Yesterday I completed a 5K race. Due to some digestive issues (I'll spare you the details), I decided to walk the race. Once I started though, I turned it into a slow jog. I felt comfortable the whole way and never felt I really pushed myself. And I did not look at my watch once! Somehow I managed to run faster than my last 5K race. Keep in my mind that in my world "faster" is relative, as I am normally in the back of the pack due to my slower pace. But it was a sub-10 minute pace and that is always good for me!
The lesson of the story for me is this: don't worry about your finish time, or about always pushing yourself. Sometimes it's just about the journey. I have said this many times before but yesterday I really *felt* it. It was quite wonderful to approach the finish line, see the time on the clock..and know that I had enjoyed the race, hadn't pushed myself too hard, and felt good.
It's a lesson I need to carry forward from here on out. As Ben & Jerry have said: "If it's not fun, why do it?" I will now make running more fun. And maybe somehow I'll be able to squeeze in a decent pace, too!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
motivation
My motivation for running always varies, but I find that when I am not training for anything in particular, my motivation bottoms out. Training for my next set of marathons does not begin until June, and on April 25th I ran my 2nd of 2 marathons of 2 months. I have only run 4 times since then, and I'm finding it hard to get motivated. For the first two weeks after the April marathon, I purposely didn't run. I felt that my body needed a rest. In addition, I wanted to enjoy some free time! No more squeezing in a run before a night out with friends, or lugging my running clothes around every day, or having to take 2 or 3 showers in a day due to running. It was a nice break!
But I figured I should keep my muscles active and start running again a few times a week, perhaps just 3 miles at a time. This might sound easy to a marathon runner, but for me right now it's not. It's not that I dread running. It's that I just feel tired and unenergized. So far I have run each of the days I committed myself to, so I guess I am not totally defeated. But it has taken me a lot to get myself out there. I guess I shouldn't worry about it. In June I won't really have a choice (okay, yes, I have a choice. But if I want to do 2 marathons in 1 month in the fall I really need to do the training!). Maybe I should just take the month of May for what it is: a time to enjoy life (both with and WITHOUT running) and just do the best I can!
But I figured I should keep my muscles active and start running again a few times a week, perhaps just 3 miles at a time. This might sound easy to a marathon runner, but for me right now it's not. It's not that I dread running. It's that I just feel tired and unenergized. So far I have run each of the days I committed myself to, so I guess I am not totally defeated. But it has taken me a lot to get myself out there. I guess I shouldn't worry about it. In June I won't really have a choice (okay, yes, I have a choice. But if I want to do 2 marathons in 1 month in the fall I really need to do the training!). Maybe I should just take the month of May for what it is: a time to enjoy life (both with and WITHOUT running) and just do the best I can!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Gasparilla Marathon, Tampa FL (2/28/10)
My brother and his family moved from Boston to Florida in 2009, so I thought that the 2010 Gasparilla Marathon in Tampa, FL was a perfect excuse for a visit. Soon after I registered for the marathon I learned that 2010 would be their last marathon (they are keeping the 5K, 15K, and half marathon). I am very glad it all worked out, as this was an amazing marathon and I am glad I didn’t miss it. It really is a shame that they are retiring the marathon! I talked to some of the folks representing the Gasparilla Marathon at the Boston Marathon Expo, and they said to “stay tuned” so maybe the marathon is not gone after all!!!
This was my first flight alone in 20 years, and I had only taken 2 trips between 1990 and 2008, so the flight itself was my biggest worry. I had completed my marathon training program so I knew I would finish the marathon somehow. Getting through the flight was another thing. Much to my surprise, I did really well on the flight. I didn’t even need to utilize all of my tricks and rituals. I must say, though, that the medication I takes makes all the difference!!
I arrived early Friday afternoon, and my sister-in-law picked me up and took me to the expo. It was quite a large expo for a smaller marathon, and I was very impressed. What I had learned earlier that week was that Bart Yasso was going to be at the expo! Bart works for Runner’s World magazine and has been called the “mayor of running in the USA.” He has run over 1,000 races, hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, run the Death Valley race, and so many other crazy things. Needless to say, he’s one of my heroes! I first met Bart in November of 2009 at the NYC Marathon Expo, where I bought his book “Life on the Run” and he signed it. The same day I met him, I “friended” him on Facebook, and we are now Facebook buddies. So this would be my second time seeing Bart in person. We couldn’t stay long at the expo on Friday as we had to get back to pick up my nephew from school, but I knew I’d see Bart the next day.
