Prague Half-Marathon. April 2nd, 2011

This is the story of three women finding each other on PEERtrainer.  We met online , got fit and became runners in the process.  This story is about companionship, friendship, determination, and exhilaration.

Three girls living in Europe made some plans. We made plans to meet in Prague to run a half-marathon.

The decision was not an easy one for me to make.  Mainly because I had no desire to run any races, let alone a HALF!  It was not really because I never wanted to. It was solely based on the fact that I never thought that would ever be in my realm of possibility. I never even pondered the issue as it had always been a non-issue. I can’t claim to be one of those people who have forever dreamed of running a marathon.   I was very open about my disdain for running.  It was something I never ever liked doing. I had done some running many years ago but nothing substantial and certainly nothing I ever enjoyed.

To spare the boring details, these two girls tricked me into wanting to run this thing. I had been dabbling with running and was at the point where I could run a 5k without stopping.  Then one day, after being tricked, I committed to this event along with my other two partners in crime: Jana & Kim.  But once the decision was made, it became my focus and I knew I had a long road ahead in training for it.

When I made the decision to run Prague, I knew I had a year to get ready for it.  I consulted many professionals, read many books and looked up info on many websites.    I did an individualized Marathon Mastery program with Stu Mittleman, which consisted mainly of becoming aware of my body and running using heart-rate and RPE (rate of perceived exertion). I became very aware of my effort level in relation to my heart rate and how to use this while running slowly.   I was able to take all the info I learned and come up with a training program that I could live with. I committed to running 4 days a week and for most of the year preceding the event, I ran either 3-4 days a week.  I never ran 2 days in a row preferring a day of rest between runs. Ideally I wanted to weight train but I never really got around to adding that component.  

Based on what I learned from others and what people were telling me, I needed to build up an endurance base before starting any kind of speed work.  I did this slowly while adding cross-training with indoor cycling in the winter months.  When I reached within 12 weeks of the race, I began doing one long run a week. Each week I added some distance until I was running 10 miles at a clip.   I am a slow runner and did not do much to get any faster as my main goal was to be able to run the long distance. I did, however, add some speed work once a week in the last month before the race, which I think really helped me. 

Back in December I did the VO2 Max test where I was told by the gym and by others knowing what the numbers meant, that at that moment, I did not have the physical capability of running a half.  Well that was not new info because I KNEW at that point that I would not be able to do it. But I DID know that I still had 3 months to train.  Some people believed that was not enough time. But I knew with hard work, that I would be able to do it.

The year flew by quickly and I felt really ready for this challenge.  I wasn’t sure what to expect on race day but I felt like I was prepared.  I had all the parameters in check like shoes that I knew were perfect for me and all the other gear and things associated with the race.

The best news was that Kim was kind enough to volunteer to pace me. I had not counted on that but I knew it would be a huge advantage.  The bad news was that Jana would not be able to run due to injury.  However, she was a trooper and still joined us for the weekend.  I’m so glad because the weekend would not have been the same without her. We were a trio and she didn’t let her injury stand in the way of us three runners getting together for the first time and enjoying the experience.  We were all disappointed that she could not run but she made the best of it and we had a blast together.

The weekend began on Thursday evening when I picked up Kim from the train station.  We spotted each other right away like we’d been friends for years and about to have a reunion.  It felt natural right from the beginning and we began chatting away  and didn’t really stop until I dropped her back off at the train station at the end of the trip.

We knew we had a long traveling day ahead of us so we agreed it would be an early night.  We enjoyed a really nice meal at a restaurant located right in front of the castle where I was married.  We had a wonderful time and then went back and hit the hay.  We woke up early, had breakfast, set the GPS, gassed up the vehicle, filled the cooler and we were off!  ROAD TRIP!!!

We never ran out of conversation and the 5 hours it took to get to Prague flew by.  Finding the hotel and the parking garage in the city was a bit complicated but we figured it out with no problems.   Our hotel was conveniently located, inexpensive, comfy and roomy enough for us three girls. It was perfect.

We checked in, dropped off our stuff and then proceeded to look for the expo. With some trial and error on the metro, we made it in a timely fashion.  It was a tiny expo, just one fairly little tent with some vendors and the marathon staff. Everything was well organized so we picked up our packets and cool lime green Adiddas race shirts and walked around a bit.  We sat outside on a bench and enjoyed the view of the river while waiting for our third partner in crime to join us.

