Charlevoix Half Marathon (and full), Charlevoix, Mi, June 2023

 

I've had this race on my list for years. I've always wanted to make a bigger trip out of it to include visiting a lot of the sights of northern Michigan, including a day visit to Mackinac Island. Luckily we were able to get a rather large group involved, which made the trip even more fun! If you've never been to northern Michigan you must go there! It is gorgeous! Anyhow, on to my race write up...

The Charlevoix marathon and half marathon are out and back courses, primarily run along a pedestrian path called the Little Traverse Wheelway, which runs parallel to Lake Michigan. There were a little over 400 full marathoners and about 600 half marathoners for this year, their 17th year of running!

The expo was set up near the famous drawbridge along the water. They had a ton of race apparel for sale, but their purchasing process was sheer madness, so I didn't bother to buy anything. Actually, I have so much race stuff...the race shirt we got was ok enough for me. 

Luckily, the entire race runs north of the bridge, which lifts every half hour!

This was weird-the race didn't offer a bag check on race day! I could not understand why, as the race starts and finishes in the same area and they had plenty of green space for it. For some this may be no big deal, but we had 4 marathoners and 3 half marathoners, with 3 others acting as support/cheer on the course, so we had a logistical puzzle trying to figure out what vehicle to put our bags in that would be at the finish when we all finished. Parking was a bit of a challenge too, with no valid guidance from the race officials. Even the link to parking on their web site didn't work. Mike Murgas found a great spot close to the race though, so it all worked out fine. 

The full marathon started at 6:00! Toby, Laura (LSP), Jamie, and Kathy ran the full. Mike, Jedonna, and I waited 30 minutes later to start the half marathon. It was a crisp, cool 40 degrees!! 

This was yet another marathon that I had signed up for, only to drop down to the half. (Is this how it ends?). I lost my mojo after Nebraska and the arrival of the heat back home. I'm glad I dropped, because I pulled "something" in my leg, and it was bothering me pretty bad by the time we got to Michigan. Like Alaska, there was no way I was going to miss out on running this! 

The man who sang the National Anthem for the full had to leave, so they didn't have a singer for us, but the announcer asked for a volunteer and this guy got up there and sang it beautifully! And we were off!

The first 3-4 miles zig zag through a quiet neighborhood in Charlevoix, which turned out to be my favorite part of the race. Once we got on the path, I don't know, it was less great. The path was in great shape, and often times tree lined, and other times offered glimpses of water, so there's nothing specific to complain about. (Although you could hear the highway running next to it). I like bike paths, especially asphalt ones. (This one did have a wooden bridge stretch though, ugh). I think what it is is I don't like to be on them for a long time. I start to get a little claustrophobic, or maybe bored? Anyhow, we remained on this path all the way to the turn-around point, and the same was also true for the full marathoners. 

It got very clustery as we got closer to our turn around point-saw Jedonna and Mike, did a turn around in a space of about 2 feet-hilarious, then back we went. My leg pain started kicking in more, but still "runnable", at least until near the end-I think I started walking a little around mile 11, but not too much, just up the hills where it hurt the most. Before I knew it it was over, no drama, halfs are just plain fun! Having Amelie and George cheer me in was greatness!

Thanks Amelie!

I had less than 30 minutes to catch Toby finish, then one by one we watched the others come in. It was truly a great day to run!

Amelie had these made!

Age group awards were glasses

Stats:

It's strange who placed and who didn't-they had some super freaks in some of the age groups.

Full marathoners:

Toby: 3:16, 1st

Kathy: 3:57, 4th!!

Jamie: 3:51, 3rd

Laura: 4:52, 2nd (First was a 3:42!)

Half Marathoners:

Mike: 2:10, 10th (and he stopped for the bacon!)

Jedonna: 2:15, 4th!!! (would have won my age group!)

Me: 2:18, 3rd, (Just happy to be here)

I do love how I'm getting through my list even with half marathons. It's a long list, and I always thought it was longer than my marathon abilities...plus we are one step closer to Jamie's 50 state quest (this was state number #47!!!). I don't now if I'd recommend the full if you feel like I do about paths, but the marathoners said they would recommend it. It was pretty flat and you did have quite a bit of shade. Bring music in case you get bored though!

