What does it feel like to cross something off your bucket list? It's tough to explain, but I'll do my best. But first, a quick prologue to the Inaugural Gorges Ithaca Half Marathon:
Recovered from the Shamrock half, tip-toed back into a training plan for Ithaca (or so I thought). Left IT band started talking to me with 8 weeks left before the race. Ceased and desisted all speed work to calm that b-word down, but was able to keep up with the mileage on my training plan. A few weeks and a happier IT band later, I switched out my shoes to break in a new pair (of the same exact model I'd been wearing and loving since the fall) for Ithaca. Right heel seemed to rest high in the new shoe, but I chalked it up to them having zero miles on them as opposed to the 400 on the old pair. About two weeks later and with three weeks left til Ithaca, my right foot started hurting. My athletic training background is so helpful at times like these, and I self-treated with stretching, rolling, massaging, icing, and resting my foot. Long story short, I'm convinced this cockeyed right shoe is what caused my foot pain and I bought a shiny new pair of Asics Nimbus 17s one week before race day.
Both right shoes...notice how the shoe on the left is completely cockeyed. Saucony will be hearing from me.
I managed to get one six mile run done in the new pair with no new issues and decided that the fate of my foot (and my entire trip, pretty much) rested in the cushiony soles of the Asics Nimbus 17. I knew from the start that this race would not be a PR opportunity for me because of the hills, but now I was worried about how much my foot would be hurting when I was done. Thanks to the 1-2 punch of the IT band and foot, I didn't run hills (or more accurately, "hills") like I had planned to this spring and was worried the course would chew me up and spit me out. Throw in 10 hours of driving (and the accompanying dehydration) and spending the night before the race in a tent and you've got a recipe for potential disaster.
With Camryn's kindergarten graduation being at 1:30 Friday afternoon, we didn't leave town til almost 3pm. We took a somewhat scenic route to avoid Hampton Roads/DC summertime Friday traffic and had an uneventful ride to our first stop in Williamsport, PA. My college friend Chris and his wife Erin were incredible hosts, and we all had a good night's sleep (and some really great coffee!) before continuing on to Ithaca, where they would later join us for the race.
We arrived in Ithaca around noon on Saturday, set up our tents with breakneck speed, and hurried downtown to meet my old college roommates Michelle and Casie for lunch. Casie and I got to meet each other's kids for the first time, and all of our blonde babies seemed to really hit it off. After filling our bellies with Ithaca Bakery goodness, we drove up to campus for a stroll down memory lane. There were a lot of new buildings to admire, as well as some Fancy face lifts to the older ones.
Family photo by the Textor Ball
Three out of five of the ladies of 239A Class of 2000
Future Bombers?
View of the fountains and Cayuga Lake from inside the Fancy new Hill Center
We peeked in the windows of the new (to us, anyway) training room - sorry, Athletic Training Clinic - and picked our jaws up off the floor before finishing up the tour with a roll down one of the hills on the quad.
Sure it's at the bottom of where the pool used to be, but this facility is legit.
I lived in these hallowed halls my freshman and sophomore years
A shot of Brynn confidently walking the wrong way, as is tradition
We got to take the girls by the house I lived in my junior and senior year, and Michelle and I posed for a picture on the front steps before ending our tour of my college days.
239A Coddington Road, where I lived my junior and senior years. Casie couldn't join us for the picture because she had to take an important call for work. We're officially adults.
After a quick change of clothes and a stop at Wegman's, we were off to another Bomber's house for a pre-race dinner, which (along with the actual dinner) included some lacrosse, gymnastics, hula hooping, and a budding bromance between Ryan and our host, TR. We got back to the campsite just before dark, and I crossed my fingers for a peaceful night's sleep before what was certain to be the toughest half marathon I've ever run.
I slept ok, but not great. It got a little chilly overnight, and I kept waking up to make sure my active tentmate Camryn was sufficiently bundled up. Which she was not. Ever.
