America: All in the name of F-U-N

I'd like to preface this by stating that no matter how many "bad" days I may have on the road, "disappointing" races I may have, or how many "negative" thoughts that might run through my head after one of those "bad" days, I still won't stop running simply for the fun of it.

The 4th of July happened to fall exactly 2 and a half weeks after Grandma's Marathon. Which is not an ideal amount of time to allow for recovery and jumping into your local 10k for the best holiday ever. Oops. Guilty as charged. In all honesty, I had been REALLY good at listening to Ryan to a T after Grandma's and followed my scheduled RnR plan. I did all of my properly scheduled "SLOW" runs to keep the active recovery alive and well. In fact, my first official speed workout back was supposed to take place on the 4th of July. Surely this was a great alternative to the 1st speed workout post-marathon.

I know I've said this before but when I walked out my front door that morning, I was positive I couldn't remember the last time it was that humid outside. I enjoy the heat, really and truly I do. Ask anyone. But this air was dangerously thick and could make even the skinniest of people feel morbidly obese due to the rapid amount of sweat coming out of their pores. I had signed up for this race less than 12 hours ago and was having a very earnest internal argument in my mind about why I do this kind of thing to myself, time and time again.

I parked the car, dripped a couple droplets of sweat just waiting in line to pick up my bib, and decided to hide in the shade behind the porta potties to try and keep all my electrolytes before this 6.2 mile death march ensued.

Ok, I may have wandered and found a long row of flags and admired them too.

I took off to warm up and didn't look at my watch until I was done. I wanted to run by feel and see how the legs responded. Let's just say, it wasn't fast but it felt good. But it came with approximately a 1.5lb sweat loss over 1 mile. Sweet this is exactly what my body needs right now.

I came to this race solo so I contemplated just getting in my car and going home at this point but decided I should at least see what the legs could give me before the heat took over my body. The gun went off and the first mile is a significant downhill mixed with the usual mile 1 excitement that I carry in my blood so I pulled out a 7:20. Ha, this is a DOWNHILL and you just ran a 7:20 first mile of a 10K, this just ain't gonna be a pretty day. I knew right away. My body wasn't about to respond well to the rest of this race. I hung out in the 7 minute range for mile 2 before I decided to dial it way back and just "enjoy" the day before I actually hurt myself.

The hills came one by one and soon we hit Otis Rd. Otis Road is beginning of our Barrington bike loop, and it comes with one of the worst, unshaded banked hills. I zoned out and just ran easy. Hell, at times "easy" felt like some serious work. The course had a decent amount of shade, but the unshaded sections were out for all the sweat. I felt like I was out for a recovery run as I watched people pass by me, slowly but surely. {No records were being broken by any means and everyone dialed back on the speed ALOT.}

I made it to the turn around and wondered how in the hell I was going to make it the 2nd half of this race without a blister from soaking wet shoes, 3 miles down and 3 miles to go. {Oh yea, I was wearing my Feeatures 😜}

I trudged one foot in front of the other and felt as though I was running horizontal up the last significant hill in DIRECT SUNLIGHT. All energy at this point was completely and utterly zapped. Half mile to go and I hear someone from behind me: "Come on, you can do it! Let's finish this together! I've been behind you the whole time!"  These words spoken by a kid, no older than 15. I turned my head to glance at him and saw the ridiculously large grin on his face. Geez Megan, you look bad enough that you're getting hit on by a high school kid. I thanked him kindly but told him be best finish this race with his posse behind me.

I've never been more excited to see a finish line. And I have never cared less to have one of the worst races of my life. My pace at one point resembled a super slow cooldown. I immediately peeled my RyBread tank off because it was actually stuck to me. My shorts were dripping from every crevice and seemed to dump sweat like a faucet. Some probably assumed I was peeing my pants. "Don't mind me over here, just sweating ✋"

So much gross. 

I found a spot on the curb to sit and stop sweating and dry off long enough to claim my 1st place age group award. Huh? Seriously? I practically crawled that race. 'Twas an experience, that's for sure. My shorts still weren't completely dry by the time I got in the car to drive home but I was only going to get so dry as long as I stayed outside. On the bright side, my legs never felt like this was a bad decision (good sign, 2.5 weeks post marathon!) . Just my rosy red cheeks that were questioning me 😂

I don't even like Gatorade and I downed 2 of them at the finish line immediately after finishing because I needed ALL the sugar

Moral of the story: I still had fun. I laced up my running shoes and trotted through one of my favorite towns and lost enough water weight to justify all the salty brats and beers I was going to ingest later in the day. I can't really complain. In all honesty, I can't get enough of this kind of stuff. Pushing my body to it's limits is what I live for. And the day was young. I had plenty of holiday left and I wasn't about to waste it.

I made my way out to Rob's brothers house that afternoon and was promptly greeted in the pool by his nieces and nephews. From then on, it was HOURS of cannonballs, throwing children across the pool, chasing kids with squirt guns, and constant shrieks of, "MEGAN WATCH ME DO THIS! MEGAN CATCH ME! MEGAN CAN YOU DO THIS?!" Let's just say I contemplated taking a nap during dinner just to make it to fireworks. 

Post pool fun, pre dinner

I'm happy to report that I didn't have to take a nap, and I barely made it to the start of fireworks. And it's a good thing I did, otherwise I would have missed the proposal!

Rob's sister EB and her fiance Derek! 

