I'm going to (not Greenbow) Alabama!

Mercedes-Benz Marathon

Race Date: Feb 10, 2019

I have a HUGE obsession with Forrest Gump - only watched the movie, should read the book.  I also mentioned this in my review of the R'n'R Savannah marathon.  But digressing.  The course for the 2019 marathon was moved due to construction on the I-29 bridge.  Argh!!!  No worries though.  It was not the end of the world.  

Birmingham is a neat southern city with a chill vibe, great food, and of course southern hospitality.

Caroline and I stopped by the Birmingham Museum of Art - Free entry, donation suggested.  The museum had an impressive display of blown glass by Dale Chihuly.  There were other displays- but my excitement focused on the contemporary artist rather than classical items. It is worth stopping here since it is close to the race expo and recommended lodging.

Fast forward to marathon morning - it was brisk!  I highly recommend some throw-away long sleeve items.  Race morning was chilly as you would expect for a southern winter/pesedo-spring.  I enjoyed the course and am sad to say that I will need to repeat this race for the marathon.  The course is a double-loop, so keep this in mind if you are not a fan of laps.

I started the race injured and opted to go for the half at the turn for the full.  My leg was bothering me to the point I feared that I would be leaving Alabama in a cast. There was no penalty for doing this  (yeah!!!).  Several volunteers told me I was on the wrong path, too.  Much better experience than during the Mississippi Blues marathon...

The post-race party was HUGE - you had a choice of pulled pork or chicken sandwiches.  Opt for the pork - after all, you are in the south.  Don't expect much for the post-race beer.  I think it was a bud light or something made by inBev.

Endurance races are known for the draw of elite athletes. The ones I met during the trip were friendly and happy to hear about your finish times.  Just remember: your race is your race.  Be proud of the time you finished the course because there aren't too many people crazy enough to spend part of their day running a half or full marathon.

Travel Expenses: 

Airfare: Roughly $500.  I'm used to paying about this for a weekend trip.

Lodging: Split, close to $100 or $120.

Food: About $100 including alcohol.  This can be more depending on snacks and length of the trip.

Transportation: Estimate about $50 per person

Registration: $100

Estimated total: $900 just for travel, lodging, and the race.

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Topo FlyLite 2.

Compression: Purchased from a large on-line retailer.

Pros: Free art museum (and Chihuly blown glass!!!), Selfie with Forrest Gump!, Great race volunteers, sporting a Benz logo, race day shuttles to and from the post race party, no penalty for dropping to the half during the race, well-organized, friendly elite athletes.

Cons: Cost of travel, cold start to the day.

Race injuries: Shin splints.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 running shoes.  I'll end up doing this race again since I was injured the first time.

Going to Jackson, Mississippi

 Mississippi Blues Marathon

Race date: January 27th, 2019

This was not my favorite race for a large number of reasons.  The biggest being running 26.2 miles with an injury.  Mine happened to be medial tibial stress syndrome, AKA: Shin Splints.  They hurt a lot, so much to the point I thought I would not finish this race.  Getting the bias in check while writing this post took some effort.

Jackson has southern charm that you would expect when traveling below the Mason-Dixon line.  This is also a smaller southern city (I should note my expectations of a southern city are Charleston, Atlanta, & Savannah) so don't expect a sprawling megalopolous with a ton to do.  Do expect some good food and libations.  Caroline and I met up at the usual airport hub with pre-arranged flight times.  Went to the race expo - where there was a shipment delay with the shirts (oh no!!!).  This wasn't a big deal.  The smaller expo happened to be less than a half mile from the hotel. 

Then moving forward to the pre-race meal.  We dined at The Manship and had libations here.  I was like a school girl when I saw Stone Brewery's Xocoveza available.  We ate, imbibed, and took and Uber back to the hotel.  

Marathon planning tip: watch the weather.  The evenings around this race are a bit chilly, hence taking an Uber one mile back to lodging.

Moving forward to race day: It was chilly.  Make sure to have throw-away layers.  Lululemon happened to be a race sponsor and have drop-off boxes on the course.  The promise was to bring these items back to the finish line to grab at the end of the race (unless you wanted everything donated).  

This race is small - not a bad thing if you're not a fan of large crowds - and is also a preference of mine.  My starting line complaint was having the marathoners through 5Kers start at the same time.  There could be more organization as I almost tripped and stumbled into a few walkers at the start of the race.  Keep in mind, I am not a particularly fast runner and steam rolling people at a starting pace of 10:00/mile just does not feel right.