Why use your own pillow when you can awkwardly rest your head on your mom's air mattress?
The race didn't start until 9, but I set my alarm for 6 to get myself together early in case the kids were moving slowly when they woke up. Despite wearing my magic shoes the day before, my foot was a bit sore from all the walking we had done, and I was glad I had some time before the start to get it stretched out.
Waves of emotion would ebb and flow...I couldn't believe it was actually race day and I'd be experiencing my own personal homecoming parade.
With our race bibs pinned and all Psimases on board, we headed down the mountain we camped on and to the hotel to meet Chris and Michelle, who would be on kid duty for the race. We walked from the hotel to the start, excitement building with every step. I was thinking of what my strategy would be for this race...I had no time goal in mind because between the hills, my aching foot, and my lack of speed work the two months prior to the race, I really had no idea what to expect. Deep down I was hoping to go sub-2, but it wouldn't have been a huge surprise or even much of a disappointment if I couldn't swing it.
My plan was to start off easy. The first 3 miles were flat, so I could find a comfortable stride and feel ready to attack the next 7 miles of up, up, up to Cornell and then back down. I was aiming to maintain a consistent effort, not pace, for the ups and downs, and if I had anything left in the tank when we reached flat land again, I'd kick it into high gear for the last 3 miles. My ultimate goal was survival.
We posed for a few pictures before the start, and just like that, we were off.
This one even made the local newspaper's website
Ryan and I ran together through the streets of downtown, across Ithaca Falls, past the high school, and through Stewart Park. We were maintaining between an 8:20 and 8:30 pace for the first 3 miles, which is exactly where I wanted to be. And then we turned onto Remington. We exchanged a look that was a silent exclamation of "holy shit."
The first of many holy shit moments. I didn't run with my phone so we drove the course later in the day and took these terrible photos.
We dug. And we climbed. About a mile later, we turned and welcomed a flat stretch for about a half mile. We made a left and silently said "holy shit" again. We dug some more. And we climbed some more.
As we crested that hill and turned right, we were greeted by a much needed aid station. I grabbed a water and slowed my roll to a brisk walk while I sipped. And then Ryan left me, never to be seen again until the finish line.
This pattern of dig, climb, [swear] drink continued for another 3 miles. The view from the bottom of these hills was daunting, and from the top, exhilarating. Luckily bridges are flat and I could pick my head up to savor the views.
There were moments I felt as though I was making no forward progress, but the volunteers' promises of aid stations at the top of hill after hill kept me chugging along.
Signs saying "smile ahead"at various spots along the course gave us a heads up for the race photographers, so smile I did. I was at my physical limits but I truly was so happy to be in each of those excruciating moments.
Despite the slow-for-me pace, the miles were flying by. Before I knew it, the uphill climb (climbs, really) were over and it was time to make my way back down to the park and then
to the finish line. The downhill was the same as the first long uphill on Remington, and I found myself having to keep my brakes on for fear of totally eating asphalt. The accompanying heel strike killed my sore right foot, and I found myself rolling over to the outside of my foot to ease the pain a little. When the slope was a little more gradual, I let my stride open up a bit to make up for time lost on the uphills.
When I finally reached the bottom of Remington and made the sharp right back toward Stewart Park, I felt a huge sense of relief. The ups and downs were done and I made it to the home stretch. Once I reached the lake, my college friends/race support/babysitters/photographers were cheering for me, along with one of my children (we'll just call her the favorite...the other was too busy playing to come over and give me some mojo). The course looped around and I was met by both my girls and got high fives from each this time.
While we were racing...
I exited the park with 2 miles to go, and for the first time since probably mile 4, I looked at my watch. I believe I was at 1:35 and change, giving me roughly 25 minutes to run 2 miles if I wanted to finish this beast in under 2 hours. Knowing sub-2 was in the bag, I did some more math...I had no idea what my actual pace was at that point, but I knew that beating my first ever half marathon time of 1:53 and change was possible. I zoomed by Ithaca Falls one last time and made the turn to head back toward the Commons.
