Grandma's Marathon Race Recap

Disclaimer:  I ran Grandma's Marathon as a BibRave Pro, which means my entry fee was covered for me. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!  

How do I even start to write about Grandma's Marathon?!

Let me first tell you how it ends.  I ran a 2:59:50.

Sub 3.

Dream goal of 2018...achieved.

Ok.  Now that that is out of the way, I'll tell you the long story.  Well, what I remember of it anyways because quite honestly, I don't remember a lot about the last 3-4 miles of the race.

Thursday Afternoon
We left for Duluth Thursday after work so that we could break up the driving a bit.  My husband and two kids were coming with me and if anyone has taken car trips with young kids, you know they can be brutal.  Duluth is about six hours away from our house.  We stopped for dinner at Buffalo Phil's train restaurant in Wisconsin Dells and I had a philly cheesesteak that did not agree with my stomach.  We stopped for the night in Chippewa Falls, WI which was our goal.  We promised the kids a swim when we got there and we were in bed by 10 PM, which is way later than my usual bedtime and I was little freaking out about that.

Friday
We were awake by 7 AM on Friday and slept well.  We headed down for breakfast where I stuffed more carbs in my face and then went to do my 3 mile shakeout run while my husband took the kids swimming.  We were truly in the middle of nowhere so I ran around the parking lot and on two small roads along cornfields in loops until I got 3 miles in.  My legs felt good and springy.

I got back to the hotel and we showered, packed up and resumed driving.  We arrived in Duluth around noon on Friday and went to our hotel.  The hotel staff were all wearing green Grandma's Marathon t-shirts which made me very excited.  They clearly had worked the marathon before and had organized everything around the marathon.  Extra snacks, earlier breakfast, shuttles to the the start, allowing you to say when housekeeping could clean your room...these were all some of the benefits.  Our room was not ready yet but they said they would call so we made the decision to go to the Expo.

The Expo was crowded, but my kids got plenty of free samples and I got my packet.  I really wanted to be at the talk with Carrie Tollefson and Kara Goucher but I also did not want to deal with taking my family back to the expo with me later in the day.  My husband said we had to eat at Grandma's restaurant so we went there for lunch.  I had a chicken pot pie that was yummy.

After lunch we opted to go to the Duluth Children's Museum which was great because it was pouring rain (it rained most of Friday), the kids could run around and I didn't have to be on my feet.

We went to the Oiselle-organized dinner at 5 PM at Va Benne Cafe.  Oiselle did a great job having a bunch of activities for runners during marathon weekend.  I probably would have gone to many more of the activities if I hadn't had my family with me so I was glad we were able to go to the dinner.  They had yummy pasta.  I spent most of dinner trying to keep my kids entertained but chatted a bit with some other Volee.  We ditched out early though because the kids were super antsy by the time dinner came.  There was a cute ice cream shoppe near the restaurant that we went to afterwards and then we did a walk along the lake, even climbing down to test the waters of Lake Superior.

Everyone was good and tired by then so we headed back to our hotel.  I organized my stuff for the next morning (race morning).  The weather forecast all week was showing thunderstorms during the race and it was unchanged as of Friday night.  I had brought a throw-away pair of shoes and socks as well as a jacket, tights and long-sleeve from my throwaway clothes pile at home.  I had grabbed a poncho from the stash at the hotel and my plan was to wear all of that and keep my race clothes dry and change into my race shoes and socks at the last minute.  I got my watch ready and it was blinking showing me there was an updated.  I shrugged and clicked accept and the watch began updating.

I prepped my food as well.  I brought my picky oats for race morning but didn't bring milk for them so I made them into overnight oats using chocolate milk that we were given at the race expo.  I prepped my Gen UCan and some nuun in my handheld for on the course.  I also had another throwaway water bottle with Beachbody energize - which was what i was using in the mornings before many of my workouts.  I had gotten some Gatorade Endurance the week of the race in the mail that I was using a lot because I liked it but I was a little nervous to use it during the race since I hadn't had the opportunity to test it during a long run.  (I'll be reviewing Gatorade Endurance soon on the blog!).  I did drink a lot of Gatorade Endurance all day on Friday.

I was in bed by 8:30 PM on Friday night.  My legs did not feel good.  I was a little panicked that we had done too much on Friday (even though I felt like I was good about not using my legs much).  My calves in particular felt really crampy and tight.  I rolled them out before bed and prayed for the best.

Saturday - Race Day
I slept beautifully - until about 4:45 when I could hear others in the hotel moving around.  I was fine with this because my alarm was set for 5 AM.  I checked the weather and it was like a gift from God.  All of the rain had disappeared from the forecast.  WHAT?!   Like when does that ever happen?!

I got dressed.  I was wearing my Oiselle distance shorts (these are always my race day shorts) and crop.  I had to wear my BibRave singlet as a condition for getting my marathon fee covered by them.  Honestly, I was a little sad that I couldn't just wear my Oiselle crop but the singlet is a Rabbit tank, of which I have several and like so I knew it wasn't going to be an issue.  I brought along both my Balega blister resist and Balega silver socks for the race in my gear check bag.  I slapped on a temporary Oiselle tattoo on my bicep and started to braid my hair.  It took me three tries to braid my hair because my arms were shaking so much.

I realized that my spray deodorant sample was actually NOT a deodorant - just an antiperspirant so I grabbed my husband's deodorant to wear for the race.  I then ate my picky oats.  I was not hungry so eating the oatmeal was a challenge but I ate it all.  I grabbed my three hydration bottles and my pre-packed gear bag....and then my son woke up.

NOOOOOOOOO.

I laid with him a bit and then went to the bathroom.  In that time, he had crawled in bed with my husband.  I prayed that he would fall back asleep so that my husband wouldn't have to get up so early, gave everyone kisses and then left my hotel room.

