Every Mile is a Miracle



Great job today! 2:06 is a great result on a tough course. Downhill running isn't easy.
Thanks!!

Yeah so running downhill wasn’t even the worst part. My quads don’t hurt (yet?!?!). And I am not disappointed in my time AT ALL. I’ll get that sub 2 one day but until then I will celebrate every single race I complete! This race boasts being the fastest downhill course, and that downhill is aggressive. I can definitely see how people call it “cheating” to BQ at a Revel Race. HOWEVER. The downhill was only until mile 8 for the Half and mile 21 for the Full. Then it flattened out for a bit. Then there were hills. Then there was a tiny descend to the finish. And those final 3 miles were hard.

I’ll probably do a full recap later. But look, pizza and beer!

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Thanks!!

Yeah so running downhill wasn’t even the worst part. My quads don’t hurt (yet?!?!). And I am not disappointed in my time AT ALL. I’ll get that sub 2 one day but until then I will celebrate every single race I complete!

If you can wait several months, I'm pacing a friend of mine to 1:55 at Dopey. :)

I’ll probably do a full recap later. But look, pizza and beer!

The best part of any race!
 


Revel Run Mt. Charleston Recap
Las Vegas, NV - April 27, 2019


Expo: I got off work an hour early to make sure I made it to Vegas in time to get my bib. It was just me and Bay. She slept the whole way there (lucky). We got to the expo with an hour to spare, so I wasn't rushed, which was nice. I got my bib and my race shirt and apparently a free pair of Goodr sunnies (I had no idea they came with the registration) then walked through the expo. I purchased another pair of Goodrs while I was there because I was gonna anyway and I got my wristband for my after race beer. Then we headed to my mom's house.
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Dinner: After I dropped my stuff and child off at my mom's, I went to Blaze to get a pizza and took it to my local drinking hole where I ran into a bunch of friends. I grabbed a shot for the morning along with a glass of wine. I chatted with some friends and ate my pizza. I noticed there were some other running friends sitting outside so I joined them. One of them was like "WHY AREN'T YOU IN BED?!" I dunno, it was only 9pm... Fast forward to me drinking more wine and then getting home at about 11pm. OOPS. Good thing was, I made sure all my race stuff was ready to go before I left, so I didn't have to worry about that.
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Pre-Race: SOOOO, I accidentally snoozed too hard and got up at 3:15am which is more along the lines of when I wanted to *leave* not get up. Ah well. I rushed around and was outta the door by 3:30am, which gave me the exact minutes it would take to get to the parking lot where the buses were.... SO OF COURSE I get pulled over. No, I wasn't speeding. It was early and I forgot to turn my lights on. (They are making the running lights really bright nowadays...) So naturally I was panicked. But I didn't get a ticket, so that was good. I made it to the parking lot and on the very last bus that was going up to the Half Marathon start. WHEW WHAT A MORNING. My pre-race fuel was a boiled egg, an energy Nuun, and a Stroopwaffle. (I did not take my pre-race tequila shot, though.) I had some Gu in my pocket for the race, but decided to have one riiiiight before the start. I was definitely over dressed for the start line and immediately took all my layers off and threw them in my race bag. It was like 70* at 4am on the mountain. Everyone was bundled up. I was very confused. I hit up a porta-potty before the start. There was one pot that had someone in it for like the entire 20 minutes I was in line. I hope they were okay. I grabbed a cup of water to drink with my Gu and then headed to the start line. The sunrise was gorgeous. There were no corrals. My plan was to find the 2:00 pacer and stay with them until the end. Well that plan failed immediately when the 2:00 pacer wasn't anywhere to be found. COOL. So the race just kind of started at 5:30 and we were runnin'.
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The Race: I immediately felt the gravity of running downhill and can definitely see how some people may consider a course like this "cheating". However. Comma. Pause. This race eventually flattened out, so I mean, whatever gain you got in the first half could be taken away from you in the back half (#spoileralert).

Since plan A was foiled, plan B was to start out slow, but it's so hard to judge when that downhill makes it feel easy.
Mile 1 - 9:19

The scenery isn't that great on this course TBH. So it was just me and some music and alllllll the people who kept passing me. I swear I wasn't even running fast. I missed getting water at the first aid station because it was really small and crowded.
Mile 2 - 9:03

Coach @DopeyBadger told me to "conserve, conserve, conserve". I didn't listen very well.
Mile 3 - 8:59

I was shocked that there wasn't a 5k timing mat. I was thinking about when I should maybe take some more fuel. I was wishing I had brought my Honey Stinger chews, but I thought there was going to be some on course. I was thinking about pizza. I finally got to get some water at an aid station.
Mile 4 - 9:09

