In all honesty, for Mac and I, it started as a goal to join Half Fanatics. We had run a half together last August 2009, and we were virtually training together, keeping each other in check, sharing our training schedules, websites, what worked for us, etc. We were sitting and chatting via FaceBook one night bouncing ideas off each other when I casually blurted out that we needed to join Half Fanatics, and I asked if she thought that we could do it? Three halfs in three months … was this something possible for us? Oh yeah, we decided that it was, and began planning and came up with our the three half marathons that we would run. In the midst of all this planning, I’m not sure exactly who’s idea it was (I believe that it was Mac’s), we decided why just three, why not make it a half EVERY month? And so there you have it … the seed was planted, and we went to work plotting out the logistics and calculating costs. Here is the list of what we came up with and ran for 2010:
For January we decided to run the Auburn Resolutions Run on January 1st – to start our year off right! It was not a half because we only ran 10 miles, but it was a great start our year.
February – The Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in San Francisco, CA.
March – Shamrock N’ Half Marathon, Sacramento, CA.
April – The Tsunami Half Artichoke Half Marathon, Pescadero, CA.
May – American River Parkway Half Marathon, Sacramento, CA.
June – See Jane Run, Alameda, CA.
July – The Half From Hell Hernia Hills Half Marathon, Vallecito, CA.
August – Modesto Midnight Half Marathon, Modesto, CA.
September – Wolf Pack Events, Fall Showdown, SanPablo, CA. This was our very first trail run and we absolutely LOVED it!!!
October – Nike Womens Marathon, San Francisco, CA. We actually wanted this to be our FULL marathon, but for Mac, injury took it down to a half for her, while I ran the full.
October – Merrill Down and Dirty Mud Run, Folsom, CA. This was not a half, rather a 10K trail run with obstacles. It was something that we did together!
November – Inaugural Stockton Half Marathon, Stockton, CA.
December – C.I.M. Relay Challenge, Sacramento, CA. We were Team MiniRow and The MACHine. Mac ran legs 1 and 2, while I ran legs 3 and 4!
We could not believe that we were actually crazy enough to set this goal, let alone achieve it. Yet here we are … still standing … and smiling. We both had our share of injuries, and frustrations, yet we both gutted it all out, ran thru whatever aches and pains we were experiencing, and did it. We know that others run full marathons or half marathons EVERY week. Our goal pales in comparison, yet it’s large for us because here we are: Full-time Health Care workers, wives, and mothers. We have actual lives. Running is not our lives, it is a big part of our lives, but we don’t let it run our lives. Taking the time out to train, then to actually run the races was big for us.
Training was done mostly on our own as we both live about a good 1.5 hours away from each other. Although we both had people we could run with, we learned quickly that these individuals were not always reliable, so most of our running was alone. Keeping track of each other was done by mostly by text and Facebook. This was a must to keep each other motivated. We could tell when one was waning and needed a fire lit underneath (mostly me, I am not ashamed to admit, as Mac is very self-motivated). We were very good about holding each other accountable. We shared tips. We shared websites. Recommended nutrition – Gu vs. Gels, etc. We included our husbands in races when possible. When one of us was down, the other would motivate and prod gently. But we ALWAYS had fun. ALWAYS! We knew that if the time came that it was no longer fun, then we would reconsider. We NEVER reconsidered. We took breaks when we needed them, but jumped back on the band wagon quickly as the “need” to run was never that far away.
All in all, I have to say that it has been a very good year for MiniRow and The MACHine! 2010 was a great year for running for both of us as we hit some pretty high mileage months during training. We learned much about resting when we need to because injuries suck. We have both spent time in Physical Therapy. We have spent countless dollars on race fees, race gear, shoes, outfits, food, hotels, insurance co-pays, etc., However, we would not trade it in for anything. Through it all we have bonded and developed a great friendship. Our ending to our 2010 season could not have ended any better than by the two of us being chosen and receiving Inaugural Endorphin Dudette Status!!! (Read about that here.)
To our families – thank you for allowing us the time to train; for putting up with our antsy-ness when we really needed to get out there and run it out; for allowing us to use our hard earned money to pay for race fees, buy expensive shoes, outfits, gadgets, gear, and what-nots. Thank you for allowing us to take the time (away from you) to run races all over Northern California. Thank you for watching the kiddos.
To our friends: Thank you for putting up with us. For listening to our stories and shop talk of running. For encouraging us, and for reminding us that there is life outside of our insane madness to run. Thank you for running with us when possible.
If only others could be so lucky as to find their ideal running mate. I know that I could not have asked or have been blessed with a better one! I look forward to an even better 2011 Running Season.
Mac, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being not only my running partner, but my friend, my confidant, my cheerleader, my pace-setter, my Co-Endorphin Dudette! I love you, Mac! See you in 2011!
Running Code 3 