On Saturday, my brother drove me to Tampa. I checked in at the hotel and then headed over to the expo. I knew Bart was giving a seminar at a particular time. I got a chance to talk to him briefly before his seminar, and got another picture taken with him (first one was in NYC). And I had him add “Gasparilla 2010” underneath his signature on his book. I figure that every time I see him at a marathon I will have him add the location of the marathon. I can’t wait to see how many times I get to see him! (the 3rd time ended up being in Boston in April).
My biggest concern for my Florida marathon was the weather; I had been afraid that after training in the cold New England winter I would face a hot and sunny day. In fact, I took 8 weeks’ worth of hot yoga classes just to acclimate to exercising in the heat! Turns out my worst fear did not come true. We started at 6:00am (yes, in the morning!!) and it was in the upper 40s. I don’t think it even got into the 60s by the time I finished. It did get a bit sunny, but there were a few clouds, too. I lucked out big time!!!
I was also a little concerned (though not really worried) about starting at 6:00 in the morning, as I am NOT a morning person. However, the interesting thing about starting in the dark was that we got to see an awesome view of the moon. And we got to see the sun rise! However, I still wouldn’t choose such an early start. But I tried to make the most of it.
I ran relatively conservatively for the first half, which is usually my strategy. The first half was somewhat crowded as we had about 8,000 half marathoners running along with us. Once they split off, it was much more manageable. I met up with a bunch of runners from the Bradenton Running Club (which is where my brother now lives) and ran with them for several miles. One of them included a 70+ year old man and I was having trouble keeping up with him. I eventually let them go when I slowed down at a water stop and they plowed ahead. Soon after this I noticed that I was not far behind the 5 hour pacing group. I usually finish my marathons in just under 5 hours, so I figured if I could stick with them I was doing okay. Eventually, somewhere in a park around mile 18-ish, I was able to pass them. I wasn’t intentionally trying to pass them but I felt good so it just kind of happened.
There were a fair number of spectators along the course, especially the last 4 miles or so, as we were on a fairly major road along the ocean. I could see and hear a huge group of people in white shirts at mile 24. Turns out that they were an organized group from a local school or community center. THEY ROCKED! They were so loud and so energetic, and they really kept me going.
I noticed on my watch that I would have no problem getting in under 5 hours. In fact, around mile 24 or 25 I realized that it was remotely possible that I’d get a personal record (PR). My PR was 4:52-something in 2008 at the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, NH. I pushed as hard as I could in Tampa and finished in 4:53-something. Just a minute off my PR! Surely I could have made up that time somewhere, but no worries. I was really happy with my effort and very surprised that I did so well in Florida.
My brother, sister-in-law and nephew were there for me along the course. We had pre-arranged where they would be, and the “first stop” was around mile 14. I saw my brother and sister-in-law as I approached, and they she disappeared. She went to get my nephew in the car. When I got to that spot I saw her trying to get my nephew out of the car. He wouldn’t budge! I kept calling his name and she finally told me he wasn’t getting out (I later told my nephew that if I had not wasted so much time waiting for him to get out of the car I would have had a PR!). At the next stop, he was visible, and was wearing his pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt. Clearly he had gotten up extra early to make it to Tampa. I was glad he was there, even if he was a little grumpy.
I got to see them as I entered a park around mile 18 and then when I exited the park around mile 20. That was really cool! They were kind enough to carry some of the supplies I needed, like salt pills and GU packets. When I run a marathon alone I have to carry all of this stuff with me so it’s definitely nice to have someone there to hand me my supplies. I saw my family one more time towards the end, but that part is a bit of a blur as my brain always turns to mush at the end of a marathon.
When I finished I saw that they had run out of the REALLY cool medals with a wildly colorful ribbon. One high-school aged volunteer kindly took me to a secret stash after I expressed my disappointment and I was extremely grateful. Then the official photographer asked me to pose with my medal. Believe it or not, this was the first marathon I’d run where they did that. It turned out to by one of my best pictures of the bunch; my smile was a mile long!
The post-race food was excellent (salad, rice, fruit, bread, etc.). While I was waiting in the food line, two women in front of me asked me to take their picture with their phone. My brain was so mushy that I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Many long distance runners can probably relate to me. When I finish a marathon, my brain is completely drained as I used all of my mental energy on the marathon. I often can’t answer simple questions or even process what people are saying.
I walked to get my bag and then asked a stranger to take a couple of pictures of me. I walked back to the hotel, where I had arranged a late check-out. There I put my legs in the cool pool water and then took a shower. My brother and his family then arrived to pick me up. We took a family photo in front of the hotel, and then when we got back to their house in Bradenton I put my legs in the pool again.
