jkgunkel

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: The Ugly Sweater 5K (12.02.2015)

Ugly Sweater 5K (12.02.2015)

Last night I ran my first official 5K in I don’t know how long!

Supportive volunteers!
First COLD race!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2, & my Black Diamond Icon head lamp!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: Another PR!

I don’t remember the last time that I ran a 5K, but this was a PR across the board . . . technically 35:43 for the 5K, but in actuality it was 3.43 miles due to a slight course issue. 😦

On the positive side, I did unofficially complete a sub30 5K & next time – it will be official!

THE BAD: Burrrrrrrrr Baaaaabbbbbbieeesss!

This was a slight wake up call to what I have to look forward to this Winter. Yikes! I’m not sure if I’m cut out to run in the snow & bitterly cold temps. Only time will tell, but burrrrrrrr baaaaaabbbbbieeessss!

On the positive side – I ran faster than I ever have for this distance, so my exposure to the elements was limited! 😛

AND THE UGLY: Slight detour.

When you have only 32 people running a race the odds of being on the course by yourself for some period of time is higher.

Add to it that the course was dark, not marked well, & that I was completely unfamiliar with it & the odds of me taking a slight detour increase tenfold!

At some point on the course I followed another woman within my age group & a young girl off course by ~0.5 miles. Waaa waaa waaa.

SUMMARY:

Although it was cold & I took the scenic route through Zion, I did pull off my fastest time for this distance & I took 3rd place in my age group! *Yay for PRs!!*

Maybe I’ll add speed workouts to my training for next year & give this 5K distance another try for the official sub30 time! 😀

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Naperville Half Marathon (11.08.2015)

Naperville Half Marathon (11.08.2015)

Over the weekend I ran my first road half marathon since the middle of September (Fox Valley Half Marathon) & although I went into this race hoping for a PR, the over arching goal was to wrap up my race season & just have fun!

First time running in Naperville area & there were more hills than I anticipated!
Supportive volunteers!
Last race of the Chicagoland Triple Crown series done!
This race completed the criteria for me to level up as a Double Agent (3 Marathons + 3 Half Marathons within a 90 day time frame)!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: Another PR!

As I said before – I was hoping for a PR, but this was not the goal of this race.

With that being said I was able to take 3 minutes plus off of my last road half marathon & an overall improvement of 37 minute plus from the start of this season! 😀

I feel great about how this year of running – The Year of the Marathons -has gone & I’m looking forward to 2016 “The Year of the Ultras”! 😛

THE BAD: Hills.

Hills. ‘Nuff said.

AND THE UGLY: Medic!

Today I left every bit of my heart & soul (plus some sole) out on the course!

This was the first time that I came through the finish line & a group of volunteers swarmed me to make sure that I didn’t pass out & / or require medical attention.

My legs were wobbly, rubbery noodles . . . BUT it was worth every bit of it! 😛

SUMMARY:

I feel like this race was the best close to my race season & I’m thoroughly happy with this year of running with numerous PRs!

Time for some well earned rest prior to 2016: Year of the Ultras!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Ragnar Relay Tennessee (10.23.2015-10.24.2015)

Ragnar Relay Tennessee (10.23.2015-10.24.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my second Ragnar Relay & I am starting to feel like a veteran Ragnarian!

Overall this was an awesome Ragnar Relay – so different from Chicago, but still an amazing adventure . . .

First time running in Tennessee – oh so, beautiful! I want to go back already for a mini vacation or another running adventure!
Fun Ragnarians all around!
Was a part of an amazing team & I loved my vanmates!
Amazing, supportive volunteers!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2, my Trail Toes, my Undress, & my loaner Black Diamond Icon headlamp!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: Amazing women that I get to call friends for life!

You never know how an adventure is going to go when you know no one on your Ragnar team & your first time meeting your vanmates is on the ride down to your Ragnar starting location (Chattanooga, TN) from Chicago, IL . . . eek!

I can only say that I truly lucked out! I have never had such a great experience with people that started as complete strangers & finished as life long friends!

I cannot wait to run / race with these lovely ladies again! So many stories, jokes, & memories! TEAM PICKLES!

THE BAD: Tennessee has hills or at least all of my legs did!

Oy! I knew that Tennessee wasn’t flat, but it felt like every single leg that I ran was nothing, but hills! And I don’t know how it was possible, but all of it seemed to be uphill without the reward of the downhill.

