Marine Corps Marathon – One more time. With gusto.

Bustin a move...

Background: I was not going to do a marathon this fall. I wanted to steer my focus away to something else and had started dabbling in ultras so I signed up for the JFK 50 miler. My training was ultra specific, doing double long runs on the weekends and pretty much running 10 miles most other days. Almost everything was at recovery pace both because of not being used to the heat/humidity in Virginia and because I was building mileage. I started somewhere around the 50s and was planning to step up the mileage by 10 miles each month. I was planning on getting back to the 80s and holding that until the race.  10 weeks out from MCM, my friend Phil (Demo Guy on RWOL) offered his bib up (Thanks Phil! I still owe you one…) and having been torn about not doing a marathon I jumped on it. It was local, I already had the mileage, I have been injury free all year (except for the sprained ankle in the spring which I still ran on) and I had enough time to speed things up a bit.

Training: I followed the Pfitz 12/85 mileage template adding some when I felt like it and would either do the workout prescribed or throw in some Hudson inspired workouts either when I felt good or when the Pfitz workout didn’t work out. I kept the quality to once a week, twice if I threw some into my long run. During the cycle, I was never able to get in the MP long runs either because I had a race scheduled, or the run had to be scrapped because of how miserable it was outside. I have literally been training for sub 3 for the past three seasons and having nailed the workouts before I wasn’t too concerned. I’d run a 1:24 half the spring of 2010 and a 1:03 10 miler this past spring (equivalent performances) so I knew the fitness was there. The only question was whether I had enough sharpening to pull off the last 10k this go round. My last four marathons were shot either because of injury from my hamstring (last fall piriformis because of hamstring) or because of GI issues. After severe GI issues that started to affect life outside of training I went to the GI doc and walked away with a diagnosis but no treatment plan other than to stop running. The problems was chronic ischemic colitis…running hard caused the blood vessels to constrict and cut off blood supply to my bowels. The result was inflammation, colitis, severe cramping, and all kinds of nasty GI pain and related symtoms. The hamstring issues popped up for the first time this year in my tune up half marathon and blisters on my left foot ultimately shot that race. With three weeks to go I went all in and started an aggressive physical therapy regimen for the hamstring and a gluten free diet for the GI issues. I had a weird issue with my ankle with one week to go, but luckily the PT doc knew how to fix it and it was short lived.

Strategy:
Since I really didn’t have an exact guage on where my fitness was I had to guess. I supposed that I was still close to sub 3 shape, but I could go one or two minutes either way. I could go out for a 3:02 and probably nail it, but if I did I would wonder if I could have gone under 3. I figured if I did fade at the end, I could still get under a 3:05 and a PR. The course had a couple of hills near the start and one around mile 8. I’m a big believer in starting out slower than goal pace and picking it up. It keeps the heart rate from spiking early and helps you settle in. The plan was to run the first couple of miles slower than goal, run the uphills a bit slower still, the downhills no faster than MP – 10 secs and always keep the pace above 6:40 to stay away from my lactate threshold pace, which is around 6:20-6:30. The day before the race, I did a short 4 mile run, immediately drank a serving of ultra fuel (100g carbs), ate a big meal at noon consisting of rice, plain chicken, and a baked sweet potato. I would eat two more small peanut butter and banana sandwhiches and eat nothing else after 6pm. I had been on a gluten free diet for the three weeks leading up to the race as I had read about individuals with ulcerative colitis reducing symptoms with a controlled diet. I took Zantac the night before and the morning of the race to reduce stomach acid and immodium the morning of the race. I told Stevi “Start looking at 2:59…I will be there before 3:05″.

Race:
Stevi and I got a hotel room the night before the race. Even though the race was local,logistically it still would have been a pain to get there. The temps were in the low 30s with a wind of around 11mph. For me this was ideal. I got up at 4am to drown myself in 48 oz of Ultra Fuel which translated roughly to a little over 225 grams of carbs. After choking that all down I didn’t take in anything else except for a few sips of water just before the start. Stevi went with me freezing her butt off while we tried to find the start line which was elusively hidden from the runners village. I made use of the porta johns every 5 minutes because I had drank so much stuff that morning I didn’t want to have to go but I was apparently pretty cleared out. After the pre-race festivities I make my way up to the line and we are off. I realize as I take my first steps off the start line that I now have to go to the bathroom.

True to my strategy I start out slow. I am immediately engulfed in people zig-zagging everywhere getting passed in a huge wave. I settle into a comfortable pace and try to warm up. I really had to fight the urge to pull over like a bunch of the other guys to take care of business. I figured if I kept moving eventually the urge to would pass.
1 – 7:06
We hit the two hills early on in the race that stretch through mile 2. I left my Garmin on auto-lap because I am terrible at paying attention during marathons and I just tried to recalibrate laps when I was mindful. Overall the length was about 26.5, so the paces given below are what I have as time between mile markers.
2 – 7:20
Taking advantage of the downhill I picked it up a bit. I found myself caught up with the 3:05 pace group. I followed them for the next couple of miles. There is a huge wheelchair pileup, apparently there was an accident. I had a few of the wheelchair racers passing and/or being passed by me throughout the race. A lot of encouraging words were spoken back and forth.
3 – 6:41
I kept the pace up and decided it was time to move in front of the pace group and settle into goal pace.
4 – 6:42 (this is actually 1.04 miles on my garmin, the pace for the first mile was 6:27 and 16 seconds for the .04 calibration…I think this is where I shot myself in the foot. Too fast.)
5 – 6:51
I started running with a gal who is from the NAVY team somewhere around here. We actually ran together for the and  next 8 miles or so taking turns drafting. We had picked up a second girl who didn’t want to get passed by NAVY and now I am running with two girls. Chasing ponytails. I took my first honey stinger here.
6 – 6:40
7 – 7:06
Up to this point I had been taking water from every stop and planned to until toward the end. I would remember having to use the bathroom every time I grabbed water.
8 – 6:45
9 – 6:43
I took my second honey stinger here but missed the water stop. The last guy gave the person in front of me water and I just had to keep going.
10 – 6:44 (6:32 for 1 mile with 11 seconds for .03 calibration – again too fast)
In the middle of mile 10 I heard a very loud scream coming from the crowd we were passing through. I turned to the right and saw Stevi and a friend of ours yelling for me. I smiled and waved and was feeling great.
11 – 6:39 (also too fast)
12 – 6:41
I’m starting to feel intestinal cramps and am afraid it is over. We ran past a set of three porta johns and I wanted to stop. I was afraid this was going to get worse and I was done. I decided to keep moving to the next stop and if I still had cramps then I would do what I had to. Luckily about a half mile later the cramping stopped.
13 – 6:47
I hit the half in 1:29:42. I saw the clock and wasn’t happy. I was planning to pass through the half after 1:30 but made up time too fast. I was pretty sure the last 10k was going to hurt.
14 – 6:50
I’m losing a bit of confidence and the pace isn’t feeling easy anymore. The remnants of the blister that popped up in the half four weeks ago is now starting to get hot and I am wiggling my foot around trying to shift the sock or something. I had the urge a few times to stop and adjust my shoe but I knew if I stopped now it wouldn’t be the only time. I was running behind two guys that were chatting about their recent race times. One of the guys said he just ran a 1:25 half and the other said he just ran his half marathon PR in this race. I decided to let them go.
15 – 7:01
My pace is dropping but I didn’t want to panic. I used to freak out if I started to get off of pace and would surge eventually wearing myself out. I took another honey stinger and figured I would get another wind if I just kept moving.
16 – 6:48
17 – 6:50
Down this stretch a guy in front of me blew a snot rocket and the wind blew some mist from it directly in my face. Thoughts of pummeling the guy to deathjumped into my mind, but I decided to just tell him to watch it instead. I saw NAVY again here still running with the other gal. I also saw someone walking for the first time. I grabbed water from the water station on one side of the road and NAVY had gone to the other side. I slipped ahead and never saw her again.
18 – 7:01
19 – 6:45
I believe it was around here that I saw Stevi again. I heard her and our friend Matt yelling but I didn’t look over. I was losing steam fast. One of the guys I was running with yelled that there was only 12k to go. Sure…it will only take at least another 40 minutes… I passed the two guys I was running behind at the half. I am passing people left and right. A few guys I am running with I see stop and walk. Then later they catch up and pass me. Then I see them do it again. I’m starting to get annoyed by it.
20 – 7:04
Right around here running down a long stretch I heard someone yell my name and I looked back to see Cris (Darkwave on RWOL) on the side. I waved at her and it gave me a bit of a boost. I took my last honey stinger.
21 – 7:00
My right hamstring is starting to cramp. The bunion on my left foot is throbbing and the blister is getting worse.
22 – 7:15
I saw my pace dropping but I was ok with it. I knew if I just held in the 7′s it would still be a PR.
23 – 7:10
I’m toast. I am out of honey stingers and I never grabbed a clif shot from the course which I usually do “Just in case”. I know what will happen if I take Gatorade but I decide to chance it since there is only three miles left. I took a swig and then chased it with water. Then I prayed.
24 – 7:22
No good. It didn’t help and now I am belching uncontrollably. Around here I can faster runners coming back the other direction and I have a turn around up ahead. It seems like forever until I finally get there.
25 – 7:32
I hit the turn around and coming up to the mile marker I hear an announcement about the 3:05 pace group. I figured they were close behind. I can’t pick my feet up. I am tripping on the ground. The blister hurts. Cramping starts in the intestines. I want to vomit. Having only been able to race one marathon before, I forgot what the last 10k felt like.
26 – 7:30
I hit the 26 mile marker and Stevi is right there. I want to stop. I pointed at my stomach and couldn’t even tell her what was wrong. She yelled at me to keep going, I am right there. It is just up this small hill, so I give it everything I have.
.2 – 8:20 pace
Except I don’t have anything. This is a short, steep hill, but I can’t get up it. I feel like I am running up an escalator. I am trying to power up it, swinging my arms, looking at the ground. I can hear people yelling all around me to move. I remember reading a blog from a girl who was training for MCM and she said that she didn’t want to walk that last hill. I wanted to walk that last hill. I felt like I WAS walking. I eventually got up it and even though it was a short sprint to the finish I was completely drained. I hit the timing mat and remember telling myself “Thank God.” I was slightly disappointed when I saw the time on the clock, but relieved at the same time. You bargain with yourself during the marathon. Thankfully I didn’t have to bargain much this time.
(Note: Because my actual running distance was over 26.2 there are some extra seconds here and there. I need to get better at lapping during a marathon correclty).