I've never been apart of any proposal other than my own. And I have to admit, it was so fun to watch. Fireworks were going off in every direction and EB's prince went down on one knee in front of the ENTIRE family (yep, 90% of the Sloan's were there!). It truly was a terrific ending to a great day.

Cheers, America 🍺

Unforgettable Moments of 2017

2017 has been one of those years that I reflect on and think to myself, "Seriously, ALL of that happened?" From day 1 to the final days that are approaching, I look back and think how did I manage?  But, as the saying goes, the Good Lord doesn't give you anything you can't handle.

Every time I race, I hold a piece of that day in my heart. I blog so I can be sure to keep the moments around longer than my mind will allow. I read back once in a while and catch myself thinking, oh wow I forgot that even happened! Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cry. But I never regret it and always close my computer with a smile on my face.

Here are some highlights from the the most unpredictable racing year to date. Some of the memories you've already read about while there are some memories (and races) that I never actually wrote about. Sit back and relax, I had some fun writing this one.

S-NO-W Fun Run
January 7th, 2017

This is a race that never actually made the press. It's 100% purely fun and meant to be run for the post-race party. Every year, the first weekend in January, the old PlayBoy Bunny Mansion, The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, WI, swarms with runners looking to log a couple of miles around the lake so they can rightfully earn their post-race beverages. It's always so hard to pick a favorite moment. And this year, there were plenty...

Perhaps it was this, watching Ryan pass me on the out and back course dressed as a Gorilla..

Who needs a hat when you have a Gorilla mask

Or maybe this moment.. when Lauren and I crossed the finish line stride for stride...

10 degrees. So. Flippin. Cold.

Oh I know, it was when John greeted us in the ballroom after the race and asked us why we weren't on "his level" yet...

Let the evening begin

OR It was winning this Goblet to hold all of our "post-race hydration..."

Promise there's water in that 😜

PSA: if you've never run the S-NO-W Fun Run, you need to start ASAP.

March Madness Half Marathon 

 March 19th, 2017

This is by far one of my all time favorite races. I will ALWAYS run it as long as I live in the area. It's close to home, a pretty cheap entry, and it offers a serious challenge that most mountainous races can't top. And this year, it wasn't any different. But what I didn't expect was to walk away with a new fresh face that I would later call a very dear friend. Meeting Kati before the race and slowly getting to know her over the next couple of months is easily the best part of this year's March Madness Half Marathon. Kati was a mutual friend of Lauren's, and the newest member of the RyBread Racing team. I truly believe that certain people are meant to be in your life, whether it be your whole life or someone that enters the picture 50 years into the game. And Kati entered the picture at EXACTLY the right moment. At the time, I was currently experiencing a heart throbbing relationship that was beginning to exit my life.

We ran our warmup together and I learned so much over the course of our slow 'n steady 2 miles. 1. Her husband's name is also Rob. 2. She was planning on doing her first full Ironman in September in Madison. 3. She's a wicked fast runner. 4. She's not a fan of the water at all. 5. She enjoys an internal argument with herself on the race course just as much as I do. Once I found this out, I knew we were meant to be friends...

I wasn't lying about the wicked fast part..
She took 6th overall female on this disgustingly difficult course.

Ironman Texas 

April 22nd, 2017

Ironman Texas definitely left a bad taste in my mouth this year. But there were some stand out moments that I'll never forget. Like the night before the race when I headed to dinner with Rob and Ryan, and my Dad and Uncle just happened to be there to surprise me? When you pour your heart and soul into a passion so deeply. When so many of your waking moments are devoted to training. And when you continually try to make yourself better than yesterday, it goes without saying that a surprise like this will surely break you down. I sobbed my little eyes out in that restaurant booth, Rob to my left, Uncle JB to my right, and Pops sitting across from me. So many people will tell you over and over again that it takes a Village to get a single person across that finish line. And my Village just so happens to be one of the best.

💖💖💖

So many moments from the Ironman Texas race course I've tried to forget, but there's one that I'll always try to remember. While on the run, I was able to spend almost 2 miles stride for stride with Ryan. Unfortunately, this memory comes at his cost. His body wasn't responding the way he needed it to in those final miles of Ironman Texas. But for me, someone who will never see the #1 spot of any Ironman, I was able to share those miles with an Ironman Champion. An amazing mentor. A phenomenal coach. A kindhearted soul. And, one of the dearest friends anyone could ever ask for. We were able to run stride for stride together. I did my best to keep his mind as clear and positive as I could. While I know for a fact he was doing everything he could to drop me faster than he did, I'd even dare to say he enjoyed these miles too. Ironman Texas was a rough day all around, but moments like this make it all worthwhile.

The day before, when we both felt much better

Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga 

May 21st, 2017

This race crept up on me pretty quickly after Ironman Texas. I was in the middle of buying a new house. I was also in the middle of changing jobs. And I had just gotten home from Texas less than a month prior. To say I was bleeding money out my ears would be an understatement. But there was no way I could cancel this trip. Because, without a doubt, the best part of this trip was being able to spend 4 entire days uninterrupted with Rob. Rob had recently been switched to working the night shift and was putting in some serious hours. We were lucky to see each other for a few hours every Saturday night. But he requested this entire weekend so that he could be my sherpa, as promised. Rob and I have been together a long time, 7 and a half years at this time of the year. We've grown into our relationship quite well over the years and I guess you could say that there really aren't many surprises these days. We are who we are together and that's the deal. But this trip, we laughed more together than we had in a long time. We watched the weather go from beautiful to ugly to unpredictably perfect at the drop of a hat and we were simply in awe of my weather racing abilities. We met celebrities together (Heather Jackson!) and were both a little starstruck, even Rob had to tell her how he witnessed her impressive win at IMLP in 2016 in the Olympic Oval. We made no plans (other than required race events) and simply spent our time reconnecting. Pardon the mush, but I'd dare to even say I fell a little more in love with him on this trip. 

