Just Us Gales: 2019 Cape Cod Marathon Recap

Always running late! That's ME!

I just ran the worst race of my life! And I'm so glad I did! And yes, I want to go back and run Cape Cod Marathon again!

Not all races can be blue skies and rainbows. In fact, I believe that it's the terrible races that remind us that we are stronger than we think, that we can endure so much more than we think we're capable, that we really can accomplish anything we put our minds to.

What made this marathon the worst race of my life?

30 mph gales of wind that knocked my feet together and threatened to tear out my contacts! Freezing cold rain that down-poured, up-poured, and side-poured (craziness!) Giant ocean waves that crashed onto the marathon route and soaked us unknowing racers!


But first, let's talk about what made this weekend so great!

RYH Group Photo!

On Friday, Run Your Health gathered together for poster-making, team-building activities, and a group photo! It was so great to see everyone and connect! My schedule doesn't allow me to socialize as much these days! Thank you, Laura, for organizing such a fantastic weekend!

On Saturday, we all set off to support the Half Marathoners! We had a blast waving signs, high-fiving runners, and dancing in the street as we cheered everyone on! I even ran into my friend Dave Jenness, who I met at this very race a few years ago! That was a great surprise!

Sue from IllumiNITE and me at the Expo

 After the race, I stopped by the expo to pick up my bib and to hang out at the IllumiNITE pop-up store for a bit! It was so much fun helping runners find windproof and water resistent clothes for the incoming storm!

While at the expo, I got to hear global advocate for amputee rights, Adrianne Haslet, talk about surviving the Boston Marathon bombing and share her journey to recovery and beyond. Then she gave us marathoners a fantastic pep talk. I'll paraphrase because I was so engrossed in her speech I didn't write it down:

Adrianne said that when someone tells you that you cannot do something, they are coming from their own limitations, not yours. Adrianne said to ignore this advice, even if it's your own voice that's speaking. Her words carried me through the last few miles of the marathon on Sunday when everything in my brain told me to QUIT! Thank you, Adrianne, for inspiring us runners!

Saturday night, I had a wonderful dinner with my sponsor Sue from IllumiNITE. It was so great to just sit back, relax, and share stories about running and life! And the food was amazing! We went to La Cucina Sul Mare, who made sure that my meal was Whole30 approved. I'm officially finished with Whole30, but I'm trying to stick to clean eating while I'm training! I highly recommend this restaurant!

Before I knew it, it was Sunday morning! The weather held off for the most part—early on. I walked the mile to the start in my IllumiNITE Windbrite pants, IllumiNITE Featherlike jacket, and IllumiNITE Velocity gloves...and my big, fluffy bathrobe for extra warmth so my muscles could properly loosen up!

Almond-encrusted Salmon and shrimp
on a bed of greens

My goal was to run this marathon under five hours! My fastest Cape Cod Marathon was in 2017 when I did the Chowdah Challenge. I came in at 5:33:06. My fastest marathon ever was Green River in 2018 at 4:38. I knew I wasn't Green River speedy this year, but I felt under five was a good goal to push myself without pushing too hard since I'm running Athens Authentic Marathon just two weeks after Cape Cod.

Then we were off, and I felt the surge of energy from the 1,200 racers and thousands of supporters cheering us on! I hit 13.1 at 2:23, and I was going strong. Most of my miles were under 11:00 minutes (moving time), and I was only walking to quickly eat my fuel! I was set to finish under five!

Then the weather took a drastic turn (as you'll see in the video). Gales of wind hit so hard I could barely run! At mile 24, the conditions got so bad, it was too dangerous for me to run. I had to give in and walk. I was at about 4:30-sh at that point. It was really frustrating to know that the finish line was just 2.2 miles away, but I couldn't get there in under five hours!

