Air Force Marathon Weekend

I was actually planning on doing the Air Force 5k, but it's the night before the marathon and it's at Wright State, not at the base. I kept hearing about what an amazing experience it is, running on the base, so I decided I would do the 10k. My first 10k (6.2 miles). The one problem, it was sold out. It sold out in May, 4 months before the event!

There was a transfer program where people can give their registration to someone else. It was a one-time shot with 2-week window. Thankfully when I posted on the Air Force Marathon facebook page, someone contacted me. He registered for the 5k, 10k and half marathon. (This is called the "triple crown." It's actually possible to do all three.) He decided he would be unable to do the 10k, so he transferred his registration to me.

And so the training started. I ran 2-3 miles twice a week and then would run a longer distance on Saturdays. The week before the 10k I did 5.75 miles, and I knew I was ready. The plan was to run 3 miles, walk a half a mile, run a mile, walk half a mile and then run the last mile. I had my energy Jelly Bellies, my long-sleeved technical shirt, running skort, non-cotton socks, and broken-in running shoes.

There was a runner's expo at the Nutter Center the two days before the marathon. The bib and t-shirt pick up was at the expo, along with many vendors selling everything a marathon runner might need. A friend who is new to running came with me to the expo. We had a great time looking at the t-shirts, headbands, and shoes and got quite a few freebies. I ended up getting a t-shirt that says "If I collapse, pause my Garmin." (Other favorites were "WTF - Where's The Finish," "This seemed like a good idea 3 months ago," and "If found on the ground, drag across the finish line.") I also got a headband that says "Will run for cupcakes."

The day before the race I had anticipated being nervous and excited all day and not being able to concentrate at work. Instead, the day started with an aura, a sure sign a migraine was going to hit. I quickly took some ibuprofen and asked Jason and some other friends to pray for me. I got a headache, but it never got as bad as a migraine. However, I had other symptoms like being sensitive to light and sound, and being nauseous. I ended up leaving work early and going home to nap. Not the day I had planned at all. I got some carbs at dinner and headed to bed early.


The alarm went off the day of the marathon at 5:00 am. I checked the weather and it was 49 degrees and it was going to drop 2 more degrees before the sun came up. I was so thankful to have Jason with me to hold the layer of sweats I wore over my running clothes. I call him my pit crew. (Love him!) We got out the door at 5:40 am and got to the Air Force Museum before 6am. Parking was quick, but we were in the pitch black darkness. I almost ran into someone standing next to our car. It was about a mile to the starting line (I used my Garmin), but we got there about an hour before the start.

Looking at the starting line around 6:30 am

The 10k starts at the same time as the marathon and we run with them for the first 3 miles (I think). It was so great to be there with so many expert runners. I watched them to see if I could learn anything but really, other than some of their stretches and all the gel packs around their waists, they seemed like my friends and me. I got in line with those that were planning on finishing in 5 or more hours - the very back of the pack. And yet these marathon runners still seemed so impressive to me. They were there to have fun, and to just finish.

Looking at the starting line around 7:00 am

The sun came up shortly before the opening ceremony started. Someone was talking, but we couldn't hear them. Then there was the fly-over. In Dayton this usually means some bombers flying over in formation. However, this morning it was a stealth bomber, flying slowly over the line of runners waiting to start. It was amazing to watch, and so surprisingly quiet.

The crowd moved forward to the start line and then we waited. Normally I can barely hear the gunshot at the start of the race, so I was just waiting for the group ahead of me to start running to know we had started. Not this time. I'm not sure what they use, but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of cannon. Not only could I hear it, but I could FEEL it. I waited almost 4 minutes, but finally I was across the start line and my 10k had started.

Ready to run!

I had to keep checking my Garmin to make sure I wasn't running too fast. I knew the pace I wanted to keep and was able to keep it up for most of the race. I found a group with a similar pace and stayed with them for awhile. I remember thinking that I just wanted to take in every detail, remember every moment. The morning seemed perfect - it was finally warmer and the sun was just above some of the buildings on base.

