Post-Race Adventures

So according to my training schedule I'm supposed to run a few miles a few days after the race. i was feeling pretty good on Wednesday so I was going to go running before school. Except I felt like sleeping in instead. So I was going to running after school, but then i got my wisdom teeth out instead.

So it looks like I won't be going on any runs for the rest of the week. 

Done & Done

The 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon in one word: INSPIRATIONAL.

The good news is it's about 72 hours later and I can walk again. Forget about making it downstairs gracefully, but yes I am walking.

Unfortunately I can't possibly summarize the MCM in just one blog entry. Too many awesome memories to remember. But I will try my best to summarize the highlights.

Here are all the things I'm thankful for:

• the 3 mile brisk warm-up walk we experienced going back and forth between the start line & finish line, I was indeed loosened up before the start of the race (and trust me it really was 3 mile walk because I verified it on 'favoriterun.com')
• my mommy & daddy for getting my that iPod shuffle. It was used for most of the race.
• all the people who I let pass me in the first 10 miles of the marathon....they were walking by mile 21...but i wasn't!!!!
• the folks @ the sidelines in Georgetown with the sign "Who wants more cowbell!?!??!" while ringing lots of cowbell. They made me laugh. 
• the one-legged marines @ mile 10, it felt amazing to run a marathon beside them
• the lady at mile 11 who said, "I feel like a new woman" I thought she was referring to running the marathon. No she was referring to the pee she just took in the woods. 
• an actual bathroom and NOT a porta-potty along Hane's Point 
• Mocha flavored Clif Shots @ mile 12....delicious
• the large black man @ mile 14 who was yelling "Do the Damn Thing! Do the Damn Thing!" over & over again (thank you, I did)
• groups of lil kids who stuck out their hands for high fives...I went out of my way for them, so cute!
• Conklin, Richy, & G$ @ mile 16 -- so happy to finally see my fans!
• the lady @ mile 19 with Vaseline (I dropped my Burt's Beez Wax @ mile 0.25) she was a life saver for my lips!
• making the s&(^&(&(sdlfjkjh$#&%&)_@#&)(&$#(kjhdfkjh^*&) BRIDGE!! Take that!!!
• the sign @ mile 20 that said, "Put a door in your wall." (took me a while to get it, but when i got it - it motivated me)
• the people @ mile 22 with signs that said, "You're almost done have a beer!" and yes...they really were offering beer to the runners. And yes...some people actually took them
• me NOT taking the beer @ mile 22 and staying hydrated
• marines - thank you for all the powerade
• my medal - it's pretty sexy
• crossing that finish line in 5 hours and 14 minutes...I surprised myself
• the sprinkle donut Gerald had for me at the finish line...they BOTH were amazing :-)

the results are in!

Bib Number* Age *Gender Place* Division Place*Overall Place*Finish Time
JILL STOLTZFOOS 1119 30 4437 741 12920 05:06:30.00
JILL STOLTZFOOS 28218 26 4795 1127 13721 05:14:28.00

More than 20,000 runners crossed the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon finish line on October 28th. With its second highest number of finishers in MCM history, the MCM remains the fourth largest marathon in the US and the seventh largest marathon in the world. Now boasting more than 340,000 finishers in its 32 year history, "The People's Marathon" remains the largest marathon in the world to not offer prize money.

morning after

It's over. All this hoopla and build up. Now its over and I won! Actually I am a winner in my own right, just not on the MCM list of top female finishers.

A quick recap of the marathon: Jill and I started off with a brisk 3 mile walk from the metro stop to the gathering place and back to the start line as we finally figured out where we were to be and where we actually were. There were some nerves but overall we held it together very well. The gun went off and the run started up a hill past our brother in law Ben's house and blindly passed our personal cheering section. We crusied by some beautiful senery on the GW parkway and then went up through Georgetown. Fans started coming out in great numbers at that point. It was very motivating to run by all these people. At first I sped up the first few times I saw people I knew out of motivation. I soon realized that it was more wise to continue on at my usual pace reguardless of who I saw. My physical wall came around mile 15ish on Haines Point. My fellow runner friends Liz and Cynda ran this part with me, helped me through by securing some water for me and kept me entertained.

