Yes, I run. Yes, I'm talking about running.: Challenge Races, I think I'm in Love

This year I decided to attempt a couple of challenges that I have been contemplating for a while including The Flying Pig 3-way (with extra cheese), The Midwest Ohio 10k Triple Crown, and a triathlon. All of these events, coincidentally, have a focus on the number 3.

All the Race Goodies

My first challenge was at the Flying Pig races. The 3-way with extra cheese involves completing The Little Kings Mile on Friday night, the 10k at 8am and the 5k at 10am on Saturday Morning, and the Half Marathon on Sunday morning. I have done all of the races before except for The Little Kings Mile so I was confident about being able to finish all the distances but I wasn't sure it would be fun, fast, or pain-free. For those people reading this outside of the Cincinnati area, the races get their name from a well known chili restaurant, Skyline, where the 3-way dish is a layered dish of spaghetti, chili, and cheese. Skyline is the sponsor of the Pig challenge races. So I signed up early, my husband and I got a hotel about 20 minutes away from the race (he signed up for the 3-way), and I trained with a few 2-a-day runs.

Expo Entrance

Friday:
Race weekend came and Nick and I headed down to the expo. Our first priority was The Little Kings Mile. While the expo went on for most of the day the Mile packet pickup was only from 12-2:30. We knew it would be busy and we knew we had to move quickly. The Flying Pig expo is well known for many booths and many free items. It is also set up so that you have to start at one end of a huge hall and finish at the other (bibs where you enter, race shirts at the exit). I was also picking up packets for a few friends and family members so we had a lot of things to carry.

Expo Exit

We got a very nice parking spot in the structure attached to the convention center and headed in right around noon. We entered above the expo and got to see just how busy we would be. We started with our bibs then started exploring the expo. Before we could even get through one aisle of the expo, we realized that it was almost 2:30. I needed to get my race shirt for the 1 mile race before they packed up to go. We rushed to the t-shirts and goodies area. Overall, Nick and I picked up 10 bibs with bags and guides, 10 shirts, 10 posters, 2 magnets, 2 blankets, and 6 goody bags from P & G. We were weighed down after we collected all of this and we still had about 75% of the expo to see so we decided to take a load out to the car. Somehow I carried 7 of the giant poster boxes without dropping any until some wind hit it right before we got to the car. After that we headed back into the expo and checked out all of the remaining booths. We collected freebies, entered drawings for free races, bought some nice things, and tried a lot of samples. After about 4 hours at the expo we had seen it all and could head back to our hotel.

We needed to check in at our hotel, eat, and I had to change in time for the Little Kings Mile so we felt we should get started on that. Unfortunately, getting out of the expo at 4 put us in the middle of Cincinnati rush our and getting to our hotel was not fast. The Little Kings Mile started at 8pm and I was staring to worry, I had not had lunch or dinner and we were stuck in traffic. This is when I started to realize what the challenge really is for this race. I couldn't have anything go wrong. I couldn't oversleep, get stuck in traffic, get injured, or get sick for multiple days in a row. If something did go wrong, I could finish the other races, but the challenge would be done and I wouldn't be able to complete it. Three days would have to be perfect in every way I could make them (and it wasn't starting well). Luckily, we had enough time to check in, change, eat (at Five Guys), and return to downtown with plenty of time to spare. I am really glad that Nick likes being early for everything because he does his best to make sure we always have plenty of time to get where we need to go, even if there is a traffic jam.

Nick and I after The Little Kings Mile

Going into these races I knew that I could not even try to PR all the distances. I had to choose which, if any, I wanted to try to run fast. One race that I wanted to PR was my mile. I had been working hard all winter and I felt I could push myself faster than 7:33 for this race. The start was staggered and I made sure to start with my corral. I wanted to be able to push, but I didn't want to be in anyone's way. I had warmed up with a mile and the course was great for a PR, all a gradual downhill with only 1 real turn so I felt confident. Unfortunately, slower people had moved up to my corral. I found myself behind groups of walkers, people doing an easy run, and some people who stopped in their tracks in front of me. I know that this is a normal thing in most races, I expect it to happen most of the time, but with only a mile to run every person I had to go around or slow down for added seconds to my final time that I couldn't cut back later in the race. I finished in 7:45, not bad, but not the time that I was shooting for. Nick cheered me in and met me at the end of the chute where I got a free coney, some free drinks, and some other goodies including the picture above. They had a concert and a huge party for after the race, which was really nice. Nick and I hung out for a little bit, but we had to get some rest for our next races.

