#DreamBig : 13.1 in all 50 states : DreamBig 2015

STATE #42 - Fairfield, Connecticut
Faxon Law Group Fairfield Half Marathon
Finishers: 2,933

June 27, 2015
Warning: This gets really confusing - if you have a hard time connecting dots - grab a friend to help explain the madness I went through on this day.

So, I woke up and packed in preparation to fly to Bradley Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, where I would get my rental car and drive north about an hour to Brattleboro, Vermont for my 42nd half marathon. I had booked an AirBnB and I was really excited because it was across the street from the race start and the guy I was staying with, Calvin, seemed super interesting.

Since my flight wasn't until 12:50pm, I had some time before I needed to leave for the airport but I couldn't break tradition so I said goodbye to Gregg and Tupelo and drove to ChickFilA to get my traditional #7 Chicken, Egg and Cheese bagel up on Piedmont. Once I got home, I finished packing, ate my breakfast and saddled up to walk to Marta. I arrived at ATL with plenty of time and my flight was all on schedule. Once we boarded the plane and got out onto the tarmac, small droplets of water appeared on the windows. Rut Ro. I knew I was in for a treat. The planes all started lining up and we were told we were #17 in line and no departures were allowed due to incoming weather. Cool - love delays. So after sitting on the tarmac with 30 more minutes after 30 more minutes announcements and two competing screaming babies 2 rows in front of me - we finally took off to BDL 2 hours late. You know, weather happens - what can you do?

Weather? Bad - Train on Time - Flight on Time - Ready to go to Vermont!

Fake out - ready to sit on the runway for 2 hours with crying babies

We finally landed at BDL around 4:45PM, I had been on my computer the entire flight yet someone the timing of my first incoming email the second I got into the airport was severely well timed:

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?!
If you know me you know I am usually pretty easy going but if you mess with my plans - especially with my race plans that I have plotted out no joke YEARS in advance --
you should expect some wild reactions. As with all problems, I immediately text Pauli and Megan - not that they can do anything - but sometimes you just need someone to sympathize with you. Then, and bless his heart, I call Gregg and start wildly venting about how I spent all of this money to fly up to the northeast and now it's all for nothing. Mid vent session I had an epiphany, collected my thoughts and realized I may have a Plan B.

There are several websites that organize all of the half marathons states and dates together so I ran a quick google to see if either Massachusetts or Connecticut just so happened to also have a race the next day. Massachusetts? - nope. Connecticut - bingo. This entire time I am searching, I am just speed walking like a lunatic through the BDL airport headed for my rental car with zero clue where I am going. I got on the Avis shuttle and learned the CT race was in Fairfield, CT so I jumped on Expedia and booked the first hotel I saw in the area (don't ask how much I paid). I also called Calvin in VT and broke the news I wouldn't be joining him that evening - bummer.

Ya, thanks...did NOT see this coming.

Once I got my car (a Chevy Sonic - basically the toaster car of choice for all my races) I jumped on the highway and headed south to Fairfield. Within a matter of 30 minutes my life had been flipped and rebooked. Via text, Gregg was quite surprised that I actually kept my cool and didn't just drop to the floor in the middle of the airport and surrender. But now that I had a hotel, a car, and a chance and an idea of Plan B - I just had to make sure I could get into the race.

I tried to call the race company but figured they weren't working on Saturday at 6PM. The weather was rainy and I was already frazzled so I just focused on driving until I arrived at the hotel in Fairfield. I checked in and quickly went into spy mode searching high and low for any possible email address of a person I could talk to and blowing up the races social media just looking for an answer. After I exercised all of my options, I called mom to tell her what crazy cards I had been drawn. She was bummed that I didn't have an ending to my story and was still unsure if I could get into the race but then **PING** an email came back across from both Maggie and Jody from JB Sports confirming I was all set and able to register at 6:45AM the next morning - HORRAY!!!! The final piece of the puzzle has been found!

Relieved, I needed to go find an ATM so I could pay for my registration in the morning and then also needed food - bad. Once I got my money, I decided it was one of those days where I wasn't in the mood to yelp all of the local options so I defaulted to my fall back - a #2 from McDonalds (2 cheeseburgers and fries). Say what you want but I see both carbs and protein in that meal so it works for me. While I was out and about, I decided to drive the race course since I knew absolutely nothing about the race - I mean honestly I didn't even know where I was in general. Probably should've looked at a US map at some point.... It was still raining and getting dark but I could still tell the course would be very historic, gorgeous and hilly -- very, very hilly.

Money check - McDonald's - love you #2

With one last stop at Whole Foods around 9:30pm to grab some food for breakfast, I finally settled in at the hotel to get some rest for the mornings events. I started back into planning mode trying to figure out where I would squeeze another Vermont race back into the equation and things are not looking promising - but it will all work out. WHAT a day.

June 28, 2015
I awoke unsure of what state I was in - but really - who cares? I knew it was one of the 9 states I hadn't finished so all was good. It was still raining but looked lighter than the night before. After my usual race morning prep - covering my side and back with body glide - I drove the short 8 minutes over to Jennings Beach where the race festivities were to occur.

Morning Forecast

After parking, I wandered over to the race registration and concerned as always, was elated to hand over my money and get my race number. Thank Goodness. I heard someone say "Maggie" as I was filling out my registration, so I jumped in and made sure to thank her for replying to my dramatic cry for help the night before. She was excited to meet me and got a picture to share on the races social media of my crazy adventure and how JB Sports saved the day.

AND breathe.

