Near the end my battered left IT band told me it was not happy, but I made it home without too much pain. Now I'm laying on the sofa icing the outside of my knee. Hopefully this heals quickly and without much trouble!
:)
Thursday, May 29, 2014
2 mile recovery run
Ah, to run again. I felt a bit awkward and stiff, but today after taking three days off, I am finally not sore -except for some toenails.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
The Mighty Marathon
It is absolutely surreal, but the mighty marathon is completed. It has taken me a few days to come to terms with the "loss"? of this goal realized and to figure out what I want to write to you about (sorry for the delay!).
Last Minute Gear Dash:
Saturday Pre-Race Party:
Finally it was time to get up! We had just enough time to groggily get our stuff together and into the car to leave the hotel at 5:50 AM. Tom and Jacki stopped and had Tim Horton's bagel's on the way. I had a mini bagel with jam back at the hotel. I had meant to eat two of them but my anxiety made it hard to get even one of them down. In the car I tried to eat as much of a peanut butter sandwich as I could. I think I only made it 1/3 of the way through it.
We had enough time for a quick potty break on the way to line up for the starting corral. Jacki and I chatted with other people while milling around. We met another woman running her first marathon and also the Boilermaker in Utica in July.
I had a list of goals in my head for the race:
My First Marathon Goals:
1) don't die (this includes having to drop out of the race due to hydration etc.)
2) don't end up sick and stranded in a random porta-potty out on the course
3) finish the race
4) finish the race while it is still open (6 hour cutoff)
5) finish around 5 hours (dream finish)
I carried two apple pie Lara Bars and three packets of Jelly Belly Sport's Beans in my new Spibelt.
After snapping a few pre-race pics and posting a quick message to the masses on Facebook we were off and running! My plan was to stick with the 5:00 marathon time pacer. It was a man named Andrew. This was his ~20th marathon. All I kept thinking while we ran was, "how can he stand carrying that sign?". He held a sign up on a pole that had the desired time of either a 2:30 half marathon or a 5:00 marathon.
In this race both the half marathon and marathon runners ran the first 13.1 miles together and then when the half marathon was done the runners ran to the finish corral, while the marathon runners were diverted onto another 13.1 mile course that ended at the same finish line.
The first 5:
The first 5 miles of the run were pretty simple and I was fine with the pace group. It was really crowded and the streets had lots of dips and pot holes so I paid attention to where I was stepping and who I was bumping into. To give you an idea of how tight it was at times, my hand became entwined in someones headphone cord... keep that under wraps people! There were water stations quite frequently placed and I stopped at each of them for a drink of Gatorade. I started chewing beans at about this point. Apparently for me this was too late...
5-10:
I started to lose steam and slowly the pace sign and my group of runners drifted into the distance. I started to try intervals of walking a little and then running, but at this point I was too afraid to really push when I was running because there was still such a distance left in the race so I kept going slowly. I held it together pretty well and tried to keep reminding myself to look around at the scenery and the other runners. What I mostly noticed was the lack of marathon runners and the vast number of half marathon runners. I was going to be pretty lonely after the first 13.1.
We ran along the pretty condos along the water and it was SO serene and beautiful. There was even a tug boat spewing water into the air and we could feel the mist.
*I have a quick rant... Don't EVER let this be you... As I was going along I noticed a couple doing the half marathon. She was obviously having a hard time and she was leaning on the guy and apologizing for having to walk and not doing well or whatever. They would occasionally jog past me and then I would pass them again and so on. So during the race at one point the runners ran out along the water, turned around, and then ran back toward the oncoming runners. Imagine my surprise to see this couple that had been just ahead of me coming back with the returning runners when there was still quite a distance to the turn around point... RIIIIIGHT. I gave them a pretty dirty look, but who knows if they noticed. Believe me, there is so much more honor in walking every step of a race than to take one step that is cheating.
10-15:
Somewhere around here I heard my phone chime that someone had completed a run on MapMyRun. YAY Tom! :)
I'm not sure when my stomach started to cramp and get painful. It was pretty near the halfway point. I tried jamming my fingers into the cramps and exhaling. I tried raising my arms over my head. I tried drinking more, drinking less. As we got closer to the halfway point my spirits started dipping lower and lower. There were very few marathon runners at my pace. All the half marathon runners started to pick up their pace to finish strong and they kept flying by me. Sigh. People kept saying, "we're almost there!" and I was like... nope.
As we neared the finish of the half I could see the huge sign telling half finishers to keep going straight and the marathoners to turn right. I could barely tell where to go because everyone was so focused on the half people and the road I needed to turn onto was almost blocked by spectators. One was Tom!!! He had a nice bottle of water and a kiss for me. Just like always I teared up. I can't seem to not cry at 13.1 miles. HA!
So back through the city I went. At one point stopping at a water station I must have sighed quite dejectedly because the volunteer looked at me with concern and asked if I needed something else. I said, "to be transported 3 hours into the future". She patted me affectionately on the shoulder and told me I would get there and it would all be worth it and to keep going. It was either the look of compassion I saw in her eye or the pat on my sweaty hot shoulder that gave me a little boost. I kept plodding along. I was walking more and more and my legs were starting to ache.
Strangely I was a lot happier out on the road without all the half marathon runners. I'm used to running for a really long time quite all alone and being in such tight quarters with all the other runners had been a bit distracting. There was a steady little stream of marathon runners and they were all starting to pass me...
15-19:
This was easily the darkest part of my race. I realized somewhere around here that I had barely eaten any of the food I had packed and I had better get eating or I was really likely to not finish the race. I was nauseated, my body hurt, and so did my mind. I was battering myself mentally.
I texted Tom about how horrible I was doing. I was at the 25K marker (I guess this is 15.5 miles)... I asked him how many K a marathon is... 42K, sigh. He told me to keep plugging away. I didn't realize he had put out a request for messages to be texted to me after I text him how horrible I felt. He didn't tell me until we were about to go to sleep that night, then I found his message on Facebook. Seriously, thank you Tom and everyone that responded to the post. I really, really appreciated the texts. I don't know if I could have kept going if I didn't have something else to focus on, like all the people that thought I could do it.
Somewhere in Delaware park I ate a huge handful of jelly beans. I suddenly realized at almost this same moment that I was not feeling well at all. The beans felt like a rock in my stomach. I must not have been drinking enough and I didn't have anything to drink with me. I think I had over a half mile to the next water station. There were people biking next to some of the runners keeping them company. I almost asked them to bike up to the next station and get me some water and bring it back to me. I was seriously worried I was going to black out. Honestly, maybe I should have told someone how bad I felt, but I was worried they would make me stop the race and I REALLY wanted to finish. I walked the rest of the way to that water stop. I stood there at the table and downed two cups of water and a cup of Gatorade. I took two cups of Gatorade with me and I kept walking. I figured all the liquid at once could mess me up, but it was probably a better alternative to blacking out from lack of water and sugar.
19-26.2:
Don't get discouraged everyone! There was still time for a triumphant return to racing for me!
