Running

Montana Marathon Race Recap

September 18, 2019 by Chelsea | Mae's Menu Leave a Comment

A beautiful and intimate, yet hard course made for a picturesque but challenging race at the Montana Marathon.

This past Sunday I ran my fourth marathon at the Montana Marathon. It was a disappointing race for me in many respects but I still wanted to write a race re-cap to pass on all the information and tips from my experience to help others be more informed about this marathon.

Below I will lay out how each of mile segments went for me and then I will wrap up this race report with important race information anyone considering this race should know.

The first 6 miles:

The starting 6 miles were pretty uneventful. The race started at 7 AM so it was still cool for the first 3 miles or so (about 55 degrees, though it was unusually warm this morning). The incline was subtle, there were no non-race related cars on the road, and it felt good to get the legs going. I was on pace for the majority of these miles, though I did have to make 2 quick stops at the bathroom.

The sun rising at the start of the Montana Marathon.

Miles 6-11:

Miles 6-11 were hard. It was heating up and it was an open straight road and the crowd (if you even want to call it that in the first place) was starting to thin out quite a bit. There were also quite a few, deceptively steep & long rollers. My pace was a bit under what I planned at this point, but it was ok because I anticipated being able to make up for it in the descending miles following it.

At about mile 8-9 of the Montana Marathon.

Miles 11-15:

This is where the bulk of the steep descent was. Coming off the last roller it was a hard and fast drop into the valley along the ridge of a hill. Though the breeze was great and the view was beautiful, the intense decline was so hard on my legs, despite my pace picking back up. By this point, I started passing a few people and it thinned out even more. My husband Chris and mom were out on the course driving around and cheering me on, though, and it was so welcome.

Miles 15-17:

During miles 15-17 the wheels started to fall off. My left hip and glute started to talk to me (from the descent). I tried to get my mind off of it and still keep going despite the discomfort, but still, I was struggling to keep my pace where I wanted it.

Miles 17-20:

These miles are where I really saw my goal time fall away from me. Around this time, I ran through the neighborhood around the Yellowstone Country Club and there was quite a bit of uphill. Frankly, between that climb and my growing hip pain, it was a struggle.

After we got out of the country club neighborhood we turned onto a pedestrian walkway alongside a road. It was nice to be off the road, but that walkway was uphill as well.

Miles 20-26:

Around mile 20, I started calculating what I would need to do in order to reach my goal (3:28 and a Boston qualifier) and I concluded that it was out of reach. I was right around 2:44 and I would’ve needed to run sub 8-minute miles in order to make it in on time. Given that the pain was growing and I was already struggling to run 9:15 minute miles, I realized that I had two options: push it to see how fast I could go while risking injuring myself so bad that I couldn’t finish or taking it easy so I could finish, despite the pain.

I chose the latter and I texted Chris, “My hip hurts. And I’ve missed my qualifying window. So I’m gonna take it easy and walk/jog. At least I’m running a marathon!!!”

You know it’s bad when I start texting Chris in the middle of a marathon. In fact, Chris said, “It’s never a good sign when I get a text from you during a race!” I did, however, keep pushing. In addition to my hip hurting, the temperatures were increasing too. So I walked a bit here and there when I was in the sun and I ran for the rest of the time and when I was under tree cover.

Turning into Pioneer Park in Billings, I started crying. Usually, when I cry during a marathon it’s because of overwhelming positive feelings but this time it was because of disappointment. Though I was proud that I pushed through, I was so frustrated with my hip and how it just wasn’t my day.

Still, I finished with a 3:51:51. My second fastest marathon to date, but over 23 minutes slower than I planned.

Post Race:

After passing through the finish line, I got my finishing medal, snacks, and met up with my family. They were so encouraging and supportive as they always are, reminding me of how blessed I am.

I cried a little longer about things but then decided to move on and go to the massage tent to have my hip worked on. Within seconds of the massage therapist working on my hip, she discovered the super tight interior muscle that was giving me so much grief. Weirdly, I was relieved that I wasn’t dreaming up the pain!

I told the massage therapist she was a saint for working on me after sweating for 4 hours, and she acted like it was nothing. She also was a saint because she relieved the pain a bit and I could comfortably walk to the car. I stretched more throughout the day and made sure to keep up on my nutrition and hydration and had a pretty comfortable rest of the day.

Beautiful Billings, Montana from the trail along the rim rock. — A view of Billings from the walking trail by the airport

Recovery:

Interestingly enough, though my hips and glutes were still touchy in the days after the race, the rest of my body wasn’t too bad, considering that I’d run a marathon. To me, it was proof that I didn’t run it as hard as I could have. But it’s what I had to do to prevent going up in flames from my hip.