Marathon #10 and state #8 down! I loved this race!!!!! I am so lucky that almost all of my marathons have been awesome races! It would be so hard for me to rank them, as there were so many pros and cons to each of them. If absolutely forced, I would say:
Boston (in a class by itself; can’t rank it)
1. Steamtown (Scranton, PA)
2. Gasparilla (Tampa, FL)
3. Vermont City (Burlington, VT)
4. Clarence DeMar (Keene, NH)
5. Amica Breakers (Newport, RI)
6. Mystic (Mystic, CT)
7. New Jersey Marathon (Long Branch, NJ)
8. Hartford (Hartford, CT)
Since the Gasparilla I have run the Earth Day Challenge and I’d probably put it in between Gasparilla and Vermont City.
P.S. I forgot to mention the AWESOME swag we got at the Gasparilla Marathon: turquoise long-sleeved coolmax shirt with embroidery on upper back (skull/cross bones), towel, hat, tote bag, another bag from Publix, and tattoos. Woo hoo!
This was my first flight alone in 20 years, and I had only taken 2 trips between 1990 and 2008, so the flight itself was my biggest worry. I had completed my marathon training program so I knew I would finish the marathon somehow. Getting through the flight was another thing. Much to my surprise, I did really well on the flight. I didn’t even need to utilize all of my tricks and rituals. I must say, though, that the medication I takes makes all the difference!!
I arrived early Friday afternoon, and my sister-in-law picked me up and took me to the expo. It was quite a large expo for a smaller marathon, and I was very impressed. What I had learned earlier that week was that Bart Yasso was going to be at the expo! Bart works for Runner’s World magazine and has been called the “mayor of running in the USA.” He has run over 1,000 races, hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro, run the Death Valley race, and so many other crazy things. Needless to say, he’s one of my heroes! I first met Bart in November of 2009 at the NYC Marathon Expo, where I bought his book “Life on the Run” and he signed it. The same day I met him, I “friended” him on Facebook, and we are now Facebook buddies. So this would be my second time seeing Bart in person. We couldn’t stay long at the expo on Friday as we had to get back to pick up my nephew from school, but I knew I’d see Bart the next day.
On Saturday, my brother drove me to Tampa. I checked in at the hotel and then headed over to the expo. I knew Bart was giving a seminar at a particular time. I got a chance to talk to him briefly before his seminar, and got another picture taken with him (first one was in NYC). And I had him add “Gasparilla 2010” underneath his signature on his book. I figure that every time I see him at a marathon I will have him add the location of the marathon. I can’t wait to see how many times I get to see him! (the 3rd time ended up being in Boston in April).
My biggest concern for my Florida marathon was the weather; I had been afraid that after training in the cold New England winter I would face a hot and sunny day. In fact, I took 8 weeks’ worth of hot yoga classes just to acclimate to exercising in the heat! Turns out my worst fear did not come true. We started at 6:00am (yes, in the morning!!) and it was in the upper 40s. I don’t think it even got into the 60s by the time I finished. It did get a bit sunny, but there were a few clouds, too. I lucked out big time!!!
I was also a little concerned (though not really worried) about starting at 6:00 in the morning, as I am NOT a morning person. However, the interesting thing about starting in the dark was that we got to see an awesome view of the moon. And we got to see the sun rise! However, I still wouldn’t choose such an early start. But I tried to make the most of it.
I ran relatively conservatively for the first half, which is usually my strategy. The first half was somewhat crowded as we had about 8,000 half marathoners running along with us. Once they split off, it was much more manageable. I met up with a bunch of runners from the Bradenton Running Club (which is where my brother now lives) and ran with them for several miles. One of them included a 70+ year old man and I was having trouble keeping up with him. I eventually let them go when I slowed down at a water stop and they plowed ahead. Soon after this I noticed that I was not far behind the 5 hour pacing group. I usually finish my marathons in just under 5 hours, so I figured if I could stick with them I was doing okay. Eventually, somewhere in a park around mile 18-ish, I was able to pass them. I wasn’t intentionally trying to pass them but I felt good so it just kind of happened.
There were a fair number of spectators along the course, especially the last 4 miles or so, as we were on a fairly major road along the ocean. I could see and hear a huge group of people in white shirts at mile 24. Turns out that they were an organized group from a local school or community center. THEY ROCKED! They were so loud and so energetic, and they really kept me going.
I noticed on my watch that I would have no problem getting in under 5 hours. In fact, around mile 24 or 25 I realized that it was remotely possible that I’d get a personal record (PR). My PR was 4:52-something in 2008 at the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, NH. I pushed as hard as I could in Tampa and finished in 4:53-something. Just a minute off my PR! Surely I could have made up that time somewhere, but no worries. I was really happy with my effort and very surprised that I did so well in Florida.
