and never get up again. But within an hour or two of being home, I felt like a normal, though sore, person. I remember how I felt after my first half marathon, and I hobbled around for 3 days after. I wore heels to dinner last night, that's how good I felt. And what that tells me, is that I can do this. If I am CONSISTENT in my training, get my miles in, and stay focused, I really think I can do it. It may not be pretty, and it WON'T be fast, but I think I can do it. My recovery time was literally hours. That tells me I could have gone harder, longer, faster. I sound like my husband, but it's true... I think I can do this.

Theresa is gonna kill me.

Week 6

Week 6 definitely didn't go as planned, but it was good in its own right. I was supposed to have a 12 mile run, followed immediately by a 3 hour drive to Medford. Run + car - time to stretch = Stephanie hobbling around like a crazy person. I was NOT looking forward to it. Turns out, it wasn't an issue. My running partner sent me a text around 5 that morning letting me know she couldn't make it, and I wasn't going to head out at 6 in the morning to go run 12 miles through a park full of questionable people by myself in the dark. No thanks. Instead I ended up meeting up with the rest of the training group (Theresa and I start earlier since everyone is faster) and doing the 6 mile run with some girls doing the half marathon. It was a really great run, we did some good strides (sprint) workouts, and I got to know them better. AND I was totally fine to go sit in the car without my muscles seizing. Hoorah! All in all, a good training day!
Tomorrow I start my goal of training twice a day, one small run in the mornings and then a regular training run after work. Hopefully that'll help me get a few more miles in during the week.

13 miles this weekend... Happy Valentine's Day to me?

Week 5

For those of you who are wondering how Week 5 went, it didn't. Steph = sick. Boo. I'm not very good at being sick, or taking the time to really rest and allow myself to get over something. So I've been trying to still run in the freezing temperatures, while working and doing all my regular stuff, none of which is conducive to GETTING BETTER.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, having Grace and Randy in town (pics to come!) was a helpful catalyst in the decision to stay home, but really, it's probably what I needed. A day to lounge around, stay warm, rest, sleep (unless we're playing Carcassone till 3 in the morning!) and recharge my batteries, so I can hit the pavement fresh and ready to go on Monday. And honestly, I've felt like garbage all day today, so I don't even feel guilty. Maybe I should, but my alternating chills and fever are talking me out of it.

Week 4

It is Week 4, right? This week was long, and hard, and the days all seem to blur together... I had a really bad week of training (read: none, 10 hour work days and being sick will do that to you), and boy did it show yesterday. Theresa and I both played the "should I pretend I slept through my alarm?" game, but toughed it out and showed up, dark and early at 630. That was the high point of our morning (that and my fantastic new shoes). She had an abundance of knee pain, I just felt groggy and sluggish, and the course was one of our least favorites. We made it through just under 6 miles, it took forever, and there was very little actual running done. Gross.
On the up side, I know everyone has bad days (weeks?), and it just makes me want to train harder this week. About 5 miles into our misery yesterday I decided I am definitely going to register to run the Full Marathon. I've been debating it, and been running more of a half marathon training schedule, but somewhere in the awfulness of yesterday I decided I could do it. Not sure where THAT inspiration came from, but none the less, next week I will write a $75 dollar check, and become Stephanie Nack, Full Marathon participant. Gross. But awesome :)

Week 3

Week 3 went SO well!!! Theresa and I had a 10 minute conversation last night over text about HOW BADLY we did not want to run this morning. For those of you who are residing outside of our lovely Willamette Valley, the fog hasn't lifted in 5 days, the temperatures haven't been over 40, and that. just. sucks. But we got up, and we did it!! We went farther, walked less, and got done faster, than we ever have! And that was along the river, in 25 degree weather!!! I'm really proud of how well we did today, especially after a poor week of training!

And now, it's the beginning of a 4 day weekend, and the husband and I are off to have some fun, do some shopping, and cross something else off the list :) Have a great weekend, see you soon!

Week 2

Our week 2 training session went a lot better this week (though the thought of "You paid for this, you have to go" was the only thing that got me out of bed and into the sub freezing morning). We started off intending to run intervals (run x number of minutes, walk y number of minutes, repeat) and though there was more walking than we would have liked, there was less walking than last week and we were able to add another mile. Hoorah!
The best thing about it is that I don't feel like I want to die this week, which is a DEFINITE plus. I'm only a little sore, and have felt pretty energized throughout the day. In fact, I kinda wish I hadn't taken that nap I just woke up from, I'm afraid I'll be sluggish from here on out.
I was pretty good about keeping to my training schedule last week, I ran two days and cross trained one, not counting today. There should have been another running day, but like everything else, that got side tracked by our broken plumbing (more on that later). This week should be good, so I'm really hopeful about next week's run!