Until that point, my IllumiNITE gear kept me warm and protected from the wind. But after walking for a mile, even the awesomeness of my windproof clothing couldn't stop the cold from seeping through. When I finally turned a corner and escaped the gales of wind, I tried to run. My legs locked up from fatigue and cold! I was forced to walk the rest of the way. I cried the last two miles. I questioned the insanity we runners must have to do this to ourselves.

Race Director, Jack Afarian, walks me in
THANK YOU, JACK!

But then, something amazing happened when I turned onto the final stretch and saw that finish line. Despite the bitter storm, the community of Cape Cod stood along the sidelines cheering! Friends screamed out my name! People hooted and hollered and clapped! It was just what I needed to make this final stretch.

And then a man walked over to me. He asked if I was okay. I told him yes, I was just cold. He said, "May I walk you in?"

He told me how proud he was of me finishing. He said I was almost there. I did it! He said a bunch of other encouraging words that I don't remember because I was so miserable and I had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other so I could finish! I found out later he was the race director. Thank you so much, Jack Afarian! Your dedication and support and all your hard work is so appreciated! I am honored that you stood outside all day while we ran in this crazy storm and cheered us on to the end.

When I crossed the finish line, my dear friends Rich and Juliette welcomed me in the warmest hug as my friend Dave took video of my finish. Watching that video later, I see that I look so much happier and stronger than I felt inside. Further proof that that little voice in my head that said I couldn't do it is a liar! Thank you, again, Adrianne. I needed your words of encouragement! and thank you Dave for capturing this epic finish on camera!

Grateful Me, the morning after
Thank you EVERYONE for your support!

Juliette and Teresa helped me get food and took me to the medical tent to warm up by space heaters while my friends Kim and Rich got the car for me. A very special THANK YOU to you all for your extra support and care after my race. Your love and support made all the difference to me! It means more than you could possibly imagine. And thank you to everyone else who encouraged me and helped me along the way. Apologies if I missed your name. My brain was not working that well and most of that race is now a blur! But trust me, I appreciate ALL who supported me.

When I got my race results, I was floored! My marathon time was 5:10:57. I have no idea how I finished so fast, despite walking the last two miles! I am so proud of myself! I may not have met my goal, BUT I still ran my fastest Cape Cod Marathon in some pretty crazy conditions! Also, I'm proud of myself for not quitting BUT making sure I didn't injure myself, which is most important. Yay, ME!

All in all, Cape Cod Marathon weekend was a blast! It is still my favorite race weekend of the year! And now I feel so ready for my Athens Authentic Marathon on November 10th! Stay tuned for our IllumiNITE team race shirt reveal happening in the next few days!

Without further ado, I present to you my Cape Cod Marathon Weekend video!

Where is your next race? Comment below!

The Running Mindset: Is Distance All In Your Head?

A new runner joined our running group. She just moved here from New York and mentioned how she was a volunteer for the New York Marathon for years. When I asked her if she'd ever run the race, she said she couldn't imagine running that far. The conversation got me thinking about mindset and how my own mentality shifts based on the distance I'm running. There are distances I absolutely love and distances I absolutely loathe. But I'm not quite sure why or how I set these mental limits.

For example:

Feeling ROUGH during a 5k; BUT...
(finish reading for the payoff)

• I loathe 5ks (3.1 miles) because I feel like "I need to run for my life! no excuses! because anyone can run 3 miles and I need to PR or I am an utter failure."
• I enjoy 10ks (6.2 miles) because the first 3 miles feels like a warmup, and during the second half, I compete with my time, daring myself to run faster. 
• Half marathons (13.1 miles) are difficult but satisfactory. I want to keep a faster pace without burning out, so I focus on my breathing and footfalls. It's a nice meditation for about 2 and a half hours, give or take, and I feel so accomplished when I'm done.