My brother, sister-in-law and nephew were there for me along the course. We had pre-arranged where they would be, and the “first stop” was around mile 14. I saw my brother and sister-in-law as I approached, and they she disappeared. She went to get my nephew in the car. When I got to that spot I saw her trying to get my nephew out of the car. He wouldn’t budge! I kept calling his name and she finally told me he wasn’t getting out (I later told my nephew that if I had not wasted so much time waiting for him to get out of the car I would have had a PR!). At the next stop, he was visible, and was wearing his pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt. Clearly he had gotten up extra early to make it to Tampa. I was glad he was there, even if he was a little grumpy.
I got to see them as I entered a park around mile 18 and then when I exited the park around mile 20. That was really cool! They were kind enough to carry some of the supplies I needed, like salt pills and GU packets. When I run a marathon alone I have to carry all of this stuff with me so it’s definitely nice to have someone there to hand me my supplies. I saw my family one more time towards the end, but that part is a bit of a blur as my brain always turns to mush at the end of a marathon.
When I finished I saw that they had run out of the REALLY cool medals with a wildly colorful ribbon. One high-school aged volunteer kindly took me to a secret stash after I expressed my disappointment and I was extremely grateful. Then the official photographer asked me to pose with my medal. Believe it or not, this was the first marathon I’d run where they did that. It turned out to by one of my best pictures of the bunch; my smile was a mile long!
The post-race food was excellent (salad, rice, fruit, bread, etc.). While I was waiting in the food line, two women in front of me asked me to take their picture with their phone. My brain was so mushy that I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Many long distance runners can probably relate to me. When I finish a marathon, my brain is completely drained as I used all of my mental energy on the marathon. I often can’t answer simple questions or even process what people are saying.
I walked to get my bag and then asked a stranger to take a couple of pictures of me. I walked back to the hotel, where I had arranged a late check-out. There I put my legs in the cool pool water and then took a shower. My brother and his family then arrived to pick me up. We took a family photo in front of the hotel, and then when we got back to their house in Bradenton I put my legs in the pool again.
Marathon #10 and state #8 down! I loved this race!!!!! I am so lucky that almost all of my marathons have been awesome races! It would be so hard for me to rank them, as there were so many pros and cons to each of them. If absolutely forced, I would say:
Boston (in a class by itself; can’t rank it)
1. Steamtown (Scranton, PA)
2. Gasparilla (Tampa, FL)
3. Vermont City (Burlington, VT)
4. Clarence DeMar (Keene, NH)
5. Amica Breakers (Newport, RI)
6. Mystic (Mystic, CT)
7. New Jersey Marathon (Long Branch, NJ)
8. Hartford (Hartford, CT)
Since the Gasparilla I have run the Earth Day Challenge and I’d probably put it in between Gasparilla and Vermont City.
P.S. I forgot to mention the AWESOME swag we got at the Gasparilla Marathon: turquoise long-sleeved coolmax shirt with embroidery on upper back (skull/cross bones), towel, hat, tote bag, another bag from Publix, and tattoos. Woo hoo!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Earth Day Challenge Marathon, 4/25/10
As I pursue a marathon in each of the 50 states, I knew that there could be no other marathon to run in Ohio but the Earth Day Challenge. This is because it takes place at Kenyon College and its surrounding area, and I am a Kenyon alum (class of ’91). I also worked in student life there from 1994 to 1996. This meant that I’d have to do 2 marathons in 2 months, as I had already signed up for the Gasparilla Marathon in Tampa, FL on 2/28/10. No matter, though: Hal Higdon had an “8 weeks between marathons” training program for me to follow! And I always trust Hal.
I ended up traveling to Ohio on Thursday night even though the marathon was not until Sunday. That way I could visit with old friends, including former professors and colleagues. It also gave me lots of time to explore the campus since I had not been back in 4 years. It was a wonderful weekend of reminiscing and visiting.
But on to the marathon, as this blog is really about running. The weather all week had predicted thunderstorms on race day, and this was my biggest worry. I have always said that I’d run in any kind of weather condition but lightning. I like to reminder marathoners that “you can’t worry about what you can’t control” and certainly I have no control over the weather; however, I must admit that I was a little worried. I hadn’t done all of the training for nothing, and I wanted to finish the race. The pre-race instructions told us that it might be possible for race cancellation if the thunderstorms emerged.
The race had a marathon and a half marathon. As usual, the majority of participants were running the half: there were about 120 marathoners and 400 half-marathoners. We started together on the track at the athletic center on campus, and the sun literally came out as we were starting. For me, this was not a good thing. I don’t run well in the sun, heat, and humidity. And we were expecting all three. However, at that point I let go of any worries and just rolled with it. I figured I’d do the best I could given the conditions and that was all I could ask for.