For a few miles I had been running near an older woman that was apparently walking the entire distance. Yes, you can walk an entire marathon. She was pretty fast and obviously very dedicated. We came up to the 19 mile marker water station at about the same time and she was arguing with the volunteer that was (thankfully for me) handing out entire water bottles and not just cups of water. After we passed the volunteer the walker, Paula, turned to me and said that the volunteer had offered her a race map because they would be closing the course before she finished... it was 10:45 AM at this point and the course was going to be open until 1 PM. She told the lady she was on pace to finish right at 6 hours and they had better not be closing the course because she was still completely on track to finish while it was still open.
THANK YOU GOD for sending me Paula.
At this point I realized some simple truths simultaneously:
1) I had better kick my butt in gear or I wasn't going to get a medal for the race. That would be pretty sad and disappointing (in the running for understatement of the year award)!!!
2) I had better stick pretty tight to Paula because she sure as heck seemed to know a lot more about what she was doing than I did at this point.
So I held onto my water bottle and took nice big drinks and my strength (probably mostly mental determination at this point) started to come back to me.
But first, I had been walking so much it felt like I would not even be able to start running again. As I started to run again but my left calf cramped and I was seriously about to have a real good cry that my marathon dreams had all turned out so poorly. I pinched and rubbed my calf unmercifully and chugged the water and chewed more beans and I kept going and stopping and repeating the process. I kept up with Paula and I started to actually feel better!
I studied Paula's outfit (you have a lot of time to casually peruse other runners while you are out on the course). She had on a nice patriotic running skirt covered with American Flags and a very detailed running shirt that was personalized with her name, Paula and then that she was a Navy Veteran. At one point while I was jogging next to her I thanked her for her service and she told me she was a Vietnam veteran. She was really sweet and I was happy to be running "with" her near me.
We were at about the 20 mile marker when I looked up and there was my brother walking toward me along the road!!! He had parked in Delaware Park and somehow missed me and then started walking back from the 21 mile marker to find me. He jogged and walked with me back to the 21 mile mark and he gave me a nice new bottle of cold water and a big hug and went off to the finish line.
Really I was starting to feel pretty good at this point, maybe even better than during all of the race. I was filled with new energy from actually taking in enough drink and sugar and also a new feeling of determination that I was actually going to finish! I kept telling myself what a short distance I had left and I just kept running and walking as needed and drinking plenty of water and Gatorade.
I started passing all the people I had let pass me in my low point. I kept telling them to keep going that they were doing great. I started to really "enjoy" the race. I ran through the garden hose streams of generous homeowners. I ate watermelon a little girl handed me. I slapped high-fives with a puppy and frat boys and even a Buffalo Police officer. The sun was high and felt good on my back. I talked more with the volunteers when I stopped to fill up my water bottle and get Gatorade. I thanked everyone that clapped or cheered for me and the officers and volunteers that kept the traffic from running me over. I kept Paula at my back and I looked over my shoulder periodically to site her and make sure I would make it under 6 hours.
By the 23 mile mark I decided to eat all my beans and to just keep drinking water and as much Gatorade as I could hold. I tried to run as much as I could and I just kept going and going.
Somewhere out there around this point my left leg IT band started giving me some pretty solid pain along the outside of my left knee. I tried to massage it as best I could but there wasn't much that could be done but to grit and bear it.
At mile 25 the course turned and went downhill. Alleluia!!! I kept passing people and I felt sad that they probably were not going to finish under 6 hours. Right near the end I caught up with an Indian woman, Sheila, that I had been running with periodically and she was so worried we were not going to make it. I told her about Paula being on track to finish at 6 and that she was behind us and that we had about a quarter mile left. She was so relieved and we ran together. Right around here Kent and Tom were waiting for me to cheer me on for the last leg. I can't explain to you how relieved I was at this point.
Sprint to the finish:
In the corral to finish Sheila reached back for me to sprint to the finish with her and I really gave it a nice go and pushed out a sprint to the line. Sheila grabbed me in a big sweaty hug and really it's a big blur to me at this point. Just such great relief and accomplishment -it's pretty overwhelming.
Paul and Sandy (pre-race party hosts) were there and I gave them big hugs and by then my brother Kent and Tom had come back from their previous positions and I hugged them across the barrier as well. Then I remembered to get my medal and a space blanket and I had my post-race photo taken alone and with Sheila. Paula came through and she took a picture with me with her camera. Really without Paula I likely would not have made it in time. She lit the fire under my butt that pulled me back together and got me to the end of the race.
Resolution:
I ate a banana half and we walked inside the Convention Center. I sat on a bench and started processing what had happened and probably was babbling almost incoherently about all the people I met and everything that had happened that my brother and Tom didn't know about. Tom kept trying to get me to get ready to go and get back up. I sat completely exhausted with one shoe off and one still on for at least 10 minutes. Finally I put my other sandal on and hobbled to the bathroom. Then we very slowly walked to the car in the garage. Tom offered to get the car and bring it to me, but I thought walking would be a good idea. We said our goodbyes to my brother and I snuggled into my space blanket. Tom carried everything -at this point even my phone was a burden that was too much for me. At the car I slid into a tee shirt (Lucky Fins Rock!), my favorite sweatshirt, and pulled sweatpants over my shorts and compression sleeves on my calves. I ate a cliff bar, drank some Gatorade and away we went!
Thank you everyone that got me to the starting line and then to the finish. I seriously couldn't have done it without each little part that you played in this journey.
There you have it everyone! The mighty marathon tale! I dare to say that you will all have to stay tuned because (I don't know when), but I'm pretty sure there will be another marathon in my future (not really satisfied with how it all turned out -think I could do better next time HA!), and you can bet I'll need all of you just as much then as I needed you now.
#buffalomarathon2014 #marathon #buffalomarathon #firstmarathon #beginningmarathon #running #run #runningblog #springmarathon
I think I'll just tell all of the parts to you chronologically and in LOTS of detail.
I didn't kill it, but it didn't kill me, so in my book it's a win!!!
So grab a drink, relax, and get ready for the mighty (long) story of my first marathon...
Last Minute Gear Dash:
When I left you last I was getting nervous for the upcoming event. I was in a last-minute, panicked, gear search looking for arm sleeves, a Spibelt, and a running hat. Happily, I can tell you now that all of those items arrived on time or were found at the local sporting goods store and worked out fabulously -perhaps this should have alleviated some of my stress, but I couldn't shake the anxiety and remained very high strung up until the moment we (Tom, Jacki, and myself) were in our respective places in the coral waiting for the starting gun.
Saturday Pre-Race Party:
I have a lot of friends in Buffalo. I attended graduate school at the University at Buffalo and spent 6 years living in Tonawanda and slaving away at my lab bench. When I left I took a Master's Degree and a Ph. D. in Biology with me to a Postdoctoral position in Cleveland. My UB Ph. D. thesis adviser Paul and his wife set up a BBQ at his house on Saturday afternoon before the race so we could all catch up. Thank you Paul and Sandy!!!
To get to the party on time we juggled the kids to my aunt early in the AM and headed to downtown Buffalo to pick up our race packets (pins for the number bib, the bib, and a Buffalo Marathon shirt!). Everything leading up to this was me nervously making lists of what to pack and rechecking what I had packed and also making sure everything was set for the boys for two days at home with Aunt E. The entire trip to Buffalo and including the afternoon at the party I was very nervous about the main event on Sunday morning. I really don't think I have been this sickeningly nervous since the day before my Ph.D. qualifying exam (a HUGE DEAL oral exam you take in grad school to see if you are allowed to peruse your thesis and get your degree).
