How To Go from 4:05 to 3:39 in 2 Months

It wasn't my intent to leave this half-written story for so long. Turned out to be really good timing, though, to have it ready to post today! If you don't know why, Google when The Boston Marathon is run. (or get your head out of the hole you have it buried in)

At no point during the four hours and 5 minutes I spent running The 2012 Jacksonville Bank Marathon did I think "I will learn to LOVE this experience for all it will teach me". But I totally should have. Because, without that mess of a race, I'm fairly certain I would not have run a Boston Qualifying marathon two months later. It forced me to go back to the drawing board and make some physical and mental adjustments.

I won't drag us all back into the December Debacle, though. I'd just like to share what I did for my 26.2 Miles on February 17th, 'cause...well...it seemed to work out okay.

Nutrition & Fueling: I belive it was Erin who shared some links regarding race day eating, a couple of months back. Until I started running long distances, I'd never had a problem with my intestines misbehaving. For example : I once ate a large burrito, enchilada, refried beans and rice about an hour before setting out for an evening run. (p.s. : that little tidbit falls under the "do as I say, not as I do" category, obvs)

Once I started spending more than 90 minutes on my feet, though, my previously brag-worthy, iron stomach turned into a big, dumb jerk. Through a lot of (mostly failed) experimenting and the aforementioned new fueling plans I was finally cautiously optimistic about not completely falling apart, GI-wise, during the race.

I ate less than 1/2 of a plain bagel at about 4:30 am, while waiting downstairs for my friends to join me on the shuttle. There ended up being some clock discrepancies, though. I waited for a couple minutes before boarding the nearest bus. (hooray for heated transportation!! It was right around 32 degrees) I sipped water, on and off, throughout the morning, but didn't take in any other calories.

$2 jacket from Goodwill, warm bus, very special self portrait

 

I'd cut up some Shot Bloks into easier-to-gnaw pieces and stuffed them into a ziploc. Those, plus one Clif gel would be my race fuel. I decided not to carry a water bottle, as there were plentiful stops along the course. Also, with the cold weather, I didn't see myself needing a ton of hydration.

 

I had a few pieces of the Bloks every 45 minutes, saving the gel for the final few miles. The amount and choices were happily perfect! There were a couple moments where I felt dry-mouthed and wished for water, but it didn't take long before I had cups available to me.

 

The only other, minor problem was the cold + chewy fuel combo. My face was so cold, it was really hard to chew those gooey bits. I'm sure the specatators were treated to a really special show every time I fought through that process. I've checked the race day photos and have yet to see any depicting that hideous scene. Either the photographers didn't catch it or they're kind editors.

 

The Early Miles: I'd made myself some little pace stickers, but they ended up under my arm warmers. I quickly realized they were going to be more of an annoyance than anything, so I kinda forgot about them. (until they pulled arm hairs. Then I remembered them)

 

I've gotten really good at starting longer races nice and easy. This one was no exception. The only glitch was, again, the cold. We'd been waiting in the corral for so long, that I could no longer feel my feet. It's real tricky to run a pace based on feel when you can't, stinking feel anything.

 

the freezing, lonely corral

  

With friends and family choosing to run the Marathon Relay, I had The Best Start, Ever (TBSE) as I got to run my sissy's portion, with her. We marvelled at our Frozen Feet Syndrome and smiled. A lot. Having her with me totally erased any nerves or jitters. I've never felt so comfortable, mentally, at the start of a race.

 

My goal for the 1st 3 miles was 9:00, 8:30 & 8:00. Actual : 8:56, 8:29, 8:00. Pretty good, huh? After that, I'd planned to clock in the next 10 somewhere near a 7:50 mm pace. Miles 4, 5 & 6 : 7:53, 7:51, 7:49. I tried to keep calm as I realized how amazing I was feeling, and the 3:35 pace group was behind me! That 7:49 mile felt ridiculously easy and I entered the beach (after cheering on my relay-ing friend, Kim) with a huge, euphoric smile on my face.

 

I underestimated The Beach.

 

looks so harmless, doesn't it?

 

I live in Florida. I've run on sand and dealt with chillier temps and wind, near the water. I was unprepared, however, for the endless, sand-filled gusts that were attacking us. While I knew that pushing hard and keeping my effort steady was the way to go, I was already realizing the unexpected toll it was going to take on my legs, later in the race.

 

Miles 7-9 were supposed to be at that 7:50 pace, but the sand slowed me down to 8:05, 8:24 & 8:11. I was already a bit ahead of where I needed to be to qualify for Boston, but I'd become attached to the idea of staying ahead of that 3:35 group. (I still know I'm fully capable of a 3:30 marathon. There. I've said it.) Moving on...

 

Leaving the beach was blissful, but I had to rally to shake of the fatigue those wind-filled, sandy miles had left me with. Luckily, neighborhood/crowd support was in full force in that area of Jacksonville. I maintained my form for my new, adoring fans. 

 

Mile 10 was a comfortable 7:52. The next stretch was a bit quieter, specator-wise. I was happy to have completed double digits, but was still too far away from the halfway point to really feel comfortable, yet. I ended up zoning out, a bit, as is my habit and ran 11-13 in 8:01, 8:06 & 8:07. I crossed the 13.1 mat ahead of my goal, but just barely.

 

I was still feeling infinitely better than I had been in the December marathon. I also decided it was time to turn off my brain, for a bit, as it was starting to let some negativity creep in. The ipod was switched on and I took a quick, mental break.

 

The 3:35 group passed me, and I was okay with that. They were still in sight. I knew I was slowing, but it wasn't considerable and I knew I had some time banked. Miles 14-16 : 8:04, 8:06, 8:11, 8:23.

 

uh-oh. Double-digits left to run, and my pace was creeping up. When mile 17 clicked off at 8:30, I had to start working so much harder, mentally, than I had the entire race. I reminded myself that I still felt good. (I really did) I was fatigued, but not sore. My stomach issues were non-existent, the sun was shining and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.

