My FIRST Marathon: Honolulu Marathon 2014 Recap

If you didn't catch it in the title I put FIRST (not last) because after this marathon I am sure I want to do another. For the last few weeks I began to think that this marathon this was not for me, until I crossed that finish line. I was preparing for the worse. I thought that surely after the race I would be handicapped and in need of a caregiver. That was  not the case. Sure I was extremely tired and hobbled around like a 90 year old grandma. I did receive help getting back home, and later that night having a friend bring me some food. But when I was first left on my own I was able to care for my self. I ordered pizza, took a shower, walked my dog, and laid not only my self but my three year old down for a nap.

Okay now for the race day details.

I woke up at 1:30 am, because my ride was picking me up at 2:15 am. I was nervous but not crazy nervous. I ate a banana and a bowl of plain oatmeal and took a cup of coffee to go.

We parked and were able to hop on a Japanese tour bus instead of walking over a mile down the road to hop on the shuttle that we were originally going for. It ended up saving us a boat load of time and was hilarious!

The Japanese Bus

We made it to the start area and had plenty of time to use the restrooms and stretch. It was sprinkling and a bit chilly for Hawaii (in the 70's). I actually felt cold here for once.

At the beginning of the race I felt like it was a big celebration for all of the hard work we put into training, the firework show was the big kick off!

The first few miles were tough. Between "accidentally" elbowing tourists and having to dodge dummies who stop with out warning just to snap a pic- we were making decent time.

The first few miles were awesome when it came down to support. Crowds of people cheering us on. I even spotted fellow Stroller Warriors who came to support! With all of the chaos the first few miles just went by.

We started up the outside of Diamond Head and spotted the first place person was passing us on the other side! (That was about mile 8 or 9 for me)

Mile 15ish

The rain and wind were not a good combination. By mile 13 I did not feel like running in it anymore. Peoples hats were flying off, and our shoes were heavy and soaked. My ankles were feeling the strain from the extra weight of my shoes. I was defiantly feeling down in the dumps until I saw three of my fellow stroller warriors, one (Jessica Argo) came over and grabbed my hand. BTW she was already at like mile 20 at that point. Those ladies are no joke BAMR's.

At the 25k mark I stopped and rang out all of the water out of my socks (It was a nice relief). I started off running again.

Then out of the blue, I spotted my family in the car. I hope they didn't see but I am pretty sure I put on a ugly cry face. It helped me push through the next bit. I saw them two more times and it was an awesome feeling. They supported me every step of the way, and brought Lucy. (Oh I forgot to mention my husband was gone on the Submarine so his brother and wife looked after Lucy for me).

It was a big deal to me that Lucy was there. She sat through most of my training in the stroller. Her longest ride being 13.5 miles. She had to deal with early morning wake ups for the 6 races I did before the marathon. She was there through the good, bad, and ugly. I didn't want to give up because I knew she would be watching me. She is what always keeps me going every day.

Me and my baby girl.

Between the first time I saw them and the last my friend Cheryl found me and ran with me for the next few miles. She really kept me going and it was nice to have someone to talk to. We split at mile 22 at a water station.

The last 4.2 miles were not easy. The one thing that did help is that I have done 4 races on that last stretch so I knew what I was in for.

Right before the finish line I spotted my family again. I couldn't believe that I was about to cross the finish line. The relief that swept over my body was unreal. I actually felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. All of those early morning wake ups, not going to Friday night parties, the sore muscles, planning my life around this thing.- I WAS DOING IT, COMPLETING IT. I had been preparing for this day for what felt like forever, and it was over.

Although I did not get the time I had hoped for I am still extremely proud of my self. I actually set out to do something that a lot of people only dream of doing and finished. It wasn't as hard as I had hyped it up to be in my head. But it was just as rewarding and life changing. 6:56:54

Now that my marathon high has ran off (get it ran hehe) I am left  with the question- What to do now?? I am really looking forward to see what the NEW YEAR will bring. I can't wait to tackle something else.


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Darcy

Mizuno Val Nolasco Half Marathon.

Yesterday morning I woke up refreshed and not thinking anything of the race. Perhaps it was because I haven't been focused on this race. In fact I have barely thought about it, which led me to fall asleep with ease the night before. The only thing that constantly reminded me of it is my girl friends who were training like mad men.

 This race to me was just another long run 

Before the race!

After that was me telling them to hurry so I could go poop.

Amy was a paparazzi and the finish line.