The lobby was jumping with all the runners and then the shuttles came.  I boarded the first one and we were off to the start!

It seemed to take forever to get to the start.  Of course, all the while, you are thinking, "Oh wow.  I have to run all of this back."  We approached the starting area and then....kept going!  All of us on the bus were looking at each other like, "What is going on?"  Finally the bus driver stopped and said, "I think I missed the drop off so I'm just going to let you off here."  Um...yes.  Just what a bunch of marathoners want to do - walk extra before the race! The extra walk did let us see two deer though, which I took as a good omen since I was constantly running into deer during my training runs!

We got to the start and I got into the porta potty line when I see Jana from MN.  I met Jana at the Icebreaker relays.  She came over to say hi, and told me to run fast.  After I used the bathroom, I saw some Oiselle singlets by the med tent and it turned out to be Kelly and Carrie from WI, whom I follow in Instagram.  So I went over there and gave them big hugs.  Carrie also used Hanson's and all of us were going for PRs.  (Spoiler - all of us got PRs!).  Carrie also told me to go for the sub-3.  I changed into my race shoes and got my gear bag situated.  It was 7:30 and I was getting nervous so I just headed for the corrals.

Once I got in the corral, I saw Amy from BibRave which was exciting as we had been following each other's training on Instagram as well.  We took a pic and she also told me to go for the sub-3.

I ended up lining up at the 3:05 pace sign.  I was surrounded by smelly guys.  I mean, I just do not understand why guys have to be smelly BEFORE THEY EVEN RUN.  I ditched my sweatshirt with a few minutes left.  The air was cool.  It was a great day to run a marathon.  I got my watch ready to go, made sure my shoes were ready, and did my Kristina Power Pose. 

The horn went off.

Here we go!!!

The Race
Miles 1-3
I started running in the big 3:05 pace herd, and immediately got boxed in by the smelly guys.  I was not running my pace - it felt slow - so I looked down at my watch.  Why the hell is the pace in the 4s?!  I kept going with the guys and then my watch beeped.  "Why is my watch beeping??"

OMG.  It is showing me kilometers.  It must have reset to defaults in the updates.  NOW WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!

After a brief panic, I decided to just stay with the 3:05 pace group for the first few miles.

At the mile mark, the pacer yelled out the split.  7:02.  I didn't feel great...I definitely was still all nerves so I decided to stay with the group even though I felt like I was adjusting my stride to run where I was running.  It was very crowded.

At the second mile mark, the pacer yelled out the split:  6:56.  At this point, I decided that I could not run any more with this group.  The stride adjustment was driving me bonkers so I went around them to the far outside.  I saw a group of two women and one guy shortly up ahead.  I caught up to them and could run comfortably.

[From here out, I am going to give you mile splits but I didn't know these during the race.  These are my splits from my watch which I was able to see after I uploaded the run into Strava.]

The women were chatting up a storm.  I liked them because they were discussing their pace splits at every mile so during the race, I could kind of realize where I was.  I was doing math in my head by 7:00 miles - so I knew roughly where I was at every mile based on the overall time elapsed.  As we were approaching mile 3, I knew that I wanted to be under 21 minutes.  Mile 3 was another 6:56.

Miles 4-6
The next miles were easy.  Just rolling along.  The course and weather were beautiful.  I took a cup of water at every aid station I came upon and just stayed with my pack of 3.

Mile 4: 6:55
Mile 5: 6:50
Mile 6: 6:51

Miles 7-9
At some point, we went under the train overpass.  I don't know what mile this was at but the image is burned in my brain because it was like something in a movie.  SO PRETTY.  I was waving wildly at the spectators yelling at us from the train.

I still felt very calm and comfortable at the pace we were going.  This was all going great with my plan to flow through the first half.  I was still running with the 2 women and the guy.  We had other people kind of come in and out of the group but I don't remember anyone else but the main 3 because I just stayed right behind them.   At one point, I think it was around mile 8, I yelled out, "Oh my god you can smell pine trees."  It was the freshest, cleanest scent ever.  Nobody said anything.  They just looked at me like I was insane, likely because up until that point, I did zero talking.

All along these miles, the road was tree lined and so very green.  It was very foggy...there were sporadic views of the lake that were starting to occur and you could feel them before you could see them.  The air temperature would drop and a very cold breeze from the lake would blow.

Mile 7: 6:56
Mile 8: 6:50
Mile 9: 6:52

Miles 10-12
I started to realize that I wanted to be around 4:16/km on my pace watch.  I continued doing math using 7:00/mile as a guide and comparing my watch elapsed time to that benchmark.  The overall time was under the benchmark so I knew I was running sub-7 miles, but I didn't know how far under I was.  We had caught up to Erin, wearing a black Oiselle crop.  She said, "This looks like a strong group" when we came upon her and she joined us for a while.  I could not believe how easily she was talking.

Mile 10: 6:42
Mile 11: 6:52
Mile 12: 6:45

Mile 13
I remember getting to the halfway point and thinking, "That wasn't too bad."  At this point, I was running with Oiselle Erin and one of the original women I was with in the pack.  The two of them were chatting it up and I was just behind them, mute.  I learned that the other woman was 26 and ran for South Dakota State.  Erin was 43 and ran for Ohio State.   She was talking so much....it was fun to listen to but I was still mute.

Mile 13: 6:35.

[My half marathon time was 1:30:14.  When I got to the half point, I saw the clock by the mile marker at 1:30 and thought, "Looks like I am not breaking three today...but I am good with where I am at...try to stay ahead of the 3:05 pace group."]