The first four miles were in the village of Gambier, with many of those miles being on campus. At the .5 mile mark, we faced our biggest uphill. I had known about it beforehand, and my strategy was to walk up it. No sense wasting my energy before the first mile marker! That is pretty much what I did, though I did run up about the first 1/3 of it. Anyway, at the top of that early hill we wound up on “Middle Path,” which is a gravel path that runs the length of the main campus, for about a mile. This is sacred ground for Kenyon folks, as it’s kind of the epicenter of campus life. Everyone has to walk on Middle Path every day. I must admit that I got tears in my eyes as I took my first few steps on to Middle Path. It was finally coming true: I was running a marathon at Kenyon, my beloved alma mater.
Soon after that, we ran around the village of Gambier. Coincidentally, just as I ran by my friend Robert’s house (former professor with whom I had visited twice before the marathon), Robert emerged from his house to get the newspaper. What a wonderful unplanned surprise! And then right around the corner I saw Liz in front of her house (Liz was my supervisor when I worked at Kenyon). I saw many familiar faces throughout the race.
After the first four miles, the hills were totally over. We headed out to a paved bike path called the Kokosing Gap Trail that ran along the Kokosing River. We did an out and back on the western part of the trail, and then when we got close to the track where we started, the race was just about half-way over for me and the half-marathoners turned to finish on the track. I continued on to an out and back section on the eastern part of the trail. I remember when we turned around on the trail at the 8 mile mark some guy said “only 5 miles to go.” And I said “yeah right. I am running the full marathon.” I was nice about it. In fact I was in a good mood!
At the halfway point, I was running strong and feeling good despite the heat and humidity. Perhaps this was in part due to the fact that the western portion of the trail was very shaded. I looked at my watch halfway and saw something like 2:20 on my watch. Since I usually run marathons in even splits (same time for the first half as the second) I could see that I was on track to run a PR by quite a few minutes (as many as 12 since my PR is a 4:52). However, what I hadn’t realized at that point was that the heat and humidity would worsen, and the sun would become a factor. That’s because the eastern portion of the trail (which only the marathoners ran) had very little shade. The trail was surrounded by occasional trees, but much more so by farms. While the scenery was spectacular, the conditions left us out baking in the sun. I figured out pretty quickly that it was not safe to continue at my same strong pace. It was much more important to finish safely than it was to get a PR. At the time this didn’t bother me at all as I knew it was the right thing to do. Now that the race is over and I’m home, I am of course second guessing myself and wondered if I could have pushed myself harder. Oh well. I have 41 more states to run and plenty of time to get a new PR.
I decided to utilize a run/walk strategy, and walk in the sections that were totally unshaded. This worked out quite well, and I walked with a woman for a little bit. She has done the 50 states 3 times and it seems like she runs a marathon every weekend. It was nice to have some company for a while; however, she was struggling more than me so I moved forward without her. At other times I implemented a “walk .25 mile/run .75 mile” strategy. My strategy throughout the second half varied, but it all revolved around run/walk.
I knew that the turnaround point for the eastern section was somewhere around mile 19, and I was so glad to see that turnaround. The interesting thing about an out and back in a marathon is that you can see the faster runners coming at you; since we were on a narrow bike path you couldn’t miss anyone! The faster runners seemed to struggle in the weather conditions as well, which gave me some sort of solace. All aid stations had water and Heed (electrolyte replacement drink). One station had small cups of ice. I stuffed a cup of ice down my sports bra both times I passed that station. That helped A LOT!
Around mile 20 I saw that the dark clouds were rolling in and I thought I could hear thunder far away. By mile 22 it was clear that thunderstorms were rolling in. One of the race directors rode by on her bike to warn us of the weather. I asked her if I could still finish and she said “yes, but be careful.” It started to downpour, thunder, and lightning. The good news was that it made it about 5 degrees cooler, which was quite a welcome relief. It seemed like I was running away from the storm, so that gave me incentive to run faster. Eventually the storm subsided and the rain stopped. I had survived thunderstorm number one. The second one came about a mile from the finish. This one had heavier rain, but the thunder and lightning were not as bad. Again, it motivated to move faster and finish.
I knew my friend Deb from Kenyon (senior year roommate) and her daughter would be there to cheer me on somewhere towards the end of the race, but I wasn’t sure where. Knowing that I would see them soon helped me to go faster and to run more than I walked. I didn’t end up seeing them until mile 25.6 or so, which was just fine as it gave me that much more time to try to move quickly to see them.
I knew at around mile 25 that if I totally booked it as fast as I could that I could get in at a sub-5 hour time. However, I decided not to book it. My brain was really mushy at that point so I can’t accurately remember why I made that decision, especially because when faced with a similar situation at 2 of my previous marathons, I made the decision to completely book it and come in under 5. I guess I decided that I had many marathons ahead of me and this wasn’t my day to worry about the time. I was just grateful I had survived the thunderstorms and that I was able to run a marathon at Kenyon.
