Races 37-39

I’ll admit, after the high of my 50k, followed by the high of my Beer Mile triumph, it was hard to keep the races going. Luckily I had you guys to help me through races #37, #38, and #39!

Race #37 – Race Across the Bay

Date: November 8

Type: Run

Distance: 10k

Shwag: Tech shirt, which features the Maryland flag and a medal. Also pictured, the artistic treasures, created especially for me by my cousin’s daughters

Shwag and artistic treasures 

The very first race I ever did, back in the early aughts, was a 10k called the Cooper River Bridge Run, in Charleston, SC. I did the race because my cousin, Jen, was living in Charleston at the time and talked me into doing the race. So, when she suggested I visit her, this time in Annapolis, and do a 10k across another bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge this time, I kind of had to do it. 

I planned a long weekend so I could get caught up with Jen and her family. And, as an added bonus my cousin Jess, her son, and her mom (my aunt) came down from Philly so it turned into a semi-unplanned, mini family reunion. If that wasn’t enough, Jess also did the race with me!

I had thought this one was going to be a solo gig, and I was so glad that it wasn’t. Ever since the 50k, my motivation’s been lagging a bit. That’s a completely normal and fine thing, except that I still have more races to go (including a marathon, which I’m trying not to think about).

So, my weekend was filled with family and fun, and it was wonderful. The race was also pretty wonderful too. Out of all of the races that I’ve done, this was one of the easiest and smoothest, which is saying a lot for a race that has about 30,000 people. The only part of the experience that was a little iffy was packet pickup. But that was only a problem because it was cold and raining and packet pickup was at Navy Marine Corps Stadium, so it was primarily outside, with a little bit of covering. 

Go Navy!

But, on race morning, Jess and I woke up only semi-early. We ate breakfast, and then Jen drove us to the shuttle stop that was right up the street from her house. We stood in line for like two minutes and were then on a bus on our way to the start. When we got to the start, we got off the shuttle, walked a short bit to the start, and then we pretty much started.

Most of the 6.2 miles is over the bridge, which was kind of neat. I thought I would stop and take a lot of pictures but it pretty much looked the same the whole time. Don’t get me wrong – it was beautiful, but it all pretty much look the same.

It pretty much all looked like this

Overall, it was a beautiful day – a little windy at the top of the bridge but nothing too bad. And, having lived so far away from water for such a long time, it was so nice to be running over a huge body of water. Also, having lived the majority of my life in PA, I’d traveled across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge lots and lots of times on the way to and from Maryland beach vacations so I had a bit of nostalgia about being on the bridge again, and I do like a little bit of nostalgia every now and then. (Okay, pretty much always.)

After the race, we collected some post-race food and pretty much got right on a shuttle bus to head back. From door to door, the entire thing took us a little more than two hours, and we were running for one of those hours. That’s about as good as it gets!

Race #38 – The Denver Gorilla Run

Date: November 14

Type: Run, in a gorilla suit

Distance: 5K

Shwag: A gorilla suit (Yes! You get to keep the suit), Gorilla Glue, some little tube of moisturizer stuff, good post-race food and beer

No race shirt, just a gorilla suit

Okay, yes, this race was a little pricey for a 5k but you get to keep the gorilla suit! And while I’ve never really had a situation where I’ve thought, “gosh, a gorilla suit would come in handy right now,” I still think it’s a good thing to have on hand because you never know.  

This is an easy and laid back 5k that used to take place in downtown Denver but has recently moved to Westminster. There are good things and bad things about the move. Good: It’s closer, parking is easy, it made it easier for me to do my 2.5 hour “pre-run,” the setting for the post-race festivities was really quite nice. Bad: It’s not as festive and you don’t have random pedestrians who have no idea why hundreds of people are running around in gorilla suits.

Still, it was fun, especially since I was joined by Barb, Doug, and the Jens. That’s a nice little turnout for a kooky race!

The crew

One of the traditions of the race is to put a costume on your gorilla costume. I had planed to wear an old lady bathing suit but the one that I bought from Goodwill was way too big (gorillas are more svelte than you would think) so I had to go with a last-minute switch to sock-monkey pajamas.

The pajamas were definitely a crowd pleaser. I mean, I was a gorilla wearing sock monkeys. That would be like Elmer wearing pj’s with little poodles all over them. But, while the pj’s made my fellow runners happy, they made me hotter than heck. It was a warm and sunny fall day, definitely not the kind of weather for a black furry suit AND some flannel pj’s. It was the hottest I’ve ever felt in a race, which made it pretty miserable at moments. But I just kept thinking, “All this sweating is good training for Hawaii...”

Other people ran with their masks on but I just couldn’t take it. I wore the gorilla mask like a hat, which made me look like I was wearing a really bad black wig. So, yeah, basically I looked amazing.

