Race Recap: The Flying Pig Marathon

Almost a week later and I finally have time to give you the run-down on the Flying Pig.

I’ll save you any suspense (because I KNOW you all have been chomping at the bit to know how I did *it’s called sarcasm people*) and tell you that I finished the race in 4:18:58. That’s 12 minutes and 10 seconds faster than my Marine Corps time. Not going to complain about that!

So where do I start?

I arrived in Cincy on Friday and headed over to my aunt and uncle’s house. I had a great evening doing some heavy carb-loading at a fantastic Italian restaurant with my uncle and cousins. Unfortunately my Aunt Janie was out of town last weekend, but we managed to catch up at the airport before I headed home/got screwed by TSA and US Airways and missed my flight.

But I digress…..

Saturday morning I woke up in the sun-filled guest bedroom (living in a basement I’m always amazed by how refreshing it is to wake up to sunlight) and headed over to the Expo to get my race packet and figure out where to park on race morning. I was pretty impressed with the Expo, but my one complaint was how tight the walking space was between the booths. It was super-crowded – even when the Expo opened at 10am – and I found myself speeding through the expo because the crowds were getting to me. I did however, pick up a new Nathan hand-held water bottle, some Honey Stinger Chews, Compression Sleeves and Nuun.

After the Expo, I spent the rest of the day following my uncle and cousin around to their personal training session, resting/watching Game of Thrones, pounding water and Nuun to make sure I was fully hydrated for the race and enjoying a fabulous dinner at Honey with my uncle. Vegetarian Risotto = great pre-race fuel.

I woke up Sunday morning at 4:45am and got dressed, ate 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter, jam and sliced banana. By 5:15am I was in the rental car headed downtown. I was worried about the parking situation, but was able to park in a garage (only $5 dollars!!!!) about a 10-minute walk to the start line. THANK YOU CINCINNATI FOR YOUR CHEAP PARKING AND TRAFFIC-FREE STREETS!

I headed to the start line and spent the next 30 minutes using the bathroom in the Bengals stadium and getting immediately back in line to go again. It helped the time pass and ensured I wouldn’t need to make any pit stops during the race. THANK YOU BENGALS STADIUM FOR NOT HAVING GROSS BATHROOMS!

At 6:15am I headed to the “Pig Pens” (aka Corrals) and got ready to run. My whole intention going into the race was to shoot for a 4:10 finish. At the Expo the day before I upgraded my Pig Pen from E to D so I could run with the 4:10 pace group. I immediately found the pacers (John and Stacey) and stuck close to them. The race started promptly at 6:30am and we were off. THANK YOU FLYING PIG FOR STARTING ON TIME WITH THE HEAT IT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

Seriously, the race is a total blur. The pacers were amazing, keeping us exactly on pace with about 25 seconds in the bank. They coached us up and down the hills telling us when to push and when to take it easy. Pacer John and Pacer Stacey had the BEST attitudes the whole time, I couldn’t believe it. I paid so much attention to their words of wisdom and positive talk that they got me up the big hills no problem. (NOTE: I’m so glad that I made sure to incorporate hills on all of my runs – I believe it made a huge difference). I also saw my uncle between Mile 10-11 and as anyone who has run a race knows, seeing someone you know is the best thing ever. THANK YOU GORDON FOR BEING THE BEST SPECTATING UNCLE EVER!

Pacer John’s wife was on the course (I think somewhere around Miles 12-15???) and had towels soaked in ice water to give us. THANK YOU PACER JOHN’S WIFE!

Starting at Mile 5 I was grabbing a cup of water to drink and a cup of water to pour over my head and arms. It played a huge role in keeping me cool and fresh, but by Mile 17 though I wasn’t feeling too hot. We hit the stretch of highway that had absolutely no shade and the heat was finally getting to me. Coupled with the fact that my calves started seizing up on any incline, I was beginning to question my ability to stay with the pacers. I made a promise to myself to make it to Mile 19 and see how I felt. Well by Mile 19 I was worried that if I didn’t stop and walk I would pass out. My heart rate was off the charts and I was really nauseous. THANK YOU BODY FOR NOT BREAKING DOWN UNTIL LATE IN THE RACE!

It was tough making this decision. Between Mile 18 and 19 I had a conversation with myself to try and determine if I was having a mental or physical breakdown. If it was mental, I would stay with the pacers, if it was physical, I would slow my roll. It only took me a couple minutes to determine it was a physical one. I wouldn’t call it “bonking” but I knew that I was slowing down and if I didn’t stop to walk (not just slow my pace) it could get really messy. At this point, I was so proud of the race I had already run. Given the heat and the hills, I couldn’t have been happier with my performance, so when I hit the Mile 19 marker, I stopped running and got walking. It was really sad to see the pacers slip away from me, but I knew I made the right decision. THANK YOU PACER JOHN AND PACER STACEY I COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU – IT WAS SAD TO SEE YOU GO!

