Monday, April 27, 2009

nerves

I don't know why I am so nervous; the marathon is 6 days away! I hope my nerves settle down because they take the energy away from where I need it most. I've already started to make a pile of stuff to pack even though I don't leave for 3 1/2 days. That's partly to expend my nervous energy and partly because I have to be packed and ready to go Thursday morning and I have plans until late Wednesday night. In other words, I need to be packed and ready to go before bed on Tuesday. I am always afraid I will forget something, but honestly, when it comes right down to it...I can buy most things at a store! As long as I have my running shoes and my planned running outfit, everything else can be bought. (I guess technically I could buy new shoes and running clothes but runners know you should NOT wear anything new the day of a marathon!). I'm going to the expo on Friday to pick up my number and shirt, and to browse around. I'll also drive the course. That way, on Saturday all I have to do is drive to the B&B and RELAX! I don't even need to go NEAR the frenzy that will be at the Expo on Saturday!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Need some Motviation!!!

It's hot today. In the 80s and very sunny with no clouds. A perfect day for the beach. A perfect day for many outdoor activities. But not so perfect for me for running. I would rather run in a snowstorm than in heat. In fact, I'd rather run in just about any weather condition (except for lightning). But it's hot today. And I must run. I'm scheduled for only 3 miles today and 8 miles tomorrow. Sounds pretty simple given the earlier long runs during my marathon training. But even 1 mile for me in this heat is too much. I had planned to switch the mileage and do 8 today and 3 tomorrow because I have plans tomorrow and I don't want to have to cram everything in. As the day progresses, we'll see what I decide. I'm just kind of living in denial for a few more hours until I have to head out the door...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

exhaustion

Well, I finally did that second 20 miler, two days after the tough run on Sunday when Wendy rescued me. I took the afternoon off from work, got home by 12:30 and was out the door by 12:40. I ran the first 10 miles, and then at about mile 10.5 I started to walk. I was getting dizzy and short of breath. However, I was determined to finish the 20 miles, even if I had to walk the second 10 miles. Luckily, I didn't have to walk the entire second half, but I did walk quite a bit. The dizziness and shortness of breath continued, and eventually my calf muscles got very tight. These are all signs of dehydration, but I couldn't understand why I would be dehydrated. Yes, it was a warm and sunny day. But I had hydrated with water for 4 days prior to the run, ate lots and lots of carbs, drank water AND Gatorade every 1.25 miles, consumed 5 electroylyte tablets during the 20 miles, and ate 6 GU packets. How could I have gotten dehydrated? The only thing I can think of is that it was the first really warm/sunny day on which I had a long run. Hopefully that's all it was and my body is now adjusting to the warmer weather. My final time was 20 minutes slower than the 20 mile race, which obvioulsy meant one minute per mile slower. But that's okay...I finished!

Today I was supposed to do a 12 miler, my last double digit run before the marathon. However, after spending 4 days babysitting my nephew, I was wiped out. Just plain exhausted. I did 4 miles and have postponed the 12 miler to Tuesday after work. Luckily it is light out late enough that I should be able to get the 12 miler done before it gets dark.

Less than 2 weeks to the marathon!!!! Tomorrow I volunteer at the mile 19 clock at the Boston Marathon. Hopefully it will inspire me! :)

Sunday, April 12, 2009

fate

So I did all the "right" things to prepare for today's 20 mile run. I carbo-loaded on both Friday and Saturday nights, and I rested most of the weekend. And then I drove along my route (10 miles out and back) on Saturday afternoon to stash water and Gatorade. I slept VERY late today (almost 11) and when I woke up I ate a peanut butter sandwich and a Luna bar. Half an hour later, I was off on my run. Within a mile, I knew it was going to be a tough run. I felt nauseous. And shaky. But onwards I went, thinking that I had 20 miles total so the feeling would go away.

By mile 5, I knew the feeling was not going to go away any time soon. In fact, I started walking a bit around mile 5.5. Somewhere between mile 7 and 8, I started to walk quite a bit. I had water and Gatorade stashed at mile 8. I decided at that point to turn around and make it a 16 miler. I also decided that I would have to walk most of the second half. (This was a VERY difficult decision for me, as I typically push myself to complete the full mileage even if I'm not feeling my best. However, I decided that it was crazy to keep going at that point.) Not only was I continuing to keep feeling nauseous, but my heart rate went sky high every time I ran. Obviously your heart rate goes up when you run, but it was uncomfortably high.

I dressed well for the cold and windy conditions, but I dressed to RUN. Once I started walking, I started getting cold. All of my clothing was soaked with sweat, and all of this sweat became like a sheet of ice against my skin. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands to keep them warm, and kept walking forward. I had walked about 3 miles when I heard an angel's voice. It turned out that my friend Wendy from my Massachusetts running club was getting gas and saw me walking by and called out my name. She asked if I was okay. I replied "no" and walked towards her. She told me to get in the car and she offered to drive me home from there. THANK YOU, WENDY! I had 5 more miles to go and honestly I think I would have frozen solid if I had had to walk those last 5 miles. It was FATE....and it worked in my favor...BIG TIME! Honestly, how long does it take to fill up a tank of gas? Maybe 5 minutes? How did I get lucky enough to be passing by Wendy at the right moment and how lucky was I that she saw me and recognized me? I was so grateful for that fateful moment.

So I'm going to try the 20 miles again on Tuesday; I'm taking the afternoon off from work. This time I will avoid any food within a few hours of the run! We'll see how it goes. Just to be safe, I'm going to start from home, run out 5 miles then back, returning to my condo at mile 10. Then I'll do it all over again. This way, I'll never be more than 5 miles away from home.

Cross your fingers... My marathon is 3 weeks away and I need to complete this final long run!