We ate free Chik-Fil-A chicken sandwiches from a street vendor

My guy and his love for architecture

His new motto after this trip

My #1 fan!

Ironman 70.3 Wisconsin

June 11th, 2017

Isn't this what they call a no brainer? I mean, I qualified for the World Championships at this race. And I did it in the most adverse of weather. Freezing cold water + crazy chop: check. 30+mph winds on the bike (head/cross/tailwinds. It truly was coming from all angles of the Earth): check. 90+ degree temps with 0 clouds: check. Rob was there. Mark was there. BOTH Jacqui and Ryan were there. Kati and Ryan both shared the race course with me. 

I came home from Chatty 70.3 a little sour after being so close to qualifying for the World Championships that I found my way into this race, calling it my last shot. And I'll be damned if it wasn't the best decision I've EVER made in the midst of my life being a total shit show. I had literally just moved ALL of my possessions only 72 hours prior and woke up on race morning sore because of it. But the moment I'll never forget was while we were sitting at the awards. The announcer had already passed my age group and I had already sent the "didn't make it" text to Mom and Dad. I had kind of stopped listening. My heart was a little crushed and I wanted to make a break for it to my car. But then, I heard this: "It looks like the Female 18-24 slot won't be taken so it goes to the next biggest age group... Female 30-34!" My heart sank, Mark and Ryan went from slouching in their chairs to immediately perked and sitting upright, and I felt a small wave of nausea come over me. Before the announcer even called my number, Ryan sat next to me whispering "YES! YES YES YES!!" I jumped to my feet, hugged Mark, and sprinted to the stage to accept my slot. The crowd had thinned but I remember the cheers being so loud and vibrant. Tears streamed down my face and my hands shook uncontrollably as I attempted to fill out the necessary paperwork. I looked up and Mark had his phone in my face, my parents on FaceTime confused beyond belief. I was sobbing so of course they assumed I was hurt or dying, but as soon as I was able to articulate what happened they joined the celebration. This race, this was by far a memory I'll not soon forget. 

I don't know who took this picture, but I'll treasure it forever
The moment I snagged the LAST qualifying slot of the day!

Lake In The Hills Triathlon

June 18th, 2017

At this point in the season my body had already been through hell and back, but there will be a pretty serious reason the day I miss out on the Lake In The Hills Triathlon. It's literally in my backyard and draws all my local favorites for a short little race of triathlon. And this year, almost the entire RyBread Racing crew, AKA the LPpartee, ventured out to Lake in the Hills, IL to join the fun. The non-locals crashed at my house the night before and the next morning we did what we know best, we raced each other across that finish line. It's hard to get all of us together considering we spread across the Chicagoland area pretty well, but this day was one for the books. It could have been the fact that John and Brittany made sure to make it known that they were READY TO LEAVE THE HOUSE FIRST (and not last like usual). Or catching up with an old high school friend while we dipped our toes in the water before the gun went off. Or, maybe it was when Trina decided to smoke me with less than a half mile to go on the bike, something she's turned into a tradition when we race together. Or it could have been hearing John run up behind me on the run screaming, "EAT MY TURDS!" Or, perhaps it was watching Jacqui's comeback after what seemed like countless injuries. Whatever it was, I know that this day and race will forever be one of my favorite days.

She's baaaaaack!

Perhaps Brittany and I can introduce you to these things called "sunglasses"

#RyBread

Advocate Family Fitness Run 10K

July 4th, 2017

I found this 4th of July 10k years ago and always find myself on the starting line if I happen to be in the area for the holiday. I missed out last year, so of course it made the list this year. One thing I'll always remember about this race is the heat. It's ALWAYS sweltering and offers some challenging hills you wouldn't wish on your enemies. After years of racing this one, I can safely say I finally feel comfortable on these hills. I was ready to test my fitness this year! Except, when they change the race course on you and you are forced to run blind to the terrain. Cue small panic attack. Definitely not the end of the world, but I'll be damned. Just as soon as I start to get comfortable, there goes my comfort zone. They changed this course to avoid multiple train tracks (which has stopped the race in years past due to an unforeseen train) so ultimately I couldn't be mad. It's no secret that I'm a creature of habit, but I've certainly grown to embrace change. And lemme tell ya, this change is something I'd prefer to know before the gun went off. The hills we ran were some of the hills that Mark and I would bike on when we ventured out to Barrington. I wanted to test my fitness, and I'll be damned if that didn't happen. 

I'll stick to the longer distances from now on..

Ironman 70.3 Muncie

July 8th, 2017

So I didn't actually race Muncie this year. But I was there for Mark, Jacqui, and Kati as their race day Sherpa and lemme tell ya, that shit's harder than it looks. We left the hotel on race morning at a God awful time and went through the typical race day preparations. I'm used to getting up on the weekend, sipping my coffee, doing a few things around the house, and then taking off for my long run. This whole "wake up, drive to a race site, sit in the car for 3 hours, watch the start of the race, then go run" thing wasn't my norm. But I laced my running shoes while my little posse took off on the bike course and had one of my better runs to date! My body was tired, legs were heavy, and nutrition was definitely not on point considering I'd been awake for 7 hours already and pretty much had been living off of hotel coffee and fruit snacks. The human body can do amazing things if you let it. 

