Tampons, Moo Cows & Sweet Tea: A Race Report from the NC Marathon, Part II

Well hello there! I see you guys were intrigued by Part I of my race report and the cliffhanger at the end! I'm a little bit sneaky, eh? So without further ado, I present to you the remainder of this (really long) race report from my first marathon last Saturday.

The Race: Miles 14-21
After I made my first short walk break at 13.5, I knew that more walk breaks were in my immediate future. I hate, hate, HATE to walk during training runs, much less races, and I had already let myself down by taking this first short one. Everyone around me seemed to be taking walk breaks and when I wasn't getting too much further ahead of them I thought, why not? No one was around spectating/cheering/pushing me to keep going. It was just me and the moo cows and about 10 other racers (most of which were considerably older than me) meandering through the sparse farm land of NC.

I know I said that stopping at 13 was my "first big mistake of the race" but actually, I think my first mistake was eating those Sport Beans before I even started! My stomach had been cramping up the entire run, not debilitating cramps, but cramps that just annoyed me and made it that much easier to stop when I was getting spent.

So from about mile 13.5 on it was a walk/run kind of race for me. I don't know why, I have run plenty of runs further than 13 and never walked a second, but for some reason in this long & lonely race I was allowing myself to stop. It was a good run up until that point, I was feeling strong, I was making my way past other racers--all while sticking within my target pace. But after mile 13 my pace started to suffer and for some weird reason, it was okay with me.

I don't know what mile it was, but it had to be around mile 17ish when we were making our way out of the country and started to wind through a neighborhood. It was really strange because here we were, this small trickle of marathon runners, coming through this average looking neighborhood with no fan fare, no course markers (don't get me started on this), and I was wondering what the people who lived there were thinking. They were mowing their lawns, blowing the excess grass into the street, going about their Saturday as if this huge race didn't even exist. I would have given anything at that point to be mowing a lawn.

So it was sometime on this never ending road through this neighborhood when it started to spit light rain again. Welcome rain that was my only saving grace at that moment. Then, something strange happened.

I felt something hit the back of my leg. Hmm, that was weird feeling. I turn around and what do I see?

A TAMPON. A Tampax Super completely free from it's wrapper, AND its applicator.

Marinate on that for a second.

Said tampon in my back pocket. This was at the 4 mile marker when my dad hopped in with me.

At first I had the horrific thought that MY tampon had fallen out (if that is even possible. Sorry for the TMI there). But I quickly realized after reaching around to feel for my extra pal in my back pocket, and this little guy had become so soaked in sweat/rain that the paper wrapper had basically disintegrated and somehow, SOMEHOW the tampon itself had wriggled out of it's applicator and broken free onto the streets of this suburban neighborhood.

Of course there were runners directly behind me. Of course they were looking at me quite strangely. But I avoided their curious/scared glances and kept on truckin. At least this would keep me amused in my thoughts for a few miles. Note to self: make sure to only carry tampons in plastic wrappers on super long runs or in races. Got it.

After that little incident, we started to (finally) make our way back into town. I was hoping that there would be some spectators to help me out because I was beat. I had made a deal with myself that I could walk through every water station from mile 16 on. This worked out pretty well although a few times, I had to walk between stations (they came about every 2 miles).

My stomach was still giving me fits but I was trying to ignore that. My left foot hurt pretty bad and my right calf was starting to get really tight. My socks were rubbing weirdly against the bottoms of my feet and I was just so ready to be done. How I made it to meet up with my family at mile 21 I don't know.

The Race: Miles 21-26.2
At around mile 20ish there was a water station at the bottom of what I thought was the worst hill of the course. I stopped and drank my water + Gatorade (excuse me, G), walked for a bit up the hill, and then started running again. As soon as I got to the top of the hill I could see my people there waiting for me. It was like an oasis in the desert!

They were hooting and hollering and yelling for the cops to stop the traffic and it was JUST what I needed.

(Please watch this, my Nana yelling at the cops is priceless)

Before the race I had asked Eric if he would run the end of it with me. He said he could do that. Then, the morning of the race he was like, "Yeah, I don't think so Kristin, I don't really run." I am sure I said something smarty pants like any older sister would do. Something like, "Well fine then! I hate you too ass whipe." You know, something nice.

