Race Recap: 2018 Shamrock Marathon

I saw a sign along the Boardwalk during the latter miles of Sunday’s Shamrock Marathon that said something to the effect of, “Be who you want your children to be.” That resonated with me then & still does now, some almost 48+ hours since the race was finished.

This morning though, that quote strikes a different chord as I urgently hustled everyone through the morning routine… eat breakfast, get dressed, do chores, grab backpacks, get in car, arrive to school on time. Some mornings go smoothly, others, like today, are just plain stressful. This is probably why I chose to be absent from most mornings—usually running while hubby handles the start of the day {& I tag-team in for the remainder of the day}. But with a post-marathon rest week underway, there is no reason for me not to offer a hand. Maybe it was the rain outside, or maybe someone just woke up on the wrong side of the bed; regardless, it makes for a tough start to the day when the miniature people are crabby!

And maybe definitely therein lies why I am so driven to run my best races right now. It is actually something I can succeed at, during a time when I feel like my job as a mother is sometimes a failure. This season of life is hard. The most trying days I have ever encountered. And I am sure it will get more difficult before the light at the tunnel gets brighter. Sure the ages of 2, 3, & 4 were physically tough, but there is something about having school-aged kids {my twin boys are 6-years-old} where you struggle day in & day out with decisions made. They will remember these times? Their future is being molded now. Constant questions flood my brain. Did what I said scar them permanently? Will they ever be functional citizens? When will they learn to do x, y, & z without being told? Are we making the right choices? When will they find their self-control? Is being a twin the reason they are so competitive & attention-seeking? I’d be lying if I didn’t say that parenting breaks me down on a daily basis. And while I strive daily to be better at that job {hence the stack of parenting books 10 feet tall!}, I am also working hard to become a become runner.

This past weekend was no different.

When I registered for the Shamrock Marathon, I did so that I could simply check a 2018 marathon off of my calendar. Since 2014, I have run one marathon per year & I didn’t want to break that streak. Training for a fall marathon through the awful heat & humidity of the summer sounded dreadful, so a spring race won! Shamrock, being the local marathon just miles down the road seemed like the obvious choice. I could use the small base I had built through Chicago’s training to improve my aerobic fitness. I had zero goals, just simply wanted to finish with a decent time on the clock.

Fast forward a couple months & a few hundred miles later—I hired my amazing coach, Sarah. She guided me through the last 10 days of taper & then proved to be crucial on race morning {more on that later}.

For those who have never participated in a Shamrock weekend, you really should change that!! J&A Racing does a phenomenal job at organizing & executing race weekend. And it truly is a full weekend experience!

On Friday, I headed the 20 or so miles to the beach with my friend Emily in tow, for a fun run hosted by the Oiselle Volèe—but the BEST part being that I would get to meet {& chat with, like we had been friends for years!} the iconic Kara Goucher. Yes, THAT Kara—the one who’s an Olympic distance runner & a downright cool chick! That experience was pretty darn awesome & unforgettable, which I have Emily to thank for being so bold & outspoken!! Later that day I headed to the expo {plenty of parking & vendors to check out, for those who have never participated in the VB Shamrock weekend}. I found my finishers “jacket”, which has become a ritual for my marathons. This marathon attire just so happened to be the same sweatshirt I saw Kara Goucher sporting the following day. Win Win!!

On Saturday, the family & I had a low-key start to the day. I continued with my healthy carb-loading + hydrating, all while organizing things for the following morning. Mid-morning, we headed to the beach for the boys to participate in their first Operation Smile Final Mile. Over the course of the months prior, they had completed 25.2 miles at school during gym class. To “complete their marathon”, they ran with their classmates for one final mile. In true rock star fashion, Alexander finished in 8:50! My more timid boy, Andersen, finished with his Daddy by his side, in 9:04!! Both were PRs for the twins! After rewards of donuts & sandwiches, we headed home to relax.

Sunday, race morning, started with a 5:45am alarm. Everything was laid out & ready to go {which I HIGHLY recommend—race mornings are stressful enough without the worry of where things are}. I Uber’d 2 miles to my friends’ house where I met up with four gals from my BALG—2 being spectators & 2 running the half. Getting to the beach & to a close drop-off point was uneventful; as was a potty stop in a restaurant {YAY for ZERO port-a-potty stops the ENTIRE race weekend!!}. An easily dropped off dry bag & a few selfies later… we were off!

Now is probably a good time to mention how on point my coach was {IS!} for race day. It is no secret—I am a type-A, OCD, control-freak. Having a coach means letting go & allowing her to take the reins. I feel like this weekend, she proved herself & moving forward, I will have zero issues with following her orders {ha!} … not that I didn’t follow this weekend; I just now have more trust & confidence in her judgment. In the days leading up to race day, Sarah gave me specific paces to shoot for. She was spot on with weather {wind!} predictions. She gave nutrition/fueling advice, & so much more. It was all just amazing & exactly how a coach should be. It has actually made me strive to be better with my clients! Do yourself a favor & consider a running coach for all of your racing adventures—I highly recommend my coaching group, McKirdy Trained!!

Back to the race. My goal paces were as follows: Miles 0-6 8:35; Miles 7-18 8:25 {8:20 would be okay with a good amount of tailwind}; Miles 19-Finish 8:20-25… or just hold on tight through the headwind. So, most of that went off without a hitch!! Yeah, except for the headwind part … that basically hammered the marathon from miles 18.5 through 25.7. That was fun. NOT! {imagine all of the eye-roll emojis here}

In the end, I ran a solid race, finishing in 3:48:22 {8:43/mile average}. I am proud of this time, not because of the time on the clock, but because there was no quit in me. I even continued to climb in the overall standings despite overall average pace slowing! A few times I wanted to walk when the headwind was just so intense, but I dug deep & pulled strength from all of the badass ladies I know. I reminded myself that although it was hard, I was not hurt. I thought of my client who was running her first marathon at the same time & how she was pushing through. I told myself— “you are strong, you are fierce, you are in control”… this had become my mantra in the weeks leading up to race day.

I saw friends along the course, cheering their butts off. My husband was the BEST bike support around for the second half of the race. My coach, who had finished the half marathon just minutes earlier in a blazing average pace of 5:52/mile, ran an additional 10+ miles with me—all while offering encouraging words & shielding me from the wind. Bad-freakin-ass! My fellow running friends finished their half marathons in PR times. All-in-all, an AWESOME experience. I am a lucky lady—tough parenting “season” & all. I will continue to use this “race fuel” to propel & encourage myself when the mundane parenting tasks get sometimes too hard to bear. Because in a vice-versa relationship, I am a better Mother because I am a Runner & a better Runner because I am a Mother.

THANK YOU ALL—every single person who had anything to do with Shamrock being a success. This is how you do Shamrock weekend. And yes, I will be back next year for my 8^th appearance at this epic March adventure!

Up Next For The Running Blonde: Dismal Swamp Stomp ½ Marathon on April 14^th!