There is going to HAVE to be 2 separate posts on this past weekend. Since I know ya’ll are waiting for my race recap, we’ll start there. I’ll touch on the expo and post-race activities tomorrow. But for now…I bring you FARGO.
I barely slept Friday night. I wasn’t feeling overly nervous or anything, but when you’re lying in a hotel room and there’s a ton of rain, thunder and lightning going on the night before your first half marathon, the scary thoughts start to come out.
I woke up before my alarm at 4AM and quickly did a cold shower to wake myself up. I still wasn’t feeling very nervous, and I was so thankful. I knew I was ready for the race and I was more excited than anything. I kept telling my husband “This is just another race day. I’ve done this 20 times before. This is no different.” Even though we both knew that definitely was NOT the case.
I made my traditional pre-race whole grain bagel with peanut butter and we headed out the door to make the drive to the FargoDome.
I started to panic. The clouds were ominous. There was constant lightning and thunder rumbling the whole drive there. I kept telling myself there was nothing I could do about it and to not focus on the threat of bad weather. Just suck it up, buttercup and move forward.
We got into the FargoDome and I proceeded to go into “pre-race bathroom mode.” If there’s one thing that terrifies me about running a long distance race, it’s my bladder. I can go 5-6 hours at work busting my butt with a full bladder and not care, but put me out on a race course and I will instantly not be able to handle it. I went to the bathroom 4 times in the 45 minutes before I headed to the start line. Not even joking. And it still proved to not be enough, but more on that later.
Hubby caught some shots of me doing some stretching (right next to the bathroom door I refused to leave). Please excuse my weird face and my SUPER FAST hand.
I think I cried a couple of times while stretching. I’m not sure, but I think I remember getting all ready to “ugly cry” right in front of a ton of people.
I did manage to get a quick photo with the hubs prior to heading to the start. This guy must really love me for what I put him through. He is my biggest fan and I could never have made it through all of this without him.
Somehow, the storm that was coming straight at Fargo, literally split into two and went AROUND us and we avoided it altogether. It was a total miracle. I said a quick prayer of thanks and kept focusing.
It was 7AM and the 10K had just gone out on the course, so it was time for me to head to the start line. This is where I got weird. I started wandering around aimlessly, not sure of where to go. I felt like I was kinda in a weird state of slow-motion. It was bizarre. Somehow my man got me to the start line and it was time to say goodbye and I entered the massive crowd. This was it.
Due to my most recent times on my training runs, the McMillan pace calculator was indicating a finish time anywhere from 2:15-2:17:30 so I decided to find the 2:15 pacer and at least start there.
Both the Canadian and the US National Anthems were sung (by someone who changed keys approximately 18 times and forgot the words to both – yikes), a prayer was said, and there some final announcements. And then we were OFF!!!
My plan was this: Do my 10:1 run/walk ratios, take sport beans at 4, 6, 8, and 10, and walk through all water stops. And to HAVE FUN the entire time.
As it turns out, starting with the 2:15 pacer was a good plan for me. I didn’t feel like I was being pushed by the crowd around me, I wasn’t squished or coming up on people repeatedly who were running way slower. It was comfortable. I ended up getting ahead of the pacer several times. I would run my 10 minutes and walk my 1. While walking my 1, the pacer and her group would catch right up to me and I’d be back with her again. I’ll admit, it was very difficult for me to force myself to do my 1:00 walk. I just stared straight ahead and ignored all the people passing me. I made sure to make my way over to the side prior to starting to walk to avoid a big accident.
I was so thrilled to be there in that moment, I ran with a smile on my face the entire time. I was so comfortable, I had absolutely no aches and pains, I had worked so hard to get there and it was time to reap the benefits of that hard work.
Fargo boasts about their races being “Flat, Fast and Friendly” and they weren’t lying. In the entire 13.1 miles, I only gained 50 ft of elevation. And the crowd support was AMAZING. There were over 70 bands/djs along the full route and 37 along the half marathon route. I didn’t have to go more than 1/4 of a mile before there was some form of entertainment along the sidelines. This didn’t include the tons of families out on their lawns blasting their own music!
There were bagpipers, Native American drums, HS pep bands, garage bands, DJs, and even an ELVIS impersonator. I had endless distractions the entire time and it was awesome. I am thankful I don’t run with music blasting in my ears, because that was an experience I’m glad I didn’t have to miss.
Even though the weather wasn’t stellar, the community of Fargo really came out to support the runners. There was never not a moment where you could give a kid a “High 5″ along the route. There were tons of fun signs and all this to go with the on-course entertainment.
I was having a blast.