So when I came through the intersection where they were waiting I didn't expect to have a running partner. Especially since Eric was in his khaki shorts and heavy leather belt. But as I ran by screaming, "This freaking suuuucccckkkss!" he hopped right in and said, "I'm gonna run with you!" I was elated, overjoyed. Perhaps saved.

So I took off my headphones and gladly started chatting. "Yeah we just ate at Biscuitville and I had a biscuit and a Mtn. Dew so I'm ready to go!" He said. I knew that would come back to haunt him in a mile or so.

I was telling him about the fat girls who were beating the pants off me, the miles and miles of desolation in the country, of seeing the winner run past us and then seeing the guy who was in second about a mile back. I started chatting - between huge gulps of air - about how I felt like crap and my feet hurt. I told him that I would want to stop but not to let me.

So we kept running and chatting and it was nice not only to catch up with my brother but also to have someone to motivate me. He kept telling me that I had run so far and it was okay I was going slow, that all I had was a few more miles and we would done, that I could do it. It was great. Although I was a little bit embarrassed about how slow I was going, I couldn't help it! I had never run with Eric before and I knew he wanted to go faster (especially since he doesn't ever run). I looked at my Garmin and realized that a sub 5 hour finish was the only thing I could hope for, and it was within reach. But as the last miles started to tick by I told myself that I didn't care about my time anymore, I just wanted to finish. So I didn't look at it again.

We kept running by all these cops who would tell us, "You're doing great! Only one more hill!" and then there would be at least 4 more hills. But it was just comical at that point.

Eric's biscuit started to come up. I told him I burped peanut butter for at least 5 miles at the beginning.

We got to mile 25ish and were on the home stretch. We could see the building downtown where the finish line was, and there was this one long road between us and it.

"Ok that guy up ahead is a douchebag because he just stopped," Eric said on one of the last hills. "We can beat him." Then later, "Actually, let's try to beat all 4 of those people ahead of us. Then you will be motivated to finish strong."

"Whatever...want to be done" I mumbled. But I was trying as hard as I could. We kept picking up the pace and one by one we started passing. We were almost there as we rounded out a left turn into the downtown area. We passed one more. I could hear the music from the finish line. We were to a corner where we were about to turn onto our final street and I saw the 26 mile marker, with my dad jumping up and down on the corner yelling for us and telling us we had only 2 more blocks to go. We turned on the heat and passed the last person. I started sprinting and he followed.

"Wait a minute, wait, what are you doing! This is too fast!" He was whimpering.

We turned into the finish and he ran off to the sidelines letting me run through the finish line on my own. It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life. I heard my family and Matt yelling for me and I looked to my left and saw my best friend Meredith waving to me. She had wanted to run this with me but couldn't due to injury, and it meant so much to me that she had driven all the way there just to see me finish.



I ran through the timing mat and collected my medal. They handed me a wet towel and I got some water. I stopped and tried to catch my breath and walked over to where everyone was gathering. I stopped my Garmin and looked at my time, 5:01:XX. That was okay by me.

Many sweaty hugs were shared, tears were shed, and I was just so utterly happy that I had finished. Eric was a bit disheveled and exhausted ("I think that was the furthest I have ever run...hmpfh" he told me afterward) but I hugged him and thanked him for being the sole reason I made it across the line as quickly as I did.

Sure, I was a little but disappointed in my time. Sure, I felt like I could have pushed myself a little bit harder. But in the end I was just so proud of myself for running a freaking marathon, that all of my doubts about my performance were overshadowed. It was a great feeling. I knew then that I would have to do it again, there was no doubt in my mind. I wanted a rematch with myself!

Then I did what any good southern girl would do after a race, grab a big fat glass of sweet tea and relax :)

Meredith, me and Matt and my sweet tea...sitting...this was necessary.

Me and my medal after we arrived home :)

Tampons, Moo Cows & Sweet Tea: A Race Report from the NC Marathon, Part I

Since Blogger hates me and doesn't want to post, here is the abridged version. (Which is still pretty long, so hang on tight!!)

Friday night I got lazy and didn't make pizza. Instead I made a quick pesto pasta, had a small portion of steak and called it a night. I had everything ready for my 4:30 AM wake-up call.