I suppose this would normally be a failure to go out for something you are capable of and come up short. I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed about the fade, but there are so many positives to take away from this race that I can’t be down about it. During the last two years marathon training I always had something come up during the race that I could not control. This past spring I had a stellar training plan. I nailed every workout, my tune-up races and heart rates indicated I was getting faster, and I was more ready to race than I had ever been. I raced the Flying Pig and GI cramping completely stopped me in my tracks just after the halfway point. After that, I said I wasn’t going to do another one this year. I didn’t want to fail again.

I put myself in a few shorter races over the summer with similar results. GI problems in a 4 miler that I was doing very well in. A 20k that despite having no injuries was the worst race I had ever run. Again and again things always went badly. After that I stopped racing. I was giving up. When I realized that I had become scared of racing, I faced it head on. I signed up for a 5k and ran a personal best by a few seconds without any specific training. I had gotten sick before my half marathon tune-up and ran it anyway.
I figured out that things didn’t always have to go my way and I can still pull out a good race. For MCM, I wasn’t scared anymore. Even though things started to go downhill, I didn’t panic and trusted myself. In the end, I ran my best marathon time by almost 5 minutes and requalified for Boston.

I don’t think I will be signing up for a marathon in the spring because I want to dedicate a training cycle to shorter distances. Not because I don’t want to run a marathon, but because I think it will help me grow as a runner. I spent this year working on the mental aspect. Now I need to get the physical part back in line.  That is, if I survive JFK in two weeks…

Yes, I am as tired as I look.

The child was saved and the mountain lion vanquished.

The Honakers have had a busy few months since we last posted. Stevi and I both ran the Rome marathon together, I raced the Flying Pig marathon in May and I had decided to run another 50k this spring. I signed up for the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k in DC.

Since the Flying Pig, I had picked my mileage back up to prepare for the 50k and attempted to get a few trail runs in as well. On the last trail training run where I hoped to get in 20 miles on some portions of the course, I ended up spraining my ankle. Whether or not I was going to 50k was up in the air until the last few days. I was able to get in a 12 miler the weekend before with little discomfort so I decided to go ahead and go for it.

My friend Matt picked me up at 5:30 to drive over to the start of the race at Sterling Park. We picked up our bibs did the usual pre-race stuff and waited around for the race to start.

For this race, I did everything wrong and slightly on purpose. I always stress out about doing everything exactly right and it usually turns out badly anyway. I bought a pair of shorts that had pockets in the back and never actually ran in them, I had a couple of beers the night before, had a late dinner, and ate things the day before I usually wouldn’t eat before a race (but eat normally). My ankle was still sore and not quite 100% yet, so the whole race was up in the air to begin with.

5 minutes before the start they ask us to line up. Matt and I walk up a good distance away from the start line and everyone lines up behind us. Uh…I wasn’t planning on being on the start line, but whatever. I had packed a few honey stingers into my shorts and had a few in my handheld. The race starts and we take off, immediately coming to a ditch that has to be hopped over. I am already cringing because I don’t want to make huge leaps with my bad ankle, but I hopped across and didn’t have a problem. As I start to run I notice that my shorts aren’t staying up very well. I took the honey stingers out of my pockets which helped, but I couldn’t hold on to them forever. I ended up just throwing two of them away, Matt held one for me in an empty pocket and I stuffed the other in my handheld. That worked for a few feet, but then I had to do something. I pulled over to the side and retied my shorts which took care of the problem. For now.

We ran for a stretch on some wide gravel road and just fell into a pace. We were getting passed quite a bit even though we were doing close to 8 min/mi. I knew that once we hit the single track we would get stuck behind all these people that went out too fast, but I also didn’t want to see a pace under 8 on my watch so we just went with it.

We ran on some singletrack for a good while through some tall grass and made our way into the woods. My shorts are starting to fall again so I am literally taking three steps and pulling my shorts back up. 3 steps, pull. 3 steps, pull. The guy running behind me was really close and a couple of times I almost fell on a switchback, but I was still upright and moving pretty quickly. We started to get to some more technical terrain with rocks and roots. I was paying close attention to where my feet were landing because I didn’t want to roll my ankle again when I look up I see a tree branch an inch from my head.

“F&*k…that is going to hurt tomorrow” and the guys running behind me chuckle. I had hit my head on the branch and can picture in my mind the large goose egg that will be there when I am finished with the race. We keep moving around some more singletrack and my head is starting to feel wet. I look down at my chest and I have blood streaming down the left side of my body. “Sh!t.” I said, and Matt turned around and said “Oh God…”. I am completely covered in blood.

I can see it dripping down the bill of my hat and I have to stop. I yell up to Matt and pull over. I take off my hat and squirt some water on my handheld on my head. The people behind me are gasping as they run by and asking if I am ok. I know we are about a mile away from the aid station and I am standing in the middle of the woods. What do I do now? The only thing I can think of to do is jump back in the race and get to the next aid station.

When I get to the aid station I take off my hat and a volunteer yells for the medic. I see Matt talking to a volunteer and the medics make me sit down and check it out.

“What is your name?”
“Chris.
“Did you pass out?”
“Nope.”
“Can you see straight?”
“Yup.”
“Are you feeling ok”.
“Yup”.
“What happened”.
I start formulating a story in my head about a mountain lion and saving a small child…
“I hit my head on a tree.”

They grab some wipes and clean up my head to get a look at it. “I know you can’t see this, but you have a couple inch gash on the top of your head. You are going to need stitches. We can call to have you taken back to the start”.

“Can I keep going?”