However, even though I had a hard time relaxing I had an awesome time at the BBQ catching up with Paul and my past labmates (and their kiddos!). I even got to meet two of his new lab ladies and a past work study that was an undergrad while I was there is now a technician in the lab. Hey Sally, what a great surprise to see you again! It's really weird coming back to a place that you spent a lot of time in and seeing people you spent a lot of time with. It seemed like none of us had changed at all and that I would be seeing them Monday morning again up in the labs. It was really hard to say goodbye to all of you, but I'm just sure we'll be together soon and thank you so much for all of the positive vibes you gave me, I carried them with me when the distance of the race got really tough.
On the way back to the hotel from the party, Tom and I spun by our old digs in Tonawanda. We spent a good two minutes staring up at the second floor two bedroom apartment thinking of all the good memories we have there with our friends, and with just the two of us, and with our fluffy kitty that used to enjoy sitting up on the balcony watching the birds and squirrels. Lots of emotions as we sat there. Those were our "glory days" -a couple of young people starting our lives together. We were newlyweds, hosted parties, and found out we were going to be parents there. I guess you just never really forget that stuff and it felt like it was somehow imprinted on the building and we could see it there as we sat together looking up.
Night Before the Race:
Before turning in for the night we took a quick trip to Dick's Sporting Goods for a last minute look at running gear (without the kids running all over the place while we tried to look at stuff!). I picked up a nice long sleeve tech shirt that was on sale and a pair of 2XU recovery compression socks for the ride home. Somehow we didn't end up with the socks when we got back to the hotel. Thankfully we hadn't paid for them either (guess I wasn't paying attention and the clerk never rang them up), so maybe some other time I can get some.
Back at the hotel we laid out all of our stuff for a 5:10 AM wake-up. I had a really hard time getting to sleep and I had sciatic nerve pain down my left leg (from the car ride to Buffalo). I got up in the middle of the night and did some stretches that amazingly completely rid me of the nerve pain!!! When I was asleep I had crazy dreams that were punctuated by me being awake quite often.
Race Day!
Night Before the Race:
Before turning in for the night we took a quick trip to Dick's Sporting Goods for a last minute look at running gear (without the kids running all over the place while we tried to look at stuff!). I picked up a nice long sleeve tech shirt that was on sale and a pair of 2XU recovery compression socks for the ride home. Somehow we didn't end up with the socks when we got back to the hotel. Thankfully we hadn't paid for them either (guess I wasn't paying attention and the clerk never rang them up), so maybe some other time I can get some.
Back at the hotel we laid out all of our stuff for a 5:10 AM wake-up. I had a really hard time getting to sleep and I had sciatic nerve pain down my left leg (from the car ride to Buffalo). I got up in the middle of the night and did some stretches that amazingly completely rid me of the nerve pain!!! When I was asleep I had crazy dreams that were punctuated by me being awake quite often.
Race Day!
All geared up and ready to go!
Finally it was time to get up! We had just enough time to groggily get our stuff together and into the car to leave the hotel at 5:50 AM. Tom and Jacki stopped and had Tim Horton's bagel's on the way. I had a mini bagel with jam back at the hotel. I had meant to eat two of them but my anxiety made it hard to get even one of them down. In the car I tried to eat as much of a peanut butter sandwich as I could. I think I only made it 1/3 of the way through it.
We had enough time for a quick potty break on the way to line up for the starting corral. Jacki and I chatted with other people while milling around. We met another woman running her first marathon and also the Boilermaker in Utica in July.
I had a list of goals in my head for the race:
My First Marathon Goals:
1) don't die (this includes having to drop out of the race due to hydration etc.)
2) don't end up sick and stranded in a random porta-potty out on the course
3) finish the race
4) finish the race while it is still open (6 hour cutoff)
5) finish around 5 hours (dream finish)
I carried two apple pie Lara Bars and three packets of Jelly Belly Sport's Beans in my new Spibelt.
Jacki and I are ready to kick some marathon butt.
After snapping a few pre-race pics and posting a quick message to the masses on Facebook we were off and running! My plan was to stick with the 5:00 marathon time pacer. It was a man named Andrew. This was his ~20th marathon. All I kept thinking while we ran was, "how can he stand carrying that sign?". He held a sign up on a pole that had the desired time of either a 2:30 half marathon or a 5:00 marathon.
In this race both the half marathon and marathon runners ran the first 13.1 miles together and then when the half marathon was done the runners ran to the finish corral, while the marathon runners were diverted onto another 13.1 mile course that ended at the same finish line.
Buffalo looking beautiful at the start of the race.
The first 5:
The first 5 miles of the run were pretty simple and I was fine with the pace group. It was really crowded and the streets had lots of dips and pot holes so I paid attention to where I was stepping and who I was bumping into. To give you an idea of how tight it was at times, my hand became entwined in someones headphone cord... keep that under wraps people! There were water stations quite frequently placed and I stopped at each of them for a drink of Gatorade. I started chewing beans at about this point. Apparently for me this was too late...
5-10:
I started to lose steam and slowly the pace sign and my group of runners drifted into the distance. I started to try intervals of walking a little and then running, but at this point I was too afraid to really push when I was running because there was still such a distance left in the race so I kept going slowly. I held it together pretty well and tried to keep reminding myself to look around at the scenery and the other runners. What I mostly noticed was the lack of marathon runners and the vast number of half marathon runners. I was going to be pretty lonely after the first 13.1.
We ran along the pretty condos along the water and it was SO serene and beautiful. There was even a tug boat spewing water into the air and we could feel the mist.
*I have a quick rant... Don't EVER let this be you... As I was going along I noticed a couple doing the half marathon. She was obviously having a hard time and she was leaning on the guy and apologizing for having to walk and not doing well or whatever. They would occasionally jog past me and then I would pass them again and so on. So during the race at one point the runners ran out along the water, turned around, and then ran back toward the oncoming runners. Imagine my surprise to see this couple that had been just ahead of me coming back with the returning runners when there was still quite a distance to the turn around point... RIIIIIGHT. I gave them a pretty dirty look, but who knows if they noticed. Believe me, there is so much more honor in walking every step of a race than to take one step that is cheating.
10-15:
Somewhere around here I heard my phone chime that someone had completed a run on MapMyRun. YAY Tom! :)
I'm not sure when my stomach started to cramp and get painful. It was pretty near the halfway point. I tried jamming my fingers into the cramps and exhaling. I tried raising my arms over my head. I tried drinking more, drinking less. As we got closer to the halfway point my spirits started dipping lower and lower. There were very few marathon runners at my pace. All the half marathon runners started to pick up their pace to finish strong and they kept flying by me. Sigh. People kept saying, "we're almost there!" and I was like... nope.
As we neared the finish of the half I could see the huge sign telling half finishers to keep going straight and the marathoners to turn right. I could barely tell where to go because everyone was so focused on the half people and the road I needed to turn onto was almost blocked by spectators. One was Tom!!! He had a nice bottle of water and a kiss for me. Just like always I teared up. I can't seem to not cry at 13.1 miles. HA!