We went back inside because it was chilly out and kept walking and looking at all the stuff on display. As I was standing there, someone came up behind me and grabbed my ass!  Of course it was Jana and it was really nice to finally give her a nice big American hug!  I am still wondering how she knew it was me from behind?????  We were elated to finally all be together in person!  But we’ve known each other for years so it felt like coming home. 

After the expo, we headed back to the hotel for another early night before the big day.  We decided against going to a restaurant and did all our carbo loading right  in our room at the hotel.

Kim was absolutely amazing. She was practically coughing up a lung and was in the middle of a sickness that would just not go away.  But she would not let a little ripped up lung, stop her from running this race.  Boy was I happy about that. Yes, its selfish but my pacer MUST be able to run with me.  With or without healthy lungs J  Even feeling like crap, she decided to make the trip and wait until the gun went off to decide whether or not she would run.  Those girls from Riverside, CA roll like that!    Plus this was her third half-marathon within 4 weeks or so with her fourth planned the week after. THAT is a HARD-CORE fanatic!  Boy was I grateful to have her as my pacer!

We chatted and chatted and chatted even when lights were out and we all had so much to say to each other. We were having so much girlie fun!  But it was the night before the race and we needed our zzzzz’s.  I hadn’t slept well that last two nights because of my nerves and I was quite surprised when I slept thru the night and woke up really refreshed. For some reason, I was very, very calm on race morning.  I was nervous days before but had such a calm demeanor just hours before I would be competing in this event that I had been training a year for.

We ate breakfast but I know I was lacking protein. There just wasn’t many choices and I ended up just having bread and cheese.  They didn’t even have real juice, just some sugary colorful water that resembled juice.  But it was what it was and we did the best we could.  We then suited up, took some pics and were off.

It was HOT!  This was pretty strange weather for this time of year. It had been pretty chilly and I had planned on that kind of weather for the run. I hadn’t trained at all in warm weather!  I planned on wearing a light jacket throughout the run but being so hot, I gave the jacket to Jana and just wore a tank and capris.  We didn’t need to check in any bags so we hung out a little before making our way to the correct letter blocks on the starting line.  Before that, I hit the port-o-potty one last time.

While waiting for the gun to go off, we took some pics with some other Americans we met there.  We had our game plan and that was to finish at 2:50 and we would run about 12.5 min. miles.  My ONLY goal was to finish within the 3-hour time limit.  Throughout the year that was the one goal I had in mind. I desperately just wanted to finish officially. I didn’t care if it was 2:59 as long as I got the medal at the end.  Kim set the plan and she would get me there in under 3 hours. I told her she had to get me there even if she had to drag me across the finish line by my pony tail.  That is the kind of pressure I put on her!  Poor thing. She had quite a job ahead of herself.

The gun sounded and we were off!  It was a gorgeous run through the city of Prague… along the river, over bridges, through the cobble-stoned streets!  SO many people on the side cheering for us and there were lots of bands along the route.

We started off at a good pace, maybe a little faster than planned as we had some time cushion and we were ahead of schedule. I felt great for the first 7 miles or so.  I sucked on a few sugar candies and drank the sports drinks at the stations and that was just way too much sugar for me.  I had carried water with me but my mouth was all sticky and sweet and it wasn’t pleasant. But no problem, things were moving along. But then around mile 7, I believe, it got REALLY hard for me.  The course was fairly flat but there were some inclines that were making my heart-rate go through the roof.  My garmin was madly beeping at me to slow down. But I was already going really slow and slowing down would mean not making the time schedule. I had to press on.

This was the time I had to start with the mental games.  At this point when I was only half-way through, I wasn’t sure if I was able to go double the distance that I had just run.  I was starting to doubt myself and wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish. I had no aches or pains.  My feet felt fine but I was losing energy and with my heart-rate already so high, I didn’t think I would make it.

Kim was a saint. She nudged me along in the most un-Jersey way… very gently and sweetly… with her soft “come-on girl, you can do it”…. Giving me time and pace updates occasionally.  Letting me know what was going on and even LYING to get me to keep going!  She is so very sneaky!