Race Day: I woke up before my alarm even went off. I lay in bed for about 10 minutes then got up to get ready. I ate 1/2 bagel with PB and 1/2 a banana. I had some coffee. I visited the ladies room. I had 4 GU's and 2 Sport Beans tucked into my back pocket of my tank. I was good to go.

I did have one worry, however. I had my period. (Thanks Mother Nature!) But it was on its last legs so I was hoping it wouldn't be an issue. Of course, I only had one tampon left for the day and I had forgotten to pick any up at the store...so just to err on the safe side I was planning on popping into a grocery store for some Pearl Mini's I could hide somewhere on me during the race . If only I could get my family out of the house in time....we were supposed to leave no later than 6 AM for the race start at 7 AM.

5:31 AM: Younger bro Eric is still asleep on the couch. I start screaming at him to get up. Eventually he did. Then to my horror, I HEAR HIM TAKING A SHOWER. Luckily for him he is a boy and that takes about 2.5 seconds.

5:47 AM: I am not-so-patiently waiting at the door for everyone to leave. I was regretting not driving myself. (To clarify, Matt and my Nana were perfectly ready to go.)

5:51 AM: We start loading into Matt's truck, as we (Matt, me and my Nana) were under the impression we were all riding together. Doors are open and front seat + one in the back is emtpy for Eric and Dad.

5:55 AM: I sit with my mouth open in utter disbelief when I see Dad and Eric pull out of his complex's parking lot in Eric's car, turn the corner, and are out of sight while we all sit there wondering what the hell just happened.

5:56 AM: As we scramble to move spots and shut the doors and screech out of the lot Fast and Furious style, I scream into my cell phone at my dad, "Whereareyougoingithoughtwewereridingtogetherimgoingtomissmyraceidontknowtheway!!"

5:56 1/2 AM: "We are right here waiting on you, it will be okay." -Dad

5:57 AM: Mini-heart attack averted. We leave, and are following them (I dont know the way).

5:58 AM: We pass the Food Lion I had previously instructed them to stop at. I make another frantic call. "Okneverminddontstopnoooootimeee!!" and then "OHwaitstopatthisgasstation!!" So we did. I hopped out and picked up the cheap Tampax Super's in the paper wrapper. Will have to do in a pinch. I stick one in the back of my tank along with my GU's. Yes, it was sticking out and was very noticable.

5:59 AM - 6:34 AM: "OMGGGG this is not the right waaayy! Ithinkdadhasuslost omg he betternotbetakingthescenicroute!!!!!" (My dad is known world wide for taking the long way every where. Once it took us an entire day to drive from my Nana's house in VA back to his house. It normally takes three hours.) Also I was debating whether I should wear my hat (that came in the race packet) in case it rained, or my cute new green headband. The hat won.

6:35 AM: We arrive in High Point with plenty of time to spare, we find the starting line, and my family drops me off to go park and wishes me good luck. I was at this point, calmed down.
We also took some pics.


6:40 AM: I have to pee. I find the port-a-potties only to scowl at the ridiculously long lines. I mumble something about "crappyorganizing" and "idontwaitinlines" and "bushsomewhere." I get some strange looks and an awkward chuckle and scramble a block or so away to pee behind a building. I also start eating a pack of Sport Beans. But not at the same time.


6:43 - 7:02 AM: I'm looking around for the starting line (it was not very clearly marked) and see Matt and crew through the (minimal) crowd. I was thinking that this race is way too small for me to find my posse that easily about 5 ft from the starting line.

We make small talk, listen to the national anthem, take some more pics, I give Eric the rest of my Sport Beans and my other pack and happily let him and Matt know that "I peed behind a building and now I feel like I need to poo again." Eric takes the Sport Beans. Matt laughs and looks genuinely worried. I tell him that it's ok "they have port-a-potties on the course should the urge strike."


Then I look at my Garmin and realize it's go time. I set that baby up, put on my headphones (the most awesome headphones ever, review to come this week) and I'm off!

My goal for the race was to be consisently running between a 10:00 and 11:00 pace, bringing me in around 4:30-4:45. But I told myself that if I finished at all I would be proud. My only strategy was to think of my remaining miles as, "Only 14 more to go...I can do that in my sleep" rather than, "Holy hell 14 freaking miles to go!"