 

I peeled off my gloves & ear warmers with the hopes that I'd see The Husband or other friends, along the course and could toss them.

 

I glanced at my watch and saw an 8:4x, right after that 17th mile. UGGGHHH!!

 

I came around a corner and had caught up to a handful of marathoners (with the 1/2 marathon & relay being on the same course, you never know how fresh-legged the folks around you are) and an awesome realization hit me. I recognized the running form directly in front of me. It was a friend from my running group with whom I am extremely comfortable following.

 

That ended up being the relief I never knew I needed, but that showed up anyway. Mile 18: 8:17.

 

We wordlessly took turns leading, with brief water stop walks thrown in. He was starving and fading and I was running a marathon faster than I ever had. Not the best setup for teamwork, but it worked for us. While the next few miles were slower than I wanted, I fully believe they would've been even slower had I not been running with Josh.

 

Miles 19-22: 8:32, 8:32, 8:28, 8:35

 

By this time, I'd lost a glove, so I tossed the rest of my gear. (very sad about the loss of my favorite arm warmers, btw). I took my final gel, washed it down with some freezing water and just. held. on.

 

Around this point, I took my turn in the lead and Josh faded back. He never passed, again, but I knew he was close. I also knew I just needed to keep my remaining miles under 9 minutes/mile to finish under 3:40.

 

Typing this now, that seems SO easy! That morning, though, I was feeling tired enough to be ready to actually fall asleep. On my feet. It's hard to describe that type of fatigue, but it took everything I had, mentally and physically, to push through it. I drew on some of the thoughts I described in this post and kept telling myself it would be over, soon.

 

It felt like I was pushing hard enough to see 7:00 on that trusty ol' Garmin, but instead the final miles were pounded out in : 8:42, 8:39, 8:48 & 8:49.

 

There was a bridge. Hard doesn't begin to describe that climb during the last mile. There was panic at getting that far and seeing 3:4x on the finish clock. While that would have been a huge PR, for me, it was definitely not what I wanted to see. I also lost an earbud to the wind and was momentarily devastated at the lack of music drowning out my "Let's STOP RUNNING!" thoughts. Coming off the bridge, though, I saw two beautiful sights :

 

1. The Finish Line, adorned with pink balloons.

2. The girl in front of me pumping her fist across that Finish Line.

 

Why was that was beautiful? Because I knew she was in my age group and that she had just qualified for Boston.

 

I was close enough to see that I was going to do the same.

 

The last .36 (by my watch) : 7:45 pace (2:48)

 

I stumbled across and crashed into my poor husband who was trying to record the moment on his phone. Needless to say, that didn't work out so well, thanks to my ill-timed attack. I took for granted the fact that he, my sissy and my friends would be waiting. I'd completely forgotten the setup at this race that doesn't allow family/friends to be at the actual finish. Those sneaky guys had gone out of their way to be where they were. I'm so thankful, but totally not surprised.

I still love them

 

The bottom of my foot hurt pretty badly, as seems to be the norm when I wear the Pure Flows. The good they do outweighs that minor problem, though, so I stand by my decision to wear them for the marathon. Some overly attentive medics (maybe they read this post?) immediately showered me with ice and kind attention.

 

I was dazed and unable to form complete sentences, but I was done. Not only was I done, but I had shaved off almost 19 minutes from my best marathon time and had succeeded in qualifying for The Boston Marathon.

 

The day was still so beautiful, so I wasn't even a sweaty mess. I stretched...painfully, and grabbed my drop bag. Catching up with everyone was frenzied but ecstatic. Phone calls were made, hugs were plentiful and I even became BFs with Joan Benoit Samuelson! (well...we waved at each other, anyway)

 

There was quite a bit of re-fueling, that day, in the form of water, free beer, bananas, an entire pizza and a milkshake. In reality, I had no appetite. My brain tells me I need to replenish, though, so I do it. I actually didn't have much of an appetite for several days, later.

One marathon = one pizza

 

looked so tasty! Only managed a few sips. :(

 

P.S. I'm currently watching the race I hope to be running on this same day, next year. That's about the coolest distraction, ever, right now. ;)

 

For now, this is what I've got for you. I've had so much more to share, since then, but wanted to get this out, first. Thank you for waiting and reading!! 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



Let Me 'Splain

...No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

from where most of my daily speech is derived

 

For every day that passes, without a blog post, the stories just start to build, exponentially. There are so many mundane, boring cool things I want to share! The longer it takes, though, the longer the blog-in-my-brain gets. No one wants to read the accumulation of the last two weeks. Right?

 

Tangent Alert!!

I should take blogging lessons from family members. For example: The Husband. Short, sweet, and to the point. Or I could make my posts extremely clever and awesome,  like my sissy's.  My Aunt, however, is an actual, real, live author so I have marginal chances of competing with her witticisms. Maybe I'll just be more like my dad and take a never-ending hiatus...

 

Anyway... here are a couple of quickie highlights. I sincerely hope to re-cap a couple of things, at length. I'm generally pretty good at following through with those threats plans.

 

I had a really, really, REALLY good half-marathon!!

 

ignore creepy background guy...and my frizzy hair

 

I made a 10-foot ReptileFriend on my latest trail run!!

I would've totally befriended the 4 ft gator, too, but the big one had already started eating him

 

I started working, part-time, with a company I love, doing work I love even more!!

Pretty much sums up "win-win"



 

I'll be running my third and (hopefully) fastest Marathon, this Sunday!!

 

I don't have a photo to include with this. It hasn't actually happened, yet. This is the race, though. I was part of the marathon relay, last year, and stupidly decided to run all of those miles by myself, this time. Woo hoo!!

 

We'll all catch up, soon. You bring coffee or tea (your choice) and I'll bring the ice cream.  

 

What flavor would you like?

 

 



 



 



 

 

 

 

Pride Cometh After A Fall

I was going to recap yesterday's 5k. I'll still do that this week. Today's initially innocuous run just took precedence in my tiny brain, though. Fair warning: there are some gross photos and fairly raw emotion included. Drama? Yes. Long-Winded? Mmm. Hm. Tempted to keep reading? Probably not.