Miles 14-16
Erin and I ended up by ourselves for a bit and she was still talking.  She asked me what my PR was and I responded, "3:11" and she said, "Woah! You are definitely ahead of that right now, but as we know, anything can happen in a marathon."  I was responding to her talking in one word phrases but not really talking, because I was starting to feel like I was working.  She was running so effortlessly - it seriously helped to have her and I am grateful for the miles that I ran with her.  At some point, she picked up the pace and I didn't trust myself to stay with her.

Mile 14: 6:33
Mile 15: 6:45
Mile 16: 6:40

Miles 17-20
At this point, I was on my own.  South Dakota woman was with me for part of it but I saw her duck into a porta potty and then didn't see her again.  I started thinking that I was going to pass Glensheen Mansion soon....but that came later than I was expecting.  When I did pass it, I managed to mumble, "Stay Sexy, Don't Get Murdered" like I wanted to but I was hurting.  Somewhere in this block I also threw my handheld water bottle away because it felt so heavy.  I drank about half of it along the first half along with the waters I was grabbing.  I think I ended up throwing a gel away as well.  I was taking gels every 5 miles, beginning at mile 5.  At mile 20, the thought of taking a gel made me nauseous so I skipped that one.

Mile 17: 6:43
Mile 18: 6:48
Mile 19: 6:43
Mile 20: 6:54

Miles 21-24
I don't remember a lot of this section.  I remember passing the trolls lined up and thinking of my WI teammate Ali who told me about them and smiling.  I remember passing the Oiselle cowbell corner who cheered for me (you could see some of my crop under my singlet).  I remember a lot of people cheering for me yelling "Go Oiselle".  I remember slapping two kids high fives after a water station.  I remember inhaling more than one cup of water through my nose.  I remember wanting to stop running.   I remember some lady saying, "You're almost to the top of Lemon Drop Hill."  At this point the arch of my left foot was throbbing with every step.  I remember thinking that I was giving myself a foot injury.

Mile 21: 6:52
Mile 22: 6:52
Mile 23: 6:55
Mile 24: 6:51

Miles 24-Finish
Around Mile 24, I looked at the elapsed time on my watch (my KM paces were so varied that they weren't that helpful to me.  Some kms were 4:06; some were 4:22) and realizing that I could maybe sub3 if I just kept going.  I was hurting so so bad, my left foot was throbbing with every step, and I knew I looked terrible because everyone on the crowd was making comments about "Yeah girl - keep digging keep digging"...."that is grit"...."yeah - dig deep - you got this".  I truly felt like everyone was cheering for me.  I was mostly by myself, but still would pass people.  One of the hallmarks of the Hanson plan that people talk about on the Facebook group is the craziness of passing people at the end and it's true.  [I also have a bunch of the official race photos and I look TERRIBLE.  I could be on a "Be Brave Get Ugly" shirt any day.] I saw the elapsed time at mile 25 and still thought I could do the sub 3 so I kept pushing.  As I made my way around the corner to the finish, I could hear the announcer saying, "Can these people get a sub-3? Come on! You can do it - the sub-3 is yours" and then I saw the finish clock turn 3:00.  I was sprinting as fast as I could and my bottom left foot was on fire.  I crossed the finish and shut off my watch.  My watch said 2:59:51 but I didn't really know what my official time was.  I immediately felt woozy and crashed into some scaffolding when I felt a bear hug behind me, holding me up and then saw a wheelchair to my left.  I said, "I really do not need a wheelchair" and they trusted me but told the person holding me to keep walking with me.  She walk/held me through the finish chute and by the time I got to the t-shirts, I felt like I was ok.  I started balling and turned around and gave her a huge hug to say thanks and she was so kind and said, "Oh you're welcome sweetie."

I continued going through the finish area in a daze, sobbing, but I did stop and let them take my photo because one of the things I am sad about from Boston 2016 is not letting anyone take my finish photo.

Then I heard "MAMA!!!!!".  I knew it was my daughter's voice but couldn't see her.  She kept yelling and finally I spotted them.  My husband pointed me in a direction to meet them and I collected all my food, gear and sad down on a statue of a propeller and trying to stop crying.  My family caught up to me and my husband said, "You did it!!!!  Sub 3!!!!!"  I looked up and said, "OMG I DID?!" and he had his phone out to the tracker which had my official chip time at 2:59:50.  I immediately started crying again, which of course freaked my kids out.  I still did not quite believe it though.

I was freezing so my husband created a changing area with the post-run blanket so I could change out of my shorts and into my tights from my gear bag.  I changed into my flip flops.  Then he took pics of me and made me ring the PR bell because he's awesome like that.

I said that I wanted to check my results in the "official results" tent because part of me still didn't believe that I got the sub-3.  We headed over there and I got the official print out that I indeed had gotten it.  More crying.

I turned on my phone, which was buried in my gear bag, and oh my goodness the text messages were awesome.  My friend Bettina watched it online and posted this screen shot of the finish.

I checked Facebook and the Birdmachine CHI relay team had a whole thread tracking me. More crying.

Mile 24:  6:51
Mile 25:  6:47
Mile 26:  6:56
0.35 miles: 6:40

Second Half Marathon: 1:29:36.  NEGATIVE SPLIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I mean, I can't even.

I was legit in a daze during the last miles.  Later on in the day, we drove past the course and my husband mentioned something about me running here and I said, "I don't think we ran here" and he looked at me like I was crazy.  He showed me the whole route of the last miles and none of it looked familiar.  Usually I also see/hear my family near the finish and I didn't see them at all.  My husband showed me a video he took of me finishing and they were really loud.  I also had to laugh at this video because in my head, I was sprinting and watching myself finish on video it looked more like a wandering drunken crawl to the finish.  I know that I left it all out there though - which was my goal!!