Jenise doesn't even look like she just ran 13.1 miles

Bib pick up selfie.

that I needed to complete for marathon training. 

I wasn't excited about it at all. I have been dreading all of my long runs, and wanted training to be over. 

When we started the race I waited for a friend and we started out together. This was her first race and she was excited. I met up with several people ahead of time, three of them were first timers. The energy they put off made me excited. 

During the race I ran with two girls that I know from Stroller Warriors on and off. (We yo-yo'd with each other). A few friends passed me on the turn around and I cheered them on like they were rock stars (because duh they are). Having so many people there and being able to run the whole thing with out much difficulty was nice.

Seeing them support and cheer each other on reminded me why I love running these races so much. I love the running community.

I finished at 2:40 which shaved 16 minutes off of my last half. This one was actually easier (maybe because the lack of nerves?!). 

I am looking at the rest of the training with new eyes. I feel refreshed and can't wait to do this marathon.

Darcy

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Late Post! HMSA 30k

I am going to keep this post nice and simple!

I met with two of the girls from my running group the morning of the race. They are both speed demons compared to my pace, but they stuck around with me for the first mile. For the first 13 miles I hovered around a 12-12:30 pace.

At the bib pick up in my costume for the Halloween Party!

Sandra and I after we finished.

I felt pretty good. I like taking it nice and easy. The lack of restroom caught up to be around mile 14. I had to poop. I felt like a dog sniffing out a good spot. At mile 16 I hopped a fence into a construction zone and used the porter john.

For the rest of the race I averaged 13:30 pace. The sun was up and it was pretty warm. I used all of the aid stations and honestly think I could have paced a minute faster through out the whole thing.

This time Luke missed me at the finish line.... So no finishing picture. So far this is  the LONGEST run I have ever done. I feel very accomplished and confident that I can finish the marathon!

My official finish time was 4:03.

Darcy


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Hokulani Bake Shop Hawaii 25k

Today I went for my long run (13 miles) and it dawned on me while I was thinking about my pace -

I forgot to write about my last race!

The Bake Sop 25k, on Oct. 5th.

Since its been about a week I don't feel too fresh on the subject anymore... so I will just keep it brief. I went ill prepared, I didn't really eat breakfast. Not eating breakfast lead to me to take my Rehydrate Gel in the first thirty minutes. Around mile 10 I began to crash. It was getting hot, we kept a good pace up until that point. By we I mean my new friend Amber and I. At mile 10 there was a beastly hill that shook up my self confidence and spit me out like a shell of a sunflower seed. It was gnarly.

The views were amazing which helped me try to push through. I ended up with something of a 13:30 pace by the end and was dead tired.

Amber was a sweet heart and stuck with me the whole time even though she could probably run the whole thing. I was just happy to finish and learned my lesson about not eating properly before hand (again).

Photo From Hawaii Sport Mag.

The picture above is the winner of the race... the girl with the cute butt and pink hair is me!!! My official finishing time was 3:30. I wasn't really happy about the time but I did finish a 15.5 mile race.

Lucy waiting for me to finish running.

Amber and I at the finish line.

-
Darcy

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Why we decided to wait...

With Infant & Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day right around the corner I figured I would write about something that has been weighing heavy on my heart.



The burning question of my life lately is,"When are you going to try for another baby?"


 For those of you who don't know this we lost a pregnancy on Mothers Day of this year, and it was really was emotionally devastating for our family. I had such a hard time handling the loss, we decided it would be best to wait and try again. After talking it over we decided that after the original due date, which was December 25th would be best.

I think of it as starting fresh. The old due date will be past and it will be a whole new try. No reminders from friends ( I have 4 friends on my Facebook who are due with in two weeks of my original date). I feel like or decision is what is healthiest and the best for us.

Sometimes I feel like I am expected to be over it, but guess what- I'm not. For those like me who miscarry (a term used to describe the loss of a baby before week 20), the pain can be easily dismissed by onlookers. "oh, you can try again,"you have a long life to live,"another baby will come along,"get over it, move on and try again," you may be surprised but I have heard it all.

I know that plenty of time has past. I know that 1 in 4 pregnancies end in a loss. I know that I am not alone. I know that it wasn't my fault, and that there was nothing that I could have done to prevent it. If I could snap my fingers and make it better I would, but I can't. My heart still hurts, and thats where I am at right now.




"When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn't a word to describe them."- President Ronald Reagan. 

My daughter Lucy was so excited. 