My Mom and I on Saturday

Saturday:
Nick and I started Saturday with the 10k at 8am. We woke up with plenty of time for breakfast, driving, parking, and walking to the start. We had gotten a pass at the expo for carpool parking which was free, but a little farther than some of the other parking. We didn't mind the warm-up walk, but the walk back might prove difficult after all the weekend miles on Sunday. We also had to get my parents' bibs to them. My parents were just doing the 10k and were driving down on the morning of the race (it isn't far from the town where we live for 1 race, but for the 3-way it was too much driving for us). They had asked me to pick up their packets and meet them with their bibs before the race. I am happy to help them, but my parents are notorious for being tardy. I told them that they absolutely had to be on time or early if they wanted me to help them. They started off well, left town with plenty of time to spare, but had issues when they got downtown. As I said before, I couldn't have anything go wrong and their issues were making me nervous. My parents finally got to me with less than 10 minutes until the race start. I got them their bibs, gave them hugs, and headed to my corral (I met them in their corral). My goal for the 10k and 5k was to finish in decent times but not tire myself out. I was not running for a PR because I still had a half marathon to complete. The race started and I had every intention of taking a nice, easy, slow pace but that didn't quite go as planned. After the 1st mile I knew I was going too fast and I tried to slow down but I really didn't. After that, I just tried to keep it consistent. If I can't slow down, at least don't speed up. The course was great and very different from past years. I saw some friends along the course cheering for us as we came back into Cincinnati from Kentucky. I ended up finishing in about 55 minutes which gave me about an hour to prepare for the 5k.

Nick and after the Saturday races

While many 5k and 10k races do not have a gear check, the 3-way and 4-way participants get a gear check for the Saturday races. We get a bib for each race and we can only wear one bib while we are racing or it may mess with the RFID system. So Saturday morning we checked our 5k bib and any other supplies we needed for the 5k or after both races into the 10k bus. I picked up my bag with my gear, changed my bib, ate some snacks to replenish my energy and spent some time with the other runners prepping for the 5k. This gave me time to stretch but I also cooled down quite a bit. A few other runners had taken mylar blankets to keep warm between races so that is something that I will have to do in the future.

While I was hanging out, Nick was still running. He needed to finish the 10k before the 5k started and he knew it was going to be close. I entered the corrals for the 5k with plenty of time to spare and started chatting with a girl from Troy and a girl from Fairfield. One of them had finished behind me in the 10k and had admired my tattoo. The other was an experienced 3-way runner and she gave us a lot of helpful info for the rest of the weekend. 10 minutes before the 5k started I got a notification that Nick was done with the 10k, he made it. Now it was time to start the 5k and I hoped that I wouldn't fly off at the start again. We started the race and off I flew (dang it) but now I was starting to feel it. My legs were starting to feel sore and a little tired. Luckily, the 5k was sold out and the roads were jam packed with runners. While there was movement among the crowd, you were basically all moving as a herd. You didn't have people sprinting ahead at all which meant that I didn't feel a need or desire to go any faster. This course stays in Cincinnati but still goes up a short, steep hill because it's the Pig. This course was also quite different than in past years but I liked the new course. I ended up finishing around 28 minutes for the 5k, which I was happy with. Now, I was just a bit worried about the half marathon in the morning since I was already feeling sore.

All the race bibs for me

I hung out with my parents while I waited waited for Nick to finish the 5k. After he finished we headed to after party which was at a different park than it had been at in the past. While that park is very nice (I want to take my kids back to it some day) it was a little hard to find some of the booths and tents that were usually there. I didn't see the results tent or the merchandise tent while we were wandering. Nick felt tired after the 2 races, so he headed back to the car while I headed back to the expo. I promised a friend that I would pick up an item for her so I needed to go back into that chaos once more. Saturday can be just as busy as Friday, but luckily the crowd was more spread out. I could easily get the items that I came for and I was able to get a second look at a few things from the day before. A lot of the best items (Flying Pig visors) had sold out quickly on Friday and I was glad that I had grabbed one.

I went back to the car feeling calmer because I knew I only had 1 race left. I needed to eat, rest, and wake up early in the morning. I felt confident that I could finish the half marathon, but I was stating to think that it would be a slow one for me. I was starting to feel tired. When I got to the car, I could still see runners running. Even so late on Saturday the Flying Fur 2 mile run was still taking place. Saturday could be a long day at the Pig if you tried to run everything. Nick and I ended up eating dinner at Red Robin (I wanted Mexican but it was May 5th and we knew it would be a long wait at any Mexican place) then we went to see Avengers: Infinity War for a nice relaxing evening.