I felt super great going into mile 4, but was starting to have issues with my suddenly over-full bladder. How this was even possible, I don’t know because I hadn’t drunk any water yet that day and, like I said, I went to the bathroom 4 times prior to the start. I half believe it was a mental thing because I was noticing a very HUGE lack of port-a-potties along the race route and it was not comforting to me. I found a row of 4 potties and decided to make my move. Now that I am 72 hours post-race, I am SO MAD about this decision. I should have kept going until I found 1 instead of the row of 4. I fully believe this was my only real mistake the whole race. I got in a line that just did not move. 4 pots and I lost 5 minutes standing there.
But I had to relieve my bladder. The most painful part of this moment? I watched the 2:15 pacer run far far far far away from me and I never saw her again.
I shot out of the porta-potty like a freaking rocket. I got my business done in under 20 seconds and I flung the door open like a bullet and made a beeline directly back onto the course. I told myself I needed to “calm the heck down” and get back into my prior mindset of just having fun. My time was out the window at that point, so why kill myself to achieve a goal I’d never really had for myself up to 45 minutes ago?
I started downing my sport beans and just focused on keeping things light and fun. Around mile 4.5, a nice man came up next to me and said “You’re looking really strong.” It was totally out of nowhere, but much-appreciated.
I remember crossing the 10K timing mat and looking at my Garmin for the first time. It said 1:07 something and I knew right then and there that my family, L-Jo and my hubby tracking me online were going to start to panic thinking something had happened. I was right. There was a phone call from my mom in FL to my hubby, my husband’s mind started wildly racing that I was out there super mad, injured, or dealing with something bad and there were a few text messages thrown out between him and L-Jo (who was doing a 5K race in Minny at that time). When in reality it was just a traumatic experience waiting in line to pee. I was trying to send them telepathic messages that I was alright, no I didn’t cross that mat at an hour as planned, and I was doin A-OK.
At mile 7 I found myself totally out of my comfort zone and leading the crowd of runners around me in a full-on chorus of Footloose as it was blasting through a DJ’s speakers on someone’s lawn. I was loving every single second of this race and I made sure the world knew it. The crowd was dancing, the runners were all singing, and I was leading total strangers in a sing-along. One word: AWESOME.
My 10:1 run/walk ratios were going very well and I was hydrating with a “small mouthful of water” at every aid station. I was feeling great, but all of a sudden at mile 8, my brain started to tell me I was getting very tired. I told my coach yesterday that at the time, I didn’t have any qualms about making the decision to dial back my ratios to 5:1, but now that I’m on the other side of things, I’m upset with myself for doing that. I know that I’m tougher than that and I should not have mentally just given up on the ratio. I had been doing that on my long runs for months now with no issues. I did my much more difficult 12-miler 2 weeks before that just fine with the 10:1. I should have gone further before making that decision. But in the end, I don’t think it made much of a difference.
Around mile 9, a fellow running chic came up next to me and said “I’m going to walk with you if that’s OK.” She started to ask me how I was doing and if I was on track with my goal. I told her “no, but it was my first half so I didn’t really have anything to beat and was just having fun.” She was from TX and had come up with some friends to run the race! And then she told me she was 9 weeks pregnant! What a ROCK STAR. So we got to chatting about that for a minute as her only goal was to stay within a certain heart rate. This chic looked like she could have kicked my butt on any other given race day, though. I will say that. We chatted for that whole minute and then I told her “Good luck and congrats and thanks for chatting” before I ran away from her. I felt bad just up and running away, but that’s expected, I suppose. I didn’t want to blow my new interval plan.
With the exception of the races I’ve run with L-Jo, I never have taken the time to chat with people. It was nice.
Around mile 9.5, we turned a corner and were smack dab downtown Fargo. I had been looking forward to this part of the course and was super happy to see THIS!
The crowd support was even bigger downtown and it really gave me that burst of energy I needed as I headed into the last 5K of this race.
It was here, however, that I noticed my plantar fasciitis was trying to create some issues. The balls of my feet were THROBBING. If I had allowed myself more than 3 seconds to think about it, I am positive it would have brought about my demise, but I just told myself to forget about it and keep smiling. There was a band singing “Come Together” by the Beatles and I found myself, once again, scream-singing the lyrics to one of my favorite bands! 
And I just have to say…never underestimate the power of Vanilla Ice and “Ice Ice Baby.” Thank you, V-Ice for making that legendary song however many years ago. Mile 10 is special because of it.