So back through the city I went. At one point stopping at a water station I must have sighed quite dejectedly because the volunteer looked at me with concern and asked if I needed something else. I said, "to be transported 3 hours into the future". She patted me affectionately on the shoulder and told me I would get there and it would all be worth it and to keep going. It was either the look of compassion I saw in her eye or the pat on my sweaty hot shoulder that gave me a little boost. I kept plodding along. I was walking more and more and my legs were starting to ache.
Strangely I was a lot happier out on the road without all the half marathon runners. I'm used to running for a really long time quite all alone and being in such tight quarters with all the other runners had been a bit distracting. There was a steady little stream of marathon runners and they were all starting to pass me...
15-19:
This was easily the darkest part of my race. I realized somewhere around here that I had barely eaten any of the food I had packed and I had better get eating or I was really likely to not finish the race. I was nauseated, my body hurt, and so did my mind. I was battering myself mentally.
I texted Tom about how horrible I was doing. I was at the 25K marker (I guess this is 15.5 miles)... I asked him how many K a marathon is... 42K, sigh. He told me to keep plugging away. I didn't realize he had put out a request for messages to be texted to me after I text him how horrible I felt. He didn't tell me until we were about to go to sleep that night, then I found his message on Facebook. Seriously, thank you Tom and everyone that responded to the post. I really, really appreciated the texts. I don't know if I could have kept going if I didn't have something else to focus on, like all the people that thought I could do it.
Somewhere in Delaware park I ate a huge handful of jelly beans. I suddenly realized at almost this same moment that I was not feeling well at all. The beans felt like a rock in my stomach. I must not have been drinking enough and I didn't have anything to drink with me. I think I had over a half mile to the next water station. There were people biking next to some of the runners keeping them company. I almost asked them to bike up to the next station and get me some water and bring it back to me. I was seriously worried I was going to black out. Honestly, maybe I should have told someone how bad I felt, but I was worried they would make me stop the race and I REALLY wanted to finish. I walked the rest of the way to that water stop. I stood there at the table and downed two cups of water and a cup of Gatorade. I took two cups of Gatorade with me and I kept walking. I figured all the liquid at once could mess me up, but it was probably a better alternative to blacking out from lack of water and sugar.
19-26.2:
Don't get discouraged everyone! There was still time for a triumphant return to racing for me!
For a few miles I had been running near an older woman that was apparently walking the entire distance. Yes, you can walk an entire marathon. She was pretty fast and obviously very dedicated. We came up to the 19 mile marker water station at about the same time and she was arguing with the volunteer that was (thankfully for me) handing out entire water bottles and not just cups of water. After we passed the volunteer the walker, Paula, turned to me and said that the volunteer had offered her a race map because they would be closing the course before she finished... it was 10:45 AM at this point and the course was going to be open until 1 PM. She told the lady she was on pace to finish right at 6 hours and they had better not be closing the course because she was still completely on track to finish while it was still open.
THANK YOU GOD for sending me Paula.
At this point I realized some simple truths simultaneously:
1) I had better kick my butt in gear or I wasn't going to get a medal for the race. That would be pretty sad and disappointing (in the running for understatement of the year award)!!!
2) I had better stick pretty tight to Paula because she sure as heck seemed to know a lot more about what she was doing than I did at this point.
So I held onto my water bottle and took nice big drinks and my strength (probably mostly mental determination at this point) started to come back to me.
I AM getting that stinking medal!!!!
But first, I had been walking so much it felt like I would not even be able to start running again. As I started to run again but my left calf cramped and I was seriously about to have a real good cry that my marathon dreams had all turned out so poorly. I pinched and rubbed my calf unmercifully and chugged the water and chewed more beans and I kept going and stopping and repeating the process. I kept up with Paula and I started to actually feel better!
I studied Paula's outfit (you have a lot of time to casually peruse other runners while you are out on the course). She had on a nice patriotic running skirt covered with American Flags and a very detailed running shirt that was personalized with her name, Paula and then that she was a Navy Veteran. At one point while I was jogging next to her I thanked her for her service and she told me she was a Vietnam veteran. She was really sweet and I was happy to be running "with" her near me.
We were at about the 20 mile marker when I looked up and there was my brother walking toward me along the road!!! He had parked in Delaware Park and somehow missed me and then started walking back from the 21 mile marker to find me. He jogged and walked with me back to the 21 mile mark and he gave me a nice new bottle of cold water and a big hug and went off to the finish line.
There I am with my pink top as my brother left to go meet me at the finish.
Really I was starting to feel pretty good at this point, maybe even better than during all of the race. I was filled with new energy from actually taking in enough drink and sugar and also a new feeling of determination that I was actually going to finish! I kept telling myself what a short distance I had left and I just kept running and walking as needed and drinking plenty of water and Gatorade.
I started passing all the people I had let pass me in my low point. I kept telling them to keep going that they were doing great. I started to really "enjoy" the race. I ran through the garden hose streams of generous homeowners. I ate watermelon a little girl handed me. I slapped high-fives with a puppy and frat boys and even a Buffalo Police officer. The sun was high and felt good on my back. I talked more with the volunteers when I stopped to fill up my water bottle and get Gatorade. I thanked everyone that clapped or cheered for me and the officers and volunteers that kept the traffic from running me over. I kept Paula at my back and I looked over my shoulder periodically to site her and make sure I would make it under 6 hours.
By the 23 mile mark I decided to eat all my beans and to just keep drinking water and as much Gatorade as I could hold. I tried to run as much as I could and I just kept going and going.
Somewhere out there around this point my left leg IT band started giving me some pretty solid pain along the outside of my left knee. I tried to massage it as best I could but there wasn't much that could be done but to grit and bear it.
At mile 25 the course turned and went downhill. Alleluia!!! I kept passing people and I felt sad that they probably were not going to finish under 6 hours. Right near the end I caught up with an Indian woman, Sheila, that I had been running with periodically and she was so worried we were not going to make it. I told her about Paula being on track to finish at 6 and that she was behind us and that we had about a quarter mile left. She was so relieved and we ran together. Right around here Kent and Tom were waiting for me to cheer me on for the last leg. I can't explain to you how relieved I was at this point.
I'm so close!!!
Almost. There.
Sprint to the finish:
In the corral to finish Sheila reached back for me to sprint to the finish with her and I really gave it a nice go and pushed out a sprint to the line. Sheila grabbed me in a big sweaty hug and really it's a big blur to me at this point. Just such great relief and accomplishment -it's pretty overwhelming.
Paul and Sandy (pre-race party hosts) were there and I gave them big hugs and by then my brother Kent and Tom had come back from their previous positions and I hugged them across the barrier as well. Then I remembered to get my medal and a space blanket and I had my post-race photo taken alone and with Sheila. Paula came through and she took a picture with me with her camera. Really without Paula I likely would not have made it in time. She lit the fire under my butt that pulled me back together and got me to the end of the race.
I finished in 5:52:23. It is what it is. I wish it was better, but I'll take it for now!