I didn't feel like I had much left in me to kick for too long of a distance, and I also wanted the rest of the race to go in slow motion. Residents were out on their front porches cheering us home, some with a hose to cool us off, and I didn't want this experience to end. I had looked forward to it for so long, and I didn't think it was fair that time sped up for those 13.1 miles. But I kicked to the finish anyway, and came in at 1:53:24...or as I later went back and checked, 13 seconds faster than my first (and flat) half marathon.
And just when I thought the race couldn't have already been any more "Ithaca," I collected my finish line refreshments and continued smiling from ear to ear. Homemade energy bars, yogurt from Ithaca Milk, and fresh local watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries, all served up by smiling Ithaca faces. The celebration continued with a local bluegrass band, veggie burgers and dogs, fresh corn on the cob, and Ithaca Beer Company's most refreshing brews. Overall and age group awards were given in the form of bottles of wine from a local vineyard, as well as a wooden medallion that was hand carved with the race logo by a local wood worker. I'm not sure if a medallion can actually be made of wood and still be considered a medallion, but I have no better word to describe it!
Ryan with his hands full of food. Shocker.
Post race entertainment
My Ithaca Beer Company apricot wheat beer was perfection.
We enjoyed the refreshments, the company, and the warm Ithaca sunshine (contrary to popular opinion, it does get warm in Ithaca!) for a while before the kids were ready to get on with our adventure. As a reward for them behaving so well while Ryan and I were racing, our first stop was Purity Ice Cream (for the second time since arriving in town).
Cheers!
Camryn likes to save some on her face for later
By the time we finished our cones, some rather menacing looking clouds had rolled in, forcing us to change our plan of heading up to Taughannock Falls to a hike at Buttermilk where we were camping. We all enjoyed getting our feet wet in the cool water, and Ryan and I still had a little something left in our legs to climb a little with the girls.
Our bellies, as well as some thunder, started rumbling, so we headed back to camp for a quick shower before going out for celebratory pizza. Since it was a long, steady, soaking rain and we were staying in tents, we decided to kill some time while the storm passed by driving the race course to show the girls and take some pictures of the madness we endured earlier that day.
The rain eventually let up, and we headed back to the campsite so I could elevate my throbbing foot and the girls could get their s'mores on. Upon turning into Buttermilk, we saw the effects of the rain on the falls and stared with mouths agape.
Ummmm...
A little before/after thunderstorm frame of reference
Fortunately, our campsite was at a higher elevation and we weren't in any danger of flooding, so we toughed it out in some lighter rain overnight before packing up and heading back south to the beach, but not without the coolest race swag that ever was.
A race distance sticker that could actually be worthy of a spot on my bumper
Technical baseball tee
Medal shmedal...we got growlers from Ithaca Beer Company etched with the race logo, which were promptly filled with beer at this fine establishment:
Just like that, it was over. I came, I ran, I conquered. I got choked up...driving to Ithaca, walking around campus, driving to the race, walking to the start, running the first mile, during several other points along the course, approaching the finish line, hiking the falls, touring the city, leaving town. I feel like it's always special to be part of an inaugural event, but this was so much more. It was totally surreal...here I was in Ithaca, 15 years after graduating college, with my husband and children, running what was touted to be one of the most challenging half marathon courses on the east coast. Seeing my friends and my school and the Commons and the gorges almost made it feel like I never left, yet the person I was back then wouldn't even recognize the person I am now. And watching my husband and daughters take it all in and fall in love with Ithaca was the cherry on top. I thought this trip would be fun, but it turned out to be absolute magic. A few quotes in summary:
Ryan: "That was a great trip. Your people are cool."
Camryn: "My favorite part about the trip was seeing the waterfalls. The worst part was I got hiccups."
I usually give Brynn a hard time when I ask her what her favorite part of a trip was and she gives me a generic response of "everything," but I couldn't agree with her more this time. I can't tell you a single thing I liked best about this trip. The only thing I'd change would be how short our stay was.