Thankfully, I set an appointment with my trigger point release massage therapist for Wednesday of this week. I couldn’t be more excited about that appointment!

Things I Wish I Knew About The Montana Marathon & Other Race Observations:

There was a lot more elevation gain than expected. My Garmin ended up reporting 450+ feet of climb. I was prepared for the climb at the beginning, but not the subsequent 150-200 feet of climb.
The descent was a lot less gradual then they said it would be. The majority of it came hard and fast in throughout the course of 4-5 miles, which is a lot for the body to handle after the elevation gain. Both #1 and #2 taught me that I need to be religious about studying the elevation profiles of races!
There were plenty of water stations along the route and in the right locations. The last 6 miles of the race, they were every mile on the mile.
There were only 120 people in the marathon, even though the race was in its 39th year. After the first 6-8 miles, the crowd was super thin, though around mile 15 I did start to pass half marathoners and it, therefore, got denser.
Because of the low runner density, I never saw a line for the porta-potties along the course. There was a wait at the start line, but still, it wasn’t bad compared to other races.
The road was open to cars almost the entire way. For the most part, the cars were very respectful of the runners. There was only one car in the first part of the race (out in the rural areas) that went racing by. I did see one car almost turn into some runners when we were in town, but the crossing guards stopped the car before it did.
The race was clearly marked. Every turn had volunteers managing it and was marked with arrows. The mile markers each were marked with spray paint on the street and a large, obvious flag sticking out of the ground.
Packet pick-up was small and intimate with an incredibly friendly and helpful staff. There was so no big expo which was actually a relief, being that I wanted to stay off my feet as much as possible on Saturday.
The RunJoy app didn’t work for me at the start line. It was supposed to track us, but since we had no reception up there I couldn’t start my race. My friends knew me well enough to know that I probably started, and I stopped worrying about it after the race since I didn’t want to waste the time or energy, but it wasn’t an ideal tracking set-up.
Advertised as a race where I could “start dreaming about that PR again” — but it was anything but. I had the worst race, relative to my current fitness, at the Montana Marathon. I don’t think I was the only one who had a rough time, either. Even aside from my injuries, I heard other people on the course who were surprised by how rough it was. Also, I couldn’t believe that with my disappointing performance that I still placed in my age group. Apparently I wasn’t the only one trashed by this race. I think the race would be better off to market it as super hard so you could prepare accordingly and set your expectations as such. More information on the grade of the decline and the overall incline of the course would have been super helpful.
The race advertised Heed energy drink and hammer gels, though I heard the drink station volunteers say that they had PowerAde at some stations and Gatorade at others. Even if they did have Heed, I would have preferred that they said that at the station, since it matters exactly what we’re drinking along the route. It wasn’t an issue for me since I carried my own water, but just something I wanted to point out for anyone who was planning on training with the drinks the marathon advertised.

Read my other running blog posts:

9 Ways to Run a Faster 5K

July 8, 2019 by Mae's Menu Leave a Comment

Not happy with your current 5K times or looking to improve your performance? Read on for these simple, yet effective 9 Ways to Improve Your 5K Performance.

1) Train with Speed

You won’t be able to run your fastest 5K — or at least as fast as you’d like — if you haven’t trained with speed. Follow a training plan with speedwork to get in shape and work on your speed so your body will be ready and used to running fast during the race.

My favorite ways to train with speed for a 5K are with speed intervals, tempo runs, & fartlek runs. To check out a plan with my running coach, Luke Humphrey (formerly of Hanson’s Marathon Method), just click here. He has plans for runners at every level.

2) Eat Well in the Days Running Up to the Race

Nutrition, for me, is an easy thing to minimize or forget about with a 5K. I’m used to being very particular about what I eat when training and preparing for a marathon, but I’ve learned the hard way that I need to be mindful of what I’m eating before a 5K as well.

You don’t need to go hog wild about carb loading in the days leading up to the race, but make sure to eat plenty of non-processed foods like fruits and vegetables, healthy grains, lean proteins, and heart-healthy fats.

The night before the race, you’ll want to eat a normal size portion of a meal heavier in carbohydrates. Nothing crazy, but your body will run better off of carbs than it would, say, ribs (once again, experience. EEK).

And finally, make sure to eat breakfast before the run. Eat quick-digesting carbohydrates. Once again, you don’t have to carbo-load but your body is going to run better off a predominance of carbs than it would protein or fat.

3) Don’t Try or Eat Anything New The Night Before or Morning of the Race

An important follow-up to tip #2. Make sure not to change your diet the night before or morning of the race. So, eat a familiar carb-rich food the night before– ideally one that you’ve eaten before training workouts during your training cycle.

