Katie Heddleston

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Fitness, Races, Running

2012 Army Ten Miler Recap

After our adventures on Saturday, we went to bed hoping for a good night. John was on Xander night duty and was only to get me if he needed fed. X woke up at 1 to eat and then again 3:30 for some reason. John had been tending to him since 3am and then it was evident he needed mommy. I made it back to our bedroom by 3:45, but by that time I knew John’s alarm would be going off at 4:15 – so if I did fall asleep it didn’t really feel like it.

At 4:15 the alarm went off and we started getting ready. John went downstairs and made us breakfast while I got my running clothes on. After eating, getting everything ready, and trying to use the bathroom (you know what I mean, runners), it was time to get Xander into his car seat. The transition was seamless and we were on the road by 5am.

Instead of taking the metro all the way into DC this time (there was track work on our line and we had to take a shuttle for part of it on Saturday), we decided to drive to our friends Mark and Lauren’s place and then take the metro from there. This worked perfectly!

We arrived to the Pentagon around 6:50-7am. The metro stop was busy but not as crazy as I was anticipating. You certainly had to be patient, but everyone seemed very nice – especially since I was holding a sleeping baby. Everyone loves a good baby!

before the race.jpg

Lauren and I hung out with our husbands for awhile before entering the security check point and watched the parachuters above us (un-pictured).

walking from metro.jpg sunset over race.jpg

I was hoping I could feed Xander before the race, in order to be as empty as possible, but when he did wake he wasn’t hungry. Funny story though: the way I was holding X was pressing against my Camelbak tubing in such a way to completely drench my shirt. We were so confused and were trying to figure out if it was Xander pee or breast milk, before realizing it was just water. Ha! Luckily my bib covered a lot of the water spot!

sleeping baby.jpg X in stroller.jpg

Lauren and I said goodbye to the boys and made our way through the security check point, which wasn’t much of a check point at all. The website said no cell phones, audio/video devices, or headphones… yet we saw tons of people with them. Oh well, we had established a meeting location with the boys and were set to race.

We made our way to the port-a-potty lines before heading to our corral. Our corral was set to start at 8:25am and as each corral ahead of us started, there was fan fare for each. It was so exciting! Before we knew it, we were running! I’ve read a few other recaps from people in earlier corrals than us who said the first mile was pretty tight in terms of running space, however, I didn’t really notice a huge difficult. While we were running, the boys made their way to the Pentagon Memorial…

pentagon memorial.jpg pentagon remembrance.jpg

Back to the race… it was extremely patriotic and very uplifting. At the beginning of the race there was an amazing runner playing the piccolo WHILE running. He played all sorts of patriotic tunes and the runners would erupt into applause when he finished a song. So moving.

Also, apparently in DC when you run under a bridge you start clapping. The first time this happened I was confused but Lauren knew the drill. It was such a fun tradition that I was more than participate in.

The miles ticked by quickly and before we knew it, we were running on Independence Avenue, which ended up being my favorite part of the course. We ran down and back on Independence Avenue… making it possible to see the other runners AND there was a ton of crowd support. If I were to run this race again, I would encourage John to stand there for cheering purposes before heading to the finish.

I wish I knew DC better because I would describe where we ran, but it was an amazing course. We were able to see the Washington Monument often and there was some really pretty water for awhile too. We did run on some stretches of highway as well, but I guess that was needed to get the miles in. The course was pretty much flat with just a couple gradual hills.

As we approached mile 9, an amazing man starting chanting an Army cadence. It was so easy to fall into step, and his American spirit gave Lauren and me a burst of energy as we headed to the finish. We crossed that line hand and hand… finishing in 1:55:26. An 11:32 pace. Sure, it’s not the fastest, but I am darn proud of that time. This was one of the most fun races I have ever run and I worked hard for every step.

army ten milers finishers coin2.jpg finishers coin army ten mile.jpg

It might sound silly, but as I was handed my finisher’s coin I was overcome with emotion and welled up. The last time I got emotional during a race was during mile 12 of my very first half marathon. The emotions I felt during the Army Ten Miler were so real and so raw. I was so proud of how far I’ve come since my pregnancy and giving birth. All I wanted to do in that moment was find John and Xander.

Sure, I have a ways to go, but no one can take away this accomplish.

we finished.jpg heddleston family.jpg

Thank you John and Xander for being the best motivation and support system. Thank you Lauren for running this entire race with me – we were a perfect team! I can’t wait to see the official race photos of us!

HOOAH!

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14 Comments October 22, 2012

Comments

  1. Maria says

    October 22, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    Congrats! I’d love to run a race in DC! There are so many memorials that I haven’t seen yet or at least since I was in middle school.

    Also, can we mention how awesome you look after waking up before the crack of dawn? You make this whole mommy thing look easy 😉

    Reply
    • Healthy Heddleston says

      October 23, 2012 at 11:53 am

      Hehe well thank you 🙂

      Reply
  2. Heather says

    October 23, 2012 at 7:27 am

    After reading everyone’s posts about this race I so want to do it next year!
    Congratulations, Katie – you have made amazing progress after having X – you totally earned this one!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Healthy Heddleston says

      October 23, 2012 at 11:52 am

      Thank you heather! And if you do it next year let me knowwwwwww!

      Reply
  3. Laura says

    October 23, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Awesome recap, Katie! I had no idea about the clapping under the bridge, good to know if I run that race someday. Congrats on your race! Just a great accomplishment, especially post-baby. Tears are expected. 🙂

    Reply
    • Healthy Heddleston says

      October 23, 2012 at 11:52 am

      The clapping under the bridges was really cool – so unifying.

      And I was surprised by the tears! Guess I still have a bunch of extra hormones laying around 🙂

      Thank you for the congrats- it means a lot to me!

      Reply
  4. LNRB says

    October 23, 2012 at 11:02 am

    Two things:
    1. You are a particular brand of awesome.
    2. We are super photogenic and attractive.

    Reply
    • Healthy Heddleston says

      October 23, 2012 at 11:50 am

      1. I love you.
      2. I love you.

      Reply
      • LNRB says

        October 23, 2012 at 3:45 pm

        I wish I could “like” this reply.

        Reply
  5. Holly @ Mama Bear Blogs says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Sounds amazing! I think your time sounds great!

    Reply
  6. Gina @ Noshing on Asphalt says

    October 23, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    Fantastic job Katie!! Thanks for the heads-up about clapping while running under a bridge. I’ll be running the MCM Sunday so now I feel like an insider, less like a tourist. 🙂 I loved reading about how proud you were over finishing; you are such an inspiration (and I don’t even have kids).

    Reply

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Hello there! I'm Katie Heddleston. I help you get and stay healthy! I understand what a busy life is like and want to help you find a practical approach for better health that allows you to feel excited about nutrition and NOT stressed. Through my individual nutrition counseling, online group nutrition & fitness programs, and self-led programs, my goal is to help you find an approach that works for YOU.

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Hello there! I'm Katie Heddleston. I help you get and stay healthy! I understand what a busy life is like and want to help you find a practical approach for better health that allows you to feel excited about nutrition and NOT stressed. Through my individual nutrition counseling, online group nutrition & fitness programs, and self-led programs, my goal is to help you find an approach that works for YOU.

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