We peeked in the windows of the new (to us, anyway) training room - sorry, Athletic Training Clinic - and picked our jaws up off the floor before finishing up the tour with a roll down one of the hills on the quad.
We got to take the girls by the house I lived in my junior and senior year, and Michelle and I posed for a picture on the front steps before ending our tour of my college days.
After a quick change of clothes and a stop at Wegman's, we were off to another Bomber's house for a pre-race dinner, which (along with the actual dinner) included some lacrosse, gymnastics, hula hooping, and a budding bromance between Ryan and our host, TR. We got back to the campsite just before dark, and I crossed my fingers for a peaceful night's sleep before what was certain to be the toughest half marathon I've ever run.
I slept ok, but not great. It got a little chilly overnight, and I kept waking up to make sure my active tentmate Camryn was sufficiently bundled up. Which she was not. Ever.
The race didn't start until 9, but I set my alarm for 6 to get myself together early in case the kids were moving slowly when they woke up. Despite wearing my magic shoes the day before, my foot was a bit sore from all the walking we had done, and I was glad I had some time before the start to get it stretched out.
Waves of emotion would ebb and flow...I couldn't believe it was actually race day and I'd be experiencing my own personal homecoming parade.
With our race bibs pinned and all Psimases on board, we headed down the mountain we camped on and to the hotel to meet Chris and Michelle, who would be on kid duty for the race. We walked from the hotel to the start, excitement building with every step. I was thinking of what my strategy would be for this race...I had no time goal in mind because between the hills, my aching foot, and my lack of speed work the two months prior to the race, I really had no idea what to expect. Deep down I was hoping to go sub-2, but it wouldn't have been a huge surprise or even much of a disappointment if I couldn't swing it.
My plan was to start off easy. The first 3 miles were flat, so I could find a comfortable stride and feel ready to attack the next 7 miles of up, up, up to Cornell and then back down. I was aiming to maintain a consistent effort, not pace, for the ups and downs, and if I had anything left in the tank when we reached flat land again, I'd kick it into high gear for the last 3 miles. My ultimate goal was survival.
We posed for a few pictures before the start, and just like that, we were off.
This one even made the local newspaper's website
Ryan and I ran together through the streets of downtown, across Ithaca Falls, past the high school, and through Stewart Park. We were maintaining between an 8:20 and 8:30 pace for the first 3 miles, which is exactly where I wanted to be. And then we turned onto Remington. We exchanged a look that was a silent exclamation of "holy shit."
We dug. And we climbed. About a mile later, we turned and welcomed a flat stretch for about a half mile. We made a left and silently said "holy shit" again. We dug some more. And we climbed some more.
As we crested that hill and turned right, we were greeted by a much needed aid station. I grabbed a water and slowed my roll to a brisk walk while I sipped. And then Ryan left me, never to be seen again until the finish line.
This pattern of dig, climb, [swear] drink continued for another 3 miles. The view from the bottom of these hills was daunting, and from the top, exhilarating. Luckily bridges are flat and I could pick my head up to savor the views.
There were moments I felt as though I was making no forward progress, but the volunteers' promises of aid stations at the top of hill after hill kept me chugging along.
Signs saying "smile ahead"at various spots along the course gave us a heads up for the race photographers, so smile I did. I was at my physical limits but I truly was so happy to be in each of those excruciating moments.
Despite the slow-for-me pace, the miles were flying by. Before I knew it, the uphill climb (climbs, really) were over and it was time to make my way back down to the park and then
to the finish line. The downhill was the same as the first long uphill on Remington, and I found myself having to keep my brakes on for fear of totally eating asphalt. The accompanying heel strike killed my sore right foot, and I found myself rolling over to the outside of my foot to ease the pain a little. When the slope was a little more gradual, I let my stride open up a bit to make up for time lost on the uphills.