I do remember starting to feel pretty poopy in my core around mile 11. My hips were starting to hurt, my feet were still throbbing, and I knew that 12-mile mark was coming up. I had only ever run 12 miles before prior to this and I always get freaky-deaky about running mileage in uncharted territory.
Mile 12 was my “darkest” along the route. I walked twice. I knew I was almost there. I kept telling myself that I was going to be a half marathoner in just a few short minutes. It was here that I finally allowed myself to think about my journey to get to that moment. I thought about all my injuries, I thought about all that I learned through that whole process, I thought about my coach and my team and how much I have learned and the friendships I have made, I thought about my sports chiro, Dr. R, and how much her support and friendship means to me. I thought about my husband. I thought about L-Jo and all my friends and family who, while they weren’t there physically, were surrounding me with love at that moment. With 1/2 a mile to go I told myself to get moving and make them proud. No walking no matter what.
Just before reaching the FargoDome finish, I caught a glimpse of myself on the big jumbo-tron and was happy to see I was looking very strong and still very happy. The crowds were thick surrounding the dome as we wound our way around it towards the finish. People started yelling my name I had on my bib “Go Coco!” “Looking great, Coco!” “Way to run strong, Coco!” and I almost started to cry.
I was almost there. I noticed at the 13.1 mark on my Garmin it said 2:18:02, but I also knew my official time was going to be slower than that due to the potty break during mile 4.
We rounded the corner down into the loading ramp of the FargoDome and the crowd was ROARING in the arena. I lost it. I felt like an Olympic athlete or something. The crowd screaming for all the runners was mind-blowing. I did my final kick. We’ll just pretend I was running so fast in this pic that the camera almost couldn’t capture it and that’s why I’m a massive blur…
I crossed the finish line. I was a half marathoner.
It as over. I had done it. All the pain, all the fear, all the trials I had gone through were worth every single second just to get to that moment.
I walked around the corner, a nice lady put my medal around my neck, and I proceeded to walk over to the corner to catch my breath. Two different race volunteers came up and congratulated me on my race and then said “but I need you to keep moving towards that end of the arena.” UGH! Let me catch my breath, yo!
I got into the food line and just assumed that my hubby was making his way towards my orange shirt (cuz clearly I was the only person in Fargo wearing a bright orange running shirt). Common sense is not my strongest point post-races. I grabbed my cell phone and called L-Jo. I screamed into her ear that I was a “Half Marathoner!” and then promised to call her back once I got to the hotel.
The post-race food was fab. Chocolate milk, cookies, cookie dough, bananas and PIZZA!!!!! I grabbed it all and then saw my husband about 15 feet away from me just standing there smiling. I slowly made my way over to him and hugged him as best I could while holding onto all that food. And then the tears came…A LOT.
We managed to go sit on the floor of the dome while I pretty much inhaled that pizza. And I intermittently cried while chewing. I could feel my body totally stiffening up and I didn’t even care. I was a half marathoner. Finally.
After I finished the pizza, I allowed myself a moment to just get it all out. My hubby apparently snapped this photo of me while I was unaware. Excuse my ugly crying, but I think this pic is beautiful. It’s a visual representation of this whole journey for me.
As I have said repeatedly before, I would not change a single moment of these past 18 months. I have become a much stronger person because of it. I am very VERY proud of the way I handled this race. I didn’t get a time I felt was a true representation of my ability, but I sure had a lot of fun out there on the course. That was all that mattered. It was one giant party out there for me and I got to do my favorite thing in the world to celebrate; running.
I cannot say enough about how wonderful the Fargo Marathon weekend was as a whole. The whole community was so welcoming. The race course was so flat and the crowd support was outstanding. The whole race weekend was organized so well that the whole thing went off without a hitch. I loved the on-course entertainment and never found myself bored or allowed to be “alone with my thoughts” for more than a millisecond. I loved running into the FargoDome at the end. The experience of that alone, whether or not it had been my first half marathon, was incredible. The race swag is GREAT. We got long-sleeve tech tees that designated which race we ran. The medals are STELLAR.
I told my husband that we will be making Fargo race weekend a yearly tradition. I have never felt so welcome in a community before and have never had such a fun race experience. I highly recommend you all consider running at least one of their races at some point in your life. There are youth runs, a 5K, 10K, marathon relay, half marathon and full marathon. This is also a Boston-Qualifying race. Um…it’s flat as heck. It’s a done deal.
More on the expo and post-race party later, but thank you, Fargo, for changing my life. This town will always hold a special place in my heart. Always.
Official Results:
Garmin time: 2:18:02
Fargo time: 2:22:48
#4157 out of 5748 total participants
#2317 out of 3554 females
#465 out of 661 in my age group