Once everyone hit the run course, I grabbed Phoebe (my road bike) and turned into a course marshall and road up and down that run course more times than I can count. I road up to Jacqui to let her know how she placed and back to Mark to laugh at him, and never found Kati at all and it started to worry me. I was in uncharted territory on the sidelines and I wasn't good at sending updates back home. My body was tired and hungry from my run. I was sweating bullets because it was getting hot outside and I knew the aidstations needed the water for athletes. I peed in more bushes than I'd care to admit because that's what you do in Muncie, IN as a Sherpa on the race course. But, I watched my friends kick ass and take names, all while they had a smile on their face. And you know what, sometimes that's just as fun as racing. 

The reason I Sherpa 🙌

Amita Health Fit America Half Marathon

July 22nd, 2017

I'm gonna keep the details about this one short 'n sweet because OMG it was probably one of the most miserable races EVER. I was in the middle of a small triathlon hiatus because my body was about to be put through the ringer during the month of September, but I was itching for a race. So we settled on this Half Marathon. Here are the super short highlights:

1. Humidity like you've never experienced. I'm sure this day was similar to running through a cloud. I was sweating buckets before the start.

2. Puddles. Puddles. And more puddles. My shoes and socks were legit drenched during our warmup. 

3. Indian style warm up runs with Mark and Kati. Yep. It happened.

4. All the popsicles you could imagine post race.
5. The 3 of us got interviewed post race so of course we mentioned RyBread Racing umpteen times throughout the interview.

Would I do it all over again with these 2? No doubt.

Ironman 70.3 World Championships

September 9th, 2017

Also, more popularly known as, my 30th birthday. Picking standout moments from this race is definitely a challenge because the whole experience was something I'll cherish. From the moment Mark and I pulled into town til the moment we left, I could write another blog simply on my memories of this trip.

The first and maybe the best moment of the entire trip happened early on. The day before the race, shortly after the group finished our open water practice swim (that's an entirely separate story, lemme tell ya) we were all getting ready to go our separate ways. My phone rang and I saw that Rob was calling me when he should be sleeping, getting ready to go to work in a few short hours. He was calling to let me know that his original plan of surprising me at dinner was thrown out the window because the rental car company didn't have a car for him until 2pm. Instead, he'd be arriving in the middle of the night, with hours to spare before the start of the race. You wanna talk about an ugly cry? Well this was it. I was happier than you could imagine that my #1 wasn't going to miss the race after all. He does this Sherpa thing ALOT for me these days, but even he'll tell you, he's NEVER missed a big race. And he never intends too.

Pre-Race
I think he had been in town approximately 5 hours at this point

The surprises weren't over after that. Walking to dinner that night, I found my cousin and his wife seated at our table, having not told anyone that they would be there for the race until the day before. They were there for their inaugural Ironman event (they picked a hell of an event!) and my 30th birthday. You couldn't pay me enough to stop smiling at this point in the trip.

Pre-Race meal!

They were pretty impressed with their first triathlon ever

Let's fast forward to race day. The start of this race isn't the norm. Athletes walk down a very long pier, lined with a red carpet where you then choose your starting position. There were 10 gates in front of me and a horn blew every 10 seconds, allowing 10 athletes to dive into the water at a time. Saying goodbye to Mark and Rob and walking that pier with Jacqui, I was very aware of how the moment I had been waiting for was literally HERE, and how much I desperately had to pee. {Not like a nervous pee, like I hadn't peed all day kinda pee} I felt as though I was getting the royal treatment, and for the 2nd time this year, I was able to walk stride for stride with one of my best friends (and one of the best triathletes I know) to start this race. How does a girl get so lucky?

Walking that Red Carpet with Jacqui!
Sleeveless: Me, Jacqui to my right!

The bigger picture of the start!

I was able to watch Ryan race the very next day, something that always leaves me in awe. At one point on the run course, I knew he would be wanting an update from me about his position. I stood at the end of the pedestrian bridge, waiting for Rob to flag me down so I'd know when he was coming. Rob's arm went into the air and soon I saw Speedy come flying down the bridge. "SPEEDY! You're 1 minute down from 2nd, 3 minutes away from 1st!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. He responded to me with a very animated thumbs-down gesture. Mark immediately asked, "uhhhh what's that mean?" and the nice Australian lady standing next to me gave me her opinion without warning, {spoken in the thickest of Aussie accents} "Ohhhh. Well he's to hard on himself. I think he can do it, it's not that much time!" Yea lady, I know. 

Literally all race pictures of Speedy are blurry because he's that flippin' fast

Overall, there aren't many memories that don't stand out. I had multiple college friends that drove in for the race as well. We celebrated that night with dinner and drinks. During the race, I climbed a huge mountain that I think still has left it's mark on my quads at times. Like I said, I could never ever end with the highlights from this trip. 

Legit climbing mountains

My group - Pre-Race!

BOOM

Ironman Chattanooga

September 24th, 2017

This is another race filled with all the memories. Late in 2016, this was supposed to be my "A" race of 2017. Clearly, plans change. I had all of 2 weeks to get my body recovered, re-tapered, and ready to go before this race. Lemme tell ya, that's not an easy task. 