If you prefer to spend your time reading something funnier, lighter and more intelligent, please visit my sissy's new blog and enjoy this post.

Having not run more than 17 miles since my mess of a marathon in December, I planned to knock out a solid 20-miler before this much-anticipated event. Training has been solid. Other than some overall fatigue, I've been feeling great. So, when preparing for this morning's long run, I set a goal.

Keep it easy, but finish with an average pace you'll be happy and confident about. That actual number's not important to the story, but I had a small range in mind.

Unfortunately, even after a relaxing night, good sleep and plenty of hydration, I woke up feeling pretty groggy and un-motivated. Coffee helped and I was out the door with little trepidation. It was (Florida) cool, very damp and foggy. The morning was still dark, quiet and almost silent. Everything was shrouded in creepy, heavy mist and it was too early for even die-hard dogwalkers to be out.

not quite as dark as this run ,but you get the idea

A lot of my runs begin this way. Normally I enjoy the peace. It's a chance to clear my thoughts, plan my week, set small goals and focus on happy moments my family and I have spent together, recently. Today, though, the dark miles passed very slowly, both physically and mentally. Yesterday's race was taking it's toll on my legs and I ran out of happy-go-lucky way too quickly.

Sunrise happened and helped my mood, immensely. And then it didn't. Oddly, for me, I felt very lonely. While most of my runs are solo, I was suddenly craving company. There were overwhelmingly ugly feelings of jealousy towards my running buddies I knew would be enjoying their miles with friends, today.

where were all these guys when I needed them?!

 

Then my phone rang. Sometimes, while "in the groove", the distraction can be a slight annoyance. Today's call was perfectly timed, though. My dear, sweet husband wanted to know where I'd be so he and the boys could come offer "on-course" support. We picked a place and I hung up with a smile to replace my former, sour frown.

 

Miles 8-14 were mostly a blissful blur. I threw in a challengingly faster mile, turned on my audiobook and looked forward to seeing my guys in a short while. The weather prevented me from even working up a real sweat. My legs were getting achy and fatigued, but in a good and normal way. The city was wide awake, finally, and the bevvy of new activity around me was a welcome distraction.

 

When I came up to The Husband and Middlest, sans vehicle, I realized they'd be hoofing it with me, for a bit. That brilliant idea was such an awesome surprise! Middlest rode his scooter (not so fast!) in front of us, and The Husband and I caught up on fun stories while he tried to slow his (much fresher) legs. After a couple sips of water, I left him with my half-full handheld as it was getting annoying to carry. With less than five miles to go, and the temperature being so lovely, I'd be fine without any more fuel.

 

They honked, waved, cheered and drove back home. I returned the wave and rallied my heavy legs to finish this run strong.

Quick disclaimer : "strong" and "fast" are not interchangeable, in this particular context. I'm a firm believer in the benefits of running my long days at an easy pace.



 

I'd gotten about a quarter-mile away before I tripped on a minuscule crack in the sidewalk.

 

My body went flying and skidding. As was the case with my last fall I simply didn't have any spare energy to try to stop the crash. I slid on my palms, scraped my arm, hip, knee and hand.

 

Two things registered, immediately.

1. OW!

2. There was a line of cars waiting to pull into the church entrance where I was hideously sprawled and a dozen or so congregation members, in the parking lot, staring at me in horror.

 

Fact Number 2 got me to my feet faster than I could've ever imagined. I surveyed the important damage (Garmin ok? Ipod still as intact as ever?) ,while I ran away from the humiliating scene. My body, while bruised and stinging, was still moving as it should be. That fact, along with the realization that my phone was in the handheld water bottle I'd sent with my husband, forced me to continue this run I so desperately wanted to abruptly end.

 

When I reached the 16th mile, and remembered that the next few stretches would be full of tall (Florida) hills, I finally paused my watch and fully stopped to survey the damage. I guess I was hoping that it was much less benign than I thought it was? I stopped the exploratory searches when I saw this:

spoiler: I survived and took pics after the run

 

While I now, rationally, realize it's simply a scraped knee, at that moment it was enough to drive me to actual tears. Frustration (why does this keep happening to me?!), Embarrassment (which isn't an emotion I generally succumb to), Exhaustion and Defeat overwhelmed me. Glancing up the steep hill, I saw people coming, so I slowly and sadly stumbled on. The thought crossed my mind to ask them if they had a phone so I could call my husband for a ride. By the time I reached them, though, my stupid crying fit was over and I'd decided to keep running. My pace was abysmal, my spirit was dead and my freaking bruised hands hurt like a b*#)%!

 

With everything now aching, inside and out, I shakily managed to switch my ipod back on to drown everything out with some music. When it started filling my ears, brain and heart, it was like a switch was flipped within me, as well.

 

I picked up my head, focused on the wisdom of Van Halen ("Right Now? It's Everything!") and my form, and destroyed the next hill.

 

Now, well into the seventeenth mile, I stopped looking at my watch but remembered my earlier goals for this training run. My legs started churning out beautiful-feeling movements but my breathing stayed soft and easy.

 

When Dave Grohl started singing about his "Hero", there wasn't a doubt in my mind he was referring to me.

 

Thinking back to my very first 20-miler, and the overwhelming sense of emotion and pride I felt when I knew I was going to finish it strongly, I started to get choked up, once again. That run had been prior to my injury, . While I'd managed to heal and get my fitness to a place where I could giddily complete my very first marathon, I'd very rarely felt "back", during my subsequent runs.

 

Here's the thing about running. It can, without warning or provocation, turn into an absolutely spiritual experience. It's not something you can plan or force. Some miles, some races, some impromptu jaunts with friends, just totally morph into something that cannot be explained without sounding like a complete dork. This, obviously, doesn't stop me from trying...