There is plenty of entertainment for the non-elite athlete marathon runner in the form of collegiate bands, bringing out the inner band-geek in me.  

One of my sticking points was the lack of motivated volunteers & signage to direct a turn for the half and full marathon runners.  This was the only time I missed a turn off and accidentally added another mile to the distance run for the day.  Apparently I am not the first person to miss this, nor will I be the last (with the 2019 course).  

The police officers assigned to the course were awesome as well and great motivators to the runners. You would easily be greeted with a smile for saying hello or thank you to any of them on the course.  Then there are the race signs since crowd support was meh.  

One other thing to consider with this race are flight options.  Flying to & from a place like Hartford limits options into and out of the area.  Departing and landing from Boston expands flights home but adds to drive time and cost of parking.  Crossing the finish line was already a task due to injury at 5:36:30. Caroline was waiting in the car - ready to go to catch her flight. Post race shenanigans were a bit limited here.   

Travel expenses:

Hotel room was split, so roughly $100 each person

Race entry: $115 

Flight: Expect to pay $500 for a smaller airport plus parking

Rental car was split, so roughly $20 - $50 per person

Uber: varies.  

Dining while traveling: Expect at least $100 - $200 per person

Estimated cost for the weekend: $1000 for travel, lodging, food, and race entry fee.  Keep in mind, the cost of lodging and a rental were split.

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? 

Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Altra Paradigm 4.0

Compression: A sleeve purchased from a large on-line retailer

Pros: Small race, great entertainment, southern charm, race shirt

Cons: Starting line was not organized, not having flashier signs for the half and full split

Race injuries: Ran with shin splints and cried a bit on the course

Rating: 3 out of 5 running shoes due to limited flights into and out of the area, poor labeling for the half and full split, and starting line.  I'm a one and done here.  Police support and collegiate bands were awesome!

The First Hartford Half

Hartford, Connecticut.  Home to the infamous Hartford Marathon series of races.  Which also happens to be the city of my first endurance race: the half marathon.

Keep in mind, I decided to start "this running thing" after finding that I needed something in my life to fulfil a void.  I asked mom friend, Chandra, if she would be game.  No problem!  She was the morale committee + her husband and kids.  

Chandra's kept saying if you can run 8 miles, then you can run a half marathon.  So that is what I did.  Well, maybe half of that distance.  Chandra's husband met us at a few crowd points during the race.  She collected GU gel from him, as well as swapping out layers and sporting a fun princess race tank.  This was a nice first endurance race - not too hilly, plenty of electrolyte replacement, and great crowd support.  To top that off: you get to run under the arch at Bushnell Park.

Chandra and her eldest held hands and crossed the finish line together.  Super sweet!!! 

Now, trying to recall specifics from 2017 when writing this in 2021 is a beast!  There will be another post on the 2019 Hartford Marathon. 

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: New Balance - Not sure which line, though!

Compression: KT tape

Pros: Local, great running support + volunteers, race crowds, after party

Cons: Weather is hit or miss.  We were lucky this year!  Post race food is meh, start of the race is crowded

Race injuries: The usual shin splints, blisters

Rating: 4 out of 5 running shoes because you never know what kind of weather you are going to get!  Post race food is okay, but the beer makes up for that.

Georgia on my mind

 Rock 'n' Roll Savannah

Now for Marathon number 3: Rock-n-Roll Savannah and southern state #2 done with one big hiccup: losing my walled in an airport.  Spoiler: someone turned it in, no cash or credit cards missing or used.

Apparently losing your wallet happens a lot while flying.  Yes, you can successfully travel if you lose your wallet and I am proof (just ask Caroline. I'm sure I was super annoying on this trip!).  I stayed in the local airport (Hilton Head International) until Caroline arrived.  Thank goodness I had plenty of knitting with me for this trip.  Crisis of boredom solved!

I was able to finish one of these mittens while waiting.

Savannah is my favorite southern city.  I love it more than the hometown area of the Holy City, AKA Charleston, SC, and was looking forward to the trip because, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA!  Fun fact: Forrest Gump's many bench scenes were filmed in the city. Getting a selfie in the square where the movie was filmed is important, too. Ugh social media and gen-yer with pseudo-millennial tendencies!  Savannah is a charming city.  Parking may be a beast with larger events and tourist season and the city is navigable by foot.  

The pre-race dinner and beer  #1 was at Paula Deen's restaurant.  Caroline and I commented that we were most likely not up to the standard dress code for the restaurant. Who cares - we came just for the salty and fried food.  Race mistake: don't overload on greasy food the night before.

