Whistlestop 2022

What. A. Race.   Friends reading this know all about Wendy.  For those of you who may not, read her profile over on the left tab under Running Buddies.  She unexpectedly passed away about a year ago leaving behind her sweet daughter Emma.  Whistlestop was one of Wendy’s favorite races.  She loved running in the woods.  Our running team (me, Liz and Michele) have missed our training runs together over the past year.  Grandma’s marathon weekend would have included Wendy.  We missed her on our runs, knew she loved Whistlestop, and knew her daughter Emma would love to run with us in memory of her mom.  Plans were put into motion early summer and we all signed up for the the Whistletop Half Marathon.

Training… to be honest, we were hit and miss with training this summer.  We only had about three runs with Emma in her jogging stroller.   There were many reasons why – including emotions – that just prevented a strong training season.   Although training more would have made sense, we knew no matter what we would finish this race.

Packet Pick Up… packet pick up is always fun and this one was especially cool since Emma was picking up her first ever race packet.   We got outside to take photos without our masks and Emma – who was in tears – reached out for a hug and said “thank you so much for this”.  Yep, then I was in tears.  I knew this was going to be a fun and emotional experience, but I really hadn’t put into perspective what this meant for Emma.

Race morning… all summer I was worried about the race being cancelled due to COVID.  I was also worried Emma would get sick and be in quarantine.  It looked like everything was going to be ok… then 5:30 am on race morning…. thunder and LIGHTENING!!  WHAT????  I was like… we got this far without the race being cancelled due to COVID and lightening will stop us.   I would be all for running in the rain but lightening in the woods might not be the best idea.   Thankfully by 7:00 am, the thunder and lightening had passed but it was still raining pretty good.  I wasn’t worried about us running – but was worried about Emma getting wet and cold.  By the time we got to the start line, the rain had stopped entirely and it was a beautiful morning (thank you Wendy).  While the morning was nice fall weather, the rest of the day was actually way too hot for a long run.  It was so humid with minimal to no breeze.  You can’t pick the weather on race day so just have to show up and put the work in.

The race… me, Liz and Michele had a strategy going into the race.  I had a buzzer that beeped every 1.5 minutes.  We followed a rotation of walking with Emma for 1.5 minutes, running with her for 1.5 minutes, and then switching pushers.  We knew these intervals would keep us moving but would also help our heart rates and overall fatigue while pushing her.  This strategy worked pretty well for the first six miles.  Around the halfway mark, we slowed up a bit.  Liz was starting to notice some pretty good calf cramps.  She was able to nurse them along for awhile but they eventually became pretty painful.  I am sure everyone has good ideas to avoid cramps…. Liz knows them ALL… has tried them ALL…. Yet still has them every now and again when mileage gets high (we will figure this out before Grandma’s training).   Around the ten-mile mark, I was also pretty uncomfortable.  Pushing the stroller changes your stride quite a bit.  My hips and lower back were pretty sore.  By this time, we were mostly walking but still moving and taking turns pushing.   Emma also got sore along the way.  It was probably very hard to sit in that stroller with her legs straight for so long.  A few times we encouraged her to “take a breath and dig deep” and keep pushing on.  We made sure she knew she would EARN her medal too – she wasn’t just along for the ride, she worked hard too.  By the way..... Michele is a performance BEAST... she did the best of the three of us and could have kept running and running, even while pushing.

 

My favorite photo of the day.... this was the half way mark and she was all smiles. 

The fans…. AMAZING.  We knew Emma would have some fans along the way.  What I didn’t expect was all the fellow runners who encouraged us along the way.  So many random people talked and waived to Emma.  So many runners said “good job, keep it up” as they passed us.  Emma was like a Rockstar on the course.  It was so fun to see people cheering for her.  Water station and traffic control volunteers all got excited.  It was very cool.  Then there were HER fans.  The gals that know Wendy and Emma.  They were awesome.   We saw them along several watching spots along the way.  The first one was emotional for all including Emma.  Signs cheering her on included photos and sayings for her mom.  It was so inspiring.   We could here them cheering and yelling every time we approached them.  We also approached a volunteer station that was staffed by volunteer high school kids that Emma knew.  Emma’s cheer as we approached was the BEST.  She was SO excited.  Her fans should be proud of their work today to keep her moving forward.

