Lucky #13- 13 Races in 2013

This is the story of Candi and her challenge to run thirteen races during 2013.  This is her story, in her words.

Each year, the calendar starts new on January 1^st and with it people across the country come up with new resolutions for the year.  My journey to do 13 events in 2013 had a less conventional path than that.  I, myself am very new to running.  I was that girl that used to say “I only run when a posse of angry clowns is chasing me”.

My life as a runner began as a challenge to myself.  A close friend set a goal to complete a half marathon before her 40^th birthday and I thought “I can do that!” …Having never run a day in my life.  Goals #1 … start running.  One year and a dozen or so races later, I saw a challenge on-line to do 13 events in 2013 and I thought “I can do that!”

The 13 in 13 challenge was sponsored by Dirt in Your Skirt, a web community dedicated to helping women reach outside of their comfort zones.  You sign up the challenge, pay a small fee, and they mail you a medal (and I like bling).  To keep you accountable, you’re asked to post pictures of each event on their Facebook page.  I can do that!

February 23 – The Disney Princess Half Marathon
This is a biggie!  While my running partner and I had previously run a half marathon, we didn’t train properly.  This time we had our 16 week schedule and trained diligently all winter.  We are ready to run Disney!  We arrived in Orlando to find that they are having a mini heat-wave for February.  At 5AM on race day, it was already 75 with 80% humidity.  Mickey and the gang do such an amazing job with their races that it’s easy to overlook the weather.  I can run in the heat!  Each wave of runners is set off with a countdown, fireworks and a “Bippity Boppity Boo” from the Fairy Godmother.

Our course took us from the Epcot Center parking lot, along International Drive, and into the Magic Kingdom.  As we ran under Cinderella’s Castel, the cast members gathered in the doorways and waved; you almost felt like royalty.  This was my first run without my ear buds and I was excited that I didn’t need my music to keep my feet moving.  I did, however, need to focus on keeping my feet moving.  Everywhere you looked there were story book characters; princesses and villains, heroes and sidekicks to entertain you.  It took everything in me not to break out into “No one fights like Gaston” as we ran past the preening hero.

I ran with countless numbers of Minnie Mouses and Cinderellas, a few Tweedle Dees and Tweedle Dumbs, and crossed the finish line with a women in a full Pluto costume.  13.1 miles and race #1 is in the books!

March 9 – The Break Away 5K
On a very chilly morning, my husband Bill and I drove to Frederick, MD so that I could run the Break Away 5k with some friends.  The race benefited Heartly House, a domestic violence shelter for women and children.  Race #2 brought with it a beautiful day with new friends, a flat course, and money raised for an amazing cause. Done! I totally did it!

March 23 – The Marine Corp Marathon 17.75k
I know what you’re thinking… 17.75k, that’s an odd distance.  The distance of this inaugural event honored the year that the Marine Corp was founded and is equal to about 11 miles.  It was also my first trail run and had to be the hardest 11 miles that I did last year.  The course through this race was tight and did not allow for spectators.  We runners had to rely on ourselves and the Marines along the route to keep us motivated: enter my new found friend, Liz.  I started talking to her at mile 3 and we kept each other company until the last mile when I just needed to finish.  On run #3 I learned the power of having a Marine run beside you to encourage you up a tough hill, that my ability to talk to anyone carries over into races, and the magic of a song to propel you up the final hill to the finish line.

April 28 – the Nike Half Marathon
I said I liked bling, right?  This race is the mother of all bling.  Runners don’t receive a finisher’s medal at the end of the race; they receive a Tiffany necklace.  That motivation, coupled with running a new race in my home city, made this a perfect event.  The Nike Women’s Half Marathon didn’t disappoint!  The route was beautiful, I had amazing friends cheering me along the way, and I shaved a minute off of my personal record for this distance.  I can become a longer distance runner!

May 4 – Go!  Discover Richmond 10k
This was the first of my “events” for the year.  When I initially sat down to plan my race schedule, I wanted to do 13 races, even though the challenge clearly said that we could do any event.  A bicycle ride or a walk counted as an event I was scheduled to do 13 races and two events.  I like to call the Discover Richmond 10k an “explorer walk”.  You received a bib and a race shirt.  There was a time limit and all of the official fanfare of your usual 10k; the difference, you were encouraged to take your time and explore the city.  This was a chance for Richmond to showcase the city’s history.  My aunt and I did this and had a blast.  And if she tells you that I made her walk 60 miles that day, she’s pulling your leg.  It was just six.

May 5 – The May Day 5k
The hubs is an amazing cheerleader.  I asked in in April, do you think you would like to run with me?  He used to run a little in high school so he said “I can do this” and we set to training. On race day, we both started out strong.  I was having some Achilles issues so I was pacing myself a little and the hubs went on ahead of me.  I finished my race strong and found the hubs waiting on the curb, out of breath and looking like he wanted to pass out on the spot.  I got him up and walking and got some food into him.  I thought I’ll have to teach him the “keep moving” rule after you finish a race, if he’s going to join me.  We figured out he finished about a minute ahead of me.  As we got back into the car, he gave me a very serious look and told me that while he CAN do it, he’s going back to his cheerleader/support personnel role.  I guess we all know our place.

May 18 – National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Run to Break the Silence 5k
In 2012, I ran in honor of a dear friend that was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  In 2013, race #7 was dedicated to this friend and the twin boys that she was now carrying.  I plan to run this same race in 2014 to celebrate their lives and Bev’s we can beat cancer attitude.