The Race: Miles 1-4
The weather at the starting time was 62 degrees F, 80% humidity with a south wind of 6 mph. Although it sounds really humid, I didn't notice it at all. At points throughout the run it was gently spitting rain to cool us off. Mother Nature was trying to make nice. The weather was perfect.

The first four miles wound through downtown, some historic neighborhoods with huge houses with expensive cars parked out front, and then back into the downtown area. There was a group of three sort of overweight women all dressed alike who were running for a few minutes and then walking. This thoroughly pissed me off because although they seemed to be walking most of the time, they were keeping up with me perfectly. Hmm. I consoled myself with the thought that they were probably running the 1/2. Since they stayed with me until the two races parted at 8 miles, I found out that they were indeed running the 1/2. That didn't really make me feel better.

It was hillier than I had expected/hoped but I was feeling strong. I rounded out the end of mile 3 and was pleased to see my crew waiting for me at a corner, screaming my name, waving cameras. Matt was so graciously carrying around my mom's huge camera we were borrowing since mine was broken.



My dad hopped in to run along side me for a minute and asked how I was doing. I told him it was pretty hilly and he assured me I was doing great. Even my brother looked happy! This was a shocker.

The Race: Miles 5 -13
Eventually the course moved towards the major roads and was heading out of town. At around mile 8 the two races split and a (very) few of us went to the right towards the "MARATHON" sign. I teared up because I was so proud of myself because I was going to finish a marathon! Then I shocked myself back into reality and realized it was only mile 8 and I had a crap ton left.

Big hill at mile 9.

Mile 10 started us winding through the country. I was almost alone on the course with only a handful of runners ahead of me (I tried not to look behind me to see who was most likely about to pass me), miles of farm land, a few tractors and a good number of moo cows. I was lonely. It was desolate and not that pretty. Up until this point, I had been keeping within my target pace. My left foot was starting to really hurt and I could feel a nasty blister on my pinkie toe forming. There were NO spectators cheering me on.

I took my first walk break at mile 13.5 for about 30 seconds. It was at the bottom of a pretty long hill. I was bored, so I walked. It was my first big mistake of the race.

To be continued....

2009 Cooper River Bridge Run 10k Race Report

Saturday morning I woke up around 5:45 to get ready to leave for the Bridge Run 10k around 6 am. Matt was going to take me there, and along the way we were going to pick up our friend Sandy's boyfriend Jason and take him as well. We got there around 6:45 am and had an hour and 15 minutes to wait until race time of 8 AM. We had to get there so early because the bridge closed to traffic at 7 and I didn't want Matt to be stuck in Mt. Pleasant (or have to take the long way home).

I was hoping to meet up with some friends, but we never found them amongst the 35,000 other runners, so instead we just kind of waited around and people watched.

This was the first year running the race that I also lived here, so it was nice to know the course and know what to expect. It was also nice that we got dropped off at the start line, rather than a mile behind where the shuttles drop you (therein forcing us to make our way through thousands of people to get as close to the start as we could). So I wasn't as nervous yesterday as I usually am waiting for races to start.

At about 7:30 we headed out to do some warm up loops. That helped a lot because it was pretty cold out there with a tank top and shorts on (plus I was glad for the warm muscles at race time). By the time we got done with that, we decided to make our way up to as close to the front as we wanted to be. I was hoping to get in front of as many walkers as possible, because if you have run races this large before, you know how much of a pain it is to try to run and be surrounded by walkers.

We situated ourselves not too far from the starting line and got our iPods and Garmins/watches ready to go. We both decided that we weren't going to try to run with each other, I knew he was going to be faster than me (his goal was breaking 50 minutes & mine under 56) so we said good luck and when the gun went off, we were gone!

Immediately I knew that taking Thursday and Friday off running had been a good decision, because my legs felt fresher than they had in weeks. The first few miles were a cinch and I was speeding along at between 7:30 and 8:30 pace. I knew I shouldn't be going that fast, but before I could slow down, the crowds at the base of the bridge made that decision for me around mile 2 when everyone bottlenecked to make it onto the bridge lane.