I trudge along in relative misery and probably walked as much as I ran. Still, I was able to pick off a few bananas, which gave me an odd sense of satisfaction and pride because, man, those costumes looked so much cooler than the gorilla suits.

Anyway, despite the sweatiness, it was way fun race, with way fun people and a fun one for #38!

Me and my wig

Race #39 – Pumpkin Pie 5k

Date: November 21

Type: Run

Distance: 5k

Shwag: T-shirt, medal, some assorted food, post-race pumpkin pie, and a race packet first – toothpaste!

Toothpaste? Toothpaste!

I got weirdly excited about the toothpaste. At this point, when all of my races are starting to blur together, the little things like that really stand out.

Last year, JenSki and I did this race, and I don’t even remember why, especially since it was ridiculously cold and a little icy and treacherous. Here’s a picture from last year, where it’s quite clear I’m saying something like, “this is freaking ridiculous.” It was so cold last year that, as you can see, I’m wearing shorts over my tights because I needed a little extra warmth.

Freakin cold last year

I was hoping this year would be better. And it was… But the thing is, it was still cold and somewhat treacherous. It just wasn’t AS cold and treacherous. Still, it wasn’t ideal conditions to drive down to Denver for a measly 5K, so it’s pretty amazing that JenSki came back with me again, along with Barb, Bob, Jenny, and Orla. This 40-for-40 people has really gotten me and some others to do some crazy things!

The gang. Just mostly cold this year. 

While the conditions weren’t ideal, they could have been worse. This would have been a much better weekend for the gorilla suit, for sure. I finally warmed up after about two miles but I don’t think I was ever really that warm, probably because I was running pretty conservatively. I think all of us almost wiped out a few times but, unlike last year, I didn’t actually see anyone wipe out, so that was good. Still, it was a little scary at times.

Snowy statue in City Park

But not for Bob! Bob was fearless. He went for it and was rewarded by winning his age group by something ridiculous like eight minutes. It was definitely impressive! We stuck around for the awards ceremony so we could cheer for Bob but, since it was freezing (technically, it was well below freezing…) we didn’t stick around much longer than we needed to.

No shortage of pumpkin pie

After Bob collected his booty, the Barb, Bob, Jenny, and Orla car headed back to Boulder and Jen and I went to the same brunch spot we discovered last year. I can’t quite remember the name of it but it’s a short walk from the race, and it’s super yummy. It was a nice way to reward ourselves for waking up early and freezing our butts off.  

Brunch. A little nicer than the pie. 

All in all, not a bad race for #39 and, if nothing else, it made me really, really happy that my next and final race is in Hawaii!!!!!

Gratuitous beach photos coming soon…

Race #36: The Boulder Beer Mile

Date: October 31
Type: Beer Mile
Distance: Mile
Shwag: A sense of pride and accomplishment

 Two weeks after tackling one monumental feat, I took on another: The Beer Mile. For those of you who don’t know what the beer mile is, it’s four laps around a track, but you have to drink a beer before each lap. There are specific rules about the kind of beer you can drink, what happens if you throw up, etc. I’m not going to get into that here. You can visit the official beer mile website if you’re curious. (Yep, it’s a thing! http://www.beermile.com)

I was talked into this whole thing by my friend Geoff who’s been trying to get me to do crazy races with him all year, like a 5k with a llama and a 10 or 15 mile race with a donkey. I felt bad about wussing on all the livestock racing, so I told him I would do the beer mile with him. I regretted my decision pretty quickly but, I’m a woman of my word, so I did it. And I swear, it has nothing to do with the fact that he told me not to “lame out on him.” Peer pressure about drinking. I felt like a teenager again.

I was more nervous about this race than I had been about most of my 35 previous races this year. Could I drink four beers in that amount of time? How bad was it going to feel? How bad was I going to feel the next day when I had to get on a plane in the morning and fly across the country? What if I got sick? What if I got sick in front of people I didn’t know? What if I got sick ON people I didn’t know? I was filled with anxiety.

The night before, I saw a bunch of my friends at a get together and told them my fears. They offered encouragement and pumped me up about the same amount that you would pump someone up before an Ironman. I needed it though. I was crazy scared.

When the day finally came, I kept hoping a random storm would blow in, or there would be some kind of kids’ event at the track, or it would just be cancelled for some other random reason. No dice. It was a beautiful day and there was only one other person at the track when we arrived. (She left pretty quickly once she saw what was about to go down.)  

Having alcohol on school property is kind of a no-no so you want to get in and out pretty fast with a beer mile. We quickly amassed, got ourselves organized, and got the show on the road.