As mentioned, this race is part of the Rock 'n' Roll series of races (owned by a large conglomerate that also owns the Ironman triathalon series).  These races are large but be mindful that not many people are crazy enough to run a marathon. So, the first half was great - lots of live bands to listen to while running. Not so much on the back half.

I took lots of selfies - none in the location where Forrest Gump was filmed.  Imagine my disappointment when I realized I ran past Chippewa Square sans photo.  Needless to say, running through the historic district was my favorite parts of this race.  

Race day started off a bit chilly then warmed up into the 70s.  Don't forget to bring throw-away clothes if you travel for marathons.  Rookie mistake: I shed one of my favorite hoodies en route.  Many of the race organizations donate discarded clothing to local shelters - so it is easiest to do this close to mile marker signs.

The race after party is HUGE.  But then again, the Rock 'n' Roll series has a large draw.  Post finish line your medal is donned plus you are handed too much to hold as far as beverages and sacks go.  

This was a PR race for me, finishing at 4:58:21.  I may have trained for this one!

Savannah is a charming city and has limited flight options into and out of the area. Keep this in mind when making travel arrangements.  Late check-outs are always a bonus!

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Altra Paradigm 4.0

Compression: Whatever I purchased off a large internet retailer

Pros: Organized race, music for most of the half marathon, flat course, and running past where Forrest Gump was filmed, southern charm, opportunity for a PR

Cons: Limited entertainment for the full marathon

Race injuries: Toe blisters

Rating: 4 out of 5 running shoes.  I would recommend for anyone wanting to complete a marathon, or a 50-stater who wants to run a race in Georgia.

Crabs Everywhere!!

At the Baltimore Race Expo

Crabs, running, Baltimore's inner harbor, and a flippy-style medal. Sure, I'll run the Baltimore Marathon!

The decision was made.  Caroline and I traveled separately and met up on race day.  I stayed in the inner harbor and she stayed with a friend in the area.

But.. race day.  The expo is HUGE. Like Boston Marathon HUGE.

Baltimore, MD, here I come!  I flew into BWI, picked up my rental ride, and made the drive to the inner harbor area.  As a side note, if you are not traveling outside of the downtown area, consider using public transportation.  The train takes you into downtown Baltimore for roughly the cost of a grande coffee at Starbucks.  And of course, there are the sportsball teams!  mentioned staying solo in a hotel during this trip.  I knew this trip would be expensive.  And yes it was.  But I was super close to the race start and finish.  And a Starbucks.

I met up with a runner that I met at the Hatfield McCoy marathon at the expo and later for dinner with a few other fellow runners she met while traveling.  Had some crab cakes for dinner at Philip's seafood, then went to retire for the night - after consuming a pre-race day beer.

The inner harbor is set up well in advance pre-race with multiple races: a 5K that starts before the marathon, a marathon, and a late-start half marathon.  The concept of the late-start half was awesome.  I did not feel the course was too crowded with how everything was organized and the aid stations throughout were packed with snacks, beverages with electrolytes, and interventions to make your race comfortable (Vaseline, Tylenol, water, ice, etc.).  The energy from the supporters and runners was amazing.

The race starts behind Camden Yards. Take some photos!  This place is amazing.  Poe, the Baltimore Ravens mascot is part of the pre-race shenanigans.  Some of the treats on the course include running past the Under Armour headquarters, seeing some animals in the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (don't forget your selfies!), a stroll near Johns Hopkins University, and the infamous Lake Montebello.

The after party was sponsored by Dogfish Head.  Two beers- hells yeah!  Beers along the inner harbor? Incredible. Flippy marathon medal?  Fantastic.  Chip time: 5:06:12, with an average pace of 11:41 per mile. 

Bonus: I went to Alexandria to see my dad and bonus mom!  This is the only reason I had a rental ride.  

Overall, I loved this race and it still is a top 5.  While I would not do 26.2 again, I would like to do the Baltimoron-athon.  The 5k and half marathon in the same day.

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Topo Flylite 2

Compression: Whatever I purchased on a large on-line retailer

Pros: Race setup, aid stations, crowd energy, crowd support, the Baltimore Zoo (I took a selfie with a SKUNK!)

Cons: Cost of lodging & valet parking

Race injuries: Nasty blisters on my great toe

Rating: 5 out of 5 running shoes.  I loved this race.  Corrigan Sports, the race organization, is well-organized.  I look forward to the Deleware Running Festival in 2021.

I will start adding in cost of travel in future blogs because this adventure is expensive and requires a bit of planning to be and feel successful.  