So I kept trucking and weaving in and out runners, passing guys in skirts and a banana man. I was visibly annoyed for a good bit of the race at the dozens of runners who abruptly decided to stop in the midst of a throng of runners trying to push it up the hill, thus causing me to either run into them or side step my way around them, often running into someone else. Last year I decided that it couldn't be avoided and I shouldn't feel bad about it so I did what I had to do to make my way through. Hey, I was hoping to PR after all.

Mile 3 was the top of the bridge and I was still feeling strong. The crowds started to thin once I reached the top of the bridge and I was glad to have some breathing room. There was an older man running next to me with a red sweat band that had yellow wings on each side. Loved it!

Headed down the bridge and onto Meeting Street at about mile 4.5. Was pretty pumped that there was no Red Bull corral there like last year. (Yep, they were passing out Red Bull to runners last year around mile 4. Didn't really understand that...anybody seen Red Bull at races before?)
Meeting Street felt like it was going to go on forever even though that stretch was only about half a mile! I was looking forward to turning onto John Street because that was where I had told Matt, my mom & my bro to look for me. Finally, the crowd turned onto John and I made my way to the left side of the road. There they were! My mom with camera in hand and Matt and my brother Eric standing there looking like they were glad that I was finally coming through which meant that their duty was almost over :) But they did holler for me...which you will see shortly on THE VIDEO! That's right. I thought my mom was snapping pics but she was videoing, and she managed to catch me as I ran by! So you guys get the pleasure of seeing ChasRunner Kbo in action...trying to run, not knowing she was being videoed. Oh well, I look...okay.

The vid is kind of long, so skip ahead to the important parts (or look for yourself if you were there!): my brother Eric makes his debut around 1:05 looking thrilled to be awake, a GO HEELS to my mom from a runner at 2:10 (she had on my Carolina sweatshirt) and again at 3:33 and 5:04, guy in a blonde wig at 4:19, guy running in a shirt and tie at 4:37, around the 4:50 mark there are the two Steelers cheerleaders (male type, in skirts), and I make my grand entrance at the 5:31 mark! (Watch me busting it up the sidewalk in my hot pink new shirt pretending to be a runner.)

I don't know how I feel about watching myself run, much less letting you all in on the party, but I'm only on there for like 5 seconds, so what the hell? Enjoy!



So after I passed my posse, we turned left onto King Street and ran about three blocks before turning onto George Street and then another left back onto Meeting...with the sprint to the finish! I looked at my watch when I passed them and realized I was still in the 40s, so I was pretty excited that I would be beating my goal!

I sprinted it in to the finish and made sure not to stop my watch right as I passed the finish line, and instead, made nice for the camera :) pics to come this week hopefully!

I finished the 10k in a total time of 52:03 with an 8:23 pace and could not have been more thrilled!

Checking out my time!

I immediately headed for water, grabbed an orange and went to find my crew. After a few minutes we met up with each other and they all congratulated and hugged me (at arms length).

Me, Eric and Matt

My momma & me!

Then we headed to Marion Square where I picked up some sweet LOOT! Got a ton of Larabars and Cliff Bars and even some Honey Maid snacks and Oreo Cakesters! Then we made our way home where I showered and we made a breakfast feast! Here is what I made for my recovery meal:


Two whole wheat banana pancakes (made with Aunt Jemimas Whole What pancake mix and some cinnamon, nutmeg & vanilla), some strawberries, and an egg white scramble with spinach, mushrooms and peppers. I of course also had some more coffee. We spent the rest of the day walking around downtown, making tacos for dinner, WATCHING THE HEELS STOMP VILLANOVA (just sayin') and I made another breakfast feast this morning!

After they left this afternoon, I ran 12 miles at a pretty slow pace. My legs were sore, and I had a full belly so it wasn't the most stellar run, but it wasn't bad. Going to rest tomorrow and get into it this week for my final week before tapering!

Whew that was a long post! Thanks for hanging around. Stop by tomorrow for another lesson on grocery shopping on a budget! Hope everyone had a great weekend..I know I did! However, I am currently quite pissed that the Amazing Race is not on tonight because of the country music awards..not that I wouldn't watch that if I had control over the TV, but because, well, Amazing Race is my pretty amazing.