“Well…the bleeding looks like it stopped and if you are feeling ok then I think you’ll be ok.” They asked if Matt was running with me which he agreed he would stay with me. They put a bandage on my head, but tape wouldn’t stick and I told them I could put my hat back on to keep it there, which they agreed should be fine. They told me they would let me go, but I had to stop at the next aid station for them to check it. As they were cleaning up my face I kept hearing “you’ve got another cut here…no…wait…it is just more blood”. They thanked me for shaving my head before the race (ha!) and gave me an extra gauze pad and Matt and I started off again.

My hat was so soaked with blood than when I would sweat I would continue to have it dripping down all over me. I also think the bleeding would start again every time I started running, because there was way too much coming down. As we passed people everyone would ask if I was ok. I passed a guy and heard “Jesus…did you get attacked by a bear?”

More single track, more roots and rocks, some pretty scary fast downhils and we come to the Great Falls aid station around mile 12-13 where Stevi and Amy are cheering. My race number is pinned to my shorts and covered in blood (just like the rest of me). I pointed down to my shorts and neither of them saw the blood as we ran past, and they thought I was indicating that my shorts were falling down. (yes, they are still falling down at this point).

Pullin the shorts up

I am starting to feel my stomach gurgle a bit and we get to the aid station where a peppy young girl asks Matt hurriedly if he needs more water. She grabs his handheld to fill it up. Nobody asks me if I need anything, so I walk over and fill up my own. I decided I need to take care of the shorts situation, so I stepped over to the side. We are in the middle of a large park with a lot of spectators. I take one of the safety pins from my race number and untie my shorts. The hole the laces are coming out of is growing in size, which is why tightening my shorts is not working. I safety pinned the laces in after tying it to temporarily fix the problem. As I am doing so, a woman asks if I am ok. I said “sure, I’m fine”.

“The only reason I ask is because you are severely bleeding from your head”.

“Nah, its ok”.

“Oh sure, its just a superficial head wound that is bleeding profusely, I understand”. Then her husband tells her that obviously my legs are fine. I chuckled and tried to find a medic to take a look.

I walked over to the medics who were having a conversation that they were obviously very engaged in, because despite multiple attempts to get their attention, noone will look at me. Mind you, I am covered in blood. Finally one of them turns around and goes “Woah!” and then they scramble and try to figure out what to do. I’m not feeling very confident in their abilities.

They basically take a lot of time to do the same thing the other medics did and let me go. We take off for the next aid station and my shorts problem seems to be somewhat fixed for now. We are getting to a sections that is pretty tough because the trail is very narrow and it is out and back to the next aid station . I stopped and filled up with water and now am having the usual stomach cramps. Joy.

We head back down and head around a different trail. My stomach is getting pretty angry but I know there are restrooms at the next aid station so I try to keep up with Matt and tough it out. Matt runs up ahead and is at the aid station talking to Stevi and Amy when I get there. I stopped to talk to them and take some water they were holding when a drop of blood drips from my hat. The look on Stevi’s face when the realization hit was priceless. She started freaking out and was trying to take my hat off and I told her that it had already been looked at and I can’t take the hat off because it is holding the bandage there. Matt reassures her that the medics looked at it and I told her to be prepared for me to get stitches when I finish.

The Nike swish used to be white...

We ran off a few feet towards the restrooms where I stopped to take care of business. I looked in the mirror on my way out and my black hat was now a very dark red. We hit a technical section near the waterfall with large rocks and a lot of climbing. I didn’t do much running here and Matt went off ahead so I could just do my thing and take my time. He was waiting for me at the end of it and we were now heading back to the start area with about 10 miles to go. The bleeding has slowed down now but my stomach is really upset. The stomach would churn off and on, I started feeling woozy, I was getting a headache, and my ankle was starting to get sore. “Matt, I need to walk…I’m [woozy / having stomach cramps / having ankle problems]”. I felt bad for having to stop so much, but he kept stopping with me. We are in the middle of a 7 mile stretch without an aid station and I ran out of water. Matt shared his gatorade with me, which helped keep me going until we hit the aid station.

Just then, we can hear a dog barking in the distance, and I can see some of the runners heading the other direction looking up. Suddenly, a German shepherd pops out of the woods and chases after me. I have been chased by enough dogs at this point that I know to stop, but this dog is p!ssed. He was hunched over, baring his teeth, and generally being unpleasant. Other runners are coming up behind and running past which is getting on my nerves since I didn’t sign up to be the bait for this dog. The dog would give chase to someone ahead and I would tell them to stop to avoid getting bit but if I started moving again the dog would come after me. I can see a kid climbing down trying to get the dog but he has me trapped and seems to be really interested in my shorts, which are, of course, covered in blood. The kid comes down and the dog takes off so we start moving again. About a minute later the little sucker comes back out of the woods and stops me again, and the kid comes out again, and the dog runs away again. This happens about 4 or 5 times before I finally get away.

We finally get to the aid station and I loaded up on all kinds of crap here thinking it would make me feel better, which it did, but made my stomach worse. I did a lot of tripping over the next couple of miles until the last aid station. They said we had 2.5 miles to go, which I think we had about 1.5 miles left. I tried to keep running the whole way and my stomach cramps stopped thankfully. We were on the gravel path again and running at a pretty good clip. We got to the park where the finish line was and we both ran it pretty hard for the last quarter mile. I finished in 5:57 and change.

Finish line

Medic!

I pulled over the medic right after the finish line to get cleaned up. They confirmed I was going to need stitches and asked if I was the “tree guy”. They said that a call had gone in about me and they were supposed to keep an eye out. I told Stevi to throw out the hat because it had become so soaked that it wasn’t going to come clean. That was my favorite hat.

The Nike hat that reached a bloody end.

Stevi went with me to an urgent care facility so that I could get six staples. The good news is that I didn’t fall in this race. Always look on the bright side.

All roads lead to Rome…the Rome Marathon that is.

Today kicked off my first official training run for my next marathon…the Rome Marathon.   After a very eventful first marathon experience in Chicago I knew I better pick a dozy of a follow-up.

I had a little help from my side-kick hubby when he suggested we run it “together” while visiting the city for our 5th wedding anniversary.  At first I was a little scared, but the image of us running all 26.2 miles together through the greatest city on earth (at least in my eyes) was too good to pass up.  My worries were quickly squashed when we agreed that this run was simply for fun.  Chris will be doing a lot of bobbing and weaving while taking pictures of the run and I will set out on another conservative pace to enjoy the experience.  With that in agreement today marked the beginning of my 12 week training plan.

Originally I had planned to have a few weeks of base building leading up to the start, but a few weeks off were required to attend to another issue of shin splints.  The plan will still be to step things up though a tad from my first marathon training plan.

This is a 12 week plan peaking at 45 miles with two 20 mile runs, and one mid-week run that is between 8-10 miles.   In addition, my average pace is likely to be 30-45 secs faster for a vast majority of my run than what I experienced over the summer due to the heat.  Due to recovering from shin splits I stopped my tempo runs (which I was doing once a week), instead I have replaced it with half mile hill repeats (between 6-10% incline…it burns).  I will likely keep that up through the first month while I insure I have made it safely into my mileage with no injuries.

After Chicago I knew I had a few training areas I felt confident I could increase on right away.  First was overall mileage, which my initial plan was to peak at 50 miles.  Because I got shin splints that took several weeks of base building out I had to water that down to 45 miles, but that is still up by 5 miles on both my peak mileage and my average mileage from my Chicago plan.  The next major hurdle was introducing a medium-long run into my weekly schedule.  For me it seems impossible at a 10 min pace to be able to fit in a 12 mile run before or after work.  In addition, I wasn’t even running 8 mile mid-week runs during my Chicago training (although I was supposed to).  So this time around I have a partner in crime that agreed to dedicating one day a week to running between 8-10 miles.  This gives me at least two runs a week on my feet for over an hour.  Now granted the first 2 weeks of the training plan calls for 7 miles, but that was still a little over an hour of running.  My goal is more time on my feet multiple days of the week.  Combine that with one workout a week, which right now will be the hill repeats and I have my new training plan.

Obviously it is nothing hardcore like my super human running pals that follow Daniels, Pfitz or their own coaches.  I do think this is a safe step up from my last approach which was as simple as they come.  Overall I think it has a good balance and should likely produce some improvements in my running without burning me out.  Oh and heck this marathon is not about a goal time…it’s about the once in a lifetime opportunity I have to run next to my inspiration, rock and best friend.