 



When I finished today's 20 miles, and realized they were, overall, even faster than my pre-injury ones(complete with fall and blubbering like a baby!), I couldn't decide whether I wanted to holler, cry (again) or just let my proud smile overtake my tired face.

 

So I did all three.

bruised & bloodied hip

 

curious about how I managed to scrape the palm AND back of the same hand

 

 

 

 

 



New Year, New Post

The running portion of my 2012 ended with uneventful miles. Sadly, I didn't make the connection, until after the run, that it'd be my final one of the year. I'd like to think that I'd have done something clever to commemorate it, had I realized it sooner.

Instead, I ran three, easy miles, with some running friends and then dropped my ipod.

I've got to find a better way to celebrate milestones.

Boo! :(

 

The worst part is that the resilient little sucker still works just fine. It refuses to be replaced.

 

Soon, I would like to  recap my running and racing from the previous year. I'd love to re-live some of the moments and hope to learn from the ones I'd prefer to pretend never happened. Today's not the day for all that, though.

 

Today is more about this:

Eraser Tea!

 

In a pathetic attempt to counteract the effects of this:

much tastier than tea

 

Before your start imagining me, as a wild partying animal, I have to confess I was the first guest to make my way up to bed. I did stay up past midnight (go, me!) but definitely won the Boring Old Lady Award.

Me and some non-boring ladies







 

Today also turned out to be an un-planned rest day from running. I'm sure my body is thanking me for the break, anyway. Tomorrow will likely involve a few more miles (what else can I drop and break?!) and more pathetic attempts to not stress about :

yikes



 

How did you ring in 2013?

 



 



Day 23 For You and Me

In retrospect, I may've been keeping that whole "end of the world" thing in my back pocket when I came up with this Adventrageous plan. You know...I think I thought there was a decent chance I may not have to actually have to come up with any more posts after 12-21.

Moving on...

Today's Topic: Runners are crazy. As a runner or even person who knows a runner, I'm pretty sure this statement has come up before. This isn't a groundbreaking discovery. I'm not the first person to ackowledge this, nor will I be the last.

The whole "please let me pay someone to let me run 26.2 miles all at once" issue, aside, sometimes runners think things like this are a good idea. If you don't feel like clicking on the link, here's how my latest running adventure went down :

There was a scheduled Running Group meetup that started at 11:30 pm. It was just over 30 degrees F, which, in Florida terms, is equivalent to sub-zero. My dad, sister, friend and I bundled up and ran from my house to the meetup. (because simply running 3 miles, with the group, would not have been enough weirdness?)

The runners who showed up were grumbling about how cold and late it was, but had obviously not been forced/threatened to be there. This means, deep down, we were all pretty darned giddy about the prospect.

As with most other run, we set off, in small groups, with no fanfare. It was a clear night so the moon, stars and neighborhood Christmas lights were highly visible and beautiful to see. The quiet stillness of the time of day (night?) allowed me to hear snippets of panting conversations from the 30 or so other running friends circling the route.

My own chatter was endless.

In August of 2011, my dad took me as his guest to my very first run with this group. It was a 5 am run, on the same route, so the scene looked very similar. So much time has passed since I've been able to run, with my dad, in the dark that I couldn't seem to shut up. My dad's still re-building his cardio so he wasn't quite as chatty as me. Rest assured I babbled on and on enough to cover both of us.

(sorry, dad)

We finished the route and I was feeling so energized and happy, that I made a snap decision to zip back out for a self-timed, speedy mile while everyone else finished up. At midnight. People-dodging and aching lungs (have I mentioned it was cold?!) forced me to cut it off at a 1/2 mile, but it felt so good to run fast.

We chatted, in the cold, for a little longer and then the four of us headed back to my house, as there were people waiting on their crazy runners.

some runners wisely rewarded themselves with beers

 

Fun, happy, crazy times. Just think...if I weren't a runner, I'd have no reason to be outside, in the cold, wheezing and sweating at midnight!

 

Today's share: Gracie is one of those naturally talented, extremely fast runners who you're not allowed to be jealous of because she's also incredibly humble. Sucks, huh? I get inspired by her writing and am in awe of her artistic talent and fashion sense. I'm pretty sure people aren't allowed to be so multi-talented, actually.

I hope you'll visit her blog. She's currently on a bit of a running hiatus (other than the possibly ill-timed 10 miler, recently) and can probably use some new readers/encouragement. 

 

What sort of crazy have you recently involved yourself in? 

Happy Times for Day 22

Now that I've recapped That Thing Which Must Not Be Named (hereby shortened to "That Thing", or the like), and have gotten annoyed all over again, I'm moving on to happier posts. If for no other reason than, It's Christmas.

I do, Actually, LOVE this movie

Since, That Thing, I have had some of my happiest runs, ever. I carved out at least a week of recovery time, and figured I'd be flexible and add even more time, if necessary. However, due to the nature of the way I ran The Thing, and some very solid, wasted training, I ended up feeling 100% recovered just a couple days after TT.

This was good news for several reasons:

• I was anxious to get back to running...not training. It wasn't an obsessive desire out of habit. I just needed to make sure I still loved it.
• I wanted to do something to get my mind off That Thing. Walking gives you waaaayyy too much time to think, dwell and get angry.
• My oft-injured dad has been (knock on wood) feeling good enough to pick up his running, again.
• He, my sissy and I all had time in our schedule to be at the same group run. At the same time.

post-run. We're not generally that shiny

 

That was an awesome run, with even more awesome people. In completely unplanned (hooray for no more training runs!) fashion, I started out nice and conservatively and effortlessly negative splitted the heck out of the rest of the few miles.

 

It turns out I do, actually, still love running. I love, actually, my family even more and Christmas is pretty cool, as well. So, getcher waffles ready. The next few days are going to be dripping with sweet, syrup-y love-talk. I can't plan these things, but I can surely spread the good cheer when I'm enveloped in it.

Was that subliminal enough? Even if you've already watched "Love Actually", this year, go ahead and watch it again. You have my blessing.