The crowd waiting to start

Some of the unexpected things - there was a juggler with 4 apples that was ahead of me until he dropped one of the apples. There were two kids running with their parents with t-shirts that said "my first 10k." Everyone was cheering them on. There were clothes strewn all along the course as people got warm and took off a layer. (People go to Goodwill to get these clothes. I wonder if someone collects all of them and gives them back to Goodwill.) There were also bands along the course which made things more fun. And the lines for the porta-potties in the first 3 miles was a bit unbelievable.

Before we got to the first mile we hit a long hill. I tried to run up it, but when everyone else around me was walking I knew it was time to take it slower and walk up the rest. Around the first mile (after another hill), I started looking for a hydration station. I was thirsty and started getting a headache. I was surprised that the first one was at 1.5 miles. After this it was about every mile. I was so thankful that they were offering water and Gator-aid, so I had both.

I remember passing a fire station, another band, and then suddenly we were at mile 2. I couldn't believe how fast it was going. When we were going up another hill I started walking again. A man next to me said he wasn't expecting to walk so much at the beginning and I agreed with him. He started telling me that he had a titanium plate in his arm and he was still freezing. He said he'd warm up around 1pm, about the time he finished the marathon. I laughed and then we started running. I really wanted to ask him why he had a titanium plate in his arm; what happened? I should have said Good Luck but then he was off running again.

There were also a group of airmen with backpacks running in formation along with us. They would do a cadence once in awhile but after I passed them I couldn't hear them anymore. Jason said a group finished in front of me, so either they found a short cut or there was another group in front of me.

Around mile 3 we started to hear "marathon to the right, 10k to the left, marathon to the right, 10k to the left." At first I was only hearing "to the right" and couldn't understand why people were still going to the left. I figured out quickly that this is where we split off and stayed to the left. I had no desire to do an addition 20 miles.

The group thinned out and we started running along 444. After this we only got water at the hydration stations. I guess only the marathoners get the Gator-aid. Around 4.5 miles a low-flying plane suddenly came flying over the trees. I was wondering if this was the fly-over for the half-marathoners who started an hour after us. Jason later told me that there were three parachutists with American flags who jumped out of the low-flying plane. And then a moment later there was that cannon shot again - I could feel it more than I could hear it.

We turned a corner and there were the half marathoners running towards us. They do a similar course to the marathoners, but backwards. I looked for my friends who were doing the half but then we parted ways before I got to where they were. (They were further back in the group of runners.) We ran around some buildings, followed the path of the first mile and saw the same band we first came across. I could hear the announcer cheering on those close to the finish line and announcing their names as they crossed. I couldn't believe it was almost over!

When there was about half a mile left I felt like I had enough energy left to pick up the pace and "finish strong." (I hate it when people say this. Normally just finishing is all I can do and there's nothing strong about it.) As I was approaching the last turn I saw a man with a sign that said "the Kenyans are drinking all the beer." I guess people call the fastest runners Kenyans. I had to laugh. As I ran the final stretch people were clapping and holding up signs and because my name was on my bib, they were also cheering me on personally. "Keep going Cynthia, almost there!"

And then there was that moment that everyone tells me about, running under the wings of the airplanes as you approach the finish line. I started sprinting and gave it everything I had. (I glanced at my Garmin, about an 8:30 pace. Woot!) I ran over one of the strips on the ground that reads your chip and was thinking that couldn't possibly be the finish line, people were still running past it. I then realized that's how they know who you are as you cross the finish line.

As I ran across the finish they announced "Cynthia Parsons has crossed the finish line!" I heard Jason yelling my name and I ran to him (he was behind a divider) and gave him a huge hug. There were so many people cheering, it was just the most amazing moment. They directed me to some queues where I received my medal and then they took my picture. I then went through the food tent and got Gator-aid, chocolate milk (it's the new thing to drink after a race), and a piece of bagel. (Unfortunately I wasn't aware that once you leave this area you're not allowed to go back, so I didn't end up getting a piece of pizza.)

At some point a headache had started, not surprising, I usually have a headache after a long run. It's usually from a sodium imbalance and drinking a bouillon cube usually helps this. So we headed back to the parking lot. We couldn't remember where we parked and the numbered flags in the parking lot weren't visible in the darkness when we arrived. We kept hitting the lock button on the key fob and finally were heard out car beeping at us. It took another half an hour to get out of the parking area even though there was little traffic. I'm still not sure what the problem was, but there was only one exit and there was no security assistance to get us out. I guess it was still too early.