Here's where things get really interesting:

• 15-mile training runs are the worst! So I do crazy mind games to distract "the suck" of it: Like, "Why does this street name sound so familiar? OMJ, I'm thinking of Woody Harrelson's character in Anger Management! Perhaps Galaska is Galaxia's evil cousin! hahahahaha" But then, 'll glance down at my watch thinking I must have run at least a mile—only to find out I ran less than a quarter-mile since I last checked. *insert wailing sob here!* Why, oh why, does this distance hate me? Furthermore, why do I always think it's a good idea to sign up for a 25k (15.5 miles) race when I know this distance is out to get me? 
• Running 16 miles makes me so, so happy. It's like a three-hour jog through meditation land.
• The 20-miler is my anxiety distance. It's four hours of me telling myself that this is Do-Or-Die

  

  Post-run meal for two, please! haha

  —If I fail, how will I ever finish a marathon? This anxiety keeps me moving, and before I know it, I'm at 20 miles. I stare at my watch to make sure I'm not dreaming. "Yes, Sera, you've hit 20 miles." Then, I check that watch three more times before believing I'm truly done.
• I devote my entire day to 25-milers (part of my training plan for ultramarathons) because they are a time suck. Knowing I don't have to do anything other than run and eat, eat, and eat some more—ooh, and soak my sore legs in the tub with some epsom salts—makes this distance tolerable. Really, I'm just preparing my brain for the monotony of running for hours more than preparing my legs to withstand the distance. At about mile 24, I get excited and wonder if I should just run that extra 1.2 miles! But by 24.7, I equate that excitement to depletion of oxygen in my brain! I just want to get through this last quarter-mile and be on to all the amazing food I dreamt about while racking up the miles. 

Now we're really getting into the chaos of the mind distances: Marathons (26.2 miles) have highs and lows throughout the race. 

Racing to the finish line at the final stretch of
Day 2 of Cape Cod Chowdah Challenge

• I usually hit 10 miles before I realize how far I've run. 
• I praise myself when I hit 13.1. HALFWAY, WOOT! 
• Mile 15 sucks because...well, because it's mile 15! 
• Miles 16–20 get me in a groove! I'm really doing this!  
• At mile, 21 I convince myself to walk. After all, I'm way ahead of my estimated finish time.
• Mile 23 sucks because I have 5k left, and I hate 5ks. Also, why did I think I was ahead of schedule? At this rate, I'll NEVER finish!
• At Mile 24, I recommit! "Sera, keep one foot in front of the other: left, right, left. Just two more miles to go!" 
• Mile 26 makes me question the logic of that extra point-two miles. Who the hell thought this nuance was a good idea? Satan, that's who!
• That final stretch speeds me up as I run as fast as my little legs will carry me because "there is the finish line and all these people are cheering and I hope my lungs don't burst from running so fast while crying tears of relief and joy and pain from tired muscles!"

Ultramarathons (50ks actually) are my absolute favorite distance because I run on a high until the very end (with the exception of mile 15, which naturally, SUCKS!)

• Hooray for mile 16! I'm past the halfway mark. That went by so fast!
• Mile 23: Whoa! I've almost hit a marathon! Time to speed things up.
• 26.2: Woot! Woot! I've just run a marathon, baby! Less than 10k to go!
• Mile 29: Maybe I'll walk for a bit. Why overdo it? You're running a 50k, Sera! Isn't that badass enough?
• Mile 29.5: Okay girl. Suck it up and finish this thing already! 
• Mile 30: Just one more mile to go! Omj! I am a badass! Is this real life? 
• Mile 31: I run straight through the finish line, feeling on top of the world!

Why do we set these limits on ourselves? Whether it's believing we can't actually run *insert said distance here* or the negative mentality we have at certain distances, it definitely puts a damper on the love of running. I'm trying to get out of my head, find that zen balance that we runners are always chasing. I don't have the answers...yet. But I think acknowledgment is the first step to getting over this negative mindset.

So my question is: How can I adjust my thinking to love 5ks as much as I love 50ks? How can I push through that brain fog, slog, or bog to find my ultimate flow no matter what distance I'm running?

Can you relate? What distances do you absolutely love? Which do you despise?

It was my FASTEST 5k ever! 2018 Westfield's Flat Fast