I ate a banana half and we walked inside the Convention Center. I sat on a bench and started processing what had happened and probably was babbling almost incoherently about all the people I met and everything that had happened that my brother and Tom didn't know about. Tom kept trying to get me to get ready to go and get back up. I sat completely exhausted with one shoe off and one still on for at least 10 minutes. Finally I put my other sandal on and hobbled to the bathroom. Then we very slowly walked to the car in the garage. Tom offered to get the car and bring it to me, but I thought walking would be a good idea. We said our goodbyes to my brother and I snuggled into my space blanket. Tom carried everything -at this point even my phone was a burden that was too much for me. At the car I slid into a tee shirt (Lucky Fins Rock!), my favorite sweatshirt, and pulled sweatpants over my shorts and compression sleeves on my calves. I ate a cliff bar, drank some Gatorade and away we went!
Ah, don't mind me, I'm just relaxing with my finishers medal!
Thank you everyone that got me to the starting line and then to the finish. I seriously couldn't have done it without each little part that you played in this journey.
There you have it everyone! The mighty marathon tale! I dare to say that you will all have to stay tuned because (I don't know when), but I'm pretty sure there will be another marathon in my future (not really satisfied with how it all turned out -think I could do better next time HA!), and you can bet I'll need all of you just as much then as I needed you now.
As always Thank You for reading!
#buffalomarathon2014 #marathon #buffalomarathon #firstmarathon #beginningmarathon #running #run #runningblog #springmarathon
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Last training run done!
Crazy, but the last two miles before the race have been run.
Here we come Buffalo!
Pre-Race Jittery Jitters!
Since yesterday I have been getting nervous. I was getting ready for a run and I was looking through my sport clothes making sure I could locate the clothes I think I will wear in the race. I started to get that creepy panic feeling when I couldn't remember which pair of my almost identical Under Armour compression shorts I liked better and would therefore wear in the race. I think I'm going to have to wear them around the house and hope one seems better than the other (one pair seems a little "twisted" and I tug at them while running a bit -which can be very annoying when you will be wearing them for a long time).
Then I did my training run and it was fine but my phone, which I had carelessly tucked into the front of my sports bra chaffed me -ouch! Oh dear, what am I going to do with all the stuff I need to carry with me during the race? I have a hydration pack that will either hold some food or my phone, but I don't want to wear it and I'll just use the drinks they have at the race. So to good old Amazon I went to look for a Spibelt. These things look seriously cool, like everyone should have one. Jacki has one and I asked her to put her phone, two Lara Bars, and three packs of Jelly Belly Sports Beans inside and see if it fit. Yes! So I ordered one (of the original ones-there are SOOO many different kinds to choose from) from Amazon (to take advantage of two-day Prime shipping) that is black with a purple zipper.
The weather Sunday is supposed to start around 50 and climb to 75 with full sun. I plan on wearing the following: (What are your favorite running items?)
Asics Gel Nimbus 14 sneakers (LOVE these)
Balega Women's Enduro No Show socks (These are so comfortable and cushioned)
Mojo compression calf sleeves (they keep my calves from cramping up)
Under Armour compression shorts (modest and very comfortable)
A really old and comfy Nike sports bra (it doesn't chafe anywhere -still looking for a seamless bra I really like)
Sport tank top from Old Navy (these are great and you can get them SO cheap if you keep watching them)
Still need to figure out a hat... Hopefully I can find a visor I like at the local sport store...
Then I started to worry about what to wear at the beginning of the run when it is still cool. The race starts at 7AM and there will probably still be a chill in the air.
I could wear a very thin shirt that would be taken off when I warmed up, but then I either have to toss it to the side of the road to be donated, or tie it around my waist -which is annoying after that much time.
Enter my dream for arm warmers.
I looked at probably 20 pair of "arm sleeves", "arm warmers", "compression sleeves", and so on until I came to these: Oiselle Arm Warmers (although I found them on Amazon, this is their original home -needed that Prime shipping!) These are JUST what I was looking for. They have the runner thumb hole to increase their warmth adjust-ability. I can then tuck them into my shorts with much less bulk to have to schlep around after I peel them off. I got orange :) I'm excited. I hope they fit!
(And... somehow my registration got changed to a half marathon instead of the full -which I have the email confirmation for). I have been emailing back and forth with a lot of people to make sure everything is going to be fine -it will, but we might have to change stuff at the packet pickup on Saturday. Just dotting my i s and crossing my t s!!! I even called the hotel to make absolutely sure we have a room..)
That's it for now. I'm off to do my last training run before the marathon... OMG!!!! I can hardly believe it's really about to happen!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Free The Girls 5K run/walk
It's a nice morning and I think it's going to be a nice day. I'm really looking forward to this week of very few miles and then lots of carb loading at the end.
Here's what I have been up to this past week or so:
After my 20 mile run I took off both Saturday and Sunday from any activity. Sunday was Mother's Day and we had a really nice day of visiting with family.
Monday: Zumba! My legs didn't feel very great and after class I had shin splints! Eeeek! I guess that 20 miles was pretty hard on my body.
Tuesday: My plan said to run 4, but because I did my 20 mile run almost a week late I'm trying to taper more gently so I ran 3 miles instead. The first half mile was pretty painful. My knees were stiff and my left hamstring kept cramping... ouch! Then after I rubbed my legs a bit I got back to jogging and I finished without any problem.
Wednesday: I took off to try and get my legs rested a little better.
Thursday: It was 83 when I set out to run 5... Wait, 83? WOW it was hot after running mostly in 50-60 degree weather. I set out with my hydration belt but it drove me absolutely nuts so I ran back by the house, but then I was SO thirsty. I bailed after 2.3 miles with the intention of finishing the run later. My legs were still pretty tired and stiff. I spent the afternoon rolling out the sore spots with a tennis ball on the floor. I didn't go back out to run because by the end of the day it was 86 and still SO hot.
Friday: I set out to run 5 again in a cool 55 degree rain. I dressed more warmly than I usually do for a rain run (b/c usually I end up freezing on a rain run -HA!) with full tights and a long sleeve running shirt and running hat. I had a great run! The rain felt great and my legs felt better! I finished the 5 with an average pace around 10 minutes/mile.
Free The Girls 5K run/walk:
I went to Zumba Friday night and people were talking about a 5K the following morning that was only $5 if you brought a bra to donate. It was put on by the Zonta Club of Ogdensburg. It was a benefit for the Free the Girls not for profit organization that helps women in developing countries rescued from sex trafficking set up small enterprises by selling second hand bras that they are supplied by this organization. The 38C hot pink bra I purchased at Walmart for 3.98 will directly help some woman somewhere make a living. That's pretty cool.
I thought the race was at 9AM so I was all ready the next morning to really give it a go. There were only about 10 runners milling about with bras proudly displayed over their running/walking attire (to be donated at the end of the race). It turned out the race started at 10AM and registration started at 9AM... I couldn't very well hang around for an hour waiting for a race that would only be 30 minutes (especially since I had left the house at 8:30 thinking I would be back around 9:45). I gave the race director my bra and told her to keep my registration fee. The other people sat down to wait.
I felt really deflated leaving the event. I went home and did some laundry and picked up around the house a bit more. Then Jacki wondered if I was going and I told her about going there early and leaving, but that I was considering going back. She said if I was going she was definitely in so I ate another slice of toast and I drove back to the race site (on the other side of town).
The race director was very glad to see that I was able to return and we quickly found my donated bra and strapped it back over my clothes.