Day 21, The Final Chapter

Only 3 more days of Adventrageous. My gift to all of you will be No More Daily Posting.
You're welcome.

Chapter Four: The Aftermath

 

I drank some cold water and got quick recaps on how the half and full had gone for my peeps who'd already finished.

 

If you're reading this and know the people who were there, you already know everyone's results. If you're a reader who doesn't know those people, you probably don't care. Thus, we'll move on with wrapping up my story.

 

I felt awful for finishing in such a crappy, lethargic mood. The Husband, my sister and her in-laws had all been waiting to cheer me on. I did my best to smile and not look like a total jerk. It's unlikely that I was successful with that, but I did make an effort.

my attempt at "chipper"

 

The Husband walked with me over to the medical tent to get some bandaids. They had me stand very still while they sprayed the biggest scrapes with some antiseptic junk. One medic asked if I wanted a banana and a few seconds later I had one, in hand. While they were trying to clean dirt and road bits out of me I was apologizing over and over for how disgusting I was and thanking them repeatedly.

 

Suddenly I couldn't figure out if my eyes were open or closed. As I was trying to decipher this new development, I managed to wheeze "dizzzzzy"...or something like that. I was plopped in a chair and ice bags were strategically placed. Turns out it's not healthy to run for hours then stand, completely still, in the sunshine.

 

So, that was pretty cool, too.

 

My sister wheeled her stroller, complete with my lovely niece, into the public restroom with me when I was all bandaged and could stand again. She was unlucky enough to get to hear me ramble on, completely without filter, about the race. Here's how the restroom scene broke down :

 

Good news: I'd packed an entire change of clothes and one of these magical delights! I can still vividly recall the relief I felt after peeling off my dirty stuff and replacing it all with clean, dry, non-matching items.

 

Bad news: I experienced another, new (to me) marathon treat! My foot cramped and deformed itself, so badly, that I almost screamed and couldn't figure out how to fix it. Holding onto bathroom stall walls, staring at your newly redesigned, throbbing, foot is every bit as fun as it sounds.

 

Good news: My sissy reached under the door to save the day. She massaged that dirty old thing 'til it looked human, again, and I could manage to get a sock on it. (thank you, again, sissy!)

 

We re-joined our group, in the middle of the field, to cheer on the other finishers. Everyone got to share their tales while we stretched and wished it wasn't getting so darned hot. Then, right after the 5-hour mark, the guy with the microphone announced that they'd run out of medals.

 

This racing company has a good and long-standing reputation, and I hope it stays that way. For real, though. How do you run out of medals? Their excuse was that they'd thought more people would drop out, due to the heat...

 

This meant the poor people who'd been running the longest AND in the most heat, were going to be sent home bling-less. Realizing we had three first-timers in our group, the decision was made to meet them at the finish line and give them our medals. Only after I'd happily passed mine on to my running friend, did I realize it was pretty blood-splattered. (sorry, Mike!)

 

When everyone was done, we went out to try to refuel, together. I had zero appetite, but enjoyed the company immensely.

beers and waters, all around

 

managed a few loaded fries

 

Went home.

Crashed.

Hobbled around the next day.

blah, blah, blah.

 

I'm still not in a real "zen" place regarding this race, so I'll keep my current thoughts to myself, for now.

 

Thank you, anyone who was there to support me, that day.

 

Thank you to anyone else who thought of me, that day, and/or read this whole saga. I am grateful for an outlet to recap all that mess and especially thankful that anyone took the time to re-live it, with me.

 



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Day 20, Chapter 3

If you're not caught up on this saga, feel free to read chapter 1 and chapter 2.  Otherwise, lets all move on to :

Chapter Three: In Which I Bypass The Wall (and Hit the Sidewalk, Instead)

 

 

Cautiously optimistic about the reprieve I seem to be experiencing from my "internal issues", I took a peek at my Garmin after passing the 19th mile marker. I'd stopped checking, many miles ago, when the numbers were too disheartening and I was totally wrapped up in damage control.

 

What I saw gave me a glimmer of new hope.

 

While the 3:40 goal was a distant memory, I really could still pull out a PR. It took an inordinately long time to do the math, but I finally calculated that it would actually be possible to run only slightly faster than my current pace, for the remaining miles, and finish faster than I had in my first marathon. I was still pretty grumpy about the whole experience, but decided to pull it together, turn that (literal and mental) corner and finish this thing strong(ish).

 

Only there was a moving SUV in my way. (ha! You totally thought this was the sidewalk part, didn't you?!) 



I'm still not sure if the driver had accidentally gotten into the runners' lane and couldn't get out, if they thought they were pacing us or if he/she was simply a moron. (I guess that option would cover all the others, too) Regardless, it was ridiculous. The vehicle kept changing speeds and was taking up the entire lane. The only way around it would've been to run into oncoming traffic and I simply wasn't that smart desperate, yet.

At one point, after almost running into the bumper when the car came to a sudden stop, I sidestepped and received a disgusted yell and nasty face from another runner.

Really, lady? You thought, out of courtesy, I ought to throw myself into a Sports Utility Vehicle so as not to break your spectacular stride?

Wow. I thought I'd be over that little moment, by now. Apparently not.

Eventually the Surprise Car Obstacle was gone but my already sad pace had suffered, further. The heat was rising, the humidity was at about 100% (for real) and I was finding myself unable to take a deep breath.

Good times.

When I saw the 20th mile marker, I almost cried.

Here's the part I could never understand, until I'd been through a rough marathon. You will, potentially, lose control of your body and brain. I'd read other recaps and heard other stories about "I couldn't imagine how I was going to run that last 5k", etc., but never understood how someone could get to that point.

When I saw that I had a mere 10k left, of this Race O' Death, I nearly had a breakdown. The distance that would, sometimes, be a warmup for me, seemed utterly daunting.

How. the &*$^@ was I ever going to run for nearly an hour more?