Thank you Duluth.

Thank you to every single person who told me to go for it.  Thank you to everyone for your support.  Thank you to my husband and kids who cheer me on every day.  It takes a village!

Next goal - OTQ baby.

I posted a race review on bibrave.com - check it out here.  Click here to see my UNOFFICIAL results posted on Athlinks! I can't wait for Athlinks to update my PR!

Product Review: BUFF (R) Pack Run Cap

PRODUCT: BUFF (R) Pack Run Cap

Disclaimer:  I received a BUFF ® Pack Run Cap to review as part of being a BibRave Pro.  Learn more about becoming a BibRavePro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews.

Are you a hat person?  I have amassed quite a collection of running hats over the years and am partial to a few.  I'm adding this BUFF ® Pack Run Cap to that short list after getting to test it for a few weeks.

My favorite feature of the cap is the adjustable drawstring cord in the back which allows you to customize the fit.  I have a big head, so many of the "running hats" out there, specifically for women, do not fit my noggin.  I have a few hats that I like that have a velcro closure in the back, but my hair always gets stuck in the velcro.

 I love getting mail so when I got this cap in the mail, I put it on my head to see if it would fit and then I went about getting stuff done and realized I never even removed the tag!

Another feature of the cap that I like is that it is very packable.  It is designed to be able to roll up and stash into a pocket and take up as little space as possible.  I tested this out when I took my kids to Lapham Peak State Park for a hike.  Much of our first route was in the shade but the second half was in the sun so I was able to stash this in my pack and get it out later.  Because it is designed to do this, the cap didn't have any weird creases or anything.

I also like this stash-and-go feature in packing a bag for "runch" (lunch run).

Some other nice features of the cap are the reflective details, which is nice when you start your run in the dark and then gradually the sun comes up.  The material on the upper panel gives you UPF 50 protection from the sun too!  That wide brim is protecting my forehead from wrinkles!! ha ha ha

The moisture wicking properties are similar to other BUFF ® products - awesome!  The inner lining of the cap is a sweatband so sweat doesn't roll in your eyes.

Overall, a big thumbs up to the BUFF ® pack run cap.

Here are some reviews from Meredith and Janelle if you are interested in more opinions.

I have the cap in the "Interference" color.  There are several more designs to choose from as well as plain black.

Product Review: OOFOS OOriginal Sandal

Product:  Oofos Women's Ooriginal Sandal

Disclaimer:  I received a pair of Oofos Women's Ooriginal Sandals to review as part of being a BibRave Pro.  Learn more about becoming a BibRavePro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews.

OOF!

It's no secret that this round of Hanson's training has been kicking my butt.  Whether it is the fact that I am trying an "advanced" plan, the heat, the humidity, I am not sure but I have been tired and sore most of the summer.  After my first pair of Oofos shoes (reviewed here), I was happy to get a pair of sandals using the same amazing technology to assist recovery.

Again, I am boring, so I chose the OOriginal sandal in black.  Flip flops are not known for being very supportive but these are not just any old pair of flip flops.  The arch support is my FAVORITE.  The footbed is so cushy!  The sandals use the patented OOfoam technology to absorb 37% more impact, provide more arch support and are biomechanically designed allow your body to move more naturally.  I have found I do have a different posture and gait when I wear these which allows for some additional comfort in my low back.

These are my go-to throw on shoes for when I need to go outside with the kids in the yard, go get the mail, etc.  Easy on/easy off and some bonus recovery time.

This summer they have been a great shoe to throw in my race bag to wear after my run/race.  This saves the miles on my running shoes for actual running and gives my body an extra boost in recovery so that I am ready to go the next day.

We spend a lot of time at a family lake house during the summer and these shoes are great to wear on kayaks and boats since they are made with moisture repellent materials.  They also FLOAT in case your kid accidentally knocks them overboard :)  My mother-in-law has several pairs!

Post-run recovery staples: La Croix, Rx Bar and OOofos

Sizing advice:  Per the website, if you wear a whole size, order that whole size.  Women should size up if they wear a half size and men should size down if they wear a half size.  I have found this to be true.  I typically wear a 9 1/2 women's shoe and my sandals are a size 10 and fit perfectly.

OOFOS is sponsoring #BibChat on Tuesday August 15 at 8pm CST.  Join in and you could win a pair of your very own and #FeeltheOO.  Your feet earned it!

Product Review: Knuckle Lights Colors

Product: Knuckle Lights Colors

Disclaimer:  I received a set of Knuckle Lights Colors to review as part of being a BibRave Pro.  Learn more about becoming a BibRavePro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews.

I bought my first pair of Knuckle Lights in late 2014 and they have been a staple of my running ever since, particularly through the dark winter days and nights.  They have made numerous appearances during my training recaps over the years.  I was super excited to be able to test out an updated version as part of this BibRave Pro campaign.  I was sent the Knuckle Lights colors.  Because I am boring, I selected the black ones, but they have a fun hot pink and pretty blue to choose from as well.

So what are knuckle lights?  They are small hand-held lights that are designed to wear over your hand with minimal discomfort to help you see during dark runs.  The strap is made out of silicone and is adjustable so you don't have to focus on actually gripping them while you run.  The button to power them on/off is right where your thumb rests so you can easily click and go.  They weight less than 3 oz each.  I am someone who does not like carrying things while I run, and these do not bother me. The lights have a magnetic center which helps with storage AND also is a nice feature during morning runs where you may need them to start but not need them as the run progresses and the sun rises.  I like to switch them off, and hold them in one hand for the remainder.

Together, the lights provide 120 Lumens of light.  Don't know what a Lumen is? HA! Me either.  I know that I have used these for the mornings that aren't quite light enough recently AND have used them for training for a marathon in the dead of winter when your entire morning run is in pitch black. LOVE THEM in both situations.