The same thing goes with the morning of. Even if something is a quick digesting carbohydrate, don’t try it if it’s new. It’s not worth messing with the potential consequences. Stick with what you’ve been eating before runs when training (even if that sounds totally boring to you). You can indulge in a brunch with some new, interesting foods after you’ve crushed your race. 🙂

Chelsea Plummer of Mae's Menu running with her dog, Allie.

4) Get to the Race Early

This is a big one for me. When I plan on racing a race, I’ve learned that I need to get to a race at least an hour before it starts for the best results. Otherwise, the stress of fitting in picking up my bib, getting to the porta-potties, and running my warm-up can get me stressed out and in an all-around not so great mind frame for my best work.

You want to do all you can to minimize any potential distractions or hiccups that can keep you from running your best race. Being there ahead of time can help you get ahead of or have time to deal with, any unforeseen issues that may arise.

5) Get Enough Rest & Minimize Stress in the Days Leading Up to the Race

Yet another tip I’ve learned the hard way (yes, we’re both seeing a theme here). Stress and lack of sleep can make the difference between a PR and not — or between racing hard comfortably and racing hard and feeling like death.

Do what you can to minimize schedule changes or events that will keep you up later than you usually do in the few nights leading up to the race. If the race is early, practice getting up early the few days before (after going to bed adequately early, that is!). If you’re getting 7-9 hours a sleep — or however much your body needs to really feel rested — and are still feeling tired, try to work in a few afternoon naps in the last few days before the race.

6) Visualize Success

The mental game of running is one I’ve really been zoning in on lately. I’ve seen people who pull similar workout stats with me but race stronger than I do and I’ve seen people who I can run a faster 5K than but they can kill me in the marathon. What gives? I’m determined that it’s the mental strength to race well and a big part of that is visualizing success and staying positive.

Visualize every part of the race — pre-race, during the race, and post race — each situation during race morning and the race, how you will deal with any challenges or discomfort, and how you will feel to overcome these challenges.

For example, for my recent race where I won my age group, I visualized getting to the race on time, having plenty of time for my warm-up, how pumped I would feel before the race, how I would push through and stay on mile 2 when I would start to feel tired, how I would stay positive if someone would pass me, etc. And then — most importantly — I focused on how amazing it would feel to be strategic about my race and stay strong through the challenges that would come my way.

And then, when the challenges came on race day I had already encountered and overcome them in my visualizations. It was that much easier to push through, knowing I’d already done it mentally and remembering how rewarding it would be to do so.

7) Run a Warm-Up and a Cool-Down Before and After the Race

This is one I learned back while running high school track. The 2 mile race was long enough that I needed a decent warm-up but too short to warm-up while running. So, I would run 2 miles before every race.

Same thing goes for 5Ks– I plan on running at least 1.5-2 miles about 30-40 minutes before the race start so my legs are warm by the time the race starts. This way I also have time to get back to the race start before the gun goes off.

8) Set an Exact Goal for Yourself

How are we to achieve a goal if we never set one in the first place? Set specific, but achievable and time-bound goals (in short, SMART goals) while training and leading up to the race.

This goes back and builds off to point #1 — in your training, you work on achieving and working towards the goals, and then during the race, you can evaluate mile by mile how well you are achieving those goals and adjust your performance if need be.

9) Relax!

Thank goodness this is a point!! Ever try to run after a super stressful or worrisome event? Chances are that if you weren’t hopped up on adrenaline it wasn’t your best run.

I’ve been there too. The more we can do to relax before a run — running a warm-up with friends, repeating our mantras, going through gratitude lists, and remembering the big picture to name a few — the better chances we have to run loose, relaxed, and strong.

Chelsea Plummer & Chris Murphy of Mae's Menu at the Father's Day 5k in Fort Collins.

Thanks so much for reading my tips to running a faster 5K! I hope that they are helpful for you. Please let me know what you think of them and let me know if you have any favorite 5K race tips!

Looking for some healthier carb-rich meals when training for your 5K?

Here are some of my favorites:

Check Out My Other Running Blog Posts:

An Intro to My Running Blog and Why I Run

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An Introduction to My Running Blog & Why I Run Marathons

June 6, 2019 by Mae's Menu Leave a Comment

What running marathons has done for my life and why I want to share it in this blog.

I got hooked on running early. Some of my earliest memories are of racing family and friends across empty parking lots. I got my first set of stitches from falling when running down the street (& the second set was from cycling — a prophetic combo). I remember my school’s 2nd-grade mile race like it was yesterday.

The adrenaline of the competition was a rush. I felt so free & empowered and I loved the feeling of being fast. I love what happened when I pushed myself and I particularly loved it when I passed some boys.