Prior to this marathon, that thought just seems silly.
After the marathon, that thought just seems silly.
During the marathon...that thought made perfect, bone-chilling, mind-numbing sense.

It was then that I took my first walk break. Yes, you're reading that right. Other than the bathroom stops, I hadn't yet stopped running. At all. The smart person outside of my body was freaking screaming at me to keep running and squeeze out a PR. The mushy brain inside my skull, though, would just not allow it.

I couldn't remember a single mantra...couldn't really even remember why I was putting myself through this mess and had exactly zero happy thoughts, at that time.

even the thought of this little celebratory treat failed to improve my mood



Just after the 21st mile, or so, I saw a friend from the running group. He was walking. He and I had similar goals and training so the sight of him was simultaneously sobering and encouraging. I was extremely sad that he was in the same boat, but felt a bit better knowing I wasn't alone in my misery.

We talked a little. He asked if I had anything to eat. When I offered him the gel I had left he looked like he was going to barf. I quickly shoved it back in the pouch and tried to get him to run with me.

That lasted for about ten seconds. Somehow his deathmarch gave me strength, though, so I picked up the pace when he dropped back to continue his walk.

A PR was still within reach and I had my 14th wind! We turned off a side street and onto a pretty busy road. A duo in front of me came to a complete stop, so I hopped onto the sidewalk to go around.

When I fell, I didn't even really feel myself tripping or going down. I simply noticed I was suddenly skidding on the sidewalk, hitting both hands and both knees. I remember actually making an "OOF" sound as the little breath I had left was forcibly slammed out of me.

Without bothering to survey the damage, I shakily stood up and started running again. Just about the time I looked down and saw blood dripping down my legs, fingers and arms, I realized I still hadn't really caught my breath. That's when I learned Hard Fall + Extreme Fatigue = Projectile Vomit.

Blessedly, as I didn't have much left in my digestive system, it was very brief.

Show of hands : Who, at this point of the story, is dying to run a marathon with me ? For any of you with hands raised, let me give you the full picture all the horrified spectators got to see for the rest of the race :

I took one blood-soaked hand, smeared it across my sweat, snot and vomit-splattered face to "clean up". That attractive look, paired with the blood and dirt-caked knees, and clothes decorated with every other bodily fluid known to man brought on some pretty comical reactions. The cheery smiles and pumping fists slowly gave way to frozen hands and horrified gasps.

"GO...ohhhh.!" "Oh my. "
"You can DO...oooh. maybe not..."
"Only two more miles to....holy *%$#!"

My weirdly-wired RunnerBrain didn't know any better than to just keep shuffling towards that finish line. The knees that had taken the brunt of my klutziness, though, had other ideas. I almost fell, again, when they locked up, completely. I was unable to even walk. Scooting over to the side, I stopped to massage them until I could move, again. That happened about five times.

I finally just laughed. I'm sure that was the icing on the CrazyCake the onlookers were witnessing, but it felt good to just stop caring. After that, I really don't remember feeling anything else. Physically and mentally I was completely numb.

When I crossed the finish line, four hours and five minutes after I'd started running, I felt no emotion. I wasn't happy to be done.
I wasn't sad about my finishing time.
I wasn't even registering the exhaustion.

I half-heartedly grabbed my medal and hobbled over to meet my ever-patient husband, and spectating sister.

You didn't really think there wasn't more drama to come, did you?

12-12-12

I wish I had a clever post associated with the date. I may have, at some point, actually.

Last night's Christmas party has rendered me mostly useless, though, today. I was up way past my bedtime and indulged, just a bit too much.

That's the cool thing about being a lame-o and rarely going out, though. The few times a year we get out of our "comfies", get babysitters and hang out with other adults pretty much allows us to get a little crazy. People tend to forgive us more easily with the "They don't get out much..." mindset.

this pretty much captures the overall feel of the night

 

Since I forced invited all my friends and family to join the running group, we get to go to group functions, together. Last night the West Volusia Runners held their annual Christmas party. The founder/president/runner extraordinaire, Jennifer, makes sure everyone has a fun time.

 

There was plenty of food and drinks, personalized awards, runners in Regular Clothes (i.e. shocked and awkward conversations when people start to recognize each other) and a cutthroat gift exchange. Perfect ingredients for a memorable party.

 

The husband was awarded the very sweet and appropriate "Wind Beneath Her Wings" certificate. He was recognized for always supporting me, in every way, for every one of my crazy running goals.

 

I was honored to be named :

 

Best Looking in a Boot

 

Almost made me want to break it out and model for everyone!

 

I did manage to drag myself out for my last, short speedwork before the marathon, this morning.

 

1 Mile Warm Up (this isn't going to be nearly as bad as I thought it would!)

4x400s w/active recovery between each (oh-ho! This is actually worse than I thought it would be!)

1 Mile Cool Down (I think that happened. I don't really remember much past the wind-sucking, dry heaving, head-throbbing bits)

 

Before the fuzziness in my brain takes over, again, I'll end with :

 

Today's Share: I'm a fairly new reader of Fit Fun Mom, but I'm so glad I found her. Like me, she recently completed her first Full Marathon (just over 4 hours, too!!), after years of running and racing. Unlike me, though, she actually offers readers posts that are useful. While it may be unfair that she's extremely intelligent AND a talented runner, she's earned her claim to both.

 

Any fun holiday events on your schedule? 



Whole Lotta Nothing

"Random" seems to be a trend in the BlogWorld, today. I have no desire to rock the boat. Random it shall be!

This excitement nearly overwhelmed me, yesterday. I know the photo shows I was in "drive". Rest assured, I was actually stopped, in my driveway, foot on brake, while using my camera.

Some people take and share pics of Paris. You get my odometer.

You're welcome.

 

I have these shoes, shiny new AND discounted, sitting in an online shopping cart. Every time I pull up the browser to drool, longingly, though, I'm reminded "Tis not the time of year to buy gifts for yourself!" (click for pouty face) 

 

Maybe I can buy them for someone else and they can just give them to me?!