From Mile 19 to the finish I walked and ran. I made a goal to keep the 4:20 pacers behind me, but if they did come and pass me I would finish the race running with them. My strategy was to walk the hills because at this point anytime I ran uphill my calves felt like they were getting pulled up and through my head. I got more energy as the miles passed and pretty much ran the entire last mile. THANK YOU FINISH LINE, IT WAS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!

The crowds for this race were like nothing I’ve ever experienced. There were people everywhere cheering you on. I heard before the race that the Pig spectators are the best, and they were right. Having strangers cheer for you and keep you going makes all the difference. THANK YOU FLYING PIG SPECTATORS, IF I COULD GIVE YOU ALL A HUG I WOULD!

Crossing the finish line was the best feeling EVER. I always thought that walking during a marathon would feel like failure, but not only did I beat my first marathon time, but I was proud of how I ran. Yes, if there had been fewer hills and cooler weather I probably would have gotten a 4:10 BUT I DON’T EVEN CARE!!!! THANK YOU FLYING PIG MARATHON FOR AN AWESOME RACE!

I trained hard for this race. THANK YOU HOT BIRD RUNNING FOR HELPING ME TO KICK MY OWN BUTT!

I managed to train hard while flying all over the world. I managed to train hard while dealing with some very tough personal stuff. I managed to train hard during allergy season (which believe me is a feat in and of itself). I managed to train hard while I deserted my running partner (aka Rooney) in order to meet my goals. I worked my butt off and don’t give a flying pig that I walked. THANK YOU LIFE FOR NOT GETTING (too much) IN THE WAY!

Once I crossed the finish line I got my photo taken. I never do this but I was so HAPPY! I promptly cruised through the post-race food line which thoroughly disgusted me. Sponsored by Walmart and Sam’s Club, they served up Doritos, cookies, doughnuts, fruit in jello and other processed nonsense. There was one small table with fresh fruit where I grabbed a banana. I also had half a bagel (no doubt processed so it will never grow moldy). Please bear with me while I rant for one second, but I just finished running 26.2 miles – I DO NOT WANT TO FILL MY BODY UP WITH FAKE CRAP! Seriously, I couldn’t be more impressed with the Flying Pig Marathon, but this totally disappointed me. NO THANK YOU’S HERE….

I hustled from the finish to my car and headed back to the house. There I chatted with uncle and cousin about the race as I took my shoes off. I knew that something funky was going on because the tops of both my shoes had blood on them, but my feet didn’t hurt so wasn’t sure what happened. Well, I officially am the recipient of the most disgusting blister ever. (Don’t worry, I won’t show you). The blood apparently came from blisters popping on both of my big toes, but the entire top part my second toe on my right foot is one big blister. I seriously want to puke every time I look at it. Thankfully though, those were my only war wounds. THANK YOU FEET FOR STICKING WITH ME DURING THE RACE!

My cousin Zoe and I headed to brunch, we watched an episode of Law and Order: CSI and I headed to the airport. I’ll save you the story of how I was in the security line for an hour and 20 minutes and was only halfway through by the time my flight was scheduled to leave. The gate agent wouldn’t hold the plane, so 16 of us missed the flight back to DC. I headed back to my aunt and uncle’s infuriated, but happy to have a place to sleep and crashed pretty early. THANK YOU AUNT JANIE AND GORDON FOR HOUSING ME FOR AN EXTRA EVENING!

Rob picked me up in DC on Monday and after a delicious reward of Five Guys (If my consumption of Five Guys makes you question my rant above, let me clear, I love “bad” food, I just prefer it to not be processed), I spent the rest of the day watching the rest of Season 1 of Game of Thrones, getting up after every episode to get some blood flowing in my legs. You might not know this, but after a big race or intense exercise session, sitting on your butt is exactly what you shouldn’t be doing. FACT: moving around helps the lactic acid from building up and reduces soreness. THANK YOU ROB FOR FULLY SUPPORTING MY LAZINESS AND WAITING ON ME HAND AND FOOT!

Rooney seems to have forgiven me for ditching him on runs because he spent the entire afternoon curled up at my side. Thank goodness. THANK YOU ROONEY FOR FORGIVING YOUR MOTHER FOR PUTTING HER INSANE RUNNING “NEEDS” FIRST!

So that’s my Flying Pig Marathon recap.

I’m a happy camper. I’ve been celebrating this week by sleeping in until 6:30, doing yoga and getting a massage. We’re back to business next week, but in the meantime I’m enjoying my time of rest.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Tagged as: Marathon, running