The race was an out and back along part of the Maple City trail that I have been running (part of it is broken from the flooding this Spring) on occasion. I tried to be super fast. Jacki quickly took the lead!!! I tried to hold a nice pace that kept me practically gasping and really wishing I hadn't devoted myself to running. I slapped Jacki a nice high five as she returned from the turn around point and she was still leading the pack!!
I ended up finishing in 28:17!!! An average pace of 9:17 minutes/mile!!! This is my fastest ever 5K race or 5K of any kind! YAY!!!
Jacki won the race!!! Yippee!!!! Maybe someday I'll be fast like that ;)
So that's what is up around here. Only one week left before the marathon!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!
Thank you for reading and have a great week! :)
Here's what I have been up to this past week or so:
After my 20 mile run I took off both Saturday and Sunday from any activity. Sunday was Mother's Day and we had a really nice day of visiting with family.
Monday: Zumba! My legs didn't feel very great and after class I had shin splints! Eeeek! I guess that 20 miles was pretty hard on my body.
Tuesday: My plan said to run 4, but because I did my 20 mile run almost a week late I'm trying to taper more gently so I ran 3 miles instead. The first half mile was pretty painful. My knees were stiff and my left hamstring kept cramping... ouch! Then after I rubbed my legs a bit I got back to jogging and I finished without any problem.
Wednesday: I took off to try and get my legs rested a little better.
Thursday: It was 83 when I set out to run 5... Wait, 83? WOW it was hot after running mostly in 50-60 degree weather. I set out with my hydration belt but it drove me absolutely nuts so I ran back by the house, but then I was SO thirsty. I bailed after 2.3 miles with the intention of finishing the run later. My legs were still pretty tired and stiff. I spent the afternoon rolling out the sore spots with a tennis ball on the floor. I didn't go back out to run because by the end of the day it was 86 and still SO hot.
Friday: I set out to run 5 again in a cool 55 degree rain. I dressed more warmly than I usually do for a rain run (b/c usually I end up freezing on a rain run -HA!) with full tights and a long sleeve running shirt and running hat. I had a great run! The rain felt great and my legs felt better! I finished the 5 with an average pace around 10 minutes/mile.
Free The Girls 5K run/walk:
I went to Zumba Friday night and people were talking about a 5K the following morning that was only $5 if you brought a bra to donate. It was put on by the Zonta Club of Ogdensburg. It was a benefit for the Free the Girls not for profit organization that helps women in developing countries rescued from sex trafficking set up small enterprises by selling second hand bras that they are supplied by this organization. The 38C hot pink bra I purchased at Walmart for 3.98 will directly help some woman somewhere make a living. That's pretty cool.
I thought the race was at 9AM so I was all ready the next morning to really give it a go. There were only about 10 runners milling about with bras proudly displayed over their running/walking attire (to be donated at the end of the race). It turned out the race started at 10AM and registration started at 9AM... I couldn't very well hang around for an hour waiting for a race that would only be 30 minutes (especially since I had left the house at 8:30 thinking I would be back around 9:45). I gave the race director my bra and told her to keep my registration fee. The other people sat down to wait.
I felt really deflated leaving the event. I went home and did some laundry and picked up around the house a bit more. Then Jacki wondered if I was going and I told her about going there early and leaving, but that I was considering going back. She said if I was going she was definitely in so I ate another slice of toast and I drove back to the race site (on the other side of town).
The race director was very glad to see that I was able to return and we quickly found my donated bra and strapped it back over my clothes.
The race was an out and back along part of the Maple City trail that I have been running (part of it is broken from the flooding this Spring) on occasion. I tried to be super fast. Jacki quickly took the lead!!! I tried to hold a nice pace that kept me practically gasping and really wishing I hadn't devoted myself to running. I slapped Jacki a nice high five as she returned from the turn around point and she was still leading the pack!!
I ended up finishing in 28:17!!! An average pace of 9:17 minutes/mile!!! This is my fastest ever 5K race or 5K of any kind! YAY!!!
Raise the roof for that 5K time!!!
Jacki won the race!!! Yippee!!!! Maybe someday I'll be fast like that ;)
So that's what is up around here. Only one week left before the marathon!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!
Thank you for reading and have a great week! :)
Saturday, May 10, 2014
20 Down. Let's Taper! (Finally)
Phew. It was NOT pretty and almost unlike any other run I have ever run before (except that horrible morning bonk run I hade a couple weeks ago). Finally my 20 mile training run is complete.
Finally my post-run triumphant selfie! Even though the run didn't go at all the way I hoped it would, I'm just so happy that I did it. Hopefully I can recover from the effort and have a great day at the race. I'm pretty sure it can't possibly go as badly as this run so it will be a big WIN for me.
Believe me I didn't always have a smile on my face. Here I am at 19.5 miles barely walking.
Finally my post-run triumphant selfie! Even though the run didn't go at all the way I hoped it would, I'm just so happy that I did it. Hopefully I can recover from the effort and have a great day at the race. I'm pretty sure it can't possibly go as badly as this run so it will be a big WIN for me.
Ah, that "I just finished something worth finishing" smile.
I'm thinking, "Jeeze this better be worth it because I just want to curl up in a ball and never move again!"
Let me tell you about the technical parts of the run.
Pre-run food: Tall glass of water, 1.5 slices of whole wheat toast with a thin layer of peanut butter and some honey. 2 Imodium (not leaving that to chance...) Couple gulps of Gatorade and two Jelly Belly sports beans.
I packed: 8oz of Nuun, 8oz of orange Gatorade, 1 apple pie Lara Bar, 1 pouch Jelly Belly sports beans.
My awesome husband dropped off a 32 oz of lemon Gatorade at the 10 mile mark on his way to work. Isn't that so sweet :)
The weather was a beautiful 55 degrees and very mild with a very light breeze and mostly overcast with some direct sunshine. I started out with a long sleeve on over my tank but I took that off after about 3 miles.
The course was a 10 mile out and back along mostly very desolate country roads (16 out of the 20). There are quite a bit of rolling hills and a couple steep hills.
Now my general thoughts.
It was pretty glaringly obvious to me right from the get-go that this was not going to be pretty. I felt really lead-like and drained despite taking two whole days off. I'm really glad I told my Aunt I would be gone a solid 4 hours because I ended up being gone longer than that...
Running in the morning is a lot different than running at night. Apparently I should have added some extra food in the morning or something because I never really caught up to the fact that I was hungry and devoid of easy energy. My body seemed very reluctant to use fat stores (or at least that is how I felt), which there are plenty of! So I started doing intervals. Nothing fancy with set times. I would jog as long as I could, and then walk until I thought I could jog again. That is how the entire run went. I would jog as far up a hill as I could and then walk the rest of the way up and then jog again. I took sips of drink often and sometimes I felt "good" but it never lasted long. I had heartburn and I got cramps in my upper abdomen when I jogged very far. This hadn't happened before so I wasn't sure about what I should do about this. I just kept jogging and walking. I drank all of my drinks and then at the end I hobbled to a convenience store and begged some water because I just didn't think I could make it home (3 more miles) with nothing. Thankfully the lady there was in my Zumba class and I went to school with her and her husband! THANK YOU FOR THE WATER! :)
After 15 or so miles it hurt more to walk than to jog, but the pain in my abdomen never let me jog very far. Finally at 17 miles I was thinking maybe it was my fuel belt and I loosened it a lot and put it very low on my hips and voila, my abdomen was fine... Are you kidding me? I could have loosened the belt and run that much more if only I had thought of that sooner... Sigh. We live, we run, we learn. I'm hoping that maybe I won't need to wear my belt during the marathon. They have water/sports drink at every 2 miles... I'll have to think about that. Also, I will have to stuff 2 Lara Bars and 2-3 packets of sports beans in my bra. Plus my phone.. HA!