 

A little blurry because I zoomed in, this was one with Wendy 💓

The finish line… you can probably guess how that was.  Awesome.  Emotional.  Amazing.  Humbling.  Everything.  The crowd cheered us in and Emma had her victory arms high in the air.   The hugs, smiles, tears in the photo say it all.   Emma is a half marathon finisher.

 

Approaching the finish line (my toddler had to join)

 

She EARNED this medal!

 

Thank you so much for the support to make this race happen.  

We know Wendy is smiling and proud! 

Carrie and Crew

More Exciting News.....

 Catching up….   I haven’t been to active on this blog over the summer.  I did keep moving and posted lots of running adventure photos to Facebook and Instagram (long_run_calybeal).  Summer was busy trying to find balance between my job as a nursing educator and my new position as a Family Nurse Practitioner.  Not to mention, two kids heading into their senior year of high school who have been busy being “seniors” and busy getting geared up for college applications.  Summer was also a bit busy with my toddler whose daycare closed due to staffing issues (sigh).   Even though life is busy (I think it always will be so no excuses), I am still here for the “long run” and have some exciting updates….and I mean REALLY exciting updates.

Whistlestop update...  We are one week out from Whistlestop.  To be honest, training has been minimal at best.  I am ok with that.  This half marathon isn’t about time or performance – it is about connecting with our dear friend Wendy and helping her daughter Emma become a half marathon finisher.  We have created can Facebook event so folks can follow our progress during the race.  We aren’t sure how long this will take us so we will post some progress photos along the way – fans can also post photos so folks can gauge when to be at the finish line.  Follow the event here:  Emma's Whistlestop Fan Club

 

We are wearing green shirts in honor of brain injury awareness.  We have our Wendy wings and the saying she always said "I run for those who can't".

And now for the REALLY exciting news……   I have been selected as a Grambassador for Grandma’s Marathon weekend in Duluth, MN.  If you know me, you know I LOVE this race.  My two favorite weekends are always Whistlestop and Grandmas and now I get the chance to promote Grandmas weekend and to share my journey from Registration Day to Race Day (October 1 - June 18).  I think this will be the best “job” I have ever had.  

 

Why Grandmas?   Growing up south of Duluth and now living in Ashland, Lake Superior is home to me.  Finishing in beautiful Canal Park just feels like a piece of home.  The DECC, the Ship, the Lift Bridge…. it’s home.   The Lake along the first stretch of the race…. it’s home.   The best part of this race… the fans.  They are the BEST.   There is tranquility the first five miles where it is the road and the lake (there are fans along this route too and they are great).  Once you leave Scenic Highway 61 and approach east Duluth, the fan support along the way is awesome.   Downtown Duluth is such a cool route.  And then of course you cross the bridge and head towards the Decc on the best last stretch ever.  Note to new runners:   you can see the finish line in the background near the ship…. Keep going and kick it into gear… but not a full out sprint yet, you are a good way away yet!  After rounding a few corners, the finish line comes into view and it is stunning.

This year’s plan….  As of this post, we are 37 weeks out from race day.  Yes, I counted.  As of now, I am planning on the half marathon.  I ran the full last year and said “one and done” and of course… I don’t mean that.  I really want another 26.2 but my twins are seniors in high school and graduate in June of 2022.  I am mindful that spring will be busy and I don’t want to commit to the full training plan.  If things go right I will run 13.1 at Grandma’s and 26.2 at Whistlestop in the fall.  The typical half marathon training program is 12 weeks…. which is 25 weeks from now (yes, I am fanatical about numbers).   My plan for now is to train harder than I ever have before.  If you read through past posts I talk a lot about diet, nutrition, and running.  I have made a major shift from thinking about “diet” and thinking about “fuel”.   My goal in the next 25 weeks is to finally hit that elusive weight loss goal.  I plan to run three days a week, cross train/strength train three days per week, have one rest day, and use my nutrition to fuel my body/workouts.  Not diet, train.  Be consistent, yet flexible.   I want to start the 12-week training program stronger than I ever have.   My mindset has changed from “weight loss” to “stronger”.   With this mindset, I will hit my weight loss goal and my running goals.  Here.... We.... Go......

 

 

 

Whistelstop first, then....Half Marathon Personal Best.... Let's Go!

Follow along for weekly updates from this Grambassador!

See you on the road.....

Carrie