We hit Tim Horton's and I got my crack, I mean coffee, and we headed home. I wasn't feeling good, I think the nausea from the previous day was still hanging around a bit. I ended up drinking the bouillon cube and then taking an hour nap and then I was finally able to eat something and drink my coffee. I took it easy the rest of the day and then that evening we headed out to the after-party at the Greene. By then thankfully my headache was mostly gone.

Yes it's a real medal

First we hit Cake, Hope and Love where I got my free cupcake for running the 10k. Yes, I was wearing my medal. Jason got a cupcake too and we put them in my purse (they were in to-go containers) and headed to meet some friends at the Pub. We parked behind the Greene and walked through the open area where the fountain is. There was a band playing the the place was packed with people wearing their Air Force Marathon t-shirts and medals. It was awesome.

One pumpkin cupcake, one chocolate pumpkin cupcake,
one cupcake headband and one Air Force 10k medal

At the Pub we hung out with some friends who also ran that day. We also got to meet others who had run the marathon, including a group of guys from California, and a local family where all five ran one of the races. It was a great ending to an incredible day.

Starting at the top left, full marathon medal, half medal, 5k medal,
10k medal (mine), half medal. Each one an amazing accomplishment!

Warrior Dash - After

If you missed the "Before" post,  you can find it here... http://jc-parsons.blogspot.com/2011/09/warrior-dash-before-and-after-and.html

So it's been over a week since the Warrior Dash and my knees are still scabby and there's still bruises all over my legs. But I'm feeling accomplished and amazed that I did it again. And yes, I'm already plotting on how I can do even better next time!

To sum it all up - I tried every obstacle this time! I didn't go over the wall, but I got about half way up. I think I might be able to do it next time if there was just some way I could practice it. My time was 1:32, which is horrible, but I got stuck on a couple of obstacles and next time should easily be able to shave 30 minutes off.

First obstacle I got stuck on were the dumpsters. I got in the first one, but couldn't get out! I ended up throwing my leg over the side and wow, do I have a bruise on the inside of my leg! There were two other dumpsters but I was in enough pain and just went around them. The other obstacle was what I call the spider crawl. This one was so frustrating to me, I'm still fuming that I got stuck. I ended up having to crawl like a crab backwards because my knees hurt so bad. I have a better strategy for next time. Basically - I started in the middle and I should have been at the side. (Hey, last time I didn't even try it, so it's progress that I tried and finished - even though it probably took me 10-15 minutes.)

Parking was horrible, it took almost two hours to get from the town of Carrollton to our parking location. Thankfully the Warrior Dash aren't picky about when you run. I wish I had friends running with me but I had a great time goofing around with the people I ran with. The trail was mostly mud and it felt like we were ice skating most of the time. There wasn't a lot of running this time even though there were a lot less hills than the previous one. (My legs didn't hurt nearly as much the few days afterwards.)

Btw, around 2pm we heard someone announce that of the 6,000 people who had run the course, over 4,000 had take more than an hour. I'm blaming the mud. And probably having too much fun. :)

Since pictures are worth 1,000 words, I thought I'd post some pictures I've found of the obstacles we went through. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

I did this one!!

The dumpster I got stuck in.

The wall I didn't do (but I tried).

I did this one! You use a rope to go up the other side and then down the side you see here.

An easy obstacle!

This is the spider web one I got stuck on.

There were many other obstacles that I'm not finding photos of, but I guess that's part of the intrigue - not knowing what they'll throw at you next. Of course there was the fire to jump over the mud to crawl through at the end. (Photos of that are on my previous blog.) And after we finished we got to go down to the lake and wash off. Kinda missed the freezing cold fire hoses from the Logan dash.

When it's over I feel exhausted, ridiculous, and thinking I'm just too old to ever do this again. But then after a few days I start dreaming of doing it all again. What is wrong with me??? :)

Anyway, I'll end this with some photos Jason and I took of the excitement and craziness....

View from the parking area

Walkway to the craziness

Getting ready to start

The starting line

After I was done

After jumping in the lake

Lots of costumes!