Hatfields vs McCoys

There is a little marathon in a coal-mining, farm-country area of West Virginia (and Kentucky) that hosts a marathon with a theme of a famous feud: the Hatfield McCoy Marathon, run by the Tug Valley Run Club.  Things I did not realize going into this race: it is small, the expo fits into a gym, and don't expect luxuries, such as cell phone coverage, in this area.  

I wanted this to be my first marathon and am grateful it was not for many reasons, including solo traveling.

The drive from Southeastern Connecticut to the Tug Valley area was over 10 hours.  Traveling solo for a few is not so bad. But driving that long is just insane at my stage of life (I'm not one for sitting for too long).  Then there is a lack of Starbucks coffeehouses en route to said rural area.  Yes, I am one of those!  But then you get to the race town, and it is a small town in West Virginia with Kentucky next door.  There aren't many Yelp! listings on where to eat, either. So plan ahead with this one.  

I was a rookie with race planning on this one and recommend if you want to run it, sign up early, book your lodging early, and look at the area plus surrounding towns for lodging and dining.  This is is not to turn you away from the race - which I enjoyed very much- but to prepare you for not having conveniences we love and difficulty deviating from if we cannot use them.

Fortunately, I was able to book lodging at a local hotel run by Wingo's restaurant.  Not my first choice and not somewhere I would stay again because I love having luxuries when traveling.  I was able to shower and sleep in this place, so basic needs were met.  The cost was great: $70 or $80 for three nights.  I was a little prepared knowing ahead of time there was no mini fridge and thank goodness for a big box store being in town and traveling with a cooler.  I brought my pre-race beer with me and was able to purchase some instant coffee to start running the next morning.

For the run: the directions the Tug Valley Run Club. I ran with a total race crowd of less than 800 people.  You are bussed to Food City: the location of the starting line.  Then you run for a few miles. And OMG that hill at mile 7 followed by little bumps.  I mentioned there was not much for wifi or in this case, cell coverage and was all flustered the subscription music app would not play. Oh well. Now there is music stored on my cell phone for races like this.

The race coordinators have a competition for all the water stops in the race.  This is fantastic because of the entertainment you get for 26.2 miles.  Not all water stops are equal. My favorite was the wiggly bridge because those ladies had sunscreen.  This brings me to another point: this race can get HOT. Do not expect a PR, and take the cooling towels when offered.  Back to the race stops: you get to see miniature horses, a golf course, and a few tourist attractions, some railroad tunnels, and bridges. So, not bad.

I mentioned earlier this race is hot.  The day started off with a humid 70-ish degree temperature and rose from there to something in the 90s, clear skies on this particular race day, and more humidity.  The reviews from this race said not to expect a PR. Don't expect a PR if you're a #teamnotraining kind of runner.  There is a reason there is no time limit with this race.  Wait, a race with no time limit? Yes, this is one of the reasons I chose to run this one! No runner left behind! 

Saturday looks promising

There are also a lot of hand-made signs along the route to serve as motivation.  Were you a past runner? Great! Someone made a sign for you?  The only runner from Connecticut (I was not - I met a fellow nutmegger while taking a run break) - chances are, there is a sign for you.  Lost a toenail, that toenail has a sign.  Most of the runners completing this race wanted to do this for whatever reason. Mine was to do a challenging race, for others I met and talked to on the course, it was to accomplish a goal of completing a marathon in all 50 states.  One of the runners I met was on his second time around completing a marathon in all the states (WOW!!!).

I also met some great runners from the Chicago area who serve as inspiration because no matter how old or your stage in life, running brings people together in a different way.  I cannot explain it other than a truly judgement-free zone.  Hey, you finished a marathon in 6 hours. Awesome. You are a bad-ass because you too, are crazy enough to do this same feat as an elite athlete.  Okay, digressing back to the road race-y stuff. 

The finish line is in the middle of downtown Williamson, WV.  There is access to cold showers post-race, a few local dives, and pulled pork sandwiches.  Don't forget to pick up your race-themed mason jar.  Mine is sported on a shelf in my office at work - along with the stuffed race pig.  I feel like I was the most excited to cross this finish line than I have been with all my other races so far.  

Consider yourself a bad-ass if you completed this race - the half, or double-half.  The elements, you know, heat & humidity.  

Would I do it again? Maybe. But not solo.

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Topo Flylite 2

Compression: Sleeves purchased off a large internet retailer

Pros: Rocking a medal post-race that shows a town that you are in fact, a bad-ass (or crazy) for a human-paced road venture of 26.2 miles in a mountain valley, race support, water stops, number of bathrooms en route, choice of two states to pick from if you are on the journey to running a marathon in each state, no time limit, met some great runners from across the country.