Speaking of winter running, while we aren't dealing with cold right now in WI, I can also attest that the lights' claim to work in -20 Celsius weather is legit.  AND THEY ARE WATERPROOF! Each light in the Knuckle Lights Colors runs on 1 AA battery (included with the set).

Each set has a FIVE YEAR limited warranty.  FIVE YEARS.  (My original set is almost three years old and is still kicking!).

A set of Knuckle Lights colors is $39.99 on their website.  Use the code BRKL2017 to get 15% off (expires 9/1) on their website.

It sounds kind of weird, but I have gotten a lot of compliments on Knuckle Lights from people who are out in the wee hours walking around my neighborhood!  They are "hand"y. :)

*Note: Ok, I couldn't leave you hanging.  I Googled "Lumen".  Lumens equal brightness.  Watts (a term I was familiar with in regard to lighting) refer to energy use, not output.  More here.

BTN BIG10K Race Recap

Disclaimer:  I was given free entry into the BTN Big10K as part of the BibRave Pro program.  For more information on BibRave Pros and to review races, go to bibrave.com

I ran a 10K yesterday: the BTN BIG10K!  The 10K is my most challenging race.  I have yet to run a good one.  I also don't have a lot of experience with them.  So much so that, even though it was a rough one, yesterday is a PR for me:  41:59.

Here is my lifetime 10K history:
7/4/04      Peachtree Road Race    52:08 (8:23 avg)
10/21/12  Fall Classic                   45:03 (7:15 avg)
6/25/17    Bigfoot Trail                 42:58 (6:54 avg)
7/23/17    BTN Big10K                41:59 (6:46 avg)

The fam and I tacked on a long weekend in Chicago to coincide with this race.  We left mid-morning on Friday to make the drive and luckily hit no traffic.  We stopped at Fleet Feet Old Town for packet pickup on the way to our hotel.  Packet pickup was a breeze and took no time.  I really like how Ram Racing uses QR codes for packet pickups. Our packets included a race shirt, a B1G1 Chipotle coupon and our bibs.

The race is centered around the Big 10 college football conference, which includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison (my undergrad alma mater, and my husband's).  When you register, you are able to pick from one of the ten participating schools and in doing so, your race shirt and race medal are themed accordingly.  Thus, I selected University of Wisconsin and my shirt and race medal were both UW themed:

The shirts are ok.  The fabric is "technical fabric" but that thicker variety that traps heat.  I also am not a fan of short sleeve technical fabric race shirts.  They never fit me very well - Women's shirts are always tight in the shoulders and Men's are always too big.  I would prefer tanks.

On Saturday, Ram Racing posted a weather advisory for the race indicating that temps and humidity would be high.  UGH.  (My Garmin data indicated that it was 75 degrees and 89% humidity when we ran.) Saturday night, I laid out all of my stuff, made my water bottle of Gen UCan for the fridge and set my alarm.  I slept terribly, doing the thing where you wake up every hour because you are afraid you are going to miss your alarm.  My alarm was set for 530 am, and the last time I woke was 525 so I just got up.  I quickly got dressed and left our hotel room.  Upon opening the door to the outside, I was blasted with warm air.  Already at 5:45am it was disgusting outside.

The start area was 1.6 miles from our hotel.  I started walking, ate a Picky Bar, and then jogged to the start.  I was DRENCHED with sweat.  When I arrived to the start area, I drank my Gen UCan and gear checked my stuff.  I had a little under an hour to go before the race start but was going to try to meet up with a few different folks: My friend Erica was running, Some Oiselle Wisconsin ladies were running, and a few other BibRave Pros were running.  Unfortunately, it was difficult to meet up with any of these people since I had already gear checked my phone.  I went to the bathroom and then randomly saw one of the BibRave Pros.  We took a group photo and then went to the starting corrals.

I was excited to have gotten elite corral placement for this race. Unfortunately, by the time I went to the corrals, they were jam packed with people and elite was combine with Corral A.  Thus, I started in the back of Corral A.  It was like sardines - there was no way to weave to the front without being a super jerk.  The starting gun went off and I ended up weaving in and out of people, which is always a bad move.  I know this, yet I still do it.  I ran past one of the Oiselle WI women which was fun and then ended up running past my friend Erica.  My first mile was 6:38.  I was really hot because the first part of the course was on underground streets.  I told myself to calm down and got through the second mile in 6:15.  Right after the second mile was the first hydration station.  I grabbed a cup of Nuun, chugged it, then grabbed a cup of water for my head.  I was already really thirsty.  Bad sign.

I just tried to hang on through mile 3, which clocked in at 6:40.  Just like in the Bigfoot Trail race, I could not believe I was only halfway done.  My official results indicate my first 5K was 20:34 (6:38 pace).

Mile 4 was a doozy.  When I saw the second water station, I stopped running to drink the Nuun and do the water cup on my head.  This water stop featured a slip and slide.  I SO WANTED to go in it.  I was SO.HOT.  Reluctantly, I joined the running masses again.  Thus, mile 4 clocked in at 7:06.

Most of the second half of mile 3 through mile 5 was along the lake which was nice.  I was solidly running with another woman and two men.  I told myself to just stay with them.  Mile 5 was 6:49.

They added a third water stop due to the heat (which was amazing) right at about mile 5.25 which featured a second slip and slide.  Again, I avoided the slip and slide, grabbed Nuun to drink and water for my head.  At this point, I just tried to pick up the pace to at least beat the woman I was running with (I did).  I knew we just had to go back under the street and through to the finish.  I tried to make my legs go but there really was no gas.  Mile 6: 6:54.  I saw my family right at the finish and was able to get a decent finish at 6:07 pace.  I was so grateful for the icy towel and bag of ice at the finish.  I just kept stuffing ice cubes into my 3/4 crop top bra.