 

 

 

Fun + Running…What is that all about?

Sarah, Me and Patty at the Game Day 5k last month. Patty kicked butt, and Sarah and I took 1st and 2nd in our age group.

 

Long time no chat folks. After Chicago I needed a break from running and blogging. Honestly I needed some time to think about what I want to do with my blog for the coming year.

For many of my readers you have watched Chris train for his first attempt at a BQ (and get it), and now you have lived through my first attempt at marathon training (which I did complete). The excitement lives on for us personally, but as far as blogging goes I needed to think about what is next.

The next logical step is to start blogging about training harder, to get faster and to accomplish new goals for 2011. Honestly, I don’t think that is where I want to take my running. My 2 year anniversary of when I first started “officially” running is in a few weeks, and since that time I have thought of nothing else, but training and getting faster. Most runners come from an athletic back ground or at least had some recreational running (2 or 3 miles here or there). I started with ZERO experience and only the desire to challenge myself with something I wasn’t even sure I would like. Running for the enjoyment of running somehow never made its way to my training plans.

So this year I think I will try something different with my blog. I want to share the fun I have with running and not focus on the miles I hit for the week, or the tempo run I did or didn’t do. If something amazing happens on a run, then awesome I will share that with you. If running sucks, then I will share that with you too. All of this doesn’t mean I’m not following a training plan (I actually have had it written for a while), or that I won’t attempt to challenge myself this coming year (I hope to regularly do tempo runs, which I never seem to keep to). However, the fun and excitement for me can be drained when I focus so much on what I haven’t done or hit, and instead I miss reflecting on what made the week a fun running week.

For example, the Saturday after Thanksgiving I had a flare-up with my shin splints that caused me to take 5 days off of running. Unlike past experience, I didn’t go into panic mood because of my lack of running. Instead I saw it as a nice break before marathon training starts at the end of this month, and as long as I was healed in time for my pacing duties at the Jingle Bell 5k I was fine with the break. I may have only logged 7 miles last week, but I had two extremely fun runs. On Thursday night our group run meets up and we had a new runner show up this week that fits right into our cynical banter. It was a great run chatting to the new girl and getting to know her better (even better my legs felt great). On Saturday I was super excited to pace a group of first timers (none of which had run longer than a mile) at the local Jingle Bell 5k. I was dressed in my snowflake crown and knee-high socks, and ready to lead this group of anxious runners through their first 5k race. I was so proud of how far the group made it and how dedicated they were to the cause (they also raised $1100 bucks for charity). So regardless of my low mileage and over coming an injury I had a really great time running this week, and that is what I want to focus on.

If you don’t mind I will be doing away with the weekly recap of my training for everyday of the week and reciting my mileage. Sure I will share as the situation calls for (and no I’m not on a mission to hide anything), but to focus on that week in and week out just isn’t fun (nor tantalizing reading).

Give me a few weeks to get my running mojo back, and I am certain I will have some running shenanigans to share with everyone. Until that time stay tuned I have an amazing marathon on my schedule for March 20, 2011 and training starts on 12/27/10. For those that don’t know where it will be here is a hint…..it will be a colossal good time in one of the most romantic cities in the world, tehehehe.

 

Me, Sarah, Danielle and Patty...my marathon training partners at our celebration brunch. We all did it, we became marathoners.

If 26.2 Miles Isn’t Long Enough-Stone Steps 50k

Instead of a post from me rambling on about what I am going to do next, I have something Chris decided to jump into while waiting for me to finish the Chicago Marathon.  I guess he started to think 26.2 miles just wasn’t long enough for him.  Well read about it in his own words…

 

The STEPS in the Stone Steps 50k Trail Ultra Marathon

 

 

Whew.  I am exhausted just trying to remember the race.

This was probably one of the most difficult – and fun – races I have ever run.  This was my first ultra and first trail run over 10k.  I really had no idea what I was doing.  All I knew was I needed to run until it was over.  Mission accomplished.

Training

Nonexistent.  I was training hard for the Chicago Marathon over the course of the summer and within two months of the race I was sidelined with piriformis issues.  This took me out of running for three weeks.  I finally came back to running with about four weeks left until the marathon.  In that time, I was able to get out a 15 miler and a strong 20 miler two weeks out from the race.  The marathon was a bust with uncooperative weather and my simply being unprepared.  As I waited at the finish line with our friend Amy for Stevi to come in, she told me she was going to do the Stone Steps 50k that she had been considering in two weeks.  I said that I wanted to do a 50k/trail race to which she exclaimed “You should do it too!”.  Sure.  Why not.  Throw in that 26.2 miler as a training run.

Preparation

I spent the two weeks before the race reading up a bit on things that might come in handy. I didn’t really learn anything I didn’t already know from road racing, but I experimented a little with real food for fuel.  I also wasn’t sure what to do about shoes, since I don’t have any trail shoes, and I didn’t really have time to break anything in.  I have a pair of GoreTex Nike Pegasus that would probably have worked well, but as I saw the weather creeping up near a high of 80 on race day I was worried about the shoes not being breathable enough.  I ultimately decided to go with the trusty Wave Riders and hope nothing got stuck in the heel.  I also picked up a 20oz handheld to take with me, since on some loops it would be 5 miles between aid station stops.

Race Morning

For those who don’t know, I have had a couple of races go south because of gastrointestinal issues (GI).  A 50k is a really bad race to have to deal with that, so I tried to be careful about what I ate the last few days.  Amy, her friend Matt, Stevi, and I were all driving down to Cinci that morning, so Stevi and I got up at 3:45am.  I figured that was enough time to take care of all the bathroom needs before we left.  No dice.

 

Amy, Matt, Me (before we knew what we were getting into)

 

 

The Race

We got there about an hour early and picked up our packets.  I made a couple more attempts and hitting the bathroom but was finding that I just didn’t need to.  I was starting to get worried about it, but there is nothing I can do but hope for the best.

 

The drop table with food guarded by Jinx

 

 

I slathered the feet in body glide and put on my smartwool socks.  I got the handheld ready and took a pack of Clif Shot Bloks out with me.  I also stashed a Roctane in my shorts just in case I got desperate at some point.  My plan was to just follow behind Amy and Matt during the race as much as I could.  Since they had both done this before, I would just follow their lead.  The race director started making announcements and I realized my shoes were a little loose.  I was in the middle of tying my shoe when I heard “Go!” and saw that they were off.  I ran down to the road and tucked in right behind Amy and Matt.  We all took off pretty quickly and I could see my CRC pal Doug up pretty far ahead.  We made the first turn on to the trail.

The race takes place in Mt. Airy Forest park. The course consists of two loops, a 5 mile and a 3 mile loop. After each loop, you come back through the aid station where you have access to your own drop bag and various items that the race provides.  You run the five mile loop four times, and the three mile loop three times alternating loops.  We had set up a bowl of various goodies that we wanted to have available that we could just grab when we came running through.

The trail itself is single track trails, which means that it is difficult to pass people if they are moving slower than your desired pace.  It also means you feel a bit of pressure if someone is right on your tail.  Right away you could tell the trail was tough.  The majority was covered in rocks and roots with little flat or smooth areas.  Literally within the first few steps of the trail I was cut off by another racer who wedged between Matt and I.  We were all running pretty close together and it made it difficult to see what was coming up on the trail.  Not even within five minutes of running the racer in front of my rolled his ankle and had to pull off.  I used the opportunity to move back up behind Matt, but I kept enough distance that I could judge the footing by myself and not follow someone else.  I could hear a woman right behind me chasing me step for step.

We ran through ups and downs but nothing major for the first 2.5 miles.  My legs were taking a pounding on the trail since we were moving pretty quickly and I was constantly changing direction to be careful of where I stepped.  My shoes had little cushion in the forefoot, and whenever we would go downhill my feet would rub against the shoe.  I knew I would have blisters by the time I got done with the first loop.  At this point is where you hit the stone steps.