Our awesome people-watching spot

Check out the guy belly-flopping into the mud

A team jumping over the flames

Mario & Luigi

At the very end where we got our medals

Warrior Dash - Before (and After and Before)

I was going to post my "before" feelings about this Warrior Dash and then next week post the "after." However, I'm just realizing that I never posted about the first Warrior Dash that I did on June 4th, so I'll start there. (If you remember, the kitchen remodel started just days after.)

First, what is the Warrior Dash? Here's the link: http://warriordash.com/ It's about 3 miles on trails with obstacles like going through tires, crawling over cars (or boats), climbing a wall, jumping fire, and crawling through mud under barbed wire. Sounds like fun, huh? :)

I'm in there somewhere

Before Warrior Dash 1 in Logan, Ohio - I had never run a 5k and the furthest I'd ever run was 2 miles. And here I was planning on running 3 miles with obstacles. I knew that a lot of people end up walking some of it and that if the obstacles are too much, you can go around them. (I was definitely NOT going to be able to climb the wall.) I was optimistic and incorrectly assumed that there wouldn't be that many hills.

Coming down the last hill towards the last 6 obstacles

I was running with Jason's coworker, Molly, and her fiance, Matt, and their friend, Sniper. (I think his name is John, but we call him Sniper.) They were all athletic types and were incredibly encouraging and helpful. However, after the first half mile uphill I told them to stop waiting for me and just go!

Sniper, Molly, Matt and me - before

After Warrior Dash 1 - My stomach hurt, my legs hurt, my shoulders hurt! I heard that the first part was over a mile uphill - seriously uphill! I tried running uphill but ended up having to walk when I couldn't breathe. I did run quite a bit of it though. My arms hurt from trying to pull myself up on the difference obstacles. At one point I fell in the creek and couldn't get up! So frustrating, but my legs were rubbery and I shoved so hard to push myself up that I hurt my shoulder. Ugh.

Going over the balance beams

I skipped almost half the obstacles, but I tried most of them. I didn't jump the fire because I didn't think my legs would hold up. I did crawl through the mud, which was like thick pudding, and found out the barbed wire doesn't have points. (Btw, there's people all over the trail making sure you're okay and encouraging you to skip an obstacle if they don't think you're up to it.)

"Can you believe this???"

When I crossed the finish line I got a medal, a banana, and a cup of water. The biggest thing I gained was a sense of accomplishment that compares to finishing your college degree. The adrenaline rush lasted for at least a week or two and I felt invincible! (And definitely not 38 years old and overweight.) It's addicting. The proof? I signed up to do it again three months later.

Molly and me with our medals & mud

I did it!!!

So here we are, two days until the next one.

Before Warrior Dash 2 - Carrollton, Ohio - I haven't trained anywhere near as much as I wanted to. I need to practice jumping over fire (well, maybe not fire), and climbing things. I did some training at a playground (with an 11 year old), but I should have done more. I have done two 5k's and I can easily run 3 miles now. I've been running hills to get my legs ready, so I hope the hills don't wipe me out this time.

Molly and me after we've been hosed off (literally)

I'm still a little worried about the obstacles. I probably still won't do the wall, but I definitely want to finish the rope ladder this time. And I want to jump the fire! (Those are always the best pictures and I don't have one yet!)

The rope ladder I hope to get over this time

I had a dream last night that I went through the Warrior Dash and I went through all the obstacles like a breeze. Of course I think I was in my 20's and 30 pounds lighter in my dream, but I did it. I woke up not freaking out about the obstacles. Hopefully that "not freaking out" thing stays with me for awhile.

Jason with the viking hat

And this time I'm running by myself. (Not that that's any different from last time.) On the facebook event page for this Dash I've found some other slow runners that also start at 10:30 am. I'm hoping I run into them and can get their help going through the obstacles.

I'm running out to Target tonight to find some running shorts. The ones I ran in last time got bogged down with mud. And some crazy socks. Just because. :)

Wish me luck and say a prayer I survive another one!

(Btw, I'm already planning on doing the 2012 Warrior Dash in Logan.)

Couch Potato to 5k

Couch potato = me
5k = Air Force 5k on September 18th

I started this crazy running about 6 weeks ago. I had quite a few friends who had started running and it motivated me to at least give it a try. I used to run during gym in High School and I knew that I might not be fast, but I had endurance to run for half an hour or more. Could I still do it? I figured I might as well give it a try. It's summer and it's free (once you buy a good pair of running shoes.)