So there you have it. It wasn't pretty, but I learned a lot and mentally I'm much more ready for the race because I had a horrible run and the race cannot be that bad! :)
I had one big oops and that was forgetting the sun in mid-May is quite penetrating even when it is mostly overcast. Yup, I'm a little bit on the lobster side this morning. Time to go buy some fresh sunblock!
And who says sport bra tan lines aren't awesome? HA!
I'm a "salty sweater". When I sweat I get covered with salt crystals. Water has not been my friend on long runs. I need something salty in my water so I switched to Nuun hydration tablets. They work really well but then I start dreaming about drinking the murky puddle water on the side of the road because maybe Nuun is a little too salty for me? I switched to plain old Gatorade for the 20. It has a little lower concentration of salts than Nuun and also has added sugar, which for a long run you (I definitely) need.
Looking a bit salty around the gills!
They say that you can't train for a marathon and not change. They are not just talking about the physical changes that happen to your body. They are talking about your mind and the way you look at things. It's a lot of work to put in the hours of training and to not give up. It's a huge mental battle sometimes to keep putting one foot in front of the other instead of calling someone to come get you. I'm really glad I decided to go on this journey. It's not over yet and I feel like I have already reaped so many rewards. I hope you can all challenge yourselves to something that will be life changing. It will be difficult and you will feel like throwing in the towel in the 11th hour, but if you didn't feel like this, it wouldn't really be worth it. Good luck on your journeys! And thank you for continuing to join me in mine!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
The Plan (as of now)
I've been all over the place in my mind this morning. I think I really should try to do another 20 mile run, but now it's pretty late in the training to do a really long run.
On one hand I want to do the distance to show myself that the marathon is going to be OK (mental toughness).
I think my best plan is to rest completely today and tomorrow and then try the 20 on Friday. Then I will have to make the taper a little more gentle than what is already outlined in the Novice 1 training program. Also, I am going to really focus on eating very nutritious foods and lots of complex carbohydrates. Bring on the veggeis, fruit, brown rice and oatmeal!
I'll keep you posted!
On one hand I want to do the distance to show myself that the marathon is going to be OK (mental toughness).
On the other hand I am shortening my taper time so that I will only have two weeks for my muscles to heal and for my glycogen (sugar) stores in my muscles to build up (physical toughness). However, if I don't push a really long run my muscles won't store up as much glycogen and I will likely hit "the wall" much earlier in the race.
I would rather show up a little fatigued than mentally afraid that I can't do the distance.
I think my best plan is to rest completely today and tomorrow and then try the 20 on Friday. Then I will have to make the taper a little more gentle than what is already outlined in the Novice 1 training program. Also, I am going to really focus on eating very nutritious foods and lots of complex carbohydrates. Bring on the veggeis, fruit, brown rice and oatmeal!
I'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Didn't make it to 20. Now what?
Long story short. I got to 12 miles and had to call it quits. I'm really dissapointed and I'm not really sure what to do now. I am pretty sure this means the marathon is going to be horrific.
When my Aunt picked me up on the side of the road she told me I have to listen to my body (she's right of course, but it's so much more fun to write about success and being fast). My body is exhausted. I hope I'll have an energetic day in 2.5 weeks! I think I'll take tomorrow completely off and do 5? Thursday.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, May 5, 2014
Color ME Rad!!!
Umm, yeah, I had an awesome time!
It was worth the hype. It was worth getting up at 5AM to get onto a school bus and ride 2.5 hours both ways. It was worth the 45 degree temps and the chilly up to 30 mph winds. Yes, even the drizzly rain at the end when we were already SO COLD. But it wasn't the event that made the day, it was the people I shared it with.
An event like a color run can really go any way that you want it to. The basic premise is a 5K "race" course (probably less than half of the participants run) with stations of color saturated corn starch powder that is thrown at you. Additionally participants can purchase packets or aerosol cans of the colorant to further coat themselves to dramatic proportions. You can get absolutely coated with powder or hardly at all if that isn't really your thing. Kids love it too and I saw a lot of people pushing strollers. I went with a group of about 30 ladies, mostly from my Zumba with Nicole Kendall class. The event provided the structure to the day, but the ladies I went with provided the hours of laughter and mayhem that made it SO much fun.
My Zumba instructor was part of the entertainment for the event.
She killed it. (black tank top in the front)
She had a great time, we (her team) had a great time and I'm pretty sure the crowd loved it/her too. We're really hoping they will ask her to do it again next year (this is the second year they have had the Color Me Rad run in Syracuse, NY). If you are in the area and you have never tried her class, I highly recommend coming some night/morning. She's a great instructor and the people in the class ready to shake it are very friendly and welcoming.
The event was fun, but it was the crazy ladies that I spent the day with that made the event unforgettable. We danced, we ran (walked and ran some more), we got absolutely coated with powder and then huddled like refugees under an awning to avoid the rain while waiting for our bus to pick us up (SO cold), but even that didn't dampen our high spirits.
I'll spare you the bazillion pics from the day and just share some favs. ENJOY! (better yet: find an event, get a team together, and then have a crazy fun day with them at Run or Dye or Color Me Rad yourself!)
Before the mayhem.
At the finish line with some of the ladies!
Yeah, I'm looking good.
Perfect sunglasses lines.
Here's my running buddy (and so much more), Jacki and I.
Just hanging out under an awning trying to keep warm and dry... HA!
And then, just like that, another adventure comes to an end.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
The anticipation is killing me! (and a bum toe)
Two exciting things are coming up for me in the next couple of days.
1) Color Me Rad Syracuse Team: Who Needs 10??? LFP on Sunday morning
2) My 20 mile training run (AND THEN THE TAPER -no more really long runs until the marathon!!!)
1) I am so excited about the 5K color run. I'm on a really big team of ladies composed mostly of my Zumba class and led by my amazing Zumba instructor Nicole. We are packing onto a bus tomorrow morning at 6AM and riding to Syracuse (at least a two hour ride -probably 2.5 considering it's going to be a bus). This should be great b/c then we don't have to worry about getting color stuff all over our cars.
1) Color Me Rad Syracuse Team: Who Needs 10??? LFP on Sunday morning
2) My 20 mile training run (AND THEN THE TAPER -no more really long runs until the marathon!!!)
1) I am so excited about the 5K color run. I'm on a really big team of ladies composed mostly of my Zumba class and led by my amazing Zumba instructor Nicole. We are packing onto a bus tomorrow morning at 6AM and riding to Syracuse (at least a two hour ride -probably 2.5 considering it's going to be a bus). This should be great b/c then we don't have to worry about getting color stuff all over our cars.