Lincoln Half marathon (and Full), May 2023

For those that don't know, my 50 state marathon quest has always been a back-burner of a plan, partly because I never wanted it to be a priority over running other marathons I was interested in, and partly because there were some states that I had very little interest in traveling to. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but Nebraska was one of those states. The upcoming Charlevoix Marathon in Michigan (in mid June) is a marathon I have always wanted to run, but I've had so much trouble with heat that I was afraid I wouldn't survive the training (even in April or May I have had issues in the past). I figured if I could find a marathon 6 weeks prior to Michigan I could "piggy back" my winter training. (Runner's logic knows no bounds). So....looking back 6 weeks from Charlevoix was the Lincoln Nebraska marathon. Oh boy. Coupled with Southwest airlines credit from their Christmas debacle it was meant to be. Jamie already ran Nebraska so she was out, but Robin needed the state! Maggie and Toby signed on as well, so the promise of a pleasant Spring marathon was born.

At first glance the Lincoln marathon reads a lot like the Kentucky Derby marathon, where the first half is a loop around the city, full of vitality, and as the half marathoners peel off to the finish line the full marathoners are led out to a lifeless concrete path away from town. Looking closer, true, there's a lot of concrete out there, but most of the out and back stretch is along a road, parallel to the trail, with some residences or businesses, so it's not as desolate as Kentucky, and the turn around is along Holmes Lake, which is actually quite pretty. Still, if the sun is out, this could be considered a death march, as there is very little shade. 

We lucked out with great spring weather this year, so in that regard training went well. Still, I had some inconsistencies with my long runs. Once or twice my back flared up. It's hard to get a handle on what I can get away with these days. Short answer is not what I used to get away with. I had so little confidence that I was on the fence about running the full marathon the whole time I was training. 

Flash forward to the week before the marathon and the "pleasant" forecast started taking the turn. Another hot one. If nothing else at least it helped me make a decision. Looks like I'm running yet another half marathon. (Note: My days of running hot marathons are truly over).

Onward to the race write up!

We flew into Omaha, had a quick lunch, drove to Lincoln, and went straight to the race expo. It was fairly small, but ok enough. I went ahead and changed my entry to the half marathon, although you didn't really need to, as they suggested you could change your mind "on the fly" race day and simply cut off to the finish line as a half marathon run instead. Mentally, I couldn't have that in my head as an option-I had to have my decision made before the race started. Also in my head though, if I miraculously felt great I would carry on to the full, so I would carry an extra gel or two...

The promise of an overcast day?

Race day morning it was about 60-65 degrees and cloudy. Not bad, but it was approaching 7:00 AM and the sun was already trying to break through the clouds. One thing we noticed off the bat with this race was how well organized it was. The race's start and finish took place on the University of Nebraska campus in and around the Memorial stadium. The National Guard were handling everything flawlessly. They utilized a porta potty set up I had never seen before. They took groups of 8 and shaped them into semi-circles with singular lines per grouping. So fast and efficient! (I know I know, it's the little things, ha). They placed our checked bags into numbered trash bins and wheeled them over to the finish area for later, and again, just right there with your bag as you finished. Flawless. We said goodbye to Toby right away, per usual, and eventually made our way back to our corral, again, an efficient system in place. It didn't take long for us to start and we were in corral D.

Maggie and Robin were gone right away. Initially I had a hard time deciding what pace to run. Should I run a "faster" half marathon pace, or maybe slower in case I felt good enough to go for the full? Well the debate didn't last long. With the occasional sun breakthroughs I was feeling it already. Decision was made to settle into a pace based on survival. Walk the water stops, drink two full cups, repeat as necessary. This was going to be one ugly race...and I was only talking about the half!

I would have really enjoyed this race if I wasn't suffering so greatly. They had live music everywhere! And all the bands sounded great! Maybe it was my brain trying to get me to stop running, but I could have easily hung out and listened to these bands. And talk about spectators! I don't know how many kids I high-fived for power (I'll try anything). I saw the same lady 3 times with her boom box and her poster boards, "Don't Stop Believing", "Ain't nobody going to break my stride"...They could have used more water stops, but the ones they had were amazing, and even included cups of ice! There was only one two mile stretch on a concrete path out near a freeway that was desolate, but even then people were driving by, honking, and yelling out the windows. It was that friendly and positive. Still, after mile 8 I found myself taking walk breaks. Hello Mr. Sun. An ambulance rushed through us to a guy lying off to the side, which was unsettling, and a true demotivator. I don't want to die, or end up lying in the grass thinking I'm dying! Walking is good. People don't die by walking. Ok good, it's not Toby, move along...