These were probably not the best legs for me to run coming off of the back to back marathons, but my body held up & pushed through the muscle fatigue just fine. I will definitely be focusing more on hill training in 2016!

AND THE UGLY: Rain, rain – GO AWAY!

Hot, hilly, & wet! I lucked out again that I was able to avoid the rain on my legs, but my vanmates weren’t so lucky. *wa wa waa* This just adds to their credibility of being amazing! And when I say it rained . . . I don’t mean a little misting or drizzle . . . it RAINED! Cold & hard & unfortunately through the night, but none of my vanmates were made of sugar . . . they all sucked it up & found the magic in the misery!

SUMMARY:

An awesomely amazing experience that I will forever look back on & smile! I’m looking forward to my next Ragnar Relay, but I seriously cannot wait to run with these fabulous ladies again! TEAM PICKLES!

Now to go find my bed to catch up on some much needed sleep!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Bank of America Chicago Marathon (10.11.2015)

Bank of America Chicago Marathon (10.11.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my fourth marathon & the second marathon to qualify for Marathon Maniacs!

Overall this was an awesome race . . .

Fun course!
Amazing crowd support!
Second race in the Chicagoland Triple Crown series done!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2 (VP2)!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: A Marathon Maniac is born!

This was my fun marathon for the year! *I know, I know – I just said fun & marathon in the same sentence . . . I need my head checked . . . BUT it is the truth!*

After running the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon last week – this weekend’s race was purely for the fun, the experience, & to top it off to qualify as a Marathon Maniac!

This has been a mission of mine ever since I found out about the Marathon Maniacs & this weekend – I successfully marked this bucket list item as completed!

THE BAD: Crowd Support.

I don’t think I have ever said this & I may not say it again . . . this is a positive & a negative . . . WOW there was a ton of crowd support!

I never thought that this could be a bad thing until they started crowding the course so much so that it caused numerous runners to trip over each other & in some places caused us to completely stop. YIKES!

On the other hand – there wasn’t a single inch of the course that didn’t have someone cheering on the runners. I have NEVER EVER seen so much crowd support.

In addition, to being amazing cheerleaders – several people gave out water, bananas, beer, Coca Cola, etc. That was awesome! I stole a banana that was strategically placed on a sign that a guy was holding up in front of him that said “Wanna have a taste of my banana??” How can a girl pass that up? I needed some potassium. *hee hee*

AND THE UGLY: Expensive Experience.

WHOA was this marathon expennnnnssssiiivvvvvee! Normally a marathon runs about $75 – $100 . . . this one has taken the cake!

Registration Fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $185
Expo Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25
Race Day Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25
Once in a Lifetime Chance to Run this Marathon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Priceless

SUMMARY:

Overall, this was a great experience & I’m glad that I did decide to make this one of my marathons! And I qualified for Marathon Maniacs to boot! And as a Double Agent . . . shhhhh . . . I’m secretly INSANE!!

Half Fanatic #: 12734

Marathon Maniac #: 11670

Double Agent #: 1775

Marathon Maniac Sign

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon (10.04.2015)

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon (10.04.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my third marathon & the first marathon to qualify for Marathon Maniacs!

Overall this was an awesome race . . .

Beautiful course!
Amazing weather!
Amazing, supportive volunteers & crowd support!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2 (VP2)!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: 1:08:21 minute PR!

This is being renamed “THE AMAZING”!

The Wisconsin Marathon had its complications & I knew that I would PR on my next road marathon, but I’m ecstatic about the improvement!

I’m rather excited to see how my times shape up for year as I increase my weekly mileage & become more accustomed to regular 20 – 25 milers.

THE BAD: Cramping.

Although the morning started nice & cool – it did warm up as the race progressed.

Unfortunately, because of THE UGLY (see below) – I didn’t take my Tailwind as regularly as I should have & this lead to some muscle cramping / seizing.

Thankfully, I did have some salt tabs in my VP2 & within 15 mins of taking a few of those my muscle cramping / seizing subsided.

AND THE UGLY: GI Issues.

By mile 13 my GI was clearly not happy with me & I was doing my best to evaluate if I needed to find a porta potty.