The finish line was three quarters of the way around the track where we had started. That seemed like the longest lap around the track I have ever taken. I did sprint in at the finish, even though I knew I would not get under 5 hours. But I got under 5:01! My official time was 5:00:46. Looking back, I am sure I could have made up those 47 seconds somewhere to get under 5, but I can’t worry about it now. I can only look forward. And I’ve got 2 marathons scheduled in the fall. Anything can happen!
I soon met up with Deb and her daughter, and we went to lunch after I took a shower. It was so great to have them there to share the finish with me! To have my Kenyon friend at the Kenyon marathon was just amazing. Later that day when I said goodbye to them I became emotional, as the enormity of the day finally struck me.
When I checked the results online that night, I discovered that I won an award for the top Athena time (this is a division for female runners over a certain weight range, I think it is 140 or 150 pounds). I was thrilled! I never thought I would get an award at a marathon, as I am a slower runner. I picked up my “loot” the next day, which consisted of a plaque, hat, and gift certificate. Later that day I found out that I was the only woman to enter that special weight division; however, I didn’t care!! I was happy with the award nonetheless.
The race was very well-organized and I *highly* recommend it to anyone looking for a small, eco-friendly, flat and scenic marathon. I’d go back to run the half but as for marathons, it’s on to other states for my 50 state marathon quest! Now I will take a week or two off from running so that I can have a social life before training begins again for my next marathon on 10/10/10 (10th state!)
My next blog will be about my February 28th marathon in Tampa, since I never wrote a blog about it!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
tough cold day
Well, "only" two weeks have passed since my last post...much better than the 7 or so months between the previous posts. :) Last weekend I was scheduled for a 5 miler on Saturday and a 20 miler on Sunday. However, I was in Bethel, Maine with a group of 12 people renting a house for the weekend. I was a bit stressed out about this; I mean, in January in Maine you want to ski, snowshoe, etc. but running is not usually on the agenda. I brought my running clothes and shoes just in case, and thought maybe I'd do 10+ on Saturday and x-c ski on Sunday. It was not to be. I spent 2 hours x-c skiing on Saturday and another hour snowshoeing. Sunday I spent 3 hours x-c skiing. No running. Not a step. I felt somewhat badly about it until one of my running friends told me that the x-c skiing "did my body good" and it was "enough" to replace the running (or at least enough to not have a major overall impact on my training). Besides, I have another 20 miler scheduled for 3 weeks before the marathon. And the novice training schedule only calls for the one 20-miler. And I have successfully completed 3 marathons using the novice schedule. So I should be fine. At least that it what I have told myself and now I need to move on.
Today I was scheduled for 12 miles, but that was when I was originally supposed to do 20 last weekend and 20 this weekend. My wise running friend suggested I bump it up a few miles but not to do two 20 milers in a row. So today I did 15. It was a tough 15! It was cold and I had diarrhea right before I left. (TMI? Stop reading!) This was not a good way to start, but I took some Immodium and headed out. I was not feeling motivated so my strategy was just to go really slowly. In fact, Hal Higdon says these long runs should be one minute slower per mile than marathon pace. Given that my marathon pace is always over 11 minutes/mile, these runs should be 12+ min/miles. Which never happens. So I decided it would be okay to do one long run closer to what Hal says to do. I definitely kept a consistent slow pace throughout the run. And I chose a new route, since I was sick of doing the same old out-and-back on the Boston Marathon course. Unfortunately the new route was much hillier than my regular route. But I figured since I was going extra-slow, I'd just do the best I could on the hills. This strategy worked, as I ran most of the hills (most, but not all!). Luckily the sun was out and I was well-dressed so though the cold was tough I was able to handle it. As always, the only thing that got cold was my gluteal area. Despite wearing "bun toasters" by Sugoi (yes, a real product), thick long underwear, and winter running tights, my butt got cold. But I decided that the best way to handle it was to keep moving! So move I did. Slow pace, but still I was moving.
After the run I felt really sick. Might have been the fact that I chugged a can of Coke Zero, plus a ton of cherry juice. Not a good combo?! :) I laid on the couch and whined (not out loud, I'm too tough for that). About an hour or so later the diarrhea returned. Guess I was lucky I didn't have any episodes during the run. I think I was dehydrated.
Next weekend I need to do those 20 miles. Long term forecast says snow the day of the 20 miler. Just my luck!