Fast Forward to High School

Fast forward to high school and I still loved to run. I ran for the high school track team my freshman year and somehow got to the Pennsylvania WPIAL track meet for the 2-mile event. I didn’t place — or even really run that great, for that matter — in the state event, but the rush of starting to move somewhere with my running fueled me.

My rush stopped dead in its tracks, though. On one summer morning pre-season cross country training run, my IT band seized up and rendered me close to unable to walk, not to mention run.

I was devastated. Running was not just my sport, it was me. And unfortunately, 3 sports doctors later — including the Pittsburgh Steelers’ orthopedic surgeon — and we still didn’t have a remedy to the pain. I was given no choice but to give up running.

My strategy was always to start slower and then catch them in the final laps when they were starting to lag.

Finally, An Answer

After a grieving period, I moved on from running and into other hobbies in high school. I started cooking even more than I had been previously and I got more into academic clubs & pursuits. I started to find other ways to stay fit or ran non-competitively over shorter distances.

When I got to college, however, I met a really good friend who was (and is!) a super gifted runner. She was training for a marathon and eventually, I started joining her on training runs. I thought I might train for the Chicago Marathon.

The training was fun, but it was short-lived. My IT band intervened again and this time I was on crutches. I was crushed — would I ever be able to run again? Why was this thing I loved so much seemingly so “off limits”?

Somehow, amidst my crazy course load and without having a car, I got myself down to Chicago to see an orthopedic surgeon, again. I didn’t have hope that he would cure me, but I was hoping for relief from the pain.

The doctor walked in with his resident. After a quick consultation, the resident asked me to lay down. Once reclined, he gave my leg a gentle but firm pull. Within moments, I felt my hip relax and all the pain from my IT band flood out of my body.

I was in shock and so thankful. The doctor assigned me physical therapy to re-strengthen and even out my hips and I was on my way to being pain-free again.

But life and other messages intervene

I wish I could say this is where the story ends, but it isn’t. After that intense pain, I was grateful for feeling better but didn’t want to push it. I started to think that previous messages I’d received of marathons and high mileage being bad for women were true, so I tried to just let any notions or big goals for running die.

So I continued on with life, staying pretty active through other exercises. I even had a pretty solid foray into road cycling. Life got busy, though, and I had a few close calls with cars so I decided — pretty easily — to let that go.

A rediscovery

Around the time we moved to Colorado, I started to evaluate all the different messages I believed that held me back, both personally and professionally. Running was definitely one of those areas.

If I was smart about my hip issue and worked into training slowly, could I run a marathon? Why did I even blindly accept these messages that I “couldn’t do that”?

And more importantly, why was I even asking myself if I even could? I started to replace any doubts or questions with “if I am smart about this and work up to the distance, I will be able to run this marathon.”

So, within three days of moving to Colorado, I decided to start training for my first marathon (while also adjusting to the elevation!). It was sobering being at paces that were 4 minutes a mile slower than I had run in high school, but I kept with it. And on my 31st birthday, I completed my first marathon.

Chelsea Plummer finishes the San Antonio marathon. — My first marathon finish line.

What I learned from my first marathon.

I don’t say this lightly when I say that marathon running changed my life. To this day, I can’t watch any race or marathon without crying. Overcoming limiting ideas in one area of my life directly corresponded to overcoming them in other areas of my life. I’m so grateful to this sport and this amazing community for teaching me that.

I also learned that I need to fuel my body for success. When it comes to marathoning, what I put in my body — both in quantity and quality — directly relates to my performance. Marathon running helped me to finally get my relationship to food straightened out. Food is what fuels me, not what plagues me.

Finally, I learned to take care of and listen to my body. Whether it is by getting enough sleep, doing yoga, stretching, or simply running my easy runs easy and my hard runs hard, I’ve learned to take care of my body so it can take care of me over the long haul.

What this running blog will be about.

Overall, my goal with this blog is to help share the joy and love of running so other people (i.e. you!) can experience the power of it in their (your!) lives. To that end, there are many topics I plan on covering and questions I plan on answering. Topics and questions such as:

How I’ve run a faster marathon time
How I fuel for best running performance
How I learn and grow from both positive and negative running & racing experiences
How to improve overall running speed & stamina
What type of running recovery foods & exercises work best for me
What cross-training I do for running.
And, of course, stories about running with my insanely fit but insanely rabbit crazy dog, Allie.

I’m not a running coach and I’m not a dietician, but I hope that by sharing my experience I can help you find more joy through running.

Hearing from you

What about you? What is your running story? I’d love to hear more about it. Feel please share in the comments below or DM me on Instagram. Also, please let me know if there any particular running topics or questions you’d like me to cover in future posts and I’ll try my best to include those as well.

Thanks for reading and being on this journey with me. I look forward to all that is ahead!

Montana Marathon Race Recap