I found Greg Watson in my Corral

Sunday:
Sunday, half marathon day, an early alarm for an early race (6:30 am race start). When I woke up, my legs felt better and I hope that it would last for 13 miles. Nick and I headed to our carpool lot, then to the race. I had to check my bag, but we also wanted to make sue we made it into the Half Fanatics picture before the race. We had some difficulty with the picture but luckily that put us right by the bag check and some port-a-pots that didn't have huge lines. This made it easy for me to take care of things while trying to organize the picture. We got some pictures with some HF and MM with bad back lighting but time was running out. Then, when I came out of the port-a-pot there was another picture being taken that I jumped into. It turned out much better but Nick wasn't there to be in the picture. The most difficult part of Sunday was getting into the corrals. There were so many people on the sidewalks along the side of the corrals that we were inching towards our entrance. It was really only 1 way traffic due to the amount of people and I felt bad for anyone trying to go the other way. I finally made it into my corral and sighed with relief, now I just had to finish 13 hilly miles.

Half Fanatics Picture 1 (with Nick)

I was just hanging out in my corral, looking around to see if there was anyone I might talk to, and I saw one of my running buddies from home, Greg Watson. I knew that quite a few of my friends were running the marathon or half marathon, but I honestly did not expect to see them unless we actually tried to meet up. With about 20,000 runners at the race I didn't expect to see the dozen or so that I personally knew but there was Greg, right behind me in the same corral. I went up to him and we starting chatting. He was running the marathon and planning a pace that would probably be comfortable for me for the half so we decided to try to stick together while we could. Honestly, having Greg there was a miracle. I needed someone to help keep my pace from going crazy and to keep me accountable and he would be that person for me. The Flying Pig course has the half and full stick together for about 8.5 miles before they split. We hoped that we could stick together the whole time. For the first few miles we talked the whole time. All through Kentucky and downtown Cincinnati we chatted all about races and our local happenings. But we knew what came after downtown, the hill that leads to Eden Park, the dreaded hill that is what everyone talks about. It starts shortly after mile 5 and doesn't stop climbing until mile 8. You get some flat portions, but then you get to climb again. At this portion, both Greg and I started to struggle, but I decided that we were not going to lose each other. If I could help him up the hill, it would help him relax for the rest of the hills in the marathon. If he could help me up the hill, I would have a glorious downhill after we split up. We were going to stick together and I told Greg so. A few times, we doubted ourselves, thought we were going to lose each other, but in the end we made it to the top together and headed towards the split. I wished Greg luck and thanked him for his company and we headed on our own races.

All the Medals

The downhill was glorious but I was really feeling the exhaustion from the past two days. I hated to do it, but I needed to stop and use a port-a-pot along the course. It was urgent enough that I couldn't wait 3 miles to take care of it. I continued on but the heat was rising and I was tiring. I knew I would and could finish but I was hoping that I could still pull a good time at this race. I walked when I felt I needed to, but I tried to push back to running as soon as I could. I got to the last half mile of the race and knew that I was going to finish close to my goal (2:05). In these last moments I saw a spectator handing out beer to the runners. Now, I have never taken the beer offered by people at races before. I don't know how it will effect me while running and it might be gross beer so I don't take it. Today was different, I was not trying to PR, it was hot, I was going to finish the 3-way with extra cheese, and I was ready to celebrate! I took the beer and it was amazing. I ran that last chunk at a very good pace, finished around 2:10, and collected my final goodies from the challenge (2 medals, a charm, and the 3-way shirt). I had successfully completed the 3-way with extra cheese!

Nick finished his half around 4:03, but he also completed the challenge (it was more of a challenge for him than me because of the back to back races on Saturday).

Final Thoughts
I loved this challenge series! I want to do it again next year. To me, this was a challenge because it was difficult on my body with trying to reserve energy but still compete. It made me tired, but I didn't feel hopeless, I didn't feel like I stink at this. In every marathon, I get to a point where I hate everything (myself for signing up, the world for having marathons, my legs, hills, you name it) but I didn't have that during this weekend. It was tough but I was having fun the whole time. I can see where I can make improvements in my training to make me better at something like this where I don't know how to make a marathon better. If I train better for this, it can help me work on my speed, endurance, and my recovery without burning out my love of running. I will see how my other challenges go, but I think I may have found my new favorite form of racing in the Flying Pig 3-way challenge (with extra cheese).

See below for additional pictures of goodies. If you want to know more about the races in detail (this blog is long enough as it is) or about me weekend, feel free to comment or contact me.