My pace started to fall off from mile 13 through mile 19 until I could get my head back in the game and know that my system was going to be OK . Unfortunately, this prevented me from using my Gu as early as I should have, so I did briefly bonk until I could get my body some fuel.

SUMMARY:

Overall, an awesomely epic day! I don’t know if I have ever been so excited to run another marathon to see how much my time has improved. Next year, for the Mitten Challenge (Wisconsin Marathon on 05.07.2016 & Kalamazoo Marathon on 05.08.2016) – I may just push it on Wisconsin to see if I can improve even more! If not, I guess I’ll just need to add another marathon to my schedule for the hell of it!

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The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Fox Valley Half Marathon (09.20.2015)

Fox Valley Half Marathon (09.20.2015)

Over the weekend I ran my first road half marathon since the end of May (North Shore Half Marathon) & although I went into this race hoping for a PR, the over arching goal was to start my taper for my upcoming third marathon.

First time running in Fox Valley area & it was surprisingly beautiful!
Supportive volunteers!
My first time running with a pacer!
First race of the Chicagoland Triple Crown series done!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: Another PR!

As I said before – I was hoping for a PR, but this was not the goal of this race.

With that being said I was able to take 9 minutes plus off of my last road half marathon!

I feel great & well prepared to head into my next marathon – The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon.

THE BAD: Bees.

My family has a history of reacting poorly to bee stings & the warm fall weather had the bees out in full force.

To me there is nothing worse than bees swarming the aid stations & the finish line goodies – especially, after running my fastest half marathon & my legs responding like limp spaghetti noodles.

AND THE UGLY: Rebel in disguise.

This was my first time ever running with a pacer & it was a learning experience.

Apparently, I respond better to positive versus negative encouragement. *This was not surprising to my Mom – at all!*

Ian (my long-time friend & pacer) was great sport about it all & by mile 11 we had it figured out with our friendship still intact. Although, I think he will think twice before snapping his fingers & telling me to quit dragging ass again! *Disclaimer: There may or may not have been expletives involved in a snarky response. LMAO.*

Every time I started to fall slightly below my target pace – Ian would either say or motion for me to pick up the pace – sometimes there were “positive” tones & other times there were “not so positive” tones. It took me a good 3 or 4 times of it happening before I figured out what was going on (& I was more than slightly amused with myself), but every time some “not so positive” tones were used, I subconsciously slowed down slightly more. And the exact opposite happened when positive tones were used! 😛

As I said – we figured it out by mile 11, a new PR was reached, & I now know how to tell pacers how best to manage me! 😉

SUMMARY:

I feel like this race was the kick off to the last part of my race season & I’m thoroughly happy with this year of running so far!

In the next two months, I will be running two more marathons & at least one more half-marathon before taking some time off to rest prior to 2016: Year of the Ultras!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Ragnar Relay Chicago (06.12.2015 – 06.13.2015)

Ragnar Relay Chicago (06.12.2015-06.13.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my first ever Ragnar Relay & whoa – what an experience!

The saying goes that the magic happens outside of your comfort zone & I would say that this weekend proved that this is absolutely true!

I have a new appreciation for runners & the craziness that we go through!
So many crazy creative runners!
Was a part of an amazing team!
Amazing, supportive volunteers!
All of my gear worked fabulously – especially my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2 & my Knuckle Lights!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD:

Learning to go with the flow. I am a planner – always have been, always will be . . . BUT you really can’t plan for a Ragnar. You can PREPARE, but you cannot plan for the unexpectedness of the Ragnar.

You also should not, must not, absolutely cannot pack everything that you think you will need because your vanmates will hate you.

I am so thankful for my amazing friends that are Ragnarians that were able to offer advice & help me put together a great checklist of Ragnarian needs! Check out my list of Ragnarian Essentials!

After preparing it was all about going with the flow!

THE BAD: Porta Potties

Do I really need to say more than porta potties? There is nothing good about them . . . & often they could be considered ugly, gross, disgusting. On this adventure – they weren’t GOOD, but they weren’t UGLY either – BAD is probably the best descriptor. I have found out that you really do need to bring or borrow TP with you on these adventures, because by the end of the 2 days – most porta potties don’t have TP anymore & you don’t want to need to get creative to resolve this “issue”.