Nearing the finish, I'm shaking my head at the thought of continuing past the finish line. NO WAY. In fact, I panicked briefly, thinking I had missed the turn, as my watch said 12.8 miles and I didn't see anything ahead. But the finish line was there, around the corner from an insulting little climb that felt harsher than it should have. Again, efficiency in full force with the post race gauntlet. Medal, water bottle, food items in a box, and then out to the finish area, where I hear my name being called out. Maggie!! We had a good laugh/cry about that experience! By then (9:30?) it was 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Worry set in for Toby and Robin. 

Maggie and I had fun in the finish area. We had our picture taken together, roamed about and found cookies and pizza! We found an indoor restroom to change into dry clothes. We were getting close to the 3:15 finish time for the full so we headed over to catch Toby finish. I wasn't sure if he'd run faster than a 3:30 with the heat and with the after-effects of a massive allergy attack a few days prior, but he finished with a 3:21! 

We reunited with Toby and yes, he said it was UGLY on that second half, just beyond the pale, and he was SO relieved that neither of us had ventured out there. We pulled up tracking for Robin and watched the marathoners finish as it got hotter and hotter. Still, it was reassuring to "watch" her moving forward on the tracker. Toby miraculously recovered without his need to lie in a fetal position for 30 minutes. His recovery drink, whatever it is that looks like muddy water, appears to do the trick. Before too long Robin made her way to the finish! TOUGH! I touched her arm and it was HOT, so we all walked over to the baby pools at the medical tent so she could drop her body temp.

Toby's Garmin foot pod temperature thingy

Before too long we were finished with our Lincoln marathon experience (no beer), so we headed back to the hotel to clean up and venture out to see what else Lincoln had to offer. Their Haymarket Square had some great breweries, a great coffee chop, bakery, restaurants, and campus grounds to explore. It was a fun little town! 

In short, I highly recommend running this race, but the full? I'd say only if the weather was cooler, and even then with the caveat that you have to lower your expectations for that second half. 

After the fact I had a bit of melancholy. It was yet another marathon I didn't run. Not that it was the wrong decision-just the realization that I may not ever run another marathon, which is an ongoing internal battle I've been having lately. I've always accepted the idea that I couldn't run marathons forever, but I always thought the decision would easily come to me and it would be conclusive. Well it's not. I'm still trying! The heat has arrived and Michigan is on the horizon. We shall see...

A 50 State Quest Update

 

A lot has happened, or should I say NOT happened, since my last update. I've been stuck at 12 states to go since last year. I decided to move forward with half marathons for now, especially since we are on the final stretch of Jamie's quest! 4 more states to go for her! (Michigan, Vermont, and Maine this year, and the grand finale in Hawaii next year). I've had issues with my back off and on, and pulled an adductor muscle last summer training for Alaska. Also, after last summer's training in the heat (a big fail) I have decided I just can't handle the heat anymore. Until next summer rolls around I'm going to keep trying to make it to another marathon though. I'm targeting Nebraska in May, and/or possibly Michigan in June. I have to say, regardless, this has and continues to be a lot of fun, especially now that Toby is on a roll with marathons. I've made a map for him too:

2023 is going to be one crazy year, that's for sure. The "quest", whatever it ends up being, continues...

Big Beach Half Marathon, Gulf Shores, AL, January 2023

I can't remember why we decided to run this race. It wasn't a state Jamie or I needed to run in since we ran a marathon in Mobile back in 2012. I think I became interested in it when Toby's brother ran it as his first marathon last year. That's when I first heard of it at least. In summary, it is a great race! Most of the courses are entirely within the Alabama Gulf State park, on asphalt trails winding through native wetlands, Shelby Lakes, and campgrounds, finishing alongside the Gulf beach in front of "The Hangout" restaurant and bar. It's a fairly new race (this was their 9th year), and appears to be growing in popularity every year. Gulf Shores itself is a great place to visit as well. Ok on to the race report...

At first I thought I'd run the full marathon, but after a couple of long training runs I decided to sign up for the half marathon instead. I felt like I was taking on too much trying to build back my base from my summer injury at the same time. Robin decided to come with us, as she did need to run a marathon in Alabama, and Toby signed up for the full because he's on a roll, so why not? Jedonna and Jamie signed up for the half.  