There were all types of runners out there. Crazy runners with baloons and signs, flags and entourages. Coaches with encouraging words for their runners (that I would eaves drop on and take their words to heart) and political talks. Fanny packs galore and lots of smells. A runner was actually giving a tour to another runner as we ran through the National Mall. Who knew it was possible to give history lessons while running a marathon?

I almost cried when I started up the ramp to run accross the 14th St bridge. I crossed under the sign that read 'Glebe Rd 3.5 miles' and realized that running home wasn't much closer than just finishing the marathon. It was barren up there on the bridge minus those attempting to run, the walkers and the injured. It was also on the bridge that I began setting a new record for myself of running over 20 miles. Crystal City was full of fans but the out and back portion of the run was not motivating. By mile 24 I knew I could never run a marathon again and by mile 26 I finally saw Jeff who ran 50 feet with me, gave me a kiss and told me I was almost done. He was right- I only needed to run up a hill. I grinned like a school girl when I saw the sign that said "FINISH LINE".

After 26.2 miles I finally met up with the Marine who gave me the coveted finishers medal. He got a huge hug from bib #1119. I thanked him for serving our country and for waiting for me at the end. He was happy to see me too I'm sure.

Our family and friends were there to hear our stories and give us high fives. Their support was much needed and well received. Thank you!!! I can't say thanks enough to them! After some reflection with Jill I believe another marathon might be in the future, just not tomorrow. For the next marathon (and for my overall mental health) I will try to block out the feeling of mile 24 of this race.

This morning I would like to do an infomercial for 'Icy Hot Medication lotion' and Advil. They are amazing products! Stairs take a little time to navigate and items on the floor are not worth the effort to bend over and pick up just yet. A massage and pedicure are in my near future.

And finally- thanks to my sister in law Jill who helped me through this huge goal. Your support, blog posts and knowing you were expiriencing the exact same thing was invaluable. WE DID IT!!!

Now, where is that Motrin?

jms

To Do List

It's the night before the night before the big race (race?) and here's what's on my agenda:

clip toenails
pack (make sure my running shoes are in there)
update new ipod shuffle with only the BEST marathon-running songs
study marine corps 26.2 mile map (memorize all water/food stops)
drink lots of water
eat lots of bread and pasta
sleep (i might be too nervous!)

-jilly

the weather channel

Forcast for Sunday October 26th, 2008

High: Low:
65° F | 43° F

Partly cloudy.

Probability of Precipitation (%): 40% @ 8am.
Probability of Precipitation (%): 10% @ 11am.

Winds 5 mph West

I'm sure this is the perfect weather picture for a marathon, right?

jms

running in the cold

Has anyone noticed how freezing cold it's gonna outside in the past week? I made the mistake of procrastinating after work today. (and by procrastinating I mean switching iPods with my sister-in-law, Rachel so that i can run the marathon with a tiny ipod instead of my massive one) So I didn't get to go running until night-time-ish. It was cold. really cold. and windy. But the good news is when you go running in the cold you can't feel a thing! Really. Your body is so numb that it can't feel the slamming on the pavement as you run. it's great. the bad news is you can't breath and you get horrible side stitches. But again, no pain only numbness. Will it be this cold on Sunday in DC?

-Jilly

did i win?

I was telling someone about the race I'm running in less than a week from today. It caused me to question myself.
A race? Is this really a race? Could I win?
And exactly who do I think I am racing?

After more thought, I came to assume that out of the 3,000 race participants there will be exactly 3 of them racing each other. The rest will be similar to me and my situation - just wanting to finish.
Now I could be wrong. There could be 2,997 competing to win and 3 of us just looking to cross the finish line so we can eat.

My mother would say I'll be a winner either way.

Reguardless- lets just run this race already!

jms

Nerves

The day is quickly approaching and i'm getting so so so nervous. More nervous than starting college, more nervous than getting married. I mean...those things were cake compared to 26.2 miles!

What if I don't finish? What if I don't make the 20 mile cut-off in time? What if my knee starts hurting? What if I need to use the bathroom? What if I oversleep? What if I forget to pack running shoes? What if I don't eat a good breakfast? What if all the marines start booing me? What if I get a side stitch? What if my legs start cramping up? What if there are too many hills? What if Schmuffin isn't there waiting for me at the finish line?!?!?!? What if? What if? What if?