AND THE UGLY:

Sleep. There is nothing worse than hundreds of “Dexter” vans transporting zombie runners across 200 miles. You learn to sleep when & where you can. And then, when the Ragnar adventure is done – you almost immediately find a place to sleep away your Ragnar hangover. I’ve been slap happy before from a lack of sleep, but this adventure took it to a whole new level . . . I have never missed a bed & pillow SO. MUCH. EVER!

SUMMARY:

I definitely found the magic outside of my comfort zone & I’m looking forward to what new adventures this experience spurs! I’m definitely hooked on Ragnars! I’d love to see if I can participate in the sister relay – Ragnar Relay Tennessee!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Race Recap: Wisconsin Marathon (05.02.2015)

Wisconsin Marathon (05.02.2015)

Over the weekend I successfully completed my first marathon! I am now a part of a whole new statistic!

Overall this was an amazing experience . . .

I made the right decision in having my first marathon be close to home!
I have a better appreciation for those long training runs!
I am absolutely in love with my Orange Mud Hydraquiver Vest Pack 2!
I cannot wait for my next marathon!

Here area my key “take aways” from this race!

THE GOOD: New Distance PR & stepping stone to bigger goals!

I think everyone remembers their first marathon . . . for some it is a one & done & for others it becomes the stepping stone to bigger goals.

For me – it is the stepping stone to bigger goals! I have already been signed up for my second marathon since August 2014, but earlier this week I confirmed my registration for the 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (10.11.2015)! So at a minimum I will be completing three marathons this year with the possibility of adding in a fourth one – The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon (10.04.2015)!

*The combination of The Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon & The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will qualify me not only as a Marathon Maniac, but it should also solidify my status as a Double Agent! YAY! YIPPEE! HOORAY!*

THE BAD: Blisters. ‘Nuff said.

On my last 20 miler training run I had a very small, tiny, insignificant piece of gravel work its way into my shoe. Me being slightly stubborn & just wanting to get the run over with, decided to ignore said piece of gravel. POOR DECISION.

This came back to haunt me – my heel which had completely blistered over due to this tiny piece of rock never recovered in time for this marathon. So . . . at this point I have developed a blister on top of an already healing blister & will be hobbling around for the next decade. *Yes, I might be slightly over reacting, but still! I now have that marathon shuffle with a little cha cha worked in.*

I will be looking to invest in a pair of gaiters & I will take the appropriate measures next time to remove even the slightest irritant from my runners.

AND THE UGLY: Wardrobe Malfunction!

Oy. Where to begin with this one? You know the rule that says never try anything new on race day? If not – check out my other blog that highlights some of the rules to run by (https://heartsandsolesblog.wordpress.com/rules-to-run-by/) . . . I can say that I have found the exception to this rule.

Never do anything different on race day . . . but always check the seams on the clothes that you are planning on wearing to ensure that they don’t disintegrate.

Around mile 10 I noticed some inner thigh chafing . . . no big deal – I pulled off to the side, discreetly applied some body glide & picked right back up with my intervals.

About mile 13 I was keenly aware of the chafing again . . . ok, time to apply more body glide – it was getting rather warm & I was sure that my shorts were rubbing off the body glide that I had applied.

About mile 16 I had to stop to investigate why it felt like all of my skin had been rubbed away along my inseam.

Ugh . . . this is when I realized that my shorts that I had been running in for the last 2 years had disintegrated along the inseam. I was no longer wearing shorts . . . I was wearing instead a very breezy “skort” . . . the only piece of fabric still intact was the very bottom seam of my shorts – otherwise everything else was gone. *blink, blink*

I quickly broke out my phone to contact my Mom & Husband – only to realize that it wasn’t working. I then flagged my wonderful running / training partner – Jen – down so that I could borrow her phone to make an emergency phone call for a pair of back up shorts.

My Husband (after slightly laughing at my situation) agreed to go home to retrieve back up shorts & then find me on the course so I could possibly complete the marathon fully clothed & avoid becoming front page news for the wrong reasons.

I cannot even describe all of the thoughts that were going through my head, but between the chafing & mental anguish my pace completely fell off.

About mile 20 my Husband was able to track me down & help me change into fresh shorts that were not falling apart at the seams!

SUMMARY:

I battled through & completed my first marathon at 6:48:51 . . . definitely not the time that I wanted, but it was an experience that I will never forget! I will PR at my next road marathon – GUARANTEED!

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