At the finish runners got the generic medal, a bottle of water, Clif bars and bananas.  At the post-race party, you then were able to get a beer, an AmyLu chicken sausage with bag of pretzels and cookies and visit all the Big 10 school tents.  You had to go to your school tent to get the magnetized token for your medal.  They had a decent band at the finish (Maggie Speaks), and to my children's delight, school mascots (except Bucky Badger!).  We stayed at the post-race party for a bit, but then my friend Erica and my family went out to brunch.

Overall here are my placing stats:
108th finisher of 5,946
20th female of 3,207
4th female age 35-39 of 250
9th Big 10 Alumni Female of 2,035

The BTN Big10K also gives free race photos, which is ALWAYS an awesome perk.  You can also read my review of this race on bibrave.com.

I'm not really sure what I expected out of this race.  I was not nervous about it, like I usually am, and I also knew from the moment I got dressed that it wasn't going to be a great one because I wasn't excited like I usually am.  I was coming off 2 weeks of feeling blah during workouts.  I was under hydrated and tired.   I have a hard time judging what a "good" 10K would be for me.  Do I align a 10K with a half-marathon pace or a 5K pace?  My 5K PR pace is 6:04, my half-marathon PR pace is 6:48.  I am hoping to move that to a 6:44 this fall.  I generally think that I should be able to do a 10K in the 6:30 range, based on my 8K times in the past few years.  I do not have any other 10Ks on my race calendar, but THURSDAY I have a 5K!  CRAZY.

Milwaukee Marathon Half Marathon Training: Week 6 Recap

If you stay true to the book on the Hanson's plan, they are anti-racing during training.  I stuck to this during my marathon training but I enjoy shorter races so have not stuck to this during my half-marathon training plan.  I get why they don't really encourage it - it messes everything up!  I wasn't sure which workouts to keep, what order to do them in, and/or which to modify so this week is a little all over the place.  I ended up skipping the long run entirely.

Additionally, I am still super tired during my runs.  I recall feeling like this around week 12 of the beginner marathon plan.  I didn't start speed work until week 6 of that plan - so this would correspond to week 12 of that plan.  I kind of am feeling a little overwhelmed that I still have 12 weeks to go on this plan.

Finally, the fam and I took off for a long weekend in Chicago leading up to the BTN Big10K race on Sunday.  That did nothing to quell my fatigue, even after taking Saturday off running.  One forgets how much walking is involved in the Windy City...and carrying/pushing two kids who are also not used to it!

Glad this week is in the books.

Monday, July 17
Plan says: 1.5 mile warm up, 4 x 1200 at 5k/10k pace with 600 m recovery in between, 1.5 mile cool down

What I do:  I did 6 miles easy on Monday as I was going to do speed work on Tuesday.  I don't recall my rationale for this.

6.06 mi, 48:43 (8:02 pace)

Tuesday, July 18
Plan says: 0 miles

What I do: Rest.  I pushed the 1200s off another day because I overslept.  I overslept because I stayed up late to watch Spartan races on TV with the hubs.  #truth

Wednesday, July 19
Plan says: 1.5 mile warm up, 4 miles at half-marathon pace (6:44), 1.5 mile cool down

What I do:  UGH.  I had to do the 1200s.  I was using the 10K race on Sunday as my weekly tempo run (which no doubt will mess up next week too).  I had to do the 1200s after work when it was no joke 88 degrees and sunny outside.  At least the humidity was not off the charts.

It did not seem to matter though because they felt like hell.  My goal pace for 1200m is 4:35.  I only had one come in under that.  I did these on the road so 1200m = 0.75 miles.

1.5 mi warm up, 11:52 (7:52 avg pace)

1 - 0.75 mi, 4:38.9 (6:09 avg pace) / 0.38 mi, 3:13.1 (8:27 avg pace)
2 - 0.75 mi, 4:27.5 (5:54 avg pace) / 0.37 mi, 3:06.7 (8:19 avg pace)
3 - 0.75 mi, 4:41.8 (6:15 avg pace) / 0.38 mi, 3:22.2 (8:55 avg pace)
4 - 0.75 mi, 4:44.8 (6:19 avg pace) /

I was pretty dizzy and hot after this.  I ended up walking a bit as I wasn't even sure I could do a cool down.  I was back at my house and chugged 1/2 water bottle of Nuun and felt ok so I trotted along.  I cut the cool down short as I had to go pick up the kids and I was still feeling a little out of it.

1.12 mi, 9:40 (8:40 avg pace)

Thursday, July 20
Plan says: 6 miles easy

What I do: I was up in the morning!  Unfortunately, it was lightening and pouring outside so I stayed in bed and hoped to get in my run after work.  I was able to squeeze it in.

6 miles, 46:33 (7:45 avg pace)

Friday, July 21
Plan says: 6 miles easy

What I do:  I was going to try to get a long run in before we left for CHI.  OMG.  My legs would NOT move.  I called it quits at 4 miles, after stopping a bunch.  Absolutely no gas left in my tank.

4 miles, 34:28 (8:36 avg pace)

Saturday, July 22
Plan says: 12 miles at long run pace (7:30-9:00)

What I do:  0 miles running.  My legs were tired.  I had two full days of walking around.  My iPhone indicates that Friday was 4.7 miles of walking and Saturday was 5 miles of walking.  I know that doesn't seem like a lot but I probably walk 0.25 miles a day normally.  Ok...I just checked. 0.48 miles on Wednesday and Thursday before that.  I did a terrible job hydrating which I knew would come back to haunt me.  Add in two hot and sweaty kids who at times needed to be carried and pushed in a stroller, and you have two hot and sweaty parents.