This race has a really unique challenge aspect. There's a 7K race held on Saturday. If you run the 7K and the half marathon you get a dolphin medal (which hangs from hooks on the half marathon medal), and a shark medal if you run the 7K and the full marathon. Of course Toby and Robin wanted the shark medal, because the shark medal was very cool, and Jamie wanted the dolphin medal. Jedonna and I had zero interest. Now if they had had an octopus medal...At any rate this was a great little race held in the park near the expo/packet pick up area, so it's a great way to get in a shake out run if that's your thing.

The expo and packet pick up was OK. Most days these things are "not what they used to be", with much fewer vendors, but they did have a pet snake from the zoo, which Robin and I adored and petted while the others stared with horror. I was really disappointed to see that they didn't have any race gear for sell. As this race grows I hope they add this. Our race shirts were long sleeved tech tops at least.

The weather on Saturday was near perfect. And you know what that means...Sunday's weather was NOT...It was 61 degrees and humid at 6:00 AM. With the hope of rain or at least cloud cover we thought we'd fare well enough, but as we walked to the start, our friend the sun was there to greet us.

It was a bit of a scramble at the start, since we only gave ourselves enough time to check our bags and line up, but the moment of the National Anthem, beautifully sung, was perfect for the setting of intention and gratitude. Oh how I love these big starts!

The first mile of the race is on a pretty wide road, which is good, since both the half and the full started together. Right off the bat I put on my sunglasses, dammit. It was warm, really warm already. The 2:15 pacer was nearby. She was running the pace I wanted to run, but too chatty to get too close to. We were still a bit too bunched up when we entered the park and hit the trail, but it did spread out over the next few miles. I really liked this park! The asphalt trail was in pristine shape! There were some tiny rollers and a few twists and turns, but overall very pleasant, that is except for the wooden bridges. Sigh....I absolutely HATE wooden bridges. And there were a lot of them! At first, just a few shorter ones, but later into the race they seemed to get longer and longer. They were in pretty good shape though, and since we didn't get the promised rain they weren't slippery wet either. And some said it was to protect us from alligators below, so there's that. No, I won't pet an alligator!

We split from the full marathoners on our 8th mile. Even though I was still feeling good and running an OK pace at this point I was SO happy to take the half turn! My clothes were soaked and I had already taken 3 electrolyte pills. Oh I want to point out that they had something on the course I have never seen before! At the water stops they had water in these funky pliable rubber cups that are REUSABLE! They get cleaned and used at another local race. What a fantastic idea! The company is called Hiccup.

After mile 9 things started going sideways, as expected. I tried to make the most of it, but was growing tired of being in the park. It was getting hot in there, and the breeze from the upper boardwalk stretches was starting to feel nice. The worst section (and I believe I can say this for the full too) was where we came off a wooden bridge through a campground of large RVs, no trees, sun beating down, then onto this:

The only real hill on the course

When you came off of this you were finally out of the park, onto Beach Blvd, back to the finish line. Although we were running alongside a somewhat busy road it was nice to be out in the open. It was a long stretch though! Somewhere along here the 2:15 pacer came by, silent and lonely. Sorry, I got nothing for you! I was always looking ahead for that left turn, and it doesn't come until you really are "almost there".  This short little stretch next to the beach was a great finish!

I quickly found the "J girls" and we proceeded to partake in the post race festivities until the marathoners would come in. Toby's brother Darius was on the course giving us Toby updates. Strangely enough there were no chip mats on the course, so we had no idea how Robin was doing. I was worried for both of them, but they rocked the marathon! And they got their sharks!!!

Stats:

Jamie: 1:56, 4th in 45-49

Jedonna: 1:59 1st in 60-64, and the only sub 2 in our age group!

Me: 2:17 lost 5th by 20 seconds. Doh!

Toby: 3:20 1st in 55-59!

Robin: 4:13, 2nd in 50-54

All who placed got awards and beach chairs!

The full marathon medal with the shark!

The marathoners liked the course ok enough. Their route was mostly more of the same, zig zagging through the park some more. Toby actually liked the bridges. He said they were springy. We spent hours at the after party. The Hangout was great! They never ran out of food or beer! 

The next morning we woke up to near 70 degrees and dense fog, conditions even more horrendous for running! To top it off we came home to Dallas just in time to get iced in for 2 days! Oh January and your whacky weather.