June 22 – The Dirty Girl Mud Run
I’m not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for this one.  It looked fun but it also scared me.  This was my first mud run and obstacle course race.  Can I do this?  Am I even strong enough for some of these obstacles?  Enter a bunch of girls with a mission to make it fun come hell or high water.  Obstacle 1 – scale a wall. Okay, I made it over that.  Obstacle 2 – mud tunnels.  There was squealing from all sides of the mud pit as ladies got down on hands and knees to crawl through man-made cold mud but I made it through.  Obstacle 3 – climb and then bounce down a giant pink blow-up pyramid.  You know, maybe I can do this.  We stormed a castle, ran through a plywood town and flew down a massive water slide into a mud pit finish.  I crossed the finish line feeling sweaty, gross, and so very strong.  I can do an obstacle course race.

July 27 – Crystal City Twilighter
A twilight run and glow sticks, what could be more fun?  Oh, what about the giant rainstorm that kicked up just as we crossed the start line.  I guess I can cross two firsts off of my running check list now.  Cold wet rain is a great motivator to run faster.  Despite the rain, it was a great run and I found a new running buddy.

September 14 – Dulles Runway 5k
A race on the airport runway?  Okay!  It’s flat.  It’s windy!  And an airliner is SOO much bigger when you are running beside it.  I can do that!

September 21 – Diva Dash
I liked my first obstacle course race so much, I thought I’d try another with a different group of ladies.  The Diva Dash was a little different than my first OCR.  There was less mud and more physically technical obstacles.  I learned that my 30+ year old self does not fly across monkey bars as fast as my 10 year old self did.  We walked hand-in-hand across giant teeter-totters and helped boost each other over 8 foot tall walls.  Seven of us, decked out in hot pink and leopard tutus, crossed the finish line hand in hand that morning, wearing the biggest smiles on our faces.  Proving that team work can get you anywhere.

A Different Kind of Challenge

And then there was a little hiccup.  Okay, it was a pretty big hiccup.  I sprained my ankle.  I wish I had an amazing story to go along with the injury.  I don’t.  I had just returned from a vacation spent hiking in the mountains.  I climbed to the highest point in three states; I didn’t sprain my ankle there.  I was doing a basic cardio drill in my front yard and I fell.  And as I heard the pop and then looked at this thing that no longer looked like part of my body, all I could think was I have a race in two weeks!

I spent a lot of time angry with myself and with my doctors who weren’t giving me the answers that I wanted.  I know, that wasn’t the way to handle things.  In the end, the injury came at the right time.  I had just started my yoga teacher training and our focus was on meditation.  Since I was being forced to slow down by my body anyway, this was perfect.  I spent some time focusing on me and letting my ankle heal.

It’s a good thing that I had two extra runs scheduled for 2013. I was supposed to do the Baltimore Marathon Relay two weeks after my injury.  My leg of the Baltimore Marathon was given to a friend.  She made a great addition to the team and I was able to be there to cheer my friends on during the day.  I deferred my November race entry for the Richmond 8k until 2014.

October 19-20 – Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, New York City
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is a 2 day, 39.3 mile journey to raise money for breast cancer research and outreach.  It’s an event that I have done since 2002 and one that I was not willing to let go, even due to an injury.  My initial plan was to walk the full 39 miles.  After my hiccup,  my plan changed to walking the distance of a marathon over two days.  I dedicated each mile to someone; my grandfather and my motivation for taking my first step, my dear friend and the mother she lost, friends fighting, friends lost, friends celebrating.  This walk was about them, because together we can make a difference.  I walked a total of 32.3 miles that weekend and raised over $2200!

December 14 – Celtic Solstice 5-Miler
Race #13!  I received the okay to try running again just two weeks before this race.  I think the doctor gave that okay very reluctantly.  I went into it with a clear head and a KT tape-bound foot.  I wasn’t expecting a PR.  I only wanted to have fun and finish and know that I can still run.  It was cold and the entire drive to Baltimore looked like it might snow.  A pair of bagpipers marched through the field of runners to kick off the race and we started up the hill and the first mile.  At a half mile in, it started to snow and I met Katie.  Katie’s running partner bailed on her because of the weather and she was running solo that day.  She matched her pace to mine and stayed with me the rest of the race.  I credit her with helping to keep me in check and making sure that I walked more than I ran.  She said that I helped to keep her moving a faster pace than she would have done alone.  We talked marathons (she ran her first in her 40s), OCRs (she gave me some great tips for my next one, the Warrior Dash this May), and runner’ connections (the Celtic Solstice had so many kind-hearted runners). We cheered each other on and raised a cookie together at the finish festival.   I finished in just over an hour.  It wasn’t fast, but I can run again!

December 31 –Fairfax Four Miler
No, I’m not going for extra credit.  A friend of mine who is a new runner asked if I would join her and I couldn’t say no.  I love to see my friends trying something new.  Sometimes they say forget it, more often they love it.  Our other friend decided to join us but was concerned because she had only run one 5k in the past.  We gathered together in the cold twilight on New Years Eve and ran out 2013 with a 1,000 or so other people.  Colleen, my newbie runner, took off in the crowd.  It was great to watch her go!  The rest of us stayed together.  Once my ankle warmed up a little, Jen went ahead and I stayed with Lisa, our “non-runner”.  We ran a nice, even pace and walked when we needed to.  We took our uphills in stride and relished in our downhills.  When we hit the 3.5 mile marker, I turned back to Lisa and said “You have now run further than you ever have!” and the grin that came across her face made it worth it.  She finished her first 4 mile race in 53 minutes and must have one for the biggest smile on a racer.  I didn’t do race #14 for the extra credit.  I did it because I wanted someone else to say “I can do that!”

And she did!  Thanks  Candi for giving me what I needed to get motivated and stay on track in my fitness routine.  I need to change things up and this was a great inspiration for 2014!