Make-Up

I ran my 3rd 5K of the year this morning. I have a little cold (again) and so, I wasn't feeling 100%. But, I still feel pretty good about my time and the race overall. Now, onto the point of this post.


I've noticed, for quite some time now, that many women show up to these races in full make-up and with their hair quite done up. We're talking, more make-up than I wear to go out with friends on a Saturday night. And the hair? Well, they're doing fancier stuff than what I have paid to have done to be in a wedding.


Let's get this straight, ladies...you are running/walking a 5K (any other distance), in other words, EXERCISING!!! Why on earth would you need to have your face covered in make-up and your hair done? Even if the pace is slow, you still might break a sweat.


OK, I'm not an idiot. I realize that maybe a single lady would want to put her best self forward, just in case. Um, I'm one of those single ladies and it's never occurred to me to wear make-up or do my hair. Well, I do throw my haphazard curls into a ponytail...but I don't think this qualifies as a hairdo. Make-up? Oh, I put Chapstick on, if my lips happen to be chapped. There ya go.


It's not that I don't care what a guy thinks of my looks, but it's that he should know that I'm there to exercise, not go clubbing. I guess I would naively hope that he'd be interested in me because of my interest in running/athletics. But, maybe I'm wrong.


I remember playing basketball against a certain school when I was in high school. Most of the girls on the team wore a LOT of make-up. So, halfway through the game, they've got mascara running down their face. And I'm wondering, "Why???"


I know a certain friend/fellow blogger who wears make-up to races...that's right, I just called her out. She's happily married and beautiful without make-up, but wears it. And honestly, she's the LAST person I'd suspect would wear make-up to a race.


So, apparently I've missed a memo somewhere about wearing make-up to races. All I know is that I look much better after a race without make-up on, than I would after a race with make-up running down my face.

It shouldn't surprise any of you, based on this post, to know that I also don't get all dressed up to get groceries. I mean, if I happen to already look nice, then yes...but I don't put a bunch of effort into looking good - for the grocery store. My mom is one of those, "you should ALWAYS look your best, because HE could be there." Well, he hasn't been there yet (and I've looked nice a few times)...so I don't plan on extending the additional effort.


Does anyone have any thoughts/opinions on this? Am I missing something?

Marathon #7 - Not so lucky...

Well, I had hoped that having the number 7 attached to this marathon would mean I'd FINALLY hit my goal of finishing in under 4:00.

I'm not a complete moron, I assumed my training would have something to do with it as well. But, it just didn't go as I had hoped.

This was the second year for the La Crosse Marathon and just under 300 people were registered, with several more running the half marathon.

We travelled to La Crosse on Saturday afternoon and then had a wonderful pre-race meal at Applebee's. We wanted Olive Garden, but the wait was too long. We went to bed at a decent hour and I think my sleep was pretty restful.

Here is something that was a little irritating, breakfast. We figured we could grab toast and/or cereal before heading to the race. The sign on the breakfast door said, 6-9am. So, we called the front desk, who snottily informed us that that was Mon. through Fri., Sunday breakfast starts at 7am. Um, wouldn't you think they'd make an adjustment knowing that most of their business the night before was in town for, um, a RACE???

My dad was nice enough to take us to the start, so we didn't have to deal with the shuttle. After an impromptu stop at Kwik Trip for a granola bar breakfast, we were on our way. We greatly misjudged how long it would take and arrived at the start area around 6:15am. The race was to begin at 7:30am. Oops!

Without going into any detail, let's just say my stomach was very nervous that morning. I'm fairly certain I started the race on a less than empty stomach. 'Nuff said.

The bonus of a small marathon is that you cross the start line within seconds...as opposed to minutes at a larger race. The negative? There were no pace groups to align myself with. I usually like to start with one and see how long I can hang on.

We took off and I felt pretty good. The first and supposedly only hill in the race was within a few minutes of the start, over a huge (and beautiful) bridge. Even though I felt like all 300 people were passing me, I tried to focus on not going out too hard. Well, I was marginally successful, but the first mile was 8:21, a little fast for what I was planning.