The stand out memory for me hands down is this picture right here, coming across that finish line with both of my parents on the sidelines. My mom doesn't travel well, or put up with heat all that well. And Chattanooga isn't close to home and it was all of 95 degrees on race day. And she put up with all of it like the trooper she is. 

You can see my dad in the blue, mom right next to him 💓

I had some pretty high hopes for this race that I needed to dial back a bit after competing in Worlds only 2 weeks prior. But when I got off that bike and immediately Rob was there to tell me that I was currently sitting in 4th place in my age group, my stomach dropped. I was in contention for a podium spot and even more if I could run this marathon the right way. Unfortunately, my body wasn't fully recovered yet and at times I began to wonder if I'd be taking my first DNF. My quads were cramping uncontrollably and I did all I could to calm them down. Alas I found the finish line, but it was definitely a close call. 

The moment Rob told me I was in podium position
The shock is hidden behind the sunglasses

As soon as my body began to shut down, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd be seeing Kati come at me from behind. Remember how I told you that she's a wicked fast runner? Well, she's someone who ALWAYS has her run legs handy. 112 miles on a bike has nothing on this girl before a marathon. Around mile 20, I spotted Rob at the top of a hill and he stood laughing at me. It was starting to piss me off, he knows when it's ok to make jokes and right now, it wasn't ok. "Kati is right behind you!" He told me. I turned my head and there she was, that little spitfire, chugging up the awful hill we were on. I knew my hopes for the day were over, so I stopped and waited for her so we could enjoy this together. 

I made sure to greet her with a hug

Now, this is the same girl that I had to FORCE into the water at the start of the race. Team RyBread approached the pier ALL TOGETHER without a single person in front of us {hard to do at an event like this} and had the opportunity to dive in the water at the same time. Halfway down the pier I noticed Kati was missing. I turned my head and spotted her standing on the end of the red carpet, stone cold. Remember that fear of water I told you about? Yea, it's real. I ran up to her and grabbed her hand tight and made her walk to the water with me. She shook uncontrollably and a part of me considered for a brief moment maybe you shouldn't force her? But I KNEW she'd regret it if she didn't get in the water. I smiled and reassured her that she WOULD get out of the water and that she WOULD see the finish line. Obviously, the rest is history. 

Mark and I played cat and mouse all day during IMChatty. I beat him out of the water. He passed me on the bike around mile 25. I passed him on the run at mile 5. When I found him on the run, I spotted the RyBread kit but could not understand why he looked swollen and puffy. The closer I got, I soon realized he shoved approximately 20 sponges in his kit to stay cool. He looked like the Michelin Man and it gave me a good laugh when I needed it. 

Told ya 🤣

I could go on and on again with the memories. Because my cousin and his wife had so much fun 2 weeks prior, they decided to come back for round 2 to witness double the distance. I watched 3 first timers cross the finish line, Nate, Lauren and Matt. {Matt walked away with a 5th place finish as a newbie, amazing!} The next day, team RyBread accepted a first place award for Tri-Team Division 5 {the smallest division, we're a little group!}. This race was my 3rd trip to Chattanooga in 5 months to race, and you can definitely say I walked away with some lifelong memories in this wonderful town. 

Because it's harder and harder to make this moment happen!

#RyBread

Winner winner Chicken Dinner!

Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon

November 25th, 2017

After I got home from Chattanooga for the 3rd time, I took a much needed break. But of course you all know I can't sit still THAT long. And Ryan and I had been talking about how it was time to put my run to the test in the future. Testing my baseline at the Schaumburg Turkey Trot Half Marathon seemed like the perfect opportunity. I had to run this race knowing that Thanksgiving was only 2 days prior, and that my diet wouldn't be the norm pre-race. It was also chillier than normal and the course was a bit challenging offering some hills and relentless wind. I knew this wasn't going to be a PR opportunity, but more a chance to see if I could ACTUALLY try and follow a race plan that Speedy had laid out for me.. something that is ALWAYS a challenge for me. And wouldn't ya know it, I was able to follow the plan (to a point, when my body just didn't have the umph anymore and I was forced to slow down in the wind). I was so proud of myself for not throwing down a stupid fast mile when the gun when off and literally running what we had talked about. Quote me now, this is something that is going to be worked on RELENTLESSLY over the winter.

stick a fork in me I'm done

Racing with friends always makes the day that much more fun, and this time I was able to share the road with an old childhood neighbor. She's the kind of person that makes my unfiltered mind look tame and is always the light of the party. She's definitely the kind of person you need to remind you that life is short and that the fun is to be had NOW. 

A shiny new PR for Jenna! 

She's a firefighter at the Schaumburg fire station and post race she gave us the grand tour. I don't think I've been to a fire station since I was probably in Kindergarten so this was definitely more fun than the last 3 miles of the race running into the wind. 

The 3 Musketeers of Bradford Lane circa 2001

Kiwani's Run for Kids Santa 5K

December 3rd, 2017

Who doesn't love to wake up on a Sunday morning and see 1,000 Santas running in front of your house? This race is just as fun as it sounds and offers the opportunity to dress like the world's most recognizable person and run around town. Without a doubt the best part of this race was being able to run only 3 seconds off of my 5K PR on some unprepared legs. I didn't have a race plan and was ready to run based on feel. And when I was able to consistently hold 3 steady miles and not feel like I was about to drop a lung, I was damn proud of myself. 