My Zumba instructor is doing the pre-race warm-up entertainment!!!!!!!
Yes, she is that awesome!!!
So on top of doing a color run, which I have never done before, we get to do 1.5 hours of Zumba before the race. It's going to be a great day. (only thing I'm worried about is that the weather does NOT look very good) I have a white tank top picked out and I'm going to wear a pair of black tights. If the weather is looking dreary, like I think it will be, I'll wear full leg tights and maybe a shirt under the white tank.
I'm really excited to tell you about the color run! :)
2) My 20 mile (big Kahua) training run needs to take place in the next couple of days. My original plan was to do it today, Saturday. This is not the plan now. I think I will end up doing it on Monday evening. Not the best of times because I would like to do it mostly in daylight, but I guess I will take what I can.
I will not be doing the run today because I have a minor toe injury that I sustained on my Weds night 10 mile run in the rain. Once my wool socks got wet they started to irritate my feet and I didn't even realize until quite late the next day that my next-to-the-pinky toe was swollen. It felt like something was stuck to the bottom of my toe and I kept trying to wipe it off. It was pretty sore by the end of Thursday. I set out for a 5 mile run and it was fine (I was really gassed but pushed through it -it's "hell" week after all -the last week of lots of running before the taper) until the last mile.
My toe was very swollen after the run. I took Friday off and it was very stiff and swollen. This morning the swelling is down and it looks like I have a very deep blister on the toe pad. Hopefully the swelling will continue to go down and it won't bother me on Monday night when I do my 20 mile run. I'm excited and nervous about it. Deep down I think it's going to be awesome and such a relief to have it out of the way. Clear sailing to marathon land from here on out. (crosses fingers and says prayers that I don't get injured somehow on my 20 mile run)
Cheers to some good times coming up! Thanks for reading and Happy Weekend!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
The April Recap
Well, that month went by quickly!
One of my goals is to run a race every month this year. This month I did a virtual Easter 2014 race. Even though I got a medal and ran the race and submitted my time to the website, it just doesn't feel the same as going to an actual event and having people around you and a set course. I think the rest of the year I should be able to find actual "events". Many of my upcoming months already have at least one race event planned.
My other main goal is to run at least 40 miles/month. I am VERY proud to say that I ran 101.7 miles this month! Amazing! This is amazing to me especially considering the amount of training runs that I missed. I was sick for an entire week and missed 5 training runs this month. I also shortened 4 runs because of illness or extreme fatigue. My cold is still lingering in my head and my ear is still messed up from the rupture, but it only bothers me occasionally. Hopefully another couple weeks and it will be a distant memory.
Another thing I am happy about this month is that I'm starting to get a handle on being "sick" during and after running. I have not had a problem since the beginning of the month. Voodoo perhaps but I have been adding Bragg's apple cider vinegar to my water during the day and I really think that somehow this has helped my GI tract. Also, I have switched to electrolyte water instead of plain water and it seems to pass through my stomach faster. I think I was getting close to hyponatremia, where you dilute out the salts in your blood. A big symptom is nausea and vomiting after a long run. Since switching to the electrolyte (Nuun) water I feel 'fine' after long runs. I've also cut down on the amount of water I drink while out running to also prevent hyponatremia. If I feel nausea my thought is to drink something, but actually I should not and instead try to eat something and it really has helped so much.
There is so much to learn about running! Thankfully I can learn about most of it on a need-to-know basis.
Rain rain go away!
It's still raining here in NNY. I REALLY don't like running in the rain. Most of my runs that have been in the rain have gone horribly and I never seem to dress appropriately and end up freezing and miserable. Our treadmill is 'out of for the count' right now so I had this pipe dream that I would go to the gym and run on a treadmill there for a guest fee. I needed to run 10 miles last night and it was 45 degrees and "misting". When I was ready to go treadmill-ing I called to make sure the place would be open long enough for me to complete my run... and they were not going to be. Big BIG bummer.
OK, plan B: outside
I changed into what would hopefully be appropriate clothing for a cold rain-run. I kissed everyone goodnight and out into the dark wet streets I went. (Don't worry folks, I wear a reflective vest and a red safety light along with a flashlight)
I didn't get back until almost 10:30PM. My run was stiff and felt really long. I guess I can't be speedy night, after night, after night! The worst part was my wool socks got very wet and then they rubbed along my toes and the bottom of my feet like my skin was all going to come off. EH. Thankfully everything seems to be fine today.
A much slower pace than the night before, but it was still a pretty good run considering the cold, wet and dark! :) Thank you for reading!
Fasty!
That's right, nothing like having a fast run after a long run that was a complete Bonk. This is my Tuesday 5 mile training run. It's cool and rainy here so I was planning on running on the treadmill. Unfortunately the treadmill had a different plan. Twice while I was running it shut down and restarted. I'm fine, other than flying into the control panel as the belt stopped, and I think the treadmill just needs a tune-up and it will be all back to normal. The lack of treadmill did, however, send me outside into the rain. I had already completed a mile on the treadmill so I only had 4 left. I was fast! This is a VERY nice pace for me :) YAY!
Bonk-iest run ever. What a FAIL!
So I set out Sunday morning for a 10 mile morning run. The total mileage was supposed to be 14, but I needed to get back for the Zumba fund raiser, so my plan was to run 10, clean up, do Zumba, and then later in the day do 4 more miles.
I don't usually run in the morning, so what to eat beforehand I'm not too sure about. I decided to go on empty and just eat on the run. I packed Nuun water and a Lara bar, pretzel sticks, and mixed nuts.
I should have turned around. My first two miles were ok, but then I bonked (ran absolutely out of power). I kept going. I forced myself to run out 5 miles so I would then be forced to complete the run on my return. Oh my. I walked and jogged, walked. Oh the torture. I even called Tom to pack up the boys and come get me when I was about 3 miles from home. He wouldn't come, and I'm glad. I really did want to finish, but I walked a lot. I dreamed about the chai tea latte and waffles with peanut butter and honey I would have for breakfast when I got home... They were delicious by the way!
So I completed my bonky run and know now that I am not one of those people that can roll out of bed and run on a cup of black coffee. Guess it's toast with peanut butter and half a banana for me!
I did snap some pics of what is left of the jog trail. This portion will remain closed so I'm stuck running the upper ridge and then connecting to the old railroad bed trail, which is ok but too bad for the City of Ogdensburg. Water is so powerful!
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Zumba for the Fin
After my crazy-bad bonk I went to a benefit for the Lucky Fin Project. A woman in my class has a daughter just a little bit older than my youngest that was born with a limb difference. My instructor, being the awesome person that she is, organized a team (Team Who needs 10??? LFP) to run the Color me Rad 5K run in Syracuse this weekend. Then she decided to to a fundraiser for the Lucky Fin Project and held an hour of Zumba on Sunday for a $5 donation plus raffles of donated items. The event raised $645 for the organization and was super fun!
Of course I'm on the race team and here I am in my rocking Fins tee ready for the Zumba benefit!
I can't wait to tell you all about the Color Run! :) I'ts May 4th.
Virtual Medal
The race might be virtual, but the medal is real!
Package in the mail: my virtual Easter 2014 5K medal. It's pretty cute!
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