Because it was such a nice day, and because a beer mile is so ridiculous, there were a lot of people there to watch. People I didn’t know. People with cameras. I had instructed a few of my friends that if anyone was taking an unflattering picture of me, they needed to tackle that person and knock the phone out of their hands. But there were too many people and too many cameras. I don’t want to know how many embarrassing pictures are out there that will come back to haunt me when I run for president. It’s better not to think about it.

All in all, it was a pretty large field but, despite all the talk on Facebook, only one other woman started the race. I sort of get it – the idea of a beer mile is a scary thing. But doing anything that breaks down gender barriers is scary, and I’m disappointed that there weren’t more women out there to represent.

Since it was Halloween, most of us were wearing costumes. It sort of helped me feel a little less ridiculous about the whole thing. Sort of.

Costumed competitors 

I was dressed as a bumble bee and the only other female racing was dressed like a lady bug. Not only did we have similar costumes, we had both done the same 50k two weeks earlier. Kindred spirits, I suppose.   

The gun went off and we promptly cracked open our beers and got drinking. Drinking fast has never been my thing. Drinking crappy, fizzy beer as fast as you can? Definitely not my thing. The guys downed their beers like champs an were off around the track before I was halfway done with mine. Yet another race where I was in the back of the pack.

The drinking hurt. People who can effortlessly chug a beer make it look so much easier than it really is. I was miserable. I looked at the crowd and said, complete sincerity, “I don’t think I can do this.” The looked back at me and said “Yes you can!” and encouraged me to keep going. After a few more foamy sips, I tipped the can over my head to show that the beer was empty and I was off around the track.

The running was so much less miserable than the drinking. In fact, the running was always fine. Granted, I got a little weavy on my final lap but other than that, no problem. I think a few years of triathlon have trained me to run with a sloshy, not-so-good feeling gut.

As for the drinking, beer #1 was the hardest, and beers #2 and #3 were pretty much fine. Beer #4 was hard, but at that point I knew that I was going to do it and I also knew that I was going to do it without getting sick. That gave me the strength I needed to push through.

Looking composed on beer #2

Looking... less composed on beer #4

At least others were
struggling too

Come on, Geoff! You can do it!

Winner

Nice job, lumberjack

On the first lap, the other ultra-running insect was way ahead of me. I couldn’t believe how terrible I was doing. BUT, it wouldn’t last. Ladybug girl had definitely gone out too fast and I passed her on the second lap. And I guess ladybugs are daintier than bees because was unable to burp, which meant that she was having trouble getting rid of all the gas in her stomach and thus, she dropped out halfway through beer #3.

Lady bug, kicking my butt early on 

Like the ladybug, I had lots of moments when I wanted to quit, when I thought, “why am I doing this?” But once I was the only woman standing, I felt I owed it to womankind to finish. I had to represent. And so I did.  

As I struggled my way through beer #4, I had a feeling not unlike the feeling I had at mile #22 of my ironman. “I’m going to do this! Holy crap, I’m really going to do this!” It was an amazing feeling and I set off on my final lap with glee and delight. And a little bit of drunkenness.

The whole thing took me a bit of time, so I was feeling the alcohol by the end. The lines on the track helped me run straight but my mind was another story. My inner dialog was something like, “I’m druuuuuunnnnnkkkkk and I’m ruuuuunnnniiinnnnggggggg. Teeeeeeheeeeheeeeheeeheeee!” What can I say? I’m a happy drunk.

After 14 minutes and 44 seconds, I finally crossed the finish line. While that was pretty slow in comparison to some of the other times, I was incredibly happy with my performance. Before I started, I thought “If I can do this in under 15 minutes, that will be amazing.” And I did it! Not only did I finish in under 15 minutes, I also chicked a guy on my final lap, for a little added sweetness. 

After basking in the glory of my accomplishment for a bit, Geoff said, “Well go get your trophy.” My what?

My trophy! 

Yep, that’s right. Boulder, the town that takes all athletic things way too seriously, has a beer mile trophy onto which my name will now be officially engraved for eternity. There was an awards ceremony and everything, which was really dicey because they made me stand on top of a bucket after drinking four beers.

Doing my best to balance 

So there you have it. Despite its silliness, the Beer Mile ended up being one of my more challenging races this year. I had to undertake a challenging physical feat and also synthesize a lot of disparate skills I’ve learned at various points of my life. There was my ability to pace and run a smart race, knowing how to properly fuel pre-race, my ability to drink four beers in a short period of time AND not act like a total idiot after I was done (thanks Penn State!), and, most importantly, my ability to confront my fears and push beyond my comfort zone. That’s what forty for forty is all about.

I think I grew as a person that day. And I’m also the 2015 Boulder Beer Mile Women’s Champion! Even still, the first words out of my mouth when I was done were “never again”. But that was before I knew about the trophy.