 

My hideous, Tuesday morning run was inexplicably followed by six, glorious, effortless, negative-splitting miles, this morning. This further solidified my theory that runners who suffer through awful workouts are rewarded by a beautiful one very soon after. (lack of scientific evidence for support keeps this in wishful thinking "theory" rather than "fact" mode)

 

Dear Running Gods, Please make my run on Dec. 15th the worst one of my entire life. Amen.

 

This week I learned how important it is for Yoga instructors to word their instructions, accurately. Feel free to try this move, if you're unable to simply picture the impossibility of it.

 

What was said :

"Laying on your backs, on your mats, squeeze the block between your thighs. Now...raise your hips and keep them elevated...good. Next, lift your feet so that they're hovering over your mat."

 

go ahead. Try it. I know you're dying to!

 

If you haven't already figured it out, the hip elevation was not supposed to happen. What resulted were some pretty comical (myself included, so it's totally cool to laugh about this) tumbles, groans, maneuvers and twists from the class. My sissy and I giggled about it, at the time.

 

In case you're wondering what we look like when we laugh, together

 

The jokes ended when we both woke up with body parts that were not meant to be that sore after a yoga session.

 

Tomorrow's rough tedious lucky schedule will include a Rest Day and an hour-long massage. (Still haven't used this baby!) 

Here's hoping the masseuse is skilled in working out "impossible yoga move" and "running 50 miles in 5 days" sorts of kinks...

 

What random tidbits would you like to share?

 

 

 



 



 

 

 

 

2012 WHM St Petersburg Recap

How's that for a catchy title?

I ran this as my second half marathon, last year and really had no complaints, other than my less-than-stellar performance, obviously. With registration being capped at 5,000 and the race itself designated towards Women, it appeals to a lot of first-timers. I was excited to register for the event, again, and forced gifted my sister and sister-in-law (ish) with their very own entries. (their first half-marathons!) Soon after, another friend bit the bullet and decided to make it her debut, as well, so it became An Event.

aren't they cute?

Side Note: I am way more proud of their training and race than I am of my own. However, that's their story to tell. If they want to share it with the world, they need to start a blog.

 

The Site & Pre-Race: After your register for a Women's Half Marathon race, you receive email updates. I think I got them once per month, or so, and then a bit more frequently as the event neared. They contain updated information, special promotions and offers, training links, etc. You definitely feel "in the loop". The final emails contain extremely detailed last-minute instructions, your confirmation sheet, bib number, etc. The company does a good job of keeping the participants pepped up and informed, in my opinion.

 

Travel : We only live about 2.5 hours away from St Petersburg, so we drove down Saturday night and stayed at one of the host hotels. There are plenty within walking distance and many others that offered a free shuttle to and from the race. We stayed at the Renaissance Vinoy both years. The hotel had made some improvements, decor and service-wise, and we liked it even better this year than last. The room was spacious, amenities were above average (free toothpaste, even!) and it was less than a mile from the hotel to the start line. 

 

Saturday: the boys worked on a word search

I worked on my water-chugging skillz

Locale: The race is located in a tourist-friendly spot. The Pier, Salvador Dali Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and tons of local shopping and restaurants are all within walking distance. There are even horse-drawn carriages for those who like that sort of thing. (more on that later) We didn't take advantage of anything other than restaurants, but it was peaceful and scenic walking through the parks and streets to transport our family from place to place.

you have no idea how many attempts there were at a decent pic of the 4 of us

 

 

Bonus : cool, nearby, playground with rock climbing wall for the kidlets to play on while my sissy and I went to the ...

 

Health & Fitness Expo/Packet Pickup: There is no race day packet pickup, but the expo is open Friday and Saturday. It's pretty typical : hand the friendly volunteer your confirmation sheet, receive cool personalized bib, move to another (short!) line for your well-stocked goody bag, another for your (very nice) tee shirt and then proceed to wander the expo at your leisure. The volunteers were all very efficient and happy-looking. The Expo, itself, featured tons of vendors and a couple freebies. Publix (supermarket) was a major sponsor and handed out cool little cart/refrigerator clips and coupon organizers. There were some drink samples and long lines for free headbands, but we were a bit limited on time, due to our large group.

 

I forgot to take a picture of the contents of the bag, but it included a Luna Protein Bar, a Perform (like biofreeze) samples, very little in the way of race flyers, the latest issue of Women's Running magazine, some sort of Vitamin powder/mix and probably some things I've forgotten.

 

love the shirt. love the re-usable canvas bag. love the random lego.

 

 Dinner : We ate at this restaurant because we'd done it last year and liked everything about it. It's a cool, local place but nice and loud so no one notices your wild children. The food and service are above average and it's all decently priced, as well. I had some crusty bread, one pre-race Stella Artois, tons more water and a Garden Veggie Pasta dish. (carb-loading at it's finest)

 

Cheers to my old lady hands and the chance to run together!

 

 

The Husband was kind enough to secure reservations for all 15 of us to dine together

fun/weird fact: we had the same waiter we did for our pre-race dinner, last year

 

We all split and headed back to our hotels to get kids to bed and try to sleep, ourselves. While I was tossing and turning and trying desperately to shut off my Race Mode brain, the menfolk went out for a Frozen Yogurt Eating Contest.

 

I was receiving play-by-play texts of the action

 

Race Day: I  got up at about 4:45 am for a quick bagel, PB, honey, chia and raisin breakfast. I kinda choked it down, as my nerves were starting to kick in.

My sis-in-law(ish) and I were at the same hotel, so we met for an early cup of coffee and calming conversation. I'm not used to having friends being with me on Race Day mornings. It was such a necessary and wonderful addition to the day. We finished getting ready and met back downstairs to walk to the Start Line, together. There were more than enough "facilities". There were even tables set up with tons of waters, bananas and muffins.