Little Santa, Big Santa, Little Santa

Prairie Ridge Ugly Sweater 5K

December 9th, 2017

So in our race packets from the Santa run, there was as flyer for the Ugly Sweater 5k at our cross town rival high school the following weekend. Initially Mark looked at me and was like, "Let's do it!" NO I told him. My body needs rest. And then, Jacqui initiated it. "Guys, we should run the Ugly Sweater 5k! It looks like fun!" I tried to play the "oh, I have to ask Speedy" card. But Jacqui had already beaten me to it. "Speedy said we could all run!" Yer killin' me smalls. We were all signed up that night of the Santa race. The only problem with all of this, the weather forecast was getting colder and colder by the day. We were looking at 15 degree race day temps with some fun blowing snow. HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I HATE WINTER!?! But, I'll do anything for these 2 turds. We showed up on race day and started on the high school track all decked out in our ugliest of sweaters. {Caveat, Mark's sweater was just a normal sweater from Kohl's that he thought was ugly. Classic.} 

There were some awful prints at this event

We took off and the wind was blowing and I was FREEZING my butt off. I hung out with Mark for the first 3/4 of a mile while we weaved our way around the high school campus. Once we hit real pavement I picked up the pace for the sole reason to get done faster. Turns out, when you run to keep warm, you take 2nd place overall female! Any guesses who was first?! Now, I realize that this was a SUPER small local event and that all I needed was for Lauren or Kati to show up and I would have been bumped down to 3rd or 4th place. But I'll admit, it was kinda fun to share the top spot with one of my better friends in life, and an athlete that I've looked up to for years. 

Jacqui 1st!
Megan 2nd!
Other nice girl 3rd!

If you would have told me on January 1st, 2017 that I was about to faced with the year I had, I likely would have had some sort of panic attack and crawled in a hole out of disbelief. But I assure you that this hobby and this sport is more than just "something to do after work." It's opened my eyes to so many life lessons, introduced me to some of the most amazing people, and given me some memories I can't believe are my own. In 2017, I set out to accomplish some big things in the Ironman world, and instead I topped the charts in the Half Ironman World. I'd like to say I have a good idea of what I want to accomplish in 2018, but 2017 is surely a testament that life will rarely go as planned. 

I realize this is getting a bit long and that I'm likely losing your interest, so I'll get off my memory soap box here. I have a slew of thoughts going into 2018, but I'll save those for the 1st of the year. If you've made it this far into the blog, I want to thank you for taking this journey with me. I have a hard time expressing how much everyone's support means to me. Please know that I appreciate everyone's support more than you can comprehend. Without you all, 2017 wouldn't have happened. 

I'll be back for more in a few days. Until then, cheers to 2017🍾

Dusting off My Running Shoes and Sharpening My Spectator Skills

After the Lake In the Hills Triathlon, I told you there was going to be a small racing hiatus. And there is... from triathlon. But jumping in a road race every now and then isn't out of the question. Testing out the speed in my slow twitch, over tired, triathlon heavy trained legs (mid-season) doesn't sound like the best idea, but let me tell you.. it's turning into one of my favorite things to do.

I recently told Ryan that I wanted to hit up the track once in awhile these days. I usually do 1 speed workout a week on the road, but why not narrow it down even further and see what my high school 400 meter dash legs can pull off these days? And lemme tell ya, that track is a lung buster and instant leg trasher. But how many people do you know that got faster simply by running the same speed.. every.. single.. day. I'll wait while you come up with a list.

America's birthday is a great day to jump into a road race. I've run the Family Fitness 10K in Barrington every year (with the exception of last year, dancing the night away on top of Mount Werner in Steamboat Springs celebrating my cousin's marriage). But this year, I was hoping to bring some speed to the table! It's a pretty challenging course, considering it takes place in Barrington Hills. The first 2 miles are a pretty steady downhill only to punish you the last 4 miles with some mini mountains to climb. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda enjoy hills. To an extent. I tend to run well on them and it mixes up the monotony of a flat road. And I've run this race alot so I know the course pretty well. Or so I thought....

Hi my name is Megan and I'm awkward at start lines

Screen shot taken from a video: can you spot me!?

I toed the line and noticed that the start wasn't in the same spot as it was in years prior. It was pushed back a couple hundred feet around the corner. Oh well, they must have remeasured and realized they've had it wrong in the past. The gun went off and I was surrounded by a lot "sprinters" who were running the 5K and who happened to run out of steam very quickly in the first quarter mile. And as soon as we sped through that quarter mile, we took our first turn.  WAIT! THIS ISN'T THE COURSE! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO RUN THE FIRST 2 MILES ON THIS ROAD, AND THEN TURN! 

Yea, apparently you miss some stuff when you take a year off from the race. So here I am, running a course that I'm completely blind to (haven't even seen a course map so legitimately running blind, something I NEVER do) and hoping to do really well. In case you're curious, any race plan I had in my head went out the window and I instantly had to resort to survival mode. Before the first half mile was over we had already successfully completed an aggressive downhill as well as a nasty uphill. This should be fun Megan. 