Jennings Beach, CT

All the stuff I think I need to run

It was still early and the race wasn't until 8:15am, so I wandered out to the beach to get some pictures and get my race shirt. It was gloomy but still an awesome background for my surprise race. I hung out in the car for a while and then got out and stretched when the rain finally decided to give up. Around 8:05am I joined the masses and walked over to start of the race. Because we were starting on some neighborhood streets, they split the men and women and had us start in two different places. It felt like...woman's suffrage or something...that reference is so off but I don't know how else to explain. (Let us Vote! - ok give it up...)

Walking to the start line

All the ladies - and a few committed men

I noticed a lady with a 50 states half club tshirt on and wandered over to ask (boast) how many races she had done. She said CT was her 18th to which I told her this was my 42nd. As always, I got the typical reply "No this is my 18th STATE" - Uh...ya lady. This is my 42nd STATE! I'm a young little enigma - people always think I just mean that's how many races I've done.

The race started promptly at 8:15 and the rain had stopped and we were met with a muggy 60s and extreme humidity. The first part of the race took us through the Fairfield neighborhood where we met up with the men around mile 1.2. Mile 2 started a long uphill climb - the first of may for the day. We were met with a nice downhill that brought us to a crazy downhill around Mile 3 and this is where things got beautiful. I guess you would call it a harbor, but it was on our left as were a bunch of sailboats just chillin in the water. We continued down some more hills and then made a right into a little town and past the fire station towards Mile 4. Mile 4.5 - 7 was a rather mental wall for me. You may think these races are easy for me with how many of them I do, but almost every single race I struggle mentally and physically. It may have something to do with the fact that I don't really (ever) train for the events, but when you are 5 miles in and you realize you still have another 8 to go and you are just surrounded by trees - it's easy to start falling into the trap of self doubt. These are usually the times I just start to pray.

Boats on the water!

Fire Station

Mile 8 Beach Run -sorry its gloomy

More boats on the water!

Ain't no swimmers today!

Oh heyyyyy - that's me....FYI

Last year, on this same day, I was driving home from my half and triathlon in Cincinnati when Gregg and I got the news about the passing of Philip Lutzenkirchen, the loved and admired Auburn tight end. Ever since that day, I have worn my Lutzie 43 bracelet for every race along with my Auburn Pride and Boston Strong bracelet. It's a lot of bracelets but they are the reminders I need and love when I start to get discouraged and need something to focus on.

War Eagle, Phil!

So with a little prayer, I made it through to Mile 7 which is always my mental top of the mountain. I know I have more than half the race behind me. Mile 7-8.5 also ran by some ginormous houses and the Pacific coastline so I made sure to take some (blurry) pictures and do my normal Mile 7 snapchat. At Mile 9, the course started to retrace where we had been at Mile 4. That means, anything we had gone down - we now had to go back up. I didn't feel like I had a lot left in the tank but I have some weird relationship with hills. Maybe it's because I am well aware that all of my weight training directly relates to the muscles needed to power up hills -- so I basically sprint up all the hills and people cheer and then I get to the top and can barely jog. What a joke. So Mile 9 - hills. Mile 10 was a long gradual hill back towards the start. Near Mile 11, we turned down back towards the beach and it flattened out and I knew all we had left was to run to the beach, and then turn back and run down a street parallel to what we had just run and then turn back towards the beach and into the finish.

Mile 9 before getting into all the hills

Mile 12 - not during race - stole this from some girls instagram

The crowd support was awesome for the last 3 miles and families with little kids were all outside cheering and handing out little Dixie cups of water, Gatorade, oranges, ice - you name it - fans were ready to assist.

As I made the final turn towards the finish line, I thought I was there because I could hear the announcer and then all of a sudden we are running on wet gravel which took me by surprise but I finally saw and kicked to the finish under the big American Flag. God Bless America - and Connecticut - and the finish line of this crazy race adventure.

I got my medal and then headed out to the beach to grab some food. They had my favorite - watermelon - so I grabbed a slice and went to hunt down a kind citizen to take my race photo. I found a man with a crazy shaved hair cut wearing a kilt and figured he'd be a great candidate. He took my photo and then we chatted a while about some of his most memorable races and I told him about my past 24 hours. After going back for seconds, then thirds, then fourths (I was walking circles around the food tent) of watermelon, a kid volunteer picked up the biggest slice of watermelon I had seen all day and my eyes lit up and I said like a child "Can I have that??" No joke - 10 year old kid - just laughing hysterically at my child like request. Not sorry. I grabbed my monster melon and head back to the car to play "race to the airport".

Snapchat #42 Check In!

BIGGEST WATERMELON EVER!!! OMERGAH!

OFFICIAL RACE PIC - 42 states down, 8 more to go! #DREAMBIG

The lot was MOBBED and I wasn't moving anywhere for at least 30 minutes. I finally got out of there and back to the hotel to quick shower and get on the road by noon. My flight was at 6:40pm but I had put myself on the standby list in hopes of getting back to ATL on the 3:20pm. (Chicken Finger Sunday was waiting). The weather had turned bad again but I made it to the airport safe with plenty of time and after thinking my luck had run out, they called my name at the last possible second to get on the 3:20pm flight back to ATL. Thank goodness.

Reward at the airport =)

Fueling up - wanted to show my cool toaster car

Skinny Pop from the Whole Foods booth - pardon my wet hair.

I may have lost a good 3-4 years of my life in my 30 minute freak out when my Vermont race got cancelled but all in all, I must say the race was a big success! I must also mention that I had to miss Kali's Bachelorette Party in Milwaukee for this race so I want to send my love and regret - thanks for being so understanding!