Although the course is generally tough, there are two major uphills on the five mile loop.  The first is the stone steps where the race gets its name.  There are about 200-300 deteriorating stone steps at a very steep grade.  At the bottom of the first set, when you look up you see nothing but more steps.  They strategically placed signs up the steps that said things like “No whining” and “There is no crying on stone steps”.  Simply walking up the steps would leave you winded.  The second, gummy bear hill, was an even steeper grade and placed about a quarter mile from the end of the loop.  Someone also was nice enough to leave a bowl of…you guessed it…gummy bears.  I took my Clif Bloks here.

When we got to gummy bear hill I had lost the people behind me and they were no longer in sight.  I had let some distance get between Matt and I and I saw that Amy and Matt had passed a few people.  I was stuck behind them for the time being but broke around them as we got to the aid station, where Stevi was waiting to fill me back up with water while I grabbed another set of Clif Bloks.

The three mile loop has some ups and downs but is a bit easier than the five mile and there aren’t as many roots and rocks (though there are still plenty).  The start of the loop has road and flat grassy ground for a bit so I used the opportunity to try and gain a bit of ground.  I passed a few more people here though I tried not to push too hard.  I figured that Amy and Matt would be out of sight soon and I wouldn’t worry about keeping up and just do my own thing.  The three mile was generally uneventful and I think I was doing too much following and not enough paying attention.  I took another set of Clif Bloks here.

I passed through the aid station, filled up with water again and grabbed more Clif Bloks.  I started back out again on the five mile loop and was following behind another guy for awhile.  I had come up on him and he went ahead and let me pass and I thanked him.  He followed behind me for a little while down a path next to a steep ledge.  There were lots of rocks on this part of the trail, and this is where I lost my footing for the first time.  It was a downhill and I was going pretty fast and literally somersaulted onto a rock and almost of the ledge.  The guy behind me grabbed my arm as I was trying not to slip off the ledge and helped me back up.  This set the tone for how the rest of the loop was going to go.

I kept going and eventually lost sight of the guy who helped me up.  Not long after that, I tripped pretty hard but managed to stay upright.  I got through the stone steps and right after tripped again and catch myself on my wrists bruising and scraping the one on the right.  The cap to my handheld came off and I lost half of my water.  I picked myself up and kept moving and came to a fast downhill before a gummy bear hill.  I rolled my ankle which made me trip on a root and I rolled to take impact on my back and shoulder which was hard enough to take the wind out of me.  I punctured my right shoulder and scraped my right arm and my back.  I yelled a pretty loud expletive and I could hear two guys coming down the trail with one saying “I know what that means!”.  I picked up and started to run again and made it to gummy bear hill after the hill, I tripped on a piece of wood and again landed on my wrists.

I got back through the aid station and needed to take care of my blisters. I told Stevi that I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it through this thing.  The falls were starting to take their toll and I didn’t think my body could take as much punishment as I had in that last loop four more times. I put more body glide on my feet and some Vaseline, stuffed my face with some Fig Newtons and went out on the three mile again.  I felt a clicking in my heel with each step and pulIed over to take care of it.  Sure enough, I had gotten an acorn stuck in the bottom of my shoes.  I missed a marker a little bit into the loop and spent a few minutes running back and forth trying to figure out where to go.  I finally saw it on the side and got going.  The loop was pretty uneventful until the end where I tripped on a bridge and scraped my shin.  I decided here I was going to back off a bit and worry more about my footing than my pace.  At the aid station I ate half of a peanut butter and banana sandwich and changed my socks to a thicker pair of trail socks.  The blisters were terrible then but there was nothing I could do but put more Vaseline on them.

Back out into the five mile loop I was doing really well staying upright.  The sun was beating down at this particular time and I was getting dehydrated.  I ended up draining my water before I even reached the stone steps and really had to slow down for the rest of the loop because I had no water.  I somehow made it through but I had a headache and was feeling terrible.  I took an S-Cap  and water and didn’t really feel like eating anymore.  Stevi then told me that Doug as waiting for me and he wanted to quit.  He had gone out so hard that he was in pretty bad shape.  We managed get him up and I had him come back out with me for the three mile loop.

We took the next three miles slow and walked anything really uphill or downhill.  My right quad was starting to cramp up so I didn’t mind any time he said he needed to walk.  He said I could leave him if he was slowing me down, but I figured I would finish it with him.  He started looking much better by the time we got through the three miles and we filled up again to go out on the five.  I had drained my water completely on the three and knew I would run out again on the five mile.  I decided to take the Heed they were offering hoping it would last longer and ate the rest of my sandwich.   Amy was getting ready to finish and I had heard that she was close to the leader at my last stop.  Doug and I set out again on the five mile.

As we started the loop, we stopped at a truck that was parked on the course that had various aid for the runners like Gatorade, water, and lots of snacks.  Talking to the guy that provided everything, he mentioned that he ran last year in full military gear with his pack and everything.  He mentioned that he was seeing a ton of people with scraped knees and some folks were really banged up.  Doug filled up on some Gatorade in his extra handheld, we thanked him for everything and we went back out to finish the last loop.

We both tripped a few times on the five mile but eventually got through it. We chatted about various things and it seemed more like our Saturday morning training runs than a race.  My Garmin started chirping telling me that the battery was low.  It finally died on me about ten minutes out from the finish. We said we would run through together and finish at the same time, which we did in 6:35.

Aftermath

After we all got cleaned up and headed out again, Stevi, Amy, Matt, and I went out for dinner and drinks.  I had a great time hanging out with everyone and celebrating my first ultra.  Stevi was a real trooper, taking care of the dog, cheering four runners on, and helping everyone get through.  I know that if I ever do an extreme race I will definitely have my wife in charge of my aid and race logistics.  It was a lot of fun to do a race with Amy and Matt again, and I hope we got to do another one in the future.  I was glad that Doug and I got to run together for awhile as the company was great especially at the end of that course.  As of right now I am taking a few days off to let all my cuts and bruises heal before I get back out there.

I don’t think I would recommend this race to someone as their first 50k or someone who hasn’t done much trail running.  I’ve raced on trail before, but certainly nothing with this rough of a surface.  The terrain, although tough, was manageable if you could keep your footing.  I would, however, recommend the race in general.  It was well organized, and the timing mat through the aid station was a nice touch. Out of the 82 starters in the race only 68 finished.

I’ve already committed myself to four marathons next year, but I think I can squeeze in another ultra.  I know that I can do an ultra on my regular marathon training, I just need to put in a few more trail runs if I am going to do this type of race in the future. Even though I was severely unprepared for this race, I got through it ok and had a lot of fun at the same time.

Matt and Amy

 

 

My First Time: Chicago Marathon 10-10-10

Warning this is the longest race report ever.  I apologize in advance for any typos, but my eyes are crossed just re-reading this.  If I say bears, I mean beers.  If I say bowels, I mean bowls.  Now grab a glass of your favorite beverage and get ready for an epic tale, funny thing is we all know how it ended.

Pre-race fun:  We arrived in Chicago early Friday morning and I am so happy we did.  After paying an early check –in fee we headed straight to the Marathon Expo.  Honestly after seeing Boston’s expo I expected a bit more, but it was still large with plenty to see.  We took a few turns and I stopped by the Hall Steps booth to introduce myself and I chatted with Sarah Hall for a bit.  After that we began to stock up on some very over priced race gear, but heck it’s my first so why not.   I was disappointed in the women’s colors (not a peach/blue color combo girl).  Others wise I grabbed a few shirts and pull over.

Nick, Walter, Ron, Chris, Me and Paul

Me and Christine

The best part of the day was running into some of the 3:20 gang (Nick with his cute son and wife, Walter, Ron and Paul) and getting in a few “how are you” and “are your excited”.  Paul’s lovely wife and daughter were there too and Isla was just a doll (could have taken her home with me, but only for a few hours then back to mom and dad of course).   After saying goodbye we went or another round and found my long time blog friend Christine and her hubby Rob.  We have both been chatting for over a year so it was if we always knew each other.  Sadly we didn’t get a chance to meet up again during the weekend, but I am sure we will arrange something soon.  After we settled back into the hotel we got in a few easy miles of running, and then headed to dinner.