I knew I needed to do an energy gel but I wasn’t sure if my stomach could take it. I already felt too sugared-out and thought I might lose it if I ingested this gel.  But Kim made sure I took it and it turns out to have been a good decision. It went down fine and I started to feel better.  Once I hit 10 miles, my mentality changed. I started to believe that I could do it. Only three more miles!! I can do that!!!!    I had slowed down , my hear-rate was high but I finally started to feel like I could do it.  I told Kim that I can do this!  I knew there was not that much left and if I could make it to the end, it would be worth all that training and all that time I spent preparing. I knew it would be worth it if I just made it a little longer.  Kim kept pushing me with her words until I saw only 1 km left. Oh my God is that all?  HELL YEAH. I can do this.  There was one last bridge to go over and then the finish line was in sight.  The best sight I have ever seen. I gunned it and sprinted towards the end (well what FELT like a sprint but probably did not look like one) and crossed the finish line!!!!!!!  FINALLY!!!!!  I hit the Garmin and I was done. Is it really over?????? Did I really do it??????? This kept going through my head.  Then the woman put the medal around my neck.

Kim asked me what it felt like to cross the finish line. I felt exhilarated,  of course, but the feeling of relief that it was over was the strongest feeling at that point. Plus the astonishment that I really did do it.   But the emotional point came when the medal was placed around my neck. I welled up and that was THE most incredible feeling. Feeling of accomplishment. Feeling of all that preparation being worth it.  Feeling on top of the world!  An absolute indescribable feeling…

Kim was pulling me here and there to take photos. I was just trying to catch my breath and stop from collapsing as my heart-rate was 187 when I crossed that line!  As I look at those early photos with the medal around my neck, I didn’t look quite as bad as I felt.  But the feelings of exhilaration way over-powered any ill feelings going on. I DID IT and I was freakin proud! 

I am so grateful for Kim. I have no idea if I would have had to oomph to keep going had I been running alone.   She kept me going.  Along the route there were so many injured people and we were passing people we knew would not make it under the 3-hour limit. There were people passed out with the medics, probably from the heat and starting out too fast, people with injured feet or joints.  The medical truck kept going past us and I never knew if I would be the next victim.  I just kept my legs moving… moving… moving…moving… telling myself little motivational stories… keeping one foot in front of the other… listening to Kim giving me her little talks.  Even sick she could have forged ahead without me. But she didn’t. She stayed with me and did what she could to keep me going. I will be forever thankful. And someday I would love to give that back, sacrifice my own time, just to help out a friend.  That was so absolutely self-less.  Thanks, GIRL!!!!!!!!  I will never forget that. 

Still floating on a cloud, we made it back to the subway and in a fog, made it to the hotel. I made my phone calls and settled my worn out body in bed. I needed to rest!  I also needed to EAT!  We kind of ran through lunch and burned more than a thousand calories and I was famished and drained.  We didn’t rest all that long before dragging ourselves into the shower so we could get out and eat!  Jana’s husband picked us up and took us to a really cool place to eat. Kim and I wore our medals out that night. Food never tasted sooo good.  I even had a beer after refraining from alcohol for 2 weeks before the race.  That was a fantastic beer. I still felt a little woozy at the restaurant but then we went sight-seeing in the car and we walked around the castle, which felt really great.  I needed to move my legs a bit.  But we were sooo tired and then needed to get back to the hotel to crash.

After breakfast the next day, it was time to get back in the car for the second road trip back home.    We said our sad good-byes to Jana and it was back on the road. Jana was so sweet to buy us some painted ceramic tile-like pictures to hang which are just gorgeous… one with 3 adorable cats and one with a beautiful and colorful smiling sun. We will have those pictures always to remind us of our very special weekend together.

The ride back to Germany was still fun and chatty. But we had some very sore legs and we lacked that energy we had driving down two days before.  We also didn’t stop to eat lunch – we just drove straight through and had our snacks in the car but we were famished when we got to the train station. We needed some solid food as our bodies were screaming for something good.  We stopped at a cute trendy place with wifi and had a nice replenishing meal together before Kim had to take her train back home.  We hobbled down the stairs and said our good-byes. We had had a wonderful time.  It was a weekend that I will never forget.

Jana forced me into signing up for the race and Kim forced me to get through it. What would I do without friends like this!  These girls are one of a kind.