 

Somehow, in the dark crowd, (and after numerous port-a-potty trips) we found the rest of our group, plus some extras, and hung out 'til it was time to go to our corrals. The race started, on time, at 7:00 AM with plenty of energy and excitement. The sun was finally out, but it was still nice and overcast. The weather was actually pretty darned perfect, for a Florida race. (minus the wind)

 

The Course: I loved the fact that I was familiar with the course. I was able to break it down into sections : "1 more mile 'til we circle the lake...Tropicana Field at mile 11"...etc. My only complaint is that we torture our knees and hips with a brick/cobblestone section. Twice. Last year, a big group scooted over to the sidewalk, but no one was venturing over, this year, that I saw.

Besides that, the only "obstacles" were the giant piles of horse poo (see. told you there'd be more about the carriage rides!) and the incessant, debilitating wind on The Pier. Pretty sure the race director(s) haven't much control over those annoyances.



There were lots of areas for spectators and the crowd support was really good. Another nice feature of the layout : We pass one little area, three times. (it doesn't seem monotonous...for real). This means our family could basically stay in one spot, with a couple minor adjustments, and see us several times.

 

There were plenty of well-manned water and gatorade tables, live music, big cheering sections and lots of beautiful scenery. (pleasantly vague recap? That's my specialty!)

 

My Goals: With this race being sandwiched between my 1st and 2nd marathons, ever, I wasn't sure how fast I'd actually be able to run this race. I was perfectly content to stay with my girlies and enjoy their race, with them. When I realized that I was actually going to be in good shape to "race" it, though, after the marathon, I adjusted my goals, somewhat.

 

A Goal : 1:35. A stretch, for sure, but it doesn't hurt to dream, right? It wasn't entirely far-fetched and I firmly believe I WILL see this time, one day.

 

B Goal: Sub 1:40 and/or a PR. According to Garmin, my best half marathon finish is 1:40:06. I choose to stick with the (stupid) race results, though, so it's 1:42xx. With those times in mind, it would be difficult to PR and avoid a sub 1:40, so I kinda lumped those together. Spoiler : I found a way to screw that up...

 

C Goal : Beat my finishing time from the 2011 race. At first glance, this seems easy, given that I beat my 1:45:35 finish, the following month (Dec. 2011), by over 3 minutes. However, the last half-marathon I raced produced a horrific (for me) 1:49xx time, so I wasn't necessarily brimming with confidence...

 

I huddled up with the 1:35 pace group but was immediately let down. The pacer, who I'm sure is a very nice gentlemen and a speedy runner, never even acknowledged any of us. The other ladies didn't really talk to each other, either, so it was more of a "every girl for herself" sort of feeling, rather than the encouraging camaraderie I was hoping for. My plan to hang on as long as I could, with this group, was definitely foiled by the fact that the pacer didn't seem to notice or care if any of us were running with him, or not.

 

In addition, we were told the 1st mile would be a slow 7:30ish, and that we'd eventually ease into the 7:14 average pace needed.  When mile one clocked in at 7:08, I was frustrated and panicking.

 

I dropped back, right around the 5k point (after seeing my cheering section...thanks guys!!) and turned on my ipod.

 

Call it a cop-out, but my decision to keep the pace group in sight, and make sure the race was actually a fun one, felt like the best thing I could've done, at that point. It's not anyone's fault, but my own, that I didn't stick with that 1:35 pace group, but it just wasn't the experience I'd been expecting.

 

I never really got terribly fatigued. My hips got a bit achy, and I definitely felt like I was in "race mode", but there wasn't any point that I felt discouraged or like I needed to walk. Night and day experiences from last year to this.

I didn't carry a water bottle, but forced myself to take a couple cups along the way. I had a GU at the 10k point and am pretty sure I had another after mile 10. For some reason I didn't really have much of a fueling or hydration plan. Couldn't even begin to tell you why that would be. Either way, it worked. I didn't feel nauseas, hungry, empty, sloshy or dehydrated.

 

Maybe no plan = good plan?

Here's what is NOT a good plan : trying to type an extensive Race Recap while your children are home and there are one million things you need to be doing other than typing an extensive Race Recap. Holy cow, I just want to be done with this!

I'm sure you're thinking something similar...lets wrap this up.

I realized, at the 10 mile marker, that my sub 1:40 goal was not likely going to happen. Looking back at my splits, miles 8 and 10 were my downfall. Eight was due to the epic Runner vs. Wind Battle around the pier, Ten, I have no explanation for.

I lacked focus, as usual, but had so much fun I could've cared less. At one point, I realized that I probably shouldn't be able to smile and high-five as much as I was, if I was hoping to reach my lofty goals. In the end, fun 13.1 miles won out over hard-fought ones.

I maintained my pace from 11-13.1 and finished with a huge, happy, weepy smile knowing I'd finally beaten a personal record, in a race.

I don't know how to steal photos from this page , but you're more than welcome to view my race day pics. (search for bib #1035 and click on my name to see them) Most are funny/dorky, but note the 2nd one. That happy shot was taken at the END of my fastest 13.1 miles, ever.

No room for regrets with a finish like that.

The Finish/After Party: Runners are corralled through an area to receive water, gatorade, packs of muffins, pretzels and bananas. Medals are hung, photos are taken and then you're out with the non-running family and friends.
Tent-folk offered massages, Publix gave away cookies (the line was too long for our tired legs, though) and there were high-top tables to relax and enjoy your snacks on. We brought our own entertainment/beverages and tried to out-complain each other with how sore we were. The walk back to our hotels was particularly unpleasant. Apparently we all, at one time or another, tried to convince our spouses to figure out a way to get a vehicle to us.

In the end, we made it, changed clothes, re-fueled and headed home.

that little circle in the middle is a removable charm. Mine will soon become a necklace

 

If you've made it this far, welcome to The End!! I love having an outlet to share my racing experiences. I love, even more, when people take the time to share them with me. Thank you for your encouragement, support and comments.

 

As a reward, I'll make my next post considerably shorter.

 

ps : I've gotten some feedback that people have had difficulty leaving comments. I changed some settings and am hoping that helps.