If you have a friend who is going through a loss. Listen to them. Be there for them. Don't judge them for how they handle a loss, and defiantly don't press them to try again.

On October 15th please say a prayer and light a candle for those who have had a infant or pregnancy loss. Too many families grieve in silence.

“If everyone lights a candle at 7 p.m. and keeps it burning for at least one hour, there will be a continuous WAVE OF LIGHT over the entire world on October 15th.” (October15th.com)

We will never forget.

Darcy

A Running Horror Story

WARNING: This material that you are about to read is hilarious and disgusting. If you do NOT like poop talk or are a bit squeamish I would advice to stop reading now.



I thought I would launch off the first week of Autumn with a horror story. Muuuahahhaa

 I am 11 weeks out from my first full marathon, and training is beginning to really pick up. I put off my long weekend run until Sunday evening- 9 miles. I generally run in the morning but better late than never.

I ate dinner roughly around 5:00 p.m., then I went and sat down with a "little" ice-cream cone. It was a delish cookies and cream on a waffle cone. Not a big deal. I put on my running clothes and sat on the couch to "settle my belly" until 6:30 p.m.

OHHHH DAT ICECREAM

These aren't my pics but exactly what I ate.

Spicy Chicken Stew

I don't recommend any of what I ate before you run. Ever short or long run. Don't do it.

I was dragging my feet out the door. The first 5.5 miles were just average. I wasn't going to win a award or anything I was hitting about a 12 min pace. I consider that good since I spent the whole morning at the beach with the fam bam.

Mile 6: I spotted my pal Jenise outside of her house. I began yelling out her name and asking for water. I stopped and talked for a few mins and briefly mentioned that I felt like I needed to poo- no biggie... right? I drank her ice cold water and headed back on my merry way. Only 3 miles to go. I felt pretty good I was jammin to my music and just strolling along.

Mile 7: I started getting a rumble, and I was scared. I knew there were 0 bathrooms on the way back. I HAD TO MAKE IT HOME. I clenched my  cheeks and pushed on.

Mile 8: The voice in my head- No biggie. Just a mile left, mostly up hill but still just a mile.  I will not shit my self. I repeat WILL NOT drop a stinky bomb in my nike shorts.

Mile 8.7: I slow down to a slow walk. My stomach was in such distress it was making me feel hotter. I am sure even if I wasn't running I would be sweating at this point from how much work it was just to keep it in.

Mile 8.94: I finally reached my house, I was so close to hitting the 9 mile mark but I needed to stop. I HAD TO STOP. I ran up to my house to open the front door.

LOCKED.

 I grab out my phone while walking to the back and called the husband. To my disappointment it went STRAIGHT to Voicemail. (You have got to be kidding me, what if I was being murdered?!) Then I tried out the back door. BIG SURPRISE. LOCKED

I OFFICIALLY ENTERED PANIC MODE and start banging on the windows and door.

Ohhhhh. Dear LORD please have mercy on me.

DISASTER STRIKES

I shamefully pulled down my pants and braced my self with the fence and just let it go.

It can't get any worse than this. Right?

Wrong. I was in the eye of the storm.

The porch light turns on and my husband is peering at me through the kitchen window. I was like a monkey in the zoo. I could have just died from the embarrassment.

He actually asked me what I was doing. I am not sure if it was a serious question because you could smell me from a mile away. Between the sweat, stench, tears and shame I managed to yell out some profanities and my favorite:"Luke you're a dead man."

Ohhh what the neighbors must think of us. Sorry neighbors. It was an emergency.

I managed to gather my self and go in side to clean up and apologize. We agreed upon a couple of things.

1. I shall never again eat spicy chicken stew with a ice-cream cone before I run.
2. He will never again lock me out on a long run.

I feel like this was a great learning experience for me and hope it never happens again. Ever again. I also hope that it helps other people make better food choices before a run.

If you have any funny or embarrassing stories I would love to here them in the comments below.

All About Me....

Welcome to my amazing blog of randomness. 

Proud Submarine Wife!

I believe my life is like a project that is never completely finished. Each day I strive to be a better mother, wife, and friend than I was the day before the day before. I want to share my experiences with you all in hopes that I can encourage or inspire someone out there.

Right now the main focus of my blog is me trying to live a healthy lifestyle. I am currently on a break from running long distance and am focusing on lifting at the gym. I am going to transform my body over the next year. You  just watch, wait, and see.

You can always contact me at ldholcombe@yahoo.com

Darcy