So, I re-evaluated and tried my best to slow down, but the pace I was running felt fine. Mile 2 was 8:25. OK, still not getting into the right pace...grrr!

My dad, stepmom, and Carrie's Dad were GREAT at getting around the course. We must have seen them at least 4 times before the first 4 miles, then again at mile 15.

I finally started to settle into a better pace around mile 3. Mile 3 was 8:38, Mile 4 was 8:46, Mile 5 was 8:42, Mile 6 was 8:51, Mile 7 was 8:45. All of these splits led to me hitting the 7 mile mark in an hour, 8:34 pace.

While I would normally be happy with that pace, I knew it could possibly come back to bite me later on. It did.

I still felt alright, but could feel myself slowing down, which was discouraging. Miles 7-14 were variations of 9:00, 9:15, etc. But, since the first 7 were a bit faster, I wasn't completely off my chance of breaking 4:00.

There were a few miles of panic where I thought I missed the turn off for the marathoners. It occurred to me that we hadn't yet split. So, I looked around me to see if there were any marathoners around me. Nope, all of them were half marathoners. So, I was beginning to wonder if I'd be running 13.1 rather than a full? As I approached the 13 mile mark, I could see that the half marathoners turned to the right to finish, while the marathoners continued ahead. Phew?

I saw my Dad and the crew at mile 15, which was encouraging. I have to say, with only 300 runners, I felt pretty lonely at times. I train with friends often, but I also run alone quite a bit. But, for some reason, it sure gets lonely in a marathon when there's no one else around you.

OK, so they advertised that this race was flat, other than the bridge in mile 1. I wouldn't say it was crazy hilly, but they could have been a bit more informative. We went over several overpasses and came back over them on the turn around. As I approached an overpass in the latter half of the race, I was SO negative, "Um, what the heck? Why does this overpass have to be here, now, at this moment?" So, I tried to push my way up the hill and then I see a mile marker sign, turned the other way. Frick! Now I know for sure that I will be coming BACK over this stupid overpass when my legs are even more tired. I checked the mile marker...mile 23. Grrr...

At this point, my splits are going into the high 9:00s and low 10:00s. I'm so disappointed in myself that I'm sure it's affecting my attitude, therefore my running. I hit the 20 mile mark around 3:05. So, if I busted the final 6 miles, maybe I could break 4:00. I can tell you right now, there was no "busting" in my vocabulary at that point. I tried my best to fight the negativity and make myself run through it, but it just wasn't enough.

My lower back wasn't really a big issue at this race, as it has been before. It did start to flare up in the final miles, but I can't blame it for my performance...or lack thereof.

As I finished the last few miles, I tried to remind myself that I was about to complete marathon #7 in less than 4 years. While that is a great accomplishment, it just didn't make me feel much better.

I crossed the finish line in 4:11:51, full of disappointment and frustration. Everyone has been so encouraging and telling me that I'm too hard on myself, which I so appreciate! But, when you spend 4 1/2 months working toward a goal and on the 7th attempt STILL don't do it...it's VERY upsetting. It's not as if I'm going to quit marathoning once I break 4:00, but it's just a barrier I need to break through. Then I can focus on qualifying for Boston (hopefully some day!).

I'm still down about it, but of course I realize there are much worse things than this. I have a ton of races on my schedule in the next several months. My goal is to set some PR's in the shorter distances and then start training for the Marine Corps Marathon!

Our post race "meal?" We stopped at Kwik Trip and purchased a 44 oz. diet pepsi fountain pop, a large bag of Cheetos, and a Twix ice cream bar, EACH of us. Mmm, very healthy!

Here are some pics from the race!

Me & Carrie before the race, we've run 5 marathons together (sort of)!

Here I am, I think maybe the first few miles of the race.

Here I am around mile 15, feeling tired...

Me & Carrie after the race
Carrie ran a PR and was the 4th female overall!