Sunday, July 23
Plan says: 5 miles easy

What I do:  10k race plus 1.5 mile warm up.  It was not that great.

41:59, 6:46 avg pace.  Race recap coming tomorrow.

Plan Miles: 44
Total Weekly Miles: 30.6

Big Foot Trail 10K Race Report

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Bigfoot Trail race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

My first trail race, the Bigfoot Trail 10K,  was a success in that I ended up first female!  My official time was 42:58 (6:55 avg pace).  I came in 6th overall out of 97 10K runners.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I had no expectations for this run.  As I was running it though, I realized that this was a bit of a lie.  I had expected to run faster than that.  Honestly, my 5th mile clocked in at 7:12 and it took me about 0.25 miles to not think about all of the marathon miles that I logged that were faster than that.

But, I am getting ahead of myself.

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning at 5:00 AM, although not because I wanted to get up that early.  My alarm was set for 5:45.  My son was ready to get the day started.  I was running this race as a BibRave Pro, which meant that I had to wear my orange BibRave Pro jersey for the race.  I got myself dressed, braided my hair, and went downstairs to get something to eat.  The night before I had made a bottle of Gen UCan to store in the fridge (I think it tastes better this way...or at least I have fewer problems choking it down!).  I brewed some coffee for the road and had a slice of wheat toast with cashew butter.

I had a little over one hour drive one way to get to Big Foot Beach State Park.  It was a pretty easy drive from my house and I had a mug of coffee.  I got to the park, paid $5 for parking and easily parked.  I had an hour and fifteen minutes until race start.  I should have brought a book!

Beautiful view!

Packet pickup took 30 seconds.  They made it really easy by emailing me a QR code last week.  The race featured water bottles in lieu of shirts.    I went to the line of porta potties because I wanted to get one pit stop in before the crowds.  I ended up walking a bit to check out the park, which was pretty.  Then I came back and drank my Gen UCan, doused myself with Off! bug spray and made another pit stop.  I still had 30 minutes to go so I decided to run a bit to shake my legs out.  My legs still felt heavy.  More runners were assembling but it was still a fairly small crowd.  We lined up for the start and they played the National Anthem.  They explained that one loop was a 5K and that 10K runners needed to do two laps.  And then...we were off!

I felt I ran pretty conservatively to start.  We ran on grass, then over a wooden bridge and then were on the groomed trails of the state park.  Sections were very squishy and muddy and there were some roots to look out for, but overall, I didn't feel that it was a very technical course.  It definitely was 98% on trails - there was a section of the loop that was on a service road but that was it. It was a nice balance of sun and shade.  I did feel like I was lucky to not trip or fall - it is hard to run for a long time on grass!  There was a downhill section that was muddy and filled in with wood chips.  I just let it rip down it and then realized that was probably a foolish move.  The race directors had warned me on Twitter about a little hill near the end of the loop.  The first loop this hill didn't feel too rough.  The second time through was a little tougher.

Part of the course

The course was well marked and featured two water/Nuun stops.  My first mile beeped in at 6:54 but I didn't see it.  I was running with a guy for most of the first loop and just tried to stay with him.  Miles 2 and 3 were 6:48 and 6:49 according to my Garmin.  According to the official timing, I did the first loop in 21:19 or 6:52 pace.  The guy ditched me heading into the second loop and I was running by myself.  I didn't see anyone else behind me.

By the time I started the 4th mile, I felt like I was going to puke.  I really wanted to stop.  The 4th mile was at 7:02 and 5th was 7:12.  I ended up dumping a cup of water on my head at one of the water stops because I was so hot.  I chugged along on the last mile (7:01) to cross the finish in 42:58.  According to my Garmin, my finish was 43:01.  I was excited to see my official time come in under 43.

The finish featured some more Nuun and water but no food, which I was disappointed about.  There were no awards either - which maybe that is a trail race thing?  I met another WI Bibrave Pro ( @pktrish on IG) and chatted with him.  He also had never done a trail race and we agreed it was a good one for a beginner.  The park was beautiful and you had views of the lake!

Overall, I thought this was a great race to try my hand at trail racing.  It was easy to get to and well marked and organized.

My bibrave.com review is here.

BTN Big10K

I signed up for another 10K this summer - The BTN Big10K in Chicago!

I am really excited as I have always wanted to do this race but it never fell on a good weekend for me in the summers past.

My undergraduate college, University of Wisconsin, is part of the Big10 conference which makes this race extra exciting.  Upon registration, you select what school you want to represent and both your race shirt AND your finisher's medal are custom to your school.

Here is a pic of the shirts:

And all of the medals:

I think my kids and husband will be very excited as the event promises mascots and former players as well.  Any time my kids get an opportunity for a photo op with Bucky Badger, they are excited.

This will be my second 10K of the summer.  After going over 13 years without running this distance, I now will be running it twice within a month!  If you are in the area and want to join me, comment below and I will send you a code for a bonus water bottle when you register.

"Disclaimer: I received a free entry to BTN Big10K race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

Product Review: xx2i Optics France2 Sunglasses!!

It's time for another product review!

Product: xx2i France2 sunglasses

If you read nothing further, please note that I {HEART} these sunnies!!!

The France2 sunglasses by xx2i Optics are half rim sport sunglasses with adjustable temples, nose pads and interchangeable lenses which allow for a totally customizable fit.  These are all nice options to have but the two aspects of these sunnies that I put them over the top for me are:

1) THEY DO NOT MOVE.  Even at my sweatiest, they do not slide down my face.  I tested them out during a warm spell in Wisconsin, I wore them while running in hot and humid Florida, and I raced a 5K with them in the Bahamas.   They block all sun so I don't have to squint and STAY PUT.

and

2) THEY DO NOT FOG.  Period.