So if you want my race report for this one here it is: hills. Rolling hills. Lots of them. More hills. Up and down and down and up. At one point we took a right hand turn onto Otis Road, which happens to be a road that I bike on occasionally. Oh! This is a good downhill! Perfect! I tried the best I could to utilize the downhills and stay strong on the climbs. After Otis Road we ran parallel to the railroad tracks and soon I saw the race leader heading back towards me. Nice! Now you can see what place you're in! Soon I saw the female leader and she was seriously truckin'. I instantly thought that I'd MAYBE see the top 10 considering this lady's speed. 2nd place was about a minute or so behind and then the women just stopped. I kept waiting to spot 3rd place.. but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Next thing I knew I saw the turn around and realized, Oh, that's because you're in 3rd place. 

I took the turn and was ready to see how far back my competition was! Sadly, 4th, 5th, and 6th place were all within 1 minute of me. I did the best I could to maintain pace (currently holding 7:15's with potential for a super close PR).  Just as I expected, we soon turned back onto Otis Road heading towards the finish, and the lovely downhill I had once appreciated quickly turned into a steady climb. And within a mile of the finish line, 4th and 5th place found me and passed me as if I was standing still. I'm still convinced that their legs weren't trashed from a pretty nasty training weekend on the bike and run.

At this point I remembered why I usually stick to longer distances
#everythingisburning

Mark was waiting for me at the finish line and it took every ounce of oxygen I could muster to explain to him that the course had been changed on me. His eyes got all big and wide as he asked me what scary hills I had to climb. I responded with: All of the them.

Alas, I was pretty happy to walk away with 5th place overall female, considering my Ironman legs aren't made for speed these days! I missed a PR by 18 seconds, finishing in 45:18. Days like today are meant to see where you're at, figure out how much work you still need to do, put some hair on your chest, and remind you to never run a 10K again because they hurt...

Happy Birthday America!
💙💓💙💓

The fun didn't stop on this special race day Tuesday. 72 hours later, I departed my driveway with Mark and Jacqui, bikes and gear in tow, for Muncie, Indiana. Ironman 70.3 Muncie is a fun, local, fast half ironman that Mark and Jacqui decided to race at the last minute. Considering how much racing I had already done this season, I packed my Sherpa bags (camera, snacks, and road bike to cruise the run course) so I could give them all the support they've both spread to me over the years. Add in the fact that Kati was also racing, and I was ready to really see what my Sherpa skills were made of!

I won't go into great detail, just know that the minute we arrived to check-in on Friday afternoon, the monsoon arrived and check-in was immediately closed and wouldn't re-open until race day at 4am. Jacqui and Mark didn't blame me for the weather at all. Our wake up call was suddenly bumped to an hour earlier, on top of the Eastern time zone hour that we lost. I'll save you the math headache and just let you know that our day started at 2am Central time on Saturday morning. And being the Sherpa, I wasn't allowed to hand off the the wheel. What the racers need, the racers get. And if that's a bit more shut eye pre-race, or a world record time arrival to the Albanese Candy Factory after awards, that's what I'm there to do.

The storms blew over with plenty of time for the gorgeous weather to settle in. Seriously, I was so jealous I decided not to race because the wind was minimal, humidity non existent, sun shining beautifully, and the heat never exceeded 78 degrees. In case you're unaware, that's the most perfect racing weather.

👍👍👍

Mark, Kati, and Jacqui took off for the start and I was officially alone for the entire race until one of them crossed the finish line. I had been two-stepping most of the morning, holding my pee like a fiend so that the athletes could have first go at the porta potties, but as soon as my crew left for the start, I was officially ready to tackle anyone blocking me from the nearest porta pottie.

First thing you don't realize as an athlete: Sherpas sacrifice UTI's for the athletes and it's borderline unhealthy

Mark started 25 minutes before Jacqui and Kati, so soon after I said goodbye to the girls, I was ready to start looking for Mark to come out of the water. And soon there he was! I snapped as many photos as I could and then took off sprinting UPHILL towards the bike out. I zigzagged around transition and saw a huge open field that I could cut through. I learned quickly why it was so empty. Mud. I dodged the mud as best I could and made it to bike out with less than 60 seconds to spare before BFG appeared. I was still panting when he zoomed by me.

Second thing you don't realized as an athlete: Sherpa-ing is a hard workout and I'm panting already

As soon as Mark took off I was back to the drawing board and at the edge of the water to wait for Jacqui, just so I could repeat this entire workout. And as soon as I saw Jacqui head out of T2? Time for Kati! And she was KILLING this race and she was just out of the water! I screamed my throat raw and sent her off on the bike with a joyful heart. At this point it's barely 8:15am, I've been awake for 5+ hours and I feel like I've been doing wind sprints for hours.

Mark out of the Water!

Jacqui heading out on the bike!

Kati already crushin' PR's for the day!

But at least now they're on the bike so you can take a little rest! It's like you forgot that this is a Saturday and I'm not racing. Hence, I have my own workout to do. I headed to the car, threw on my run clothes and took off along the bike course to log my weekend long run while the 3 Musketeers were biking. It's not like I was starving, my car was blocked in, or had minimal caffeine/coffee in my system for the day. Yea, a 10 mile run sounds like a great idea right about now.

I took off and imagined my run being one of the worst to date. But less than a half mile into it I found my groove and for the 3rd weekend in a row, I nailed my long run and hit my splits like I was on autopilot. I was beyond thrilled and with only a mile to go, the race leaders were starting to pass me heading back to transition. This meant I had less than 30 minutes until I saw Mark off the bike. So much for any downtime after my run.

Third thing you don't realize as an athlete: the race lasts 5+ hours but there is very little downtime for Sherpas.