It's still a week away and already I'm having trouble sleeping. These are the type of things that plague me with worry late at night. Is this normal? Does this happen to anyone else? Maybe I shouldn't have picked such a crowded marathon to run. I've been training for 5 months!! I HAVE to do this thing to make it all worth it. Ya know how they say runners hit a wall when they run marathons? I think i've hit a mental wall. I've been freaking out the past week. My nerves are getting to me. 7 more days and it will all be over. 7 more days and I can sleep in late again. 7 more days and i will never look at an ice pack again. 7 more days and it will all be worth it!

-Jilly

trial run

I ran in a race this weekend. This was a trial run to remind me what its like to run with a lot of other people and to practice what to do at the water stations. To start it off I parked in an incorrect parking lot which was conviently located 1 mile from the start line. I guess this was my warm up. During the race I had 3 chances to improve on my drink-from-a-cup-while-running technique. I have concluded that there is no best way to do this.

The run itself went fairly well. In the begining of the run I noticed that I was running the pace of this white-haired-tank-top man (WHTTM). There was about a 35+yr age difference between us and he was running at a pace I could handle. A fellow one pace wonder! There were many distractions and people in the race so I was happy to have something consistent. We ran the entire race together, either side by side or he just ahead of me. Clodhoppers and heavy breathers came and went but Jill and
Mr. WHTTM just kept going on.

We didn't talk the entire time. This is slightly odd when you think that we spent an hour of our lives together but it worked for us. At the finish line he said "Good Job!".
I said, "Thanks- and thanks for keeping pace for me. It was a big help."
Mr. WHTTM replied, "Actually, you kept pace for me".

Who knew?

jms

2 weeks to go!

So I've finally figured out this whole tapering thing...they SAY you taper so that your legs are nice and fresh before you run the marathon. But REALLY the reason we need to taper is because our mind is saying "STOP WITH ALL THE RUNNING! LETS JUST DO THIS ALREADY!!!". Seriously. I'm over it. I just want to run the marathon. Let's go. I've been training for 5 months and I've memorized every street name, street corner, mile marker and porter potty location in all of Lancaster of County. Bring on the 26.2

Speaking of porter potties...While I was running a 10 miler this morning I came across one around mile 6. Which was great because I was in desperate need of one. While I was inside some old man was trying to get inside. I guess he didn't expect it to be in use. Well after I was done he was very apologetic. Then he proceeded to point to some nearby holes and told me to watch out for the ground hog. uhhhhhh....thanks for the advice, i'll be careful. "Hey buddy, i'm trying to run 26.2 miles here, a lil ground hog attack is not going to stop me!"

movie star

I ran across the Memorial Bridge this past weekend. Its a beautiful bridge crossing the Potomac River connecting DC and VA. It is historic and is a bridge you see in movies with heros crossing it.
I felt like a movie star crossing that bridge!

Even with this movie star feeling going on, I have a few concerns about the marathon:

1. my attire: Won't I be cold when I start the race with my red short sleeved shirt and Nike black running skirt? what do I do with the jacket that I would need to wear overtop when I get cold? I need someone one meet me at mile 3 to give my jacket to. Will I look cute enough for my finishing photo?

2. the few food stations on the course (I guess I'll need to pack my own sports beans and other items I'm sure to need- refer to the blog post about over packing).

3. running 26.2 miles

jms

Happy Birthday Jill Marie!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Jill, in honor of your 30th birthday I ran 30 miles this morning. SIKE!!! NO i did not.

In honor of your birthday I ran 4 miles instead...in 30 minutes. SIKE! Couldn't do that either.

In honor of your birthday I dedicated 4 -- slow, easy miles that I did not time -- to you. Happy Birthday!

-Jilly

one pace wonder

I've found my pace. Not too fast. Not too slow. Just right for Jill. I've been testing this theory for a few weeks now. Last Saturday's 20 miler was an exception, but again that run was wrong on so many levels. So minus those 20 miles, the rest of the thousands (and i'm sure it is thousands!) of miles that I've run since I've started training, I've had one pace.

Don't ask me to speed up. Don't ask me to slow down. Just go with it- .
I'm a one pace wonder!

jms