Saturday I had promised Chris that we would plan nothing but dinner with our 3:20 gang.  Although our hotel room had some crazy noise coming from an air vent (hotel staff kept saying it would stop), we both slept like babies thanks in part to Tylenol PM.  We hit the Lakeshore path for a few easy miles again; however I spent a good portion of my time star struck when I first saw Deriba Merga run past me in a full body warm-up suit (I was sweating in my tank).  Then a little further down the path I see Irina Mikitenko and Liliya Shobukhova doing strides past each other with very hard looks on their faces.  I jumped out-of-the-way for one of Irina’s strides and did the dorky thing of grabbing this pic.

Before I knew it Saturday was done and it was time to go to bed for the big day.

The Day:  Of course I didn’t sleep that great but I got roughly 6-7 hours in bed.  I woke up just fine to our two Iphone alarms and had our coffee and water.  We cut out all drinking a little after 4:30 to try to prevent any last-minute potty stops.  My morning routine went off without a hitch until I went to put my tough-strip bandaids on my feet where I normally get blisters.  No matter how many I pulled from the new box they wouldn’t stick to my feet.  I was sort of flipping out since I have always put bandaids on my feet and toes.  After a while I got what I could on and then lube the rest up with lots of body glide.  I was surprised by how unnerves I was this morning, and I think I owe it to all the races I did this summer that helped me just go with the flow.   We headed out the door a little before 6 am and when we hit the outside air I knew this was going to be a rough day.  I dare not say anything to Chris, because I didn’t want him to think I was panicking and I didn’t want him to panic either.  I simply hoped the weather gods would provide some cloud cover and wind to keep us a bit cooler.

Chris and I at the start

We walked the streets hand in hand and I was feeling pretty darn good.  On the way to the bag check we hit the first set of port-a-potties and then proceeded to drop my bag off and then his.  In between that time some photographers were getting shots of people so of course we said cheese.   After dropping his bag off we jumped into another pretty short port-a-potty line and systems appeared to be a go.  I had decided to walk Chris to his corral (he likes to be in his spot pretty early) and then I would head back to the open area.  It was time to kiss him good-bye and it was all I could do but try not to cry.  It didn’t work.  I was so happy to see him at the start line healthy (maybe not as trained as he would like), but we were both going to run a major marathon and it meant a lot to me.

After leaving him I cried a bit and then headed back to my area.  No one was in the corral area, and the bathroom lines were manageable so I jumped in for one last go.   Again no issues and at about 6:50 sat on the grass and waited for people to head into the corral area.  When it was 7 am and still few people were jumping in I figured I better go now and avoid the rush.  So I picked a spot and had a seat until it was time for the long walk to the start.  It took about 18 minutes for me to cross the start line and the one thing I could say I wasn’t a fan of was missing the excitement of knowing the race had started.  I heard the Star Spangle Banner performed and then they listed off the elite runners, and then nothing.  I was looking at my watch and knew they had to of started, but I never heard a horn or anything.  I figured they could have at least put that on the PA system too.  Awww well I guess this is what happens for the back of the packers.  OK so I am terrible at recalling where I was at during certain parts of the race and how I was feeling.  So this will be a progression of how things started.

So I had lined up with the 4:30 pace group, but dang it if they didn’t bolt out of the gates like lions.  I know my body well enough to know we were not running at a 10:18 pace.  My watch said 9-9:30, but I also know that I couldn’t rely on my watch.   A little girl I was chatting with took off to catch the group and I followed for a little bit, but I knew it was not smart to waive through everyone the way she was so I backed down.  I figured if the pace was going to feel easy then I would meet up with the pace group later.  Plus I could see them ahead of me, and with such a large group I just followed along with the rest of them.

All systems were good through the 10k and although I never caught up to the 4:30 group I had settled in at 10:30ish pace and felt good.  Then we had our first taste of the sun beating down on us, and I knew that I was going to be lucky to stay ahead of the 4:45 group.  My legs were feeling fine (although my big toe had a blister on it I could feel since mile 5), but the minute we were in the sun for longer than a few minutes you could just feel it zap out your energy.    I had yet to see the 4:45 pace group at all and lots of 4:30 pace group people were still around so I kept on.  I also found some Ohio runners (they will be known as the “group”), that I started chatting with around mile 4 or so and decided to hang with them.  It may not have been the smartest move to make if I was looking out for only myself and my own race time, but that is not what this experience was about.  So instead I figured as long as they were moving and we were chatting and I was having a good time with them I would stick with the “group”.  I should also note a member of the group was seriously sick with a horrible cold.  The other members were so supportive and were always looking for him and slowing down through water stops to make sure he was ok.  These pics are with one of the group members.   During this first half I for whatever reason wanted to stick with a group of people who were interested chatting, so I tossed out tracking my splits and just went with them.

My friend Walter had mentioned the fun of Boystown around mile 8 and I was eager to get to that spot.  Somehow I missed most of the fun; I blame it on my shortness.  I was running on the left side so I got a good view of the guys flipping the rifles (very cool), but I kept looking for some drag queens or singers and couldn’t see anything.  I have been told I must have been blind because they were there, but I swear I was let down because I didn’t see anything at all.  I thought to myself surly the rifle boys couldn’t have been the big show (they were good, don’t get me wrong).   So I will say that somehow I missed one of the most exciting portions of the course, ugh.  The rest of the miles were a blur, as the “group” kept trying to hang on to their sick runner and I kept thinking I really had to pee.  Oh but I mile 12.5ish I had my first near face plant on the bridge.  I was warned to watch for the carpet and I managed that all well enough, but I didn’t manage the seam of bridge and road to well and took some giant nose dive steps to catch myself from falling.  A nice runner came up and asked if I was ok, and I laughed that I am better at not falling then I am at running.  OK back to my needing to pee.  I checked out the lines each time we passed a bathroom area, and promised myself I would stop if it looked like I could get in an out quickly.  At mile 13 I finally saw my chance and I took it.

It was around the half way mark that I also let the “group” go.  I knew I had been slowing down a lot, and although I was covered in salt and could feel the heat, I was still able to keep moving and that’s what I had to do.  This also managed to be right about the time that I was doomed to be in full sun for the remainder of the race.  I could actually see it shining down ahead and I thought to myself please do not let this be the end of me.  I put my IPod on for the first time and said just make it to mile 18 and I would bargain with what to do then.  Yes I did a lot of talking to myself…I wasn’t losing my mind yet though.

I had kept a sponge with me for a while and so as I stopped at the water stops I would fill up and then soak my sponge to get the burning salt out of my eyes.   I must say I was really puzzled by the amount of salt on my face, because I never have been a salty sweater.  It had me very concerned with possible cramping issues later in the race so I began to do a lot of system checking.  By Mile 15ish my mental game lost, I started walking through the water stops and a little beyond them.  Although my legs were ok (even with my blisters), I just couldn’t help but feel totally zapped of energy.  Sometime between 16-17 I think is where I saw the bank clock that read 95 degrees, and I sort of felt better knowing it wasn’t all in my head.   Now the clock was in full sun so that was not the real temp, but it explained why I then saw the dreaded RED FLAGS.  Earlier we saw the alert system moved to yellow (around the 10k mark), and now at red I made a pack with myself.  I didn’t care about time; all I cared about was not ending up in a med tent not finishing this race.  Maybe I acted overly cautious; maybe I let my mental games get to me too much.  Whatever it was my goal turned to hitting each of the timing mats so everyone following at home knew I was still moving I hadn’t given up.  When I touched the 20 mile timing mat I cried.  Never had I felt so drained, and so happy at one time.  I knew if I was smart I would finish this race, and the time didn’t matter anymore to me.  What mattered was following my husband’s advice and to keep moving forward.

I soon ran into one of the runners from the “group”.  I was in a pretty bad way mentally and was taking a longer than needed walk break.  When he came up on me I said mind if I tag along.  We both kept each other moving at a better clip than before and I think having someone alongside each other gave us both a boost.  It soon died out too and I found miles 21-24 the toughest miles ever.  Never did I feel so far away from the finish, and the SUN OMG was I having dreams of hibernating in Alaska for months after this race was over.  No where could we get out of the sun, it was everywhere so I just had to do what I could to keep going forward.  Before 22 my then running pal from the “group” stop suddenly and said he couldn’t move his legs.  He said they locked up on him and I could tell he was really scared.   We pulled over to the side for a few minutes and I told him to take some shot bloks he had with him.  After what felt like 5 mins we started to shuffle again.  As we were moving I was doing my own system check, because the sudden onset of his lock up had me scared I could face my own.  He had seemed to be in good shape prior to that and was the one towing me in.  Now I was towing him and I wondered how that happened.