When I finally reached the bottom of Remington and made the sharp right back toward Stewart Park, I felt a huge sense of relief. The ups and downs were done and I made it to the home stretch. Once I reached the lake, my college friends/race support/babysitters/photographers were cheering for me, along with one of my children (we'll just call her the favorite...the other was too busy playing to come over and give me some mojo). The course looped around and I was met by both my girls and got high fives from each this time.
While we were racing...
I exited the park with 2 miles to go, and for the first time since probably mile 4, I looked at my watch. I believe I was at 1:35 and change, giving me roughly 25 minutes to run 2 miles if I wanted to finish this beast in under 2 hours. Knowing sub-2 was in the bag, I did some more math...I had no idea what my actual pace was at that point, but I knew that beating my first ever half marathon time of 1:53 and change was possible. I zoomed by Ithaca Falls one last time and made the turn to head back toward the Commons.
And just when I thought the race couldn't have already been any more "Ithaca," I collected my finish line refreshments and continued smiling from ear to ear. Homemade energy bars, yogurt from Ithaca Milk, and fresh local watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries, all served up by smiling Ithaca faces. The celebration continued with a local bluegrass band, veggie burgers and dogs, fresh corn on the cob, and Ithaca Beer Company's most refreshing brews. Overall and age group awards were given in the form of bottles of wine from a local vineyard, as well as a wooden medallion that was hand carved with the race logo by a local wood worker. I'm not sure if a medallion can actually be made of wood and still be considered a medallion, but I have no better word to describe it!
We enjoyed the refreshments, the company, and the warm Ithaca sunshine (contrary to popular opinion, it does get warm in Ithaca!) for a while before the kids were ready to get on with our adventure. As a reward for them behaving so well while Ryan and I were racing, our first stop was Purity Ice Cream (for the second time since arriving in town).
By the time we finished our cones, some rather menacing looking clouds had rolled in, forcing us to change our plan of heading up to Taughannock Falls to a hike at Buttermilk where we were camping. We all enjoyed getting our feet wet in the cool water, and Ryan and I still had a little something left in our legs to climb a little with the girls.
Our bellies, as well as some thunder, started rumbling, so we headed back to camp for a quick shower before going out for celebratory pizza. Since it was a long, steady, soaking rain and we were staying in tents, we decided to kill some time while the storm passed by driving the race course to show the girls and take some pictures of the madness we endured earlier that day.
The rain eventually let up, and we headed back to the campsite so I could elevate my throbbing foot and the girls could get their s'mores on. Upon turning into Buttermilk, we saw the effects of the rain on the falls and stared with mouths agape.
Fortunately, our campsite was at a higher elevation and we weren't in any danger of flooding, so we toughed it out in some lighter rain overnight before packing up and heading back south to the beach, but not without the coolest race swag that ever was.
Just like that, it was over. I came, I ran, I conquered. I got choked up...driving to Ithaca, walking around campus, driving to the race, walking to the start, running the first mile, during several other points along the course, approaching the finish line, hiking the falls, touring the city, leaving town. I feel like it's always special to be part of an inaugural event, but this was so much more. It was totally surreal...here I was in Ithaca, 15 years after graduating college, with my husband and children, running what was touted to be one of the most challenging half marathon courses on the east coast. Seeing my friends and my school and the Commons and the gorges almost made it feel like I never left, yet the person I was back then wouldn't even recognize the person I am now. And watching my husband and daughters take it all in and fall in love with Ithaca was the cherry on top. I thought this trip would be fun, but it turned out to be absolute magic. A few quotes in summary:
Ryan: "That was a great trip. Your people are cool."
Camryn: "My favorite part about the trip was seeing the waterfalls. The worst part was I got hiccups."
I usually give Brynn a hard time when I ask her what her favorite part of a trip was and she gives me a generic response of "everything," but I couldn't agree with her more this time. I can't tell you a single thing I liked best about this trip. The only thing I'd change would be how short our stay was.
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