Melissa told me about podrunner.com which does interval training that goes along with the Couch Potato to 5k program. Basically, the 1st week you run for 60 seconds, walk for 90 seconds and continue alternating between running and walking for about half an hour. The 2nd week you run for 90 seconds, then walk for 2 minutes, run 90 seconds, walk 2 minutes... you get the point. The podrunner.com site has a podcast that you download to your ipod or mp3 player. It plays upbeat music and has a tone when you go back and forth between walking & running. Each week there's a different podcast to download with different music.

So I went to Up and Running and had my feet measured. They check to see how much your arch changes between resting and standing and this lets them know the style of shoe you need. So they brought out three different pair of shoes and had me walk around in them. I decided on a silver, white, and pink pair of New Balance running shoes.


I then downloaded the first week of podrunner and headed out to run around the neighborhood for the first time. I gotta tell you, after the 8th time of running for a minute, I thought I was going to die. Could I really do this?

The next time I ran, Melissa and I ran together and she goofed around and kept things fun. When we'd hear the tone to start running we'd both want to groan but she encouraged me to say "woo hoo!" instead. It got to be a joke and we'd yell "woo hoo!" when we were so tired and we'd hear the tone for the last time.

We ran around a trail/track around a park near my house. We ran around Lincoln Park and the neighborhood next door. We ran outside near Trent Arena, we ran inside Trent Arena. We ran in the neighborhood near Melissa's house, but that first hill was a doozy!! And we ran at the Kettering Rec Center. We're not sure how far we ran, but we knew how long we were running. The intervals were always about 28 minutes long and we'd keep going no matter how tired we got. The great part was that we could see progress. Each week we had to run longer, but we did it!

Somewhere around the 3rd week when we were running 3 minutes at a time, Melissa and I decided to see how long we could run. So on the last interval of running, we decided to just keep going. We lasted about 5-6 minutes and proved to ourselves that this was definitely something we could do. I have no idea how long I ran that evening, but it felt GREAT. Who knew that I could run?

Melissa and the kiddos have left for Idaho, as they do every year, and will be back in August. This means I have 5-6 weeks of running by myself. So far I've stayed on track and stayed motivated. Though I think Melissa pushed me to run harder than I do when I run alone.

Tonight I started week 5 of the podcast. Five minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of walking, 3 minutes of walking, and another 5 minutes of running. With warm up and cool down, this was about 2 miles. It wore me out, but I finished.

The idea of doing a 5k in 2 months seems easy enough. That's just another mile than I'm doing now and I can always walk part of it. But I don't want to walk it, I want to RUN the 5k. This is my goal. I also want to run the 3.1 miles in less than 35 minutes. No idea if I can do that, but I want to. It's another goal that I'm pushing myself towards, and I've been told it's doable if I keep on training like I have.

So I've been running 3 times a week since the 3rd week (only twice a week the first two weeks), which is much more regular exercise than I've ever done in my life. Have I lost weight? No. Am I discouraged? No. The point isn't to lose weight, the point is to run, and run longer each week. This I am doing, and I've impressed myself week after week. Gotta be honest though, I'm really hoping that the weight starts coming off at some point. This would definitely help my knees and increase my time. But I'll be patient, it'll happen. Form follows function. (Though I will mention that from the waist down everything is getting pretty toned and less jiggly. Yay!!)

Not sure why it's taken me so long to blog about running. I guess I didn't want to make a big deal about it. It's a funny thing, but when I mention to people that I've started running, usually they respond by telling me why they can't run. That's fine, don't run. But please don't give me excuses because my brain stores these away for the days when I don't feel like running. My knees hurt the day after I run (but not the days I run, or I don't run). My lungs aren't at 100% and they never will be, but I feel a need to push them as hard as possible anyway. And I keep wondering if I should up my beta-blocker again. (Lowered it last year when we started trying to get pregnant.) Am I healthy enough to run? Or have I been using all these as excuses to not do this before?

And the words keep going through my head "just do it, just do it, just do it." So I just do it. And so far the knees, the lungs, the heart, and the will power have held up just fine.