Out of all the miles I remember mile 24 the most, sadly not with fond memories.  I really hated mile 24 and the guy announcing you are almost there.  I felt so far away and I was somewhat lost in my direction of where I was at on the course.  My running pal at this time said when we got to 24 he wanted to be able to run it in (or shuffle).  I agreed and hoped together we would be able to do it.  Sadly I we both didn’t, but I lasted longer.  I made it to mile 25 and couldn’t overcome the urge to walk.  Looking at my watch tell me I was nearly at mile 26 actually made me sort of mad.  It was a sad cruel joke being played seeing my watch say one thing and the road sign says something else.  I had kept jogging along when I knew the running pal wasn’t staying with me.  We didn’t say good-bye, but I think we knew we had to do our own thing.  Then a miracle happened, I saw the 800 meter sign and joy….pure joy came over me.  I started to think of the many times I saw Deena Kastor make that final turn onto Columbus Drive and I knew now was the time to not stop for anything.  I may not have found the ability to dig deep the last mile, but dang it I could dig for 800 meters.

 

I started picking random people off ahead of me and my legs felt like they could fly (although I am sure they weren’t).  I made that turn up the only sort of hill on the course and laid it down as I passed people.  Then I saw it, what I had been waiting over 5 hours to see, the finish line was in front of me.  I had my Ipod on at that time, and a local friend had told someone to take in the crowd at the finish, so I turned the music off and let the roar bring me in.  I saw the clocking ticking away and I tried to move as fast as I could to save as many seconds as possible.  In the end I didn’t care about the time, all I cared about was hitting that final timing mat.  When my foot came down I yelled “I did it” and thought of the amazing friends and family that have showered me with so much love and support through this whole journey.  I knew they would all be waiting (a bit longer than anyone had thought), and all I could do was shout out with happiness, “YES”.

Just Finished

I was ripped apart and torn upside down in the 5 plus hours I was on the course.  I went through all the emotions of failure and success one person can put themselves through, but in the end rawness I felt was just what I was looking for.  I was a new person, a stronger person, a survivor.

With a running idol

 

Post-race:  Quickly, well as quickly as I could move, I looked around with tears in my eyes wanting to find my gear check to call Chris.  After two photos and my arms full of food I finally found the gear check.  What I was not prepared for was not t being able to make a phone call.  I pulled my phone out, and although I had a perfect signal the call wouldn’t dial.  When it finally did it went to voice mail.  Now one thing I learned after a marathon your brain has pretty much shut down, so something that otherwise would have been inconvenient was a full-blown disaster.  I then attempted to send a text message and then I proceeded t o walk to the meet up area.  Wouldn’t you know it text messages had a 5 min delay and by the time I got to the other end of the area I got my message saying they were back where I just was, I collapsed and cried.  My feet burned and I just wanted the arms of my husband.  I nice man stopped asked if I was ok and I felt like a ten-year old lost.  I stood up acted my age and proceeded back to the spot I just came from.  Of course getting there I saw a mass of people and had no clue where they were.  A few more delayed texts and finally I see a bright orange shirt coming right at me and I melted right in his arms.  I cried from exhaustion, and I cried for finally finding him.  I did it; I actually finished my first marathon.  It wasn’t how I had dreamt it would turn out, and with my training going so well it was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but when it was all said and done, I did it.

Waiting for me with arms wide open

Quickly I then grabbed a hold of our great friend Amy (Queen Endurasoak herself) and gave her a massive hug.  Amy and Chris had stuck it out in the heat and after their own races to be there when I finished.  Having both of them there to share this moment with me will always be the best moment of the day.  The tears dried up and we headed back to the hotel.  Naps where no longer on the agenda.  I got to go back read through a zillion messages and then prepare for an evening of dinner, drinks and fun with an amazing support system.

We chatted for a long time, I had my favorite drink Raspberry Beer, and I tried to eat what I could.  I found my stomach just didn’t want anything.  Later we said good-bye to most and then a few of us headed to the Signature Room for a few more drinks and desert.

The evening ended with a massive smile on my face and a new reality that today I had become a marathoner.

Chicago Marathon Morning 10-10-10

It’s here and I’m awake getting ready for my 4 plus hour journey.

Thank you for the amazing number of messages and the out pouring of support.

Chicago Marathon Week: What I am Running From

I have been thinking about this post for a long time, and how to put into words how much finishing this marathon means to me.   Before I can get to the end I need to take you back 17 years.

17 years ago I was a lanky 13 year old girl enjoying school, dancing and friends.  However, that was not what was going on, on the inside.  During the fall of my 8^th grade school year I spent 3-4 months hospitalized off and on after being diagnosed with severe depression.   I still remember when I finally got out and the promise I made to myself.  I said that if I could just survive my teenage years I would do everything I could to fix the environmental and biological “crap” that got me in this mess in the first place.

17 years later I couldn’t be happier with how my life has turned around.  I have the most amazing husband, who is also my best friend, a great career, a loving extended family, and the wonderful support of my friends.  By all accounts I have drastically changed all the environmental influences that caused so much torment in my pre-teen years.  The next issue was how to address the biological factor.  Now I never thought I could make changes to any predisposition I may have inherited, but I did want to challenge myself psychologically on a whole different level than I ever thought possible.  After watching Chris prepare and accomplish his first marathon a little over a year ago, I knew that the final test for me would be to finish my own 26.2 mile journey.

For me the marathon represents the chance to shed off all self-doubt, and fear.  By the end of the 26.2 miles you learn to believe that you truly “can do” something and a sense of fearlessness is gained.   I imagine shedding that final layer of my past that has stayed with me over the years will leave me feeling raw, and I think that is just what I am looking for.

Again to everyone that has supported me I thank you deeply.  My biggest enemy is myself and I look forward to the battle on Sunday morning.   See you on the other side of the finish line.

 

Less Than 2 Weeks & Counting: Goal!

So I’m in the thick of taper madness, and minus a small breakdown on Friday I’m holding up pretty well.  The small breakdown was mostly work induced and a bad case of allergies making my head explode.  Nothing a nap, a snuggle with my sweetie and a weekend with my gals running didn’t fix.

So what am I doing now, well I am taking it easy.  My running is in the mid 20’s, but it also included a much missed run….the tempo.  Either heat or dead legs diminished most of my tempo attempts (so I replaced them with weekly hill intervals on the treadmill).  Sunday was such a beautiful day in the neighborhood that I opted to give it a go.  5.8 miles with average 9:30 (w/1 mile warm-up and .5 mile cool down).   Nothing to sneeze at, but it felt good the whole time and my legs were perfectly fine the following day.  My winter goal will be to incorporate “true” tempo runs weekly over the winter.  A piece of my training that has not been consistent and would help a TON.

Anyway, that was about the most excitement last week saw.  This again seems to go with the theme of this training cycle “no drama mama”.  The less drama or stuff to really get excited about then the better things seem to be going.  So if running is chugging along just fine and the legs are holding up, then what else is there?  Well I haven’t talked much about my marathon “goal”, or what I want to gain from my first 26.2 mile journey.  This sounds like something good to discuss right about now. 

Ok well let me start this off with I’m sticking with what has worked thus far, I’m staying conservative (which normally is not a word associated with my view points, lol).  Anyway, I’ve had success when I dial things back a tad and listen to my body (and my head).  Does that mean I miss out on my full potential?  Sure, maybe it does, but it also means I enjoy my running experience so much more.  As a newbie to running (I still have less than 2 years of running) I don’t want to get burned out, or forget why I enjoy pounding the road (I was coming close to that this past spring). 

When I finished my 20 miler I was pleased as punch to see I hit exactly the average pace I would need for a 4:30 finish time (my 18 miler several weeks before was only 2 seconds faster).  It looked to me that a 10:18-10-15ish pace was something my body seemed comfortable with for the distance, and honestly I’m pleased with that.  I finished my 20 miler not eagerly waiting to be let out of my misery, but with a jump in my step and feeling strong.  That told me I dialed into something great that day. 