Cons: Lack of cell reception, humidity, sweating off sun screen

Race injuries: Blisters. I was able to keep all my toenails this time.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 running shoes because of limited wifi and local conveniences.

My First Marathon

The Little Rock Marathon was my fist marathon with Caroline in 2018.  It wasn't a bad start to running endurance races, especially if you are up for 26.2 miles of what the masses perceive as torture.  

The there of the race changes every year.  I happened to run with a theme of Runner's Quest, which meant Monty Python inspired race swag.  This race is also known for its heavy race medal.  I'm confident the one I sported after the race weighed over 2 pounds - and yes, it is the size of a dinner plate.

I met Caroline at the airport, where we shared a rental ride to grab lunch, do packet pickup at the race expo, and unwind prior to race morning.  

If you are getting into running, this isn't a bad first race - although there are better races to run for your first marathon.  The hill at the end of the race course solidified that!  There were a lot of memorable thing that happened while running - which made this worth the adventure.  A priest was blessing runners (I think it was around mile 8), we ran past the Governor's mansion, and there was plenty of crowd support.  Crowd support is something I started to consider in future races because there are times when you need the boost to help keep you going.

At the starting line... We are ready to run!

This race had a combination of hills and flat spots, some areas of elevation sucked.  We invoked Caroline's hill rule: just walk up the hills.  It works - and you can pick up the pace whenever you feel like it. Caroline and I did not run the entire race together, either.  We met up on the course and departed whenever.  It worked out well.  After all, 5 hours together with grunting, complaining about the marathon, and saying things that you would otherwise not say because you just gotta finish this thing you were crazy enough to sign up for in the first place, is just silly.

I do not recommend running a marathon if your longest run is 8 miles.  Yep. Did that.  Hips were killing me at mile 22.  At least there were only 4 miles to run/walk after that.  Then that final hill.

Well, I finished with a chip time of 5 hours, 6 minutes, 59 seconds.  Not bad considering my longest run. 

The medal was so large that it needed its own selfie!

Gun time: 5 hours, 9 minutes, 23 seconds.

Crossing the finish line

Now, there is a finale.  Got on a plane to fly home after the race.  And I was a little sore.  Then I went to work the next day. And walked around like something was wrong for a week.  Be mindful of this with your training regimen and practice doing long runs so you aren't hobbling around the office like you are injured all the time.

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Topo Flylite 2

Compression: Socks purchased on a large internet site

Pros: Rocking a medal post-race that shows a town that you are in fact, a bad-ass (or crazy) for a human-paced road venture of 26.2 miles, the priest blessing runners, and crowd support.

Cons: Not an overly-inspiring southern city, final hill at the end of the race, mich ultra as the post-race beer (that stuff might as well be hop-flavored seltzer).

Race injuries: Nasty blisters on my great toe and a few toenails that went to heaven.

Rating: 3.5 our of 5 running shoes because of the hill & post race beer.

About Me

Posing for a race photo during the 2019 Go! St. Louis Marathon

 Hi!

Welcome to the Team no Training blog.  This a chronicle of my journey of running marathons with little to no training.  It is not something I recommend at all because of injuries and other classic mistakes made on the journey.

I made the decision to start running (again) after having kids and feeling there was a need to do something for me.  I reached out to mom friends who does this for fun - crazy, right - and the journey began.

My first long-distance run was the Hartford Half Marathon in 2017 with C, who was a SAHM, part-time Montessori classroom teacher with a pre-schooler and toddler twins AND a super-awesome husband.  Chandra encouraged joining a local running club, which I have been a member of since.  The people in the group are amazing - I encourage you do join a local club if you are starting on your journey.  No worries if you are not the fastest runner (look at my race times and you will see!) - it is all about camaraderie and doing something you enjoy.

The second step on this journey was another friend Caroline, stating "you should totally do it!" when asked "should I do this running thing?"  She also asked that I sign up to run a marathon.  I was not on board but signed up anyways.  Now we travel together to accomplish this goal.  She was close to state 30 when I started.  Needless to say, this is something I do for me because being a working momma, schlepping kids to school and activities, and needing a time out became more and more draining.

Now, I do something for me on my own time.  There are occasions when the kids participate in a short run and my husband will run a 5K with me.  Friends will have an impromptu meet-up with a social gathering afterwards.  

I hope you enjoy reading about this journey and can take away something that works for you as you embark on yours.

Jenn