I got back to my car, dumped a bottle of water on my head to cool/rinse off, changed my shirt so I was RyBread appropriate, grabbed my road bike and was ready to see the crew on the run. 

I rode out onto the bike course less than a mile just to see if I could maybe catch the tail end of their bike ride. When I was least expecting it, Mark came out of nowhere and just like that, it was time to stalk the run course. 

Mark started in the 2nd start wave, so when he hit the run course, it was still fairly empty. I had plenty of space to ride around on the road alongside the athletes. Going through aide stations was even fun because volunteers tried to hand me water. We had a chance to talk and laugh with each other. I tried to get him to keep up with me on the bike and he laughed in my face. He did have a chance to pose for a photo though.

Coach is this aero??

Shortly after Mark hit the road, I spotted Jacqui off the bike and she was lookin' mighty strong. You see, Jacqui was coming off of injury and was using Muncie as a way to see where she stacked up for Ironman Lake Placid 2 weeks later. She had a couple other goals in mind as well, one that had me thrilled that she'd even consider. If she qualified, Jacqui was going to take the 70.3 World Championship slot so that we could race together with Ryan in Chattanooga, on my 30th birthday. Being a teacher who saves all of her personal/sick/paid time off for Kona every year, she was WILLING to take a potential day of no pay to help me celebrate my birthday doing what we love together. Well damn, that makes me want to tear up a bit. If that doesn't scream friendship, I don't know what does.

The pieces are falling back into place 💛💙💚💖 

To make a long story short, I made my way up and down that run course ALOT. I easily biked the entire course 3 times. Between Mark and Jacqui and trying to find Kati (whom I never found on the run and am still kicking myself for) I was a little upset I didn't wear bike shorts for this part of the day. And I was absolutely starving. I hadn't eaten a thing after my run and also forgot my water bottle in the car. I was ready for one of these guys to finish so I could get some of that athlete grub.

Fourth thing you don't realize as an athlete: Sherpas need water and food too.

At this point the run course is getting very crowded and biking/weaving between the athletes at times is no longer fun. Aide stations also become a hassle because you want to make sure that the athletes get what they need and that you don't run over them or piss them off. (Not always easy)

Jacqui was the first to find the finish shoot so I made sure to peal off the course and head to the finish shoot (riding through nasty mud the entire time). I snapped her finish, gave her a quick hug and was back to find Mark! He was less than 10 minutes behind Jacqui to finish so I had to work fast! I was having some serious anxiety about missing Mark and worried something happened to Kati since I never saw her on the run. Mark hit the finish line and just as I was starting to lose my mind thinking something happened to Kati, Jacqui spotted her coming down the finish shoot! THANK GOD! 

Fifth thing you don't realize as an athlete: OMG stress. Anxiety. Nerves. Holy Hell.

We all reunited and reminisced while we scarfed down food and chatted with friends. Once I had some food in me and sat down for the first time since about 5am, I realized how tired I was. I could have fallen asleep on the ground no problem. 

Sixth thing you don't realize as an athlete: it's more tiring at the end of the day than racing.

"I just want to go home"
Casual 30+ min PR, NBD

All the calories.

We showered in the public park showers because we were all smelling something funky. We snuck out to get gas station yum yumz (fountain soda, chocolate, and popcorn. Duh) We stuck around for awards so that Jacqui could officially grab her slot to the 70.3 World Championships. (SO EXCITED!) And then we raced to the Albanese Candy Factory for more post-race treats (but Jacqui wasn't allowed to pee and I wasn't allowed to drive the speed limit because well, priorities. And the Candy Factory had a closing time we had to beat.)

BFG! 20 minute PR!

30+ minute PR for this girl. WHAT! SO AWESOME!

CHATTY HERE WE COME!

Mark took off his jersey and realized he still had some sponges he was hoarding.

She could have us all fooled and really had a one and only goal of making me stop at the Candy Factory on the way home and we'd never know.

By the time my chariot pulled into my driveway it was pushing 11pm. And my head hit the pillow just before midnight. I closed in on a 22 hour day, didn't race, and woke up the next morning and felt like I was hit by a bus. Which brings me to my next point. I owe ALOT to Rob. This guy has Sherpa'd in the heat, in the freezing cold, in nasty wind, on courses that didn't allow him any sort of viewing ability. He's put up with overactive athlete bowels (while he holds his own), anxiety and fear of where I'm on at the course, and very little downtime to beat me to the finish line. And he's never failed at it.  He's got this whole thing down to a science and I'm SO glad the roles aren't reversed. Because my overactive nerves wouldn't be able to handle this kind of pressure on a regular basis. 

So on that note, I'm gonna go back to training. We're under 60 days until 70.3 Worlds and if I'm gonna show up on race day, I need to make sure I have my head down and focused. I've been spending a lot of time up in my newly constructed loft, sweating away the mornings before work. I promised you a picture once complete, and I didn't forget: 

Of course I added Christmas lights :)

So from now on when I talk about the pain cave or the loft, you know exactly where I am. Between training for 70.3 Worlds, the full Ironman in Chattanooga 2 weeks later, and my new job (yes, you heard that correctly), you could say the 2nd half of this summer will not disappoint. But Megan, new job on top of all of this!? The move! The back to back to back races! Yea, I know, tell me about it. But it was time and when opportunities present themselves, you don't deny them because you're too busy. You embrace it and see where it takes you. 

Cheers.