 After that run now I had to ask myself what I thought my body could handle on race day.  I decided to revise that question to, what would make me happy on race day, and that answer was easy….finishing with a smile on my face.  Sure I could go out at a 10 min pace and try to get close to 4:20, and heck that would be only 15 to 20 seconds faster than my long run pace.  Most people would say that pace would be conservative too, but for me I kept saying “the marathon is a humbling experience” and I’m not looking to be smacked in the face with it on 10/10/10. 

Thus I have opted for the road of lease resistance and to go out for my first marathon with the goal and objective to cross that finish line loving every step of my first 26.2 mile run.  Going out with the 4:30 pace group just sounds right to me, and honestly I see the day going two ways.  1.  It could be a beautiful day with great weather and my legs feel light as a feather.  If so I go with the 4:30 pace group through mile 20-22 and if I am itching to give it a go, then I have had it and go for a negative split.  2.  OR the weather sucks, my legs feel heavy and my 26.2 mile journey is not how I have dreamed it would be.  By going out at a pace I know I have done before I will better be able to handle the mental aspect of what I am facing.    

 So there you have it, laid out for the entire world to see.  So what happens if I don’t come across in 4:30?  Who the heck cares as long as I do cross, right?  The above is my marathon day road map, because I’m that kind of gal.  There are 6 whole miles to complete after I hit mile 20 and boy those 6 miles could slap me around pretty hard if they decided I have not prepared well enough.  I know this and may past marathoner know this.  By respecting that final 10k and knowing it’s a marathon, anything can happen in a marathon; I think I have my head set in the right frame of mind. 

 Thank you again to EVERYONE for following along, and encouraging me along the way.

Weeks 4 & 3 Taper Begins NOW!

Last I left you I had completed my first 18 mile run and it was by far the best long run of the whole training cycle.  I spent the next two weeks praying that my first and final long run would be just as good…if not better.

The week before last was pretty uneventful.  I got in about 34 miles for my cut back week and had some enjoyable runs with the temps dropping.  I reminded myself to not do anything stupid with my pace since I was so close to the finish and walking to the start line healthy. 

Last week was no different, except for my Wednesday run when I really had to put on the breaks to keep my speed in check.  I described the run as light as a feather not stiff as a board.  It was pretty exciting to feel that good going into the last week of my regular training (which ya, ya I know means that I may have been able to handle more, lol).  My watch kept reading 9:30’s and it felt so effortless.  I continued to bring the pace down to 9:50’s, but for my last half mile I said heck with it and took it to about 8:30 to just get a little turnover.  If felt great the whole time, and the next day I was fine.

Thursday I confirmed with two of my running pals that I was heading out at 5:30 am on Saturday morning.  Both of them had cut back weeks so they were splitting up and one was starting at 5:30 am with me and the other would join at 7:30 for my final 10 miles.  I love those girls so much, and it has been such an awesome experience to share this with them.  Friday actually turned out to be a perfect day for me.  I had an off-site cooking/team building event and we made some wonderful pasta and chicken.  It had me eating around 1:00 pm a pretty large meal.  I was home before 4:00 pm and took a short nap.  I was still full around 5 pm so I opted for a P&J sandwich and a small bowl of cereal.  By 6:30 I had all my clothes laid out and I was ready for bed (although I knew it was too early to hop in).  After 8 pm I final went to bed, but of course I couldn’t sleep and I tossed and turned till after 10 pm (I’m sure Chicago will be the same). 

Finally I woke up at 4 am and I was red-eyed, but ready to get this baby started.  I had just gotten a new pair of shorts and a hat I wanted to test out.  I have a terrible time with hats because I have a small head, but I HATE the sun in my face so I really felt like I better have one.  Took a chance and ordered this one and I LOVE it.  It fits perfect and does bunch my ears down.  I thought maybe the bill would be wired since they say it’s for a woman, but it was great.  I also went for these shorts .  I have been hoping it would be cold enough I could wear my favorite Nike Knee Pants on marathon day, but honestly I don’t want to count on it.  I hate being hot so I didn’t want to chance it (given our summer too).  I train in regular shorts, but I am not a fan of how they ride up or sit on my short-wasted tummy.  These shorts work great because they have the back zipper pocket just like what is in my Nike knee pants.  Also they aren’t so short that they look like hot pants (and are showing my tushy off after 5 miles), but they aren’t 1980’s bike short long either.   Now I just need my Hall Steps Singlet and I am ready to go (oh and get my light blue LunarGlide 2’s).

 OK so on with the 20 miler…..I started with my pal Sarah who is much faster runner then me.  She has been smart and by doing her long runs 1min-1.5 mins slower than race pace she ends up running with me.  Since I have no intention of racing this marathon I plan on running it at my training pace.  Anyway, we kicked off in the dark and under a wonderful sky of stars.  I knew this first 10 mile loop would possibly be faster than the second half, but with temps in the low 50’s and the sun not up yet it was to be expected.  We still kept it with in a 15-20 sec difference of what I had figured would be my pace. 

First 10 miles went by so fast that I kept missing the turns I was going to take to turn my 9 mile loop into 10 miles. I took my Cliff Shot Bloks (strawberry flavor) at mile 5 and we had a quick water stop too.  Come race day I anticipate having to pull over every 5 miles to refill my handheld water bottle and quickly shove 3 shot bloks in my mouth.  They are not that easy to chew and run with at the same time.  We were off again and the pace got a bit faster (9:50’s) because of several downhill sections.  We made it back in time to pick up Danielle at 7:30 and I took 3 more shot bloks at mile 10.

At this point I told the ladies I was bring down the pace; since I knew the first half was faster than what I thought I could hold for 20 miles.  Although I didn’t need to at the time, I knew this second 10 mile loop may not feel as good as the first if I didn’t check myself.  After about 2 more miles Sarah left us to go back and then it was just me and Danielle.  Around mile 13 I could feel my “seat” area getting a bit sore.  This has been the first sign of soreness in all my long runs, so it was no big deal.  Around 14 miles I made sure to stay easy on pace because I figured they would be the hardest.  I’m close to being done, but not really.  At 15 we made one final water stop and I took my last 3 shot bloks.  I sort of waited for some tummy issues, but nothing ever happened.  For the last five miles I have a few downhill sections which was a welcomed blessing, but then a detour up hill around mile 18 was not so much.  It was short and the rest was plain flat. 

Passing mile 18 and I thought I was doing pretty darn good, but I decided to not look at my pace and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  With about a mile left Danielle fulfilled her tour guide duties with a great story to get me through the final stretch.  She shared how her and her hubby met, and we just happened to be running past his old house (oh and they met on the high school cross-country team).  I made a mental not to just pick up the pace a tad that final mile (nothing as hard as the 18 miler sprint at the end), but just enough to wake the leggies up.

Coming up to the running store and hearing the garmin beep 20 miles complete, I was simply elated.  I felt great during the whole run, and what was even a bigger surprise I could have gone further (good thing for me since I have 6 miler miles to add to that).  I finished my morning off with an Endurasoak bath and then an attempted nap on the couch.  My wonderful hubby made me a wonderful dinner that night, which ended up stuffing me so much I had to skip the ice cream.

Yesterday I got in 5 slow recovery miles and felt pretty good.  It ended this week with another 40 miles total, and now the taper begins. 

A quick update on Chris….he got in about 35ish miles this past week (heck it may have been 40 too) and a long run of 15 miles.  He felt pretty good on that run and even brought down his final miles to marathon pace (6:5X something).  He is still going to the Chiro and is hoping to just get his legs more use to the pounding of running over the next 10 days and then a 10 day mini-taper.  His goal for Chicago won’t really be made till that week, once his number one goal of making it to the start line healthy is secured.

Thank you again everyone for following along on this journey and your awesome amount of support.  It has really been a blast and I am so glad I have this journal to look back at later.  In the weeks to come I hope to post a reflection on what completing a marathon means to me.  Each of us takes on this challenge for a different purpose and I think sharing that helps to put the whole thing in proper perspective.