Today I was scheduled for 12 miles, but that was when I was originally supposed to do 20 last weekend and 20 this weekend. My wise running friend suggested I bump it up a few miles but not to do two 20 milers in a row. So today I did 15. It was a tough 15! It was cold and I had diarrhea right before I left. (TMI? Stop reading!) This was not a good way to start, but I took some Immodium and headed out. I was not feeling motivated so my strategy was just to go really slowly. In fact, Hal Higdon says these long runs should be one minute slower per mile than marathon pace. Given that my marathon pace is always over 11 minutes/mile, these runs should be 12+ min/miles. Which never happens. So I decided it would be okay to do one long run closer to what Hal says to do. I definitely kept a consistent slow pace throughout the run. And I chose a new route, since I was sick of doing the same old out-and-back on the Boston Marathon course. Unfortunately the new route was much hillier than my regular route. But I figured since I was going extra-slow, I'd just do the best I could on the hills. This strategy worked, as I ran most of the hills (most, but not all!). Luckily the sun was out and I was well-dressed so though the cold was tough I was able to handle it. As always, the only thing that got cold was my gluteal area. Despite wearing "bun toasters" by Sugoi (yes, a real product), thick long underwear, and winter running tights, my butt got cold. But I decided that the best way to handle it was to keep moving! So move I did. Slow pace, but still I was moving.
After the run I felt really sick. Might have been the fact that I chugged a can of Coke Zero, plus a ton of cherry juice. Not a good combo?! :) I laid on the couch and whined (not out loud, I'm too tough for that). About an hour or so later the diarrhea returned. Guess I was lucky I didn't have any episodes during the run. I think I was dehydrated.
Next weekend I need to do those 20 miles. Long term forecast says snow the day of the 20 miler. Just my luck!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
I'm back!!
Many times over the past 6 months I've thought "I should put that in my blog." But I never did. It's quite shameful that I haven't written in this blog for that long. Tonight I had dinner with a friend who also runs and who also has a blog. In talking to her, I realized I need to stop making excuses and start writing. So here I am. I am going to blog again. And I am hopeful to keep it going.
Since I last wrote, I completed another marathon, the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA in October. It was the best-organized marathon I have ever run! I could write paragraph after paragraph about how awesome that marathon was. In fact, I was so impressed that I wrote a letter to the editor of the Scranton newspaper and they published it!! Mostly I wanted the local residents to know how much their support was appreciated. So many of them were out there to cheer us on. The most memorable one, by far, was an elderly man in some sort of military uniform in a wheelchair. He was in the middle of the road on the yellow line. He could barely keep his head up but he was cheering. I went up to him and gave him a high five and he said something really positive to me. I can't remember the exact words, but I was so grateful to him! It was truly humbling to have the many residents of the Scranton area (a relatively depressed are) show us so much support. I will rave about Steamtown for years.
I took a short break but was back at it again in November. Unfortunately, training for my next marathon got off to a bad start when I experienced a neck/upper back injury in late October. I had to take a week off from running. And 18 week marathon training program turned into a 16 week program (I had already taken the first week off to continue recovery from Steamtown). Oh well! I was getting regular treatment on the injury (still am) and was back out there after a week of rest.
Now that "next marathon" is 6 weeks away! Today I completed an 18 mile run and felt great. This was good news, as I had struggled a bit with my long runs up to this point. The weather certainly helped; it was near-perfect conditions for me (40 and cloudy). Tomorrow I have the day off from work and will certainly spend the day resting.
I have decided to attempt 4 marathons this year. If it goes well then I will go for more than that next year. We'll see. 9 marathons down. 7 states. 43 states to go. As of right now, my 2010 marathon calendar includes FL, OH, NY, and VA. We'll see what happens!
Since I last wrote, I completed another marathon, the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA in October. It was the best-organized marathon I have ever run! I could write paragraph after paragraph about how awesome that marathon was. In fact, I was so impressed that I wrote a letter to the editor of the Scranton newspaper and they published it!! Mostly I wanted the local residents to know how much their support was appreciated. So many of them were out there to cheer us on. The most memorable one, by far, was an elderly man in some sort of military uniform in a wheelchair. He was in the middle of the road on the yellow line. He could barely keep his head up but he was cheering. I went up to him and gave him a high five and he said something really positive to me. I can't remember the exact words, but I was so grateful to him! It was truly humbling to have the many residents of the Scranton area (a relatively depressed are) show us so much support. I will rave about Steamtown for years.
I took a short break but was back at it again in November. Unfortunately, training for my next marathon got off to a bad start when I experienced a neck/upper back injury in late October. I had to take a week off from running. And 18 week marathon training program turned into a 16 week program (I had already taken the first week off to continue recovery from Steamtown). Oh well! I was getting regular treatment on the injury (still am) and was back out there after a week of rest.
Now that "next marathon" is 6 weeks away! Today I completed an 18 mile run and felt great. This was good news, as I had struggled a bit with my long runs up to this point. The weather certainly helped; it was near-perfect conditions for me (40 and cloudy). Tomorrow I have the day off from work and will certainly spend the day resting.