Other nice features:

• They come with a hard case to protect them in my "runch" bag
• Microfiber cleaning cloth included
• 365 money-back guarantee period - FOR REAL!  They give you a whole year to test them out!
• Lifetime warranty
• Reasonable price point:  At $59.99 regular price, these won't break the bank!

I opted for the classic tortoiseshell pattern but I may purchasing the hot pink! Or the orange! Or the green!  So many color options!

From now until March 28, if you use the code 'marchbibrave' you can get 50% (YES - FIFTY...as in HALF!) off your XX2I Optics purchase online.

Disclaimer: I received a pair of xx2i optics France2 sunglasses to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!  All opinions are my own and the links within this post do not provide any incentive to me personally, nor does your purchase of the product benefit me personally.

#BibChat Tonight

Join the BibRave #BibChat tonight at 8PM CST!  The topic is "Runner Do's & Don'ts" with sponsor LEGEND Compression.  Two pairs of calf sleeves will be given away at the end of the chat.

Never participated in a #BibChat?  It's easy.  Go to Twitter.  Follow @BibRave and at 8 PM they will post questions to start a discussion.  Answer the questions and use #BibChat.  They are fun!

If you don't win or can't participate, the code 'rave 20' gets you 20% off a purchase of Legend Compression on the website.

Product Review: Legend Compression Leg Sleeve

I mentioned earlier this year that I was selected to be part of the Bib Rave Pro program.  What this means is that I am given the opportunity to test out running-related products and have race codes to promote (which is why you should follow me on Twitter @amyschlott).   In exchange for the products, we are asked to write reviews.  Thus, I am starting a new section on my blog:  Product Reviews.

The number of reviews I do will depend on the number of opportunities I am given, so I don't expect this to be weekly.  I personally am not a fan of reading "sponsored posts" on blogs. Thus, I aim to be completely honest to my experience so that these do not have that feel.  Please know that outside of the product that I am given to test, I do not make any money or other compensation for these posts.  I will always title these posts with "Product Review" so if you are really averse, you can skip them :)

Product:  Legend Compression Leg Sleeves

If you have been reading my blog for a year, you know that I first started dabbling in compression leg wear while training for Boston last year.  I would say that I have tried a few brands, but am by no means an expert on all things compression.  In general, I would say that I benefit slightly from using compression sleeves, and lately I have been having some tight calves so I am using them for more than just long runs.  In winter, compression sleeves also provide an extra layer of insulation to the lower leg which I also find nice.

This is my first experience with Legend brand compression leg sleeves.  To be honest, I had not even heard of this company prior to being offered these calf sleeves.

I selected the Small/Medium size after measuring my calf at 14" at the fullest part.  The Legend sleeves sizing for Small/Medium is 13.75" - 17", so my calf measurement is on the small end of that range.

One of the differentiating factors for Legend is their #RightNotTight slogan.  The calf sleeves for running that I was sent provide 15-20 mmHg graduated compression.  Knowing this, I was expecting the Legend sleeves to feel less tight than other calf sleeves that I have tried, and this expectation was met. In fact, I felt that the sleeve was not compressive at all at the first few seconds of wearing them, thus I was doubtful that they would do anything.  I wore them for a run and they definitely were comfortable and my calves were not sore afterwards so I was pleasantly surprised.  They were MUCH easier to get on that other brands that I have wore and the material is more breathable, so I would imagine they would not get as hot in summer weather.  (If you were stuck on the 20-30 mmHG compression, Legend does have that product, however, I have not tried that.)

I was also interested in what level of compression is truly supposed to provide benefit.  To that end, Salty Running recently featured a blog post on this.  I set off to review the articles mentioned in that blog post as well as my own research.  One of the studies mentioned in that blog post mentions a range of 8-30 mmHg as providing benefit during running.  A second study linked to in that blog post used sleeves with 18-20 mm HG over the calf area and demonstrated benefit during running.  I found a review article published in December 2016 in the journal Sports Medicine titled, Is There Evidence that Runners Can Benefit from Compression Clothing?  The abstract states that there is evidence that runners can slightly benefit from compression clothing in terms of time of endurance performance, muscle damage, inflammation, but that there are no significant gains in running performance based on the studies reviewed.  Upon exploring the methodology in the full text article, 32 studies met the inclusion criteria for their review and these studies use of compression had various pressure, which ranged from 7-46, with most falling in the 15-30mm HG range.   My take away?  Legend's compressive pressure is within this range and the comfort of not being super tight is a bonus.

However, the next run I had in them (without washing in between), the sleeves were actually falling down on my run.  I stopped twice during the run to adjust.  I noticed that the logo was on the back of my shin, and all the pics on the website had the logo on the front.  My other hypothesis was that they need to be washed after every use to maintain compression.  Is this true?  I emailed them to find out.

I received an almost immediate response to my email from the President and Founder, John Thomas.  A+ for customer service.  His response indicated that "washing does help to a point, but usually not necessary".  He thought that perhaps since I was on the low end of the size range, exchanging for an XS may also be a solution (which he offered to do free of charge).  He also indicated that he has not heard of the sleeves falling down and so he would be interested in doing testing on my sleeves if I did decide to send them back.

I decided to give the sleeves one more go, post washing and with the logo on the front before deciding.  I had zero problems with them then so I am going to keep the sleeves and chalk my slight issue with them as user error.

Overall, my opinion on compression sleeves is that it is variable by person. Legend is a great option, particularly if you have found other sleeves to be too tight/uncomfortable.

Save 20% on your order with code "rave20".

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Legend Compression calf sleeves to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"