The only photo I have so far and I look terrible. You're welcome. But look at the snow!
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Really this whole part of the course all looked the same. Nothing exciting happened. The sun was coming up and the heat was kicking in. I knew it was gonna be warm by the end. I felt bad for people wearing running tights. Oh and I remember seeing the 1:50 pacer run by me around this point to catch up to where she was supposed to be, I guess because I was still not running that fast.
Mile 5 - 8:58

I was coming up on the 10k mark and feeling REALLY good. Why was everyone telling me that my quads were gonna be hurting? My legs felt amazing. I could run downhill forever! Hit up another aid station for some water and Powerade. Both were warm. Like really warm. It was gross.
Mile 6 - 9:19

I passed the halfway point (6.55 mi) with a smile on my face at 59:56. I was cruuuuising. What did Coach say about conserving? IDK. But I knewwww that the course flattened out soon. I was trying to prep for it.
Mile 7 - 9:06

I had an aid station coming up so I pulled out a Gu and decided to eat at least half of it with some water. I walked the aid station and did just that. And then we were at the bottom of the mountain. 5 more miles, did I have it in me?
Mile 8 - 9:29

So, I was expecting it to feel worse when it flattened out but this mile still felt pretty good. "Glorious" by Macklemore came on and I was JAMMING. Loving life. Running well. Super stoked.
Mile 9 - 8:59

I ran across another aid station, grabbed some water, laughed at their signs. But then. Out of nowhere. I felt something weird on the bottom of my feet. Did I get a blister? On BOTH of my feet? Seriously?!.... I walked a bit and feel them out, just in time to see a HILL. #eyeroll
Mile 10 - 9:39

I walked up the hill and passed an aid station. They had more warm water and also wet towels, except mine wasn't even that wet. I was thoroughly annoyed at everything. I definitely had some blisters going on and I was pissed. You can train for the distance but you can't train for whatever will happen on race day...
Mile 11 - 10:59

AND THEN.... I saw it.... The 2:00 pacer.... just cruise on by me. Hurt, hot, discouraged as I was then literally chasing my PR but just couldn't catch up.
Mile 12 - 10:43

But I powered through. I knew my PR was gone, but my time wasn't gonna be terrible. I am sure I looked like a mess. I feel like I was forcing myself to land on my feet differently because of the blisters. Almost there though...
Mile 13 - 10:41

I was so close. I could see the finish. I ran that last bit as fast as I could.
Mile .15 - 8:39

Finish Time - 2:06:05
Average Pace - 9:37
Place Overall - 659/1988
Place Female - 322/1246
Age Group - 53/152

My friend Casey waited for me to finish! I should have stuck with her, she ran in 1:59:49, haha.
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Running downhill is no joke. I am going to assume that's why I got those blisters because it wasn't like I was wearing things I had never worn before. Both of them were in the same spot, right under my big toe. So dumb. And remember the comment about my quads? OMG TODAY THEY HURT SO BAD. Just so terribly sore.
In the end, I am happy I did it. I am sad I didn't PR. I know I have a lot of great miles and races ahead of me. I feel good about it. Minus the quads. Yikes. Would I do *this* race again? Maybe just because it's local-ish. I wouldn't mind doing a different Revel Race in the future. The organization was outstanding. Plus at the end you get pizza, beer, and pie. YUM!

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Great recap, but this is the part that really stood out to me.

ou can train for the distance but you can't train for whatever will happen on race day...
This is so incredibly true. I'm convinced this is a major reason why training does matter. I had been making all sorts of mistakes for years in training for Half Marathons that had minimal impact on me during a half marathon, but would have been disastrous in a marathon. Even though we don't really know what will happen on race day, at least we are prepared for something.
 
Oh man, what a tough run. But yay for the free Goodr sunglasses! Are those the ones you are wearing?

And I totally know what you mean about chasing the pacers. It happened to me a few years ago, I was ahead of them the entire time and the last half mile is up hill and I just didn’t have it in me.

How are you feet recovering?
 
One of them was like "WHY AREN'T YOU IN BED?!" I dunno, it was only 9pm...

Suggested response, "Do you even runDisney, bro?"

I was thinking about pizza.

Evergreen comment.

I know I have a lot of great miles and races ahead of me.

Evergreen comment.

Great race and great recap. I told my wife this weekend I have a "Princess and the Pea" syndrome or something because I can get thrown off mentally by the smallest things, so kudos to you for rebounding from a hectic morning and knocking out a great run.
 
What was the elevation drop? I’ve looked into the Colorado one, half drops almost 2000 ft and full drops almost 5000 ft :scared1:

There’s also one in Tucson near my parents house that I might have to try one day.
 
You clearly are mentally stronger than me, because after the cop stopped me I would've been a hot mess. So proud of you and I know that sub-2 is in your very near future, you are a rockstar!
 

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