All in all, it's a great day to be a runner! Thanks Jill :)

1 down, 17 to go

Yesterday was the first day of my marathon training group. It's held through the Eugene Running Company, and it may be just the thing to hold me accountable. Why, you ask?

-Theresa is doing it with me, and I can't make her get up at 7 on a Saturday, and then not show up
-A few of my lovely co-workers are also in it, and I don't want to come up with reasons on Monday about why I wasn't there
-I paid good money for it, and that'll make me feel bad...
-I have to do my daily training runs, so I don't look ridiculous on Saturdays with a group of 50+ marathoners....

That being said, it was brutal. It was as though I had never done a serious run before. Wake up late? Check. Didn't put your running clothes out the night before, so you can't find your pants in the dark? Check. Didn't wake up early enough to properly hydrate and eat something? Check. Think it won't be that cold out and wear short sleeves, then run a few miles in the falling snow? Check. Get lost on the relatively easily defined course? Check. Still ache and have trouble walking 33 hours after going only 5 miles? Check.

There are 17 weeks between me and the marathon... 26.2 miles.... still not sure that's gonna happen... the half will happen, I guarantee it. But 26.2? That's a lot....

Run Stephanie, Run!

As you can see, I have a sign that says that. Those pirates are holding it. My parents made it for me at the last race I ran, the SeaFaire Half Marathon in Bellevue back in June. Three of my fabulous co-workers ran it too, and you can see that they also all have signs, although that pirate is really proud of himself for holding Pants's sign upside down. Whatever, silly pirate.

I was injured in that race, pulled/tore a groin muscle, and even though I finished (4 hours, tons of tears, and one almost give up later) I haven't been able to run since. That race means a lot to me, for a lot of different reasons. It was my second half marathon, one sponsored by my company and attended by me and my friends (and wonderful parents). It was a grand weekend, we had a great time. I felt a little more like a "runner," I had done the routine before: the large meal Saturday night, bringing carb loaded snacks with me on the route, setting up viewpoints for my "fans," etc... we all thought we were prepared.

What that race taught me was to prepare for anything, because running is just that kind of sport. It was the most poorly organized race I have ever seen (and having seen 3, I am a bonafide expert!). It was 90 degrees by the time we finished, at least a 3rd of the course was on open asphault, there were San Francisco sized hills no one knew about, no shade, they started late, they ran out of water, etc. I know they had no control over the weather, but when you know the day before that it's gonna be that hot, and there's a Safeway next to the finish line, GO BUY SOME WATER! If it weren't for the kind people who stood for hours in their front lawns, spraying us with their hoses and in many cases bringing out glasses and fruit for us, I think we all would have had heat stroke. If it hadn't been for my dad, who came to see me at mile 8, saw that I was injured (thanks a lot super crazy hill at mile 7), and walked the rest of the 5.1 miles with me, I wouldn't have finished at all. He helped me all the way through, offered to take me back to the hotel when I decided to quit at mile 12, and then walked the rest of the way with me when I realized the hotel and the finish line were an equal distance away, and I might as well finish the stupid thing. And so thanks to him, I did finish, even though they ran out of medals, and I didn't get one until about a month ago (they didn't "anticipate" so many people running... HELLO! People register for this thing!). But I did.

Two weeks later Dad and I tried to run the Coburg "Run in the Country" half marathon, but I only made it a block before I had to walk. 5 miles in, we quit. I was ok with that. And I haven't ran since. No Butte to Butte, no Portland Marathon. Until September, I wasn't able to walk more than 6 blocks without limping. Boston was the real test, and I made it through 4 days of hill walking with no problem.

That leads me to here. The Eugene Marathon is in May. I want to run. I ran the half this year, and I can't help but want to do it again. I loved it. It was emotional, and exciting, and hard, and mostly fun! Sean's friend Teresa and I have been talking about running a lot, she lives in San Diego and I want to go down there and run one with her. Sean has said he will get up and go with me, to help motivate me out of bed in the morning. My other fantastic Theresa (who is getting married to the fabulous Michael Mason next August) wants to train with me to help get into wedding shape. So now we will train. I will get up before sunrise, put on my shoes, and go. I am really excited, but really apprehensive. I know how much work this is, and yet have no idea how hard a full 26.2 is going to be. I'm excited for that feeling again, I'm not excited for cold mornings, running for hours on a Saturday, and not sleeping in. But I really want to do it, and that's why I'm telling you all about it. As I told my husband, apparently putting things on the internet makes me feel more accountable, because everyone will know, and wonder, and I don't want to have to explain to the whole giant internet why I wussed out.

So we'll see how it goes. I'll update you, to keep me honest, and I. will. run!