I have decided to attempt 4 marathons this year. If it goes well then I will go for more than that next year. We'll see. 9 marathons down. 7 states. 43 states to go. As of right now, my 2010 marathon calendar includes FL, OH, NY, and VA. We'll see what happens!
Friday, August 7, 2009
bodily functions (oh joy!)
I haven’t written in a while. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because it takes every ounce of motivation in my body to get myself out there to run. And that leaves no motivation to write! I’ve been dragging lately. I’ve come to the conclusion that heat, sun, and humidity (even just one of these) drags me down when I am running. Slows my pace A LOT. When you’re already a slower runner like me, being slowed down even further really sucks. Makes the time needed for those long runs monumental. I have to block out an extra hour for my long runs when it’s hot, sunny, and/or humid. That way I can walk if needed and run as slow as I want. Getting the mileage done ends up being much more important than the pace of those miles. I keep telling myself that marathon day should be cooler. “Should” being the operative word. Given the way training has gone this summer, I’ll be a goner if it’s a tough weather day.
Speaking of tough days, I had an interesting training run the other day. Stop reading here if you aren’t a fan of reading about bodily functions!! I had an 11 miler to do and felt great when I first headed out. I had not run in about a day and a half so maybe my body was ready to get moving. I had not done anything radically different that day in terms of food, drink, etc. But I did have a very small bout with diarrhea. However, I took Immodium and all seemed fine. Well, without warning, at mile 0.86 of my run, I became incredibly queasy. I knew I had to throw up, and my body wasn’t going to wait for anything. Luckily I was kind of in a wooded area so I stepped off the sidewalk and threw up. Nothing much came out except for spit. But I kept heaving. I wondered how I would make it the 0.86 mile back to my car if I was vomiting the whole time. Luckily that calmed down and I started to feel better on my way back. But one thing I noticed hurting was my gluteus area. No, I’m not talking about the muscles. I’m talking about chafing. Many long distance runners will know what I am talking about. I guess that bout of diarrhea was coming back to haunt me! Runners get chafed in all sorts of weird areas, and sometimes even Body Glide doesn’t help.
I made it back to my car and at this point my rear-end was on fire. The trip home was almost unbearable, but as soon as I got home I got out my trusty Desitin and found instant relief. (Yes, Desitin is a lotion for babies for diaper rash. It’s a long distance runner’s friend.) I was feeling much better at that point and decided I’d attempt to run again. I knew at that point that the 11 miles was out of the question, but I figured if I could make it up to 5 that would be good. I decided to run around the loop at my condo complex, which is about 1.5 miles around. I figured with 3 loops, combined with the previous run, I’d be at just over 5. I was able to make it and felt okay.
And just to let you know…I did complete the 11 mile run the next night (last night). Even though my pace was incredibly slow, I did it. Getting the mileage done is the key!
Speaking of tough days, I had an interesting training run the other day. Stop reading here if you aren’t a fan of reading about bodily functions!! I had an 11 miler to do and felt great when I first headed out. I had not run in about a day and a half so maybe my body was ready to get moving. I had not done anything radically different that day in terms of food, drink, etc. But I did have a very small bout with diarrhea. However, I took Immodium and all seemed fine. Well, without warning, at mile 0.86 of my run, I became incredibly queasy. I knew I had to throw up, and my body wasn’t going to wait for anything. Luckily I was kind of in a wooded area so I stepped off the sidewalk and threw up. Nothing much came out except for spit. But I kept heaving. I wondered how I would make it the 0.86 mile back to my car if I was vomiting the whole time. Luckily that calmed down and I started to feel better on my way back. But one thing I noticed hurting was my gluteus area. No, I’m not talking about the muscles. I’m talking about chafing. Many long distance runners will know what I am talking about. I guess that bout of diarrhea was coming back to haunt me! Runners get chafed in all sorts of weird areas, and sometimes even Body Glide doesn’t help.
I made it back to my car and at this point my rear-end was on fire. The trip home was almost unbearable, but as soon as I got home I got out my trusty Desitin and found instant relief. (Yes, Desitin is a lotion for babies for diaper rash. It’s a long distance runner’s friend.) I was feeling much better at that point and decided I’d attempt to run again. I knew at that point that the 11 miles was out of the question, but I figured if I could make it up to 5 that would be good. I decided to run around the loop at my condo complex, which is about 1.5 miles around. I figured with 3 loops, combined with the previous run, I’d be at just over 5. I was able to make it and felt okay.
And just to let you know…I did complete the 11 mile run the next night (last night). Even though my pace was incredibly slow, I did it. Getting the mileage done is the key!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
